WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patel-fbi-trump-maralago-january-6-2db2b3a27adb295df30a9ffa72208688">Kash Patel</a>, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, insisted to deeply skeptical Democrats on Thursday that he did not have an “enemies list" and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president's adversaries or launch investigations for political purposes.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428">Click here to&nbsp;</a>watch the entire hearing

“I have no interest nor desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards,” Patel told a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing at which support for the nominee broke along starkly partisan lines. “There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by the FBI.”

The reassurances were aimed at blunting a persistent line of attack from Democrats, who throughout the hearing confronted Patel with a vast catalog of prior incendiary statements on topics that they said made him unfit for the director's job and raised alarming questions about his belief in conspiracy theories and loyalty to the president. Patel, for his part, sought to distance himself from his own words, accusing Democrats of taking them out of context, highlighting only snippets or misunderstanding his point.

The focus by Democrats on Patel's rhetoric, at a time when the FBI is facing urgent national security concerns&nbsp;<a href="https://speaker%202:%20[11:14:08]%20the%20best%20attacks%20on%20me%20are%20going%20to%20be%20false%20accusations.%20[11:14:09][1.7]%20speaker%207:%20[11:14:10]%20grotesque.%20mischaracterizations.%20the%20only%20thing%20this%20body%20is%20doing%20is%20defeating%20the%20credibility%20of%20the%20men%20and%20women%20at%20the%20fbi.%20[11:14:16][6.2]%20[7.9]/">including Chinese espionage</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-fbi-terrorism-new-orleans-745d8f70ed0b7b984b0788d4f6c69f18">heightened terrorism threat</a>, underscored the extent of their fears that his own words could foreshadow destabilizing upheaval inside the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.

“There is an unfathomable difference between a seeming facade being constructed around this nominee here today, and what he has actually done and said in real life when left to his own devices,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat. His colleague, Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, later added: “It is his own words. It is not some conspiracy. It is what Mr. Patel actually said himself.”

Republicans control the Senate, and GOP members made clear their broad support for Patel and determination to get him confirmed over a Democratic minority that appeared united in its opposition but face a mathematically uphill battle to block it.

“We want to be the Senate that confirms an FBI director that rights the ship, shows consistent respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, consistent respect for all law enforcement officers, and I absolutely believe you're up to the task," said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

A steadfast Trump ally, Patel was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">who served for more than seven years</a>&nbsp;but was forced out of the job Trump had appointed him to after being seen as insufficiently loyal to him. Patel has worked as both a federal prosecutor and defense lawyer and ascended within Trump's orbit when, as a Republican staffer on the House intelligence committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af8b27485d7a42ad86b8bf7ad1d554bb">he worked to bring to light flaws in the FBI's investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.</a>

Patel has said his experience as a public defender, as well as surveillance errors in the Trump-Russia investigation, have made him unusually attuned to law enforcement overreach.

But he's also alarmed critics with rhetoric — in dozens of podcasts and a 2023 book he authored — in which he has demonstrated fealty to Trump and assailed the decision-making of the agency he’s now been asked to lead. He complained that Democrats were twisting his words to smear him and putting his comments and social media posts in a “grotesque context.”

He was reminded, for instance, that he had previously called for a purge of anti-Trump “conspirators” in the federal government and news media, though he insisted Thursday that the FBI under his leadership would not launch any investigation without a legitimate purpose or basis. And though he's advocated for closing down the FBI headquarters in Washington, and transforming the building into a so-called museum of the “deep state,” he testified that what he really meant was that he wanted the bureau's Washington operation slimmed down so that agents were sent out into the “interior of the country.”

He said the suggestion that he had an “enemies list” — his book identified by name a lengthy list of former government officials he says are part of the so-called deep state — was a “total mischaracterization.”

“The only thing that will matter if I’m confirmed as a director of the FBI is a de-weaponized, de-politicized system of law enforcement completely devoted to rigorous obedience to the Constitution and a singular standard of justice,” Patel said.

Patel found himself repeatedly besieged by Democrats over his view of the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats highlighted a social post about Jan. 6 that referred to “cowards in uniform exposed" to accuse him of disparaging police who were defending the Capitol from the violent mob. But Patel insisted he was referring to military leaders he claims failed to mobilize the National Guard to protect the building.

Patel sought to distance himself from a song he promoted featuring Trump and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea">choir of jailed Jan. 6 defendants</a>&nbsp;to help raise money for the families of those charged in the Capitol riot. He repeatedly insisted he was unaware that some of the defendants featured in the song were accused of attacks on law enforcement.

“I did not know about the violent offenders. And I did not participate in any of the violence in and around Jan. 6,” Patel said.

In one confrontational moment, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff urged Patel to turn around and face Capitol police officers in the committee room.

“If you have the courage to look them in the eye, Mr. Patel, and tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles,” Schiff said.

Patel fired back: “That’s an abject lie, you know it. I never, never, ever accepted violence against law enforcement.”

Patel sought on multiple occasions to reassure Democrats that his FBI would be independent from the White House. He would not acknowledge that Trump had lost the 2020 election, conceding only that Joe Biden was sworn in as president. But he did not endorse Trump's sweeping pardon of supporters, including violent rioters, charged in connection with Jan. 6.

“I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Patel said in response to a question from Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the committee, sought to blunt attacks on Patel preemptively by focusing on the need to reform an FBI that he said had become weaponized.

The FBI in recent years has become entangled in numerous politically explosive investigations, including not just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-court-classified-documents-2020-election-302f87960dbd84d7be5daedaf03328d8">the two federal inquiries into Trump</a>&nbsp;that resulted in indictments but also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/classified-documents-biden-hur-special-counsel-122526da6d89d7bf4d6ccfc54590312b">probes of Biden</a>&nbsp;and his son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">Hunter</a>.

“It’s no surprise that public trust has declined in an institution that has been plagued by abuse, a lack of transparency, and the weaponization of law enforcement," Grassley said.

He later added, “Mr. Patel, should you be confirmed, you will take charge of an FBI that is in crisis.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patel-fbi-trump-maralago-january-6-2db2b3a27adb295df30a9ffa72208688">Kash Patel</a>, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, will encounter deeply skeptical questioning from Democratic senators Thursday about his loyalty to the president and stated desire to overhaul the bureau as he faces a high-stakes hearing that will help determine his path toward confirmation.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428">Click here to </a>watch the hearing

Patel is a Trump loyalist who before being nominated to lead the FBI railed against the bureau over its investigations into the president and claimed that Jan. 6 rioters were mistreated by the Justice Department. He was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">who led the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency for more than seven years.</a>

A former aide to the House Intelligence Committee and an ex-federal prosecutor who served in Trump's first administration, Patel has alarmed critics with rhetoric — in dozens of podcasts and books he has authored — in which he has demonstrated fealty to Trump and assailed the decision-making of the agency he's now been asked to lead. He's also identified by name officials he believes should be investigated.

In one such podcast interview last year, he said that if he were in charge of the FBI, he would “shut down” the bureau’s headquarters building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”

“And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to go chase down criminals. Go be cops," he added.

In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published Wednesday night, Patel did not address some of his more incendiary comments or criticism of the FBI, except to say that his time as a House staffer investigating flaws in the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation had shown him how "the FBI’s immense powers can be abused."

“I spearheaded the investigation that found the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a tool I had previously used to hunt down terrorists — had been unlawfully used to spy on political opponents," he wrote. “Such misconduct is unacceptable and undermines public trust.”

Patel has for years been a loyal ally to Trump, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the “deep state” — a pejorative catchall used by Trump to refer to government bureaucracy.

He was part of a small group of supporters during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">Trump’s recent criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York who accompanied him to the courthouse, where he told reporters that Trump was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.”

That close bond would depart from the modern-day precedent of FBI directors looking to keep presidents at arm’s length.

Several Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee who have met with Patel, including Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, have issued statements sounding the alarm and signaling their opposition to the pick. The lawmakers foreshadowed their interest in Patel by directing numerous questions about him to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-bondi-garland-01edf039f8102271943da4fb85d56fa7">Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for attorney general,</a>&nbsp;when she had her own confirmation hearing this month.

“I’m deeply concerned about his fitness to serve as FBI Director," Durbin said in a statement. “He has neither the experience, the judgment, nor the temperament to head this critical agency.”

Republican allies of Trump, who share the president's belief that the FBI has become politicized, have rallied around Patel and pledged to support him, seeing him as someone who can shake up the bureau and provide needed change.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who will introduce Patel on Thursday, said he had spent hours with him “pinning down every single thing I expect to see in the hearing.”

“So much so,” he added, “that I've created a bingo card for all the things that I know the Democrats are going to say about him that I believe are unfair, and I think he's ready to respond to.”

