Good morning to all of you. We are learning more this morning about the aviation disaster outside of Washington.
67 people are presumed dead after that midair collision over the Potomac River. The black boxes have now been recovered as we learn about a staffing decision inside the air traffic control tower before the crash.
ABC's Nicole Diantonio is outside of Reagan National Airport to begin our coverage. And, Nicole, you've been covering this now for more than 24 hours. What's the latest?
Rhiannon. New data suggests the Black Hawk might have been flying too high. Meanwhile, at the same time, staffing in the control tower was not normal. This morning, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as the black Boxes, have been recovered from the American Airlines plane that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
We'll be able to put it in space and time. Exactly. What headings were they on? What airspeeds were they fine? What was their attitude? And a lot of other information that may help us understand the accident.
The Army helicopter on a training flight crashed into the passenger jet as the plane was landing at Reagan Airport. All 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers on the chopper are presumed dead. Air traffic heard moments after the collision.
Crash crash crash crash crash crash. This is learn three.
About 40 bodies have been recovered so far, including at least one of the soldiers. Dive teams have stopped operations after saying they've recovered all the bodies they're able to without moving the plane's fuselage. Today, they begin the work of trying to salvage aircraft components.
We look at facts on our investigation, and that will take some time.
In the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilots of the plane to land on a different runway. Radio traffic does not reveal whether the plane's pilot saw the helicopter, but a helicopter pilot can be heard acknowledging the plane, and the flight path shows the chopper flying at about 350ft, when it should have been flying at under 200ft. One expert says early indications show a tragic sequence of events suggesting the helicopter pilots were looking at the wrong plane.
When you're required to maintain visual separation, once you acknowledge or ask for visual separation. Then the controller kind of relaxes a little bit because he thinks, well, that aircraft sees the other one. I'm told I've told them to maintain visual separation from that other aircraft, but clearly there was a mistake made.
It's unclear how many air traffic controllers were working at the time of the crash, but an FAA report says staffing in the tower was not normal. Sources say the controller handling helicopters in the area during the collision was also handling airline traffic. Those jobs are typically assigned to two separate controllers, but supervisors routinely combine them when aircraft volume goes down. On the night of the crash, the decision to combine those jobs was made 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. The abnormal staffing comes as the FAA nationwide has struggled to fill air traffic control jobs for decades.
We've had a chronic problem with this. For as long as I can remember, probably 30 or 40 years, we've always been behind on staffing.
Just over 24 hours before Wednesday's crash, a different regional jet executed a go around maneuver when landing at Reagan Airport due to a Black Hawk helicopter in the same area. Safety concerns have been increasing in the airspace around Reagan Airport. The airport was designed to accommodate 15 million passengers each year, but now sees more than 25 million a year. Congress voted just last year to add more flights. Now, here at Reagan, runway 33, the runway the plane was supposed to land on Wednesday night is now closed until at least next Friday. We know the NTSB plans to release a preliminary report within the next 30 days. So Andrew and we are going to be watching for that very closely.
Still more to come. Nicole. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims on that plane coming from Kansas.
Many were coming from a figure skating camp there This morning, family and friends in mourning for each of the 67 people presumed dead in Wednesday's crash. Among those killed, a beauty queen, a mother of two. A woman who caught an early flight home for her birthday. And at least 14 people returning from an elite figure skating camp, including the Livingston family. Donna and Peter and their 11 and 14 year old daughters, known as the Ice Skating Sisters, on social media. 16 Year-Old Spencer Lane was also at the camp, posting this video of one of his performances just days ago. His final photo was from inside the plane. Lane was with his mom when they crashed.
I had been tracking their flights and it was kind of strange because I had seen that it seemed like the flight had landed, but their phones weren't on and they weren't, like, popping up.
The two planned to take a connecting flight to Rhode Island, where Lane's dad was waiting. Doug Lane telling WCVB he didn't know there was a problem until he saw the notification that a plane had gone down in the Potomac.
And I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest. And I just started scrambling from there.
13 year old Gina Hahn, seen here competing earlier this year, was flying with her mom, while 12 year old skater and cancer survivor Brielle Beyer was with her mom, Justina. Dad and brother were waiting for them on the ground.
I saw all the fire trucks and everything go by and I knew I called an air traffic controller friend of mine, um, and she confirmed it was their flight.
The loss of life devastating the tight knit skating community.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through everyone.
Not sure how to process it.
Shoot. I'm sorry. Okay. Um.
Which is why I'm here.
Just heartbreaking. Our coverage of the crash continues in just a few moments. We will look at President Trump's claim that Dei programs may have played a role.
A major new court decision on guns in America. A federal court has issued a ruling on whether teenagers can buy handguns. The issue could be headed to the Supreme Court. Here's ABC's Andrea Fujii.
This morning, a federal court has ruled that banning handgun sales to people under 21 is unconstitutional, striking down a federal gun ban that dates back to 1968. The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying that prohibiting 18 to 20 year olds from buying a handgun violates the Second Amendment and is inconsistent with the nation's historical tradition.
Just like when it comes to cigarettes or driving or alcohol, it makes sense to allow lawmakers to constrain their access to dangerous materials, and the Fifth Circuit's ruling essentially makes it impossible if it's upheld by the Supreme Court. For any lawmaker across the country to limit access to guns within this age group.
The court saying ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes 18 to 20 year old individuals among the people whose right to keep and bear arms is protected. The ruling applies to people in the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction parts of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Congress restricted access to guns for 18 to 20 year olds because they're more likely to engage in impulsive behavior, they have a higher potential for suicide, homicide, mass shootings.
Data shows people in that age group are responsible for a disproportionate share of school shootings, comprising 17% of known gun homicide offenders. Experts say it's not clear how the Trump administration will respond, but the case appears likely to be challenged to the Supreme Court. In the next few weeks, the Supreme Court will hear another major gun case on whether gun makers can be held liable for certain violent crimes. Andrew. Rhiannon.
All right. Andrea, thank you for that. It is time now for your Friday weather. The Dallas area will be drying out today after daily rainfall records in some areas, more than five inches of rain in some spots. And looking at the radar. That same storm system is bringing heavy rain into the northeast. Crews at the plane crash site in Virginia will see rain all day long, and roads could be icy from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. And checking today's high temperatures, warmer than usual in the Plains and the Midwest. 70 on the Gulf Coast. 79 in Miami, 71 in New Orleans.
Coming up, the new Non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Also ahead. Trapped for days. The effort to save a driver that was swallowed by this sinkhole.
And confrontations on Capitol Hill with three of President Trump's nominees on the hot seat.
Whenever news breaks.
We are here in Israel, a nation at war after that brutal surprise attack by Hamas.
On the ground in Ukraine, reporting.
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The scene of a horrific mass shooting.
ABC News Live is right there everywhere from the scene of that deadly missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine. Reporting from the earthquake in Turkey.
In Rolling Fork. This tornado tore through this little town from.
The most devastating disaster in Hawaii.
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Let's go.
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FBI.
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Live. ABC news live streaming. Free everywhere. America's number one streaming news. She's an A-lister.
He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me there was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were swirling for.
Blake to file a sexual harassment claim. I don't think anyone saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a.
Fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with. It ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin.
Now streaming on Hulu.
Morgan Guillory, Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Check out at the dollar store. You hired me because I noticed things that you miss.
I can't help it. It's just how I do.
Let's solve this case.
Bingo.
Was.
Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google who's the killer on your phone? Morgan?
Um, no, I did not do that.
You know.
How's football? And a Super Bowl team helping kids learn this morning? The Philly teacher and her students soaring just like the on good morning America.
Welcome back. This is in Japan. A sinkhole there swallowed a truck with a driver inside. It is now almost as big as an Olympic sized swimming pool, and it's still expanding. Rescuers were trying to build a ramp to get to the driver, who has been stuck since Tuesday.
Now to Washington and confirmation hearings for three of President Trump's most controversial nominees. In his second day of questioning, Health Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy was grilled about his vaccine skepticism.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Senator, I am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're because the data is there.
Kennedy refused to reject claims that certain vaccines cause autism. Claims that have been disproven.
Mr. Kennedy, that first autism study rocked my world. And like every mother, I worried about whether, in fact, the vaccine had done something to my son. And when you continue to sow doubt about settled science, it makes it impossible for us to move forward.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, clashing with Democrats over his past statements about the media.
And here's what this nominee himself has said about using his office to prosecute journalists. We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Is that a correct quotation, Mr. Patel?
Senator, that's a partial quotation.
But it's correct.
In part.
Patel, who's claimed his mission is to annihilate the so-called deep state, made a break from Trump when asked about commuting the sentences of January 6th rioters.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intelligence chief, was questioned by members of both parties about her past statements supporting Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information. Gabbard saying Snowden helped expose illegal government activities.
Your answer, yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn our uniform in combat, I understand how critical our.
National.
Security. Apparently you don't.
Gabbard and Kennedy could face an uphill battle while Patel seemed to win widespread support from Republicans.
Well, the FDA has approved new treatment for acute pain without the risk of addiction. It's an oral drug. It is called novex. It works by blocking pain signals at their source instead of at the brain's reward centers. But it costs about $15 per pill.
Coming up, the Van Gogh painting found at a garage sale.
But first, did diversity hiring programs play any role in the DC plane crash? A closer look next.
On the bus depot.
This family is suffocating. We are all here to help them. We're going to make this happen. We have 96 hours to build a house.
Come on, guys, it's moving day. Let's go.
It can't be real.
This was more than just Extreme Home Makeover. This was Extreme Life Makeover.
Extreme.
Makeover Home Edition Thursday on ABC and stream on Hulu.
Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London. In Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.
Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live.
She's an A-lister. He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were swirling.
For Blake to file a sexual harassment claim. I don't think anyone saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with. It ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu.
Morgan Guillory. Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Check out at the dollar store. You hired me because I noticed things that you miss.
I can't help it. It's just how I do.
Let's solve this case.
Bingo was.
Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google who's the killer on your phone? Morgan?
No, I did not do that.
You know.
The news never stops from Tampa.
We are here tonight as Hurricane Milton has just made landfall.
The surge just keeps coming up.
Right.
On the border between Ukraine and Russia.
In downtown Tel Aviv. Rockets or missiles coming in? ABC news live everywhere.
We're not far from where this rally took place. So just stick with us here.
Here in.
London.
From the front lines.
Off the.
Coast of Gaza.
Wherever the story is.
We're going to take you there.
You're streaming ABC News Live.
ABC News live.
You're streaming ABC news live.
ABC news live streaming. Free everywhere.
We are back now with continuing coverage of the DC plane crash. 67 people are presumed dead. Divers will be back today helping recover the wreckage. They'll be doing that in the rain today. President Trump has suggested the DEA program may have played a role in the crash.
Experts in the aviation industry disagree. New fallout this morning after President Trump suggested hiring policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion may have played a role in Wednesday night's crash.
It just could have been a group within the FAA. Another story determined that the workforce was too white, that they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change that and to and to change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration.
Trump also claiming that under the Biden administration, the FAA pushed for the hiring of people with disabilities.
It states they include hearing vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller, it says FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in.
The American Association of People with disabilities slamming Trump's comments, saying FAA employees with disabilities did not cause the crash and die hiring did not cause the crash. Using this tragedy to push the president's anti-diversity hiring agenda is inappropriate and wrong. A former FAA official also disputing Trump's claims, saying die and similar programs do not apply to the hiring of air traffic controllers, saying anyone applying must meet the same rigorous standards, whether they're disabled or not.
These folks are wonderful people. They are basically expected to do 100% perfect performance all the time.
Federal policy for hiring qualified people with disabilities dates back to 1973, and in 2003, the Bush administration directed federal agencies to commit to equal opportunity, regardless of race or disability. Then, under the first Trump administration, the FAA released a workforce plan saying it would continue to promote and support the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities. Those standards include passing a medical exam, aptitude test, and psych evaluation, which is more stringent than what's required of a pilot, and hiring is selective. In 2022, 57,000 people applied for an air traffic position. Only 1000 made it to the first day of training, and there's an urgent push to hire more controllers in 2023. 77% of critical air traffic control centers were understaffed.
Coming up, the star studded concert for L.A. fire victims.
Also ahead, the new proposal to change movie theaters.
With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.
Hey, good morning America.
Good morning America.
Good morning America. You don't just see it, you feel it.
I'm in, I'm in, I'm in.
I'm.
In too. I am in, I'm.
In, I'm in too. I'll be here.
She's an A-lister. He's a costar. And he's the director. It seems to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were swirling.
For Blake to file a sexual harassment claim. I don't think anyone saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with it ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu.
Who is this guy?
He was kind of creepy.
Pure evil.
We were shocked.
This is every woman's nightmare.
This is not just any killer.
There was 11 skulls.
Drawn using a finger in blood.
All of these victims souls belong to him.
They're mine.
I'm more sane than most Americans.
This guy is an evil genius. He's the best serial killer that ever existed.
He compared himself to Ted Bundy.
Wild crime. 11 skulls only on Hulu.
But.
This family is suffocating. We are all here to help them. We're gonna make this happen. We have 96 hours to build a house.
Come on, guys, it's moving day. Let's go.
It can't be real.
This was more than just Extreme Home Makeover. This was Extreme Life makeover.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition Thursday on ABC and stream on Hulu.
I'm Ian Pannell in Tel Aviv, where people are celebrating the return of the hostages. At least some are now on their way home. You're streaming ABC News Live.
It's time to check the pulse, and we begin with the star studded benefit in California.
More than 20 acts performed at Fire Aid last night, benefiting the victims of the recent fires in Los Angeles. L.A. natives Green Day kicked things off with their song Last Night on Earth.
Alanis Morissette Warren I heart L.A. shirt as she belted out her classic song Hand in My Pocket. And Gwen Stefani was there with No Doubt, her band from Orange County singing their hits.
I Never Want to leave a message for you, baby.
The lineup was so big, performers hit the stage in two arenas. Next, what could be the deal of a lifetime?
A Minnesota bargain hunter dropped 50 bucks for a painting at a garage sale, and it turned out to be a previously unknown Van Gogh self-portrait worth $50 million. Next, Chili's is being called the nation's hottest restaurant chain.
It follows a big jump in sales while other chains have been struggling.
One reason is the cheese videos on TikTok featuring Chili's mozzarella sticks. Next, a new proposal to change how movie theaters operate.
A lawmaker in Connecticut is proposing a bill that would require theaters to list the actual start time of movies, so you don't have to sit through all the ads and promos. Theaters say that revenue is crucial to them.
But I like going to the bathroom.
I love the previews.
Top headlines next.
Are you ready for some football?
All Super Bowl week long. Good morning America is in New Orleans.
GMA at the Super.
Bowl. From the hottest parties to the best food to football fashion for women and all the puppies. Plus Drew Brees, Stephen A Smith Kiley Kelce and of course Gronk.
Hey GMA.
You think morning TV can handle me.
It's going to be super.
And get this you could win tickets to the big game starting Monday.
Good morning.
America.
GMA at the Super Bowl.
Who is this guy.
He was kind of creepy.
Pure evil.
We were shocked.
This is every woman's nightmare. This is not just any killer.
There was 11 skulls.
Drawn using a finger in blood.
All of these victims souls belong to him.
They're mine.
I'm more sane than most Americans.
This guy is an evil genius. He's the best serial killer that ever existed.
He compared himself to Ted Bundy.
Wild crime 11 skulls only on Hulu. Tonight, a mystery that shook a small town.
I woke up to the gunshot.
Mom.
She's hysterical.
Then, after losing her first husband. How could this happen?
Okay, she's had not one, but two husbands shot in the head.
Miriam became convinced she was being watched. And then a dramatic discovery under her doormat.
A handwritten note, Allen's first. You're next. Run, run, run.
All new 2020 tonight on ABC.
Freeze! Morgan. Guillory. Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
The dollar store. Bingo. Our killer's name is Dubois.
You just Google who's the killer?
Oh, no, I did not do that.
With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC news, world news tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.
It was a kidnapping torture case, a crime.
Of greed and cruelty.
The guy was cutting off my roommates. This was a story about sadism.
Evil.
Wicked game. Devil in the Desert on Hulu.
More top stories now. The black boxes from the plane that collided with an Army helicopter and fell into the Potomac River are now at the NTSB lab. Salvage operations near Reagan National Airport will begin today. The remains of more than 25 victims are expected to still be inside the wreckage. Some of them are believed to be members of the U.S. figure skating community, who were in Wichita for a skating event.
Meanwhile, a legendary voice from the figure skating world has died unrelated to the crash. Olympic champion Dick button was 95.
President Trump says he'll impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico tomorrow. Trump said he's still not sure if oil will be included.
Prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. They now claim he abused, threatened and coerced women for far longer than they first thought.
Today's weather. Rain across the eastern U.S., with snow in the northern areas and the northwest, gets up to ten inches of rain in the next five days.
And finally, the generous donation to a food bank with a major catch.
Danny New explains.
You know, when someone offers you their old TV and you're like, oh man, I don't know if it'll fit in my car. The fact that we only had weeks to execute this really ratcheted up the intensity and the anxiety a little bit. Well, recently, the food Bank of Central New York was offered something much bigger and more meaningful to somehow transport about £40,000 of salmon. To put that in perspective, that's the same weight as eight Ford F-150, which means it could help feed thousands of families. However, as you can see, the salmon were still alive. It was offered by a sustainable salmon farm in upstate New York called Local Coho, which is scheduled to officially close its doors today.
We didn't want it to go to waste, go into a dumpster or something like that when it's great to eat, right?
They reached out to the food bank this month, offering about 13,000 fresh sushi grade salmon, which The New York Times valued at more than $700,000 altogether. Thus, the food bank needed extra hands and fast. Perhaps almost never does a food donation offer come in still as livestock? Basically. Over the course of a few weeks, the two teams worked together to gather dozens of volunteers to come scoop out the fish, and then a local business with refrigerated trucks named Brown Carbonic offered to ship the fish for free to the processor an hour away. Once they're all fileted and frozen, then this high quality protein can be distributed to distributed to almost 250 food pantries, as well as soup kitchens and shelters. This is going to make a very large impact across this community and the food Bank CEO Brian McManus there also told a local news outlet that this donation was a, quote, once in a career opportunity. So yeah, rare to see 13,000 salmon guys.
Pretty rare. But now I'm hooked. Good morning America.
Have a.
Great weekend.
America's number one news ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus.
Right now on Good Morning America. First look, the investigation into the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. in nearly 24 years. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower. When that American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. 67 people presumed dead. Our analysts explain what may have gone wrong.
More victims of the crash now identified children. Mothers, fathers. A woman flying home from a birthday. The U.S. figure skating family grieving the loss of athletes and coaches. Team coverage from the crash site just ahead.
Also this morning, a major court ruling on guns in America. What a court has decided when it comes to teens buying handguns.
The contentious hearings on Capitol Hill. Three of President Trump's most controversial nominees on defense.
A big medical headline this morning. The new non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Plus.
Forever Young.
The star studded concert to benefit Los Angeles fire victims.
And later, the Van Gogh found at a garage sale.
From ABC news. This is good morning America. First look.
Good Friday morning, everyone. I'm Andrew Dymburt.
And I'm Rhiannon ally. Good morning to all of you. We are learning more this morning about the aviation disaster outside of Washington.
67 people are presumed dead after that midair collision over the Potomac River. The black boxes have now been recovered as we learn about a staffing decision inside the air traffic control tower before the crash.
ABC's Nicole Diantonio is outside of Reagan National Airport to begin our coverage. And, Nicole, you've been covering this now for more than 24 hours. What's the latest?
Rhiannon. New data suggests the Black Hawk might have been flying too high. Meanwhile, at the same time, staffing in the control tower was not normal. This morning, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as the black Boxes, have been recovered from the American Airlines plane that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
We'll be able to put it in space and time. Exactly. What headings were they on? What airspeeds were they flying, what was their attitude? And a lot of other information that may help us understand the accident.
The Army helicopter on a training flight crashed into the passenger jet as the plane was landing at Reagan Airport. All 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers on the chopper are presumed dead. Air traffic heard moments after the collision.
Crash crash crash crash crash crash. This is layer three.
About 40 bodies have been recovered so far, including at least one of the soldiers. Dive teams have stopped operations after saying they've recovered all the bodies they're able to without moving the plane's fuselage. Today, they begin the work of trying to salvage aircraft components.
We look at facts on our investigation, and that will take some time.
In the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilots of the plane to land on a different runway. Radio traffic does not reveal whether the plane's pilot saw the helicopter, but a helicopter pilot can be heard acknowledging the plane, and the flight path shows the chopper flying at about 350ft, when it should have been flying at under 200ft. One expert says early indications show a tragic sequence of events suggesting the helicopter pilots were looking at the wrong plane.
When you're required to maintain visual separation, once you acknowledge or ask for visual separation. Then the controller kind of relaxes a little bit because he thinks, well, that aircraft sees the other one. I'm told I've told them to maintain visual separation from that other aircraft, but clearly there was a mistake made.
It's unclear how many air traffic controllers were working at the time of the crash, but an FAA report says staffing in the tower was not normal. Sources say the controller handling helicopters in the area during the collision was also handling airline traffic. Those jobs are typically assigned to two separate controllers, but supervisors routinely combine them when aircraft volume goes down. On the night of the crash, the decision to combine those jobs was made 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. The abnormal staffing comes as the FAA nationwide has struggled to fill air traffic control jobs for decades.
We've had a chronic problem with this. For as long as I can remember, probably 30 or 40 years, we've always been behind on staffing.
Just over 24 hours before Wednesday's crash, a different regional jet executed a go around maneuver when landing at Reagan Airport due to a Black Hawk helicopter in the same area. Safety concerns have been increasing in the airspace around Reagan Airport. The airport was designed to accommodate 15 million passengers each year, but now sees more than 25 million a year. Congress voted just last year to add more flights. Now, here at Reagan, runway 33, the runway the plane was supposed to land on Wednesday night is now closed until at least next Friday. We know the NTSB plans to release a preliminary report within the next 30 days. So Andrew and we are going to be watching for that very closely.
Still more to come. Nicole. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims on that plane coming from Kansas.
