The Pour Over Today - TPO Explains | A PSA on TSA… How’s It Work?

Episode Date: March 28, 2026

Readers of The Pour Over pick a topic to have explained, and Jason or Kathleen have to get Joe to understand it in less than 30 minutes… This week, Kathleen is explaining the TSA. Looking to support us? You can choose to pay ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our sponsors! We actually use and enjoy every single one. Cru Wild Alaskan HelloFresh Safe House Project QAVA CCCU Upside Mosh LMNT Bible Gateway Plus Life Application Study Bible Unto Compelled Podcast I Choose Love TPO Corrections Page

Today's episode is brought to you by our lead sponsor, Crew. People who have opinions about it, it's genuinely contested, like whether it's a successful program or not, there's evidence against its success. TSA would argue that it's not a coincidence. There hasn't been, you know, a successful aviation terrorist attack since 9-11. So I think, like, the true, the honest answer is it's kind of hard to measure the effectiveness. Kathleen, happy belated birthday. Thank you. Yeah, so I was not a part of this.

I learned after the fact, but supposedly TPO gave out your phone number so that paying subscribers to the poor over were able to text you, like personally? Yeah, to my phone. Long story short, I'm off on Sundays. And so when they were putting together Monday's newsletter, Monday was my birthday, they thought it would be. really funny to all of our paying subscribers. There's like 8,000 of them. They're like, oh, these people like the pour over. How can we reward them? Let's give them our managing editors phone number. So yeah, I woke up Monday morning and I was like, oh, what a glorious birthday. AT text messages, how did these people know my family all puked last week? I don't know any of these

people. They all started at 4 a.m. That's when the newsletter... Anyway, it was a really fun morning of trying to figure out how so many people got my phone number. And if, if you're not a lot of you're listening to this and he texted me, I have not even opened most of them. If I saw that your text said it was your birthday too, we had some birthday twins and triplets. Like I tried to message those people back, but at this point, I'm already like pretty touch and go when it comes to responding to texts. So at this point, I'm expecting like 10 to 12 business days to get a reply out. I don't know how we're going to do it, but you'll get a reply.

maybe. Yeah, you're one of those people that what can see such a high number of notifications on red and you're like totally cool with it. It doesn't give you anxiety. Don't care. Nope. Wow. Actually, I'll be completely honest.

When I saw it happening, I was like, I need to be able to keep track of how many messages are coming in. And so I went through and read all 350 texts that I did just have sitting in there from the day before from like, I don't know, life. I don't know. Anyway, so I did have a clean slate. but if you text me before my birthday, I don't have that anymore. My goodness.

Wow. What a birthday. Yeah. It was fun. It was great. It was risky and I loved it. The team knows me very well. Well, I'm happier back.

It's been a couple weeks, I think, since you've been on TPO Explains. So I'm excited to get into today's topic. Yeah, me too. It was a fun one. I don't think we're going to have fun facts because I think it all is generally interesting to me. So fun episode. I always get the fun ones, like the boring ones to Jason. Yeah, yeah, good call.

Yeah, folks, so today we are going to be talking about the TSA. We've been seeing this in the news a ton lately. Maybe you've been traveling. I'm sorry for you if you have been due to the delays and how this applies. But yes, we're going to do a shallow dive into the TSA. Shallow dive, yeah. I mean, like we're not experts. You and maybe you're an expert in some stuff.

I'm not an expert in anything. So I'd just like to learn and share what I've learned. That's what we're all about here at TPO explains. That's right. All right, Joe. So the headline question, the question people wanted to know just how does TSA work? What is TSA? So let's just start with what does TSA stand for?

Do you know what TSA is, Joe? 100% sure, but my best guess is transportation security administration. You nailed it. That's it. Nice. Yeah. TSA is the Transportation Security Administration. It is a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

And any guesses when it was created? Okay. I believe because of your amazing teaching, we went over this on a previous episode. Was it 9-11? Yeah. I can't remember which episode that was. I was thinking that too. Was it government shutdown?

Yeah, it might have been because we were talking about the different, I don't know, entities. So yes, TSA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, TSA itself was created in 2001, right after 9-11, and then Department of Homeland Security came later. But TSA has about 60,000 employees. It's one of the largest federal workforces, and you see them in every commercial airport in the country. Okay, so I have a question for you. Yeah. There was no TSA before 9-11. So all that.

all that changed after 9-11, was it just the TSA being implemented or were there more important changes for the context of this conversation? Yeah, I mean, before, okay, so even, let's say back in the olden days, let's say pre-1950s, you could just get on an airplane like you were getting on a bus, like you just got on. I mean, like you bought a ticket, but you bought a ticket for the bus, bought a ticket for the airplane, you got on. And then in 1955, the first commercial airline bombing happened. A man actually hit a bomb in his mom's luggage to try and collect her life insurance. Terrible. 44 people were killed and the Federal Aviation Act was signed that created the FAA. So then in the 1960s, there's like a stream of hijackings that really prompts more change.