Tillis said Patel is ready to respond to questions about the book that has his enemies list and the people he names in its glossary.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patel-fbi-trump-maralago-january-6-2db2b3a27adb295df30a9ffa72208688">Kash Patel</a>, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, insisted to deeply skeptical Democrats on Thursday that he did not have an “enemies list" and that the bureau under his leadership would not seek retribution against the president's adversaries or launch investigations for political purposes.</p><p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428">Click here to&nbsp;</a>watch the entire hearing</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH: FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Opening Statement <a href="https://t.co/Lra1iFA88L">pic.twitter.com/Lra1iFA88L</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1884990719540027736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenAmyKlobuchar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenAmyKlobuchar</a>: &quot;I would love to have five hours of questions and then I could read the whole transcript.:<br><br>Kash Patel: &quot;You&#39;ve got two minutes.&quot; <br><br>Sen. Klobuchar: &quot;Wow.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/I7IyFWtbwd">pic.twitter.com/I7IyFWtbwd</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885050475315114234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Could he just answer the question? If he said that the FBI headquarters...should be shut down and opened as a deep state as a museum.&quot;<br><br>Heated exchange between <a href="https://twitter.com/SenAmyKlobuchar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenAmyKlobuchar</a> (D-MN) and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel over his previous comments on various subjects. <a href="https://t.co/hpbeuQnbtA">pic.twitter.com/hpbeuQnbtA</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885069786062766474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenThomTillis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenThomTillis</a>: &quot;I thought that the pardons of people who did harm to police officers sucked.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/W8dlix5jpi">pic.twitter.com/W8dlix5jpi</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885045857558393160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sen. Schiff on Capitol Police: Take a look at them right now. Turn around.<br> <br>Kash Patel: I&#39;m looking at you. You&#39;re talking to me.<br><br>Schiff: No, look at them...tell them you&#39;re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues. That pepper sprayed them. <a href="https://t.co/Uz0cPccq2V">pic.twitter.com/Uz0cPccq2V</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885039971276386449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/CoryBooker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoryBooker</a>: &quot;Have you discussed specific investigations or targets you would pursue as FBI Director with the president of the United States?<br><br>Kash Patel: &quot;To the best of my recollection, no.&quot;<br><br>Booker: &quot;Are you certain?&quot;<br><br>Kash Patel: &quot;To the best of my recollection, no.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/dsTkPPeA9G">pic.twitter.com/dsTkPPeA9G</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885035060992020875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“I have no interest nor desire and will not, if confirmed, go backwards,” Patel told a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing at which support for the nominee broke along starkly partisan lines. “There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by the FBI.”</p><p>The reassurances were aimed at blunting a persistent line of attack from Democrats, who throughout the hearing confronted Patel with a vast catalog of prior incendiary statements on topics that they said made him unfit for the director's job and raised alarming questions about his belief in conspiracy theories and loyalty to the president. Patel, for his part, sought to distance himself from his own words, accusing Democrats of taking them out of context, highlighting only snippets or misunderstanding his point.</p><p>The focus by Democrats on Patel's rhetoric, at a time when the FBI is facing urgent national security concerns&nbsp;<a href="https://speaker%202:%20[11:14:08]%20the%20best%20attacks%20on%20me%20are%20going%20to%20be%20false%20accusations.%20[11:14:09][1.7]%20speaker%207:%20[11:14:10]%20grotesque.%20mischaracterizations.%20the%20only%20thing%20this%20body%20is%20doing%20is%20defeating%20the%20credibility%20of%20the%20men%20and%20women%20at%20the%20fbi.%20[11:14:16][6.2]%20[7.9]/">including Chinese espionage</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/islamic-state-fbi-terrorism-new-orleans-745d8f70ed0b7b984b0788d4f6c69f18">heightened terrorism threat</a>, underscored the extent of their fears that his own words could foreshadow destabilizing upheaval inside the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.</p><p>“There is an unfathomable difference between a seeming facade being constructed around this nominee here today, and what he has actually done and said in real life when left to his own devices,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat. His colleague, Sen. Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, later added: “It is his own words. It is not some conspiracy. It is what Mr. Patel actually said himself.”</p><p>Republicans control the Senate, and GOP members made clear their broad support for Patel and determination to get him confirmed over a Democratic minority that appeared united in its opposition but face a mathematically uphill battle to block it.</p><p>“We want to be the Senate that confirms an FBI director that rights the ship, shows consistent respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, consistent respect for all law enforcement officers, and I absolutely believe you're up to the task," said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.</p><p>A steadfast Trump ally, Patel was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">who served for more than seven years</a>&nbsp;but was forced out of the job Trump had appointed him to after being seen as insufficiently loyal to him. Patel has worked as both a federal prosecutor and defense lawyer and ascended within Trump's orbit when, as a Republican staffer on the House intelligence committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af8b27485d7a42ad86b8bf7ad1d554bb">he worked to bring to light flaws in the FBI's investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.</a></p><p>Patel has said his experience as a public defender, as well as surveillance errors in the Trump-Russia investigation, have made him unusually attuned to law enforcement overreach.</p><p>But he's also alarmed critics with rhetoric — in dozens of podcasts and a 2023 book he authored — in which he has demonstrated fealty to Trump and assailed the decision-making of the agency he’s now been asked to lead. He complained that Democrats were twisting his words to smear him and putting his comments and social media posts in a “grotesque context.”</p><p>He was reminded, for instance, that he had previously called for a purge of anti-Trump “conspirators” in the federal government and news media, though he insisted Thursday that the FBI under his leadership would not launch any investigation without a legitimate purpose or basis. And though he's advocated for closing down the FBI headquarters in Washington, and transforming the building into a so-called museum of the “deep state,” he testified that what he really meant was that he wanted the bureau's Washington operation slimmed down so that agents were sent out into the “interior of the country.”</p><p>He said the suggestion that he had an “enemies list” — his book identified by name a lengthy list of former government officials he says are part of the so-called deep state — was a “total mischaracterization.”</p><p>“The only thing that will matter if I’m confirmed as a director of the FBI is a de-weaponized, de-politicized system of law enforcement completely devoted to rigorous obedience to the Constitution and a singular standard of justice,” Patel said.</p><p>Patel found himself repeatedly besieged by Democrats over his view of the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol. Democrats highlighted a social post about Jan. 6 that referred to “cowards in uniform exposed" to accuse him of disparaging police who were defending the Capitol from the violent mob. But Patel insisted he was referring to military leaders he claims failed to mobilize the National Guard to protect the building.</p><p>Patel sought to distance himself from a song he promoted featuring Trump and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/j6-choir-trump-national-anthem-capitol-riot-79618f1f2a689c308dfdc34d54d327ea">choir of jailed Jan. 6 defendants</a>&nbsp;to help raise money for the families of those charged in the Capitol riot. He repeatedly insisted he was unaware that some of the defendants featured in the song were accused of attacks on law enforcement.</p><p>“I did not know about the violent offenders. And I did not participate in any of the violence in and around Jan. 6,” Patel said.</p><p>In one confrontational moment, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff urged Patel to turn around and face Capitol police officers in the committee room.</p><p>“If you have the courage to look them in the eye, Mr. Patel, and tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles,” Schiff said.</p><p>Patel fired back: “That’s an abject lie, you know it. I never, never, ever accepted violence against law enforcement.”</p><p>Patel sought on multiple occasions to reassure Democrats that his FBI would be independent from the White House. He would not acknowledge that Trump had lost the 2020 election, conceding only that Joe Biden was sworn in as president. But he did not endorse Trump's sweeping pardon of supporters, including violent rioters, charged in connection with Jan. 6.</p><p>“I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Patel said in response to a question from Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee.</p><p>Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the committee, sought to blunt attacks on Patel preemptively by focusing on the need to reform an FBI that he said had become weaponized.</p><p>The FBI in recent years has become entangled in numerous politically explosive investigations, including not just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-court-classified-documents-2020-election-302f87960dbd84d7be5daedaf03328d8">the two federal inquiries into Trump</a>&nbsp;that resulted in indictments but also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/classified-documents-biden-hur-special-counsel-122526da6d89d7bf4d6ccfc54590312b">probes of Biden</a>&nbsp;and his son,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">Hunter</a>.</p><p>“It’s no surprise that public trust has declined in an institution that has been plagued by abuse, a lack of transparency, and the weaponization of law enforcement," Grassley said.</p><p>He later added, “Mr. Patel, should you be confirmed, you will take charge of an FBI that is in crisis.”</p><p>-----------------</p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/patel-fbi-trump-maralago-january-6-2db2b3a27adb295df30a9ffa72208688">Kash Patel</a>, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, will encounter deeply skeptical questioning from Democratic senators Thursday about his loyalty to the president and stated desire to overhaul the bureau as he faces a high-stakes hearing that will help determine his path toward confirmation.</p><p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428">Click here to </a>watch the hearing</p><p>Patel is a Trump loyalist who before being nominated to lead the FBI railed against the bureau over its investigations into the president and claimed that Jan. 6 rioters were mistreated by the Justice Department. He was picked in November to replace Christopher Wray,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">who led the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency for more than seven years.</a></p><p>A former aide to the House Intelligence Committee and an ex-federal prosecutor who served in Trump's first administration, Patel has alarmed critics with rhetoric — in dozens of podcasts and books he has authored — in which he has demonstrated fealty to Trump and assailed the decision-making of the agency he's now been asked to lead. He's also identified by name officials he believes should be investigated.</p><p>In one such podcast interview last year, he said that if he were in charge of the FBI, he would “shut down” the bureau’s headquarters building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”</p><p>“And I’d take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to go chase down criminals. Go be cops," he added.</p><p>In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published Wednesday night, Patel did not address some of his more incendiary comments or criticism of the FBI, except to say that his time as a House staffer investigating flaws in the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation had shown him how "the FBI’s immense powers can be abused."</p><p>“I spearheaded the investigation that found the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a tool I had previously used to hunt down terrorists — had been unlawfully used to spy on political opponents," he wrote. “Such misconduct is unacceptable and undermines public trust.”</p><p>Patel has for years been a loyal ally to Trump, finding common cause over their shared skepticism of government surveillance and the “deep state” — a pejorative catchall used by Trump to refer to government bureaucracy.</p><p>He was part of a small group of supporters during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">Trump’s recent criminal trial</a>&nbsp;in New York who accompanied him to the courthouse, where he told reporters that Trump was the victim of an “unconstitutional circus.”</p><p>That close bond would depart from the modern-day precedent of FBI directors looking to keep presidents at arm’s length.</p><p>Several Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee who have met with Patel, including Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, have issued statements sounding the alarm and signaling their opposition to the pick. The lawmakers foreshadowed their interest in Patel by directing numerous questions about him to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-bondi-garland-01edf039f8102271943da4fb85d56fa7">Pam Bondi, Trump's pick for attorney general,</a>&nbsp;when she had her own confirmation hearing this month.</p><p>“I’m deeply concerned about his fitness to serve as FBI Director," Durbin said in a statement. “He has neither the experience, the judgment, nor the temperament to head this critical agency.”</p><p>Republican allies of Trump, who share the president's belief that the FBI has become politicized, have rallied around Patel and pledged to support him, seeing him as someone who can shake up the bureau and provide needed change.</p><p>Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who will introduce Patel on Thursday, said he had spent hours with him “pinning down every single thing I expect to see in the hearing.”</p><p>“So much so,” he added, “that I've created a bingo card for all the things that I know the Democrats are going to say about him that I believe are unfair, and I think he's ready to respond to.”</p><p>Tillis said Patel is ready to respond to questions about the book that has his enemies list and the people he names in its glossary.</p>

