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What we know about the midair crash near Washington, D.C.

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What we know about the midair crash near Washington, D.C.

First responders search the crash site of American Airlines flight 5342 along the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Thursday.

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Authorities believe there will likely be no survivors in the midair crash involving an American Airlines regional jet and a Black Hawk helicopter Wednesday night in the skies above the nation’s capital.

As of Thursday morning, rescue crews continue to search the frigid waters of the Potomac River, in which pieces of the jet and helicopter have fallen.

In a White House press briefing on the crash, President Trump said the search mission has turned into recovery efforts as of late morning.

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“We are one family today and we are all heartbroken,” he said.

Officials say 28 bodies have been recovered so far. There were 64 people on the plane and three on the Black Hawk. Among the passengers of the jet were members of the U.S. Figure Skating team, several Russian figure skaters, coaches and family members, according to U.S. Figure Skating and Russian state media.

The crash could be the most significant disaster in U.S. airspace in at least 15 years. The investigation is in its early hours and the cause of the midair collision is still unclear.

During a press briefing, Trump shared a number of possible theories of the cause of the crash, including that diversity efforts at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are to blame.

A plane is parked at the Reagan National Airport as the investigation continues into the crash of an American Airlines plane on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Va.

A plane is parked at the Reagan National Airport as the investigation continues into the crash of an American Airlines plane on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Va.

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How did this happen?

The midair collision happened as the jet, operated by PSA Airlines on behalf of American Airlines, was attempting to land at Reagan just before 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday. The plane was traveling from Wichita, Kan. It carried 60 passengers and four crew members (two pilots and two flight attendants).

The U.S. Army Black Hawk carried three soldiers and was traveling from Fort Belvoir in Virginia, the Pentagon says. The three were “experienced” crew members taking part in a training exercise, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday morning.

The jet was flying from south to north and lining up to land at the airport when it collided with the Black Hawk, which was flying from north to south, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a press conference. The two aircraft collided at a low altitude.

Video recorded from the Kennedy Center, an arts and culture center located a few miles from the crash site, shows a small aircraft approaching the jet and then a bright explosion that lit up the dark night sky.

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According to audio archived by LiveATC.net, which provides live air traffic control broadcasts from air traffic control towers and radar facilities around the world, the plane had initially been cleared to land on runway 1. But an air traffic controller asked the flight crew if they could use runway 33 instead.

This is not an unusual request at this airport, which is incredibly busy and requires a delicate dance to handle the mix of arriving and departing aircraft in very complicated airspace around the D.C. area. There are many military and law enforcement helicopters always operating in the vicinity.

The crash comes after a growing trend of troubling near-collisions near runways across the country.

President Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House on Thursday about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

President Trump takes questions from reporters at the White House on Thursday about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

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With no evidence, Trump alleges DEI, night vision to blame for crash

President Trump began his press briefing Thursday morning with a moment of silence for the tragedy that occurred overnight. He then turned to speculating about a number of theories as to what might have contributed to the crash.

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Trump said, without evidence, that diversity initiatives at the FAA had compromised air traffic controller standards. His administration has made eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs a top priority across the federal government.

Asked by a reporter how he could conclude that diversity had to do with the crash while the investigation is ongoing, the president responded: “Because I have common sense, OK? And unfortunately, a lot of people don’t. We want brilliant people doing this.” He blamed past Democratic administrations for, he claimed, lowering standards.

The president also suggested that warnings of the imminent crash came too late from the air traffic controller and that the helicopter pilot “should have seen where they were going.” He said that night vision equipment could have contributed to the accident and alluded to “tapes” of the communications with air traffic control at the time, which have not been formally released.

He also questioned why the helicopter and American Airlines jet were at the same elevation. He said that the American Airlines flight was on the correct path.

It is unclear what, if any, evidence contributed to the president’s claims. An investigation is ongoing as to what went wrong and conclusive answers are likely to take some time.

