Business Briefs – March 16, 2017

President Trump Calls for Privatizing Air Traffic Control Operations

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling for privatizing the nation’s air traffic control operations in his budget proposal, a top priority of the airline industry. The proposal says spinning off air traffic operations from the Federal Aviation Administration and placing them under an “independent, non-governmental organization” would make the system “more efficient and innovative while maintaining safety.”

U.S. to Confront Trade Partners At Global Finance Meeting

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to get tough on trade partners like China, Mexico and Germany. Now his Treasury chief, Steven Mnuchin, will get his first opportunity to confront them all in one room. The meeting of the 20 most powerful economies’ finance ministers in Germany this week is likely to be dominated by talk about whether to commit to free trade.

Dallas Scrambles to Fix 911 Delays in Wake of 2 Deaths

DALLAS (AP) – Dallas officials are working with T-Mobile engineers to determine what’s prompting a flood of ghost calls that’s forced hundreds of 911 calls to be placed on hold and may have slowed the emergency response to two people who died. The problem began in October and officials thought it had been resolved in January, but at one point last week the city had 360 calls on hold.

White House Picks Boeing Executive as Pentagon’s No. 2

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump intends to nominate a Boeing executive to serve as deputy secretary of defense. The Trump administration has struggled to fill top Pentagon positions, with two of its four previous selections having withdrawn. The White House announced Thursday that Mr. Trump plans to nominate Patrick M. Shanahan to be the No. 2 official at the Pentagon. That day it announced selections for six senior positions.