🎥 Highlights from Trump's FBI director pick Kash Patel confirmation hearing

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said Thursday, as they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot after the country's worst aviation disaster in a generation.

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

President Donald Trump said in a White House news conference that no one had survived.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital.

The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.

The collision is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-crashes-history-washington-ee55776ea0c5f9e322fc77ea1ea452d1">the deadliest U.S. air crash</a>&nbsp;since 2001.

There was no immediate word on the cause of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision</a>, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard.

“On final approach into Reagan National, it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.

A top Army aviation official said the Black Hawk crew was “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington.

“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” said Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation. “Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”

The helicopter's maximum allowed altitude at the time of the crash was 200 feet above ground, Koziol said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that elevation seemed to be a factor in the collision.

But Koziol said investigators need to analyze the flight data before making conclusions about altitude.

“Both aircraft will have recorders on board that will give us all of that information once we recover it, to give us the real truth on what those aircraft were doing. Up until now, it would just be speculation,” he said.

<p>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft, officials said Thursday, as they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot after the country's worst aviation disaster in a generation.</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d860IiUhaWo?si=6bDGCrLgPR8zYJZ_&amp;start=15" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.</p><p>President Donald Trump said in a White House news conference that no one had survived.</p><p>“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital.</p><p>The plane was found upside-down in three sections in waist-deep water, and first responders were searching an area of the Potomac as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport, Donnelly said. The helicopter wreckage was also found. Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.</p><p>The collision is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-crashes-history-washington-ee55776ea0c5f9e322fc77ea1ea452d1">the deadliest U.S. air crash</a>&nbsp;since 2001.</p><p>There was no immediate word on the cause of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision</a>, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet arrived from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard.</p><p>“On final approach into Reagan National, it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said.</p><p>A top Army aviation official said the Black Hawk crew was “very experienced” and familiar with the congested flying that occurs daily around Washington.</p><p>“Both pilots had flown this specific route before, at night. This wasn’t something new to either one of them,” said Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff for Army aviation. “Even the crew chief in the back has been in the unit for a very long time, very familiar with the area, very familiar with the routing structure.”</p><p>The helicopter's maximum allowed altitude at the time of the crash was 200 feet above ground, Koziol said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that elevation seemed to be a factor in the collision.</p><p>But Koziol said investigators need to analyze the flight data before making conclusions about altitude.</p><p>“Both aircraft will have recorders on board that will give us all of that information once we recover it, to give us the real truth on what those aircraft were doing. Up until now, it would just be speculation,” he said.</p>

🎥NTSB briefing on helicopter, jet from Kansas collision investigation

NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two former world champions who were coaching at a historic Boston club were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">American Airlines flight</a>&nbsp;collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vadim-naumov-evgenia-shishkova-dc-jet-crash-c4788cb6f3e123f0caff83e57347a00d">Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov</a>&nbsp;of Russia. In all, 14 of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said.

“Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents, they’re here at our facility in Norwood, six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.”

The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years, narrowly missing the podium on Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.

Maxim Naumov flew home Monday. “He had no reason to stay at the national development camp,” Zeghibe said in a briefing inside the rink about 30 minutes south of Boston.

“Both of his parents were with him while he was competing. It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," the club official said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”

Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter are presumed dead after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision in Washington on Wednesday night.</a>&nbsp;There was no immediate cause identified, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.

Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe anyone survived.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

“Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”

Considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, the Skating Club of Boston produced Olympic and world champions Dick Button and Tenley Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. champions.

Among them were Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs title last week. The club, which is getting ready to host this spring's world championships, sent 18 skaters to nationals, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday.

The U.S. Figure Skating and Massachusetts flags were lowered to half-staff outside the century-old club's newly built rink on Thursday. Flower deliveries arrived at the reception desk, while visitors were greeted with long and tearful hugs.

Among the visitors on Thursday were Albright and Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic medalist and Skating Club of Boston alum. On the club’s two practice rinks, young skaters practiced their routines in silence.

“Skaters are resilient, and they want to skate,” Zeghibe said. “I think also they come to the club and will come to the club as an opportunity to come together and to grieve together.”

A table that had been filled with messages wishing all of the skaters luck in Wichita was replaced midday by one with framed pictures of Lane and Han in action. Behind them, six white roses stood in six simple vases.

“I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,” said reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who won his third consecutive national title in Wichita. “The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.”

Spencer Lane is a sectionals champion who had become popular among the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.

“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp,” Lane said in an Instagram post Wednesday. “It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people.”

He later posted a photo of him aboard the plane just before it departed from Wichita.

Lane’s father said Spencer had an infectious personality.

“In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics,” Douglas Lane told WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island. “They just adored him.”

Naumov and Shishkova moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has served as a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912. They competed together in pairs events at two Olympics.

For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.

“Almost half of everybody on board that plane were from this club," Zeghibe said. “It had long, long-reaching implications for the skating club and for the sport in this country, because when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well. It’s been a long time in redeveloping it, and I personally feel that this club has just now, almost 60 years later, been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash.”

The club is preparing to host the world championships at the TD Garden in Boston from March 25-30. Zeghibe said the plans are to have a “super, amazing event.”

“We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break," he said. "We need to keep moving.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/figure-skating-european-championships-2bb2dd5463995c603a3f6dd8d6cdd3de">The European championships</a>&nbsp;are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were continued, as scheduled.

“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the International Skating Union said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.

NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers and two world champion coaches from Boston were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">American Airlines flight</a>&nbsp;collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.

Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. In all, 14 of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said.

Among them were Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs title last week. The club sent 18 skaters to Wichita, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday.

Spencer Lane is a sectionals champion who had become popular among the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he had posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.

“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November. It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people,” Lane had said in an Instagram post Wednesday.

Naumov and Shishkova moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has served as a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912.

The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were expected to continue as scheduled.

“The International Skating Union and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the ISU said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”

Zeghibe said the club was proceeding with plans to host worlds at the TD Garden from March 25-30. In the lobby of the club's new facility, banners promoting the event were alongside a table cheering on the contingent in Wichita.

Flowers began to arrive at the reception desk by late the morning. At the practice rink, a girl warmed up while a Zamboni cleaned the ice.

