1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: This morning, you've probably welcome to the news that the 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: El Paso International Airport was shut down. They issued a 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: temporary flight restriction citing special security reasons. They grounded flights, 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: there was lack of advanced notice and then an abrupt reversal. 5 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: And now information is being released about what happened and 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: what's going on over there. And to give us some 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: more information from the WIBC newsroom, we have Ryan Hedrick 8 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: who's joining us. Thanks moming in. So what were the 9 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: reasons that we're given? Why did they shut that airport down? 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 2: So we're hearing that Mexican drug cartel drones entered American 11 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 2: airspace and we're hovering over the airport, which prompted the 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 2: Department of War to get involved and disabled these drones. 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,959 Speaker 2: And it's really I mean, you're right, we didn't get 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: a lot of information about it. I started reporting on 15 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 2: it at about six point thirty and then I reached 16 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,639 Speaker 2: out to the Indianapolis International Airport to see if there 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 2: was any Hoosier connection, which I'll tell you about that 18 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 2: in a minute. But that's why Pete Hegseth and his 19 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 2: team doing a good job trying to shoot down Mexican 20 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 2: drug cartel drones. 21 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: So you did have coordination between Homeland Security, the Pentagon, 22 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: and other federal agencies. 23 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 2: Then, yeah, so just a short timeline, the FAA, the 24 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 2: Federal Aviation Administration, halted flights to and from the El 25 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 2: Paso International Airport, as you said, and they originally gave 26 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 2: a ten day window so it would expire on February twenty. 27 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 2: So it went in to effect February tenth, early this morning, 28 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 2: and at the time they didn't give any information, and 29 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 2: then the Department of Warren the President came out and 30 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: said that some cartels had turned to drones to track 31 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 2: border patrol and even deliver drugs into the United States. 32 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: Okay, so you said you reached out to the Indianapolis Airport. 33 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: I did, and did you get her response back to 34 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: that from them? 35 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: I did, and I got to give props to them. 36 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 2: Stephanie McFarlane emailed me a couple of minutes ago and 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 2: basically my ask was how are Hoosier travelers being impacted 38 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 2: by the shutdown? And she said that the Indie Airport 39 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: is not a hub airport and she wasn't aware of 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 2: any airline partners that are operating service NonStop out of 41 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: the Indie airport to the El Paso area. But she's 42 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 2: still working on information. People are just learning about this. 43 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 2: I mean, we all we knew is that the Olpaalso 44 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 2: Airport was shut down. We didn't know why. I mean, 45 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 2: that's unprecedented for the FA to ground air traffic. 46 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 3: Right. So we're speaking with Ryan Hendrick from the WIBC newsroom. 47 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 3: I the only kind of basis that we have for 48 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 3: comparison seems to be nine to eleven when they shut 49 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 3: down air traffic throughout the entire country. I don't ever 50 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 3: recall another instant since then since that they would go 51 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 3: in and shut down all air traffic and kind of 52 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 3: an emergency situation like this. 53 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, you're absolutely right. That is the first time since 54 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 2: nine to eleven that that's happened. So Trump just to 55 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 2: go back because Trumps it's well documented that he has 56 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 2: been at war with the drug cartels. You may remember 57 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: last month when he said that the cartels were running 58 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 2: Mexico yep, and that the president Shinbaum had no control 59 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 2: over Mexico. And at the time, we're like, what do 60 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 2: you mean she has no control over Mexico. Well, this 61 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 2: is evidence that the Mexican drug cartels are running Mexico 62 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 2: and now they're infiltrating the United States. 63 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 3: And that's really kind of the next question that comes 64 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 3: from this. I mean, this information has been you know, 65 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 3: kind of we've been drinking from the fire hose here 66 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 3: this morning, trying to absorb what's going on, and now 67 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 3: that we're getting a better picture of what's going on, 68 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 3: now it kind of moves to, Okay, what does this 69 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 3: mean because we just had drug cartels that entered into 70 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 3: our airspace with sophisticated drones. Is Trump and is this 71 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 3: administration going to say, okay, this we consider this either 72 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 3: an by the cartels or potentially we consider this an 73 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 3: invasion by the state of Mexico. 74 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, you could also look at it from another perspective, 75 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 2: is that the United States borders are so secure that 76 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: they have to resort to drone traffic into American airspace. 77 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 2: I mean, the Trump administration has done such a great 78 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 2: job of turning that all around. Under the Biden administration, 79 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 2: they were just walking over. Right now they're not walking over. 80 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 2: They're resorting to sophisticated tactics and techniques. And I think 81 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 2: this is an escalation in the United States war over Mexico. 82 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 2: I mean, I think we have to look at all aspects. 83 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 2: This is not, though, the first time that drones have 84 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 2: been used in drug delivery. I think here in Plainfield 85 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: at the prison, Indiana State Police were telling us last 86 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 2: year that drugs were being dropped onto the prison yard 87 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: from drones. So certainly, whether it's the cartel or another 88 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 2: drug trafficking organization, they've been using these drones for a 89 00:04:58,680 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 2: long time. 90 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: How much does this relate to the proximity of it 91 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,119 Speaker 1: being next to Fort Bliss or is this just because 92 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:06,919 Speaker 1: it was the border. 93 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 2: I think it's just I mean, if I had, if 94 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 2: I had to guess, I think the drug cartels have 95 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 2: been hurt badly by the lack of human trafficking, which 96 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 2: to me was the majority of their income coming in 97 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,840 Speaker 2: across the border. Now, you know, the Trump administration has 98 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 2: dried up that revenue stream, and now they're just kind 99 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 2: of they're back on their feet trying to think about 100 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 2: how and when they could drop drugs, and I think 101 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 2: this is a desperate tactic. It's also something to nudge 102 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: the Trump administration to say, hey, we're still here because 103 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 2: the cartel has no lack of funds. I mean, These 104 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 2: people are rich, rich, They have hundreds of billions of 105 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 2: dollars at their disposal and they'll use it anyway they 106 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 2: see fit. 107 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: What do you have that you're working on with Very ny. 108 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 2: Very interesting story coming out of the State House yesterday 109 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 2: that this bill that's now advanced to the Senate committee 110 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 2: would give Mike Brawn full authority to kind of militarize 111 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,840 Speaker 2: the National Guard. And there was a guy that testified 112 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 2: in front of a Senate committee yesterday and he admitted 113 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 2: in public that he's been a paid protester for ten years. 114 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 2: I mean, we've heard a lot about paid protesters. The 115 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 2: other side says, there's no paid protesters. 116 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: You're being hyperbolic, and he testified that, in fact, yeah, 117 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: he is. He's one of them. 118 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 2: He said he was in Alabama ten years ago for 119 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 2: the George Floyd riots. He talks about the damage, and 120 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 2: he says that the Senate has this all wrong, that 121 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 2: this bill can't go forward. So I'll have that story 122 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:41,559 Speaker 2: out probably in the next ten minutes. 123 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Ryan Headrick, We appreciate you. You're 124 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: listening to ninety three WIBC.