BREAKING: Homeland Security Sec. updates on nationwide ground stop, says there should be ‘no fear’

THIS IS A BRIEFING UNDERWAY FROM MARK WAYNE MULLIN, THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF. HOMELAND THAT ARE INSECURITY, LET'S LISTEN. THOSE ARE SEPARATE ISSUES, YES. JUST TO BE CLEAR, CAN YOU DEFINITELY RULE OUT. THAT THAT THIS IS NOT A CYBER ATTACK. AND HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT THIS OUTAGE TO LAST? WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF IT? SO WE'RE WORKING WITH SECRETARY DUFFY ON THIS, WE'RE NOT RULING OUT ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. THE FIRST THING IS THE SAFETY. of everybody that's flying. We are assured that everybody is safe. Everybody that's going to be.

in the air that's currently on a plane, loved ones, as I said, we're going to get you on WE WANT TO MAKE SURE. EVERYBODY IS YES, WE'RE DOING IT IN A SAFE MANNER. TO SAY THAT WE CAN RULE OUT. ANYTHING, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DO AT THIS POINT. THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE. EVERYBODY IS safe and we restore operations. Can you talk about the specific system that is. being affected right now? And we have seen some planes land. at specific airports. Is that going to be the case at all airports, any flights in the air will be allowed to. THE FLIGHTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE AIR, WE HAVE A GROUND STOPPAGE.

WE STILL GOT TO GET THE FLIGHTS OUT, RIGHT? AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DEALING. WITH THOSE CASE BY CASE. I THINK YOU SAID SPECIFIC. IT'S A TELECOMMUNICATION I'M NOT GOING TO GET AHEAD. OF FAA, THAT'S THEIR LANE TO TALK ABOUT. WE WERE WANTING TO ASSURE ALL AMERICAN PEOPLE. THIS ISN'T A. SAFETY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OR ANOTHER 9. I THINK THAT'S WHAT A LOT. OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE. COMPARISON TO AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE. IN BRIEFING THE PRESIDENT, WHAT KIND OF. ALL-OF-GOVERNMENT. RESPONSE IS BEING ASSEMBLED RIGHT NOW?

WHO IS INVOLVED? WHAT KIND OF. EVERYBODY IS INVOLVED RIGHT NOW. SO THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING. LIKE THIS. AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO. THROW THE ASSETS WE NEED AT IT. TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE, NOT TO REPEAT MYSELF BUT. THAT WE. GET THE FLIGHTS DOWN AND THEN WE. GET THE NORMAL OPERATIONS BACK UP. BUT THERE WAS SEVERAL OF US THAT WAS. INVOLVED IN IT, YES. RIGHT BACK HERE, BACK HERE, BLUE TIE, SORRY.

THANK YOU, MR. CHECKRACK. SO IS IT CURRENTLY THE COMMUNICATIONS IS DOWN. AS WE SPEAK RIGHT NOW? YES. AND SECONDLY. THERE IS. LET ME WE ARE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AT. CERTAIN LEVELS, BUT IT'S OVERWHELMED SOME OF THE SYSTEMS WE HAVE. ONCE AGAIN, SEAN DUFFY, SECRETARY DUFFY IS ON HE WAS ON THE PHONE. EARLIER WITH THE PRESIDENT AND SEVERAL OF US. THEY'RE DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB IN.

THE CRISIS MOVE. THAT'S TOO EARLY A TELL. THAT'S TOO EARLY A THIS MAY LAST ABOUT. SEVEN HOURS RIGHT NOW THAT PILOTS ARE. TELLING US PEOPLE IS THAT THE TIME FRAME? WE HAVE NOT DISCUSSED. ANY TIME FRAME FOR, YOU GOT, I'LL JUST THINK ABOUT THIS AS A WHOLE. IF I HAVE A LOVED ONE AT THE AIRPORT, IT'S JUST TO GET EVERYBODY STARTED BACK UP. GOING AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME, AND SO THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE RESOLVED.

