Our Prayers for Victims of DC Air Collision
Join us in prayer for the victims of this horrific accident
There are no survivors expected after the plane crashed into the Potomac...
There were likely no survivors during a midair collision between a passenger jet and a helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, the district’s fire chief said in a news conference on Thursday.
“We are now at a point where we’re switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Chief John Donnelly said at the morning press conference.
“At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident.”
Officials have recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter, he said. The local medical examiner is now working to reunite the bodies with their family members and loved ones as search and rescue efforts continue.
American Airlines Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, had 60 passengers and four crew members aboard when it crashed at around 9 p.m. ET with a U.S. Army helicopter as it was landing at Reagan National Airport in Crystal City, Virginia, about 5 miles from Washington. The jet was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Reagan National Airport on Wednesday, officials have said.
A few minutes before the jet was to land, air traffic controllers asked American Airlines Flight 5342 if it could land on a shorter runway, and the pilots agreed. Controllers cleared the jet to land, and flight tracking sites showed that the plane had adjusted its approach to the new runway.
The helicopter was a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, according to the U.S. Army.
A crew of three soldiers were on board the helicopter, the Army has said.
The other aircraft was a Canadian-made Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet and was manufactured in 2004.
It can be configured to carry up to 70 passengers.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who spoke at the press conference, said the plane and helicopter were in a “standard flight pattern” before the collision, adding that “this was a clear night last night.”
“The American Airlines flight coming in to land was in a standard flight pattern as it was coming into DCA, so this was not unusual with a military aircraft flying the river and aircraft landing at DCA,” the secretary said, using the DCA acronym for Reagan National Airport.
Duffy said that he believes the collision could have been prevented when asked about a Truth Social post from President Donald Trump questioning why the crash occurred.
“We are going to wait for all the information to come in from this vantage point, but to back up what the president said, what I’ve seen so far, do I think this was preventable?
Absolutely,” Duffy said.
In the news conference, Duffy also said that the American Airline plane’s fuselage was found “inverted” in “three different sections” in approximately “waist-deep water.”
Recovery efforts for the fuselage are ongoing before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) begins its analysis process, he said.
“As that recovery takes place of the fuselage of the aircraft, NTSB is going to start to analyze that aircraft, partner with the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] with all the information we have to get the best results possible for the American people,” he said.
The NTSB will become the lead agency in investigating the crash moving forward, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the conference. She said she expects the agency to brief her on its findings later on Thursday.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the airline was coordinating with local, state, and federal authorities and “cooperating fully” with the NTSB investigation.
“Anything we can do, we are doing,” Isom said, noting that the company was sending a team to Washington and that he would also be traveling there.
Fatal crashes of commercial aircraft in the United States are a rarity. The last was in 2009 near Buffalo, New York. All 45 passengers and the four crew members were killed when the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashed into a house. One person on the ground was also killed.
At one point, Duffy was asked whether travelers should feel safe heading to the Washington area following the incident.
“Can I guarantee the American flying public that the U.S. has the most safe and secure airspace in the world? And the answer to that is absolutely yes, we do,” he said.
“We have early indicators of what happened here, and I will tell you with complete confidence [that] we have the safest airspace in the world.”
According to the FAA, at around 9 p.m. local time, American regional airline PSA Airlines’ American Eagle flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, collided with “a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport.”
CNN VIDEO: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/plane-crash-dca-potomac-washington-dc-01-29-25/index.html
What we know so far
? No survivors: President Donald Trump said there were no survivors after last night’s midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in the Washington, DC, area — the deadliest since 2001. Trump also, without evidence, placed blame on Democratic policies.
? Recovery operation: Emergency authorities have switched to a “recovery effort” and have found 28 bodies so far, officials said. The aircraft, flying from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 64 people, while three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
? Investigation underway: The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the probe into the collision, hopes to have a preliminary report ready within 30 days. Experts say both the pilots aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 and the military pilots in the Black Hawk would have been used to navigating the complex airspace, and the head of the nation’s air traffic controllers union said it’s too soon to speculate on a cause.
? Athletes on board: Several members of the figure skating community were aboard the jet, returning from a developmental camp in Wichita, US Figure Skating said. The Skating Club of Boston named six victims, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champs in pairs.
A married pair of skating champions, two young skaters and two of their parents were among those killed in the plane crash, the Skating Club of Boston said Thursday.
Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were the 1994 world figure skating champions in pairs. They represented Russia but moved to the US, where they launched successful coaching careers. Their son, Maxim Naumov, just won 4th place at the US men’s figure skating championships last weekend.