“Skaters are resilient, and they want to skate. I think also they come to the club and will come to the club as an opportunity to come together and to grieve together," Zeghibe said. “We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break. We need to keep moving.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738234427975.png" alt="Signs display an "Emergency Alert" above an American Airlines counter in the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. (AP Photo/Jeannie Ohm)" />
                        <figcaption>Signs display an "Emergency Alert" above an American Airlines counter in the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. (AP Photo/Jeannie Ohm)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers, and two former world champions who were coaching at a historic Boston club were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">American Airlines flight</a>&nbsp;collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/dVzspS6trC">pic.twitter.com/dVzspS6trC</a></p>&mdash; Team USA (@TeamUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamUSA/status/1885025866821873717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSkatingClubBOS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ByKnoT3GnzazJis42RH8GDjbQh2dx8SMSCw6z7FeLG9dPP7Wtuhg8Lakxgd4URczl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="435" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><p>Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vadim-naumov-evgenia-shishkova-dc-jet-crash-c4788cb6f3e123f0caff83e57347a00d">Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov</a>&nbsp;of Russia. In all, 14 of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said.</p><p>“Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents, they’re here at our facility in Norwood, six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.”</p><p>The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years, narrowly missing the podium on Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.</p><p>Maxim Naumov flew home Monday. “He had no reason to stay at the national development camp,” Zeghibe said in a briefing inside the rink about 30 minutes south of Boston.</p><p>“Both of his parents were with him while he was competing. It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," the club official said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”</p><p>Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter are presumed dead after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision in Washington on Wednesday night.</a>&nbsp;There was no immediate cause identified, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.</p><p>Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe anyone survived.</p><p>“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.</p><p>“Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”</p><p>Considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, the Skating Club of Boston produced Olympic and world champions Dick Button and Tenley Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. champions.</p><p>Among them were Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs title last week. The club, which is getting ready to host this spring's world championships, sent 18 skaters to nationals, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday.</p><p>The U.S. Figure Skating and Massachusetts flags were lowered to half-staff outside the century-old club's newly built rink on Thursday. Flower deliveries arrived at the reception desk, while visitors were greeted with long and tearful hugs.</p><p>Among the visitors on Thursday were Albright and Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic medalist and Skating Club of Boston alum. On the club’s two practice rinks, young skaters practiced their routines in silence.</p><p>“Skaters are resilient, and they want to skate,” Zeghibe said. “I think also they come to the club and will come to the club as an opportunity to come together and to grieve together.”</p><p>A table that had been filled with messages wishing all of the skaters luck in Wichita was replaced midday by one with framed pictures of Lane and Han in action. Behind them, six white roses stood in six simple vases.</p><p>“I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,” said reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who won his third consecutive national title in Wichita. “The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.”</p><p>Spencer Lane is a sectionals champion who had become popular among the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.</p><p>“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp,” Lane said in an Instagram post Wednesday. “It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people.”</p><p>He later posted a photo of him aboard the plane just before it departed from Wichita.</p><p>Lane’s father said Spencer had an infectious personality.</p><p>“In his home club in Boston, he was just loved by everyone from the adults running the club to the smallest skaters to the people that are competing for a shot at the Olympics,” Douglas Lane told WPRI in Providence, Rhode Island. “They just adored him.”</p><p>Naumov and Shishkova moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has served as a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912. They competed together in pairs events at two Olympics.</p><p>For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.</p><p>“Almost half of everybody on board that plane were from this club," Zeghibe said. “It had long, long-reaching implications for the skating club and for the sport in this country, because when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well. It’s been a long time in redeveloping it, and I personally feel that this club has just now, almost 60 years later, been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash.”</p><p>The club is preparing to host the world championships at the TD Garden in Boston from March 25-30. Zeghibe said the plans are to have a “super, amazing event.”</p><p>“We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break," he said. "We need to keep moving.”</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/figure-skating-european-championships-2bb2dd5463995c603a3f6dd8d6cdd3de">The European championships</a>&nbsp;are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were continued, as scheduled.</p><p>“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the International Skating Union said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”</p><p>___</p><p>Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.</p><p>-------------</p><p>NORWOOD, Mass. (AP) — Two teenage figure skaters, their mothers and two world champion coaches from Boston were among the 14 members of the skating community killed when an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">American Airlines flight</a>&nbsp;collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night and crashed into the frigid waters of the Potomac River.</p><p>Skating Club of Boston CEO Doug Zeghibe said Thursday that skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with 1994 pairs world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. In all, 14 of the victims were coming back from a national development camp for promising young skaters following the U.S. Championships in Wichita, Kansas, Zeghibe said.</p><p>“Skating is a very close and tight-knit community. These kids and their parents, they’re here at our facility in Norwood, six, sometimes seven days a week. It’s a close, tight bond,” Zeghibe said. “This will have long-reaching impacts for our skating community.”</p><p>The Kremlin also confirmed that Shishkova and Naumov were aboard. Among their students is their 23-year-old son, Maxim, a former U.S. junior champion who has finished fourth at senior nationals the past three years, narrowly missing the podium on Sunday while his parents watched at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita.</p><p>Maxim Naumov flew home Monday. “He had no reason to stay at the national development camp,” Zeghibe said in a briefing inside the rink about 30 minutes south of Boston.</p><p>“Both of his parents were with him while he was competing. It’s well-known Mom was always too nervous to watch him skate," the club official said, pausing to contain his emotions. “But his dad was with him, and Dad was in the ‘kiss-and-cry’ sharing his great performance.”</p><p>Sixty passengers and four crew members on the American Airlines plane and three soldiers aboard a training flight on the Blackhawk helicopter are presumed dead after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision in Washington on Wednesday night.</a>&nbsp;There was no immediate cause identified, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.</p><p>Washington Fire Chief John Donnelly said officials do not believe anyone survived.</p><p>“We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.</p><p>“Figure skating is more than a sport — it’s a close-knit family — and we stand together.”</p><p>Considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, the Skating Club of Boston produced Olympic and world champions Dick Button and Tenley Albright, Olympic medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Paul Wylie and scores of U.S. champions.</p><p>Among them were Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who won the pairs title last week. The club sent 18 skaters to Wichita, including Jimmy Ma, who finished fifth at the U.S. championships on Sunday.</p><p>Spencer Lane is a sectionals champion who had become popular among the skating community on social media, where he has thousands of TikTok followers. On Wednesday, he had posted a video showing him doing a triple toe loop to wrap up the development camp.</p><p>“I am so happy to have qualified for national development camp earlier in November. It has been my goal almost ever since I became aware that it was a thing. I learned so much new information that I can apply to my everyday life, and met so many amazing people,” Lane had said in an Instagram post Wednesday.</p><p>He later posted a photo of him aboard the plane just before it departed from Wichita.</p><p>“I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of my fellow skaters in this devastating accident,” said reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, who won his third consecutive national title in Wichita. “The figure skating community is a family, and this loss is beyond words.”</p><p>Naumov and Shishkova moved to the U.S. and became coaches, first at the International Skating Center of Connecticut and since 2017 at the Boston club that has served as a training ground for world-class skaters since 1912.</p><p>For the Boston club, the accident was an eerie reminder of a 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. delegation en route to the world championships in Prague. The world championships were canceled that year out of respect for the American team killed in the crash.</p><p>“Almost half of everybody on board that plane were from this club," Zeghibe said. “It had long, long-reaching implications for the skating club and for the sport in this country, because when you lose coaches like this, you lose the future of the sport as well. It’s been a long time in redeveloping it, and I personally feel that this club has just now, almost 60 years later, been coming out of the shadow of that 1961 crash.”</p><p>The European championships are taking place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. They were expected to continue as scheduled.</p><p>“The International Skating Union and the global skating community are deeply shocked by the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight in Washington, D.C. We are heartbroken to learn that figure skaters, along with their families, friends, and coaches, are understood to be among those on board,” the ISU said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time.”</p><p>Zeghibe said the club was proceeding with plans to host worlds at the TD Garden from March 25-30. In the lobby of the club's new facility, banners promoting the event were alongside a table cheering on the contingent in Wichita.</p><p>Flowers began to arrive at the reception desk by late the morning. At the practice rink, a girl warmed up while a Zamboni cleaned the ice.</p><p>“Skaters are resilient, and they want to skate. I think also they come to the club and will come to the club as an opportunity to come together and to grieve together," Zeghibe said. “We’re pretty busy and we can’t take a break. We need to keep moving.”</p><p>___</p><p>Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.</p>

Teens from skating club, their mothers, and coaches killed in air crash

Democratic governor vetoed attempt in 2024 to pass comparable measure

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate approved with a bipartisan supermajority a bill prohibiting health professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors and enforcing that statewide ban with civil, financial and regulatory sanctions for violators.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/vote_view/je_20250129163959_218903/" target="_blank">Senate voted 32-8 on Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to forward the legislation to the Kansas House, where it was expected to be approved and sent to Gov. Laura Kelly. The Democratic governor vetoed a comparable bill last year, but the Legislature was unable to pull together two-thirds majorities necessary to override her.

Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, said the Help Not Harm Act was necessary to protect children. He said surgeries, puberty blockers and other measures violated the duty of a medical professional to do no harm to the patient.

“A supermajority of the Kansas Senate took a firm stand in support of helping and not harming children by making it clear that transgender ideology and the mutilation of minors is no longer legal in Kansas,” Masterson said.

Masterson said credit for progress on the legislation should be shared with “courageous men and women who have spoken out against the harm these procedures are causing our children.”

The legislation was part of a multi-year campaign in Kansas to stop individuals under the age of 18 from receiving gender-affirming care. It was a political rejection of decisions by Kansans to seek treatment to address a condition described as gender dysphoria, in which a person experienced distress due to a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity.