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Trump picks a new acting FAA head after more than a week of vacancy

Trump said Thursday that he would immediately appoint an acting commissioner to the FAA. The agency had been without a leader for over a week after its previous head, Mike Whitaker, resigned on Inauguration Day. It is not unusual for FAA administrators to leave at the end of an administration, though some have stayed on longer.

Trump’s acting pick to fill the role is Christopher Rocheleau, whom the president described as a “highly respected” 22-year veteran of the agency.

Rocheleau held multiple roles at the FAA during his two-decade tenure, including acting administrator for aviation safety and executive director for international affairs, according to the National Business Aviation Association, where he most recently served as chief operating officer.

Prior to his time at the FAA, he served as an officer and special agent with the U.S. Air Force and was one of the early leaders of the Transportation Security Administration, which was created in the aftermath of 9/11.

What is the latest on recovery efforts?

John Donnelly, the chief of Washington D.C.’s Fire and EMS, said the first alert came in at 8:48 p.m. and they arrived ten minutes later. He said there are 300 responders from neighboring counties and cities as far north as Baltimore coming to assist in the immediate aftermath. It’s a “highly complex operation” with “extremely rough” conditions as temperatures hovered around 36 degrees overnight, according to NOAA’s National Ocean Service, with added wind.

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Donnelly said the crash site in the Potomac River is about eight feet deep and icy.

“It’s just dangerous and hard to work in. And because there’s not a lot of lights, you’re out there searching every square inch of space to see if you can find anybody. Divers are doing the same thing in the water. The water is dark. It is murky. And that is a very tough condition for them to dive in,” he said.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and American Airlines representatives are at the crash site.

Who was on the plane?

The names and ranks of the three Black Hawk crew members will be withheld for now as next of kin notifications are ongoing, Defense Secretary Hegseth said.

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The unit involved in the crash were of the Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion and were flying out of Fort Belvoir, he said. The crew were taking part in their annual proficiency training flight and were undergoing night evaluation. They were also fitted with night vision goggles, he said.

“It’s a tragedy and a horrible loss of life,” Hegseth said.

U.S. Figure Skating confirmed in a statement that several members, including athletes, coaches and family members, were aboard the American Airlines jet and were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available,” U.S. Figure Skating said.

Former Russian world champions — and husband and wife — Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were identified as victims of the crash, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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Naumov and Shishkova were on both the Soviet and Russian figure skating teams and won the World Championships in pairs figure skating in 1994.

They moved to the U.S. in 1998 and appear to have stayed involved in the sport: They are both listed as coaches on the website of the Skating Club of Boston.

Trump said there were passengers from at least two other nations beyond the U.S. and Russia on the jet.

A flight information board shows cancelled flights at the Reagan National Airport. Operations at the airport are expected to restart at 11 a.m. EST.

A flight information board shows cancelled flights at the Reagan National Airport. Operations at the airport are expected to restart at 11 a.m. EST.

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How are operations at Reagan National impacted?

A ground stop was ordered at Reagan National Airport lasting for several hours after the crash. Operations at the airport have since resumed.

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“Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority CEO John Potter said, speaking at a Thursday morning news conference at the airport, “It’s safe. We’ve worked with all the federal agencies, FAA. And, you know, it’s been determined that we can open that airport safely.”

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Top shale boss says US oil companies will not flock back to Russia

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Top shale boss says US oil companies will not flock back to Russia

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US oil producers are not going to rush back into Russia following any peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv because they have been badly burnt in the past, according to US shale magnate Harold Hamm.  

The Continental Resources’ founder and prominent donor to Donald Trump’s election campaign told the Financial Times that Russia had been a tough place to work for decades and he was thankful he had not followed others who ploughed money into the world’s third-largest oil producing nation.

“A lot of people lost a whole lot of money over there. I think they’re going to be very reticent to want to go back. Once in a while, peace breaks out over there, but not very often,” said Hamm in an interview.

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The start of talks between US and Russian officials this week fuelled speculation that American companies could return to Russia, if a peace deal can be agreed and sanctions are relaxed on Moscow. Russian officials specifically flagged the potential for joint investments in hydrocarbons by US and Russian companies, including in the Arctic.  