Skater Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Han, were also killed, along with skater Spencer Lane and his mother Christine Lane, the Skating Club of Boston said.
The tragedy will have a profound impact on the World Figure Skating Championships in March, which will be in Boston this year.
Black Hawk was on required night evaluation with fairly experienced crew, Secretary of Defense says
From CNN’s Natasha Bertrand
The Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger plane on Wednesday night was on an annual proficiency training flight, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.
The Pentagon is withholding names and ranks of the crew members until next of kin are notified, Hegseth said, but “it was a fairly experienced crew that was doing an annual required night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles.”
The unit, the 12th Aviation Battalion, is currently on an operational pause, Hegseth said, until what happened is reviewed. An investigation will seek to determine whether the helicopter was in the proper corridor and at the right altitude at the time of the incident, he noted.
The crew included one officer, a warrant officer and a crew chief, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told Fox earlier Thursday.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach nodded Thursday to the elite athletes said to have been aboard the doomed American Airlines flight.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic air accident in Washington DC,” Bach said in a statement.
“On behalf of the IOC, and personally, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to all those affected, which we understand may include Olympians, young athletes, and their support staff.
“Our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
Several near misses with helicopters were previously reported at Reagan National Airport
From CNN's Casey Tolan, Majlie de Puy Kamp, Curt Devine and Haley Britzky
In the three years before the deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Reagan National Airport, at least two other pilots reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport, a CNN review of federal incident reports found.
On two occasions, passenger planes had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with a helicopter when trying to land at the airport, according to reports filed by pilots. In a third incident, two military helicopters got too close together, an air traffic controller reported.
Those previous scares are sure to gain more attention after the disaster over the Potomac River on Wednesday night, which is presumed to have killed 64 people aboard the plane and three Army servicemembers on a helicopter training flight.
The moment:
By Maykel Gonzalez From Miami Herald
As spring approaches, so does a new requirement for domestic travelers.
It had not been mandatory to present the document in question at U.S. airports, but changes are coming in a few months.
Here is what you need to know about the requirement, what you need to do and the deadline.
When did the REAL ID Act become effective?
The REAL ID Act went into effect nationwide on May 11, 2008, but some states waited to begin issuing documents that comply with the law.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles explains that REAL ID “is a national effort to improve the integrity and security of state-issued driver licenses and identification cards, which in turn will help fight terrorism and reduce identity fraud.”
REAL ID documents travel within the United States, as well as visits to federal facilities.
Which documents comply?
Documents that meet Real ID requirements are the driver’s license or identification card that each state currently issues.
How do you know if your license or ID is compliant?
It can be easily identified by a star inside a circle in the upper right corner of the card. If your driver’s license has this icon, it means it meets REAL ID standards. If not, you should apply for it as soon as possible at a state DMV office.
When is the deadline?
Starting May 7, 2025, travelers in the U.S. will be required to comply with REAL ID regulations to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities.
In accordance with the provisions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), from that date onwards you will not be able to board domestic flights without a REAL ID document, unless the traveler has a U.S. passport or U.S. passport card.
The regulation on domestic travelers follows a measure passed in 2005 to increase national security in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was due to go into effect on May 7, 2023, but the DHS decided to give all states more time to ensure that their residents obtained the document.
领英推荐
A moment of respect, watch Kash Patel touch the feet of a lady and then a gentleman, perhaps his parents before hugging them. A tradition that honors and respects his elders to ask for their blessing.This gesture shows respect to elders like parents, grandparents, teachers and saints.
C-SPAN: https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428 Starts at 07:00 on the dial
C-SPAN: https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428 07:00 on the dial
C-SPAN: https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428 07:00 on the dial
C-SPAN: https://www.c-span.org/event/senate-committee/fbi-director-nominee-kash-patel-testifies-at-confirmation-hearing/430428 07:00 on the dial
Kash Patel (born February 25, 1980, Garden City, New York, U.S.) is an American lawyer and government official who is Pres. Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as director of the FBI in his second administration. Patel held several posts during Trump’s first term (2017–21). He is especially known for claiming the existence of a “deep state” in the U.S. government.
Education and early career
Patel’s parents are Indian immigrants of Gujarati ancestry. They lived in Uganda until the early 1970s, when the country began instituting anti-Asian policies. The couple eventually settled in Long Island, New York, where Kash Patel was born. His father was a financial officer at an aviation company. Kash Patel attended the University of Richmond, where he studied criminal justice and history. After graduating in 2002 he earned a law degree (2005) from Pace University.
