Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, left, and Federal Aviation Administration administrator Bryan Bedford, right, watch a drone flight demonstration following a news conference on new drone regulations, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in the atrium of the Department of Transportation in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
AIRPLANE!: THE DOCUMENTARY
Trump’s top civil aviation official denounced DOGE’s cost-cutting mission, and said his agency needs to be built up instead, according to exclusive reporting by What A Day. It’s a fresh sign of just how unpopular DOGE has become.
- Critics have long warned that DOGE, the federal cost-cutting operation established by gazillionaire Elon Musk, was doing far more harm than good. Sure, the government should be more efficient. But DOGE’s cuts were so deep, so haphazard, and so non-transparent that they prompted concerns about safety — in particular, that the basics of American life could become more dangerous because DOGE fired too many of the people who normally watch over them.
- Today, a top Trump official joined the chorus of DOGE critics — at least, from behind closed doors. That would be Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford, who told staffers during a private town hall that DOGE’s cuts are the last thing his agency needs as it scrambles to improve airline safety.
- “I’m not here to DOGE the FAA, okay? That is not my gig. That’s not what the president asked me to do,” Bedford said in the meeting, which What A Day attended. “The president asked to fix it. Whatever resources you need, let’s get it fixed. Let’s fix it right? Let’s build a new system. Spare no expense.”
- Instead, Bedford listed DOGE among the many challenges facing the agency, along with “equipment struggles” and “reliability problems.” He continued: “It’s a very unsettling time, when we actually need to be more focused than ever about carrying out our mission.”
- Bedford’s remarks amount to a repudiation of DOGE, after FAA jobs cuts prompted an exodus from the agency and concerns about air safety in the wake of deadly crashes earlier this year. Bedford, a longtime airline CEO who lied for years about having his commercial pilot’s license, seemed focused on a new mission: Boost the morale that Trump’s top lackeys have demolished. “Anybody who thinks, ‘Oh gosh, efficiency is going to mean fewer jobs,’ just isn’t paying attention.” Bedford said. “The agency has got a huge growth mission ahead of it.”
Bedford promised that there won’t be a “willy-nilly” reorganization of the agency — even as he lobbies other Trump officials who may want to keep cutting.
- The FAA is planning to overhaul decades-old equipment that’s often blamed for airplane communication issues and malfunctions. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” sets aside $12.5 billion for that effort, which aviation workers say is not nearly enough. Tomorrow, Bedford said he’s meeting with Office of Management and Budget chief Russ Vought to talk numbers.
- “Everybody’s told me he’s a really scary guy,” Bedford said. “But look, the facts, I think, are on our side here.” Vought has been leading the charge to cement DOGE’s cuts to the federal government… so this meeting could be pretty tense. That’s not to mention Vought is, in fact, an intimidating dude: He’s a Project 2025 architect, has been described as a “bull in a china shop,” and is one of MAGA’s most influential figures.
- The system needs a complete overhaul, and that’s the message he plans to deliver to Vought: “I think every job is important and necessary,” Bedford said. “I just want to make it clear that I’m not going to cut costs or reduce the staff.” The FAA didn’t respond to What A Day’s request for comment.
One participant asked the chief: Can we stop DOGE’s infamous “five things” email? “We can stop that, yes, for sure,” Bedford replied, echoing the White House’s new policy. “I wasn’t reading them anyways.”
Want More?
Our nightly newsletter keeps you in the loop on everything going on that you need to know.
"There are other people that want pierogis.”
— A crowd member shouting at Alan Dershowitz, who complained today, once again, about not being sold a pierogi at the Martha’s Vineyard farmers market.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
An Army sergeant shot and wounded five soldiers in his own unit with his personal handgun at a base in Georgia. Other soldiers tackled the gunman so he’d stop shooting, and the five victims are expected to recover. The gunman’s motive is unclear so far.
Texas Democrats who fled to Illinois to prevent GOP gerrymandering evacuated their hotel today following a false bomb threat. Meanwhile, these Democrats could face up to $400,000 in fines for leaving the state, according to a Politico analysis.
Donald Trump is planning to hang out next week with his old bestie, Vladimir Putin, for the first time in four years. The play-date comes at a moment when Trump keeps demanding that Putin end his war in Ukraine, and Putin pays absolutely no attention. Trump, strangely, doubled tariffs on India to punish the country for buying Russian oil. I guess those penguins were already tariffed enough?
Scientists are dismayed by HHS Secretary Robert. F Kennedy’s decision to cancel $500 million in grants and contracts to develop mRNA vaccines, which battle the flu and Covid. You mean he lied when he told lawmakers he’s not anti-vax?! What?!
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem waived age limits for people to become ICE agents, “so even more patriots will qualify to join.” Does that mean annoying teenagers are gonna start rounding up random people? Or bigoted grandpas? Or hooligans from the Proud Boys? What could go wrong?
On that note, Noem also announced that DHS is opening the “Speedway Slammer” detention facility in Indiana. Along with “Alligator Alcatraz,” I really hate that this administration seems to be naming inhumane, opaque prisons as if they’re on the cocktail menu at Chili’s.
Vice President JD Vance is “most likely” to lead MAGA in the 2028 presidential election, Trump told reporters last night, an image that will haunt my nightmares.
Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States, accused MAGA Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) of threatening to release nude videos of her after she broke up with him, according to a police report. Mills also threatened to harm her future partners, she said. This is the same dude who once owed $85,000 in unpaid rent for his D.C. penthouse and had the cops called on him for an alleged assault earlier this year. Mills has denied all wrongdoing.
Why did Trump post a picture of a bloodied, shirtless 19-year-old on social media? Because that guy is better known as “Big Balls,” one of DOGE’s main henchmen. He reportedly got beat up in a carjacking in downtown D.C. last night. After that, Trump threatened a federal takeover of the entire city.
A Republican woman running for state senate in Arizona once said that she didn’t think women should hold political office. “I don’t know if I would vote for any female,” said Mylie Biggs, the daughter of Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Way to raise ‘em right, Andy!
Love to keep things simple?
Welcome to the club. We’ve put a lot of thought into our designs (and literally everything else), so you don’t have to.
