Outrage as major government agency accused of 'breaking the law'>

The National Transportation Safety Board made a pro-Elon Musk announcement that took onlookers by storm.

The NTSB said over the weekend that it would only be announcing news about major aircraft accidents on one particular social media platform.

"For media covering the airplane crashes in Washington and Philadelphia—all NTSB updates about news conferences or other investigative information will be posted to this X account," the agency wrote. "We will not be distributing information via email."

The news confused many X users, including notable voices

Atlanta News First investigator Brendan Keefe said, "The NTSB is requiring a free press to join a private website run by a presidential appointee in order to access public information about the worst US air disaster in a generation."

Mother Jones editor Michael Mechanic chimed in, "This is a horses--- policy."

"You'd best create an NTSB account on Bluesky, because given Elon Musk's direct political involvement, X is no longer an ethical or appropriate venue for distributing agency information," the editor wrote.

A popular lawyer known as southpaw said, "This amounts to a federal subsidy of this platform—which is owned by the president’s biggest donor, who as it happens has made it into a gathering place for Nazis."

"It is a self-inflicted wound to the credibility and integrity of the NTSB, a once world class safety org," the attorney wrote.

One user with thousands of followers, Art Martin, plainly accused NTSB of "breaking the law."

"A government agency is not permitted to restrict its obligation to inform the public, by making it available only on a privately run platform," the account wrote.

Treasury and finance director Andrew Smolenski asked, "What about media and other providers that do not have an X account?"

"Forcing the use of a singular PRIVATE corporate platform seems a bit monopolistic.

This is not right," Smolenski added.

Progressive commentator Brian Beutler, who writes "Off Message," had some advice from how to go forward:

"An aggressive litigant can get this enjoined Monday," he wrote on Saturday. "From there, make it hurt; make the Supreme Court say Republican presidents can privatize government communication on the platforms of their Nazi-aligned donors."

Exclusive: NTSB fought to retain employees after Trump’s federal worker resignation offer

In the wake of the worst American air disaster in two decades, the understaffed and cash-strapped National Transportation Safety Board was scrambling to keep investigators from leaving after federal employees received an offer by the Trump administration to resign and be paid through September.

An internal NTSB memo informed employees Friday that they would not be eligible for the program. NTSB, an independent and apolitical agency that does not report to the executive branch, investigates transportation accidents, provides aid to those affected by them and recommends safety measures. Multiple sources confirmed to CNN that all 400 of its staffers received the email titled “Fork in the Road” — effectively offering a buyout from the federal government.

That message, dated 9:41 p.m. ET Tuesday, went out barely 23 hours before an American Airlines regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and a US Army Blackhawk helicopter collided in a tremendous fireball, plunging all 67 on board the two aircraft into the icy Potomac River below. There were no survivors.

The disaster apparently left top brass at the agency scrambling behind the scenes to find a way to exempt employees from the Trump administration’s offer. Friday, the head of the NTSB sent a message to any employee who agreed to administration’s initial message to “rescind their deferred resignation letter immediately” with the Office of Personnel Management.

One source said the initial message came as a shock to staffers, including highly specialized investigators, many of whom are nearing retirement. “It’s not like we have an easy time finding people,” the source said.

Another source told CNN they know investigators who were seriously considering accepting the offer.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy — who serves as the agency’s chief executive officer — sent an agencywide email Friday saying the agency was “granted a full exemption” to the deferred resignation program. The move “means this program is not available to NTSB employees.”

“Given the nature of our safety work, limited budget, and the ongoing investigation of the highest fatality, mass casualty aviation accident since 9/11,” said the email message viewed by CNN, “we need each and every position represented at our agency in order for us to successfully carry out our mission critical work.”

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