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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
The control tower at Reagan National Airport was understaffed when a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter collided midair Wednesday, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, according to a government report. A source said air traffic control asked the pilot to land on a separate intersecting runway shortly before the crash. The National Transportation Board aims to release a preliminary report within 30 days following the recovery of the plane’s flight data and voice recorders. The Washington Post reports; Kate Kelly and Emily Steel report for the New York Times; CNN reports.
President Trump today ordered a review of all federal aviation hiring and safety decisions in response to the crash. The order suggests Trump is doubling down on his claim, without evidence, that DEI policies played a role in the crash. At a press briefing, Trump claimed the FAA was “ran into the ground” by DEI recruitment after it was determined that the agency was “too white.” Trump also blamed the Biden administration for allegedly hiring people with disabilities and psychological issues for air traffic controller positions. Alex Isenstadt and Marc Caputo report for Axios; Bernd Debusmann Jr reports for BBC News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump’s sweeping executive order to suspend foreign aid risks cutting off a U.S. program that supports security forces in a notorious Syrian desert camp housing tens of thousands of self-styled Islamic State members and their families, according to Syrian and U.S. officials. Erika Solomon, Lara Jakes, and Ben Hubbard report for the New York Times.
SENATE AND CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONS
The Senate yesterday confirmed 79-18 Doug Burgum as the Secretary of the Department of Interior. Burgum will also get a seat on the National Security Council, per an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office. Ben Lefebvre reports for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas yesterday confirmed the death of its military chief, Mohammed Deif, who Israel said it killed in July last year. Hamas also confirmed the death of its deputy military commander, Marwan Issa, who the United States announced had died in March last year. George Wright reports for BBC News.
Israel temporarily suspended the release of over 100 Palestinians yesterday as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange with Hamas due to the “shocking scenes” of crowds yelling and jostling, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. All Palestinian prisoners were later released as per the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Adam Rasgon, Aaron Boxerman, Johnatan Reiss, Hannah Beech, Muktita Surhartono, and Yonette Joseph report for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his Middle East trip that rebuilding Gaza could take between 10-15 years, adding, “there is almost nothing left of Gaza… It is stunning just how much damage has occurred there.” Barak Ravid reports.
A U.S. security firm is hiring 96 U.S. Special Forces veterans to help run a Gaza checkpoint during the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, according to a company spokesperson and an email seen by Reuters. Jonathan Landay and Aram Roston report.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
Israel has lodged a complaint to the U.S.-led committee overseeing the ceasefire in Lebanon that Iranian diplomats and others are delivering tens of millions of U.S. dollars in cash to Hezbollah, according to a U.S. defense official. Dov Liever, Michael R. Gordon, Benoit Faucon, and Adam Chamseddine report for the Wall Street Journal.
The Israeli military today said it struck several Hezbollah targets overnight in the Bekaa Valley and along the Syria-Lebanese border. Yesterday, Israel said it intercepted a drone launched by Hezbollah, calling it “a breach of the ceasefire agreement.” Reuters reports.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
David A. Lebryk, the highest ranking career official at the Treasury Department, is expected to depart after a rift with Elon Musk’s allies over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three sources. The exact nature of the disagreement was not immediately clear, they said. Jeff Stein, Isaac Arnsdorf, and Jacqueline Alemany report for the Washington Post.
A Pentagon appeals panel, U.S. Court of Military Commission Review, yesterday upheld a judge’s decision in the U.S.S. Cole bombing case to prevent the use of the defendant’s confession obtained from torture, a setback to prosecutors pursuing the longest-running death penalty case in the military commission system. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, attended his confirmation hearing yesterday, where he sought to allay fears about his fitness to serve. While Patel suggested he disagreed with Trump’s decision to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters, he repeatedly evaded the question of whether he would investigate officials on a published list of his perceived enemies. Adam Goldman, Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett, and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times.
Several top FBI executives who had been promoted by former Director Christopher Wray were told yesterday to resign or retire by Monday, and that if they don’t comply they will be demoted, sources say. Ken Dilanian and Zoë Richards report for NBC News; Evean Perez and Zachary Cohen report for CNN.
Senators yesterday pressed Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, over her visit to Syria in 2017 during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Gabbard claimed she did not know “until today” that a cleric she met threatened to unleash suicide bombers in the United States, though documents and emails from 2017 indicate she was informed of the threats and involved in anticipating negative publicity back then. Jon Swaine and Ellen Nakashima report for the Washington Post; Stef W. Kight and Marc Caputo report for Axios.
A U.S. appeals court in New Orleans yesterday ruled that a federal law banning adults under 21 from buying handguns is unconstitutional, finding that the Second Amendment includes 18-20 year olds “among ‘the people’ whose right to keep and bear arms is protected,” the court wrote in their ruling. Sara Cline and Lindsay Whitehurst report for AP News.
The chair of the Federal Communications Commission will investigate NPR and PBS over concerns that their alleged “airing of commercials” could be “violating federal law.” The letter is the latest action from Trump’s allies to target publicly funded news organizations. Dominick Mastrangelo reports for The Hill; Benjamin Mullin and David McCabe report for the New York Times.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Paramount is in settlement talks with Trump over his $10 billion “60 minutes” lawsuit, sources say, in hopes that settling would decrease the chances of the Trump administration hindering its planned merger with another company. Lauren Hirsch, James B. Stewart, and Michael M. Grynbaum report for the New York Times.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
France handed over its last military base in Chad to local authorities yesterday, two months after the former French colony severed the countries’ bilateral defense cooperation agreement. Mouta Ali reports for AP News.
Germany’s Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become the country’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to push a motion through parliament yesterday on stricter immigration rules, breaking a longtime taboo and prompting backlash. Kate Brady reports for the Washington Post.
Myanmar’s ruling military junta has extended a state of emergency for a further six months to support election preparations, state media reported today, a day ahead of the four-year anniversary of the coup that plunged the country into turmoil. Reuters reports.
The defense ministers of France and Indonesia today agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain regional stability, Indonesian officials said. Edna Targian reports for AP News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump said he will decide by tonight whether oil will be included in levies on Mexico and Canada, ahead of his expected announcement tomorrow of tariffs on imports from the United States’ two largest trading partners. Gavin Bade, Vipal Monga, and Santiago Pérez report for the Wall Street Journal.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has written a letter to Google asking it to reconsider its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico following Trump’s executive order requiring the body of water be renamed the Gulf of America. Tom Gerken reports for BBC News.
The U.S. military said it killed a senior operative of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in an airstrike on Syria yesterday. Reuters reporters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
North Korean soldiers who joined Russian allies in the war against Ukraine have been pulled off the front lines after suffering major losses, Ukrainian and U.S. officials say. Michael Schwirtz and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
Kyiv’s mayor has accused Ukrainian President Voldoymr Zelenskyy of abusing the powers of martial law, the latest salvo in a continuing dispute over the use of military rule. Maria Varenikova reports for the New York Times.