Many were coming from a figure skating camp This morning, family and friends in mourning for each of the 67 people presumed dead in Wednesday's crash. Among those killed, a beauty queen, a mother of two. A woman who caught an early flight home for her birthday. And at least 14 people returning from an elite figure skating camp, including the Livingston family. Donna and Peter and their 11 and 14 year old daughters, known as the ice Skating Sisters, on social media. 16 year old Spencer Lane was also at the camp, posting this video of one of his performances just days ago. His final photo was from inside the plane. Lane was with his mom when they crashed.
I had been tracking their flights and it was kind of strange because I had seen that it seemed like the flight had landed, but their phones weren't on and they weren't, like, popping up.
The two planned to take a connecting flight to Rhode Island, where Lane's dad was waiting, Doug Lane telling WCVB he didn't know there was a problem until he saw the notification that a plane had gone down in the Potomac.
And I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest. And I just started scrambling from there.
13 year old Gina Hahn, seen here competing earlier this year, was flying with her mom, while 12 year old skater and cancer survivor Brielle Beyer was with her mom. Justina Brielle's dad and brother were waiting for them on the ground.
I saw all the fire trucks and everything go by and I knew I called an air traffic controller friend of mine, um, and she confirmed it was their flight.
The loss of life devastating the tight knit skating community.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through everyone.
Not sure how to process it.
Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. Okay. Um.
Which is why I'm here.
Just heartbreaking. Our coverage of the crash continues. In just a few moments. We will look at President Trump's claim that Dei programs may have played a role.
A major new court decision on guns in America. A federal court has issued a ruling on whether teenagers can buy handguns. The issue could be headed to the Supreme Court. Here's ABC's Andrea Fujii.
This morning, a federal court has ruled that banning handgun sales to people under 21 is unconstitutional, striking down a federal gun ban that dates back to 1968. The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying that prohibiting 18 to 20 year olds from buying a handgun violates the Second Amendment and is inconsistent with the nation's historical tradition.
Just like when it comes to cigarettes or driving or alcohol, it makes sense to sense to allow lawmakers to constrain their access to dangerous materials, and the Fifth Circuit's ruling essentially makes it impossible if it's upheld by the Supreme Court. For any lawmaker across the country to limit access to guns within this age group.
The court saying ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes 18 to 20 year old individuals among the people whose right to keep and bear arms is protected. The ruling applies to people in the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction parts of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Congress restricted access to guns for 18 to 20 year olds because they're more likely to engage in impulsive behavior, they have a higher potential for suicide, homicide, mass shootings.
Data shows people in that age group are responsible for a disproportionate share of school shootings, comprising 17% of known gun homicide offenders. Experts say it's not clear how the Trump administration will respond, but the case appears likely to be challenged to the Supreme Court. In the next few weeks, the Supreme Court will hear another major gun case on whether gun makers can be held liable for certain violent crimes. Andrew. Rhiannon.
All right. Andrea, thank you for that. It is time now for your Friday weather. The Dallas area will be drying out today after daily rainfall records in some areas, more than five inches of rain in some spots. And looking at the radar. That same storm system is bringing heavy rain into the northeast. Crews at the plane crash site in Virginia will see rain all day long, and roads could be icy from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. And checking today's high temperatures, warmer than usual in the Plains and the Midwest. 70 on the Gulf Coast. 79 in Miami. 71 in New Orleans.
Coming up, the new Non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Also ahead. Trapped for days. The effort to save a driver that was swallowed by this sinkhole.
And confrontations on Capitol Hill with three of President Trump's nominees on the hot seat.
Attention, teachers. No child is to be sent to the principal's office today. Kids, if you want to do crime, now's the time. Happy first day of school.
You better bring your best wonder.
Like, for more of these.
Yeah, we were robbed.
Hey!
Buy three, get one free. I'm gonna call your mother on you. Bring the rest back here, boy.
Good. Better. Best.
Hey. Good morning America.
Every day of your life.
Good morning America.
Good morning America.
Are you ready? They are ready. Covering the biggest events in the country right now.
There's a lot going.
On here this.
Morning.
Every day of your life.
You don't just see it, you feel it.
I'm in.
I'm in, I'm in.
I'm.
In.
Two.
I'm here, I am here. And so happy. I'm in. I'm in two.
Michael. Gorgeous. Where?
Ginger.
Let's rev up your life.
Whenever. Wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.
Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
I love it, I'm there for it.
Hot topics. Political views.
That's what we're.
About. Voices that matter. It all goes down right here.
That's why it's called the what?
The view. I love it.
I'm all.
In.
I second.
That. Beautiful.
This is going to be.
Must see.
TV.
And so.
Much could.
Happen. We'll see.
I'm Mola Lenghi on the border of Lebanon and Israel. Wherever the story goes, we'll take you there. You're watching ABC News Live.
Welcome back. This is in Japan. A sinkhole there swallowed a truck with a driver inside. It is now almost as big as an Olympic sized swimming pool, and it's still expanding. Rescuers were trying to build a ramp to get to the driver, who has been stuck since Tuesday.
Now to Washington. And confirmation hearings for three of President Trump's most controversial nominees. In his second day of questioning, Health Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy was grilled about his vaccine skepticism.
Your past of undermining Confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Senator, I am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're because the data is there.
Kennedy refused to reject claims that certain vaccines cause autism. Claims that have been disproven.
Mr. Kennedy, that first autism study rocked my world. And like every mother, I worried about whether, in fact, the vaccine had done something to my son. And when you continue to sow doubt about settled science, it makes it impossible for us to move forward.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, clashing with Democrats over his past statements about the media.
And here's what this nominee himself has said about using his office to prosecute journalists. We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Is that a correct quotation, Mr. Patel?
Senator, that's a partial quotation.
But it's correct.
In part.
Patel, who's claimed his mission is to annihilate the so-called deep State, made a break from Trump when asked about commuting the sentences of January 6th rioters.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intelligence chief, was questioned by members of both parties about her past statements supporting Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information. Gabbard saying Snowden helped expose illegal government activities.
Your answer, yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our.
National.
Security. Apparently you don't.
Gabbard and Kennedy could face an uphill battle while Patel seemed to win widespread support from Republicans.
Well, the FDA has approved new treatment for acute pain without the risk of addiction. It's an oral drug. It is called novex. It works by blocking pain signals at their source instead of at the brain's reward centers. But it costs about $15 per pill.
Coming up, the Van Gogh painting found at a garage sale.
But first, did diversity hiring programs play any role in the DC plane crash? A closer look next.
With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.
Freeze, Morgan Guillory, major crimes.
Where did you get this?
The dollar store. Bingo. Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google who's the killer?
No, I did not do that.
Who is this guy?
He was kind of creepy.
Pure evil.
We were shocked.
This is every woman's nightmare. This is not just any killer.
There was 11 skulls.
Drawn using a finger in blood.
All of these victims souls belong to him.
They're mine. I'm more sane than most Americans.
This guy is an evil genius. He's the best serial killer that ever existed.
He compared himself to Ted Bundy.
Wild crime 11 skulls only on Hulu.
The Kardashians are here.
What have you been up to?
What haven't we been up to?
We're going to Vegas.
This is my 40th birthday.
Kim and Khloe take India Monday.
I feel like Cinderella.
At.
The ball. Corey.
Ah!
Here I make a hole. His closet. You must really like him. Mom. Where do you think she learned it? I'm Kris Jenner. Oh my God. I'm Kris jenner.
Oh my God.
Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember. That lives are changed here in London. In Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City. Getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.
Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news, only on ABC News Live.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
I love it, I'm there for it.
Hot topics, political views.
That's what we're about.
Voices that matter. It all goes down right here.
That's why it's called the. What?
The view. I love it. I'm all in.
Second that the beautiful.
This is going to be.
Must see.
TV.
And so much could happen.
I could help you save.
We are back now with continuing coverage of the D.C. plane crash. 67 people are presumed dead. Divers will be back today helping recover the wreckage. They'll be doing that in the rain today. President Trump has suggested the DEA program may have played a role in the crash.
Experts in the aviation industry disagree. New fallout this morning after President Trump suggested hiring policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion may have played a role in Wednesday night's crash.
It just could have been a group within the FAA. Another story determined that the workforce was too white, that they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change that and to change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration.
Trump also claimed that under the Biden administration, the FAA pushed for the hiring of people with disabilities.
It states they include hearing vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller, it says. FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in.
The American Association of People with disabilities slamming Trump's comments, saying FAA employees with disabilities did not cause the crash and die hiring did not cause the crash. Using this tragedy to push the president's anti-diversity hiring agenda is inappropriate and wrong. A former FAA official also disputing Trump's claims, saying die and similar programs do not apply to the hiring of air traffic controllers, saying anyone applying must meet the same rigorous standards, whether they're disabled or not.
These folks are wonderful people. They are basically expected to 100% perfect performance all the time.
Federal policy for hiring qualified people with disabilities dates back to 1973, and in 2003, the Bush administration directed federal agencies to commit to equal opportunity, regardless of race or disability. Then, under the first Trump administration, the FAA released a workforce plan saying it would continue to promote and support the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities. Those standards include passing a medical exam, aptitude test, and psych evaluation, which is more stringent than what's required of a pilot, and hiring is selective. In 2022, 57,000 people applied for an air traffic position. Only 1000 made it to the first day of training. And there's an urgent push to hire more controllers in 2023. 77% of critical air traffic control centers were understaffed.
Coming up, the star studded concert for L.A. fire victims.
Also ahead, the new proposal to change movie theaters.
I'm Barbara and I'm from.
She's an A-lister, he's a co-star, and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were swirling.
For Blake to file a sexual harassment claim. I don't think anyone saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with it ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu tonight.
A mystery that shook a small town.
I woke up to the gunshot.
My mom, she's hysterical.
Then after losing her first husband. How could this happen?
Okay, she's had not one, but two husbands shot in the head.
Miriam became convinced she was being watched. And then a dramatic discovery under her doormat.
A handwritten note. Alan's first. You're next. Run, run, run.
All new 2020 tonight on ABC. With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC News World News Tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television.
What you get to watch, read. Where can I get a great deal on what I'm just dying to buy? Oh, it's all right here. GMA Life Get the latest celebrity buzz deals and steals and the coolest lifestyle tips from GMA.
I love that so much.
Streaming weekend on ABC News Live.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
I love it, I'm.
There.
For it. Hot topics, political views.
That's what we're about.
Voices that matter. It all goes down right here.
That's why it's called the what?
The view. I love it.
I'm all in.
You second.
That baby. Beautiful.
This is going to be must see TV. And so.
Much could.
Happen.
I'll be reporting from the floating pier off the coast of Gaza. I'm Martha raddatz. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC news live.
It's time to check the pulse. And we begin with the star studded benefit in California.
More than 20 acts performed at Fire Aid last night, benefiting the victims of the recent fires in Los Angeles. L.A. natives Green Day kicked things off with their song Last Night on Earth.
Alanis Morissette Warren I heart L.A. shirt as she belted out her classic song Hand in My Pocket. And Gwen Stefani was there with No Doubt, her band from Orange County singing their hits.
With Jennifer Lopez.
The lineup was so big, performers hit the stage in two arenas. Next, what could be the deal of a lifetime?
Minnesota bargain hunter dropped 50 bucks for a painting at a garage sale, and it turned out to be a previously unknown Van Gogh self-portrait worth $50 million. Next. Chili's is being called the nation's hottest restaurant chain.
It follows a big jump in sales while other chains have been struggling.
One reason is The Cheese posted videos on TikTok featuring Chili's mozzarella sticks. Next, a new proposal to change how movie theaters operate.
A lawmaker in Connecticut is proposing a bill that would require theaters to list the actual start time of movies, so you don't have to sit through all the ads and promos. Theaters say that revenue is crucial to them.
But I like going to the bathroom.
I love the previews.
Top headlines next.
Attention, teachers. No child is to be sent to the principal's office today. Kids, if you want to do crime, now's the time. Happy first day of school.
You better bring your best wonder.
Like four more of these.
Yeah, we were robbed.
Hey!
Buy three, get one free. I'm gonna call your mother on you. Bring the rest back here, boy.
Good. Better. Best.
With so much at stake, so much on the line, more Americans turn here than any other newscast. ABC news world news tonight with David Muir, America's number one most watched newscast across all of television. Tonight, a mystery that shook a small town.
I woke up to the gunshot. My mom, she's hysterical.
Then after losing her first husband, how could this happen?
What is.
Okay. She's had not one but two husbands shot in the head.
Miriam became convinced she was being watched.
And then.
As a dramatic discovery under her doormat.
A handwritten note. Alan's first. You're next. Run run run.
All new 2020 tonight on ABC.
Freeze! Morgan. Guillory. Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
The dollar store. Bingo. Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google who's the killer?
No, I did not do that.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
I love it, I'm.
There for.
It. Hot topics, political views.
That's what we're about.
Voices that matter. It all goes down right here.
That's why it's called the what?
The view. I love it.
I'm all in.
I second.
That. Hey there. Beautiful.
This is going to be.
Must.
See TV.
And so.
Much.
Could happen. I see.
Isabella Strahan.
It's been rough.
It's been challenging and it's been very hard. But I know we'll get through it.
Life interrupted.
Love and support really helped her pull through. I'm very proud of her.
Wednesday night on ABC.
More top stories now. The black boxes from the plane that collided with an Army helicopter and fell into the Potomac River are now at the NTSB lab. Salvage operations near Reagan National Airport will begin today. The remains of more than 25 victims are expected to still be inside the wreckage. Some of them are believed to be members of the U.S. figure skating community, who were in Wichita for a skating event.
Meanwhile, a legendary voice from the figure skating world has died unrelated to the crash. Olympic champion Dick button was 95.
President Trump says he'll impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. Tomorrow, Trump said he's still not sure if oil will be included.
Prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. They now claim he abused, threatened and coerced women for far longer than they first thought.
Today's weather rain across the eastern US, with snow in the northern areas and the northwest gets up to ten inches of rain in the next five days.
And finally, the generous donation to a food bank with a major catch.
Danny New explains.
You know, when someone offers you their old TV and you're like, oh man, I don't know if it'll fit in my car. The fact that we only had weeks to execute this really ratcheted up the intensity and the anxiety a little bit. Well, recently, the food Bank of Central New York was offered something much bigger and more meaningful to somehow transport about £40,000 of salmon. To put that in perspective, that's the same weight as eight Ford F-150, which means it could help feed thousands of Thousands of families. However, as you can see, the salmon were still alive. It was offered by a sustainable salmon farm in upstate New York called Local Coho, which is scheduled to officially close its doors today.
We didn't want it to go to waste, go into a dumpster or something like that when it's great to eat, right.
They reached out to the food bank this month, offering about 13,000 fresh sushi grade salmon, which The New York Times valued at more than $700,000 altogether. Thus, the food bank needed extra hands and fast. Perhaps almost never.
Does a food.
Donation offer come in still as livestock? Basically. Over the course of a few weeks, the two teams worked together to gather dozens of volunteers to come scoop out the fish, and then a local business with refrigerated trucks named Brown Carbonic offered to ship the fish for free to the processor an hour away. Once they're all fileted and frozen, then this high quality protein can be can be distributed to almost 250 food pantries, as well as soup kitchens and shelters. This is going to make a very large impact across this community and the food Bank CEO Brian McManus there also told a local news outlet, guys, that this donation was a, quote, once in a career opportunity. So yeah, rare to see 13,000 salmon guys.
Pretty rare. But now I'm hooked. Good morning America.
Have a great weekend.
America's number one news ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus.
Right now on Good Morning America. First look, the investigation into the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. in nearly 24 years. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower, when that American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. 67 people presumed dead. Our analysts explain what may have gone wrong.
More victims of the crash now identified children, mothers and fathers. A woman flying home from a birthday. The U.S. figure skating family grieving the loss of athletes and coaches. Team coverage from the crash site just ahead.
Also this morning, a major court ruling on guns in America. What a court has decided when it comes to teens buying handguns.
The contentious hearings on Capitol Hill. Three of President Trump's most controversial nominees on defense.
A big medical headline this morning. The new non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Plus, Forever.
Young.
The star studded concert to benefit Los Angeles fire victims.
And later, the Van Gogh found at a garage sale.
From ABC.
News.
This is.
Good.
Morning.
America. First look.
Good Friday morning, everyone. I'm Andrew Dymburt.
And I'm Rhiannon ally. Good morning to all of you. We are learning more this morning about the aviation disaster outside of Washington.
67 people are presumed dead after that midair collision over the Potomac River. The black boxes have now been recovered as we learn about a staffing decision inside the air traffic control tower before the crash.
ABC's Nicole Deantonio is outside of Reagan National Airport to begin our coverage. And, Nicole, you've been covering this now for more than 24 hours. What's the latest?
Rhiannon. New data suggests the Black Hawk might have been flying too high. Meanwhile, at the same time, staffing in the control tower was not normal. This morning, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as the black Boxes, have been recovered from the American Airlines plane that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
We'll be able to put it in space and time. Exactly. What headings were they on? What airspeeds were they flying, what was their attitude? And a lot of other information that may help us understand the accident.
The Army helicopter on a training flight crashed into the passenger jet as the plane was landing at Reagan Airport. All 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers on the chopper are presumed dead. Air traffic heard moments after the collision.
Crash crash crash crash crash crash. This is learn three.
About 40 bodies have been recovered so far, including at least one of the soldiers. Dive teams have stopped operations after saying they've recovered all the bodies they're able to without moving the plane's fuselage. Today they begin the work of trying to salvage aircraft components.
We look at facts on our investigation, and that will take some time.
In the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilots of the plane to land on a different runway. Radio traffic does not reveal whether the plane's pilot saw the helicopter, but a helicopter pilot can be heard acknowledging the plane, and the flight path shows the chopper flying at about 350ft, when it should have been flying at under Are 200ft. One expert says early indications show a tragic sequence of events, suggesting the helicopter pilots were looking at the wrong plane.
When you're required to maintain visual separation, once you acknowledge or ask for visual separation. Then the controller kind of relaxes a little bit because he thinks, well, that aircraft sees the other one. I'm told I've told them to maintain visual separation from that other aircraft, but clearly there was a mistake made.
It's unclear how many air traffic controllers were working at the time of the crash, but an FAA report says staffing in the tower was not normal. Sources say the controller handling helicopters in the area during the collision was also handling airline traffic. Those jobs are typically assigned to two separate controllers, but supervisors routinely combine them when aircraft volume goes down. On the night of the crash, the decision to combine those jobs was made 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. The abnormal staffing comes as the FAA nationwide has struggled to fill air traffic control jobs. For decades.
We've had a chronic problem with this. For as long as I can remember, probably 30 or 40 years, we've always been behind on staffing.
Just over 24 hours before Wednesday's crash, a different regional jet executed a go around maneuver when landing at Reagan Airport due to a Black Hawk helicopter in the same area. Safety concerns have been increasing in the airspace around Reagan Airport. The airport was designed to accommodate 15 million passengers each year, but now sees more than 25 million a year. Congress voted just last year to add more flights. Now, here at Reagan, runway 33, the runway the plane was supposed to land on Wednesday night is now closed until at least next Friday. We know the NTSB plans to release a preliminary report within the next 30 days. So Andrew and we are going to be watching for that very closely.
Still more to come. Nicole. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims on that plane coming from Kansas.
Many were coming from a figure skating camp there. this morning, family and friends in mourning for each of the 67 people presumed dead in Wednesday's crash. Among those killed, a beauty queen, a mother of two. A woman who caught an early flight home for her birthday. And at least 14 people returning from an elite figure skating camp, including the Livingston family. Donna and Peter and their 11 and 14 year old daughters, known as the ice Skating Sisters, on social media. 16 year old Spencer Lane was also at the camp, posting this video of one of his performances just days ago. His final photo was from inside the plane. Lane was with his mom when they crashed.
I had been tracking their flights and it was kind of strange because I had seen that it seemed like the flight had landed, but their phones weren't on and they weren't, like, popping up.
The two planned to take a connecting flight to Rhode Island, where Lane's dad was waiting. Doug Lane telling WCVB he didn't know there was a problem until he saw the notification that a plane had gone down in the Potomac.
And I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest. And I just started scrambling from there.
13 year old Gina Hahn, seen here competing earlier this year, was flying with her mom, while 12 year old skater and cancer survivor Brielle Beyer was with her mom, Justina. Brielle's dad and brother were waiting for them on the ground.
I saw the fire trucks and everything go by and I knew I called an air traffic controller friend of mine, um, and she confirmed it was their flight.
The loss of life devastating the tight knit skating community.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through everyone.
Not sure how to process it.
Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. No no, no. Okay.
Mm. Which is why I'm here.
Just heartbreaking. Our coverage of the crash continues in just a few moments. We will look at President Trump's claim that Dei programs may have played a role.
A major new court decision on guns in America. A federal court has issued a ruling on whether teenagers can buy handguns. The issue could be headed to the Supreme Court. Here's ABC's Andrea Fujii.
This morning, a federal court has ruled that banning handgun sales to people under 21 is unconstitutional, striking down a federal gun ban that dates back to 1968. The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying that prohibiting 18 to 20 year olds from buying a handgun violates the Second Amendment and is inconsistent with the nation's historical tradition.
Just like when it comes to cigarettes or driving or alcohol. It makes sense to allow lawmakers to constrain their access to dangerous materials, and the Fifth Circuit's ruling essentially makes it impossible if it's upheld by the Supreme Court. For any lawmaker across the country to limit access to guns within this age group.
The court saying ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes 18 to 20 year old individuals among the people whose right to keep and bear arms is protected. The ruling applies to people in the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction parts of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Congress restricted access to guns for 18 to 20 year olds because they're more likely to engage in impulsive behavior, they have a higher potential for suicide, homicide, mass shootings.
Data shows people in that age group are responsible for a disproportionate share of school shootings, comprising 17% of known gun homicide offenders. Experts say it's not clear how the Trump administration will respond, but the case appears likely to be challenged to the Supreme Court in the next few weeks. The Supreme Court will hear another major gun case on whether gun makers can be held liable for certain violent crimes. Andrew. Rhiannon.