“We know there are US oil companies which would like to return to Russia,” said Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who attended the talks with US officials in Riyadh.

ExxonMobil and Chevron, the two largest American oil companies, declined to comment.

Exxon has a long history of investing in Russia but has pulled back following the imposition of western sanctions following Moscow’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The company pulled the plug on a joint venture with oil company Rosneft to explore Arctic waters in 2018. Four years later Exxon took a $3.4bn impairment charge when it wrote down the value of its stake in the Sakhalin-1 oil project in Russia’s far north-east.

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Other western companies got hit harder. BP reported a nearly $25bn writedown linked to its shareholding in Rosneft and other businesses while Shell made a $5bn writedown on its Russian assets in 2022.

Most analysts agree with Hamm that US oil majors will think long and hard before investing following any peace deal due to the geopolitical risks, and opportunities elsewhere.

“Political risks remain sky-high — sanctions relief could be reversed with a US administration change. Companies won’t rush back into a market where rules shift overnight,” said Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

Hamm, who co-ordinated fundraising among oil and gas interests during Trump’s election campaign worth at least $75mn, said the president had a big decision to make on whether to lift sanctions.

“They can be very effective. Particularly with secondary sanctions, which apply to anyone who transports or handles or trades,” he said.

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Hamm said US liquefied natural gas exports would continue to play a critical role in ensuring Europe’s energy security. Europe could depend on the US, despite tensions over Ukraine, he said, adding that the continent’s leaders would be “silly” if they went back to relying on Russian piped gas.

“Europe, those countries are allies, and we’ve always stood up for them. I think they generally stood up for America. I think they should trust President Trump to look out after their best interests as well . . . We’re a country with a rule of law,” said Hamm.

He rejected allegations made by Democrats and other critics that Trump was ignoring the rule of law through some of his actions, which include curtailing birthright citizenship and giving Elon Musk access to government departments to slash spending and jobs.

“Obviously, [Musk] is doing a tremendous service. You know we have had runaway government for the last four years,” he said.

Hamm said Trump was the “most consequential president in modern history” by accomplishing so much in his first 30 days, including exiting the Paris climate accord and slashing environmental rules restricting industry.

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Despite concerns within the oil industry that Trump’s threat to impose steep tariffs on Canada and Mexico would raise costs and increase petrol prices, he said they were necessary to tackle other problems.

“The border was number one consideration. Immigration and we had to stop the flow of drugs into this country,” said Hamm. “With Mexico and Canada, the tariffs are probably not going to be big factors if they will co-operate in the future.”

Asked if he thought Trump might try to seek a third term in office, even though this ran contrary to the US constitution, he said he could not contemplate such a thing.

“Thank God we have someone standing up there beside the president — JD Vance. I think he is looking forward to the next term.”       

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Trump administration plans mass firing at office that funds homelessness programs

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Trump administration plans mass firing at office that funds homelessness programs

A woman gathers possessions to take before a homeless encampment was cleaned up in San Francisco in 2023. The Trump administration plans to cut most federal staff in the HUD office that funds homelessness programs at a time when the number of people in the U.S. without housing is at a record high.

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The federal office that funds housing and other support for homeless people across the country is slated to shrink dramatically, a prospect that advocates warn would make record-high homelessness even worse.

The Office of Community and Planning Development, within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is slated to lose 84% of its staff, according to a document seen by NPR. That target is the deepest of any office in the agency.

“That proposed cut is massive. And the potential for adverse impact at the community level and at the national level is also massive,” said Ann Oliva, who spent a decade at HUD and is now CEO at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

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Have information you want to share about ongoing changes at HUD? NPR’s Jennifer Ludden can be contacted through encrypted communications on Signal at jenniferludden.20.

The same office also funds disaster recovery and programs that help local communities build affordable housing.

Overall, Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, an entity known as DOGE and overseen by Elon Musk, plans to reduce HUD’s staffing by about half.

