Mika Brzezinski recalls 'unbelievably inappropriate hug' from Donald Trump on set - AOL

“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski criticized President Trump on Friday for a viral video the billionaire made mocking Joe Biden’s penchants for hugging — hinting ominously of an inappropriate moment Trump had on set.

“Talk about somebody with boundary issues,” Brzezinski said. “Kind of makes me want to share the story about Trump’s unbelievably inappropriate hug in our studio.”

Brzezinski’s co-host (and husband) Joe Scarborough seemed less keen on sharing, making a non-committal sound at the idea. He did, however, call out Trump for throwing stones at glass houses.

Also Read:'Morning Joe' Hosts Mock Trump As 'Obese' and 'Disgusting to Look At' (Video)

“The hypocrisy of that Joe Biden clip,” he said. “Can you imagine the clip that’s going to follow that and the words that’s going to be put into the president’s mouth, probably with Billy Bush lurking around the back of his head and Stormy Daniels and Playboy models?”

RELATED: Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of 'Morning Joe' together

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LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 509 -- Pictured: (l-r) Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski during an interview with host Seth Meyers on March 28, 2017 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend Silver Hill Hospital 2016 Giving Hope Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 25: Television hosts Joe Scarborough (L) and Mika Brzezinski attend 'The Americans' Season 5 Premiere at DGA Theater on February 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic)

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 203 -- Pictured: (l-r) Hosts of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski during an interview with host Seth Meyers on May 7, 2015 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 14: Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough host the Silver Hill Hospital 2016 Giving Hope Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 22: Ami Kaplan, Tina Brown, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Cathie Black and guests attend the 5th Annual Elly Awards hosted by the Women's Forum of New York honoring Tina Brown & Emily Rafferty at The Plaza Hotel - 5th Avenue on June 22, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for the Elly Awards)

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 02: Televsion hosts Mika Brzezinski (L) and Joe Scarborough attend the Accessories Council 20th Anniversary celebration of the ACE awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on August 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Accessories Council)

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski arrive at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) annual dinner in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO/NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: (L-R) George Stephanopoulos, Alexandra Wentworth, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski attend the Yahoo News/ABC News White House Correspondents' dinner reception pre-party at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, April 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Yahoo)

RED NOSE DAY -- Season: 2015 -- Pictured: (l-r) Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski -- (Photo by: Gavin Bond/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: Television journalists Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski attend the 101st Annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: TV personalities Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC attend the 2014 National Magazine Awards at The New York Marriott Marquis on May 1, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage)

TODAY -- Pictured: (l-r) Al Roker, Willie Geist, Dwain Schenk, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough appear on NBC News' 'Today' show -- (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)

TODAY -- Pictured: (l-r) Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski appear on NBC News' 'Today' show -- (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 02: TV personalities Joe Scarborough (L) and Mika Brzezinski attend the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter on March 2, 2014 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 12: Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski attend the 'The Right Path: From Ike To Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics - And Can Again' book event on November 12, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 13: Mika Brzezinski (R) and Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe on MSNBC promote her new book 'Obsessed: The Fight Against America's (and My Own) Food Addiction' at Barnes and Noble Union Square on May 13, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 22: Host, MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Joe Scarborough and Co-host, MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Mika Brzezinski attend the New York Women In Communications 2013 Matrix Awards on April 22, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for New York Women In Communications)

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 29: Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, co-hosts of Morning Joe, hang out on floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the day Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., republican vice-presidential nominee, will address the crowd. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

NBC NEWS - EVENTS -- NBCUniversal News Group Upfront -- Pictured: (l-r) Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski -- (Photo by: Francine Daveta/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 11: (L-R) Roger Ailes, President of Fox News Channel, Elizabeth Tilson Ailes, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski attend the Hollywood Reporter celebration of 'The 35 Most Powerful People in Media' at the Four Season Grill Room on April 11, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 08: Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski arrive for 'The Late Show with David Letterman' at Ed Sullivan Theater on May 8, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Ward/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 11: 'Morning Joe' co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend the Hollywood Reporter celebrates 'The 35 Most Powerful People in Media' at the Four Season Grill Room on April 11, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 22: Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend the Ralph Lauren celebration for the publication of 'The Hamptons: Food, Family and History' by Ricky Lauren at the Ralph Lauren Women's Boutique on May 22, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Getty Images for Ralph Lauren)

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski , co-hosts of Morning Joe television program, at the White House Forum on Women and the Economy in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington (Photo by Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)

