Yes.
> I'm reading the crumb as saying the engine failure occurred and Q is being blamed
A: Yes.
This is ridiculous! This is a "movie", you are right.
No way, it's a coincidence that the pink shirt guy is holding a newspaper "and the DON" in a readable way under his arm!
This looks like a trashy version of a "Godfather IV" scene :)))
It's a set-up for the MSM
Finally!