Health and medical associations warned of harmful consequences to closing off care for youth. Opponents of the measure said it was outrageous to place in statute potential civil penalties and license revocations for professionals working within their scope of practice.

Such a law could be challenged on constitutional grounds. A Kansas Supreme Court decision affirming the right to abortion, which relied upon analysis of the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights, hinged on a belief Kansans had a core constitutional right to bodily autonomy.

Eight of nine Democrats in the Senate voted against the measure. All 31 Republicans voted for the bill, and that veto-proof majority was bolstered by support from Sen. David Haley, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, offered an amendment — it was defeated — that would have allowed minors taking medication related to gender-affirming treatment to continue that regimen after a Dec. 31, 2025, deadline written into the bill.

“This bill is extreme and expands far beyond a ban on certain kinds of health care,” Holscher said. “This bill inserts politicians into highly personal, private health care situations and that is against the values of Kansans.”

Identical bills were introduced in the House and Senate to advance the anti-transgender agenda. Republican Sen. Renee Erickson of Wichita introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb63/?#" target="_blank">Senate Bill 63</a>, while Republican Rep. Ron Bryce of Coffeyville was responsible for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2071/" target="_blank">House Bill 2071.</a>

Committees in both chambers conducted public hearings on the bills, but the full Senate acted first. The House could move ahead with Bryce’s bill, which would be open to amendment, or simply concur with the Senate to move the bill as quickly as possible to Kelly.

Once it officially arrived on the governor’s desk, she would have 10 days to determine whether to veto it, sign it or allow it to become law without her signature.

In 2024, Kelly said Kansas shouldn’t join about two-dozen states that banned or restricted gender-affirming care for minors because those actions trampled parental rights and targeted a tiny sector of the state’s population.

“Voters do not want politicians getting between doctors and their patient by interfering in private medical decisions,” Kelly’s veto message said.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, responded to her veto by declaring she would “find herself on the wrong side of history.”

Masterson, the Senate’s president, pledged to override Kelly if she again stood in the way of legislation putting an “end to this extreme practice within our borders once and for all.”

Under Senate Bill 63, a civil cause of action would be created for lawsuits against health professionals involved in gender-affirming chemical or surgical interventions with minors. The measure would set the statute of limitations for such lawsuits at 10 years from the patient’s 18th birthday. The bill would prevent professional liability insurance from covering damages related to these suits.

The measure would restrain use of state tax dollars to promote gender transitioning. It would authorize professional disciplinary sanctions against health professionals responsible for delivering prohibited gender-affirming care.

If a physician prescribed drugs to a minor that were subsequently forbidden by law, the treatment would have to be gradually diminished and discontinued by Dec. 31.

Sen. Beverly Gossage, the Eudora Republican who carried the bill on the Senate floor, theorized 80% of minors seeking gender-affirming treatment suffered from autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD or some form of trauma. She said many seeking the treatment were victims of sexual abuse.

Gossage, who chairs the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, said three-fourths of these patients were females who were “often influenced by social media.” Physicians and mental health professionals were pressuring youth to accept medical intervention that could begin with puberty blockers and progress to surgery, she said.

“There’s a troubling trend of doctors and mental health experts who are overlooking the underlying issues and putting these kids on an assembly line to so-called gender-affirming care,” Gossage said. “Children are not a social experiment. They are being ushered down a conveyor belt to lifelong pharmaceutical dependencies.”

The Senate defeated an amendment proposed by Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, to allow mental health professionals — school counselors, for example — to provide assistance to minors trying to work through gender issues.

The Senate rejected an amendment by Haley, the lone Democratic supporter of the bill, to change the threshold of medical independence in terms of an individual’s right to gender-affirming care from 18 in the bill to 14. Likewise, the Senate deflected an amendment that would have set the age of medical independence at 16.

Sen. Tory Marie Blew, R-Great Bend, quizzed her colleagues about the age at which a person could legally get a tattoo, vote or drink at a bar.

“At the age of 14, you can change your gender, but you can’t get a drink at a bar until you’re 21? Come on, people,” she said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738256080335.jpeg" alt=" Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, celebrated passage by the Kansas Senate of a bill banning gender-affirming medical care. The bill moves to the Kansas House. Masterson said the Legislature was prepared to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, celebrated passage by the Kansas Senate of a bill banning gender-affirming medical care. The bill moves to the Kansas House. Masterson said the Legislature was prepared to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Democratic governor vetoed attempt in 2024 to pass comparable measure</h2><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate approved with a bipartisan supermajority a bill prohibiting health professionals from providing gender-affirming care to minors and enforcing that statewide ban with civil, financial and regulatory sanctions for violators.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/vote_view/je_20250129163959_218903/" target="_blank">Senate voted 32-8 on Wednesday</a>&nbsp;to forward the legislation to the Kansas House, where it was expected to be approved and sent to Gov. Laura Kelly. The Democratic governor vetoed a comparable bill last year, but the Legislature was unable to pull together two-thirds majorities necessary to override her.</p><p>Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, said the Help Not Harm Act was necessary to protect children. He said surgeries, puberty blockers and other measures violated the duty of a medical professional to do no harm to the patient.</p><p>“A supermajority of the Kansas Senate took a firm stand in support of helping and not harming children by making it clear that transgender ideology and the mutilation of minors is no longer legal in Kansas,” Masterson said.</p><p>Masterson said credit for progress on the legislation should be shared with “courageous men and women who have spoken out against the harm these procedures are causing our children.”</p><h2>‘This bill is extreme’</h2><p>The legislation was part of a multi-year campaign in Kansas to stop individuals under the age of 18 from receiving gender-affirming care. It was a political rejection of decisions by Kansans to seek treatment to address a condition described as gender dysphoria, in which a person experienced distress due to a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity.</p><p>Health and medical associations warned of harmful consequences to closing off care for youth. Opponents of the measure said it was outrageous to place in statute potential civil penalties and license revocations for professionals working within their scope of practice.</p><p>Such a law could be challenged on constitutional grounds. A Kansas Supreme Court decision affirming the right to abortion, which relied upon analysis of the Kansas Constitution’s Bill of Rights, hinged on a belief Kansans had a core constitutional right to bodily autonomy.</p><p>Eight of nine Democrats in the Senate voted against the measure. All 31 Republicans voted for the bill, and that veto-proof majority was bolstered by support from Sen. David Haley, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas.</p><p>Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, offered an amendment — it was defeated — that would have allowed minors taking medication related to gender-affirming treatment to continue that regimen after a Dec. 31, 2025, deadline written into the bill.</p><p>“This bill is extreme and expands far beyond a ban on certain kinds of health care,” Holscher said. “This bill inserts politicians into highly personal, private health care situations and that is against the values of Kansans.”</p><p>Identical bills were introduced in the House and Senate to advance the anti-transgender agenda. Republican Sen. Renee Erickson of Wichita introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb63/?#" target="_blank">Senate Bill 63</a>, while Republican Rep. Ron Bryce of Coffeyville was responsible for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2071/" target="_blank">House Bill 2071.</a></p><p>Committees in both chambers conducted public hearings on the bills, but the full Senate acted first. The House could move ahead with Bryce’s bill, which would be open to amendment, or simply concur with the Senate to move the bill as quickly as possible to Kelly.</p><p>Once it officially arrived on the governor’s desk, she would have 10 days to determine whether to veto it, sign it or allow it to become law without her signature.</p><p>In 2024, Kelly said Kansas shouldn’t join about two-dozen states that banned or restricted gender-affirming care for minors because those actions trampled parental rights and targeted a tiny sector of the state’s population.</p><p>“Voters do not want politicians getting between doctors and their patient by interfering in private medical decisions,” Kelly’s veto message said.</p><p>House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, responded to her veto by declaring she would “find herself on the wrong side of history.”</p><p>Masterson, the Senate’s president, pledged to override Kelly if she again stood in the way of legislation putting an “end to this extreme practice within our borders once and for all.”</p><h2>‘Not a social experiment’</h2><p>Under Senate Bill 63, a civil cause of action would be created for lawsuits against health professionals involved in gender-affirming chemical or surgical interventions with minors. The measure would set the statute of limitations for such lawsuits at 10 years from the patient’s 18th birthday. The bill would prevent professional liability insurance from covering damages related to these suits.</p><p>The measure would restrain use of state tax dollars to promote gender transitioning. It would authorize professional disciplinary sanctions against health professionals responsible for delivering prohibited gender-affirming care.</p><p>If a physician prescribed drugs to a minor that were subsequently forbidden by law, the treatment would have to be gradually diminished and discontinued by Dec. 31.</p><p>Sen. Beverly Gossage, the Eudora Republican who carried the bill on the Senate floor, theorized 80% of minors seeking gender-affirming treatment suffered from autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD or some form of trauma. She said many seeking the treatment were victims of sexual abuse.</p><p>Gossage, who chairs the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, said three-fourths of these patients were females who were “often influenced by social media.” Physicians and mental health professionals were pressuring youth to accept medical intervention that could begin with puberty blockers and progress to surgery, she said.</p><p>“There’s a troubling trend of doctors and mental health experts who are overlooking the underlying issues and putting these kids on an assembly line to so-called gender-affirming care,” Gossage said. “Children are not a social experiment. They are being ushered down a conveyor belt to lifelong pharmaceutical dependencies.”</p><p>The Senate defeated an amendment proposed by Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, to allow mental health professionals — school counselors, for example — to provide assistance to minors trying to work through gender issues.</p><p>The Senate rejected an amendment by Haley, the lone Democratic supporter of the bill, to change the threshold of medical independence in terms of an individual’s right to gender-affirming care from 18 in the bill to 14. Likewise, the Senate deflected an amendment that would have set the age of medical independence at 16.</p><p>Sen. Tory Marie Blew, R-Great Bend, quizzed her colleagues about the age at which a person could legally get a tattoo, vote or drink at a bar.</p><p>“At the age of 14, you can change your gender, but you can’t get a drink at a bar until you’re 21? Come on, people,” she said.</p>

Kan. Senate easily adopts bill blocking gender-affirming health care for minors

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned the actions of the army helicopter pilot and air traffic controller ahead of a deadly midair collision in Washington and quickly veered into politics to speculate that Democrats and diversity initiatives shared blame for the deaths of 67 people.