PALM BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 17: Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend the 7th Annual Everglades Foundation Gala at The Breakers on February 17, 2012 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Lucien Capehart/Getty Images)

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: (L-R) Host Joe Scarborough, co-hosts Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist speak onstage during the 'Morning Joe' panel during the NBCUniversal portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on January 7, 2012 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 03: MSNBC's Morning Joe co-hosts Mika Brzezinski (L) and Joe Scarborough (R) attend 2011 WICT Leadership Conference and Touchstones Luncheon at New York Hilton and Towers on October 3, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Imagesfor WICT)

Television news personalities Joe Scarborough (L) and Mika Brzezinski attend the 2011 New York City Ballet Fall Gala at the David Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center on September 22, 2011 in New York City.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 19: Andrew Oshrin, Michele Smith, Mika Brzezinski, and Joe Scarborough attend the opening of the Milly Madison Avenue boutique on May 19, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Thomas Concordia/Getty Images)

MORNING JOE -- Live from Crenshaw High School -- Pictured: (l-r) Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough (Photo by Matt Sersion/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

'Morning Joe' co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend the 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights Ripple of Hope Awards Dinner at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on November 17, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)

TV personalities Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend Paul McCartney plays World Famous Apollo Theater for first time, celebrating 20 Million Sirius XM Subscribers at The Apollo Theater on December 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images North America)

MORNING JOE -- February 11, 2011 -- Pictured: (l-r) Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough -- MORNING JOE's live broadcast from the Ralph Lauren Restaurant in Chicago (Photo by Stacie Freudenberg/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski attend the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation's Life Without Lupus 40th anniversary gala at Lincoln Center on November 22, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Stewart/WireImage)

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 28: Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough attend the Huffington Post 2010 'Game Changers' event hosted by Arianna Huffington at Skylight Studio on October 28, 2010 in New York, City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage for Huffington Post)

MORNING JOE -- Pictured: (l-r) Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough -- MORNING JOE co-hosts broadcast live from EDUCATION NATION (Photo by Charles Sykes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

MORNING JOE -- Decision 2010 -- Pictured: (l-r) Co-host Mika Brzezinski, Host Joe Scarborough (Photo by Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

MORNING SHOW LUNCHEON -- Pictured: (l-r) Morning Joe hosts: Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough at NBC's Morning Show Luncheon on September 23, 2010 (Photo by Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

MORNING JOE -- Pictured: (l-r) Joe Scarborough, Tom Brokaw, Mika Brzezinski -- MORNING JOE co-hosts are joined by NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw at the 'Clinton Global Initiative' in New York on September 23, 2010 (Photo by Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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There was no further discussion about this inappropriate hug. Reps for the show and the White House did not immediately respond to request for comment on the matter. Though Trump and “Morning Joe” have become bitter rivals since he became president, the atmosphere used to be much chummier on the campaign trail.

Both Joe and Mika have frequently spoken about socializing with the billionaire off set and he frequently came in for softball interviews in 2015.

Also Read:'Morning Joe' Hosts Mock Trump As 'Obese' and 'Disgusting to Look At' (Video)

On Thursday, Trump ignited a minor stir after sharing a doctored video of Biden that featured the former vice president rubbing his own shoulders and smelling his own hair. The source material was a video from Biden, which stopped short of apologizing for his past “hands on” approach with women — but did promise to be more “mindful” and “respectful” of personal space.

On “Morning Joe,” Brzezinski has become one of Biden’s staunchest defenders, routinely downplaying the spate of accusations against him and suggesting his most prominent accuser, Lucy Flores, was “politically motivated.”

“Are we allowed to bring up that Lucy Flores is a huge Bernie person?” asked Brzezinski on Monday, warning that the #MeToo line was becoming dangerously opaque. “Democrats, you have to ask yourself, what exactly is the line — the #MeToo line — you want to draw? Because you will live and die by that line. It’s an important line. It’s very important. Don’t mock it.”

Read original story Mika Brzezinski Recalls ‘Unbelievably Inappropriate Hug’ From Donald Trump on Set (Video) At TheWrap

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2019-04-05 15:26:00Z
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Trump dismisses hypocrisy by saying he's 'a very good messenger' to attack Biden - CNN

Trump mocked Biden in a video tweet on Thursday, to which Biden responded: "I see that you are on the job and presidential, as always."

During the 2016 campaign, at least 15 women accused Trump of misbehavior ranging from sexual harassment and sexual assault to lewd behavior around women. Most came forward in the wake of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape that was released in October 2016, in which he is caught saying on a hot mic: "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab them by the p****. You can do anything."

Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and downplayed these allegations in his own past statements.

Biden currently faces allegations from multiple women that his physical behavior made them uncomfortable. Former Nevada state Assemblywoman Lucy Flores, the first woman to come forward, alleged that Biden had kissed the back of her head at a 2014 Nevada campaign rally, making her feel "uneasy, gross, and confused."

Flores and several other women have been clear that they don't view Biden's conduct as violent or sexual. Biden has pledged to be more "mindful" about respecting personal space.

"I think I'm a very good messenger, and people got a kick out of it," Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for a trip to the US-Mexican border. "He's going through a situation, let's see what happens. But people got a kick ... we gotta sort of smile a little bit, right?"

Trump added that he doesn't see Biden as a threat in the 2020 election.

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2019-04-05 14:44:00Z
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British police stationed outside Ecuador Embassy following WikiLeaks tweets | TheHill - The Hill

British police are prepared to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he is ousted from his sanctuary at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Officers with London's metropolitan police department were stationed outside the embassy Friday morning following messages from WikiLeaks claiming that Assange would be moved out of the facility within hours or days, The Associated Press reported.

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Police told reporters that Assange faces a warrant for his arrest in the United Kingdom, which he has been avoiding for years by living in the Ecuadorian diplomatic compound, and officers said that they are “obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the Embassy," according to the AP.

The news comes hours after a Twitter account representing WikiLeaks cited a high-level source in the Ecuadorian government who said that Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno, himself at the center of a corruption scandal triggered by leaked documents, was seeking to oust Assange from the embassy.

"BREAKING: A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within 'hours to days' using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext--and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest," WikiLeaks tweeted from its verified account.

BREAKING: A high level source within the Ecuadorian state has told @WikiLeaks that Julian Assange will be expelled within "hours to days" using the #INAPapers offshore scandal as a pretext--and that it already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest.https://t.co/adnJph79wq

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 4, 2019

In a post on the organization's legal defense blog, WikiLeaks claimed that the move was punishment for Assange's alleged involvement in the leak of the INA Papes, which implicated Moreno in corruption schemes.

"The leak has sparked a congressional investigation into President Moreno for corruption. Moreno can’t be summoned for a criminal probe while he remains president. He is currently being investigated and risks impeachment," the blog post read.

Assange's lawyers have maintained that he had nothing to do with the leak. If he is ousted from the embassy, he could be arrested by British authorities and possibly extradited to the U.S., where he faces charges under seal.

“Remember that WikiLeaks has an internal organization and Mr. Assange is no longer in the editor," Assange's lawyer said, according to the legal defense blog.

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https://thehill.com/policy/international/437530-british-police-stationed-outside-ecuador-embassy-following-wikileaks

2019-04-05 13:16:11Z
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Wildfire Rips Along South Korea's Eastern Coast, Prompting National Emergency - NPR

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A forest fire is seen raging near buildings in Sokcho, South Korea, in the early hours of Friday. South Korea mobilized troops and helicopters to deal with the massive blaze that roared through forests and cities along the eastern coast. Kangwon Ilbo via Getty Images hide caption

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Kangwon Ilbo via Getty Images

South Korea is using its military to gain control of a large forest fire that spread quickly after igniting in Gangwon Province, along the country's east coast. Strong winds moved the blaze from city to city, prompting President Moon Jae-in to declare a national emergency.

It's being called the worst wildfire to hit South Korea in years, forcing thousands to evacuate and ravaging rural towns. Fire officials are reporting two deaths, according to the Associated Press.

The main fire is now nearly under control, said Moon, who visited the area Friday. Taking note of the hundreds of homes and buildings that have reportedly been destroyed, Moon urged government officials to "take extra care of displaced victims who – after having lost their homes in an instant – may now find time to catch their breath."

The fire started early Thursday night in Goseong, a mountainous county just below the border with North Korea.

"Moon's office said he would cooperate with North Korea on fighting the fire if it spread northward," NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul. "But as it happened, the winds were blowing to the south."

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Firefighters work to put out flames during a wildfire in Sokcho, South Korea, April 5, 2019. Yonhap via Reuters hide caption

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Yonhap via Reuters

The fire struck an area where a line of mountains bracket towns and cities along the coast — including Gangneung, the city that hosted events in last year's Winter Olympics.

In Gangwon's national forests and other woodlands, fires are common in the spring — but they usually don't spread so quickly, and they're usually confined to unpopulated areas, residents tell the Korea Herald.

