A ski-equipped Air National Guard C-130 on Thursday rescued Buzz Aldrin from the South Pole on Thursday. Aldrin was part of a private tour group to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station when he became ill, according to the National Science Foundation. An LC-130 from the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard responded to fly Aldrin from the South Pole Station to McMurdo Station, where he was then taken to New Zealand for care. There were no additional details on Aldrin’s status as of Thursday afternoon. The ski-equipped LC-130s deploy to Antarctica to support the National Science Foundation by flying an “air bridge” between the remote Amundsen-Scott station to McMurdo.
Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in the military…