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The Community and Planning Development office at HUD disperses more than $3.6 billion in federal funding for rental assistance, mental health and substance use treatment, and outreach to try and get those living outside into shelter or housing. “It’s the “backbone” of local communities’ response to homelessness, Oliva said, “in blue states and red states alike.”

Cutting so much staff would mean firing not only people at headquarters in Washington, D.C., but also those in field offices around the country, she said. And that means it would likely take longer to get funding to the thousands of local nonprofits who provide housing and other support.

“Grants need to be processed,” said one HUD employee, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. They said the prospect of major staff cuts, combined with deferred resignations, are a “huge worry” that threatens to disrupt work.

So far, HUD has not addressed such concerns in detail.

“HUD is following direction from the administration while also ensuring the department continues to deliver on its critical functions,” a HUD spokesperson said in a statement. They said that includes the agency’s “mission to serve rural, tribal and urban communities and statutory responsibilities.”

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There’s concern about whether homelessness funding will be sent out as usual

The Biden administration approved the next wave of homelessness funding in its last days in power in January. The money has not yet been distributed. Advocates say it could be taking longer simply because of the transition to a new administration. But there’s also worry that it’s more than that.

In late January, the Trump administration issued a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants. That was rescinded, and then paused in court after a legal challenge, but a federal judge found some funds were still frozen.

A lawsuit challenging the freeze noted that many local nonprofits that partner with federal agencies rely heavily on government funding, and the loss of it could be devastating. In a recent memo, the National Council of Nonprofits said many groups were still having trouble accessing funds, “causing them to stop programs, furlough employees, and question multi-year budgets.”

“I’m increasingly concerned that money is paused in a way that’s illegal,” said Peggy Bailey, a former senior adviser at HUD who’s now with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

She also said this pause, and the proposed staff cuts, appear to be part of a larger push to shrink HUD. Republicans in Congress have proposed major budget cuts for the agency. The conservative agenda laid out by Trump allies in Project 2025 calls for moving some HUD functions to other agencies, states or localities.

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Republicans want to change how federal homelessness funding is spent

There’s also been growing Republican opposition to the way federal homelessness funding is spent.

Current longtime bipartisan policy prioritizes getting people into housing and then providing support for those who want addiction or mental health treatment. Supporters say it has a proven track record of keeping people off the street.

But Republicans argue that this policy, or what’s called Housing First, has actually made homelessness worse.

Project 2025 calls for ending it. The Cicero Institute, a conservative Texas think tank founded by a Trump ally, has been pushing states to require substance abuse and mental health treatment as a condition for federally funded housing. Researchers at the conservative Manhattan Institute recently proposed shifting homelessness funding to a block-grant system, giving states greater control over how to spend it.

Whatever happens, advocate Ann Oliva said this is a crucial time for tackling homelessness. A record number of people in the U.S. struggle to afford rent or mortgage. And she would expect that number to rise if the office in charge of homelessness prevention was effectively gutted.

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“Possibly, construction would stop on affordable housing that’s already in the pipeline,” she said. “Ultimately, I think the risk is that we will see people falling into homelessness even quicker than we’ve already seen over the last few years.”

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Video: Maine Governor and Trump Clash Over Trans Rights

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Video: Maine Governor and Trump Clash Over Trans Rights

new video loaded: Maine Governor and Trump Clash Over Trans Rights

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Maine Governor and Trump Clash Over Trans Rights

Gov. Janet Mills of Maine threatened legal action after President Trump said he would withhold funding to her state unless she complied with the executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

“The NCAA has complied immediately, by the way. That’s good, but I understand Maine — is Maine here? The governor of Maine.” “Yeah, I’m here.” “Are you not going to comply with it?” “I’m complying with state and federal laws.” “Well, we are the federal law. Well, you better do it. You better do it because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t. And by the way, your population, even though it’s somewhat liberal — although I did very well there — your population doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports. So you better you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.” “See you in court.” “Every state — good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one.”

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