As Trump spoke, a federal investigation into the crash was just getting started and first responders were still working to recover bodies from the wreckage of the commercial jet and army helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.

Speaking from the White House — just over three miles from the scene — Trump at points acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame.

Trump said “we are one family” as he expressed condolences for the crash. He then proceeded to attack political opponents and unleash grievances about diversity initiatives.

“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” Trump said. He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”

Trump said air traffic controllers needed to be geniuses. “They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses,” he said. “You can’t have regular people doing their job.”

Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash, allowing that "it just could have been.” He defended doing so “because I have common sense.”

The plane crash marked the first major disaster of Trump's new term, and his response evoked his frequent — and controversial — briefings on the COVID-19 pandemic. His handling of the pandemic helped sour voters on him as he failed to win reelection in 2020.

Trump said “we do not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions.” Then he proceeded to hold forth at length about what happened, at one point wondering if the helicopter pilot was wearing night vision goggles.

Trump declared that “you had a pilot problem” and the helicopter was “going at an angle that was unbelievably bad.” And he questioned why the Army pilot didn’t change course, saying that “you can stop a helicopter very quickly.” He also mused about the air traffic controller, saying of the two aircraft, “for whatever reason they were at the same elevation," adding "they should have been at a different height.”

Vice President JD Vance, new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sean-duffy-transportation-crash-dca-5d372d1945929293f10c1f0de58df3cc">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy</a>&nbsp;and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth all lined up behind Trump to praise his leadership and echo his concerns about DEI programs and hiring.

“When you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government," Vance said, “But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”

Trump complained specifically about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-democrats-buttigieg-governor-dcce1f0fbe78f900136bc1b0fefc4e9d">Pete Buttigieg</a>, who served as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, calling him “a disaster.”

“He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity,” Trump said.

Complaining about the previous administration, Trump continued, “their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse.”

Buttigieg responded in a post on X, calling Trump's comments “despicable.” He added: “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying."

Trump made a point to tell Duffy, who was sworn in on Tuesday as Buttigieg's replacement, “It’s not your fault.” Duffy took the White House podium alongside Trump and declared, “When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination.” Duffy added, “We will not accept excuses.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738257732728.png" alt="View of the Thursday morning President Trump press confernce-Photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President" />
                        <figcaption>View of the Thursday morning President Trump press confernce-Photo by Margo Martin, Assistant to the President</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned the actions of the army helicopter pilot and air traffic controller ahead of a deadly midair collision in Washington and quickly veered into politics to speculate that Democrats and diversity initiatives shared blame for the deaths of 67 people.</p><p>As Trump spoke, a federal investigation into the crash was just getting started and first responders were still working to recover bodies from the wreckage of the commercial jet and army helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River near Reagan Washington National Airport Wednesday night.</p><p>Speaking from the White House — just over three miles from the scene — Trump at points acknowledged that it was too soon to draw conclusions as he encouraged the nation to pray for the victims. But he moved nonetheless to assign blame.</p><p>Trump said “we are one family” as he expressed condolences for the crash. He then proceeded to attack political opponents and unleash grievances about diversity initiatives.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump Holds Press Briefing on Aviation Disaster <a href="https://t.co/uyYbkQJ9mp">https://t.co/uyYbkQJ9mp</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1884997692281020745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on DCA helicopter-plane crash: &quot;Sadly, there are no survivors. This was a dark and excruciating night in our nation&#39;s capitol and in our nation&#39;s history and a tragedy of terrible proportions.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZzeXygwpAr">pic.twitter.com/ZzeXygwpAr</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885002717858263358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on NTSB investigation and safety: &quot;I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first...my administration will set the highest possible bar for aviation safety.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/F557NDQ4iM">pic.twitter.com/F557NDQ4iM</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885004789492175047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on helicopter in crash: &quot;The turn it made was not the correct turn, obviously...For some reason it just kept going...They shouldn&#39;t have been at the same height.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/scHGNIp9Iu">pic.twitter.com/scHGNIp9Iu</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885008528877719839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> Hegseth: &quot;Tragically last night a mistake was made. I think the president is right. There was some sort of an elevation issue that we have immediately begun investigating.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/9udIM2o7Lc">pic.twitter.com/9udIM2o7Lc</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885008961146929508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: Should people be hesitant to fly right now?<br><br>President Trump: No...this collision is something we don&#39;t expect to ever happen again...I&#39;m not blaming the controller. I&#39;m saying there are things that you can question, like the height of the helicopter, the height of the plane. <a href="https://t.co/QpIDeeT3FG">pic.twitter.com/QpIDeeT3FG</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885012440695423113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: Are you saying this crash was somehow caused and the result of diversity hiring?<br><br>Pres. Trump: It just could have been...you have to go by brain power. You have to go by psychological quality...these are very powerful tests that we put to use and they were terminated by Biden. <a href="https://t.co/IpaxJ12IBm">pic.twitter.com/IpaxJ12IBm</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885009901354631399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSchumer</a>: &quot;I just watched President Trump&#39;s news conference. Listen, it&#39;s one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracies, it&#39;s another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation as bodies are still being recovered...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/6kwuyRAOPq">pic.twitter.com/6kwuyRAOPq</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1885021113874301270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website,” Trump said. He added that the program allowed for the hiring of people with hearing and vision issues as well as paralysis, epilepsy and “dwarfism.”</p><p>Trump said air traffic controllers needed to be geniuses. “They have to be talented, naturally talented geniuses,” he said. “You can’t have regular people doing their job.”</p><p>Trump said he had no evidence to support his claims that diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and hiring preferences played a role in the crash, allowing that "it just could have been.” He defended doing so “because I have common sense.”</p><p>The plane crash marked the first major disaster of Trump's new term, and his response evoked his frequent — and controversial — briefings on the COVID-19 pandemic. His handling of the pandemic helped sour voters on him as he failed to win reelection in 2020.</p><p>Trump said “we do not know what led to this crash but we have some very strong opinions.” Then he proceeded to hold forth at length about what happened, at one point wondering if the helicopter pilot was wearing night vision goggles.</p><p>Trump declared that “you had a pilot problem” and the helicopter was “going at an angle that was unbelievably bad.” And he questioned why the Army pilot didn’t change course, saying that “you can stop a helicopter very quickly.” He also mused about the air traffic controller, saying of the two aircraft, “for whatever reason they were at the same elevation," adding "they should have been at a different height.”</p><p>Vice President JD Vance, new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sean-duffy-transportation-crash-dca-5d372d1945929293f10c1f0de58df3cc">Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy</a>&nbsp;and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth all lined up behind Trump to praise his leadership and echo his concerns about DEI programs and hiring.</p><p>“When you don’t have the best standards in who you’re hiring, it means on the one hand, you’re not getting the best people in government," Vance said, “But on the other hand, it puts stresses on the people who are already there.”</p><p>Trump complained specifically about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-democrats-buttigieg-governor-dcce1f0fbe78f900136bc1b0fefc4e9d">Pete Buttigieg</a>, who served as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, calling him “a disaster.”</p><p>“He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity,” Trump said.</p><p>Complaining about the previous administration, Trump continued, “their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse.”</p><p>Buttigieg responded in a post on X, calling Trump's comments “despicable.” He added: “As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying."</p><p>Trump made a point to tell Duffy, who was sworn in on Tuesday as Buttigieg's replacement, “It’s not your fault.” Duffy took the White House podium alongside Trump and declared, “When Americans take off in airplanes, they should expect to land at their destination.” Duffy added, “We will not accept excuses.”</p>

🎥 President Trump takes question on airplane, helicopter crash

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ceasefire in the Gaza Strip</a>, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants, drew an angry protest from Israel.