All right, Andrea, thank you for that. It is time now for your Friday weather. The Dallas area will be drying out today after daily rainfall records in some areas, more than five inches of rain in some spots. And looking at the radar. That same storm system is bringing heavy rain into the northeast. Crews at the plane crash site in Virginia will see rain all day long, and roads could be icy from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. And checking today's high temperatures, warmer than usual in the Plains and the Midwest. 70 on the Gulf Coast. 79 in Miami. 71 in New Orleans.
Coming up, the new non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Also ahead. Trapped for days. The effort to save a driver that was swallowed by this sinkhole.
And confrontations on Capitol Hill with three of President Trump's nominees on the hot seat.
What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America?
An operation to capture ISIS fighters.
Combat operations center.
We're approaching the gate now. Militants came in from 4 or 5 different directions. Operational nuclear reactor. So you have a couple loaded and ready to go? Unfortunately. The house is destroyed. But the flag, there's not a tear in it.
Not a tear in it.
How important is this label right here? Made the USA. Look at your smile. You're proud of this.
I love.
It. Great work. Hi.
Where are you?
Where are you?
Appreciate you.
Thank you. David.
Good to meet you.
It's David.
David?
Yes. Yes. I'm David.
Muir. I know who you are. You do? Every night.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
This is going to be.
Must.
See TV.
And so.
Much could.
Happen. That's why it's called the what.
W.
Boom boom box.
We have 96 hours to build a house for a deserving family.
Come on, guys.
It's.
Moving day.
Let's go.
It can't be real.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition Thursday on ABC and stream on Hulu.
Tonight, a mystery that shook a small town.
I woke up to the gunshot. My mom, she's hysterical.
Then after losing her first husband, how could this happen?
My husband.
Is.
Dead. Okay, She's had not one but two husbands shot in the head.
Miriam became convinced she was being watched. And then a dramatic discovery under her doormat.
A handwritten note. Alan's first. You're next. Run, run, run.
All new 2020 tonight on ABC.
Reporting from the Normandy coast for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I'm David Muir. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC news Live.
Welcome back. This is in Japan. A sinkhole there swallowed a truck with a driver inside. It is now almost as big as an Olympic sized swimming pool, and it's still expanding. Rescuers were trying to build a ramp to get to the driver, who has been stuck since Tuesday.
Now to Washington. And confirmation hearings for three of President Trump's most controversial nominees. In his second day of questioning, Health Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy was grilled about his vaccine skepticism.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Senator, I am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're because the data is there.
Kennedy refused to reject claims that certain vaccines cause autism. Claims that have been disproven.
Mr. Kennedy, that first autism study rocked my world. And like every mother, I worried about whether, in fact, the vaccine had done something to my son. And when you continue to sow doubt about settled science, it makes it impossible for us to move forward.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, clashing with Democrats over his past statements about the media.
And here's what this nominee himself has said about using his office to prosecute journalists. We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Is that a correct quotation, Mr. Patel?
Senator, that's a partial quotation.
But it's correct.
In part.
Patel, who's claimed his mission is to annihilate the so-called deep state, made a break from Trump when asked about commuting the sentences of January 6th rioters.
And I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intelligence chief, was questioned by members of both parties about her past statements supporting Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information. Gabbard saying Snowden helped expose illegal government activities.
Your answer yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security. Apparently you don't.
Gabbard and Kennedy could face an uphill battle. While Patel seemed to win widespread support from Republicans.
Well, the FDA has approved new treatment for acute pain without the risk of addiction. It's an oral drug. It is called novex. It works by blocking pain signals at their source instead of at the brain's reward centers. But it costs about $15 per pill.
Coming up, the Van Gogh painting found at a garage sale.
But first, did diversity hiring programs play any role in the DC plane crash? A closer look next.
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Dave we are back now with continuing coverage of the D.C. plane crash. 67 people are presumed dead. Divers will be back today helping recover the wreckage. They'll be doing that in the rain today. President Trump has suggested the DEA program may have played a role in the crash.
Experts in the aviation industry disagree. New fallout this morning after President Trump suggested hiring policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion may have played a role in Wednesday night's crash.
It just could have been a group within the FAA. Another story determined that the workforce was too white, that they had concerted efforts to get the administration to Administration to change that and to change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration.
Trump also claiming that under the Biden administration, the FAA pushed for the hiring of people with disabilities.
It states they include hearing vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller, it says FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in.
The American Association of People with disabilities slamming Trump's comments, saying FAA employees with disabilities did not cause the crash and die hiring did not cause the crash. Using this tragedy to push the president's anti-diversity hiring agenda is inappropriate and wrong. A former FAA official also disputing Trump's claims, saying die and similar programs do not apply to the hiring of air traffic controllers, saying anyone applying must meet the same rigorous standards, whether they're disabled or not.
These folks are wonderful people. They are basically expected to do 100% perfect performance all the time.
Federal policy for hiring qualified people with disabilities dates back to 1973, and in 2003, the Bush administration directed federal agencies to commit to equal opportunity, regardless of race or disability. Then, under the first Trump administration, the FAA released a workforce plan saying it would continue to promote and support the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities. Those standards include passing a medical exam, aptitude test, and psych evaluation, which is more stringent than what's required of a pilot, and hiring is selective. In 2022, 57,000 people applied for an air traffic position. Only 1000 made it to the first day of training. And there's an urgent push to hire more controllers in 2023. 77% of critical air traffic control centers were understaffed.
Coming up, the star studded concert for L.A. fire victims.
Also ahead, the new proposal to change movie theaters.
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It's time to check the pulse. And we begin with the star studded benefit in California.
More than 20 acts performed at Fire Aid last night, benefiting the victims of the recent fires in Los Angeles. L.A. natives Green Day kicked things off with their song Last Night on Earth.
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The lineup was so big, performers hit the stage in two arenas. Next, what could be the deal of a lifetime?
A Minnesota bargain hunter dropped 50 bucks for a painting at a garage sale, and it turned out to be a previously unknown Van Gogh self-portrait worth $50 million. Next, Chili's is being called the nation's hottest restaurant chain.
It follows a big jump in sales while other chains have been struggling.
One reason is the cheese pole videos on TikTok featuring Chili's mozzarella sticks. Next, a new proposal to change how movie theaters operate.
A lawmaker in Connecticut is proposing a bill that would require theaters to list the actual start time of movies, so you don't have to sit through all the ads and promos. Theaters say that revenue is crucial to them.
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More top stories now. The black boxes from the plane that collided with an Army helicopter and fell into the Potomac River are now at the NTSB lab. Salvage operations near Reagan National Airport will begin today. The remains of more than 25 victims are expected to still be inside the wreckage. Some of them are believed to be members of the U.S. figure skating community, who were in Wichita for a skating event.
Meanwhile, a legendary voice from the figure skating world has died unrelated to the crash. Olympic champion Dick button was 95.
President Trump says he'll impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. Tomorrow, Trump said he's still not sure if oil will be included.
Prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. They now claim he abused, threatened and coerced women for far longer than they first thought.
Today's weather. Rain across the eastern U.S., with snow in the northern areas and the northwest, gets up to ten inches of rain in the next five days.
And finally, the generous donation to a food bank with a major catch.
Danny New explains.
You know, when someone offers you their old TV and you're like, oh man, I don't know if it'll fit in my car. The fact that we only had weeks to execute this really ratcheted up the intensity and the anxiety a little bit. Well, recently, the food Bank of Central New York was offered something much bigger and more meaningful to somehow transport about £40,000 of salmon. To put that in perspective, that's the same weight as eight Ford F-150, which means it could help feed thousands of families. However, as you can see, the salmon were still alive. It was offered by a sustainable salmon farm in upstate New York called Local Coho, which is scheduled to officially close its doors today.
We didn't want it to go to waste, go into a dumpster or something like that when it's great to eat, right.
They reached out to the food bank this month, offering about 13,000 fresh sushi grade salmon, which The New York Times valued at more than $700,000 altogether. Thus, the food bank needed extra hands and fast. Perhaps almost never.
Does a.
Food donation offer come in still as livestock, basically. Over the course of a few weeks, the two teams worked together to gather dozens of volunteers to come scoop out the fish, and then a local business with refrigerated trucks named Brown Carbonic offered to ship the fish for free to the processor an hour away. Once they're all fileted and frozen, then this high quality protein can be distributed to almost 250 food pantries, as well as soup kitchens and shelters. This is going to make a very large impact across this community and the food bank COO Brian McManus there also told a local news outlet, guys, that this donation was a, quote, once in a career opportunity. So yeah, rare to see 13,000 salmon guys.
Pretty rare. But now I'm hooked. Good morning America.
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ABC's David Muir, the most watched newscast in America. It's Friday.
January.
31st.
And it's.
As bad.
As it looked.
We start here.
Authorities announced the.
Crash between a.
Military helicopter and a.
Passenger jet left. No survivors.
They're going to focus on the perishable evidence. Anything that could disappear in the water, in the elements will.
Get you caught up on the recovery. Meanwhile, President Trump is already casting blame.
The Black Hawk was doing everything.
Right.
In their mind up until they misidentified where their traffic was.
But there are other.
Factors at play. So what will investigators be looking at? And Democratic pushback is one thing, but these nominees faced skeptical Republicans.
It is.
Very rare in these.
Confirmation.
Hearings to see Democrats and Republicans agree on anything.
Some of the president's most polarizing picks hit the Hill. From ABC news this is start here I'm Brad Mielke. On Wednesday night, people started showing up to the curb at Reagan National Airport in Washington, ready to pick up their family members, their friends from American Eagle Flight 5342. One by one, they started realizing something was wrong. Rescue boats began sprinting to the Potomac River. Nearby news outlets started reporting that a regional jetliner had gone down after hitting a helicopter. These families were directed to a different wing of the airport while they awaited news.
American has set up.
A center.
In.
Their.
American in their lounge.
At the north.
End.
Of.
The airport. And we've directed the families there, and there are folks there to counselors there to work with the families.
You know that moment where your plane is so close to the tarmac that the plane's getting cell service? You can send texts if you want to? Well, some family members describe getting texts from loved ones on board saying things like about to land. Andy Beyer tried to text his wife, Justina, who was traveling with their 12 year old daughter, Brielle.
My son and I were going to pick up my wife and daughter, and when it was time for the plane to land, they hadn't landed. You know, we couldn't get text messages through. And I saw the fire trucks and trucks and everything go by, and I knew.
There aren't that many planes that fly from Wichita to Washington on a given day. So once family members back in Kansas heard a plane had crashed, they gathered and waited. We now know more about who was on these aircraft. There was Wendie Jo Schafer, a wife and mother. Ian Epstein, a flight attendant. His family said he loved meeting new people. There was First Officer Samuel Lilly, who had just gotten engaged recently.
He just.
Liked.
The adventure and seeing new places and doing things. He also often traveled with his fiance. You know, when he wasn't flying, they just got back from a trip to Ireland.
And coincidentally, Wichita had just played host to the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships.
She was so proud of herself in figure skating for the progress she had made, and that making that team was one of her life goals, and she achieved it, and she was just so, so proud of herself.
These competitions include events for developing skaters, and this plane happened to be carrying several young, promising athletes, along with parents and coaches like the 1994 World Pairs Champions Vadim Naumov and Zhenya Shishkova.
Everything you've.
Heard.
Of them like maybe being a little tough but.
With a.
Smile on their.
Face.
Nancy Kerrigan, the famed Olympic medalist, said later that the legendary Skating Club of Boston had just suffered unfathomable losses.
And then when you find out, you know, you know some of the people on the plane, it's even a bigger blow.
At the rink, she described this feeling that a lot of Americans had yesterday powerlessness.
I don't come here that often and I just didn't know what else to do. So I just thought I'd be here to be with some friends.
And after an agonizing wait for these families on Thursday morning, D.C. officials gave a solemn update.
We are.
Now at a point where we.
Are.
Switching.
From a rescue operation to operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident.
They are still recovering remains from this crash site, which, because of strong currents and winds, now stretches for miles in the Potomac. But if there were indeed no survivors, that would make this the deadliest air crash on U.S. soil in more than 20 years. Let's go back to ABC's lead transportation producer this morning, Sam Sweeney. Sam, what can you tell us about the recovery effort over the last 24 hours?
Well, these.
First responders.
Were on the scene within ten minutes, but this airplane fell from several hundred feet after having a direct collision at hundreds of miles per hour with another aircraft, and then it collided to the ground. This was a difficult, you know, start for these investigators.
These responders found extremely frigid conditions.
They found.
Heavy.
Wind.
They.
Found ice on the water, and they were operating all night in those conditions.
And just moments after they arrived on scene, they began pulling out bodies. Of course, they were hoping for the best. Was there an air pocket somewhere? Was someone strapped into a seat? They had to figure all that out and go in. But after several hours in those conditions, one could only last just a few minutes before they get hypothermia.
What will the investigation be about if it's no longer about the rescue? Because they just found the American Airlines black boxes, right. So what else will they want to recover from the site.
So right now they're going to focus on the perishable evidence. Anything that could disappear in the water in the elements. They need to get that now to help them build this puzzle and figure out what happened.
The fuselage.
Of the.
American.
Airlines plane was.
Inverted.
It's been located.
In three different sections. It's in about waist.
Deep.
Water. So that recovery is going to go.
On.
Today.
The goal of the investigation is to figure out exactly what happened. And they're not doing that. So they can tell the public and quench our, you know, curiosity. They're doing it because they want to figure out what happened. They want to learn from it. They want to present a fix for it and prevent it from ever happening again. And that's exactly why aviation is so safe in the United States. And we haven't had a deadly crash on U.S. soil on a U.S. airline since 2009, because they have made so many changes to the airlines, to airplanes, to our national airspace system to make it safer for all of us.
As one nation. We grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly. And we are a country of really we are in mourning.
What was the reaction from the Trump administration? Because initially it was sort of the standard boilerplate stuff overnight of, you know, this is a terrible tragedy. But then President Trump seemed to start getting accusatory. Right. What are the issues here?
The president pointed at the helicopter pilot without saying it was the helicopter pilot at fault.
A situation where you had a helicopter that had the ability to stop. I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly. It had the ability to go up or down. It had the ability to turn, and the turn it made was not the correct turn, obviously. Um, and it did somewhat the opposite of what it was told.
And then the president brought up dye and dye hiring within the Department of Transportation and the FAA. Um, you know, insinuating sort of that these people who were in the control tower or in the cockpit were hired because of their race or ethnicity or their sexual orientation.
Are you saying.
This crash was somehow caused and the result of diversity hiring? And what evidence have you seen to support these claims?
It just could have been. We have a high standard. We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brain power. You have to go by psychological, uh, quality.
We have simply no evidence to point to any of that, that those people were a hired because of that, or that they contributed to this incident. Uh, in fact, it is extraordinarily difficult to work as an air traffic controller. You know, in 2022 alone, there was 57,000 applicants to be an air traffic controller. Of those, roughly less than 3000 made it or were approved to go to the academy, and only 1000 actually showed up because they qualified. They passed the psych evaluations, the medical examinations. They were willing to move to Oklahoma City. They were younger than 31 years old. And then of those people, there's roughly a 70% pass rate at the academy. And then when you go to finish your training, which takes another roughly three years, only 60% will make it out of that. It is really difficult and nobody is getting this job because of what they look like.
Well, and on the other side of that, there were also people who started saying, you know, maybe Trump is almost preemptively attacking the people in charge here because this could perhaps boomerang back on him. Right? His administration had started this process of federal workforce buyouts. There was reporting that perhaps staffing wasn't up to par at the air traffic control tower there. What do we know then about the staffing situation?
Look, there's been a staffing shortage. Um, you know, in the air traffic control system for a number of years. But at the DCA facility, it is actually fully staffed. I just checked in with the FAA on that yesterday afternoon, and they have no staffing issues there. However, there's now reporting that, you know, the FAA preliminary report says that there was one person doing two people's jobs in the control tower the night of the incident, and we checked into that. And what it is, is when the traffic, the air traffic in the area reaches a certain level, you can a supervisor can determine that it is safe enough to have one person do both roles, both the local airplane traffic and the helicopter traffic. And that's what happened on the night of the incident. The only difference is, is that they started that program about 40 minutes earlier than they normally do. Um, but it is not uncommon for one person to do both of these jobs when the number of aircraft in the area gets low enough.
That's interesting because you're right. You hear that the staffing is not normal and you go, oh no, there must have been layoffs here or something, when in fact it was probably a supervisor saying, hey, you can knock off for the rest of the night because there's actually not that much traffic tonight. All right. Sam Sweeney there in Washington, thank you so much.
Thank you.
Now, there are still so many questions here. So let's get some answers from someone who knows all about aviation. I want to talk to talk to former marine fighter pilot and ABC news contributor, Colonel Stephen Ganyard. Colonel Ganyard, I mean, first off, any surprise to you that there would be no survivors here?
No. Brad, if if you look at the video, we've seen the video that was taken from the Kennedy Center, and you see that large fireball, that large explosion, uh, remember that a helicopter is sort of these whirling knives above it. And so when something like that collides with an airplane that is just about to land, it's never going to be good. And watching that fireball and then the both aircraft falling into that frigid water, there was just really minutes for if anybody was alive to, to be rescued. So um, horrific all around. And at least when I saw it, I said nobody survived that.
And I mean, when you just look at the flight paths, you see, you know, the plane obviously descending the helicopter is staying sort of at a constant height because, you know, it's just going from one place to another. I mean, what's the most likely scenario for sort of how this happened? Can you just walk us through it.
Things have changed in this modern age where we have so much data that's that's quickly available. Both aircraft have black boxes. Those will be helpful. But in this case it's probably going to come back to the Black Hawk. The Black Hawk checked in with the tower. They told the tower where they were coming around the monument. So they just passed the Jefferson Monument. They were turning south down the Potomac, and the tower said, do you see the regional jet? Do you see the American jet? And they said, yes, we see it. We will maintain visual separation. At that point, legally, in pilot terms, it is their responsibility to stay away from that airplane. The tower then said, okay, go behind that regional jet. At that point, the tower came back to most of the landing traffic and was looking at the landing traffic that was landing on the main north south runway. So it's pretty clear here that in the cockpit of the Blackhawk, they probably fixated on something, or they saw another airplane that was landing on the other runway, or runway, or they saw a light.
And in their mind, that was the airplane that they had to stay away from.
Like, do you have visual on this plane? Yes, I do, but you don't know if you're looking at the right thing.
They were looking at the wrong plane because they didn't. They were pretty much straight and level right until until impact. And so they thought they were going behind this airplane, but they were probably looking at, again, either a light on the on the ramp at DCA or lights in the city of Alexandria on the other side of the Potomac. So very, very tragic. But this is something that is not unusual for pilots. You know, you think they're down there at two, 300ft and really you're over that, that that black water of the Potomac. So there's nothing underneath you. So the sky looks like the ground underneath you, the water underneath you. And they're looking for for things out there to, to establish a horizon and look out and see a horizon. So if they saw something, an airplane strobe light can look like, you know, a flashing light from a police car on land. So very, very difficult for anybody to have picked this up.
And it's not on a plane to, like, see the helicopter. Like the plane pretty much stays on its path, is the concept.
Yeah, because the plane was on short final. I mean, it was really just a couple hundred feet off the ground. So you can imagine, um, as the pilots were coming in close, that runway three three is actually a short runway. That's why they'll take regional jets there. It's only about 1200ft long. And so those pilots are out there looking to make sure they were on Glideslope, looking for the for the landing area, making sure there were no other aircraft on that runway. So they're totally focused right ahead of them. So pilots were doing the right thing. Everything we've seen so far, the American jet was absolutely doing everything right. Everything that I've seen out of ATC, it was done absolutely right. And frankly, the Black Hawk was doing everything right in their mind up until they misidentified where their traffic was.
And we heard initially this was a training mission. And immediately your mind as a civilian goes to like, oh, so maybe these pilots weren't experienced, but you said you said that's not necessarily the case.
Yeah. These were these were relatively experienced pilots. and, you know, the number of hours they had is one way to. Measure, measure proficiency. But it was a proficiency flight. You need to go out and fly. I don't care how much experience, how many years, how many hours you have under your belt, if you are not proficient, if you're not flying dozens of hours a month, then you are behind that airplane and everything is hard. So you have to get out. You have to fly at night. Flying at night is hard. Everything takes longer. You know, you don't have the same visual cues, and so being proficient and comfortable at night is important. And that's what these folks were out there doing, is is making sure that they were proficient flying at night, particularly around this, this city, I guess.
Yeah. Well, this the city is the thing, right? Like, this does sound like it's super congested air traffic. Is that like, I guess in your mind, what gets looked at from a policy and safety perspective going forward here?
Yeah, the unfortunate part of that, Brad, is that helicopters have been flying in the vicinity of DCA for literally decades. You know, going back to the first Dwight D Eisenhower Marine One. And there's never been a problem like this. So human error. Humans make mistakes. Humans are still the vast majority of the kinds of mishaps that we see throughout the world that involve aviation. So it's just one of these things we're going to have to look at. Do we need to move them farther along the shore? Were they above the maximum altitude? Normally in that spot you can't go above 200ft. There are reports that they were at 3 or 350ft. That's bad. That could have contributed to the to the mishap. So if they weren't following procedures, that's one thing. If they were following procedures, but the procedures didn't protect the the American jet, then that's going to that's going to result in some changes in the flight path and the requirements.
All right. A lot more to come from this tragedy. Colonel Stephen Ganyard really helpful insight. Thank you so much.
Thanks, Brad.
You know, what's bizarre is how this terrible crash happened, right? As we were transitioning to a new transportation secretary. Sean Duffy had just been confirmed, in fact, his first full day of work was Wednesday. By Wednesday night, he was overseeing the worst aviation accident in this country in years. Similarly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a couple days into his job, is now consoling military families who lost loved ones in that Blackhawk. He's answering questions about training runs. And yesterday, more of President Trump's Cabinet picks were facing their own confirmation hearings. And these were perhaps three of his most controversial choices. Let's go to ABC's senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, who is on the hill keeping track of everything. Rachel, first off, Tulsi Gabbard is up for director of national intelligence. That kind of oversees all the intelligence agencies, right? What was her hearing like?
