Plane Flips Over in Toronto, and Migrants Trapped in Panama Hotel

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Headlines – "Plane Flips Over in Toronto, and Migrants Trapped in Panama Hotel"

Release Date: February 18, 2025
Host: Traci Mumford
Source: The New York Times

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1. Dramatic Delta Airlines Crash in Toronto

Overview: The episode opens with an active investigation into a harrowing crash landing of a Delta Airlines flight in Toronto. The flight, originating from Minneapolis, was attempting to land amid severe weather conditions, including heavy winds and drifting snow.

Key Details:

• Incident Description: The small jet, carrying 80 passengers, flipped upside down during landing, resulting in the loss of its tail and a wing. Remarkably, there were no fatalities, though 18 individuals sustained injuries.

• Passenger Experiences:

  • Hamed Al Aziz recounts a passenger’s terrifying experience: “There was no like real indication of anything. And then, yeah, we hit the ground and we were sideways and then we were upside down hanging like bats” (00:51).
  • The urgency to evacuate was palpable as passengers described, “get out, get out, get out.” The ordeal was intensified by the presence of flames and the smell of jet fuel, with survivors having to crawl from the wreckage (01:16).

Contextual Insights:

• This crash is part of a troubling trend of recent airline disasters, including a catastrophic incident in South Korea that resulted in 179 deaths after a plane slid off a runway, and a mid-air collision near Washington involving a passenger jet and an army helicopter, which was fatal for all aboard.

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2. Migrants Deported to Panama and Costa Rica Facing Dire Conditions

Overview: The episode shifts focus to the Trump administration's contentious deportation policies, highlighting the plight of migrants relocated to Panama and the impending expansion to Costa Rica.

Key Points:

• US Deportation Strategy: In an effort to expedite deportations of migrants from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and China—where repatriation poses significant challenges—the US Military has transported over 300 migrants, including children, to Panama (02:42).

• Conditions in Panama:

  • Migrants are confined in a hotel in Panama City, stripped of passports, barred from legal counsel, and informed of eventual deportation without the ability to seek asylum.
  • Hamed Al Aziz reports, “The government of Panama is not allowing journalists to come and visit these migrants and interview them,” but notes that migrants have managed to communicate their desperation through signs visible from their windows (03:12).
    • Examples include messages like “Afghan” and “help us” written in lipstick, highlighting the fear and urgency among deportees.

• Contradictory Statements: While the Department of Homeland Security claims that none of the deported migrants fear returning to their home countries, testimonies reveal otherwise. For instance, a 27-year-old Iranian woman faces severe persecution for converting to Christianity, a crime punishable by death in her home country.

• Expanding Deportations: Panama is not the sole destination. Costa Rica has joined the initiative, with a flight carrying approximately 200 migrants from Central Asia and India expected to arrive soon. Hamed Al Aziz emphasizes the administration’s commitment: “The Trump administration has not been shy about saying that they will look for all avenues to deport people... and this is an indication that they really mean that” (04:28).

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3. Trump Administration’s Policies and Public Backlash

Education Department’s Racial Policy Directive:

• Directive Details: The Education Department has issued a warning to schools that incorporating race into any aspects of student academic and campus life may result in the loss of federal funding.

• Implications: This directive poses significant challenges for colleges and universities, particularly those offering race-based scholarships, grants, or housing options like sororities and fraternities that cater to specific racial backgrounds.

• Administration’s Stance: The move is part of a broader effort to portray diversity and inclusion initiatives as forms of racial discrimination, especially impacting white and Asian students. Schools were given a two-week window to comply with the new regulations.

Social Security Administration Controversy:

• Resignation: The head of the Social Security Administration abruptly resigned after refusing Elon Musk’s team access to sensitive personal data of millions of Americans.

• Musk’s Campaign: Musk is actively working to reduce federal government size and spending, alleging widespread fraud and waste within the Social Security program. However, recent audits indicate that less than 1% of payments were improper.

• Data Access Efforts: Beyond Social Security, Musk’s team has sought access to private data from the Treasury Department and the IRS, raising concerns about privacy and data security.

Public Protests Against the Administration:

• Scale and Motivation: Thousands protested the Trump administration, citing concerns over perceived authoritarianism. Protesters accused Trump of acting “like a king, not a president,” displaying signs with messages such as “this is a coup” and “Save democracy” (06:25).

• Organizers: The protests were largely orchestrated by the “50:51 movement,” a group opposing what they interpret as Trump’s overreach during his second term.

