AIRLINE INDUSTRY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Facing mounting pressure, President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration was ordering Boeing 737 Max jets grounded until more information is gathered about the crash of an Ethiopian aircraft. It was a turnabout from the administration’s earlier position, which deemed the planes safe to fly even as dozens of other nations banned them after they were involved in two fatal disasters. Trump said the decision to ground the Max 8 and Max 9 was made in light of new information about last week’s crash, which killed 157 people. The Federal Aviation Administration said new evidence had been collected at the sight of the crash on Wednesday, and that information — along with new satellite data — led to the grounding decision. Until Wednesday [3-13-19] afternoon, administration officials had insisted the planes were safe, bucking calls from lawmakers and airline labor unions to suspend flights until an investigation could be completed. Even as he was announcing his administration’s decision, Trump said the move was more precautionary than mandatory.”
–Kevin Liptak, “Trump administration grounds Boeing 737 Max planes,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, March 13, 2019 5:25 pm