Brad, this was quite the day of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.
These are three of President Donald Trump's most controversial nominees coming before senators. Tulsi Gabbard, she was a former Democratic congresswoman. She has since turned Republican. She was out there supporting President Trump on the campaign trail. And she really tried to get ahead of a lot of the criticism that she was expecting from senators on both sides of the aisle.
Accusing me of.
Being.
Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, Assad's puppet, a guru's puppet, Modi's puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.
She went on to say, Brad, that's completely incorrect. But it did not stop her from facing some really tough questions, especially from Democrats, about her 2017 meeting with Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Would you view this.
Trip.
As good.
Judgment? Yes, Senator, and I believe that leaders, whether you be in Congress or the president of the United States, can benefit greatly by going and engaging.
But, Brad, you know, the hearing really turned heated when Gabbard was pressed about her past support of Edward Snowden.
Gabbard a simple yes or no question. Do you still think Edward Snowden is brave?
Edward Snowden broke the law. I do not agree with or support with all of the information and intelligence that he released, nor the way in which he did it.
Remember, this is the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets and then ran away to Russia. Well, Democrats and Republicans asking Gabbard again and again, one by one, if she believes that Edward Snowden is a traitor.
Was he was he a traitor at the time when he took America's secrets, released him in public, and then ran to China and became a Russian citizen?
And she would not answer that question?
Senator, I'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again.
I will tell you, it is very rare in these confirmation hearings to see Democrats and Republicans agree on anything, but that was one line of questioning that they kept throwing at Gabbard.
Really interesting. Well, and you talk about people that make both Democrats and some Republicans uncomfortable, and it kind of applies to the other person who is on day one of his hearing tour here. Kash Patel. Right. The guy who's been nominated to lead the FBI. What questions did senators have for him?
And, Brad, there's really a lot of anticipation around Kash Patel because Pam Bondi, who was nominated for attorney general. She was on Capitol Hill. And her hearing, well, she got a lot of questions about Patel, who was nominated to lead the FBI because of his past statements, saying that he would go after President Trump's political enemies, that he would go after his political opponents. And so, of course, Democrats had some questions about whether or not he could lead this department and keep it independent.
If President Trump were to.
Order you to.
Open an investigation into any of these individuals, let's say Vice President Harris, would.
You.
Senator, this question speaks directly to my ability to leave political bias and allow independent behavior to be the only guiding light.
It was notable, Brad, that Kash Patel really tried to strike a very different tone during this hearing. He said he would not politicize the FBI. Brad. He said he does not have that so-called enemies list that so many Democrats have been talking about.
It's not whatever we want to call it. Senator, with all due respect, it's not an enemies list.
He said there would be no retribution, per se.
Any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution are grotesquely unfair, and I will have you reminded that I have been endorsed by over 300,000 law enforcement officers to become the next director of the FBI. Let's ask them.
The question, of course, is whether Democrats believe him. I will tell you, they've been following his moves very closely over the last couple of months, and some Democrats even making a point to say on the Inauguration Day, when President Donald Trump was having that rally inside of Capital One in place of that parade. Well, Kash Patel was one of the speakers, and they feel like that underscores this idea that he's not really remaining independent if he's so loyal to President Donald Trump.
Right. You never hear an FBI chief being like, yeah, we love this president. Because, you know, the whole job is it's a ten year term. So, you know that you've got to be able to go beyond one party or beyond one administration. Um, the other thing that makes this complicated for him, of course, is Trump's role with the Justice Department and with the FBI, especially after these after these January 6th pardons. How does he see this, knowing that his potential future employees worked for years on these cases?
And this was an interesting line of questioning, Brad, and one that I think caught a lot of people by surprise because Patel was asked by Democrats if he supports President Donald Trump's decision to commute the sentences of the rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
As for January 6th, I have repeatedly, often publicly and privately said there can never be a tolerance for violence against law enforcement.
And in a rare move, he broke from President Trump.
Anyone that commits an act of violence against law enforcement must be investigated, prosecuted and imprisoned.
I have watched a lot of these confirmation hearings, Brad, and I will tell you, I do not see this happen a lot. Any Republican nominee breaking from the president who nominated them to serve in the cabinet.
And not to mention RFK Jr also had his second day of hearings. Remarkable moments as Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician from Louisiana. Kept asking him again and again if he would agree with the mountain of research showing there is no connection between vaccines and autism. Kennedy just would not do it. Cassidy finally said he cannot get comfortable with RFK as Health and Human Services secretary. Rachel Scott at the Capitol. Thank you.
Thanks, Brad.
And one last thing. For the last 30 years, they've been walking among us, being curious, bald and blue. The Blue Man Group began as an Off-Broadway experimental theater piece and eventually became known the world over. If you've ever been to New York, you've almost certainly seen advertisements for these guys these wide eyed, silent alien characters who discover music and then quickly get really, really good at it. But this Sunday, they will give their final performance at their lower Manhattan home. So I figured, why not ask these guys how they feel about it? Hey, can I ask you a question in character. Like if I was talking to one of the Blue Men, how do you feel about this show ending? Hello? Okay, so I should have thought this out better. They're silent, but eventually I got Jordan Woods-robinson to talk to me out of character.
I was a.
Blue.
Man for 13 years.
Jordan performed with the Blue Men as they pursued a rapid expansion from New York to Boston and Chicago to Orlando, and eventually to Las Vegas and cruise ships. Did you have a role?
So the Blue Men are actually.
Titled.
Left, center and right, depending on where we're standing.
On stage.
Now, you got to remember when this act debuted in 1987, it was born of a vibrant experimental theater scene. But as the millennium approached, Broadway was being dominated by splashy musicals based on movies. The pitch to audiences was, you know what to expect. Well, not here.
The show.
Is.
Three beings who have been birthed out of.
Art and who are witnessing.
Human culture for the first time.
And the whole show is an interactive musical experience, trying to figure out how people share a universal language.
The front row of Blue Man audiences had to wear ponchos to protect from water and paint. There was a script, but also built in moments of crowd work. No two shows were ever exactly alike.
The audience really is the fourth Blue man.
And crucially, no words were spoken in any language. As the world was becoming more connected around us, these artists realized that the shows you could perform everywhere were going to be the most profitable. Blue man now has international tours, along with permanent residencies in Berlin and Shanghai. It became a cultural touchstone. It's even a key storyline in Arrested Development, where the character Tobias paints himself blue in an attempt to join the troupe.
Do you have.
An audition.
Yet?
Oh, no. No, I'm not in the group yet.
Oh, I'm afraid.
I just blue myself.
It's got to be a better way to say that.
To this day, Jordan says, there are lessons to be drawn from these strange blue men beyond the ones he learned as a cast member.
I am really good at catching marshmallows in my mouth.
But now, like intrepid aliens themselves, New Yorkers will have to venture away from their city to learn. And people of a certain age might remember, there was also this show called stomp. You remember this? It was like a show of music made by like, brooms and trash can lids. It was like right across the way from the Blue Man group. We really loved percussion based performances back then. Start here is produced by Kelly Torres, Jenn Newman, Vika Aronson, Anthony Ali, Mauro Milwaukee, and Amira Williams. Ariel Chester is our social media producer. Josh Cohen is director of podcast programming. I'm our managing editor. Laura Mayer is our executive producer. Thanks to John Newman, Tara Gimbel and Liz Alessi. Special thanks this week to Chris Berry, Eric Strauss, Molly Nagle, Peter Haralambous and Chris Boccia. I'm Brad Mielke. See you See you next week. Did you have to shave your head, Jordan, or do they. Do they give you a bald cap?
It's all a bald cap.
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Rumors were.
Swirling.
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Right now on Good Morning America. First, look, the investigation into the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. in nearly 24 years. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower. When that American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter. 67 people presumed dead. Our analysts explain what may have gone wrong.
More victims of the crash now identified children. Mothers, fathers. A woman flying home from a birthday. The U.S. figure skating family grieving the loss of athletes and coaches. Team coverage from the crash site just ahead.
Also this morning, a major court ruling on guns in America. What a court has decided when it comes to teens buying handguns.
The contentious hearings on Capitol Hill. Three of President Trump's most controversial nominees on defense.
A big medical headline this morning. The new non-addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Plus forever young.
The star studded concert to benefit Los Angeles fire victims.
And later, the Van Gogh found at a garage sale.
From ABC news. This is good morning America.
First look.
Good Friday morning, everyone. I'm Andrew Dymburt.
And I'm Rhiannon ally. Good morning to all of you. We are learning more this morning about the aviation disaster outside of Washington.
67 people are presumed dead after that midair collision over the Potomac River. The black boxes have now been recovered as we learn about a staffing decision inside the air traffic control tower before the crash.
ABC's Nicole Diantonio is outside of Reagan National Airport to begin our coverage. And, Nicole, you've been covering this now for more than 24 hours. What's the latest?
Rhiannon. New data suggests the Black Hawk might have been flying too high. Meanwhile, at the same time, staffing in the control tower was not normal. This morning, the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, known as the black Boxes, have been recovered from the American Airlines plane that collided with a Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
We'll be able to put it in space and time. Exactly what headings were they on? What airspeeds were they fine? What was their attitude? And a lot of other information that may help us understand the accident.
The Army helicopter on a training flight crashed into the passenger jet as the plane was landing at Reagan Airport. All 64 people on board the plane and three soldiers on the chopper are presumed dead. Air traffic heard moments after the collision.
Crash crash crash crash crash crash. This is layer three.
About 40 bodies have been recovered so far, including at least one of the soldiers. Dive teams have stopped operations after saying they recovered all the bodies. They are able to without moving the plane's fuselage. Today, they begin the work of trying to salvage aircraft components.
We look at facts on our investigation and that will take some time.
In the final moments of the flight, air traffic control asked the pilots of the plane to land on a different runway. Radio traffic does not reveal whether the plane's pilot saw the helicopter, but a helicopter pilot can be heard acknowledging the plane, and the flight path shows the chopper flying at about 350ft, when it should have been flying at under 200ft. One expert says early indications show a tragic sequence of events, suggesting the helicopter pilots were looking at the wrong plane.
When you are required to maintain visual separation, once you acknowledge or ask for visual separation. Then the controller kind of relaxes a little bit because he thinks, well, that aircraft sees the other one. I'm told I've told them to maintain visual separation from that other aircraft, but clearly there was a mistake made.
It's unclear how many air traffic controllers were working at the time of the crash, but an FAA report says staffing in the tower was not normal. Sources say the controller handling helicopters in the area during the collision was also handling airline traffic. Those jobs are typically assigned to two separate controllers, but supervisors routinely combined them when aircraft volume goes down. On the night of the crash, the decision to combine those jobs was made 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. The abnormal staffing comes as the FAA nationwide has struggled to fill air fill air traffic control jobs for decades.
We've had a chronic problem with this. For as long as I can remember, probably 30 or 40 years, we've always been behind on staffing.
Just over 24 hours before Wednesday's crash, a different regional jet executed a go around maneuver when landing at Reagan Airport due to a Black Hawk helicopter in the same area. Safety concerns have been increasing in the airspace around Reagan Airport. The airport was designed to accommodate 15 million passengers each year, but now sees more than 25 million a year. Congress voted just last year to add more flights. Now, here at Reagan, runway 33, the runway the plane was supposed to land on Wednesday night is now closed until at least next Friday. We know the NTSB plans to release a preliminary report within the next 30 days. So Andrew and we are going to be watching for that very closely.
Still more to come. Nicole. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims on that plane coming from Kansas.
Many were coming from a figure skating camp there this morning. Family and friends in mourning for each of the 67 people presumed dead in Wednesday's crash. Among those killed, a beauty queen, a mother of two. A woman who caught an early flight home for her birthday. And at least 14 people returning from an elite figure skating camp, including the Livingston family. Donna and Peter and their 11 and 14 year old daughters, known as the ice Skating Sisters, on social media. 16 year old Spencer Lane was also at the camp, posting this video of one of his performances just days ago. His final photo was from inside the plane. Lane was with his mom when they crashed.
I had been tracking their flights and it was kind of strange because I had seen that it seemed like the flight had landed, but their phones weren't on and they weren't, like, popping up.
The two planned to take a connecting flight to Rhode Island, where Lane's dad was waiting, Doug Lane telling WCVB he didn't know there was a problem until he saw the notification that a plane had gone down in the Potomac.
And I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest. And I just started scrambling from there.
13 year old Gina Hahn, seen here competing earlier this year, was flying with her mom, while 12 year old skater and cancer survivor Brielle Beyer was with her mom, Justina. Brielle's dad and brother were waiting for them on the ground.
I saw all the fire trucks and everything go by and I knew I called an air traffic controller friend of mine, um, and she confirmed it was their flight.
The loss of life devastating the tight knit skating community.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through everyone.
Not sure how to process it. Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. Okay. Um. Which is why I'm here.
Just heartbreaking. Our coverage of the crash continues in just a few moments. We will look at President Trump's claim that Dei programs may have played a role.
A major new court decision on guns in America. A federal court has issued a ruling on whether teenagers can buy handguns. The issue could be headed to the Supreme Court. Here's ABC's Andrea Fujii.
This morning, a federal court has ruled that banning handgun sales to people under 21 is unconstitutional, striking down a federal gun ban that dates back to 1968. The conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, saying that prohibiting 18 to 20 year olds from buying a handgun violates the Second Amendment and is inconsistent with the nation's historical tradition.
Just like when it comes to cigarettes or driving or alcohol, it makes sense to allow lawmakers to constrain their access to dangerous materials, and the Fifth Circuit's ruling essentially makes it impossible if it is upheld by the Supreme Court. For any lawmaker across the country to limit access to guns within this age group.
The court saying ultimately, the text of the Second Amendment includes 18 to 20 year old individuals among the people whose right to keep and bear arms is protected. The ruling applies to people in the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction parts of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Congress restricted access to guns for 18 to 20 year olds. Because they are more likely to engage in impulsive behavior, they have a higher potential for suicide, homicide. Mass shootings.
Data shows people in that age group are responsible for a disproportionate share of school shootings, comprising 17% of known gun homicide offenders. Experts say it's not clear how the Trump administration will respond, but the case appears likely to be challenged to the Supreme Court in the next few weeks. The Supreme Court will hear another major gun case on whether gun makers can be held liable for certain violent crimes. Andrew. Rhiannon.
All right, Andrea, thank you for that. It is time now for your Friday weather. The Dallas area will be drying out today after daily rainfall records in some areas, more than five inches of rain in some spots. And looking at the radar. That same storm system is bringing heavy rain into the northeast. Crews at the plane crash site in Virginia will see rain all day long, and roads could be icy from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. And checking today's high temperatures, warmer than usual in the Plains and the Midwest. 70 on the Gulf Coast. 79 in Miami, 71 in New Orleans.
Coming up, the new Non-addictive addictive painkiller just approved by the FDA.
Also ahead. Trapped for days, the effort to save a driver that was swallowed by this sinkhole.
And confrontations on Capitol Hill with three of President Trump's nominees on the hot seat.
What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America?
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Welcome back. This is in Japan. A sinkhole there swallowed a truck with a driver inside. It is now almost as big a size swimming pool, and it's still expanding. Rescuers were trying to build a ramp to get to the driver, who has been stuck since Tuesday.
Now to Washington. And confirmation hearings for three of President Trump's most controversial nominees in his second day of questioning. Health Secretary nominee Robert Kennedy was grilled about his vaccine skepticism.
Your past.
Of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded.
Or misleading arguments.
Concerns.
Me.
Senator. I am not going into the agency with any kind of.
A yes or no question because.
So if.
You're because the data is.
There.
Kennedy refused to reject claims that certain vaccines cause autism. Claims that have been disproven.
Mr. Kennedy, that first autism study rocked my world. And like every mother, I worried about whether, in fact, the vaccine had done something to my son. And when you continue to sow doubt about settled science, it makes it impossible for us to move forward.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, clashing with Democrats over his past statements about the media.
And here's what this nominee himself has said about using his office to prosecute journalists. We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media. Is that a correct quotation, Mr. Patel?
Senator, that's a partial quotation.
But it's correct.
In part.
Patel, who's claimed his mission is to annihilate the so-called deep state, made a break from Trump when asked about commuting the sentences of January 6th rioters.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for intelligence chief, was questioned by members of both parties about her past statements supporting Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked classified information. Gabbard saying Snowden helped expose illegal government activities.
Your answer, yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security. Apparently you don't.
Gabbard and Kennedy could face an uphill battle while Patel seemed to win widespread support from Republicans.
Well, the FDA has approved new treatment for acute pain without the risk of addiction. It's an oral drug. It is called. It works by blocking pain signals at their source instead of at the brain's reward centers. But it costs about $15 per pill.
Coming up, the Van Gogh painting found at a garage sale.
But first, did diversity hiring programs play any role in the DC plane crash? A closer look.
Next.
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Steve.
We are back now with continuing coverage of the D.C. plane crash. 67 people are presumed dead. Divers will be back today helping recover the wreckage. They'll be doing that in the rain today. President Trump has suggested the program may have played a role in the crash.
Experts in the aviation industry disagree. New fallout this morning after President Trump suggested hiring policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion may have played a role in Wednesday night's crash.
It just could have been a group within the FAA. Another story determined that the workforce was too white, that they had concerted efforts to get the administration to change that and to change it immediately. This was in the Obama administration.
Trump also claiming that under the Biden administration, the FAA pushed for the hiring of people with disabilities.
It states they include hearing vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism all qualify for the position of a controller, it says. FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in.
The American Association of People with disabilities slamming Trump's comments, saying FAA employees with disabilities did not cause the crash and die hiring did not cause the crash. Using this tragedy to push the president's anti-diversity hiring agenda is inappropriate and wrong. A former FAA official also disputing Trump's claims, saying die and similar programs do not apply to the hiring of air traffic controllers, saying anyone applying must meet the same rigorous standards, whether they're disabled or not.
These folks are wonderful people. They are basically expected to do 100% perfect performance all the time.
Federal policy for hiring qualified people with disabilities dates back to 1973, and in 2003, the Bush administration directed federal agencies to commit to equal opportunity, regardless of race or disability. Then, under the first Trump administration, the FAA released a workforce plan saying it would continue to promote and support the hiring of people with disabilities and targeted disabilities. Those standards include passing a medical exam, aptitude test, and psych evaluation, which is more stringent than what's required of a pilot, and hiring is selective. In 2022, 57,000 people applied for an air traffic position. Only 1000 made it to the first day of training. And there's an urgent push to hire more controllers in 2023. 77% of critical air traffic control centers were understaffed.
Coming up, the star studded concert for L.A. fire victims.
Also ahead, the new proposal to change movie theaters.
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Who is this guy.
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It's time to check the pulse. And we begin with the star studded benefit in California.
More than 20 acts performed at Fire Aid last night, benefiting the victims of the recent fires in Los Angeles. L.A. natives Green Day kicked things off with their song Last Night on Earth.
Alanis Morissette wore an iHeart LA shirt as she belted out her classic song Hand in My Pocket, and Gwen Stefani was there with No Doubt, her band from Orange County singing their hits.
With Jennifer Lopez.
The lineup was so big, performers hit the stage in two arenas. Next, what could be the deal of a lifetime?
A Minnesota bargain hunter dropped 50 bucks for a painting at a garage sale, and it turned out to be a previously unknown Van Gogh self-portrait worth $50 million. Next, Chili's is being called the nation's hottest restaurant chain.
It follows a big jump in sales while other chains have been struggling.
One reason is the cheese pole videos on TikTok featuring Chili's mozzarella sticks. Next, a new proposal to change how movie theaters operate.
A lawmaker in Connecticut is proposing a bill that would require theaters to list the actual start time of movies, so you don't have to sit through all the ads and promos. Theaters say that revenue is crucial to them.
But I like going to the.
Bathroom.
I love the previews.
Top headlines next.
Whenever, wherever news breaks. It's so important to always remember that lives are changed. You're in London, in Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. From Poland once again tonight. Thank you so much for streaming with us. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. Do you think you'll ever be able to go back home? We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City. Splintered houses and splintered lives. The magnitude of the devastation. You're streaming ABC News Live. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Raleigh, North Carolina. The U.S. Capitol. Mayfield, Kentucky. Minneapolis. Mexico. Tongass National Forest, Alaska. Getting you behind the stories as they happen. Giving you a front row seat to our world as it plays out in real time. Live. ABC News live. Prime. We'll take you there.
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A woman's husband is shot and killed.
And.
His.
Wife.
Fears.
She could be next.
On an all new 2020.
A dramatic discovery.
A handwritten note. You're next. Run, run run.
2020 tonight on ABC.
Let's get this done.
Being a cop is stressful. Every year on the.
Job.
Is different. You never really stop being a rookie.
Work smarter, not harder.
The bus comes at five.
This family is suffocating. We are all here to help them. We're going to.
Make this.
Happen. We have 96 hours to build a house.
Come on, guys, it's moving day.
Let's go.
It can't be real.
This was more than just Extreme home Makeover. This was extreme life makeover.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition Thursday on ABC and stream on Hulu.
Hey, good morning America. Good morning America.
Good morning America. You don't just see it, you feel it.
I'm in, I'm in, I'm in.
I'm in too. I am in, I'm in.
I'm in.
Too.
I'll be here.
Checking more top stories now. The black boxes from the plane that collided with an Army helicopter and fell into the Potomac River are now at the NTSB lab. Salvage operations near Reagan National Airport will begin today. The remains of more than 25 victims are expected to still be inside the wreckage. Some of them are believed to be members of the U.S. figure skating community, who were in Wichita for a skating event.
Meanwhile, a legendary voice from the figure skating world has died unrelated to the crash. Olympic champion Dick button was 95.
President Trump says he will impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. Tomorrow, Trump said he's still not sure if oil will be included.
Prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against music mogul Sean Diddy Combs. They now claim he abused, threatened and coerced women for far longer than they first thought.
Today's weather. Rain across the eastern US, with snow in the northern areas and the northwest, gets up to ten inches of rain in the next five days.
And finally, the generous donation to a food bank with a major catch.
Danny New explains.
