Josh Funk

AP reporter covering all modes of transportation — aviation, rail and trucking. Also Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, rare earths, ag and other news.

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

Screwworm fly detected in Texas decades after cattle threat was largely eradicated in US
https://t.co/sIUGriR4tO

[Ryan Faircloth @RyanFaircloth]

"The Minnesota Star Tribune will cut its workforce by 15% through buyouts and layoffs, executives said Tuesday evening, just a month after the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Annunciation school and church shooting." https://t.co/ODg9kORZVX

[Jeff Zeleny @jeffzeleny]

Trump's winning endorsement streak ends in Iowa, with Randy Feenstra conceding in race for governor to Zach Lahn. “The outcome wasn’t what I wanted,” Feenstra told supporters in his hometown, “but for me and I think everyone in this room, God has some awesome plans.”

[ICHawkeye ✈️ @ICHawkeye]

We caught up with the @UnionPacific “Big Boy”
today in Watkins, Iowa.

The farmlands of Iowa made for a spectacular background.

You’re never too old to enjoy trains. Never. #Bigboy #unionpacific

[Doug Lane @dlane]

“The FAA already has the authority — and the responsibility — to implement every National Transportation Safety Board recommendation. Administrator Bedford must act.” - @SenDuckworth https://t.co/xDBYbD5nwX

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

Scott Pelley fired from '60 Minutes' as CBS News turmoil deepens
https://t.co/INkAFWpFHn

[Dylan Domangue @KWCHDylan]

FLIGHT 5342 MEMORIAL:

A memorial was unveiled along the Potomac River honoring the 67 victims killed during last January's mid-air collision. @famofflight5342 in attendance.

The memorial site features a sign, bench and trees planted as a place of remembrance @JenniferHomendy

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

Interesting new technology in aviation that could help drones and planes.

[The Air Current @theaircurrent]

Whisper Aero reveals ‘stall-proof wing,’ Mach Industries partnership https://t.co/CkDb5vQg5B (via @elanhead) #staycurrent

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

The @USDA and @SecRollins offered an update today on their efforts to keep the New World Screwworm out of America but it is nearing our southern border and posing a threat to cattle.

[Secretary Brooke Rollins @SecRollins]

Just held a virtual NWS briefing call with over 700 attendees from media to stakeholders to elected officials, to deliver a full update on the flesh-eating New World Screwworm pest as it nears our southern border — a threat that could potentially devastate American agriculture, livestock, and wildlife.

In the Trump Administration, transparency is non-negotiable.

We’re keeping the public updated in real time, shutting down rumors, and laying down the facts on exactly what we and our state partners are doing to protect American agriculture, livestock, and wildlife.

For more information, go to ➡️ https://t.co/PWVCae53Jw

If members of the press have any questions going forward, please submit them to [email protected]

[Oriana Pawlyk @Oriana0214]

Yesterday families, friends, advocates, lawmakers and more gathered at the new DCA crash memorial, unveiled at Rivergate Park in Alexandria, Va. NTSB chair @JenniferHomendy reiterated as each day passes without action “represents a continued and unacceptable risk to public safety.”

[Chris |☇uball @ChrisKuball]

Big Boy, Union Pacific's 4-8-8-4 Steam Locomotive, seen here cutting across eastern Iowa on Monday, giving a nod to the fans onlooking over the bridge. Big Boy is making its way to Cedar Rapids tonight and will continue on to Illinois on Tuesday. #IAWX #BigBoy

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO Greg Abel has his first deal since he took over from Warren Buffett in January. https://t.co/dK7W0uUqY5

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

The @ALPAPresident and his union are stepping up efforts to lobby Congress to come up with a compromise on the aviation safety reforms recommended after the D.C. midair collision and pass a bill. Event today features Tim Lilley who lost his son in the crash. @famofflight5342

[Union Pacific @UnionPacific]

As #UP4014 Big Boy's Coast-to-Coast tour moves across the U.S., the consist will revise periodically. We've added #UP1776, our #America250 locomotive featuring our dramatic American flag earlier this week. Now Union Pacific's Heritage Fleet has been added to the consist in Omaha as we say goodbye to TTX's beautiful patriotic boxcars, which we were using for braking support until we could pick up the Heritage Fleet.