So armed officers start getting on flights. We have the Sky Marshals, which are like specially trained marshals that fly on flights. Cockpit doors have to be locked starting in 1964. I guess they were just like open before them. The late 60s, early 70s, hijackings peak. And then in 1972, there's bomb sniffing dogs. So like there were security measures before 9-11. But every airport kind of independently managed their own security when it came to like passenger screening and bag screening.

And so a lot of airports would just hire like independent security companies, private contractors. And their focus was just prevent hijackings, have metal detectors, basic bag screening. There was no like federal standard. Everybody did it differently. On that last point, federal standard, prior to that, each airport was hiring their own independent contractors. I feel like today airports still do things differently. Like, am I wrong in thinking? It still feels no.

Like, as soon as you're like, okay, I got it. I leave my shoes on, but I take my laptop out. They're like, shoes off, laptop stays in. I know. There is a federal standard. Like the protocols are the same. But I learned, like, some places are going to have machines that will scan your ID automatically. And so then you don't need to present your boarding pass.

But if they don't have that machine, then you need to present your boarding pass. Or if their, like, imaging machines are newer, then they're more advanced. And you don't have to take your laptop out. But if that airport doesn't have the newer machines, then you do have to take your laptop out. If there are dogs working at the airline, then you might be able or the airport, then you might be able to leave your shoes on. No dogs, shoes off. I don't know.

So it's just kind of the technology that's available, which helps them implement their protocols. And that's why you have changes. But yeah, in my head, I'm like, can they not just get on the same page? So it was actually really helpful for me to learn why it's different. One of the technologies you mentioned was the body scan. Yeah. So do these TSA agents, like I'm thinking about viral videos of TSA agents, you know, doing the like searches with their hands and all that stuff, like,

From a legal authority perspective, that's all kosher. They're able to, they have the authority to search me. I am not a lawyer. If you need legal help, please find a lawyer. But as far as I can tell, yes, there's a legal doctrine called administrative search. And you're saying it basically says, like, if you're entering a secured area, so an airport checkpoint, then you're consenting to be screened. And I'm sure, like, there's so many little plaques when you walk into.

the screening area. I'm sure one of them says that, that like, you're consenting to be screened. But an important note, it's not a criminal search. Like, they're not looking for evidence of a crime. They're just looking for threats to aviation security. So, I mean, I think that there's even been, it's been upheld in courts that the searches are constitutional, even if there's not probable cause, like, they can pull you for a random, whatever, because it's a part of their, like, administrative searching to make sure things are safe. They find something suspicious. Can they arrest me?

No. Okay. That's a good question. So they are supposed to call law enforcement. They are, consider them screeners. They're not cops. They are federal employees, not law enforcement officers. They can stop and detain you briefly, but they're supposed to hand over, like if they need

to arrest you or anything, they're going to hand that over to airport police or local law enforcement. But have you heard of the air marshals? There is a law enforcement arm of TSA. Have you heard of air marshals? This is going to be a goofy answer, but air marshals, have you seen the movie, is it called Bridesmaid? Yeah.

Where there's like a woman on the wing? Where she says. Yes. Doesn't the topic of air marshals come up in a scene in that movie? I can't remember. I always say, help me, I'm poor. Yeah. Like she does in that, but I can't remember.

I don't know. I'll have to go and watch it. But yes, I've heard of Air Marshals, and that movie comes to mind. Yeah. That's a goofy answer. Have you ever opened your Bible and thought, man, I really wish I understood this better. We've all been there. The Bible can feel overwhelming when you don't have the right guidance or context around what you're reading.

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Watch anytime, anywhere from any device, and use code the pour over 50 to get 50% off your first six months. Start streaming today at the link in the show notes. So you've heard of it. I thought, okay, let me tell you about the Air Marshals. So they were created in 1961 under the name Sky Marshals, which has been. mentioned earlier because of the increased hijackings. And then obviously the program grew significantly after 9-11. So the, I guess, misconception I had was that there's an air marshal in every flight. Like, there's always one, a quick check of the numbers. That's just not possible because there are like 44,000 flights a day and there's like 3,000 air marshals. But they, I

guess they have some sort of system that they'll do like a risk analysis on and see which flights could be, I don't know, there are some helpful charts that will link in our newsletter edition of this and it like shows the different layers of screenings. And so even when you go and book your flight and put your name in, like screenings start there. And so I'm sure if like somebody's name pops up and it's coming from like an identified risky area, then they'll make sure an air marshal or two or, you know, potentially four, I think they try and have multiple for like longer flights and riskier flights. But anyway, they'll try and make sure that those flights have air marshals. And let's see, there's a, the Department of Homeland Security and Defense agencies created