You know, when someone offers you their old TV and you're like, oh man, I don't know if it'll fit in my car. The fact that we only had weeks to execute this really ratcheted up the intensity and the anxiety a little bit. Well, recently, the food Bank of Central New York was offered something much bigger and more meaningful to somehow transport about £40,000 of salmon. To put that in perspective, that's the same weight as a Ford F-150. Which means it could it could help feed thousands of families. However, as you can see, the salmon were still alive. It was offered by a sustainable salmon farm in upstate New York called Local Coho, which is scheduled to officially close its doors today.
We didn't want it to go to waste, go into a dumpster or something like that when it's great to eat, right.
They reached out to the food bank this month offering about 13,000 fresh sushi grade salmon, which The New York Times valued at more than $700,000 altogether. Thus, the food bank needed extra hands and fast. Perhaps almost never.
Does a food.
Donation offer come in still as livestock? Basically. Over the course of a few weeks, the two teams worked together to gather dozens of volunteers to come scoop out the fish, and then a local business with refrigerated trucks named Brown Carbonic offered to ship the fish for free to the processor an hour away. Once they're all fileted and frozen, then this high quality protein can be distributed to almost 250 food pantries, as well as soup kitchens and shelters. This is going to make a very large impact across this community and the food bank COO Brian McManus there also told a local news outlet, guys, that this donation was a, quote, once in a career opportunity. So yeah, rare to see 13,000 salmon guys.
Pretty rare. But now I'm hooked. Good morning America.
Have a great.
Weekend.
You're watching America's number one streaming news. Keep streaming with ABC News Live.
It's Friday, January 31st, and it's as bad as it looked. We start here. Authorities announced the crash between a military helicopter and a passenger jet left. No survivors.
They're going to focus on the perishable evidence. Anything that could disappear in the water, in the elements will get.
You caught up on the recovery. Meanwhile, President Trump is already casting blame.
The Black Hawk was doing everything right in their mind up until they misidentified where their traffic was.
But there are other factors at play. So what will investigators be looking at? And Democratic pushback is one thing, but these nominees faced skeptical Republicans.
It is very rare in these confirmation hearings to see Democrats and Republicans agree on anything.
Some of the president's most polarizing picks hit the Hill. From ABC news this is start here I'm Brad Mielke. On Wednesday night, people started showing up to the curb at Reagan National Airport in Washington, ready to pick up their family members, their friends from American Eagle flight 5342. One by one, they started realizing something was wrong. Rescue boats began sprinting to the Potomac River. Nearby news outlets started reporting that a regional jetliner had gone down after hitting a helicopter. These families were directed to a different wing of the airport while they awaited news.
American has set up.
A center in.
Their.
American.
In their lounge.
At the north end of the airport. And we've directed the families there, and there are folks there to counselors there to work with the families.
You know that moment where your plane is so close to the tarmac that the plane's getting cell service? You can send texts if you want to? Well, some family members describe getting texts from loved ones on board saying things like about to land. Andy Byer tried to text his wife, Justina, who was traveling with their 12 year old daughter, Brielle.
My son and I were going to pick up my wife and daughter, and when it was time for the plane to land, they hadn't landed. You know, we couldn't get text messages through. I saw the fire trucks and everything go by. And I knew.
There aren't that many planes that fly from Wichita to Washington on a given day. So once family members back in Kansas heard a plane had crashed, they gathered and waited. We now know more about who was on these aircraft. There was Wendie Jo Schafer, a wife and mother. Ian Epstein, a flight attendant. His family said he loved meeting new people. There was First Officer Samuel Lilly, who had just gotten engaged recently.
He just liked the adventure and seeing new places and doing things. He also often traveled with his fiance. You know, when he wasn't flying, they just got back from a trip to Ireland.
And coincidentally, Wichita had just played host to the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships.
She was so proud of herself in figure skating for the progress she had made, and that making that team was one of her life goals. And she achieved it. And she was just so, so proud of herself.
These competitions include events for developing skaters, and this plane happened to be carrying several young, promising athletes along with parents and coaches like the 1994 World Pairs Champions Vadim Naumov and Zhenya Shishkova.
Everything you've heard of them like maybe being a little tough but with a smile on their face.
Nancy Kerrigan, the famed Olympic medalist, said later that the legendary Skating Club of Boston had just suffered unfathomable losses.
And then when you find out, you know, you know some of the people on the plane, it's even a bigger blow.
At the rink, she described this feeling that a lot of Americans had yesterday powerlessness.
I don't come here that often and I just didn't know what else to do. So I just thought I'd be here to be with some friends.
And after an agonizing wait for these families on Thursday morning, D.C. officials gave a solemn update.
We are now at a point where.
We.
Are switching.
From a rescue operation to a recovery operation. Um, at this point, we don't believe there.
Are any survivors.
From this accident.
They are still recovering remains from this crash site, which, because of strong currents and winds, now stretches for miles in the Potomac. But if there were indeed no survivors, that would make this the deadliest air crash on U.S. soil in more than 20 years. Let's go back to ABC's lead transportation producer this morning, Sam Sweeney. Sam, what can you tell us about the recovery effort over the last 24 hours?
Well, these first responders were on the scene within ten minutes, but this airplane fell from several hundred feet after having a direct collision at hundreds of miles per hour with another aircraft. And then it collided to the ground. This was a difficult, you know, start for these investigators.
These responders found extremely frigid conditions.
They found.
Heavy.
Wind, they found ice on the water, and they're operating all night in those conditions.
And just moments after they arrived on scene, they began pulling out bodies. Of course, they were hoping for the best. Was there an air pocket somewhere? Was someone strapped into a seat? They had to figure all that out and go in, but after several hours in those conditions, one could only last just a few minutes before they get hypothermia.
What will the investigation be about if it's no longer about the rescue? Because they just found the American Airlines black boxes, right. So what else will they want to recover from the site.
So right now they're going to focus on the perishable evidence. Anything that could disappear in the water in the elements. They need to get that now to help them build this puzzle and figure out what happened.
The fuselage.
Of.
The.
American.
Airlines.
Plane.
Was inverted.
It's been located in three different sections. It's in about waist deep water. So that recovery is.
Going to go on today.
The goal of the of the investigation is to figure out exactly what happened, and they're not doing that so they can tell the public and quench our curiosity. They're doing it because they want to figure out what happened. They want to learn from it. They want to present a fix for it and prevent it from ever happening again. And that's exactly why aviation is so safe in the United States. And we haven't had a deadly crash on U.S. soil on a U.S. airline since 2009, because they have made so many changes to the airlines, to airplanes, to our national airspace system to make it safer for all of us.
As one nation. We grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly. And we are a country of really, we are in mourning.
What was the reaction from the Trump administration? Because initially it was sort of the standard boilerplate stuff overnight of, you know, this a terrible tragedy. But then President Trump seemed to start getting accusatory. Right. What are the issues here?
The president pointed at the helicopter pilot without saying it was the helicopter pilot at fault.
A situation where you had a helicopter that had the ability to stop. I have helicopters. You can stop a helicopter very quickly. It had the ability to go up or down. It had the ability to turn. And the turn it made was not the correct turn, obviously. Um, and it did somewhat the opposite of what it was told.
And then the president brought up dye and dye hiring within the Department of Transportation and the FAA. Um, you know, insinuating sort of that these people who were in the control tower or in the cockpit were hired because of their race or ethnicity or their sexual orientation.
Are you saying this crash was somehow caused and.
The.
Result of diversity hiring?
And what evidence.
Have you seen to support these claims?
It just could have been. We have a high standard. We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brain power. You have to go by psychological, uh, quality.
We have simply no evidence to point to any of that, that those people were a hired because of that, or that they contributed to this incident. Uh, in fact, it is extraordinarily difficult to work as an air traffic controller. You know, in 2022 alone, there was 57,000 applicants to be an air traffic controller. Of those, roughly less than 3000 made it or were approved to go to the academy, and only 1000 actually showed up because they qualified. They passed the psych evaluations, the medical examinations. They were willing to move to Oklahoma City. They were younger than 31 years old. Um, and then of those people, there's roughly a 70% pass rate at the academy. And then when you go to finish your training, which takes another roughly three years, only 60% will make it out of that. It is really difficult. And nobody is getting this job because of what they look like.
Well, and on the other side of that, there were also people who started saying, you know, maybe Trump is almost preemptively attacking the people in charge here because this could perhaps boomerang back on him. Right. His administration had started this process of federal workforce buyouts. There was reporting that perhaps staffing wasn't up to par at the air traffic control tower there. What do we know then about the staffing situation?
Look, there's been a staffing shortage. Um, you know, in the air traffic control system for a number of years. But at the DCA facility, it is actually fully staffed. I just checked in with the FAA on that yesterday afternoon, and they have no staffing issues there. However, there's now reporting that, you know, the FAA preliminary report says that there was one person doing two people's jobs in the control tower the night of the incident, and we checked into that. And what it is, is when the traffic, the air traffic in the area reaches a certain level, you can a supervisor can determine that it is safe enough to have one person do both roles, both the local airplane traffic and the helicopter traffic. And that's what happened on the night of the incident. The only difference is, is that they started that program about 40 minutes earlier than they normally do. Um, but it is not uncommon for one person to do both of these jobs when the number of aircraft in the area gets low enough.
That's interesting because you're right. You hear that the staffing is not normal and you go, oh no, there must have been layoffs here or something, when in fact it was probably a supervisor saying, hey, you can knock off for the rest of the night cause there's actually not that much traffic tonight. All right. Sam Sweeney there in Washington, thank you so much.
Thank you.
Now, there are still so many questions here. So let's get some answers from someone who knows all about aviation. I want to talk to former marine fighter pilot and ABC news contributor, Colonel Steve Ganyard. Colonel Ganyard, I mean, first off, any surprise to you that there would be no survivors here?
No. Brad, if if you look at the video, we've seen the video that was taken from the Kennedy Center, and you see that large fireball, that large explosion, uh, remember that a helicopter is sort of these whirling knives above it. And so when something like that collides with an airplane that is just about to land, it's never going to be good. And watching that fireball and then the both aircraft falling into that frigid water, there was just really minutes for if anybody was alive to, to be rescued. So um, horrific all around. And at least when I saw it, I said nobody survived that.
And I mean, when you just look at the flight paths, you see, you know, the the plane obviously descending the helicopter is staying sort of at a constant height because, you know, it's just going from one place to another. I mean, what's the most likely scenario for sort of how this happened? Can you just walk us through it?
Things have changed in this modern age where we have so much data that's that's quickly available. Both aircraft have black boxes. Those will be helpful. But in this case it's probably going to come back to the Black Hawk. The Black Hawk checked in with the tower. They told the tower where they were coming around the monument. So they just passed the Jefferson Monument. They were turning south down the Potomac, and the tower said, do you see the regional jet? Do you see the American jet? And they said, yes, we see it. We will maintain visual separation. At that point, legally, in pilot terms, it is their responsibility to stay away from that airplane. The tower then said, okay, go behind that regional jet. At that point, the tower came back to most of the landing traffic and was looking at the landing traffic that was landing on the main north south runway. So it's pretty clear here that in the cockpit of the Blackhawk, they probably fixated on something, or they saw another airplane that was landing on the other runway, or they saw a light.
And in their mind, that was the airplane that they had to stay away from.
Like, do you have visual on this plane? Yes, I do, but you don't know if you're looking at the right thing.
They were looking at the wrong plane because they didn't. They were pretty much straight and level right until until impact. And so they thought they were going behind this airplane, but they were probably looking at, again, either a light on the on the ramp at DCA or lights in the city of Alexandria on the other side of the Potomac. So very, very tragic. But this is something that is not unusual for pilots. You know, you think they're down there at two, 300ft and really you're over that, that that black water of the Potomac. So there's nothing underneath you. So the sky looks like the ground underneath you, the water underneath you. And they're looking for for things out there to to establish a horizon and look out and see a horizon. So if they saw something, an airplane strobe light can look like, you know, a flashing light from a police car on land. So very, very difficult for anybody to have picked this up.
And it's not on a plane to like, see the helicopter, like the plane pretty much stays on its path is the concept.
Yeah. Because the plane was on short final. I mean, it was really just a couple hundred feet off the ground. So you can imagine, um, as the pilots were coming in close, that runway 33 is actually a short runway. That's why they'll take regional jets there. It's only about 4200ft long. And so those pilots are out there looking to make sure they were on Glideslope, looking for the for the landing area, making sure there were no other aircraft on that runway. So they're totally focused right ahead of them. So pilots were doing the right thing. Everything we've seen so far, the American jet was absolutely doing everything right. Everything that I've seen out of ATC was done absolutely right. And frankly, the Blackhawk was doing everything right in their mind up until they misidentified where their traffic was.
And we heard initially this was a training mission. And immediately your mind as a civilian goes to like, oh, so maybe these pilots weren't experienced, but you said you said that's not necessarily the case.
Yeah. These were these were relatively experienced pilots. And, uh, you know, the number of hours they had is one way to measure measure proficiency. But it was a proficiency flight. You need to go out and fly. I don't care how much experience, how many years, how many hours you have under your belt, if you are not proficient, if you're not flying dozens of hours a month, then you are behind that airplane and everything is hard. So you have to get out. You have to fly at night. Flying at night is hard. Everything takes longer. You know, you don't have the same visual cues, and so being proficient and comfortable at night is important. And that's what these folks were out there doing, is is making sure that they were proficient flying at night, particularly around this, this city, I guess.
Yeah. Well, this the city is the thing, right? Like, this does sound like it's super congested air traffic. Is that like, I guess in your mind, what gets looked at from a policy and safety perspective going forward here?
Yeah, the unfortunate part of that, Brad, is that helicopters have been flying in the vicinity of DCA for literally decades. You know, going back to the to the first Dwight D Eisenhower Marine One. And there's never been a problem like this. So human error. Humans make mistakes. Humans are still the vast majority of the kinds of mishaps that we see throughout the world that involve aviation. So it's just one of these things we're going to have to look at. Do we need to move them farther along the shore? Were they above the maximum altitude? Normally in that spot you can't go above 200ft. There are reports that they were at 3 or 350ft. That's bad. That could have contributed to the to the mishap. So if they weren't following procedures, that's one thing. If they were following procedures but the procedures didn't protect the the American jet, then that's going to that's going to result in some changes in the flight path and the requirements.
All right. A lot more to come from this tragedy. Colonel Stephen Ganyard really helpful insight. Thank you so much.
Thanks, Brad.
You know, what's bizarre is how this terrible crash happened, right? As we were transitioning to a new transportation secretary. Sean Duffy had just been confirmed. In fact, his first full day of work was Wednesday. By Wednesday night, he was overseeing the worst aviation accident in this country in years. Similarly, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a couple days into his job, is now consoling military families who lost loved ones in that Blackhawk. He's answering questions about training runs. And yesterday, more of President Trump's Cabinet picks were facing their own confirmation hearings. And these were perhaps three of his most controversial choices. Let's go to ABC's senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, who is on the hill keeping track of everything. Rachel, first off, Tulsi Gabbard is up for director of national intelligence. That kind of oversees all the intelligence agencies, right? What was her hearing like?
Brad, this was quite the day of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. These are three of President Donald Trump's most controversial nominees coming before senators. Tulsi Gabbard, she was a former Democratic congresswoman. She has since turned Republican. She was out there supporting President Trump on the campaign trail. And she really tried to get ahead of a lot of the criticism that she was expecting from senators on both sides of the aisle.
Accusing me of being Trump's puppet, Putin's puppet, Assad's puppet, a guru's puppet, Modi's puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.
She went on to say that that's completely incorrect, but it did not stop her from facing some really tough questions, especially from Democrats, about her 2017 meeting with Bashar al Assad in Syria.
Would you view this trip.
As.
Good judgment? Yes, Senator, and I believe that leaders, whether you be in Congress or the president of United States, can benefit greatly by going and engaging.
But, Brad, you know, the hearing really turned heated when Gabbard was pressed about her past support of Edward Snowden.
Gabbard is simple, yes or no question. Do you still think Edward Snowden is brave?
Edward Snowden broke the law. I do not agree with or support with all of the information and intelligence that he released, nor the way in which he did it.
Remember, this is the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets and then ran away to Russia. Well, Democrats and Republicans asking Gabbard again and again, one by one, if she believes that Edward Snowden is a traitor.
Was he was he a traitor at the time when he took America's secrets, released him in public, and then ran to China and became a Russian citizen?
And she would not answer that question?
Senator, I'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again.
I will tell you, it is very rare in these confirmation hearings to see Democrats and Republicans agree on anything, but that was one line of questioning that they kept throwing at Gabbard.
Really interesting. Well, and you talk about people that make both Democrats and some Republicans uncomfortable, and it kind of applies to the other person who is on day one of his hearing tour here. Kash Patel. Right. The guy who's been nominated to lead the FBI. What questions did senators have for him?
And, Brad, there's really a lot of lot of anticipation around Kash Patel because Pam Bondi, who was nominated for attorney general, she was on Capitol Hill. And her hearing, well, she got a lot of questions about Patel, who was nominated to lead the FBI because of his past statements, saying that he would go after President Trump's political enemies, that he would go after his political opponents. And so, of course, Democrats had some questions about whether or not he could lead this department and keep it independent.
If President Trump were to.
Order.
You to open an investigation into any of these individuals, let's say, Vice President Harris, would you center this question speaks directly to my ability to leave political bias and allow independent behavior to be the only guiding light.
It was notable, Brad, that Kash Patel really tried to strike a very different tone during this hearing. He said he would not politicize the FBI. Brad, he said he does not have that so-called enemies list that so many Democrats have been talking about.
It's not whatever we want to call it. Senator, with all due respect, it's not an enemies list.
He said there would be no retribution per se.
Any accusations leveled against me that I would somehow put political bias before the Constitution, or grotesquely unfair. And I will have you reminded that I have been endorsed by over 300,000 law enforcement officers to become the next director of the FBI. Let's ask them.
The question, of course, is whether Democrats believe him. I will tell you, they've been following his moves very closely over the last couple of months, and some Democrats even making a point to say on the Inauguration day, when President Donald Trump was having that rally inside of Capital One in place of that parade. Well, Kash Patel was one of the speakers, and they feel like that underscores this idea that he's not really remaining independent if he's so loyal to President Donald Trump.
Right. You never hear an FBI chief being like, yeah, we love this president. Because, you know, the whole job is it's a ten year term. So, you know that you've got to be able to go beyond one party or beyond one administration. The other thing that makes this complicated for him, of course, is Trump's role with the Justice Department and with the FBI, especially after these January 6th pardons. How does he see this, knowing that his potential future employees worked for years on these cases?
And this was an interesting line of questioning, Brad, and one that I think caught a lot of people by surprise because Patel was asked by Democrats if he supports President Donald Trump's decision to commute the sentences of the rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
As for January 6th, I have repeatedly, often publicly and privately said there can never be a tolerance for violence against law enforcement.
And in a rare move, he broke from President Trump.
Anyone that commits an act of violence against law enforcement must be investigated, prosecuted and imprisoned.
I have watched a lot of these confirmation hearings, Brad, and I will tell you, I do not see this happen a lot. Any Republican nominee breaking from the president who nominated them to serve in the cabinet.
And not to mention RFK Jr also had his second day of hearings. Remarkable moments as Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician from Louisiana, kept asking him again and again if he would agree with the mountain of research showing there is no connection between vaccines and autism. Kennedy just would not do it. Cassidy finally said he cannot get comfortable with RFK as Health and Human Services Secretary Rachel Scott at the Capitol. Thank you.
Thanks, Brad.
And one last thing. For the last 30 years, they've been walking among us, being curious, bald and blue. The Blue Man Group began as an Off-Broadway experimental theater piece and eventually became known the world over. If you've ever been to New York, you've almost certainly seen advertisements for these guys these wide eyed, silent alien characters who discover music and then quickly get really, really good at it. But this Sunday, they will give their final performance at their lower Manhattan home. So I figured, why not ask these guys how they feel about it? Hey, can I ask you a question in character? Like, if I was talking to one of the Blue Men. How do you feel about this show ending?
Hello?
Okay, so I should have thought this out better. They're silent, but eventually I got Jordan Woods-robinson to talk to me out of character.
I was a blue man for 13 years.
Jordan performed with the Blue Men as they pursued a rapid expansion from New York to Boston and Chicago to Orlando, and eventually to Las Vegas and cruise ships. Did you have a role?
So the Blue Men are actually titled left, center and right, depending on where we're standing on stage.
Now, you got to remember when this act debuted in 1987, it was born of a vibrant experimental theater scene. But as the millennium approached, Broadway was being dominated by splashy musicals based on movies. The pitch to audiences was, you know what to expect. Well, not here.
The show is three beings who have been birthed out of art and who are witnessing human culture for the first time. And the whole show is an interactive musical experience, trying to figure out how people share a universal language.
The front row of Blue Man audiences had to wear ponchos to protect from water and paint. There was a script, but also built in moments of crowd work. No two shows were ever exactly alike.
The audience really is the fourth blue man.
And crucially, no words were spoken in any language. As the world was becoming more connected around us, these artists realized that the shows you could perform everywhere were going to be the most profitable. Blue man now has international tours along with permanent residencies in Berlin and Shanghai. It became a cultural touchstone and even a key storyline in Arrested Development, where the character Tobias paints himself blue in an attempt to join the troupe.
Do you have an audition yet?
Oh, no. No, I'm not in the group yet.
Oh, I'm.
Afraid I just blue.
Myself.
There's got.
To be a better way to say.
That.
To this day, Jordan says there are lessons to be drawn from these strange blue men beyond the ones he learned as a cast member.
I am really good at catching marshmallows in my mouth.
But now, like intrepid aliens themselves, New Yorkers will have to venture away from their city to.
Learn.
And people of a certain age might remember. There was also this show called stomp. Do you remember this? It was like a show of music made by like, brooms and trash can lids. It was like right across the way from the Blue Man group. We really loved percussion based performances back then. Start here is produced by Kelly Torres, Jenn Newman, Vika Aronson, Anthony Ali, Mauro Milwaukee and Amira Williams. Ariel Chester is our social media producer. Josh Cohen is director of podcast programming. I'm our managing editor. Laura Mayer is our executive producer thanks to John Newman, Tara Gimbel and Liz Alessi. Special thanks this week to Chris Berry, Eric Strauss, Molly Nagle. Peter Haralambous and Chris Boccia. I'm Brad Mielke. See you next week. Did you have to shave your head, Jordan, or do they. Do they give you a bald cap?
