Boeing pilot texted about "egregious" issue with 737 MAX in 2016

Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images

The chief technical pilot for Boeing's 737 MAX said he experienced an "egregious" issue with the plane's automated MCAS system in a 2016 text message exchange, saying the system was "running rampant in the [simulator]," reports the New York Times.

Why it matters: MCAS malfunctions are at the center of 2 crashes that killed 346 people within the last year, and the pilot, Mark Forkner, said in the texts that he "basically lied to the regulators (unknowingly)" about the issues he experienced. Months before those texts, the FAA had approved his request to remove mentions of MCAS from the 737 MAX's pilot's manual.

Go deeper: Everything you need to know about the Boeing 737 MAX crashes

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Kyle Daly, Ashley Gold
43 mins ago - Technology

Parties trade election influence accusations at Big Tech hearing

Photo: Michael Reynolds/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A Senate hearing Wednesday with Big Tech CEOs became the backdrop for Democrats and Republicans to swap accusations of inappropriate electioneering.

Why it matters: Once staid tech policy debates are quickly becoming a major focal point of American culture and political wars, as both parties fret about the impact of massive social networks being the new public square.

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Ursula Perano
45 mins ago - World

Germany goes back into lockdown

Photo: Fabrizio Bensch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will enact one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns since spring, closing bars and restaurants nationwide for most of November, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Germany is the latest European country to reimpose some form of lockdown measures amid a surge in cases across the continent.

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Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute, author of Codebook
1 hour ago - Technology

How overhyping became an election meddling tool

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

As online platforms and intelligence officials get more sophisticated about detecting and stamping out election meddling campaigns, bad actors are increasingly seeing the appeal of instead exaggerating their own interference capabilities to shake Americans' confidence in democracy.

Why it matters: It doesn't take a sophisticated operation to sow seeds of doubt in an already fractious and factionalized U.S. Russia proved that in 2016, and fresh schemes aimed at the 2020 election may already be proving it anew.

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