Among those caught off-guard was Kim Tae-gi, 69, a volunteer fire lookout who received a text alert warning of imminent danger less than an hour after he finished his shift. Kim told the Herald that he immediately rushed to his home in the town of Toseong-myeon, to make sure his dog was safe.

"I escaped from the burning house right after I brought out my dog. I couldn't bring anything else with me, and all I have now are these clothes that I was wearing last night. I had to watch my house burn from my car," Kim said.

As he spoke, he was holding his dog, the newspaper says.

With firefighters gaining control of the main blaze, many of the residents who spent last night in temporary shelters had started to return home by early evening Friday local time, according to Arirang News. But smaller fires were still burning elsewhere.

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Vehicles burn in Sokcho, South Korea, part of the damage from the worst wildfires the country has seen in years. Kangwon Ilbo Via Getty Images hide caption

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Kangwon Ilbo Via Getty Images

Overall, the flames burned some 529 hectares (1,307 acres), the Yonhap news agency reports, citing fire control officials in Gangwon.

The firefighting effort includes more than 13,000 rescue workers, according to Yonhap, which adds that 16,500 military troops are also part of the push to bring the fire under control.

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2019-04-05 12:39:00Z
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Two US citizens arrested in first Saudi arrest sweep since Khashoggi killing, source says - CNN

Salah al-Haidar, a dual Saudi-US citizen who is the son of prominent women's rights defender Aziza al-Yousef, was one of those arrested, according to two sources familiar with the events. Yousef was temporarily freed from a prison in Riyadh last month and is on trial along with 10 other women's rights defenders.

One source is a Saudi academic in a US university who has strong relations with the Saudi dissident community. The other source is a Saudi activist with knowledge of the events.

Haidar is a writer and journalist on social issues. His father owns a home in Vienna, Virginia, according to the Saudi academic who asked not to be named out of concerns for his safety.

Another Saudi-US dual citizen, the writer and physician Bader al-Ibrahim, was also arrested in the crackdown, the sources said.

The UK-based Saudi rights group Alqst reported that seven activists had been arrested on Thursday, and released their names.

All seven detainees are writers and social media bloggers who are connected to Yousef's family and are friends with Haidar, according to the sources. They previously engaged in public discussions about reforms and have publicly endorsed women's rights causes such as the right to drive, the sources said.

Two of the activists detained on Thursday are Saudi married couple Thumar al-Mazouqi and Khadijah al-Harbi, said the sources. Harbi, who has written about and campaigned for women's rights, is in late-stage pregnancy, the sources added. She and Mazouqi have been supportive of detained women's rights defenders currently standing trial.

The sources also confirmed that a Riyadh university lecturer named Anas al-Mazrou was arrested on March 19. Days earlier a video of Mazrou filmed at a book fair, in which he publicly expressed solidarity with political prisoners and named some detained women's rights defenders, had gone viral.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to CNN's requests for comment about the case. CNN has reached out to the US embassy in Riyadh for comment.

Saudi Arabia has conducted a series of crackdowns on dissidents since Prince Mohammed bin Salman was elevated to Crown Prince in June 2017. The arrest sweeps have targeted clerics, academics and human rights defenders.

In May and June 2018, several women's rights activists were detained in a series of arrests that were widely criticized by the international community, including at the United Nations human rights council.

The October 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident and critic of the government, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul sparked international uproar.

The number of arrests of dissidents appeared to decrease significantly in the aftermath of Khashoggi's killing, in what many observers hoped was sign that the kingdom's crackdown was deescalating, Alqst director Yahya Assiri told CNN.

Thursday's arrests appeared to mark a renewal of the crackdown, Assiri and the Saudi academic said.

"It's all breaking my heart but in particular is I know Salah al-Haidar's family has already been thru so much after #Saudi feminist (Salah's mother) Aziza al-Yousef's arrest since May 2018," wrote Saudi-American Harvard PhD student Nora Abdulkarim in a tweet. "Days after her temp release, and their celebrating, now Salah is arrested. I cannot fathom."

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2019-04-05 12:21:00Z
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Gone in 6 minutes: an Ethiopian Airlines jet's final journey - The Boston Globe

By David Koenig Associated Press  April 05, 2019

From nearly the moment they roared down the runway and took off in their new Boeing jetliner, pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines flight encountered problems with the plane.

Almost immediately, a device called a stick shaker began vibrating the captain’s control column, warning him that the plane might be about to stall and fall from the sky.

For six minutes, the pilots were bombarded by alarms as they fought to fly the plane, at times pulling back in unison on their control columns in a desperate attempt to keep the huge jet aloft.