Israel later began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after the swap was initially put on hold by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that mediators assure the safe exit for hostages going forward. He said later that he had received that commitment.

Hamas released seven of the hostages in front of the destroyed home of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-sinwar-leader-2963dbc6e8ef040a00e588488cba33e7">its slain leader, Yahya Sinwar</a>, as thousands pressed in. The militant group called it a “message of determination," but it triggered the latest in a series of disputes that have sent U.S. and Arab mediators scrambling to patch up the truce.

The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-aftermath-destruction-4c148d498f3d67a5d6de2107b6a1c966">most destructive war</a>&nbsp;ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the release of dozens of hostages abducted in the militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.

The first hostage — female soldier Agam Berger, 20 — was released after Hamas paraded her in front of a smaller crowd in the heavily destroyed urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded at a handover of the other seven in the southern city of Khan Younis. Hundreds of militants from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group arrived with a convoy, and thousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings.

Footage showed hostage Arbel Yehoud, 29, looking stunned as masked militants hustled her through the shouting crowd, pushing people back. Also released were Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers. Both Yehoud and Moses are dual German-Israeli nationals.

Israel identified the Thai hostages released as: Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Surasak Rumnao, 32; and Bannawat Saethao, 27. Thai officials said they appeared to be in good health.

A number of foreign workers were taken along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during Hamas’ attack.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hostages-thai-gaza-homecoming-c4ad09c02b87ada5dac2d3e7113ef642">Twenty-three Thais</a>&nbsp;were among more than 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says three Thais remain in captivity, two of whom are believed to be dead.

Yehoud had been at the center of a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages would be released. The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved it with an agreement that Yehoud would be released with the others on Thursday.

About 20 friends of Yehoud gathered in southern Israel watched as the tense scene unfolded on live television. Some cried. Others had their hands over their eyes or mouths. The crowd then burst into tears after she was turned over to the Red Cross.

Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes" and called on international mediators to ensure the safety of hostages in future releases.

Ceasefire holds for now but next phase will be harder

In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, older adults and sick or wounded men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are dead.

A line of white buses carrying Palestinian prisoners set to be released Thursday left Ofer prison in the West Bank and made their way toward Beitunah, near the occupied West Bank City of Ramallah where relatives and celebrations awaited.

Among those set to be released from prisons Thursday is Zakaria Zubeidi,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-jerusalem-middle-east-prisons-west-bank-ce1576a26d245bd4781ba4ff816af2e3">a prominent former militant leader and theater director</a>&nbsp;who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later.

In addition, around 30 people who are serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis are set to be freed.

Palestinians have cheered the release of the prisoners, who they widely see as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel’s decadeslong occupation of lands they want for a future state.

Israeli forces have meanwhile pulled back from most of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-palestinians-return-home-ceasefire-2495de01d4581b92789171cad34b7dce">return to what remains of their homes</a>&nbsp;and humanitarian groups to surge assistance.

The deal calls for Israel and Hamas to negotiate a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-ceasefire-war-cb56a3da64e144492decfffc40c589cf">second phase</a>&nbsp;in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.

Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-militants-rule-93da074c251d0fcaa395503749e2849e">reasserted its rule over Gaza</a>&nbsp;within hours of the truce. A key far-right partner in Netanyahu’s coalition is already calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase.

Hamas says it won't release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Hamas started the war when it sent thousands of fighters storming into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">abducted around 250</a>.

Israel’s ensuing air and ground war was among the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">deadliest and most destructive</a>&nbsp;in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants.

The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and that it went to great lengths to try to spare civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters operate in dense residential neighborhoods and put military infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques.

The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighborhoods&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2025-jabaliya-gaza-extraordinary-photo">into mounds of gray rubble</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-damage-reconstruction-d120f8a0dc8b728c0d8332046a524a92">it’s unclear how or when anything will be rebuilt</a>. Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738252343760.png" alt="Photo Hostages and Missing Families Forum" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Hostages and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-led militants freed eight hostages on Thursday as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ceasefire in the Gaza Strip</a>, but the chaotic handover of some of the captives, who were shuttled through a rowdy crowd of thousands by masked militants, drew an angry protest from Israel.</p><p>Israel later began releasing 110 Palestinian prisoners after the swap was initially put on hold by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that mediators assure the safe exit for hostages going forward. He said later that he had received that commitment.</p><p>Hamas released seven of the hostages in front of the destroyed home of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-sinwar-leader-2963dbc6e8ef040a00e588488cba33e7">its slain leader, Yahya Sinwar</a>, as thousands pressed in. The militant group called it a “message of determination," but it triggered the latest in a series of disputes that have sent U.S. and Arab mediators scrambling to patch up the truce.</p><p>The ceasefire is aimed at eventually ending the deadliest and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-aftermath-destruction-4c148d498f3d67a5d6de2107b6a1c966">most destructive war</a>&nbsp;ever fought between Israel and Hamas, and securing the release of dozens of hostages abducted in the militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.</p><h2>A show of force as hostages are released</h2><p>The first hostage — female soldier Agam Berger, 20 — was released after Hamas paraded her in front of a smaller crowd in the heavily destroyed urban Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.</p><p>Hours later, a chaotic scene unfolded at a handover of the other seven in the southern city of Khan Younis. Hundreds of militants from Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group arrived with a convoy, and thousands of people gathered to watch, some from the tilted rooftops of bombed-out buildings.</p><p>Footage showed hostage Arbel Yehoud, 29, looking stunned as masked militants hustled her through the shouting crowd, pushing people back. Also released were Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers. Both Yehoud and Moses are dual German-Israeli nationals.</p><p>Israel identified the Thai hostages released as: Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Surasak Rumnao, 32; and Bannawat Saethao, 27. Thai officials said they appeared to be in good health.</p><p>A number of foreign workers were taken along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during Hamas’ attack.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hostages-thai-gaza-homecoming-c4ad09c02b87ada5dac2d3e7113ef642">Twenty-three Thais</a>&nbsp;were among more than 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says three Thais remain in captivity, two of whom are believed to be dead.</p><p>Yehoud had been at the center of a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages would be released. The United States, Egypt and Qatar, which brokered the ceasefire after a year of tough negotiations, resolved it with an agreement that Yehoud would be released with the others on Thursday.</p><p>About 20 friends of Yehoud gathered in southern Israel watched as the tense scene unfolded on live television. Some cried. Others had their hands over their eyes or mouths. The crowd then burst into tears after she was turned over to the Red Cross.</p><p>Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes" and called on international mediators to ensure the safety of hostages in future releases.</p><h2>Ceasefire holds for now but next phase will be harder</h2><p>In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas is set to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages, including women, children, older adults and sick or wounded men, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says Hamas has confirmed that eight of the hostages to be released in this phase are dead.</p><p>A line of white buses carrying Palestinian prisoners set to be released Thursday left Ofer prison in the West Bank and made their way toward Beitunah, near the occupied West Bank City of Ramallah where relatives and celebrations awaited.</p><p>Among those set to be released from prisons Thursday is Zakaria Zubeidi,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-jerusalem-middle-east-prisons-west-bank-ce1576a26d245bd4781ba4ff816af2e3">a prominent former militant leader and theater director</a>&nbsp;who took part in a dramatic jailbreak in 2021 before being rearrested days later.</p><p>In addition, around 30 people who are serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks against Israelis are set to be freed.</p><p>Palestinians have cheered the release of the prisoners, who they widely see as heroes who have sacrificed for the cause of ending Israel’s decadeslong occupation of lands they want for a future state.</p><p>Israeli forces have meanwhile pulled back from most of Gaza, allowing hundreds of thousands of people to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-palestinians-return-home-ceasefire-2495de01d4581b92789171cad34b7dce">return to what remains of their homes</a>&nbsp;and humanitarian groups to surge assistance.</p><p>The deal calls for Israel and Hamas to negotiate a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-ceasefire-war-cb56a3da64e144492decfffc40c589cf">second phase</a>&nbsp;in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages and the ceasefire would continue indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.</p><p>Israel says it is still committed to destroying Hamas, even after the militant group&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-militants-rule-93da074c251d0fcaa395503749e2849e">reasserted its rule over Gaza</a>&nbsp;within hours of the truce. A key far-right partner in Netanyahu’s coalition is already calling for the war to resume after the ceasefire’s first phase.</p><p>Hamas says it won't release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.</p><h2>Tens of thousands killed</h2><p>Hamas started the war when it sent thousands of fighters storming into Israel. The militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-hostages-0c14750240138853a70e38b0c09ef157">abducted around 250</a>.</p><p>Israel’s ensuing air and ground war was among the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">deadliest and most destructive</a>&nbsp;in decades. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants.</p><p>The Israeli military says it killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence, and that it went to great lengths to try to spare civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because its fighters operate in dense residential neighborhoods and put military infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques.</p><p>The Israeli offensive has transformed entire neighborhoods&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2025-jabaliya-gaza-extraordinary-photo">into mounds of gray rubble</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-damage-reconstruction-d120f8a0dc8b728c0d8332046a524a92">it’s unclear how or when anything will be rebuilt</a>. Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.</p><p>___</p><p>Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed.</p>

Hamas militants free more hostages from Gaza

TOPEKA —Thursday morning, Governor Laura Kelly released a statement on the deadly airplane, helicopter crash.

