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The Wednesday Flyover Replay : Airplane Safety, an AOC Probe, and a Baby Seal Wants Pizza.
Presented by Russell Sherrard.
Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Our Hosts are Christopher and Jenny.
THE FLYOVER REPLAY.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Good Morning! On this day in 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for the phonograph, which was the first device to record and playback sound.
Some mysteries in life remind us just how little we actually have figured out—like the nature of dark matter, or why a baby seal was causing a traffic jam in downtown New Haven earlier this week.
Read more below, and if you have a theory about how it got there.
We hope you enjoyed reading today’s Flyover. Let us know how we’re doing by replying to Russell Sherrard at russellsherrard@reagan.com.
The sponsors keep the tanks full around here. Be sure to check out today’s sponsors.
TAKEOFF.
U.S., Russia Agree to Work Toward Ukraine Peace.
Russia and the United States agreed Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to work toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving diplomatic and economic ties, marking a remarkable diplomatic shift under President Trump.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced three initial goals: restoring embassy staffing, supporting Ukraine peace talks, and exploring broader cooperation, though plans for a Trump-Putin summit remain uncertain. See who was at the table.
The meeting was the most extensive U.S.-Russia dialogue since Moscow’s 2022 invasion, though Ukraine and European allies voiced concerns about being sidelined.
Rubio stressed the talks were a starting point, with further work needed to secure peace.
Three Arrested in Multi-State Cult Killings.
Authorities in Maryland arrested three suspected members of the “cult-like” Zizian group, allegedly linking them to multiple killings across the U.S., officials announced Monday.
The group’s alleged leader, Jack “Ziz” Lasota, along with Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank, face weapons and obstruction charges as part of an ongoing investigation. Read an in-depth article about the group here.
The Zizians, described as tech-savvy radicals bonded by veganism, gender identity issues, and artificial intelligence, have been connected to the January shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont, the 2022 sword attack and the recent murder of a California landlord, and the unsolved shooting deaths of Zajko’s parents in Pennsylvania.
Investigators believe the group’s violence stems from a mix of personal disputes, anti-authority beliefs, and efforts to cover their tracks.
Transportation Sec. Backs Airline Safety.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier this week that air travel remains the safest mode of transportation, even as four major U.S. aviation disasters in 2025 have claimed at least 85 lives.
The latest incident occurred Monday when a Delta jet carrying 80 people crashed and flipped while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, injuring 18 but causing no fatalities. See a video here.
The Jan. 29 midair collision near Washington that killed 67 was the deadliest U.S. airliner crash in nearly 16 years, followed by fatal crashes in Philadelphia, Alaska, and Arizona.
Despite 87 aviation accidents reported this year, experts and federal data emphasize that flying on U.S. commercial airlines is still statistically safer than driving.
POLITICS.
A federal judge denied a temporary restraining order against the Department of Government Efficiency by 14 Democratic state attorneys general, citing a lack of “clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams, his attorneys, and DOJ prosecutors were ordered to appear in court today to address a request to dismiss his criminal corruption charges.
Hamas officials announced they will hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including a mother and her two children, on Thursday, alongside six living hostages on Saturday.
Leonard Peltier, convicted of murdering two FBI agents 50 years ago, was released from a Florida prison on Tuesday after former President Biden commuted his sentence to home confinement.
After a word from one of our sponsors Jenny will be Narrating the last half of the news.
And Now, A word From one of Our Sponsors.
Are you an author or writer with a Blog and wonder if it is being effective?
I have added audio to my blog posts and am getting good comments. I can add voice to your blog posts. You choose Male/Female $10 per post. Direct your inquiries to russellsherrard@reagan.com.
Thanks Christopher.
Now, back to the News.
SPORTS.
The United States will face Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET. Last Saturday, when these teams met, three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of the game, and the U.S. went on to win 3-1.
The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly plan to use the franchise tag on star wide receiver Tee Higgins to keep him with the team for at least one more season. Higgins was widely considered the top player in this year’s free agency class.
Legendary sports broadcaster Joe Buck will return to calling MLB games for the first time in four years in 2025, beginning with the New York Yankees’ Opening Day game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 27.
The White House Transition.
U.S. Treasury, FDA, and Social Security Administration officials are among many bureaucrats pushing back or resigning over the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to uncover fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government.
In other DOGE news, the White House clarified Elon Musk’s position with the agency, stating he is an adviser, not an administrator, as alleged by critics and lawsuits.
Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed this week that he asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was obstructing law enforcement by helping illegal immigrants evade authorities.
FINANCE.
Big Stock Move: Intel shares surged 16% on Tuesday, marking their best day since March 2020, after a report suggested Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are exploring deals that could split the chipmaker.
Panera Bread founder Ken Rosenthal died on Friday at 81. He started the business in 1987 as the St. Louis Bread Company, using a sourdough starter that remains part of Panera’s signature bread.