It's all a bald cap.
You're watching America's number one streaming news. Keep streaming with ABC news live.
Yeah.
You know, some shit is about to happen.
Oh, shit.
I have an idea.
Oh.
You guys have eyes on your target.
Should we.
Strategize?
Come on. We're gonna.
Improvise. Freestyle.
No.
She's an A-lister. He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were.
Swirling.
For.
Blake to file a sexual harassment.
Claim.
I don't think anyone saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with. It ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu.
I love this version of me.
America's number one most watched daytime talk show is ABC's The View.
You all heard it here first.
This is going to be must see TV. And so much could happen. That's why it's called the what?
Love you.
Let's get this done.
Being a cop is stressful. Every year on the.
Job.
Is different. You never really stop being a rookie.
Work smarter, not harder.
What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America?
We are part of an operation.
This is our combat operation center.
We're approaching the gate. Militants came in from.
I appreciate you.
Thank you. Ismail. David.
David.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Covering the very latest on the immigration front along the southwest border in El Paso. Wherever the story is. We'll take.
You there.
You're streaming ABC news live.
Hi, I'm.
Diane.
Macedo. Our top story today on.
ABC News.
Live. First, the search for answers in the deadly DC air collision. The NTSB has recovered.
The.
Black boxes from the American Airlines flight. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower. Moments before a military.
Helicopter hit.
The plane.
Part of any investigation. We look at the human, the machine and the environment.
Meanwhile, we're learning.
More about the people.
On board.
Including 14 members.
Of the figure.
Skating.
Community.
He was so young and he was excited about life and his future.
Plus, the.
Controversy after President Trump claims, without evidence that the crash may have been caused by diversity policies. Our special live team coverage starts right now.
But first, the.
NTSB.
Now has the flight.
Data and cockpit.
Voice.
Recorders from that American Airlines.
Flight.
The black boxes could show what was happening in the cockpit before the jet was hit by a Blackhawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport. Meanwhile, a source confirmed to ABC news the air traffic controller on duty was doing a job normally done by two controllers. The tragedy comes after increasing safety concerns in the airspace around Reagan Airport. ABC News transportation correspondent Gio Benitez has the latest. Gio, what are you hearing in terms of this investigation now.
Well, Dianne, there are just so many.
Questions right now happening here. And we're.
Learning.
As you said, about that air traffic controller. These are new questions that are being raised now. One person doing the job of two. And of course that Blackhawk helicopter, its altitude apparently flying at 350ft.
Instead.
Of the 200ft it was supposed to be at. The urgent investigation.
Into.
What led to the country's deadliest.
Aviation.
Disaster in decades. The black boxes from the American Airlines plane seen here, transported in the same water they were pulled from to preserve the integrity of the recordings. Now in the hands of the NTSB for evaluation.
We do have information. We have data. We have substantial amounts of information. We need to verify information.
The U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet, killing 67 people. No survivors. An early focus for the investigation. The flight path of the helicopter. Preliminary data showing it was flying at about 350ft, when it should have been under 200.
As far as altitude. Until we get the additional information, we can't validate or basically corroborate any of that until we get more of the electronic data.
Pittsburgh has an aircraft in operation.
One expert says early indications show a tragic sequence of events suggesting the helicopter pilots were looking at the wrong plane.
When you are required to maintain visual separation, once you acknowledge or ask for visual separation, then the controller kind of relaxes a little bit because he thinks, well, that aircraft sees the other one.
And now a source with direct knowledge confirming reports that the air traffic controller on duty was performing the job normally done by two controllers. This is usually done when there's less air traffic. But Wednesday night that change from two controllers to one was made 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic.
Did you see that?
Just after 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, American Airlines Flight 5342, flying towards runway 33 with just 2400ft left to go. That Blackhawk approaching from the other side of the Potomac River when the two ultimately collided, then crashing into the river. Now the tragic recovery operation. About 40 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage. Satellite images showing the operation from above. Debris sprawled across the water.
As.
Part of any investigation. We look at the human, the machine and the environment. So we will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is part of that is standard in any part of our investigation.
Just over 24 hours before Wednesday's crash, a different regional jet did what's called a go around maneuver when landing at Reagan Airport due to a Black Hawk helicopter in the same area. Safety concerns have been increasing in the airspace around Reagan Airport. The airport was designed to accommodate 15 million passengers each year, but now sees more than 25 million a year. Congress voted just last year to add more flights. And a reminder here these investigations are incredibly complicated. In almost all of them, the NTSB ends up finding information that we just didn't know before. And it is highly likely, Diane, that this will be one of those cases.
And, Gio, what is the latest from the NTSB?
So we actually learned overnight, as you said earlier, that the black boxes from the airplane. Right. So the American Airlines flight, those black boxes were recovered. They're on the way. And already at the NTSB lab. The analysis is beginning on those. It's going to take a few days to extract all of the information, and the preliminary report won't be out for another 30 days. So that's why these are so complicated. It takes time. But more importantly, right now, we have not found, according to the defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, we have not found the black box for the helicopter. And that is really going to give us a lot more information, because if you're assuming that the American Airlines pilots didn't even know what was happening, that this Black Hawk helicopter was coming at it and about to hit it, um, we may not learn too much from the black boxes from the American Airlines flight. So it's really critical that we find that black box from the Black Hawk helicopter, because that may give us a lot more information.
It will tell us why. Perhaps it was flying at 350ft. And that's a central question here right now.
All right.
Transportation correspondent Gio Benitez thank you. And we're learning more about the victims of the crash. At least two were as young as 12 years old. Some died alongside their parents. Now, their loved ones say they are determined to keep their memories alive. ABC's Whit Johnson joins me from East Potomac Park. Hi, whit. What more are you learning about the families affected here?
Hey, Diane.
Good morning to you. There's really been an overwhelming sense.
Of.
Grief as this tragedy has.
Touched so.
Many different communities. And you were talking about some of these victims as young as 12 years old. We know there are a number of teenagers, figure skaters who were on this.
Flight.
Alongside their parents. And as we've been talking to these family members, what they really want people to know is just how wonderful these loved ones were. They're trying to keep their memories alive, and they want everyone to know how much they were loved. We're beginning to see the faces and hear the stories of the 67 lives lost in that fiery crash over the Potomac. Flight 5342. First Officer Samuel Lilly was just 29 years old and newly engaged. Tiffany Gibson told ABC news her little brother was a kind soul.
He was young, he was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog, getting a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
Ian Epstein, one of two flight attendants on board, was a father and husband. His family saying in a statement he loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family. Elizabeth Quay is being remembered as a strong, fearless woman who embraced life at full speed. She was killed on her 33rd birthday, returning home early from a business trip so she could go on a date with her longtime partner, David Duggins, a civil rights attorney set to become a professor at Howard University Law School in the fall. Howard saying that Dugan's dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money, bail practices and U.S. Figure Skating mourning the loss of at least 14 athletes, coaches and family members who were returning from a training camp. 12 year old Brielle Beyer, a cancer survivor, was with her mother, Justina. Andy Beyer tells me his daughter Brielle could light up any room.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did, and she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
Spencer Lane killed along with his mom, Christine, was a 16 year old figure skating phenom. His father, Doug, says he was unstoppable.
He's like was a force of nature. He just had amazing athletic abilities and just was someone who you couldn't make him do something. But if he was like, hey, that's interesting to me, you couldn't stop him.
Married Boston Skating Club coaches and former world champions Zhenya Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, seen here competing in 1996. Friends calling their deaths a tremendous loss for the skating community.
Just one of a kind. They cared about their athletes and were world champions themselves. And they were just champions in life.
Now, removing the victims from the wreckage is an incredibly delicate process. Sources tell us they are ceasing the diving operations for now, until they can actually lift entire sections of the fuselage above the surface of the river. Diane.
And what are the next steps in that recovery effort?
Well, I can tell you that the weather, Diane, has taken a turn for the worst. I don't know if you can hear the rain coming down and the winds are starting to pick up here. So that's something that could delay and complicate the recovery efforts today. I can tell you already, as the sun has come up this morning, we've seen some boats on the water scanning the surface, looking for potential parts there. But we also know that sources are telling us that additional assets and equipment are on their way to the DC area. They're expected to be arriving and in the operation in the coming days, but the timing is still unclear at this point. Diane.
All right. ABC's Whit Johnson. Thank you. And President Trump is facing backlash for blaming air traffic control initiatives for the mid-air collision. President Trump later admitted he had no evidence for that claim. Now, a former FAA official is disputing Trump's claims, saying anyone applying to the FAA must meet the same rigorous standards as Democrats call for the president to apologize to the public. ABC News Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce has the latest.
With the investigation just beginning. President Trump.
Is claiming without.
Any.
Evidence.
That.
Democrats.
Diversity.
Programs.
Are to blame for the tragedy.
We are going to have the most competent people in the country in our control towers, not people that are there for any other reason.
Karen Travers pressing.
Him to be clear. Are you saying race or gender played a role in this tragedy?
It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. Well, we'll let you know that. But we want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are.
In the briefing room, the.
President accusing his.
Predecessors.
Of hiring.
Air.
Traffic.
Controllers based on diversity.
Goals, not qualifications.
I asked the president, where's his proof? Are you saying this crash was somehow caused and the result of diversity hiring?
And what evidence.
Have you seen to support these claims?
It just could have been. We have a high standard. We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brainpower. You have to go by psychological, uh, quality.
But Trump also acknowledged he doesn't know.
If the.
Air traffic controllers made any mistakes.
It's all under investigation.
I understand.
That.
That's why I'm trying to figure out.
How you can come to the conclusion right now that diversity.
Had.
Something.
To do with this crash.
Because I have common sense.
Former President Biden's transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, responding despicable, saying as families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying. We put safety first. Democratic lawmakers say Trump owes the public an apology.
It's one thing for internet pundits to spew off conspiracy theories. It's another for the president of the United States to throw out idle speculation, as bodies are still being recovered and families still being notified. It just turns your stomach.
And the president is also.
Facing.
Questions about his plan to slash the federal workforce. The FAA has been struggling for years with a shortage of air traffic controllers. Of course, the president has now offered all federal workers this buyout. And the union that represents air traffic controllers telling us, quote, they are concerned about the potential effect to public safety if FAA were to lose experienced aviation safety personnel. Diane.
All right. ABC News Chief white House correspondent Mary Bruce. Thank you. And let's go to aviation attorney Brian Alexander for more. Brian, you've flown military helicopters along these DCA area routes. So what can you tell us about this airspace and the runways there?
Yes. Well, thanks.
For having me on. And of course, I extend my.
Sympathies to the.
Families. I think as a as someone who represents them, I want to say the most important thing.
Is to not overly speculate and to get.
To the hard.
Cold facts as soon as possible, for several reasons.
One to inform the families of what happened and why. And then.
Second.
As you're pointing out, to make.
Sure it doesn't happen.
Again. If I could just paint the scene there in this corridor.
As you've as you've reported already, you know, this is frequently.
Used by the military.
It has.
Been.
For decades.
Really, without without incident.
But it's a heavily congested area.
And I think what.
Will what.
Will be born out in the next couple of days, weeks and months.
Is the specific circumstances here.
Particularly in relation.
To the communications.
Between air traffic and the helicopter pilot.
The.
Specific mission that they were on, whether they were wearing night vision goggles or not, and.
What it was they were visually perceiving, as it's been.
Reported.
And I think it likely might be true that the pilots in the helicopter may have mistook the call out from air traffic control for a different aircraft, which which is conceivable. If you're familiar with this particular area, you've got aircraft stacking up for miles, coming in from the south to the north on runway one, and then all of a sudden we pull one aircraft out to circle to land on runway 33 as we have the have the helicopter traffic coming north to south on the on the other side of the corridor. That's going to be important in terms of the specific call out to the helicopter pilot about the the American Eagle jet. And combined with that will be, again, the altitude that the helicopter was at. That's a pretty rigid, strict 200ft. And below. We've heard various reports on that. Once that is corroborated and determined, that will shed a lot of light, I think, on exactly what happened and what were contributing factors to the accident.
Now, a source with direct knowledge confirms that the air traffic controller on duty was doing a job normally done by two controllers. How concerning is that?
Well, that's very concerning. And it's emblematic of something that myself and, and aviation safety advocates all over the country have been pointing out and writing about. I wrote an article in 2023 about this very specific same issue. The system has been blinking red at several levels. You know, the the inadequate staffing, the experience gap that has been created in the last decade really experienced controllers leaving and the time to get the experience required for for the substitute controllers not being adequate. And then you've got a technology lag with the equipment that they're using. Again, every every decade or so you need to upgrade that. I think we're lagging on that all a function of underfunding and over staffing. So those things are very, very relevant to uh, to the competency of of the controllers. And the same is true for pilots. You know, there's there are issues there about the adequacy of training and the skills and experience of pilots, both in the military and commercially. It's a it's a system that is dependent upon the various layers of protection, and it's the whole system now that needs to be looked at with greater scrutiny.
And I hope that hope that the government finally wakes up to recognize that and addresses it with much more vigor than they have.
The NTSB now has the black boxes from the plane. What do you think we'll learn from them?
Well, you know the aircraft, I think I heard one of your reporters astutely point out that if things are the way they appear to be, the black boxes from the jet may be much less significant and helpful to the investigation. It's like when you're in an emergency room, you need to rule out things and rule in things. So you look at that information from the cockpit voice recorder. You look at the flight data from the jet. But the similar information on the Black Hawk, assuming it has a flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, that will be much more helpful. But there are other recordings that will shed light. There's radar data that will, once corroborated, shed a lot of light on on what happened. And then they'll be looking at not only the human factors, but some other issues if they arise, for example, what the impact may have been for the night vision goggles. And I think, again, the uniqueness of the approach here, pulling the jet out to come to runway three three circle to land, putting it in greater proximity to the helicopter and the call out communications.
I think that will be scrutinized by the board.
All right. Aviation attorney Brian Alexander. Brian. Thank you.
Thank you.
Don. Coming up, the first American-Israeli hostage set to be released tomorrow. The emotional moment his wife found out he was coming home.
Tonight, the aftermath of the tragic.
DC.
Plane crash. The victims and families who waited for them to arrive. As the investigation continues.
World News Tonight with David.
Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Let's get this.
Done.
Being a cop is stressful.
Every year on.
The job.
Is different. You never really stop being a rookie.
Work smarter, not harder.
Isabella Strahan it's been rough, it's been challenging, and it's been very hard. But I know I'll get through it.
Life interrupted.
The first thing that went through my mind was this must be a mistake.
You don't really think the worst until you get told the worst. I'm not. You.
Know.
Love and support really helped her pull through. I'm very proud of her.
The powerful special Wednesday night on ABC.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, an American being held hostage in Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says Keith Siegel and two other Israelis are on the list sent by Hamas. ABC News foreign correspondent Rick Klein is in Tel Aviv with the details and how Segal's family is reacting. Hi, Brit. Hi, Diane.
Well, Keith Segal will become the first American-Israeli hostage to be freed after 15 months in captivity. The 65 year old is among three hostages listed by Hamas for tomorrow's hostage prisoner exchange, along with Ofir Calderon and Yadin Bibas. Segal was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza with his wife Aviva. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in November 2023. Tomorrow, she can finally expect her husband to come home. Keith's daughter sharing this emotional video as they learned the news of Eva saying I can't believe it. Dad is on the list. Another American, Sagi, is also among the 33 hostages set to be released in phase one of this deal. But no word on when exactly he'll be released. President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, telling me they are doing everything they can to get the Americans home, and they're confident the ceasefire will hold.
Diane Britt Clennett in Tel Aviv for us. Britt. Thank you. And sources tell ABC news multiple senior FBI officials are being threatened to resign or face getting fired or demoted. The move follows a series of firings of Justice Department officials who worked on the special counsel's investigation of President Trump. Meanwhile, some of President Trump's most controversial nominees are facing difficult confirmation battles after tense hearings on Capitol Hill. FBI director nominee Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. Faced tough questions from lawmakers on their past comments. ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott has the details.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. Trump's pick for health secretary, facing tough questions from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about his history spreading misinformation about vaccines.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Cassidy, who is a doctor, repeatedly asked Kennedy to outright reject claims that two vaccines cause autism. Kennedy would not.
Senator, I.
Am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're.
Because the data is.
There and that's kind of a yes or no. And I don't mean to cut you off, but that really is a yes or no.
If the.
Data.
Is.
There.
I.
Will absolutely do that.
Cassidy, a key Republican vote in the Senate, was not satisfied, making it clear by the end of the hearing he was, quote, struggling with the nomination. Across Capitol Hill, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, defended her 2017 meeting in Syria with dictator Bashar al-Assad.
I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator.
But the hearing turning heated about her past support of Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets.
Your answer?
Yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security.
Apparently you.
Don't.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, nominated to lead the FBI, pressed on his own words that he wants to go after President Trump's political enemies. Patel tried to strike a different tone.
There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI. Should I be confirmed as the FBI director?
But in a rare move, he did split with President Trump on commuting the sentences of rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
So, Diane, any of these Republican nominees can only afford to lose three Republican senators. The question how did those moderates, like Senator Bill Cassidy, get the assurances they need?
Diane, ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott. Rachel. Thank you. Coming up, music. Music's biggest stars come together for Southern California. How Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and many more are raising millions for wildfire victims.
I think.
Whenever, wherever news breaks, it's so important to always remember that lives are changed here in London, in Buffalo. Uvalde, Texas. Edinburgh, Scotland. Reporting from Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Ukrainian refugees here in Warsaw. We're heading to a small community outside of Mexico City, getting you behind the stories as they happen. ABC News Live Prime. We'll take you there.
Stream ABC news live weeknights wherever you stream your news only on ABC News Live. What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America?
We are part.
Of.
An operation.
This is our combat operation center.
We're approaching.
The gate.
Militants.
Came.
In.
From.
I appreciate.
You.
Thank you. Ismail. David.
David.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Reporting from Detroit, Michigan on election day. I'm Juju Chang. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC news Live.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, here are some of the top headlines we're following right now. A federal appeals court has ruled banning handgun sales to adults under 21 is unconstitutional. The court says the ban violates the Second Amendment. The case will likely be challenged in the Supreme Court. Rescue crews in Japan are searching for a missing truck driver in a sinkhole. Crews say the 74 year old driver's truck fell 16ft when the ground caved in on Tuesday north of Tokyo. Now, they say the search efforts going slowly over fear the ground may still be unstable. It's not clear if the driver is alive. And a new prescription drug for severe pain has approval from the FDA. It's an oral non-opioid medication called Juranovic. Researchers say it doesn't have the addictive properties found in opioids, and it works by blocking pain signals at their source instead of in the brain's reward centers. It's expected to cost about $15 per pill. And tributes are pouring in for Olympic figure skater Dick button. The two time Olympic gold medalist and five time world champion died Thursday in New York.
His family did not immediately give a cause. Button was one of the most accomplished figures in men's skating. He also won an Emmy for his work as a sports analyst, including here at ABC on shows like World Wide Sports. Dick Button was 95 years old. And donations are pouring in after music's biggest stars came together for Fire Aid in Los Angeles. The concert benefited victims of this month's wildfires. The lineup included stars born and raised in California and others who've called it home for decades. ABC's Danny New has the highlights.
We love you, Los Angeles and we got your back no matter what.
The benefit concert. So big.
Always remain forever young.
It filled two arenas. Fire aid brought thousands of spectators and dozens of stars together to both heal as a community and raise money for those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
It is everything the fire and all my love to you.
For those watching at home, the live stream kicked off at 10 p.m. eastern from the Kia Forum with the duet of two Billies Billie Eilish and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Both were born and raised in California, which was a theme for the night.
Our goal is.
Simple tonight to raise more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents.
Then legendary comedian Billy Crystal set the tone for the evening, revealing that he was wearing the very clothes he had on when he escaped his home just before it burned down. Still, Crystal said he knew laughter would help his fellow victims through these hard times.
But everybody's been so supportive.
This young girl, she.
Must have been 20, came up to me and said she understood my pain because she had lost tick tock for a day. But guess what else I got for you?
He's up at the Kia Forum. Appearances were also made by Compton's own Doctor Dre, and.
I've looked at clouds from.
Both.
Sides. Now.
Joni Mitchell, who may not be from California but certainly wrote beautiful music about it.
Hello.
Samuel L Jackson here.
Meanwhile, you just heard who kicked off the show at the Intuit Dome, which featured performances from California native and rock legend John Fogerty, who turns 80 this year.
I'm just a girl in love.
And the rock band No Doubt, who originally formed in Anaheim, are apostrophe.
Keep it plenty.
Big thanks to Danny. New for that report. Coming up, we have new information in the investigation of the deadliest air disaster in the U.S. in decades. What we're learning about staffing and the air traffic control tower and what may have gone wrong. Also ahead, new allegations against Sean Diddy Combs with the music mogul is being accused of in an expanded indictment. Plus, Dwyane Wade's health scare revelation, what the basketball star is saying about his battle with cancer and what helped him cope during recovery.
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You know, something was about to happen.
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Shouldn't we strategize?
Come on. We're gonna improvise. Freestyle? No.
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The midair collision. Crash into the Potomac. Now. Sunday. New details on the investigation. Plus the president testing the limits of executive authority and his push on immigration raids and mass deportations. Sunday morning on ABC's This.
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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. Welcome back to ABC News Live. First divers will be back in the Potomac River today to search and recover wreckage from a deadly midair collision. 67 people are dead after an American Airlines jet and Army helicopter collided over Washington, D.C.. Police say the remains of 40 victims have been pulled from the water so far. Meanwhile, the NTSB is releasing pictures of the plane's black boxes being cleaned and processed. Let's bring in ABC's Perry Russom at Reagan National Airport and ABC news senior Pentagon reporter Louis Martinez for more. Perry, what's the latest on these black boxes?
