Despite the fact that the investigation into the deadly accident is still ongoing, President Donald Trump hinted Thursday at his first press conference since the plane crash over the Potomac River that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives may be to blame. Trump stated Thursday morning that we must appoint our most intelligent individuals to serve as air traffic controllers. It makes no difference who they are, how they speak, or how they seem. They must be gifted, gifted by nature. Geniuses. Ordinary folks cannot perform their jobs. This job cannot be performed by ordinary persons. We'll rebuild trust in American aviation, even though they can't. Trump talked extensively about the Federal Aviation Administration's DEI programs, especially those implemented under Presidents Barack ...

Federal prosecutors filed an enlarged indictment against Sean Diddy Combs on Thursday, accusing him of forcing two more women into commercial sex acts and dangling a person over an apartment balcony. In September, Combs was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the Southern District of New York. Two additional victims are charged with transportation to engage in prostitution in the new indictment, but no new charges are added to his case. The latest petition claims that Combs coerced victims, including but not limited to three female victims, into performing commercial sex acts by using force, threats of force, and compulsion. According to the supplementary indictment, one of the additional allegations is that Combs hung a victim over t...

The deadly collision in midairFollowing a series of near-misses at airports over the past few years, Wednesday's collision between an American Airlines passenger flight and a U.S. Army helicopter has reignited national worries about aviation safety. The incident occurred at Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, which had at least two near misses the previous year. In April, a Southwest Airlines aircraft almost went over the same runway used for takeoff by a JetBlue flight. A month later, a small plane nearly collided with an American Airlines 747. The Federal Aviation Administration recorded 1,757 runway incursions in 2024, including those near-misses. The phrase refers to situations in which an airplane, human, or other vehicle is mistakenly present on a runway. These...

Vertex Pharmaceuticals received approval from the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday for a novel nonopioid pain reliever. The medication Journavx, also known as suzetrigine, was authorized to treat adults' moderate to severe acute, or transient, pain. Although some told NBC News they would like to see further research, experts say the drug, which is marketed as nonaddictive, might lower the number of opioids patients are prescribed after surgery or be used by patients who cannot take other pain meds. The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research acting director, Dr. Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, described the approval as a significant public health milestone in the treatment of acute pain in a statement. Michael Schatman, a clinical lecturer at NYU Grossman School of Medicine's depa...

On Wednesday evening, the sky was clear. According to officials, American Eagle Flight 5342 was making a normal descent to the runway in the crowded airspace over the nation's capital while the pilots were communicating with air traffic control. Nevertheless, in the first significant deadly commercial airline disaster to occur in the United States in sixteen years, the passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, exploded in flames, and plunged into the Potomac River. In what is anticipated to be a protracted procedure, federal investigators are currently looking for answers. According to aviation experts, a variety of technological and human-driven factors, such as the proper operation of multiple systems intended to prevent collisions, may have contributed to the fatal accide...

After a Wednesday night airborne collision above Washington, D.C., left 67 people dead, investigators are looking for answers. A tiny passenger plane on its last approach to Reagan Washington National Airport, just south of the city, collided with an Army helicopter at approximately 8:48 p.m. For live coverage, follow along. What we currently know about the crash is depicted in the visuals below. When new information becomes available, they will be updated. A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with three personnel on board and American Eagle Flight 5342, a small aircraft with 60 passengers and four crew members, collided. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Thursday that the helicopter was conducting an annual competency training flight when it crashed. According to data from the U.S. Ar...

Washington Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. all flocked to Capitol Hill on Thursday for confirmation hearings, marking a pivotal day for President Donald Trump's candidates. The contenders for the positions of director of national intelligence, secretary of health and human services, and director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have all caused controversy for the same reason: they have all made scathing attacks on the organizations they have been selected to head. Trump is trying to find out where the Republican-controlled Senate will draw the line between institutionalism and disruption. Kennedy, Gabbard, and Patel all attempted to explain or minimize previous positions or statements that have caused them to upset senators who will determine their confirmatio...

Their plane struck an Army helicopter over the Potomac River only minutes before they were scheduled to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which is close to Washington, D.C. The deaths of the three troops on the Black Hawk chopper and all 60 passengers and four crew members on American Eagle Flight 5342 were sealed in a horrific moment that was caught on camera and broadcast around the globe. I don't think we will locate any survivors at this time. Following a desperate but fruitless search for survivors of the Wednesday night collision, Fire Chief John Donnelly declared Thursday that Washington, D.C. Stay tuned for real-time updates. The passengers on the fateful plane included over a dozen individuals returning from a training camp after the trip originated in Wichita, Kansas, the ...

After a Wednesday night airborne collision above Washington, D.C., left 67 people dead, investigators are looking for answers. A tiny passenger plane on its last approach to Reagan Washington National Airport, just south of the city, collided with an Army helicopter at approximately 8:48 p.m. For live coverage, follow along. What we currently know about the crash is depicted in the visuals below. When new information becomes available, they will be updated. A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter with three personnel on board and American Eagle Flight 5342, a small aircraft with 60 passengers and four crew members, collided. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Thursday that the helicopter was conducting an annual competency training flight when it crashed. According to data from the U.S. Ar...

This live blog's coverage has over. Check out the most recent news here. What we know American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided midair with an Army helicopter , carrying three people, near Reagan Washington National Airport last night. The two aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, where a rescue operation has become a major recovery effort, with dozens of bodies pulled from the frigid waters so far. President Donald Trump said today there are no survivors. Trump and his cabinet members also used the White House press briefing on the crash as an opportunity to attack DEI initiatives . A preliminary FAA report on the crash says that staffing at the Reagan Washington National Airport a...