Nearly a year after the second deadly crash of a Boeing 737 Max jet, the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing's history remains grounded. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, whose grandniece was killed in that disaster, said that even once the plane makes it back to the skies, he won't fly in it.
"Anytime when you have excessive automation taking the plane's control away from the pilots, passengers have got to be very concerned with that," he told Cheddar on Monday. "One of the problems with all of these new planes is excessive automation."
Automation is, at least in part, to blame for the Lion Air crash that killed 189 and the Ethiopian Airlines crash that claimed 157 lives.
The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) has been cited as one of the main factors both planes crashed. A new report about the March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines flight that prompted the plane's grounding showed design flaws accounted for the catastrophic failure, not pilot error or airline performance.
But Nader said the glitches aren't the only problems he's concerned about. "More and more problems beyond the MCAS software glitch and snitch have emerged," he said.
He said Boeing contributing to Congressional campaigns, "freebies all the airlines give to senators and representatives," and cuts to Federal Aviation Administration budgets contributed to the regulatory agency's decision to shift certification to Boeing, itself.
The FAA came under scrutiny when, following the crashes, it became public that the agency had delegated responsibility to the company for testing the jet.
"It went from a regulatory agency to a delegating agency," he said. "Now they gotta pull it all back."
In the meantime, the jet remains grounded and Boeing stands to lose an estimated $18 billion while the plane's timeline for return remains unclear.
Ty Young, CEO of Ty J. Young Wealth Management, joins Cheddar to discuss Trump's moves as he returns to Washington D.C. and how it may affect the U.S. economy.
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
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J.W. Roth, CEO of Venu Holding Corporation, discusses the company's IPO and plans to redefine live music entertainment with their fan founded, fan-owned model.
Variety's Clayton Davis discusses why more than just the 1% are struggling after the LA fires. Plus, how awards shows will pivot to help victims. Watch!
Emily Hosie, CEO of Rebelstork, explains the concept of Returns Recommerce, plus how her company raised $18M to address the industry-wide issue of returns.