Patel began his legal career as a public defender in Miami-Dade county, Florida. He later became a federal public defender in the Southern District of Florida, working on a variety of cases, including murder and drug trafficking. In 2013 he became a terrorism prosecutor in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Biography
Mr. Patel served as the former Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and is responsible for leading the Secretary’s mission at the Department, including his executive staff and providing counsel to the Secretary on all matters concerning the Department’s operations.
Previously, Mr. Patel served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism (CT) at the National Security Council (NSC). In that capacity, Mr. Patel oversaw the execution of several of President Donald J. Trump’s top priorities, including eliminating ISIS and Al-Qa’ida leadership such as al-Baghdadi and Qasem al-Rimi, and the safe repatriation of numerous American hostages. Mr. Patel also served as Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence, where he oversaw the operations of all 17 intelligence community agencies and provided the President’s Daily Briefing.
Before joining the NSC, Mr. Patel served as the National Security Advisor and Senior Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), where he spearheaded the investigation into the Russian active measures campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election. Concurrently, he oversaw sensitive programs for the Intelligence Community and U.S. Special Operations Forces and worked to enact legislation to fully fund the multi-billion dollar budgets supporting intelligence and counterterrorism operations worldwide.
Mr. Patel joined the HPSCI following his tenure as a terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice (DOJ), where he led investigations spanning multiple theaters of conflict and oversaw the successful prosecution of criminals aligned with Al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and other terror groups. Mr. Patel also served as the DOJ Liaison Officer to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), working with our nation’s most prestigious counterterrorism units to conduct collaborative global targeting operations against high value terrorism targets.
Mr. Patel began his career as a public defender, trying scores of complex cases ranging from murder, to narco-trafficking, to complex financial crimes in jury trials in state and federal courts.
A native of New York, Mr. Patel completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Richmond before returning to New York to earn his law degree, along with a Certificate in International Law from University College London Faculty of Laws in the United Kingdom. Kash is a life-long ice hockey player, coach, and fan.
Mission: The Mission of the National Intelligence Department is to lead intelligence integration and forge an intelligence community that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible
WHO WE ARE
The Director of National Intelligence serves as the head of the U.S. Intelligence Community, overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and acting as the principal advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to national security. The President appoints the DNI with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The DNI works closely with a President-appointed, Senate-confirmed Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence to effectively integrate all national and homeland security intelligence in defense of the homeland and in support of U.S. national security interests.
AUTHORITIES & DUTIES
The National Security Act of 1947, as amended by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, provides that the DNI is the head of the Intelligence Community and designates the DNI as the principal intelligence advisor to the President. To that end, Congress has provided the DNI with a number of authorities and duties, including to:
22:37 Introduces the Nominee for Director of National Intelligence at the Senate Hearing Confirmation. Center for Strategic & International Studies - Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security Co-Chair... brilliant speaker!
Tulsi Gabbard Biography:
Tulsi Gabbard (born April 12, 1981, Leloaloa, American Samoa) is an American politician and military officer who was selected by Pres. Donald Trump to serve as director of national intelligence(DNI) in his second administration (2025– ). Gabbard previously represented Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives (2013–21). In 2020 she unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, and four years later she joined the Republican Party. Beginning in 2003 Gabbard served in the Hawaii Army National Guard and later in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Early life, military career, and education
Gabbard is one of five children born to Carol (née Porter) Gabbard and Mike Gabbard. For a time the family lived in American Samoa before settling in Hawaii in 1983. While a teenager, Gabbard adopted her mother’s faith, Hinduism; her father is Roman Catholic. Both parents worked in education, although Mike Gabbard later served in the state legislature.
In 2002 Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat, won a seat in Hawaii’s House of Representatives. Just 21 years old, she became the youngest person ever elected to the state’s legislature. The following year, after the United States invaded Iraq, she joined the Hawaii Army National Guard. In 2004 she left the state House to serve in Iraq, where she was assigned to a medical unit. She returned to the United States in 2005 and was awarded a Combat Medical Badge. Gabbard then studied at the AcceleratedOfficer Candidate School at the Alabama Military Academy, graduating in 2007. From 2008 to 2009 she trained counterterrorism units in Kuwait. She left the National Guard in 2020 to join the Army Reserve. During this time, she studied business management at Hawaii Pacific University (B.S., 2009).