Yes. So there.
Are two black boxes that were pulled from the plane, and one is a voice.
Recorder. The other is a data recorder. Right now, the NTSB is analyzing both of those.
Boxes.
Trying to.
Extract.
The information and line them up to essentially do a TikTok.
Of what.
Happened.
Inside.
The plane, what was being said, what was the altitude, which way was the plane shifting? Essentially gathering as much information as they possibly can to figure out what happened inside the plane.
So as for the helicopter, as for the Blackhawk, that black box, whatever.
Apparatus that they use to measure.
What's going on.
Inside.
That has.
Still not been recovered.
We're being told.
And this is all happening as bodies are still being.
Pulled from.
The freezing waters of the Potomac. As of yesterday, about.
40.
Bodies have.
Been recovered.
So we're still waiting to see what's going on with the other 27.
As we.
Were told yesterday, they are waiting for the aircraft to be brought to the surface of the water to extract the remaining people, and this.
Is all happening.
As rain is forecast. It's light rain right now and when there is rain in DC, there is runoff. That runoff goes into the Potomac, which then turns up the water, which could complicate these efforts even more. But the NTSB is looking at three different things. We're looking at the humans involved, the machines involved, and also the environment that played a factor in this.
Diane and Perry. A source is confirming that the person working in air traffic control in the tower at that moment was doing the job that's supposed to be done by two people. What more can you tell us about that?
Right.
So we're being told that this happens.
From time to time.
So when aircraft volume is lower, what they do is they combine jobs. So one person does the job of two people. This happened Wednesday night 40 minutes earlier than it typically does. But we're told that this does happen from time to time to time. It is routine. And we're also being told that this position had to talk to both the helicopter and the plane as well. So we're sure that the NTSB is going to be looking at this when they say that, they also want to talk to the humans involved in this crash.
And, Louis, a lot of this investigation centers around the Army helicopter. So what's the latest on that side of the investigation.
Diane? A lot going on with in terms of the investigation. What they're looking at is, was the helicopter in the right place where it was supposed to be, defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying this morning that they're looking at the altitude. We have seen reports that the helicopter potentially was higher than the 200 foot ceiling for the Army helicopter, or any kind of helicopters flying through that corridor above the Potomac River. So one of the things that they're looking at is potentially that they're also looking at the communications. So they are trying to find the black box that also includes that is also included aboard that Black Hawk helicopter. And I think as we know, they have found the black boxes for the civilian aircraft. It will be crucial to find exactly what the information is contained on the military black box, given that it will fill in most of the picture.
And how is the Army responding to all of this?
The Army unit that has to which these three crew members belong to, that unit has stood down its flight operations and has paused momentarily for now. But one of the things that they're looking at is this is just a temporary thing. It's only for 48 hours. And I think it's to reinforce safety. Now, remember, this is a unit that is highly specialized in carrying out flights for VIPs in the DC area, particularly from the Pentagon to other parts in the region. So it's one of the things, excuse me, one of the things that they're trying to ascertain is what what part of their training needs to be reinforced. But it also it's a safety issue, given that there are flight operations, that there's a salvage operation, there's recovery operations taking place right now in the Potomac River. So they want to focus on that right now.
All right. Louis Martinez Perry Russom, thank you both. And let's bring in ABC news contributor, former Coast Guard lieutenant Don Mihelich. For more. Don. Thanks, as always, for coming on. What do you see as the Coast Guard's role in this recovery mission and investigation?
Well, anytime there's a waterways disaster, whether it's a crash or a ship collision, the Coast Guard are the on scene incident commanders. They have the expertise in both search and rescue and search and recovery. And they're also the coordinators for all the other assets police, fire and other federal agencies that show up in order to coordinate that response and recovery efforts, which, as we've seen, involve both the recovery of the individuals involved in the crash. And then also you have the evidence recovery. So that way the NTSB and the FBI can investigate exactly what happened here. While they're doing that, they have to maintain the integrity of the waterways and maintain the integrity of the security of the of the crash site. So that way they can collect all the evidence needed in order to figure out what happened in this tragic incident.
And there's rain in the forecast today and tomorrow in Washington. How does that impact a recovery effort like this? Don?
Anytime anything happens in a war, you have Mother Nature working against you. You've got tides, you've got temperatures, you've got currents, and you've got water depths that are that are fighting against you in addition to the temperature changes. Um, D.C. and the northeast have just come out of an extreme cold. So the water there is very cold. So it limits the amount of time that the divers and rescue personnel can operate in and around the water. With rain coming in, they may have to suspend operations again because of the weather changes. That's one of the problems with trying to work an incident like this in the water.
And what is the Coast Guard looking for that you think could really help this investigation the most?
Well, top priority for the Coast Guard and all the agencies is of course, rescue. But in this case, it's more of a recovery operation. So from my understanding, they've recovered about 40 people. They're going to want to recover the rest of the people. but that is going to necessitate them now moving both of the aircraft out of the water and trying to find where these where the people are similar to what happened in the bridge collapse, where it took them some time and they ended up having to move some of the structure that was in the water and the bridge collapse in order to find some of the individuals there. So it's going to be a very delicate process and a very choreographed process, because they want to make sure that they're protecting the individuals, that they're trying to recover, as well as protecting the evidence that they need to investigate this incident.
All right, Don, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
And let's bring in ABC's Elizabeth Schulze with more on what we're learning about the victims of this crash. Elizabeth, how many have been identified at this point?
So, Diane.
ABC.
News has identified 20 of the victims. Of those 67 people presumed dead. Of course, the 64 passengers and crew members who were on the American Airlines flight and.
Then the three service members on the military helicopter. And we are learning, Diane, that some of some of these victims.
Were as young as.
12 years old. They were kids.
Traveling with.
Their parents.
On that flight.
Grace Maxwell.
Was one. She was.
An.
Engineering student.
She was.
Working on a hand stabilizing device she was.
Trying to in her life. Family members told us to help disabled.
Children.
Be able to write.
And.
More.
Independently.
We learned about Elizabeth Keys. She was a DC based attorney.
She died on her 33rd birthday.
She was trying to catch that flight back from Kansas, where she was.
Working.
Here to DC so.
She could spend her.
Birthday with her longtime boyfriend. We've learned about Kia Duggins, a civil rights attorney. She was set to become a professor at Howard University here in DC just this fall. And of course, the crew members. Samuel Lilly was the flight's first officer. Ian Epstein was a flight attendant. Both of their families say they were both full of life, love their jobs.
And.
You know, 67.
Families.
But also communities that are just going to be still obviously processing what happened. In a long road of grief ahead, you can really feel the heaviness of that reverberating throughout the community here.
Diane and Elizabeth, what do we know about the figure skating team that was on board?
Right. So we know that at least 14 figure skaters, coaches and team members were coming from Wichita to D.C. on that flight after they'd been there for a training camp. That training camp took place just after the national championships. One of those skaters was 12 year old Brielle Bryer. She actually was. Diane, a cancer survivor, when she was just a little girl and turned her passion into figure skating. And one thing we're hearing from this figure skating community, which is so incredibly tight knit, is how the loss of a couple of young skaters, a loss of team members of coaches, has reverberated for so many. And here's what one of those skaters told us.
Connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through.
Everyone heard that echo Diane from the Boston Skating Club. They held a news conference yesterday and talked about how the loss of six of their members and coaches were was still. So, you know, they just couldn't believe it. They were at a loss for words. Nancy Kerrigan, of course, the Olympian tearfully describing how this community learns to fall down and get back up. This is a big fall. And she said they will get back up. But right now, just processing and so much shock. Diane.
All right. Elizabeth. Thank you. And as Elizabeth mentioned, this tragedy had a devastating impact on the figure skating community. 14 skaters, coaches and family members were among those killed. ABC's Erielle Reshef has more on this tight knit family now in mourning.
The skating.
World.
Reeling in loss.
Six members.
Of the Skating Club of Boston.
In.
Norwood.
Massachusetts.
Killed on the.
Ill fated American.
Airlines.
Flight.
And then when you find out, you know, you know some of the people on the plane, it's even a bigger blow.
The club.
A home away from home for Olympians like Nancy Kerrigan.
Who gathered at the rink.
To.
Remember the.
Young.
Athletes.
And coaches.
If I could do anything for somebody that I just wanted to be there to do it.
All of.
The skaters and.
Coaches.
Had.
Been.
In Wichita.
At a development camp that took.
Place immediately following the U.S. National Championships. 16 year.
Old Spencer.
Lane.
Posted.
This last TikTok.
Performing.
A.
Flawless triple.
Toe.
Loop.
At camp.
He started to discover this.
Connection with the audience.
And that joy.
That.
He was giving to.
Other people through.
His gift, and. He said, please let me skate again with you next year.
The skating phenom.
Also.
Sharing this.
Haunting picture.
From inside the plane.
Bound for.
D.C..
Just before.
Takeoff.
His dad.
Douglas.
Speaking.
With.
WCVB.
About.
The pain of losing.
Both his.
Son.
And.
His.
Wife.
I just happened to open like, a news browser and saw a small plane in the Potomac, and I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest.
Spencer's teammates remembering.
His raw.
Talent.
He was a little fireball. He was a little firecracker. That's the best way to put it.
The club also paying tribute to.
13.
Year old.
Jena Hahn, seen here competing.
Just.
Last month.
Jena was.
A.
Very.
Energetic.
Child. Whenever you meet her, you met her in the morning. Say hi and you just see this smiling girl.
Hahn's mother, Jen, also.
On the plane.
Along with.
Her.
Coaches Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former world champions. The skating community, hoping.
The lessons.
They've learned on the.
Ice will.
Help give them the strength.
To.
Face the future.
Even when it's hard to get back up. Even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. It's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together.
And that's what.
Skaters are taught to do from such a young age. Deep grief felt through the entire world of skating and beyond. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee echoing. There are truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow. A moment of silence was held at the European Figure Skating Championships to remember those lost. That community leaning on each other now. Diane.
All right Erielle Reshef. Thank you. Let's bring in ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers. Karen President Trump has posted to Truth Social today blaming what or who may be responsible for the crash. What do you make of what he's saying now and the white House press briefing yesterday.
You know.
The president yesterday said that there was going.
To be an investigation, but he said yesterday he.
Had very.
Strong.
Opinions about.
What had happened in that crash.
And of course, Diane.
He was saying this less.
Than 24.
Hours.
After the crash.
Had happened. The president.
Yesterday in the briefing.
Room, had suggested that diversity efforts in hiring at the.
FAA had made.
Air travel less safe. There were a lot of questions about that. Our Mary Bruce.
Asked.
Him.
How he could say that, and he said it just could have.
Been asked.
Him.
Where.
The evidence was to support.
That.
And, you know, I also had the opportunity to ask him later in the Oval Office if he was saying if race or gender played a role in this plane crash. And, Diane, the president told me it may have. I don't know. He said incompetence may have played a role. And he repeated that line throughout this question.
And answer.
We had with him in the Oval Office about how he wanted competent people in these roles. And it might have been incompetence that led to this crash. You know, I think it is notable the president likes to put things out on social media or when he's talking to reporters speculating about this almost as an observer. But we, of course, are waiting to hear from officials. And this investigation now is going to take place over the coming weeks and months.
And Karen Trump was also asked if Americans should feel safe to fly after that crash. What is the white House saying about that and the aviation community saying about that?
Dan, the president was very insistent yesterday that Americans should not hesitate to fly. Of course, National Airport reopened again yesterday. Flights were taking off and landing there even as that recovery effort was still underway. He also said that he is.
Not.
Hesitant to fly, but he was very clear that an accident.
Like.
That cannot happen again. Diane.
All right, Karen Travers, thank you. Coming up, Sean Diddy Combs has been hit with new allegations. What's in the newly expanded indictment against the music mogul?
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, federal prosecutors are expanding their case against Sean Diddy Combs. A newly expanded indictment filed by prosecutors says the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women longer than first alleged. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Erin Katersky has the details.
Federal prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking.
Case.
Against Sean Diddy Combs, saying the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women over a longer period of time than first alleged 20 years from 2004 until his arrest last year in New York. The new indictment says Combs assaulted not only women but also his employees, witnesses to his abuse and others.
It was.
A circus. He did whatever he wanted, And we were just at his disposal.
For two years. Phil Pines was a senior executive assistant and is suing him for sexual battery and harassment, which Combs has denied. Alleged violence was vividly captured in this 2016 video obtained by CNN, showing Combs kicking and dragging his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel. The new indictment says Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 for the footage, and prosecutors now say Combs coerced two additional victims into sex acts. The ones that also recruited male prostitutes were called freak offs. Others involved only Combs and a female victim. Like the freak offs, the new indictment says these sex acts sometimes lasted multiple days or sometimes electronically recorded, and often involved a variety of drugs meant to keep the victim obedient and compliant. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said he is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial.
Senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky. Thank you. Meanwhile, the judge is expected to hear arguments over whether the mother of a Michigan high school shooter should get a new trial or have her conviction overturned. Jennifer Crumbly was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford High School shooting. Her husband, James Crumbly, was also convicted on those same charges. They were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Now, a judge will hear what the prosecution and defense have to say. After denying most of Jennifer Crumbley's request for a new trial yesterday. ABC news contributor and trial attorney Brian Buckmire joins me now for more on this. Brian, walk me through this because this was a first of its kind case for both Jennifer Crumbley and her husband. So where does this all stand now? As as she's asking for a new trial.
So, Dan, we're at the first appellate level after the trial, where the judge has already denied a number of motions, as you pointed out, that of ineffective assistance of counsel. The argument that there are two competing theories that Ethan Crumbley, the shooter, was charged as an adult. But in this case, they said that Jennifer Crumbley could not control her minor son. And also, they're saying that the judge made an error in saying that, that the jury did not have to decide between two different theories as to whether or not Crumbley was failed to secure the weapon or failed to control a minor son in in these charges. And so the judge is going to put those aside. Right now, what we're focusing on is whether or not a proffer agreement was given to a counselor and former dean who testified in Jennifer Crumbley's trial, to the extent that they would not be prosecuted for the information they were giving. And if that did happen, the prosecution should have turned that information over. But they didn't.
And if that is an issue that ultimately could have changed or overturned or changed this case, the judge may issue a decision that grants a new trial.
So, Brian, what happens if the judge grants or denies the defense's motion here? Where does the case go from here?
So if the judge grants the motion for the defense that there should be a new trial, and that's a very high standard to reach, because both the defense would have to prove that there was an error in not turning over this information, and that it was not harmless in that it would have actually had an effect on the trial. And if that happens, there could be a new trial, a dismissal of of this conviction. And we basically just start all over again. But if this is denied, like all the other arguments, then this is just the first level of appeal. And I would expect that the defense would then go to the Michigan Court of Appeals to re-enlist the same arguments again, but at a higher level, hoping that that court have a different outcome than the one they're in now.
ABC news legal contributor Brian Buchmeyer. Thank you. Coming up, Dwyane Wade reveals he had nearly half of his kidney removed with the NBA star is saying about his battle with cancer and what helped him cope during recovery.
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You never really stop being.
A.
Rookie.
Work smarter, not harder.
Buzz, buzz.
This family.
Is suffocating. We are all here to help them. We're going to make this happen. We have 96 hours to build a house.
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, Dwayne Wade is opening up about his battle with cancer. The NBA Hall of Famer appeared to be the picture of health when he got the surprising diagnosis. Now he's sharing his experience undergoing surgery to have 40% of his kidney removed. ABC's Eva Pilgrim has more on why he is encouraging others to stay on top of their health.
NBA legend Dwayne Wade.
Revealing.
A.
Terrifying health.
Scare.
What I.
Had on my kidney.
Was a.
Cyst.
A.
Tumor.
The Hall of Famer sharing on his podcast that.
Doctors removed nearly.
Half.
Of his right kidney in.
2023.
Thank God that I did.
Do the surgery.
Right.
Because the tumor was cancerous and.
They took.
40% of my.
Kidney.
To.
Make sure.
That they can get.
All the cancer.
Off of.
It.
Wade posting.
To Instagram. It's my story. A reminder to face your fears, prioritize your health and get checked. There were over.
430,000.
New.
Cases of kidney cancer worldwide.
Black men are.
Among the most.
Diagnosed.
In.
The U.S..
It is.
Generally.
Seen in older.
Individuals.
So people, you know.
60 to 70 and older. When it's found, but.
It.
Can.
Be found.
At any age and especially different types of kidney cancers can be diagnosed.
At younger.
And older ages.
The basketball superstar saying he went to the doctor after having stomach.
Issues.
Cramps and trouble going to the bathroom. Wade saying he was inspired to get checked by his father who battled prostate cancer.
I went.
In to get myself checked.
Out and I went.
In and I was like, doc, I want to know everything.
About my.
Body.
Head to toe.
The 13.
Time all star and father of five, who was married to actress Gabrielle.
Union.
Says the health scare helped show him the true meaning.
Of.
Family.
I found.
Strength.
In my family.
And my friends.
And my group.
Wade says for him.
Surgery.
Was.
The right decision.
He didn't give too many.
More.
Details.
About his current.
Health.
But we, of course, are wishing him all the best.
And we sure are. Eva Pilgrim, thank you and thank you for watching. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops and neither do we. We have a lot more news after the break. Stay with us.
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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. This is our top story on ABC News Live. First, the search for answers in the deadly DC air collision. The NTSB has recovered the black boxes from the American Airlines flight. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower. Moments before a military helicopter hit the plane.
Part of any.
Investigation. We look at the human, the machine and the environment. Meanwhile, we're learning more about the people on board, including the 14 members of the figure skating community.
He was so young and he was excited about life and his future.
Plus, the controversy after President Trump claims, without evidence that the crash may have been caused by diversity policies. Our special live team coverage starts right now. But first, the NTSB now has the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from that American Airlines flight. The black boxes could shed more light on what happened in the cockpit before the jet was hit by a Blackhawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport. Meanwhile, a source confirmed to ABC news the air traffic controller on duty was doing a job normally done by two controllers, and this tragedy follows increasing safety concerns in the airspace around Reagan Airport. ABC's Perry russom has more from Reagan Airport. Perry, what's the latest from NTSB?
Yeah. So right now, the NTSB is looking at the two boxes that were.
Pulled.
Just from the plane. As I mentioned, there were two of them, the voice recorder and the data recorder. So with the voice recorder, they have to do what's called audition. So multiple people.
Multiple.
Investigators have to listen to what was being said inside the cockpit of that plane and make sure everybody is hearing the same things. What words were being said, what noises were heard, any pings, any booms, anything like that. So they want to make sure everybody is on the same page with that. Then with the data recorder, they have a number of data points they're looking at. We're being told about 1000 different data points. Then they have to link everything up, sync everything up, and make sure that they have a solid idea of what happened inside that plane. And this is all happening as bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac, as we know as of as of yesterday about 40 bodies had been recovered, so we're still waiting to find out about the other 27. We know that the recovery efforts they have to bring the aircraft, the plane up to the surface so they can extract the remaining 27. And this is all happening as we're dealing with rain here today in DC. The rain has just picked up.
So when there's rain, there's runoff which can then turn up the Potomac, which could complicate efforts even more. Diane.
And this change from two controllers to one was made about 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. So what more are you hearing about what happened moments before that collision?
Right. So we know that this happens from time.
To time here at DCA. There is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, but there is no shortage here at DCA. We're being told. So when air traffic volume goes down what happens is positions are combined. So one person does the job of two. That decision is made by a supervisor. We're told that's what happened on Wednesday night 40 minutes earlier than it typically does. But we're not. We're being told just to take our time with trying to figure out exactly. What that means, not jump to any conclusions. But we are being told that that person was in charge of talking to both the Blackhawk helicopter as well as the plane. So when the NTSB says that they want to talk about and investigate the environment, the machines and the humans involved, that is a part of that humans section of the investigation. Diane.
And the DC area is expecting some bad weather today. How could that affect the recovery effort?
Yeah. So what's happening here is we're experiencing some rain and we know that this is a pretty wide debris field. We saw some images from the sky of the debris field here in the Potomac, where you can still see some things that are floating in the water. And this river has been running. I mean, when we were at the news conference yesterday, speaking with DC fire, they said that some of the debris was going down to the bridge about a mile away. And I'm sure even in the time since then, it's even drifted even further. But when there is rain here in DC, there's runoff the Potomac churns up, which could complicate efforts even more. And remember, the issue yesterday with divers is that they're diving in water with a plane that is broken into pieces, and now that they know that everybody involved is dead, they want to make sure that the recovery efforts and the recovery teams are staying safe when they're in the water. So that's why they're waiting to bring the aircraft to the surface and then extract the remaining 27 people.
All right. ABC's Perry russom at Reagan Airport. Perry. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims of the crash. At least two were as young as 12 years old. Some died alongside their parents. And now their loved ones say they are determined to keep their memories alive. ABC's Elizabeth Chelsea joins me now for more on that. Elizabeth, what else are you learning about the people on board this plane and the families impacted?
Yeah. Just heartbreaking Dan, to think about those young children traveling with their parents on this flight. They were about to land when the crash happened. We we ABC news has identified about 20 of the Of the victims of the presumed 67 people presumed dead. So of course, that's the 60 passengers who were on board the American Airlines flight. There were four crew members and then the three military service members on that Blackhawk helicopter. So what we do know is that one of those 12 year olds who died was a figure skater. Her name was Brielle Beyer. She actually survived cancer at a young age, went on to pursue her dream of becoming a figure skater. She was traveling back from Kansas with her mom when and both both are dead. Their father. Her father telling us he is just at a loss for words right now. And this was part of a big group of figure skaters, family members, teammates, teammates who were on this flight. We know that there are at least 14 people in that community, an incredibly tight knit community that is still reeling from this, this tragedy.
And beyond that, we're we're learning some of the identities of people who were going about their day to day lives, traveling like they would for work. There was a lawyer coming back from Wichita, back here to DC. She was trying to get on a flight that night because it was her 33rd birthday, and she wanted to make it home to see her boyfriend that night. I mean, the stories that we will hear as these victims continue to be identified, resonate so closely with this community, resonates so closely with people who, you know, many people have taken those regional flights. We know this is an incredibly busy airport, and we're just continuing to identify the grief that a lot of these families are starting to process now. Diane.