DCA Access Standard Security Program, which requires the presence of an armed security officer on board at least 48 general aviation flights a day that lead from designated gateway airport, so that would determine where some of them go. So anyway, they figure out which flights they need to be on. And airlines have to keep two seats open on every flight for the potential of an air marshal getting added to their roster, like last minute. That's a fun fact. Yeah. Isn't that interesting? Which is, I don't know. In my head, I'm always like, what do you mean? All of a sudden, people get on, they're on standby and they get a flight. Well, I guess maybe they're like, no marshals are coming on this plane. I don't know. Yeah. A quick note about the air marshals,

which is interesting is with, you know, only 3,000, there's 44,000 flights a day. You know, they're flying all over the place. There's a girl from college that is like an influencer now because she's a flight attendant. Oh, yeah. And she just kind of vlogs her life and it looks luxurious. And she, you know, goes to these amazing places and all this stuff. And she travels because by way of her job as a flight attendant. Yeah.

We should have air marshals do like a luxurious vlog of all their trips. Well, air marshals are undercover. So you're not supposed to know who they are or if they're on your flight. So they'd have to like, you know, disguise their voices and stuff. But so the flight crews know who they are. And they're obviously armed. And so they're introduced to the pilots and everything. But yeah, they're supposed to be.

And also you don't want to know who they are, obviously. The flight crew does. But also if there's like a standard route that they would, there wouldn't be a standard route. I don't think that they would like always have a marshal on because they want it to be unpredictable. So I don't know. They need to be very secretive. These air marshals, I don't think they're up for the influence their life. Oh, incognito for sure.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So in addition to the marshals, you also have, I thought this was interesting. After 9-11, they created the Federal Flight Deck officer program. It trains and authorizes pilots to carry handguns in the cockpit. And so hundreds of pilots qualify every year. No pilot or federal flight deck officer has ever had to fire it a threat.

But that's another like if a Marshall can't bill and every flight, then, you know, teach the pilots to be able to provide some sort of defense. Okay. So we talked about in-flight security. TSA, are they only isolated to the airports themselves? That's a good question. I feel like I only think about TSA when I think about airports, but no. TSA's mandate covers like all transportation security.

So rail ports, highways, technically. I mean, in practice, like aviation gets 90% their attention and their budget. One of the other teams that potentially people could have heard of is the visible intermodal prevention and response. Viper team. They do like spot checks at train stations and special events. That's more of the ground crew, but I feel like mostly when people think TSA, they think airports. Yeah. So thanks for clearing that up.

That was the impression that I had. Yeah. So since 9-11 and the TSA being implemented back then, what does the data say, like, is it effective? Has this been a healthy change since 9-11? The data. That's a great question. I actually think people who have to be able to be able to be able to be able to be a healthy change. opinions about it, it's genuinely contested, like whether it's a successful program or not,

there's evidence against its success. The Department of Homeland Security has red teams, which are like independent groups of subject matter experts, they're undercover, and they go and try and, like, simulate adversary tactics and techniques and see if they can find weak points. And in 2015, the TSA chief was actually ousted after a Homeland Security. Red Team snuck in 67 out of 70, basically, like, mock explosives and weapons. Like, it was a 97 or 95% failure rate. So really showing, like, some of the gaps there. Yeah.

But then TSA's counter argument is that they're one layer in a multi-layer system. And so all of the regulations that have been implemented, the reinforced cockpit doors, air marshals, intelligence screening, all of that works together and no single layer is supposed to catch everything. And then they would also, TSA would argue that it's not a coincidence. There hasn't been, you know, a successful aviation terrorist attack since 9-11. So I think like the true, the honest answer is it's kind of hard to measure the effectiveness. But a lot of the, if you go to TSA's website, they have a timeline and it's so interesting

to see they'll say like, okay, 2001, such and such, I forget his name. but he tried to get, he planned to detonate a shoe bomb. That happened in 2001. And so in 2006, they said, okay, now you have to take your shoes off if you're going to get on a flight. And that rule lasted almost 20 years. Like just recently, they started to say, you don't have to take your shoes off. And so almost every new, like, layer of security that they've put into their protocols has been prompted by a foiled plot.

