MEET THE WOMAN WHO BROUGHT IT HOME FOR SOUTHWEST AIR

The pilot who safely landed a Southwest Airlines passenger plane after a jet engine ripped apart mid-air has been praised as a hero by passengers. Captain Tammie Jo Shultz brought in Flight 1380 to a Philadelphia airport with just one casualty. A female passenger died after she was nearly sucked out of a shattered window of the damaged plane.

Survivors on the New York-to-Dallas flight carrying 149 people lauded the ex-US Navy pilot as an "American hero". Officials said an early review of the incident found evidence of metal fatigue where a fan blade had broken off, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Passengers who were on the flight have identified Captain Shultz as their pilot although Southwest has not identified her as the pilot. Her husband has also confirmed to the Associated Press that she was at the controls of the plane. The New Mexico native graduated with university degrees in biology and agribusiness before joining the military. Captain Shultz served in the US Navy for 10 years and flew fighter jets before leaving active service in 1993 after achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.  Her husband is also a pilot for Southwest, said a relative.

Many on social media compared Captain Shultz with Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. He who glided a US Airways plane into New York's main waterway in 2009 in what became known as "The Miracle on the Hudson". Passenger Alfred Tumlinson of Corpus Christi, Texas, praised the pilot for her "nerves of steel". "That lady, I applaud her. I'm going to send her a Christmas card - I'm going to tell you that - with a gift certificate for getting me on the ground," he told the Associated Press.

Diana McBride Self, who was also on the flight, posted a photo on Facebook of Captain Shultz as she met passengers after the plane was back on the ground.  "Tammie Jo Schultz, the pilot came back to speak to each of us personally. This is a true American Hero,” she wrote. "A huge thank you for her knowledge, guidance, and bravery in a traumatic situation."

Just one passenger, Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old mother-of-two and executive for Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a casualty. Shrapnel from the shredded engine smashed a window and nearly sucked her out of the jet. Several passengers pulled her back in and performed CPR to no avail. Philadelphia's medical examiner said on Wednesday that she died of blunt impact trauma to her head, neck, and torso. Seven other passengers were slightly injured. Riordan is the first passenger to die in an accident on a US commercial airliner since 2009. Photo Courtesy of U.S.Navy

DON’T MESS WITH NIKKI

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stood up for herself against her male colleague at the White House. In response to newly appointed economic adviser Larry Kudlow, that there was confusion about the White House plan for Russian sanctions, Haley shot back. “With all due respect, I don’t get confused,” she said in a statement to Fox News’ Dana Perino, who read the comment during her Tuesday show.
It was the rare power move made by the rarest of creatures ― an actual woman (of color!) in the Trump administration. Kudlow even apologized later that day, though that doesn’t mitigate the fact that Haley was left out of critical decision-making and made to look like a dupe. According to CNN, it was hard not to feel a little bit heartened by Haley in that moment. While a strong woman standing up for herself isn’t exactly novel in the #MeToo era, spotting one in the male wilds of the White House is definitely a noteworthy occasion. But a tossed-off strong comeback doesn’t let Haley off the hook. Keep in mind, she still works for, and defends, a notorious misogynist accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct.

ERA OF CASTRO'S CUBA COMES TO END

Miguel Diaz-Canel is set to take over what may be the toughest job in Cuba, the first Cuban leader in almost 60 years who is not a Castro. Raul Castro, 86, who took over from his late brother Fidel in 2008, is expected to step down today. Cuba's National Assembly on Wednesday named Diaz-Canel as the sole candidate for head of state, virtually ensuring he will replace Castro.

In a country deeply identified with the Castros, leaders of the most enduring communist lead system in the Western Hemisphere is about to make a historic change. Diaz-Canel is almost sure to not to shake things up and continue on the track of communism. Under Raul Castro, Cuba tested economic and social freedoms, often taking two steps forward and one step back. Abrupt change doesn’t appear to be the Diaz-Canel plan. He appears more likely recognize the need to respond to Cubans' growing frustration over economic stagnation and the reluctance of the Communist Party to embrace faster reforms. A balancing act that will require reservation over swift actions to bring such marked change. Photo Courtesy-Merco-Press

INVENTOR OF BUMP STOCKS SHUTTING DOWN

Slide Fire Solutions, the inventor, and manufacturer of bump stocks will no longer be selling the firearm accessories. Slide Fire Solutions said it "will cease taking orders for its products and shut down its website." The company said it will process and ship all orders taken prior to May 20. The company did not say on its website what will happen to its factory in Texas, according to CNN.

Bump stocks are attached to semiautomatic rifles to speed up their rate of fire to mimic full automatic fire. They were approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in 2010. Slide Fire came under criticism after a dozen rifles fitted with bump stocks were found in the Las Vegas hotel suite of Stephen Paddock, who used a perch in his room to kill 58 people and wound hundreds of others on Oct. 1, 2017.

The sales of bump stocks rose sharply after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Slide Fire would occasionally run out of inventory and suspend sales, and then eventually start selling them again. This is the first time the company, based in Moran, Texas, has said it was shutting down its website. States like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Florida, have banned bump stocks since the massacre in Las Vegas. President Trump said in February that he would ban the sale of bump stocks, but that hasn't happened.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence sued Slide Fire just days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, saying the company was negligent in developing and marketing bump stocks to the general public without any reasonable restrictions. The case is still pending in federal district court in Nevada.