The Morning Sixpack - March 14, 2025

Planes are catching fire, gold is HOT, and the courts are pissed at Trump & Musk

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Flying on Fire: American Airlines' Fiery Landing in Denver

Another day, another aviation nightmare.

Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth got more excitement than they bargained for when their Boeing 737-800 made an unexpected detour to Denver—because its engine caught fire.

The plane, which landed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, was taxiing to the gate when flames erupted. Chaos ensued as passengers scrambled onto the wing and down emergency slides while thick black smoke filled the air.

Welcome to flying in 2025, folks—where your biggest in-flight concern isn’t turbulence but whether your aircraft spontaneously combusts.

“Pretty shaken up, but we’re here,” wrote passenger Justus Rainey, who documented the ordeal on Facebook, showing passengers frantically trying to figure out how to escape.

Meanwhile, Alexandria Cullen, whose mother was on board, summed up the surreal experience: "It’s one of those things where you see it on the news... but you don’t think it’s going to be you."

Yet, her mother was apparently unfazed and planned to board another flight that night—clearly a fearless traveler or just determined to get where she was going.

The good news? All 178 passengers and six crew members made it out alive.

The bad news? This latest incident joins a growing list of fiery aviation mishaps this year, including a midair collision and a flipped Delta jet.

In the aftermath, American Airlines thanked its crew, Denver International Airport staff, and first responders for their "quick and decisive action"—though that’s probably little consolation to the 12 people hospitalized. The fire was extinguished at the gate, and the airport remained operational, proving that the aviation industry is nothing if not resilient. But after yet another "this wasn’t supposed to happen" moment in the skies, it might be time for airlines to rethink what “safe travel” actually means.

Source: WaPo

Coincidence or just rampant incompetence by Trump’s gutted FAA? You decide.

Gold Smashes $3,000: Safe Haven Fever Hits New Heights

For the first time ever, gold prices pierced the $3,000 an ounce mark on Friday, as investors scrambled for safety amid economic uncertainty and trade war chaos.

Spot gold climbed 0.4% to $3,000.87 an ounce by mid-morning GMT, while U.S. gold futures surged 0.7% to $3,013.60. With 13 record highs already this year, gold’s relentless rally shows no signs of slowing, fueled by fears of a slowing economy and the Federal Reserve’s potential rate cuts.

At this point, gold isn’t just a safe haven—it’s a runaway train.

“The precious metal still has an abundance of reasons to pursue higher prices, including geopolitical and economic concerns, along with the prospects of Fed rate cuts,” said Han Tan, chief market analyst at Exinity Group.

That’s putting it mildly. Add to that President Donald Trump’s latest threat to slap a 200% tariff on alcohol imports from Europe, and it’s no wonder investors are hedging their bets with gold.

With financial markets roiled by trade tensions and recession fears, bullion is now in full beast mode, locking in a second straight week of gains.

Meanwhile, SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed ETF, saw its holdings hit 905.81 metric tons—their highest level since August 2023.

If this pace keeps up, we might start seeing people hoarding gold bars like canned food before Y2K.

As uncertainty looms, gold’s status as the ultimate insurance policy against financial insanity has never been more obvious.

Source: MSN

To be clear, gold has NEVER been seen as a recession hedge. It’s an inflation hedge. Something tells me the market knows more than we do about impending inflation.

Judge Slams Trump Admin's ‘Sham’ Firings, Orders Workers Reinstated

In a scathing ruling, a federal judge has ordered thousands of government employees fired by the Trump administration last month to be reinstated, calling the mass dismissals a “sham” designed to bypass federal workforce protections.

Judge William Alsup’s decision affects probationary employees at multiple agencies, including Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. The Trump administration had justified the firings as part of a larger plan to shrink the federal workforce, but Alsup wasn’t buying it.

“That should not have been done in our country,” the judge declared. “It was a sham in order to avoid statutory requirements.”

During the hearing, Alsup called out specific cases, including one in Albuquerque where an employee with top performance reviews was terminated under the pretense of poor performance. Danielle Leonard, an attorney representing federal employee unions, argued that probationary employees were deliberately targeted because they lacked the right to appeal.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice tried to distance itself from the controversy, insisting the firings were based on guidance rather than an official directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Adding to the circus, Elon Musk—who Trump publicly tapped to spearhead federal downsizing through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE (yes, seriously)—was a shadow presence throughout the hearing.

The White House denies Musk is actually in charge, but Trump’s recent congressional speech suggested otherwise. As the administration scrambles to justify its illegal mass layoffs, thousands of federal workers are now set to reclaim their jobs.

Source: BBC

Schumer Folds: Democrats Fume as GOP Spending Bill Moves Forward

In a stunning reversal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer caved on Thursday night, agreeing to vote for the Republican stopgap spending bill—much to the dismay of his fellow Democrats.

