Associated Press

At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after an American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington D.C., officials said Thursday.

Crews were still searching for other casualties but did not believe there were any survivors, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years.

Follow live updates here: bit.ly/4hEcEA9

14 hours ago | [YT] | 616

Associated Press

A passenger jet collided Wednesday with a military helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.

There was no immediate word on casualties, but all takeoffs and landings from the airport near Washington were halted as helicopters from agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. Inflatable rescue boats were being launched into the Potomac River from a point near the airport along the George Washington Parkway, just north of the airport.

This is a developing story. Read more: bit.ly/4jQE5Zt

A helicopter uses its searchlight as it flies above the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

1 day ago | [YT] | 612

Associated Press

The White House on Tuesday began offering buyouts worth seven months of salary to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by Feb. 6 — part of President Donald Trump’s unprecedented overhaul of the U.S. government.

A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency, lists four directives that it says Trump is mandating for the federal workforce, including that most workers return to their offices full-time.

It includes a “deferred resignation letter” for federal employees wishing to participate.

Read more: bit.ly/42w9Q3y

2 days ago | [YT] | 1,394

Associated Press

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at curtailing gender transitions for people under age 19.

It’s the latest push by Trump to reverse policies set by the Biden administration to protect transgender people and their care. On Monday, Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct a review that is likely to lead to them being barred from military service.

The order directs that federally-run insurance programs, including TRICARE for military families and Medicaid, exclude coverage for such care, and calls on the Department of Justice to vigorously pursue litigation and legislation to oppose the practice.

Read more: bit.ly/3PVbioI

2 days ago | [YT] | 2,500

Associated Press

U.S. public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all agency staff who work with the WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and “await further guidance.”

Experts said the sudden stoppage was a surprise and would set back work on investigating and trying to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox in Africa, as well as brewing threats from around the world. It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among U.S. livestock.

Read more: bit.ly/40QIIv5

3 days ago | [YT] | 1,575

Associated Press

Patrick Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, ran through the Buffalo defense for two more scores, and relied on his defense at key moments to help the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 on Sunday night and reach the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season.

Now, the AFC champions will try to do something no other NFL team has done: Win all three.

The Chiefs will get a familiar foe in the Eagles, whom they beat two years ago for the first title in this run. Philadelphia romped to a 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders earlier Sunday to earn a shot at the champs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

It's the fourth time since January 2021 that the Chiefs have ended the Bills' season in the playoffs. And like all the rest, it came after a heavyweight fight between two of the top teams in the AFC, one that was tied 29-all after Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen found Curtis Samuel in the back of the end zone to set up a little more drama at Arrowhead Stadium.

Read more here: bit.ly/4avFb8D

4 days ago | [YT] | 805

Associated Press

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled in the case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, which argue the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court case law have cemented birthright citizenship.

The case is one of five lawsuits being brought by 22 states and a number of immigrants rights groups across the country. The suits include personal testimonies from attorneys general who are U.S. citizens by birthright, and names pregnant women who are afraid their children won’t become U.S. citizens.

Read more: bit.ly/4hKYjC3

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,792

Associated Press

President Donald Trump's administration is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave, and that agencies develop plans to lay them off, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management.

The memo follows an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners.

The memo direct agencies to place DEI office staffers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday and take down all public DEI-focused webpages by the same deadline. Several federal departments had removed the webpages even before the memorandum.

By Thursday, federal agencies are directed to compile a list of federal DEI offices and workers as of Election Day. By next Friday, they are expected to develop a list to execute a “reduction-in-force action” against those federal workers.

Read more here: bit.ly/4au28Zy

1 week ago | [YT] | 2,013

Associated Press

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, taking charge as Republicans claim unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.

Trump will act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

Frigid weather is rewriting the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena.

Follow live updates here: bit.ly/3Wq3cYU

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,445

Associated Press

President Joe Biden has pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration.

The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has selected Cabinet nominees who backed his election lies and who have pledged to punish those involved in efforts to investigate him.

“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”

Read more: bit.ly/3E0CK1A

Editor's note: A previous version of the graphic included the incorrect date.

1 week ago | [YT] | 2,437