Southwest Airlines will lay off over 1,000 corporate employees at its Dallas, Texas, headquarters—the first mass layoffs in its 53-year history—to cut $500 million in costs.
Nike is launching a women’s activewear brand in partnership with Kim Kardashian’s shapewear company, Skims, set to debut in the U.S. this spring.
SCIENCE AND TECH.
Scientists have identified a protein, AP2A1, that may hold the key to reversing cellular aging and could lead to new treatments for age-related diseases.
New research has linked a unique human gene variant to the origins of spoken language, suggesting it enabled early humans to communicate and share information.
Hydrogel, a 3D-printed superabsorbent polymer, is being explored for its aerospace potential as a radiation shield capable of assuming unlimited shapes.
THE ROTATOR.
WISDOM WEDNESDAY.
Psychologists say that adults who were frequently scolded as children often struggle with low self-esteem and a chronic need for validation. Here are five steps to heal.
Couples often neglect kissing, though experts say it can strengthen bonds and boost well-being. Here’s why it matters—plus tips to improve your kiss.
The OCEAN personality test measures five key traits—openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—to reveal patterns in behavior and relationships.
ET CETERA.
Pope Francis, 88, remains hospitalized with pneumonia in both lungs but is in good spirits while receiving antibiotic and cortisone treatment in Rome, Italy, the Vatican says.
The president of the NYU Republican chapter resigned after calling Barron Trump, a student at NYU, an “oddity on campus.” The chapter condemned the remarks and invited Barron to join their organization.
A baby seal was discovered in the middle of New Haven, Connecticut, on Sunday, causing a brief traffic jam. Officials remain unsure how the seal ended up in the city, though police jokingly suggested it may have been seeking New Haven’s famous clam pizza.
Daily Quote.
“We not only listened but also heard each other.”
— Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on talks with U.S. officials on ending the war in Ukraine.
And thats the news for today.
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor, The Life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Go to https:// payhip.com/ Christian NonFiction eBookStore then scroll down and click on The Life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon
n publishing the life of the late CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON, the publishers feel a peculiar pleasure and believe themselves especially fortunate in having secured the Rev. Russell H. Conwell, D.D., LL.D., pastor at The Temple, of Philadelphia, to prepare the work. There are many reasons why the popular preacher, who might justly be called the Spurgeon of America, should in this way pay a loving tribute to the memory of his great English ecclesiastical brother, and why such a book must have an absorbing interest for all readers. Foremost among these might be considered his personal acquaintance with the great divine of gigantic efforts and wonderful achievements, and the deep study he has ever given to his popular brother preacher’s life and the measure of its successes.
As a fellow-preacher of the Gospel, he knew better than any layman how to interpret the hidden springs of success to count the cost of Herculean efforts made, and better, understand the great man’s life-work in all its thousands of minute details which he, as an intimate personal friend had the opportunity to observe.
Like Spurgeon, he has the power to earn and raise large sums of money, but he devotes every dollar beyond a reasonable living expense to the cause he has so much at heart. His remarkable line of work, also, in many ways corresponds with that of Spurgeon,
The similarity in the work of the English Spurgeon and the American Conwell has often been commented upon by press and people. Spurgeon made, and Conwell is making, a complete sacrifice of talents, time and health to the one aim in life-the salvation of souls. Each commenced life a poor boy, and had an early life fraught with discouragements and temptations.
The author’s grand work for the Grace Baptist Church, of Philadelphia, has justly distinguished him as the greatest preacher of his denomination in this country. He was a student at Yale College, and graduated in the Law Department of Albany University and was admitted to the New York bar in 1865. His health not permitting the practice of law, he began as traveling correspondent of the Boston Traveler and the New York Tribune, during which his constant companion and warmest friend was Bayard Taylor, with who he traveled all over the world, and obtained distinction as a journalist.
In addition to the pastorate of a church which has one of the most remarkable houses of worship in the world, open every hour of every day and night in the year, and is never untenanted, Dr. Conwell is the head of Temple College, connected with the church fostered by him, which is for the free education of working-men and women in the classic collegiate branches, with fourteen professors, a preparatory department that sends pupils to Yale, Harvard and Amherst, and giving itself decrees equal to those of Princeton. He is the head of the Samaritan Hospital, also an outgrowth of his personal effort and example, which is doing incalculable good in Philadelphia.
In addition. to his church work, Dr. Conwell lectures all over the United States, to large and delighted audiences.
He is also a prolific author, The most important of his works are a ” Life of Garfield,” which he wrote at the home of the martyred President, in Mentor; “Why and How the Chinese Immigrate,” the material for which he gathered in the Chinese Empire Life of Hon. James G. Blaine,” Life of Bayard Taylor,” and “Acres of Diamonds,” each of which has been appreciatively read by thousands of readers in this and other countries.