U.S. Transportation Secretary pushes for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in San Diego
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, June 20th.>>>>
The U.S. Transportation Secretary came to San Diego to push for the passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########
U.S. Customs and Border Protection say agents uncovered a drug smuggling tunnel linking Tijuana to the San Diego area.
The incomplete tunnel began under a house in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood and seemed to be heading for a commercial warehouse near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
It extended more than a thousand feet inside the U.S. and had lighting, ventilation and tracks to move large amounts of illegal goods.
More than 95 smuggling tunnels have been found in the San Diego area over the past three decades.
Border Patrol plans to pour thousands of gallons of concrete into the tunnel to disable it.
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The general manager of an El Cajon-area business pleaded guilty earlier this week to federal immigration-related charges.
Agents raided the San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings warehouse in March. .
Manager John Washburn was sentenced to one year probation and 50 hours of community service.
Prosecutors say he employed workers living in the U.S. without legal status and let them live inside the warehouse.
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A North Park ice cream shop was named best in the country for the second year in a row.
The contenders were picked by a USA Today panel of experts and voted on by readers.
An’s Dry Cleaning opened in 20-18 and was named after the business it replaced on Adams Avenue.
Its made-from-scratch gelato flavors are named after fabrics, like taffeta and twill.
To celebrate, An's will be selling 1-dollar gelatos on July 1st.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY TOURED AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT YESTERDAY TO SEE THE CONDITION OF THE FACILITIES.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THE SECRETARY IS PUSHING FOR FUNDING TO IMPROVE WHAT HE CALLS OUR NATION’S “OUTDATED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM.”
Outside of a San Diego airport traffic control tower, U.S Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged Congress to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ Included in the bill are significant tax cuts, medicaid cuts and green energy cuts … among many other changes. Another key component is a $12.5 billion investment in upgrading the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control system. Frank McIntosh is the Chief Operating Officer with the FAA. “This is an urgent need for us. The challenges facing our nation’s air traffic control system didn't just arise overnight, but they're here today.” Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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THERE’S ALSO A NEW TAX IN THE BILL THAT FINANCIAL PRIVACY ADVOCATES ARE WORRIED ABOUT.
IT WOULD IMPOSE A THREE-POINT-FIVE PERCENT TAX ON PEOPLE WHO SEND MONEY TO FRIENDS OR FAMILY ABROAD.
BUT BORDER REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS THERE IS A CONTROVERSIAL EXCEPTION.
The proposed tax could help Trump’s mass deportation campaign. So says Nick Anthony, a policy analyst with the Libertarian Cato Institute. On the surface, it’s a standard three-point-five percent tax on money sent abroad. But there’s a catch. “They created an exception saying that if you’re an American you don’t have to pay the tax. Just prove that you’re an American.” He sees the proposal as a way for the Trump administration to collect the private information of people who send remittances to family and friends in other countries. Those who don’t hand over their information must pay the tax. “So this creates a whole new layer of problems where it kind of seems more like a database for collecting our information, for identifying us, for identifying people who have relationships across the border than really a tax base.” The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed the House of Representatives along partisan lines in May. It is currently being deliberated in the Senate. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD RELEASED A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION REPORT INTO LAST MONTH’S FATAL PLANE CRASH IN SAN DIEGO.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SCOTT RODD SAYS THE REPORT REVEALS NEW INFORMATION ABOUT MALFUNCTIONING AIRPORT EQUIPMENT.
The Cessna jet crashed early in the morning on May 22nd as it approached the Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport…killing all six people onboard. The plane caused damage to military housing in the Tierrasanta neighborhood. The NTSB’s preliminary report confirms the plane approached too the airport below the required altitude…and then struck a powerline. “He never should have been that low 2 or 3 miles away from the airport.” Jim Wilterdink is a local retired pilot with decades of flying experience. KPBS previously reported the airport’s weather observation system and runway lights were out of service at the time of the crash. The NTSB’s report reveals the runway lights had been out of service since 2022. Wilterdink says investigators will likely look at the impact of fatigue on the pilot’s decision making. The crash happened between 3 and 4 AM. “The the big thing is going to be, was there an issue of exhaustion? And that seems to be one of the prime suspects in this case.” The board’s investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Scott Rodd, KPBS News
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TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY ARE BEING FORCED OUT OF THE SERVICE UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S NEW BAN.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH ONE LOCAL SAILOR WHO SAYS IT’S HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK OUT FOR TRANS MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM.
