By Aaron Cooper, CNN

New York (CNN) — The same air traffic controller who cleared a fire truck to cross an active runway at LaGuardia Airport last month had just minutes before told a plane to land on the same runway, according to a new report on the deadly March 23 collision from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The controller tried to stop the truck when they realized the crash was imminent, the NTSB said in its preliminary update released Thursday. But one of the firefighters inside told investigators he didn’t realize the first shouted warning was for the truck until he saw the plane barreling towards him.

The report confirms new information about the collision of an Air Canada regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation and an airport firefighting truck on March 23. The two pilots were killed in the crash and 39 people were injured.

At 11:35:07 p.m., the local air traffic controller, also called “tower,” cleared Jazz flight 646 to land on LaGuardia’s runway 4, the NTSB found.

Twenty-one seconds later, a convoy of fire trucks left the station to respond to an emergency where another plane reported an odor in the cabin the other side of the airport.

Nearly two minutes after the plane was cleared to land, at 11:37:04 p.m., the same controller instructed the fire trucks to cross the active runway, the report said. The jet was just 130 feet above the ground and a half mile from the runway.

At that time, the red stop lights embedded in the taxiway in front of the truck were illuminated, indicating the truck should not proceed.

Seven seconds later, the plane crossed the end of the runway. Moments later the controller shouted, “stop stop stop” on the radio, the report said, then later added, “truck 1, stop stop stop.”

Four seconds later, the plane hit the fire truck going 104 mph, according to the NTSB.

One of the firefighters in the truck told investigators he heard the first call from the tower to stop, but didn’t realize it was for them until they were on the runway and saw the plane coming at them, the report said.

The fire truck’s driver had three years of experience and the other firefighter had 12 years.

The tower controller had about 18 years of experience, and had been on duty for less than an hour at the time of the crash, the NTSB found. There was one other controller on duty that night, who served as the controller-in-charge and also handled planes on the ground. The NTSB said the staffing was consistent with the schedule, and both controllers were qualified and current on all control positions at the airport.

Just prior to the accident, the controller-in-charge was coordinating the emergency response to a United Airlines flight on the other side of the airport. That flight had twice aborted takeoff and declared an emergency due to an odor onboard that was sickening flight attendants.

As that controller managed the emergency, the local controller took over giving instructions on the ground control radio frequency, as well as continuing his tower responsibilities, the NTSB noted.

A system designed to prevent ground collisions, called Airport Surface Detection Equipment, is installed at LaGuardia, but it did not alarm at the time of the collision, the report said.

“ASDE-X provides visual and aural alerts when it detects potential runway incursions or conflicts, giving controllers the ability to intervene before an accident occurs,” the NTSB said. The equipment did not provide a warning the night of the collision since the fire trucks did not have transponders and were only partially picked up by ground radar.

“Without transponder-equipped vehicles, the ASDE-X system could not uniquely identify each of the seven responding vehicles or reliably determine their pos

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By Christopher Lamb, CNN

(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday denounced the Iranian regime’s killing of protesters but stressed that, “as a pastor,” he cannot support the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The pope’s remarks, made to reporters on board the papal plane returning from his trip to Africa, follow President Donald Trump’s attacks on the pontiff for his stance on the Middle East conflict.

During an in-flight press conference, the pope also addressed the topic of immigration, saying that in some cases immigrants are being treated “worse than pets.”

The first American pope told CNN last month that he hoped Trump would find an “off-ramp” to end the war in Iran, and he spoke out against justifying conflict on religious grounds. But in the hours before the pope took off for Africa on April 13, the US president sharply criticized the pope.

“As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war,” Leo told reporters flying with him from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. “I would like to encourage all to make efforts to look for answers that come from a culture of peace and not from a place of hate and division.”

Leo said the US and Israeli bombing of Iran has created a “chaotic situation for the global economy,” along with “a whole population in Iran, of innocent people, which is suffering because of this war.” Highlighting the human cost of conflict, the pope revealed that he carries a photo of a Lebanese Muslim boy, who had carried a sign welcoming the pontiff to the country at the end of last year and who was killed in the war.

“The question of Iran is evidently very complex,” he told reporters flying with him from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to Rome. “The negotiations they are trying to do — one day Iran says yes, and the United States says no, and vice versa, and we don’t know where it goes.”