AND TURNED AROUND WITHIN THE HOUR. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME, BUT, ONCE AGAIN, EVERYBODY IS SAFE. THE FLIGHTS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR AND THERE'S NO, THERE SHOULD BE NO FEAR TO THE PUBLIC. AT ALL IN THIS ONE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN, JUST THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN. BRIEFED. YOU'VE TALKED TO HIM? THIS COULD BE AN AI YES. WELL, THERE WAS, I WASN'T THE ONLY PERSON IN. THE ROOM, OBVIOUSLY. AND THEN THERE are thoughts that you know this could be. an AI. related error or issue we call it SI.

remember SI you know I you just can't. rule out anything at this point. um we're going through that process. and we're going to find out what happened uh. and when we do we'll take the you know. the appropriate actions to make sure. it doesn't happen again there's no fear. to the public as I want to make sure.

we say this again there's no reason. for the public to be afraid or scared. for your loved ones this isn't. a another 9-11 I just can't repeat. that enough people are making that assumption. because that's the last time we had. a nationwide ground stoppage this is. a telecommunication outage this is much. different and just following up. on Caitlin's question there are reports. that the FDA was rolling out a new AI. traffic control system TODAY, HAS THERE BEEN ANY LINK BETWEEN THAT?

WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT. THAT'S PART OF SOMETHING THAT. OBVIOUSLY THROUGH CISA AT WE ARE TAKING A LOOK, WORKING WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS THROUGHOUT. ALL AGENCIES. ARE THERE PLANS IN THE AIR THAT. FAA IS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH RIGHT NOW? NO, NO, NO, IT'S JUST IT'S JUST AT A. DIFFERENT LEVEL. THE CLARITY IS MY UNDERSTANDING. SO I'M NOT TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF. MYSELF ON THIS ONE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE CAN. STILL COMMUNICATE,

IT'S JUST AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND. THERE IS REDUNDANCY IN MOST COMMUNICATIONS. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE STILL. PLANES LANDING AND SO THERE ARE. STILL COMMUNICATIONS GOING ON. WE ADDED AN ABUNDANT CAUTION IS THE REASON WHY. WE DECIDED TO GROUND EVERYTHING. THIS IS A GROUND STOP FOR THE UNITED STATES. IS THIS AFFECTING OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL? NOT THAT WE'RE AWARE THERE'S TWO AREAS.

THAT WE ARE, THAT WE KNOW THEY'RE NOT AFFECTED. I DON'T THINK I'M AT THE ABILITY TO SHARE THOSE. RIGHT NOW. BUT THERE'S TWO AREAS INSIDE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHO IS HELPING INVESTIGATING. THE ROOT CAUSE OF IT, AS FAR AS WHAT AGENCIES? EVERY AGENCY that has an asset that is. involved in this from the communication side,

FFA, DOW, State Department. We're all working together, but that's what we THAT IS. WHAT WE DO, RIGHT? AND I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS A CRISIS, BUT IT IS BECAUSE WE'RE DOWNING, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO DO A NATIONWIDE GROUND STOPPAGE. IT'S WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WORKS. WELL THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. AND SO, WE ARE WELL-POSITIONED. AND COMMUNICATING VERY WELL. THE PRESIDENT TOOK A LEAD IN THIS IMMEDIATELY.

AND HE GAVE US LEADING US. THE ASSETS AND THE COMMUNICATION TO MOVE. FORWARD IN A FAST WAY. THAT'S WHAT LEADERS DO, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE. BEST AT. LEADING THAT IS NOT A 9-11 STYLE EVENT, BUT IF IT'S A WIDESPREAD TELECOMMUNICATIONS. ISSUE, IT COULD BE A CYBER. ATTACK RELATED TO SOME SORT OF TERROR, A VERSION OF TERROR BUT THE MODERN-DAY.

I DON'T THINK IT'S A CYBER BROAD. YOU CAN'T, THIS ISN'T THE SAME. COMPARISON TO 9-11. THAT IS, THAT'S A ROAD I WON'T GO. PEOPLE ARE MAKING THE ASSUMPTION. BECAUSE IT'S A STOPPAGE. DO WE KNOW WHAT HAS CAUSED IT YET? NO, WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH IT BUT I'M NOT. GOING TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. AS I SAID MULTIPLE TIMES, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS, WE WON'T ALWAYS DEAL WITH FACTS. AND WE WILL DEAL WITH FACTS AND AS WE GET. THEM WE WILL ROLL THEM OUT TO YOU GUYS. THANK YOU THANK YOU, GUYS, I APPRECIATE IT.