[Capt. Jason Ambrosi @ALPAPresident]

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but it's sending clear warning signs it's under strain. As the voice of aviation safety, airline pilots will not stand by silently. We're urging Congress to pass the best of the ROTOR and ALERT Acts. https://t.co/11qNoQ7M5M

[NTSB Newsroom @NTSB_Newsroom]

NTSB will hold a media briefing at 3 p.m. today on the fatal multivehicle collision involving a motorcoach near a work zone on I-95 in Stafford, Virginia. The briefing will take place in Meeting Room A at the Fairfield Inn, located at 2784 Richmond Highway in Stafford, Virginia.
Media access to the room will begin at 2 p.m. Livestream will be available on our YouTube channel: https://t.co/IcwJy7r9JY

[Dan Osborn @osbornforne]

The Big Boy, the world's largest and most powerful operating steam locomotive, just passed our Kearney office!

[Secretary Sean Duffy @SecDuffy]

Update on the tragic bus crash in Virginia:

Five people are dead, including a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, after the driver of a motorcoach slammed into stopped traffic on I-95.

@FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs and our investigators are on the ground at the crash site working with the @NTSB.  

Local police confirm the driver of this motorcoach — a man from China who became a U.S. citizen — doesn’t speak English. He received his commercial drivers license from New York State in 2024.

Unacceptable. This is exactly why we are holding states’ accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English.

If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.

Our investigators are reviewing New York licensing records, training documentation, and the driver's history. Any company, trainer, or school that contributed to putting an unqualified driver on the road will face intense scrutiny.

We’ll share more updates soon.

My prayers are with the loved ones of the innocent lives lost and those who were hurt in this horrific crime.

[Norfolk Southern @nscorp]

Today, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) accepted our merger application with @UnionPacific, moving it into the merits-based phase of the review: https://t.co/Ea9gssUUvW

This is a positive step toward creating America’s first transcontinental railroad.

The STB also requested additional information as part of its review, and we are committed to working constructively with the Board throughout the process.

In response to the STB’s decision, CEO Mark George shared, “The time is right for a more competitive U.S. rail network that reduces costs for American shippers and consumers. The added detail strengthened our analysis and enhanced integration planning in our amended application. We have more confidence than ever in the value this proposal will deliver for all stakeholders and look forward to a full and transparent review.”

[Josh Funk @Funkwrite]

The @STB_Newsroom officially accepted @UnionPacific’s application to acquire @nscorp. But the board gave the railroads some homework and asked for more information.

[BNSF Railway @BNSFRailway]

BNSF Railway Statement on STB Decision Regarding UP–NS Merger Application

BNSF appreciates the actions taken today by the Surface Transportation Board to protect the public interest and apply its modernized merger rules as intended by requiring Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to provide a complete and compliant application. That approach protects the integrity of the process and ensures that stakeholders and the public have the clarity they need to evaluate the proposed transaction.

The Board’s determination that key elements of the revised application remain unclear or underdeveloped—including issues related to competition, shipper access, service assurance, market impacts, and downstream effects—highlights the significant gaps that still exist. Holding the proceeding and environmental review in abeyance until UP and NS provide this supplemental information underscores the seriousness of those deficiencies.

BNSF remains firmly opposed to the proposed UP–NS merger. The fundamental concerns persist: the transaction threatens to reduce competition, restrict access for shippers, and undermine the resilience and efficiency of the national rail network. The Board’s updated merger framework rightly emphasizes competitive enhancement, service reliability, and the broader public interest, and we believe a fully developed record will show that this merger fails to meet those standards.

We will continue to participate constructively in the proceeding and advocate for a freight rail system that remains competitive, efficient, and responsive to the needs of customers, communities, employees and the broader economy.