Congress and presidential run
In 2010 Gabbard was elected to the Honolulu City Council. Two years later she ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Although initially considered a long shot, she won her party’s primary and then the general election. When she took office the following year, she became the first American Samoan and the first Hindu in Congress. As a representative, Gabbard supported progressive causes, including gun control, abortion rights, universal health care, and free college tuition. She also was an isolationist, calling for the U.S. to withdraw from various foreign conflicts.
Considered a rising star in the party, Gabbard was elected vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2013. However, three years later she resigned from the position to endorse Bernie Sanders’s presidential bid. He lost the party’s nomination to Hillary Clinton, who in turn lost to Trump in the 2016 general election.
In 2019 Gabbard entered the 2020 presidential race, vowing to “bring a soldier’s values and principles to the White House—restoring the values of dignity, honor, and respect to the presidency. And above all, love for our people and love of country.” After failing to garner support among her fellow Democrats, she ultimately dropped out and endorsed Joe Biden, who went on to defeat Trump. The next year Gabbard left Congress.
Shift to Republican Party and DNI nomination
Gabbard subsequently began to shift positions on a number of issues, notably tempering her support for abortion access and environmental legislation. However, she remained a vocal anti-interventionist. Gabbard became a frequent guest on conservative TV programs, on which she criticized Democrats. In 2022 she quit the party, calling it an “elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness.” After two years as an independent, she joined the Republican Party in 2024. That year she endorsed Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and served on his campaign.
After Trump was elected president, he chose Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence. If confirmed by the Senate, she will oversee the U.S.’s 18 intelligence agencies. The selection brought increased attention to her views on foreign affairs, especially in regard to Syria and Russia. In 2017 she surprised U.S. officials by holding an unauthorized meeting with Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad, whose government was accused of committing war crimes during his country’s civil war. She also questioned U.S. intelligence reports that Assad had used banned chemical weapons on his people.
Gabbard has also been accused of having pro-Russia sympathies, including by some of her fellow Republicans. At the start of the Russia-Ukraine War (2022– ), she claimed that there were “legitimate security concerns” over Ukraine’s intent to join NATO, echoing one of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin’s rationales for invading the country. She has repeated pro-Kremlin disinformation but has denied doing so, and she has been praised in Russian state media.
Personal life
In?2002 Gabbard married Eduardo Tamayo. They divorced four years later. Gabbard wed Abraham Williams in 2015. Her husband is a cinematographer.
Senator Joni Ernst also introduces the nominee, the woman and soldier she has come to know, respect and now supports
If you can’t escape to the Caribbean this winter, then bring its spicy heat and tropical flavor to your kitchen. Jamaican jerk cuisine is a method of dry-rubbing or marinating meat in a jerk spice blend or paste packed with fresh chiles, herbs, and spices. The marinade infuses flavor and tenderizes the meat, which is traditionally cooked on a grill.
Jerk seasoning is meant to be hot—very hot—which is typically achieved by adding Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers to the seasoning. If you are familiar with the Scoville scale (the measurement of the heat units of peppers), these peppers are at the top of the scale. This recipe tames the heat a bit by substituting jalape?o or serrano peppers so that you and your dinner companions won’t self-combust. Just remember to carefully seed any peppers that pack heat with gloved hands.
The list of spices and aromatics in this jerk paste is lengthy, but the method is simple. Gather the ingredients and add them all at once to a food processor. Blend to a paste while taking care not to inhale any peppery air that may waft up from the feed tube while processing. Then slather the paste all over the chicken and let it marinate, ideally overnight.
Jerk chicken is typically cooked on a grill (it’s from the Caribbean, after all). If grilling is not an option (for most of us, it’s not the Caribbean, after all), then this recipe provides an option to oven roast.
Jerk Chicken
Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour plus marinating time
Serves 6 to 8
For the Marinade
Place the marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process to form a paste.
Make small incisions all over the chicken legs. Arrange the chicken in one layer in a large baking dish. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, under the skin, and in the incisions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or, preferably, overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
If using a grill, arrange the chicken on the grates over indirect medium heat. Cook until thoroughly cooked through, about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the legs, turning once or twice. During the last few minutes of cooking, move the chicken to direct heat to char the skin.
If using an oven, roast in a 375-degree F oven until thoroughly cooked through, about 40 minutes, depending on the size of the legs. During the last few minutes of cooking, turn on the broiler to char the skin.
Serve garnished with chopped scallions and lime wedges.
We close the day with two of the most beautiful photos of a sunset in Lake Glenn Ellen, Miami Lakes, Florida, Enjoy!
Representante Nacional
4 周May our Father received them in peace!