The decision effectively hands President Donald Trump his first major legislative win of his second term, confirming what many in Schumer’s caucus feared: they had no leverage.

With a government shutdown just hours away, Schumer justified his move by claiming, “If we go into a shutdown... the total off-ramp of a shutdown is totally determined by the Republican House and Senate.”

Translation: Trump and his MAGA loyalists could have kept the government closed for months, and Schumer wasn’t willing to risk it.

The decision sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, leaving many furious and divided.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had spent a week bashing the bill, was blindsided, while progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged their supporters to flood senators’ phone lines with demands to kill the legislation.

Meanwhile, Senate progressives like Ruben Gallego refused to budge, saying, “Let’s not kid ourselves. This is a bad resolution that gives Elon Musk and his cronies permission to continue cutting veterans’ benefits.”

The rift exposed deep tensions between establishment Democrats trying to play defense and a younger, more aggressive faction demanding an all-out war against Trump and Musk’s efforts to gut federal agencies.

The drama didn’t end there.

Reports from inside a Democratic policy retreat revealed that lawmakers were “collectively ripsh*t” over Schumer’s decision, with some even whispering about challenging his leadership.

But the reality is bleak: Democrats never had a plan. They NEVER have a plan.

They assumed Trump’s Freedom Caucus allies would torpedo the spending bill themselves—only to watch as Trump whipped them into line at the last minute.

Now, instead of forcing Republicans into a shutdown blame game, Democrats are left looking weak, divided, and outplayed by the very man they hoped to defeat.

Source: CNN

I wonder if Schumer cowered to Trump because of Trump’s recent comments about him being a Palestinian.

Trump has a way with bullying people such that they surrender to him. I don’t quite understand it.

Trump Praises Putin Talks, But Ukraine Sees a Stalemate

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to celebrate what he called “very good and productive” discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin about a potential cease-fire in Ukraine.

The praise came after Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, met with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, delivering what was described as “additional signals” from the U.S.

While Trump suggested peace was within reach—writing, “There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end”—the Kremlin wasn’t exactly popping champagne.

Putin signaled he’s open to talks but, true to form, wants to drag out negotiations with a laundry list of demands.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov mirrored the White House’s cautious optimism, saying there’s “certainly” reason to believe progress is possible—though Putin conveniently left himself an escape hatch.

On Thursday, just before the Moscow meeting, Putin made clear he wouldn’t rush into a 30-day truce proposed by the U.S. and Ukraine, instead demanding that Western military aid to Ukraine be on the negotiating table.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t buying it, responding that Putin’s conditions were so convoluted that “nothing will work out at all or that it will not work out for as long as possible.”

Translation: Russia is stalling while trying to extract concessions.

Meanwhile, Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, reassured Fox News viewers that the administration has “some cautious optimism” about a deal and that Witkoff was bringing back key details for Trump to review.

But with Russia seeing time as an advantage and Trump eager for a foreign policy win, the real question is whether this is a step toward peace—or just another diplomatic merry-go-round where Putin holds all the cards.

Source: NYT

Dr. Oz Goes to Washington: Senate Prepares to Grill Trump’s CMS Pick

Mehmet Oz, the TV doctor-turned-failed Senate candidate, is back in the hot seat.

On Friday, he faces a Senate confirmation hearing as President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees health care for 160 million Americans and manages over $1 trillion in spending.

If confirmed, Oz—who has spent years pushing miracle cures and weight-loss gimmicks—would be in charge of one of the most critical federal health programs. Expect fireworks, as senators are ready to tear into his history of dubious medical claims and financial entanglements.

Leading the charge is Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has already put Oz on notice, writing: "I am troubled by your advocacy for completely privatizing Medicare and your deep financial ties to health care companies that receive significant payments from CMS."

That’s not all—Oz has also been accused of dodging Medicare and Social Security taxes through an accounting maneuver that has raised eyebrows in Congress.

And then there’s the elephant in the room: his past as a TV salesman for unproven supplements. Back in 2014, he was publicly scolded by the Senate Commerce Committee for pushing a pill that supposedly “literally flushes fat from your system.” Now, he’ll have to convince lawmakers that he’s fit to run the agency responsible for real medical care.

Even within the Trump administration, Oz’s confirmation could spark internal drama. His potential boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been vocally opposed to expanding access to weight-loss drugs, calling Americans “stupid” for relying on them.

If confirmed, Oz will have to navigate clashes with both parties, skeptics who view him as a "quack," and budget-slashing Republicans eager to cut Medicaid.

In other words, the man famous for daytime TV dramatics is about to step into his biggest reality show yet—except this time, the stakes are actual lives.

Source: WaPo (gift article)