Regardless of whether “there is regime change or no regime change,” the emphasis should be on preventing the “death of so many innocents,” Leo said. He cited a letter from the families of school children who died on the first day of the Iran war.

“For me, if there is regime change or not, it’s not clear what the regime is at this moment after the first days of the … attacks of Israel and the United States against Iran,” he said.

The pope, who alternated between English, Spanish and Italian when answering questions, also criticized the Iranian regime’s killing of protesters in his first remarks on the topic.

Asked if he condemned Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protests in January, Leo said: “I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe that human life is to be respected,” Leo, 70, said. “When a regime, when a country, takes decisions which take away the lives of people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned.”

The pope, who has just completed the longest foreign visit

By CNN Staff, CNN

(CNN) — It is payday Friday, and a popular shopping mall located in eastern Caracas is packed. But while the hallways look full and the display windows are brightly lit and well-stocked, many people enter and leave empty-handed.

Shoppers walk around, browse, compare prices, but they buy very little. The exception is a store belonging to a renowned international lingerie brand, around which a line has formed following the announcement of special discounts on certain products.

This is a recent scene, yet it reflects a reality that also existed prior to January 3 — when then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured by the United States in a military operation in the capital.

At the mall’s food court, customers frequently pay using an app that grants small credit lines affiliated to certain merchants. Those credits are later repaid in installments. Its use has become incredibly popular, particularly for purchasing clothing and home appliances, though it is also used to pay for everything from a hamburger to grocery runs.

It occurs in a country with hyperinflation and a “legal reserve requirement,” or the percentage of funds that banks are mandated to hold in reserve, giving very few people access to credit cards.

Despite a sense of optimism for political and economic reform, Venezuelans surveyed by CNN feel their daily lives remain unchanged, even after announcements of investment and projections of economic growth.

At present, three months’ worth of minimum wage does not amount to even a single dollar. Money comes in and is spent at a brutal pace within a high-inflation environment marked, in particular, by rising fuel and food prices.

Inflation persists 100 days into Delcy Rodriguez’s government

More than 100 days have now passed since Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president. During this new era in bilateral relations with the United States — a country that has pledged to support Venezuela through a phase of economic stabilization and transition — concrete changes have been announced.

An example of this is the easing of US Treasury Department sanctions previously imposed on Venezuela’s Central Bank, the Bank of Venezuela, and other banking entities. This move opens the door to greater integration with the global market and an increase in foreign currency earnings.

Added to this is the resumption of talks between the interim government, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

In an address on April 19, Rodríguez referred to the expectations of economic improvement since the transition of power on January 3. “I acknowledge the high expectations of our population, and our teams are working to achieve improvements within a reasonable timeframe,” she affirmed.

She referred to a series of economic variables, noting that “the gross domestic product is growing by nearly 9%, with 20 consecutive quarters of expansion,” and expressed her expectation that this growth would translate into more jobs, higher incomes and more tangible opportunities for citizens. She further added that “in the coming months, this growth should be felt most strongly by those who need it most.”

Following the reform of the Hydrocarbons Law and the Mining Law, Rodríguez noted that Venezuela is entering a new phase aimed at attracting investment through clear rules, and that various companies have expressed interest in investing in the country. She added that oil production currently stands at 1.1 million barrels per day.

Venezuela’s economic reality remains marked by contrasts. Unlike the shopping mall other businesses across

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Clayton Peavey of Santa Maria was sentenced to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to smashing a brick on the head of a teen fast food employee in March.

Peavey, 31, pled guilty to one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon and a special allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury stated the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

On March 2 of this year, around 11:49 a.m., a 19-year-old was taking an order in the drive through line at the Chick-fil-A on East Betteravia Road when Peavey walked up behind her while raising a concrete brick over his head detailed the local prosecutor's office.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Peavey smashed the brick over the teen's head without warning and with enough force to break the brick.

The 19-year-old fell to the ground and shielded herself as Peavey continued to attack her with what remained of the brick before walking away explained the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

Officers later found Peavey in a nearby agricultural field and he was taken into custody for attempted murder noted the Santa Maria Police Department back in March.

The teen was left with several gashes on her head that required stitches, a concussion, and broken bones in her hand added the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

"While nothing can erase the pain and trauma that this brave victim has been forced to endure as a result of this unprovoked, violent act; the sentence handed down today represents justice and accountability for the inexcusable violent crime that was committed," shared District Attorney Savrnoch.

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