So, I don't know. I think it's contested, but in my opinion, like, it has to, be evolving, like you're never going to be at 100% of, I don't know, you've got to always learn, right? Say learning. Yeah, absolutely. With over 1,000 translations in every type of decorative addition, it's easy to forget how many people can't even get their hands on a single copy of the Bible in their native

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P-O-U-R to 7-1-3-2-6 or give.cru-org slash P-O-U-R. Message and data rates may apply, available to U.S. addresses only. All right, Kathleen, last week, Jason and I introduced a new segment we're trying out. A little more rapid fire, maybe not as rapid fire as the name suggests. But I want to bring forth some things I've seen in the news, color commentary. related to TSA in the headlines, right? And just want to run it by you, see what your thoughts are. Is it true?

Is it not? How should we be thinking about it? So you ready? Yes. Maybe. Yes. Okay. Okay.

In seeing and hearing, TSA officers are some of the lowest paid federal workers. Okay. This is true from what I could find. The starting salary for a TSA agent is like mid somewhere around 35 grand. Um, the history of how they've been paid is kind of interesting. It was all, you know, it's a federal program. And so there's like legislature and everything, legislation. Um, anyway, the most interesting part was that, um, I don't know if you're going to talk about this about the shutdown.

But there's a fee that goes to TSA that you pay anytime you get an airline ticket. So you pay, um, a, I don't know what I think it's called a security fee. anyway, after 9-11, they implemented the security fee, and I think it ends up being like just under $6 per ticket for a one-way ticket, whatever. That goes to TSA, and roughly, well, it's supposed to go TSA. About two-thirds of it actually makes its way to TSA. One-third of it goes to Congress. So there's this whole like conversation about how they're, like the fee that's supposed to pay for TSA is actually making it to TSA. And if TSA is not getting paid during the shutdown, which I'm sure was one of the next things you'll bring up, like, are these fees still accruing? And the answer is like, yes, they are. But TSA agents can't get paid right now.

Wow. What a nuanced answer. I didn't realize the funding mechanism and not all of it goes directly to the TSA. I know it was interesting. Yeah. Well, yes, related to what you were saying there, during a shutdown, TSA officers still have to show up. True, false? True. They're considered essential, so they have to go even if they're not getting paid. That's why, so technically they have to go. But obviously, how long can you expect somebody to work without a paycheck? I think I was looking at some numbers, maybe roughly a third of agents that, like, any given airline will be out on any given day because they've either had to, they'll call out sick because they had to get a second job or like do something because they're not getting paid for that and they still have bills to pay. So yeah, they will get back pay after the shutdown is over, but you'll see a lot of agents quit. A lot of them quit last November during the shutdown.

Yeah, it's tough. All right. Thanks for clearing. that up Kathleen. All right. Why don't we move on the Christian perspectives? Okay. I have a story

for you to demonstrate my Christian perspective. Ooh. When James was six months old, we went on a family trip to Lake Tahoe and it was our first

trip with him. So Todd and I were like nervous, whatever. Long story short, our flight out of the local airport was delayed and so then we were going to potentially miss us.

our next flight and we never flown with a baby before we were renting our baby stuff. I was really, whatever, I was really stressed out. And I was wearing the poor over had at one point this shirt that said above all love. And that's what we always said about stuff. And I remember being so frustrated because the, this isn't necessarily TSA, but the gate agent at the airport just could not give us any information. And people kept asking her like, hey, am I going to miss my flight? She said, I don't know what to tell you.

Like, she could not give us any information. And I was so frustrated. And I remember going into the bathroom with James and then, like, wash my hands or whatever. And I looked in the mirror and I saw that my shirt said above all love. And I was like, okay. However I interact with the people who are having to deal with this, like, I'm wearing this shirt, you know. And I don't know, that's my Christian perspective, some sort of blend of choose humility and above all love. we often say remember that both what you say and how you say it reflects on Christ and I don't know

just knowing the purpose of TSA and you know despite let's say some of its shortcomings or some of its stress points like the purpose of it is good and the people who are you know working for TSA some of them doing it without a paycheck you know they're doing it because they want to you know do something good we should choose humility and we should should remember to above all love. And so when you're frustrated or when they're giving you instructions and you're not understanding and you thought you remembered to take your shoes off, but you left your, you know, your watch on and something's in your pocket, whatever, choose humility and remember to above all love because how, you know, what better way can we shine

God's light on people than to be a bright spot in their day when they expect frustration, you know. I'm so glad you shared that story. So relevant for today's topic, obviously, and and fits so well with today's times as it relates to what's going on with the TSA. So love it. Yeah. It was a very humbling moment. In the mirror, I was like. Staring you're right in the face.

Yep. Well, thanks, everyone, for joining us on another episode of TPO Explains. As a reminder, you can watch this episode on YouTube and Spotify. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe. We'd love to hear. hear your thoughts and feedback. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time.

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