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Ethiopian authorities issued a preliminary report Thursday on the March 10 crash that killed 157 people. They found that a malfunctioning sensor sent faulty data to the Boeing 737 Max 8’s anti-stall system and triggered a chain of events that ended in a crash so violent it reduced the plane to shards and pieces. The pilots’ struggle, and the tragic ending, mirrored an Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air Max 8 off the coast of Indonesia, which killed 189 people.

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The anti-stall system, called MCAS, automatically lowers the plane’s nose under some circumstances to prevent an aerodynamic stall. Boeing acknowledged that a sensor in the Ethiopian Airlines jet malfunctioned, triggering MCAS when it was not needed. The company repeated that it is working on a software upgrade to fix the problem in its best-selling plane.

‘‘It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk,’’ CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a video. ‘‘We own it, and we know how to do it.’’

Jim Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the preliminary findings add urgency to re-examine the way that the Federal Aviation Administration uses employees of aircraft manufacturers to conduct safety-related tasks, including tests and inspections — a decades-old policy that raises questions about the agency’s independence and is now under review by the U.S. Justice Department, the Transportation Department’s inspector general and congressional committees.

‘‘It is clear now that the process itself failed to produce a safe aircraft,’’ Hall said. ‘‘The focus now is to see if there were steps that were skipped or tests that were not properly done.’’

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The 33-page preliminary report, which is subject to change in the coming months, is based on information from the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders, the so-called black boxes. It includes a minute-by-minute narrative of a gripping and confusing scene in the cockpit.

Just one minute into Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi in neighboring Kenya, the captain, Yared Getachew, reported that they were having flight-control problems.

Then the anti-stall system kicked in and pushed the nose of the plane down for nine seconds. Instead of climbing, the plane descended slightly. Audible warnings — ‘‘Don’t Sink’’ — sounded in the cockpit. The pilots fought to turn the nose of the plane up, and briefly they were able to resume climbing.

But the automatic anti-stall system pushed the nose down again, triggering more squawks of ‘‘Don’t Sink’’ from the plane’s ground-proximity warning system.

Following a procedure that Boeing reiterated after the Lion Air crash, the Ethiopian pilots flipped two switches and disconnected the anti-stall system, then tried to regain control. They asked to return to the Addis Ababa airport, but were continuing to struggle getting the plane to gain altitude.

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Then they broke with Boeing procedure and returned power to controls including the anti-stall system, perhaps hoping to use power to adjust a tail surface that controls the pitch up or down of a plane, or maybe out of sheer desperation.

One final time, the automated system kicked in, pushing the plane into a nose dive, according to the report.

A half-minute later, the cockpit voice recording ended, the plane crashed, and all 157 people on board were killed. The plane’s impact left a crater 10 meters deep.

The Max is Boeing’s newest version of its workhorse single-aisle jetliner, the 737, which dates to the 1960s. Fewer than 400 Max jets have been sent to airlines around the world, but Boeing has taken orders for 4,600 more.

Boeing delivered this particular plane, tail number ET-AVJ, to Ethiopian Airlines in November. By the day of Flight 302, it had made nearly 400 flights and been in the air for 1,330 hours — still very new by airline standards.

The pilots were young, too, and between them they had a scant 159 hours of flying time on the Max.

The captain, Getachew, was just 29 but had accumulated more than 8,000 hours of flying since completing work at the airline’s training academy in 2010. He had flown more than 1,400 hours on Boeing 737s but just 103 hours on the Max. That may not be surprising, given that Ethiopian Airlines had just five of the planes, including ET-AVJ.

The co-pilot, Ahmed Nur Mohammod Nur, was only 25 and was granted a license to fly the 737 and the Max on Dec. 12 of last year. He had logged just 361 flight hours — not enough to be hired as a pilot at a U.S. airline. Of those hours, 207 were on 737s, including 56 hours on Max jets.

Thursday’s preliminary report found that both pilots performed all the procedures recommended by Boeing on the March 10 flight but still could not control the jet.

While Boeing continues to work on its software update, Max jets remain grounded worldwide. The CEO said the company is taking ‘‘a comprehensive, disciplined approach’’ to fixing the flight-control software.

But some critics, including Hall, the former NTSB chairman, question why the work has taken so long.

‘‘Don’t you think if Boeing knew what the fix was, we would have the fix by now?’’ he said. ‘‘They said after the Lion Air accident there was going to be a fix, yet there was a second accident with no fix. Now, in response to the worldwide reaction, the plane is grounded and there is still not a fix.’’

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2019-04-05 11:44:00Z
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