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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
WASHINGTON PLANE CRASH
An American Airlines flight collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter last night near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The jet, traveling from Kansas, was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, while three U.S. soldiers were in the helicopter. The number of casualties is not yet known. The Washington Post reports; NBC News reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
President Trump yesterday ordered the construction of a detention camp with room for 30,000 migrants at Guantánamo Bay, outlining plans for a site outside U.S. territory where immigrants detained in his widening deportation campaign could be sent. Nick Miroff and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.
Trump yesterday signed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of migrants who enter the country without authorization or those arrested or charged with certain crimes such as theft. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Erica L. Green report for the New York Times.
Trump signed an executive order yesterday pledging to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The plan also calls for immediate action to fight antisemitism on college campuses and promises to prosecute offenders. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters; CBS News reports.
SENATE AND CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONS
Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attended his first confirmation hearing yesterday before the Senate Finance Committee, where he inched closer to a confirmation vote after lawmakers pressed him for over three hours. The New York Times reports.
The Senate voted yesterday 78-20 to invoke cloture on the nomination of former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department. A Senate vote is expected today to confirm the nomination. Ben Lefebvre reports for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas freed eight hostages today—three Israelis and five Thai nationals—as part of the ceasefire deal that has paused fighting in Gaza since Jan. 19, the Israeli military said. It is the third such release since the ceasefire took effect. Israel is expected to release an additional 110 Palestinian prisoners. Wafaa Shurafa and Joseph Krauss report for AP News; the Washington Post reports.
Israeli authorities said they would stop working with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from today, as legislation threatening aid deliveries for Palestinians comes into effect today. Omar Abdel-Baqui and Carrie Keller-Lynn report for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, made a rare visit to Gaza yesterday in a bid to reinforce the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, according to a White House official. Lara Jakes, Adam Rasgon, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
The Justice Department yesterday moved to drop its appeal of Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed and lacked the authority to prosecute Trump. The move leaves the ruling in place and prevents any charges being reinstated against the president’s former co-defendants. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.
Trump has hired new lawyers to appeal his criminal conviction in the New York hush money case, according to a court notice filed yesterday. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A confidential Office of Management and Budget document obtained by HuffPost suggests the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze may be part of a White House effort aimed at securing court approval for Trump to choose which congressionally authorized funding to spend. Paul Blumenthal reports.
A federal judge yesterday said he intends to issue a new block on Trump’s spending freeze effort, citing the White House’s contradictory statements about the policy. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
[Editor’s note: Just Security has launched a Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions]
Meta has agreed to pay about $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit brought by Trump after the social media platform suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Annie Linskey and Rebecca Balhaus report for the Wall Street Journal.
Senior Justice Department officials under Trump have held discussions with Manhattan federal prosecutors about the possibility of dropping the corruption case against former New York City mayor Eric Adams, sources say. Maggie Haberman, William K. Rashbaum, Devlin Barrett, and Jonah E. Bromwich report for the Washington Post.
Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, will be questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee today, with scrutiny set to focus in part on her 2017 trip to Syria. Voice of America reports.
Trump’s nominee for FBI Director, Kash Patel, will face questions today from Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats over his alleged support for QAnon and history of making false claims about the bureau. Sarah N. Lynch reports for Reuters.
Elon Musk’s team has worked behind the scenes on an initiative aimed at depleting the civil service, which culminated in the government’s stunning proposal this week offering employees an inducement to resign, sources say. Emily Davies, Jeff Stein, and Faiz Siddiqui report for the Washington Post.
The Justice Department has moved to drop its criminal prosecution of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NB), who resigned last year following his conviction over charges that he lied to the FBI. Trump, who previously described the case as a “witch hunt,” praised the move. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO.
Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison after being convicted of corruption and bribery. Menendez, the first public U.S. official to be convicted of acting as a foreign agent, is appealing the verdict. Salvador Rizzo and Shayna Jacobs report for the Washington Post.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Syrian rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad last month yesterday appointed its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as the country’s president for a transitional period. A spokesperson for the coalition also declared that the Constitution had been nullified, while the legislature and army formed under al-Assad were dissolved. The moves amounted to Syria’s first first official steps toward establishing a new government. Christina Goldbaum reports for the New York Times.
Several people including foreign peacekeepers have reportedly died with hundreds more injured as fighting between government and rebel forces continues in Congo’s besieged city of Goma. Congo’s president has said he is not partaking in regionally brokered talks to end the rebel assault. Nimi Princewill, Joshua Replogle, Stephanie Halasz, and Eve Brennan report for CNN.
Australian authorities yesterday said they foiled a potential “mass casualty” attack after finding a trailer packed with explosives in northwest Sydney. According to police, there were “some indications” it was intended to be used against targets in the Jewish community following a spate of antisemitic incidents. Sophie Tanno and Hilary Whiteman report for CNN.
German lawmakers will today debate a controversial proposal to examine a ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The proposal is not expected to pass. Emily Schultheis reports for POLITICO.
The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have formally exited the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body announced yesterday. Chinedu Asadu reports for AP News.
The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been arrested and is expected to appear in court today to face terrorism charges. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a member of South Africa’s Parliament, is accused of inciting violence during the July 2021 riots which led to the deaths of over 350 people. Mogomotsi Magome reports for AP News.
Russia has accelerated its military withdrawal from Syria by “removing vehicles and containers from its key Tartous port on the country’s Mediterranean coast,” analysis by BBC Verify suggests. Nick Eardley, Matt Murphy, and Joshua Cheetham report.
Hackers linked to China, Iran, and other foreign governments are using new AI technology to strengthen their cyberattacks against U.S. and international targets, according to U.S. officials and new security research released yesterday. Dustin Volz and Robert McMillan reports for the Wall Street Journal.