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4. Israeli Military Operations and Palestinian Displacement

Ceasefire Status:

• The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in place, yet tensions persist with escalating military operations in the West Bank.

Impact on Palestinians:

• Displacement: Israeli military actions have displaced approximately 40,000 Palestinians, marking the largest civilian displacement in the West Bank in over five decades.

• Military Tactics: Reports include the use of megaphones to order evacuations, threats of lethal force, demolition of buildings, destruction of infrastructure like roads, water pipes, and power lines.

• Israeli Government’s Position: Israel asserts that their objective is to eliminate militant threats to prevent attacks on Israeli citizens, denying direct orders for evacuations.

• Long-term Policies: Under the current far-right government, Israel has intensified its control over the West Bank, including proposals to strip Palestinians of voting rights and employ deadly force against resistance, as indicated by past statements from the finance minister.

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5. Rise of Meat Raffles as Popular Fundraisers

Trend Overview: In an unexpected cultural phenomenon, meat raffles have surged in popularity across states with colder climates, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York.

Operational Insights:

• Mechanics: Participants purchase raffle tickets, typically ranging from one to five dollars, for a chance to win various meat products, including steaks, pork tenderloins, and even whole hams.

• Historical Context: While prevalent in Minnesota and Wisconsin for over a century, meat raffles are now expanding to other regions where winter conditions drive people indoors, fostering community engagement.

• Fundraising Success: Organizers report substantial earnings, with some raffles raising between $5,000 to $15,000 per night. For example, a Western New York organizer now conducts around a hundred raffles annually.

• Community Appeal: The simplicity and appeal of winning high-quality meat without the need to shop make these raffles attractive. Testimonials include statements like, “You can win meat. You don't have to go to the grocery store. How can you go wrong with that?” from participants (05:02).

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Closing Remarks

Traci Mumford concludes the episode by previewing upcoming content, including an interview with one of President Trump's key economic advisers discussing the impact of tariffs on America's relationship with China. Listeners are encouraged to access the full episode via the New York Times Audio app or their preferred podcast platforms.

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Notable Quotes:

• Hamed Al Aziz on the Plane Crash:
  “There was no like real indication of anything. And then, yeah, we hit the ground and we were sideways and then we were upside down hanging like bats” (00:51).

• Department of Homeland Security Statement vs. Migrants' Reality:
  DHS claims no migrants feared returning home, but testimonies reveal severe dangers, such as a woman facing execution for her faith.

• Public Protest Sentiment:
  “The Trump administration has been built to break our wills, but we are the American people. We will not break” (06:25).

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This episode of "The Headlines" provides a comprehensive overview of significant events shaping global and domestic landscapes, from aviation safety and immigration policies to international conflicts and unique cultural trends. The detailed reporting, enriched with firsthand accounts and expert insights, offers listeners a nuanced understanding of the pressing issues of February 2025.

Transcript

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[Traci Mumford]

From the new York Times it's the headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today's Tuesday, February 18th. Here's what we're covering. This is an active investigation.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

It's very early on.

[Traci Mumford]

It's really important that we do not speculate. Authorities are investigating the dramatic crash landing of a Delta Airlines flight in Toronto yesterday. The small jet was carrying 80 people on a flight from Minneapolis when it tried to touch down amid heavy winds and drifting snow. As it landed, it flipped upside down, losing its tail and a wing. No one was killed, but 18 people were injured.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

There was no like real indication of anything. And then, yeah, we hit the ground and we were sideways and then we were upside down hanging like bats.

[Traci Mumford]

Come on.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

And then everybody was just like get out, get out, get out. We could smell like jet fuel and then we just crawled out the back of the airplane.

[Traci Mumford]

Passengers described having to climb out of the overturned plane as part of it burst into flames. It's not clear what caused the crash, but it's the latest in a series of recent airline disasters that has travelers on edge, including a crash in South Korea where one hundred and seventy nine people died after a plane slid off a Runway, and the mid air collision near Washington between a passenger jet and an army helicopter that killed everyone on board. As the Trump administration tries to carry out its plan for sweeping deportations, it's faced a major challenge. Many migrants in the US have come from countries it's not easy to deport them back to for various reasons like Afghanistan, Iran or China. Now the administration has come up with an alternate plan. Send them to another country that is willing to take them. In the last week, the US Military flew hundreds of people who come from countries in Asia, Africa or the Middle east to Panama. My colleague Hamed Al Aziz was able to speak with some of them.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

Your window, is it to the street? Can you see the street from your window? Hotel.