"I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives last night and extend my deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones. I have been in constant communication with federal, state, and local officials overnight and want to thank the over 300 first responders from across the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for their response efforts. I will issue a flag order today to acknowledge this devastating event and tragic loss of lives."

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738235840631.png" alt="Departure signs display an "Emergency Alert" in the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. (AP Photo/Jeannie Ohm)" />
                        <figcaption>Departure signs display an "Emergency Alert" in the terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Wednesday night, Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Va. A jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River. (AP Photo/Jeannie Ohm)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>TOPEKA —Thursday morning, Governor Laura Kelly released a statement on the deadly airplane, helicopter crash.</p><p>"I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives last night and extend my deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones. I have been in constant communication with federal, state, and local officials overnight and want to thank the over 300 first responders from across the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area for their response efforts. I will issue a flag order today to acknowledge this devastating event and tragic loss of lives."</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Currently at Washington Reagan National airport talking with officials. <br><br>There will be a press conference shortly to provide more information on the American Airlines flight. <a href="https://t.co/f9JPEdsIbr">pic.twitter.com/f9JPEdsIbr</a></p>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1884838657976095094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We will continue to work through the night to get answers alongside federal, state and local officials. <br><br>Pray for Kansas. Pray for the passengers, pilots, the first responders, rescue crews, and their families. <a href="https://t.co/uQDiPMhzVg">pic.twitter.com/uQDiPMhzVg</a></p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1884857317599883570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m heartbroken by last night’s tragic midair collision. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those lost. Right now, my focus is on recovery efforts and doing what we can to support Kansas families. I continue to extend my thanks to local first responders who are…</p>&mdash; Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDavids/status/1884960939557945647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My team and I are actively monitoring updates related to the collision of the Wichita flight and a DC helicopter. <br><br>Audrey and I are praying for the safety of the passengers, flight crew, and everyone involved. Please join us in praying.</p>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1884792910433918993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rep. Schmidt statement:<br><br>As details continue to emerge, it&#39;s clear that lives have been lost due to this horrific tragedy. Please join me in praying for all those involved in the crash, our brave first responders working diligently at the scene, and our state of Kansas. (1/2)</p>&mdash; Rep. Derek Schmidt Press (@RepDerekSchmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDerekSchmidt/status/1884832993006518739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Kan. lawmakers respond to deadly airplane, helicopter crash

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members that collided with an Army helicopter was feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-aircraft-crash-9d79051a9e535bd855df5a4e5553b2e9">the midair collision Wednesday night</a>&nbsp;when the helicopter apparently flew in the path of the jet as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., officials said.

Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-crashes-history-washington-ee55776ea0c5f9e322fc77ea1ea452d1">the deadliest U.S. air crash</a>&nbsp;in nearly 24 years.

“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”

The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Donnelly said first responders on Thursday were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport.

There was no immediate word on the cause of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision</a>, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.

“On final approach into Reagan National it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said. "At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the ... aircraft.”

Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter during a training flight, an Army official previously said.

Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane's fuselage.

Investigators will try to piece together the aircrafts’ final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.

“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”

Reagan Airport will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced. The FAA previously said it would be closed until 5 a.m. Friday.

Duffy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sean-duffy-transportation-elon-musk-selfdriving-spacex-tesla-31c739cfb56737413d40c5d1492225df">just sworn in earlier this week</a>, was asked if he could reassure Americans that the United States still has the safest airspace in the world.

“Can I guarantee the American flying public that the United States has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is, absolutely yes, we do,” he said.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OHKkQu6RU04?si=3XpvUR56gs2QjFTR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Everyone aboard an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members that collided with an Army helicopter was feared dead in what was likely to be the worst U.S. aviation disaster in almost a quarter century, officials said Thursday.</p><p>At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-aircraft-crash-9d79051a9e535bd855df5a4e5553b2e9">the midair collision Wednesday night</a>&nbsp;when the helicopter apparently flew in the path of the jet as it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., officials said.</p><p>Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-crashes-history-washington-ee55776ea0c5f9e322fc77ea1ea452d1">the deadliest U.S. air crash</a>&nbsp;in nearly 24 years.</p><p>“We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation,” said John Donnelly, the fire chief in the nation’s capital. “We don’t believe there are any survivors.”</p><p>The body of the plane was found upside down in three sections in waist-deep water. The wreckage of the helicopter was also found. Donnelly said first responders on Thursday were searching an area of the Potomac River as far south as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, roughly 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the airport.</p><p>There was no immediate word on the cause of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-cebb142d24859ba0c4e0e4fd6c33773f">the collision</a>, but officials said flight conditions were clear as the jet coming from Wichita, Kansas, with U.S. and Russian figure skaters and others aboard, was making a routine landing when the helicopter flew into its path.</p><p>“On final approach into Reagan National it collided with a military aircraft on an otherwise normal approach," American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said. "At this time we don’t know why the military aircraft came into the path of the ... aircraft.”</p><p>Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter during a training flight, an Army official previously said.</p><p>Images from the river showed boats around the partly submerged wing and the mangled wreckage of the plane's fuselage.</p><p>Investigators will try to piece together the aircrafts’ final moments before their collision, including contact with air traffic controllers as well as a loss of altitude by the passenger jet.</p><p>“I would just say that everyone who flies in American skies expects that we fly safely,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “That when you depart an airport, you get to your destination. That didn’t happen last night and I know that President Trump, his administration, the FAA, the DOT, we will not rest until we have answers for the families and for the flying public. You should be assured that when you fly, you’re safe.”</p><p>Reagan Airport will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced. The FAA previously said it would be closed until 5 a.m. Friday.</p><p>Duffy,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sean-duffy-transportation-elon-musk-selfdriving-spacex-tesla-31c739cfb56737413d40c5d1492225df">just sworn in earlier this week</a>, was asked if he could reassure Americans that the United States still has the safest airspace in the world.</p><p>“Can I guarantee the American flying public that the United States has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is, absolutely yes, we do,” he said.</p><h2>Authorities have ‘early indicators’ of what went wrong</h2><p>The night was clear, the plane and helicopter were both in standard flight patterns and there was standard communication between the aircraft and the tower, Duffy said.</p><p>“We have early indicators of what happened here,” Duffy said, though he declined to elaborate further pending an investigation.</p><p>It was not unusual to have a military aircraft flying the river and an aircraft landing at the airport, he said. Asked if the plane was aware that there was a helicopter in the area, Duffy said he would say that the helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area.</p><p>Asked about President Donald Trump suggesting in an overnight social media post that the collision could have been prevented, Duffy said, “From what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”</p><p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not appear at the Thursday morning press conference.</p><h2>Likely the deadliest plane crash since November 2001</h2><p>If everyone aboard the plane was killed, it will make it the deadliest U.S. airline crash since Nov. 12, 2001, when an American Airlines flight just after takeoff crashed into a residential area of Belle Harbor, New York, killing all 260 people aboard.</p><p>The last major fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline occurred in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. Everyone aboard the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane was killed, including 45 passengers, two pilots and two flight attendants. Another person on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 50. An investigation determined that the captain accidentally caused the plane to stall as it approached the airport in Buffalo.</p><p>Passengers on Wednesday's flight&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-plane-collision-victims-ee829891574aa35a30d8262b7e07e638">included a group of figure skaters</a>, their coaches and family members who were returning from a development camp that followed the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita.</p><p>“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts,” U.S. Figure Skating said in a statement.</p><p>Two of those coaches were identified by the Kremlin as Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who won the pairs title at the 1994 world championships and competed twice in the Olympics. The Skating Club of Boston lists them as coaches and their son, Maxim Naumov, is a competitive figure skater for the U.S.</p><h2>What happened</h2><p>The FAA said the midair crash occurred before 9 p.m. EST in some of the most tightly controlled and monitored airspace in the world, just over 3 miles south of the White House and the Capitol.</p><p>American Airlines Flight 5342 was inbound to Reagan National at an altitude of about 400 feet (122 meters) and a speed of about 140 mph (225 kph) when it suffered a rapid loss of altitude over the Potomac River, according to data from its radio transponder. The Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet, manufactured in 2004, can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.</p><p>A few minutes before landing, air traffic controllers asked the arriving commercial jet if it could land on the shorter Runway 33 at Reagan National and the pilots said they were able. Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight tracking sites showed the plane adjust its approach to the new runway.</p><p>Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later: “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.</p><p>The plane’s radio transponder stopped transmitting about 2,400 feet (732 meters) short of the runway, roughly over the middle of the river.</p><p>Video from an observation camera at the nearby Kennedy Center showed two sets of lights consistent with aircraft appearing to join in a fireball.</p><p>The U.S. Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The helicopter was on a training flight. Military aircraft frequently conduct training flights in and around the congested and heavily-restricted airspace around the nation’s capital for familiarization and continuity of government planning.</p><p>___</p>