“These are just people just like any other people, who are just trying to do their jobs and trying to make the best out of everything.” Senior chief operations specialist Ben Kibler’s been in the Navy 13 years. This year he was admitted into a highly-selective Navy officer program. Instead of planning for his Navy future, days later, he found out he’d be forced out. That’s where I started our conversation. You told me you've been in the Navy for 13 years and that you're a senior chief. And for me, you know, that's stunning. Is that an unusual kind of, career trajectory in your rating? Yes. So made chief, which is E-7, in 6 and a half years. Almost at the seven mark. That is, it's not unheard of, but it's definitely not common or the norm. I was fast-tracked. a lot of that is because my leadership saw things in myself, and gave me opportunities because they believed that they believed in me, and they believed that I could accomplish what they were asking of me. Kibler’s Navy record backs that up. Early in his career, one evaluation said Kibler was ranked number 1 out of 60 other sailors in his rank. Other eval quotes were “unequivocally my best deckplate leader - my go to senior chief” and “exceptional deckplate leadership and unwavering loyalty towards mission success.” He was even on track for promotion. You mentioned you've been selected for, LDO programs and just basically tell us, what is LDO and what is it? What does it take to get into that? Limited duty officers serve as subject matter experts within the designator that they're chosen for. And you go through a board process. When did you find out you're going? You were selected for LDO? I found out on February 24th, which is Monday was Monday. What else was happening at that time? So I think the week prior, we, the Department of Defense had precluded to, releasing a memorandum of such, banning transgender people from the, from service. But it hadn't it hadn't released at that point. And you are transgender. I am, yes. Kibler spent the first decade of his Navy career living as a woman, the gender he was assigned at birth. In 2020, he came out as trans. It got to a point that I felt like I wasn't living authentically with who I am. And, I wasn't. And because of that, I wasn't living in a line with my values. And I didn't feel like I was living in alignment with the Navy's values either. The Navy's core values are Honor Courage and commitment. Right. I had been going to therapy specifically to deal with that for about two and a half, almost three years before I made any kind of medical decision with my doctors for what my transition entailed. And that differs for everybody what their transition actually looks like. Was this some radical therapist medical center or was this Navy medical? This is Navy medical. Yeah. I did everything through the Navy. So you've gone through, a transition. You do get back on duty. You're assigned to a ship. But now you're identifying as a different gender. Did it change anything? Everybody could see that I was just a member of the team. And then I'm pulling my weight, and then I'm trying my best the same way everybody else's. And that's what's respected. Nobody. Nobody really care. Nobody really cares. We have bigger things to worry about than, you know, what gender somebody identifies as. Kibler’s ship changed its home port last month from San Diego to Japan. He’s now at another local command, waiting for the Navy to sign-off on his voluntary separation. And, though on paper, it’s voluntary, he says until recently, he was planning on spending another decade or more in the Navy. So, yeah, it's just really hard. It's devastating. You know, I feel like I, as I said, like so I, was selected for a commission on Monday and then this came out on Wednesday. 10;19;57;04 - 10;20;10;11 to achieve that and not really be able to relish it and knowing that you're not ever going to put it on and not because of, you know, any it's not I didn't do anything wrong. It's not because of a lack of performance. I actually overperform…Going through a another type of transition,right, leaving the military. How how is this playing out in your mind? It's really hard. It's scary. Because, like, so much of my identity is being being a sailor. You know, I joined the Navy when I was 23. I'm going to be 37 this year. That's a long time. A pair of lawsuits are working their way through federal courts but the ban is moving ahead. Although everyone is supposed to be getting honorable discharges officers are reportedly also receiving discharge codes that tell potential employers they’re national security risks. Kibler is waiting on a separation date. Until he has one, it’s basically impossible to look for a new job. I believe in my country. I love my country. I want to serve my country. And I think that that's really what needs to be taken away from, from all of this is like, these are just people just like any other people, who are just trying to do their jobs and trying to make the best out of everything.
THAT WAS NAVY SENIOR CHIEF BEN KIBLER (KIBBLER) SPEAKING WITH MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER.
That’s it for the podcast today. This week the podcast was produced by David Jones, Andrew Dyer and Katie Hyson. It’s edited by Brooke Ruth. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