[Traci Mumford]

Hamed says over 300 migrants who were deployed reported including children, are now locked in a hotel in Panama City. Since they're no longer on American soil, the US Is not obligated to make sure they're treated humanely or have the chance to seek asylum. They've been stripped of their passports, barred from seeing lawyers, and told they'll eventually be sent back to their home countries.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

The government of Panama is not allowing journalists to come and visit these migrants and interview them, but they're visible from their windows of their hotel and they were able to get their messages, messages out through holding up signs, such as one woman did, holding up a piece of paper that read Afghan. Another family of Iranian asylum seekers who had fled for America wrote in lipstick on the window, help us.

[Traci Mumford]

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the migrants deported to Panama were in the US Illegally and that, quote, not a single one expressed fear of returning to their home country. But Hamed says many feel they are in danger. One 27 year old woman from Iran said she'd converted to Christianity, a crime punishable by death if she's sent home. Others in the hotel described people desperate to escape. One man broke his leg trying, another attempted suicide. The plan to send migrants to other countries will soon extend beyond Panama. Costa Rica announced yesterday that it will also accept deportees and a flight carrying around 200 people from Central Asia and India is expected to land there this week.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

This is a indicator that countries that are hoping to come into the good graces of the United States are willing to do things like this, take on hundreds of migrants from countries across the world. And the Trump administration has not been shy about saying that they will look for all avenues to deport people and that just because an individual is from a country that is hard to deport to, it will not prevent them from being removed from the United States. And this is an indication that they really mean that.

[Traci Mumford]

Three other quick updates on the Trump administration. The Education Department is warning schools they will lose their federal funding if they take race into account in any, quote, aspects of student, academic and campus life. The new directive could be especially disruptive to colleges and universities, including those that have race based scholarships and grants or even housing like sororities or fraternities intended for students of a specific background. It's the latest push by the administration to frame diversity and inclusion efforts as a form of racial discrimination, particularly against white and Asian students. Schools were given two weeks to comply. At the Social Security Administration, the agency's top official has abruptly resigned after refusing to give Elon Musk's team access to sensitive personal data about millions of Americans. Musk has been leading a push to shrink the federal government and cut spending. He's claimed that the Social Security program is rife with fraud and waste, but a recent audit showed less than 1% of payments were improper. It's not clear if Musk's team did eventually get access to the Social Security systems, which include medical records and financial data. In recent weeks, they've also been trying to get access to private data at the Treasury Department and the IRS and across the country yesterday.

[Hamed Al Aziz]

The events over the past month have been built to break our wills, but we are the American people. We will not break.

[Traci Mumford]

Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the Trump administration. Many of them said they feel Trump is acting like a king, not a president, and they held signs with messages like this is a coup and Save democracy. Protests were largely organized by the 50:51 movement, which has been pushing back against what it sees as Trump's overreach in the first weeks of his second term. In the Middle east, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold, but Israel's military has been ramping up its operations in the West Bank. A weeks long operation by the Israeli military there has forced about 40,000 Palestinians from their homes. It's the biggest displacement of civilians in the territory in over 50 years. Residents tell the Times that soldiers used megaphones to order them out of their houses and threatened to shoot them if they didn't leave. The military has demolished scores of buildings, used armored bulldozers to rip up roads and destroyed water pipes and power lines. Israel says its goal is to root out militant groups to prevent them from attacking Israelis and that it never ordered any evacuations. But the current far right Israeli government has been tightening its grip on the west bank for years. The country's finance minister once proposed a plan to permanently control it by taking away the right to vote from Palestinians there and using deadly force against people who fought back. And finally, it's the meat. Everybody loves meat and you can get good meat. Meat raffles are really blowing up. Depending on where you live, they're pretty much exactly what they sound like. You buy a raffle ticket, you hope you win some meat. For a dollar, maybe five dollars, you could win a nice steak, a pork tenderloin. I won a ham once. The events have been kicking around Minnesota and Wisconsin for over 100 years. Now they're spreading to other states also states with cold weather where people want to pack inside in the winter and cross their fingers for a rack of ribs. Some churches and kids sports teams rely on them as fundraisers. Organizers say they can raise 5,000 to even $15,000 a night, depending on the turnout. One woman who runs meat raffles in western New York says they've really taken off. She now runs a hundred of them a year. For some, the appeal is obvious. A snowplow operator who went to a raffle at a VFW in a suburb of Buffalo told the Times, you can win meat. You don't have to go to the grocery store. How can you go wrong with that? Those are the headlines today on the Daily an interview with one of President Trump's key economic advisers on how he thinks tariffs can change America's relationship with China. That's next in the New York Times audio app. Or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.