And so what are the next steps in the recovery efforts?
Yeah. So this is an incredibly difficult process to recover these bodies. We know that part of what needs to happen now is to actually get the fuselage out of the river so that they can then see what's underneath. This is similar to what we saw, Diane, during the Baltimore Bridge collapse, when there was just so much debris that divers rescue, you know, recovery workers couldn't actually get at what they needed to. And then, of course, there's the process of identifying the bodies. We know that there are several medical examiner's offices involved in identifying the bodies and the remains. So this is something that could take some time to play out. Families obviously desperate for answers in the meantime. And the American Airlines has said it will. Its priority right now is to continue to provide those families with support. We do know that a lot of the families last, as of last night, the NTSB said, were traveling here to DC so that they could be in place and get briefed by all of the officials as this process is underway.
All right. ABC's Elizabeth Schulze. Thank you. And President Trump is facing backlash for blaming air traffic control initiatives for the midair collision. President Trump later admitted he had no evidence for that claim. Now, a former FAA official is disputing those claims, saying anyone applying to the FAA must meet the same rigorous standards. This is Democrats are calling for the president to apologize to the to the public. ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers. Pressed the president on his remarks.
Mr. president.
To be clear.
Are.
You saying race or gender played a role in this tragedy?
It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. Well, we'll let you know that. But we want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are.
ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers joins me now for more. Karen, the president was digging in on that position yesterday. He seems to be backing away from it a little bit now. What's the latest on this back and forth about diversity and the claims that he's been making?
Yeah. The white House has not provided evidence to back up the president's claims yesterday.
From.
The president.
That, you know, diversity efforts from.
The previous.
Administration.
Had.
In.
Any way impacted air safety.
And that hiring.
Practices at the FAA had any declines at those agencies. Our colleague, Mary Bruce.
Asked the president.
About.
Evidence to Evidence to back.
Up those claims. And the.
President said yesterday it.
Just could have been. He was also asked.
In.
The briefing how he could come to a conclusion like that so quickly after.
A tragedy.
I mean, it wasn't even 24 hours later and the president told reporters, it's because I.
Have.
Common sense. And, you know, as you heard there, I tried to just.
Get at the.
Central question.
There.
Of whether he was saying.
Race or gender.
Played a.
Role in this. And he said it may have.
But he was really emphasizing.
Competence is what.
He.
Thinks.
Was an important.
Part of this, and that incompetence.
Played a role.
Diane, we.
Heard him blame.
The.
Helicopter pilots, the air traffic controllers.
Throughout.
The.
Day yesterday. But again, the NTSB.
Is.
Doing this investigation now. They'll have a report.
Within.
A.
Couple of weeks and then a longer investigation. But the.
President.
Says he wants answers.
On this and that. Something like this should not happen again.
The president is also talking about visiting the families impacted by this crash. What more are you hearing about those plans?
I asked the president yesterday if he intended to meet with the families of the victims.
And he said that.
Yes, he does intend to do that. No details yet on when that would happen. He has a pretty packed.
Day here today, meeting with some governors.
And also signing executive.
Actions.
But Diane, I also asked him if he intended to go to the crash site, meet with first responders.
Who.
Have been involved in that recovery effort that Elizabeth was just describing there. And the president seemed to dismiss that idea. He said to me, what's the site? The water. Do you want me to go swimming? You know, we've seen presidents go to disaster sites in.
The past, you know, talk to first responders, thank them for their efforts.
There. But the president did say.
That he intends.
To meet with some of the families. No sense of when that would.
Be happening just.
Yet.
And Karen, he's also faced some questions about plans to slash the federal workforce and offering federal workers a buyout when the FAA is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers. What is the white House saying about that?
This is a potentially significant.
Part of.
This because if you're talking about shortages with.
Air.
Traffic controllers, shortages with airline safety, remember, just a couple days.
Ago.
This.
Administration was offering more than.
2 million federal workers the option to resign immediately. I asked the president about this in the Oval Office yesterday, about whether he is concerned that there.
Would be.
So many federal employees that would take them up.
On that offer, that that would.
Jeopardize airline.
Safety.
And he said, no. These employees have to come into the office and.
That that is.
Essentially going to weed people out. But I again, pushed him on this about what happens if some of the 50,000 FAA employees take them up on this.
Offer, and.
That puts safety at risk. And he said they will be replaced with very competent people. Diane.
All right. White House correspondent Karen Travers. Thank you. And let's go to retired U.S. Navy pilot Captain John Curtin for more. Captain, thanks for joining us. I know you have nearly 30 years of experience as a Navy pilot. So what do you make of the way this collision happened, based on what we know so far. Looking at the video and listening to the audio. Listening to investigators description, what is your reaction?
Good morning.
Dan.
Well, based on my history and.
Knowledge.
Of when I was in the Navy, when we had mishaps, you're going to find that there's going to be more than one causal factor. It's going to be a mixture of human and system or mechanical or computer issues. I found it very, very fascinating. The fact that these two aircraft would find themselves in the same piece of airspace so close to the runway. But there's a lot of things that could happen. Every single one of them, probably on its own, is extremely improbable. That's what happened. So say, for example, with the helicopter, believe it was at one altitude, but actually reporting a different altitude. Did the American Airlines jet start its approach to final a little bit too early? Was there something going on with the air traffic controller system that prevented it from seeing a flare, or the or the kind of alert that it normally gets whenever two aircraft are converging within the same airspace. So they're going to look at all these causal factors, but they're also going to look at training.
They're going to look at the history. They're going to look at how many hours this guy worked, the controller or woman I don't know if it was a man or a woman was working that particular day or in the last few weeks. All of these things are going to go into a very, very comprehensive report. And those lessons are going to be applied to the future so that this doesn't happen again.
I think many of us who aren't pilots put ourselves in the position of a driver when we think of situations like this, and it's hard to imagine crashing into, you know, a bus or a truck or something like that. If you're saying you have eyes on it and you're being told to avoid it. So can you explain how much more complicated it is in the air at night, and especially if they were using night vision goggles?
Absolutely. Regarding night vision goggles, I would be very shocked if both pilots in that helicopter were using night vision goggles. If they were, maybe something they shouldn't be doing. But if you think about it, you have a have a pilot in command. You have a co-pilot, co-pilot working the radio, other systems, checking other things. Perhaps that co-pilot was under training himself. Maybe the pilot was training the co-pilot. So the co-pilot was doing something. The pilot maybe looked away for a second. And although it's very hard to tell from the aspect of the video, I couldn't believe that even if they were looking at the right aircraft, that they would have only seen it maybe within their view scan for just a few seconds before the impact actually occurred. So, you know, just a just a minor distraction. Think of yourself in the car. Your phone rings and you switch on the radio. All of a sudden, you know, you hit somebody or you're distracted driving or texting and something happens.
So those kinds of things can happen in the air as well, because pilots, although they're very disciplined, can be distracted just like everybody else because they're human beings.
And investigators are calling this a tragic accident. We've also heard over and over again from various officials and various departments that air travel is safe. So does that mean they're sure this was unintentional.
I can't imagine any situation where somebody intended for something to actually go wrong like this. Uh, I can't even conceive of a situation or a series of events that would cause this to be intentional. I can assure the American public that air travel is safe. We do have the best air traffic controllers in the world. We do have a shortage of air traffic controllers. The mandatory retirement age is 56. I think that's something they're going to look at to keep the air traffic controllers on a little bit longer. We also have a shortage of airline transport pilot. So if you want a career in aviation, it's the path is clear. But a lot of things possibly went wrong here that the air travel is safe and I would not be concerned. In fact, I've got a flight coming up here next month. I got no issues.
And captain, the NTSB now has the black boxes of the plane. I'm out of time, but what do you think we're going to learn from that?
You're going to learn a lot of things. You're not just going to be looking at those last few seconds of flight to see if there's any control inputs or what? Radar or excuse me? What the communications they were using. But you're going to look at maybe a takeoff. You're going to look at everything, the entire holistic picture and help build that picture. So to the to the pilot of the helicopter, see the aircraft at the very last second and put in a control input. What altitude was the was the helicopter reporting. What did it radar altimeters say? What was the altimeter setting that they placed. And maybe that there was a mistake there that caused the helicopter to believe it was at one altitude when it was in fact at another? I do believe, just based on what I've seen at altitude or a misunderstanding of altitude, is going to play a part in this. Uh, but, uh, it's it's a lot of things that they're going to be looking at. And, um, there's a tremendous amount of data on those black box recorders and also the tapes in the air traffic control system and the tower that they're going to look at.
All right. Retired U.S. Navy pilot. Captain, we appreciate your time today, sir. Thank you.
Thanks. Have a nice day.
Coming up, the first American-Israeli hostage is set to set to be released tomorrow. The emotional moment his wife found out he's coming home.
She's an A-lister. He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were.
Swirling.
For Blake to file a sexual harassment.
Claim. I don't think.
Anyone saw.
That coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually could go either way.
It did not end with it ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu. Isabella Strahan.
It's been rough. It's been challenging and it's been very hard. But I know I'll get through it.
Life interrupted.
The first thing that went through my mind.
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You don't really think the worst until you get told the worst. I'm not.
Loving that.
Support.
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Pull.
Through.
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The powerful special Wednesday night on ABC.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, an American being held hostage in Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says Keith Siegel and two other Israelis are on the list sent by Hamas. ABC news foreign correspondent joins me from Tel Aviv, Israel. Now with more. Hi, Brit. So what are you hearing from the Siegel family about his potential release?
Hi, Diane. Yeah, well, speaking.
To.
ABC.
Keith's.
Wife, Aviva, she voiced her excitement over her husband's return tomorrow. She can finally, Diane, expect her husband to come home in the next release tomorrow. Keith's daughter. She. She shared this emotional video as they finally learned that Keith is on the list and that he is alive. Aviva saying, I can't believe it, dad is on the list. You know, the families, they've really tirelessly campaigned to bring their loved ones home. Aviva in September told me she's worried that her husband had been killed. She'd been she was worried that he'd been tortured, that he was being starved. So today, I think just sheer relief from Aviva. You know, she was with Keith when they were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in November 2023. Now, the couple moved to Israel from the US 40 years ago. He's an occupational therapist. And on April 2024, Hamas released a video of him from captivity.
Now, Israeli national Yarden Bibas is also on the list, and Hamas initially claimed that his wife and two children had been killed, but he is believed to be alive. What more are you learning about his case?
Yes. He's the father of kefir, who is the youngest hostage who was ten months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. His wife Shiri, and their other son Ariel, five, were also captured. Kefir would be two now, but their fate is unknown. In November 2023, Hamas claimed that Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike and and released a video showing Jordan receiving the news of their deaths. But at this stage we just can't confirm. But it might be some mixed emotions for that family.
Yeah. And Brit, before we let you go, I know you spoke to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to the region. What did he tell you and how does it look like this ceasefire deal is holding up?
Yeah, there have been a lot of creases in this ceasefire deal so far. Nothing has been straightforward so far. Most of it's kind of been ironed out. A few miscommunications, delays. But you know, as I say, lots of contentious aspects. But President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. He told me that they're doing everything they can to get them out, and he is confident that the ceasefire will hold.
All right. ABC News foreign correspondent.
Thank you.
And some of President Trump's most controversial nominees are facing difficult confirmation battles after tense hearings on Capitol Hill. FBI director nominee Kash Patel, director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. Faced tough questions from lawmakers on their past comments. ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott has the details.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. Trump's pick for health secretary, facing tough questions from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about his history spreading misinformation about vaccines.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Cassidy, who was a doctor, repeatedly asked Kennedy to outright reject claims that two vaccines cause autism. Kennedy would not.
Senator, I.
Am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're.
Because the data.
Is there and that's kind of a yes or no. And I don't mean to cut you off, but that really is a yes or no.
If that is.
There.
I will.
Absolutely do that.
Cassidy, a key Republican vote in the Senate, was not satisfied, making it clear by the end of the hearing he was, quote, struggling with the nomination. Across Capitol Hill, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, defended her 2017 meeting in Syria with dictator Bashar al-Assad.
I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator.
But the hearing turning heated about her past support of Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets.
Your answer?
Yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security is. Apparently you don't.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, nominated to lead the FBI, pressed on his own words that he wants to go after President Trump's political enemies. Patel tried to strike a different tone.
There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI. Should I be confirmed as the FBI director?
But in a rare move, he did split with President Trump on commuting the sentences of rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
So, Diane, any of these Republican nominees can only afford to lose three Republican senators. The question now, did those moderates, like Senator Bill Cassidy, get the assurances they need. Diane.
ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott. Thank you. And sources tell ABC news multiple senior FBI officials are being threatened to resign or face getting fired or demoted. The move follows a series of firings of Justice Department officials who worked on the special counsel's investigation of President Trump. Let's bring in ABC news justice reporter Jack Dante for more on that. Jack, what more do you know about who is getting these threats to resign and why?
Right, Dan?
So, yeah.
As you said, several.
Top.
Officials.
At the FBI, the heads of field offices were told to resign or be fired. And many were recently promoted by director Chris Wray. In the closing months of his tenure as FBI director. He, of course, resigned right before Trump's inauguration.
Now, Trump's FBI director nominee, Kash Patel was almost these things happened almost simultaneously. He was in his confirmation hearing while these threats were issued. During that hearing, he said he played no role in the mass firing of several Justice Department prosecutors. What's expected to happen if he does get confirmed on this front?
That's right. So yeah, he claimed to have no role when he was pressed on this during the hearing. But Kash Patel will, of course, if confirmed, be the person deciding who fills these prominent roles at the FBI, further sort of reshaping the FBI in a sort of new image and really in sort of the image that Trump wants to see it in.
Jack, how does this compare to previous administrations? Is it normal to come in and sort of clean house?
It's really not. The FBI is mostly left to its own devices. These agents sort of work their way up through the agency over their career. When they reach some of the top tier positions, like special agent in charge or assistant director positions, those are usually near the end of their career in their last few years when they're approaching retirement anyway. But it's really mostly left up to the FBI to decide who's qualified for those roles and who ought to get them.
All right. ABC news justice reporter Jack Dorsey. Jack. Thank you. Coming up, music's biggest stars come together for Southern California. How? Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and many more are raising millions for wildfire victims.
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People do not know how to date. That's why they come.
To us.
As a matchmaker. We're here to help you get your wings on. This process doesn't have to suck. It's cute.
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America's number one news. ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus Friday night. A mystery that shook a small town.
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Charred.
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, donations are pouring in after music's biggest stars came together for Fire Aid in Los Angeles. The show comes just days before the Grammy Awards are set to honor first responders and victims of the fires. ABC's Laura Spencer has the highlights from last night. And what to expect on Sunday.
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But also.
A.
Stark reminder wearing the very.
Clothes he.
Had on when.
He escaped.
His home just.
Before.
It burned to the.
Ground.
But everybody's been so supportive. This young girl. She must have been 20, came up to me and said she understood my pain because she had lost TikTok for a day.
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Lara Spencer, thank you. And thank you for watching. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops, and neither do we. We have a lot more news right after the break.
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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. Welcome back to ABC News Live. First divers will be back in the Potomac River today to search and recover wreckage from a deadly midair collision. 67 people are dead after an American Airlines jet and Army helicopter collided over Washington, DC. Police say the remains of remains of 40 victims have been pulled from the water so far. Meanwhile, the NTSB is releasing pictures of the plane's black boxes being cleaned and processed. Let's bring in ABC's Perry Russom at Reagan National Airport and ABC news senior Pentagon reporter Louis Martinez for more. Perry, what's the latest on these black boxes?
Yes. So there are two black boxes that were pulled from the plane and one is a voice recorder. The other is a data recorder. Right now, the NTSB is analyzing both of those boxes, trying to extract the information and line them up to essentially do a TikTok of what happened inside the plane, what was being said, what was the altitude, which way was the plane shifting? Essentially gathering as much information as they possibly can to figure out what happened inside the plane. So as for the helicopter, as for the Blackhawk, that black box, whatever apparatus that they use to measure what's going on inside that has still not been recovered, we're being told, and this is all happening as bodies are still being pulled from the freezing waters of the Potomac. As of yesterday, about 40 bodies had been recovered, so we're still waiting to see what's going on with the other 27. As we were told yesterday, they are waiting for the aircraft to be brought to the surface of the water to extract the remaining people, and this is all happening as rain is forecast, as light rain right now.
And when there is rain in DC, there is runoff. That runoff goes into the Potomac, which then turns up the water, which could complicate these efforts even more. But the NTSB is looking at three different things. We're looking at the humans involved, the machines involved, and also the environment that played a factor in this.
Diane and Perry. A source is confirming that the person working in air traffic control in the tower at that moment was doing the job that's supposed to be done by two people. What more can you tell us about that?
Right. So we're being told that this happens from time to time. So when aircraft volume is lower, what they do is they combine jobs. So one person does the job of two people. This happened Wednesday night 40 minutes earlier than it typically does. But we're told that this does happen from time to time. It is routine. And we're also being told that this position had to talk to both the helicopter and the plane as well. So we're sure that the NTSB is going to be looking at this when they say that they also want to talk to the humans involved in this crash.
And, Louie, a lot of this investigation centers around the Army helicopter. So what's the latest on that side of the investigation.
Diane? A lot going on with in terms of the investigation. What they're looking at is, was the helicopter in the right place where it was supposed to be? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying this morning that they're looking at the altitude. We have seen reports that the helicopter potentially was higher than the 200 foot ceiling for the Army helicopter, or any kind of helicopters for flying through that corridor above the Potomac River. So one of the things that they're looking at is potentially that they're also looking at the communications. So they are trying to find the black box that also includes that is also included aboard that Black Hawk helicopter. And I think as we know, they have found the black boxes for the civilian aircraft, it will be crucial to find exactly what the information is contained on the military black box, given that it will fill in most of the picture.
And how is the Army responding to all of this?
The Army unit that has to which these three crew members belong to, that unit has stood down its flight operations and has paused momentarily for now. But one of the things that they're looking at is this is just a temporary thing. It's only for 48 hours. And I think it's to reinforce safety. Now, remember, this is a unit that is highly specialized in carrying out flights for VIPs in the DC area, particularly from the Pentagon to other parts in the region. So it's one of the things, excuse me, one of the things that they're trying to ascertain is what what part of their training needs to be reinforced. But it also it's a safety issue, given that there are flight operations, that there's a salvage operation, there's recovery operations taking place right now in the Potomac River. So they want to focus on that right now.
All right. Louis Martinez Perry Russom, thank you both. And let's bring in ABC news contributor, former Coast Guard lieutenant Don Mihalic for more. Don, thanks, as always, for coming on. What do you see as the Coast Guard's role in this recovery mission and investigation?
Well, anytime there's a waterways disaster, whether it's a crash or a ship collision, the Coast Guard are the on scene incident commanders. They have the expertise in both search and rescue and search and recovery. And they're also the coordinators for all the other assets police, fire and other federal agencies that show up in order to coordinate that response and recovery efforts, which, as we've seen, involve both the recovery of the individuals involved in the crash. And then also, you have the evidence recovery. So that way the NTSB and the FBI can investigate exactly what happened here. While they're doing that, they have to maintain the integrity of the waterways and maintain the integrity of the security of the of the crash site. So that way they can collect all the evidence needed in order to figure out what happened in this tragic incident.
And there's rain in the forecast today and tomorrow in Washington. How does that impact a recovery effort like this? Don.
Anytime anything happens in the water, you have Mother Nature working against you. You've got tides, you've got temperatures, you've got currents, and you've got water depths that are that are fighting against you in addition to the temperature changes. Um, D.C. and the northeast have just come out of an extreme cold. So the water there is very cold. So it limits the amount of time that the divers and rescue personnel can operate in and around the water. With rain coming in, they may have to suspend operations again because of the weather changes. That's one of the problems with trying to work an incident like this in the water.
And what is the Coast Guard looking for that you think could really help this investigation the most?
Well, top priority for the Coast Guard and all the agencies is, of course, rescue. But in this case, it's more of a recovery operation. So from my understanding, they've recovered about 40 people. They're going to want to recover the rest of the people, but that is going to necessitate them now moving both of the aircraft out of the water and trying to find where these where the people are similar to what happened in the bridge collapse, where it took them some time and they ended up having to move some of the structure that was in the water in the bridge collapse in order to find some of the individuals there. So it's going to be a very delicate process and a very choreographed process, because they want to make sure that they're protecting the individuals, that they're trying to recover, as well as protecting the evidence that they need to investigate this incident.
All right, Tom, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
And let's bring in ABC's Elizabeth Schulze with more on what we're learning about the victims of this crash. Elizabeth, how many have been identified at this point?
So, Diane, ABC news has identified 20 of the victims. Of those 67 people presumed dead. Of course, the 64 passengers and crew members who were on the American Airlines flight and then the three service members on the military helicopter. And we are learning, Diane, that some of these victims were as young as 12 years old. They were kids traveling with their parents on that flight. Grace Maxwell was one. She was an engineering student. She was working on a hand stabilizing device she was trying to in her life. Family members told us to help disabled children be able to write and more independently. We learned about Elizabeth Keys. She was a DC based attorney. She died on her 33rd birthday. She was trying to catch that flight back from Kansas, where she was working here to DC so she could spend her birthday with her longtime boyfriend. We've learned about Kia Duggins, a civil rights attorney. She was set to become a professor at Howard University here in DC just this fall. And of course, the crew members.
Samuel Lilly was the flight's first officer. Ian Epstein was a flight attendant. Both of their families say they were both full of life, love their jobs and, you know, 67 families, but also communities that are just going to be still obviously processing what happened. In a long road of grief ahead. You can really feel the heaviness of that reverberating throughout the community here.
Diane and Elizabeth, what do we know about the figure skating team that was on board?
Right. So we know that at least 14 figure skaters, coaches and team members were coming from Wichita to D.C. on that flight after they'd been there for a training camp. That training camp took place just after the national championships. One of those skaters was 12 year old Brielle Bryer. She actually was Diane, a cancer survivor, when she was just a little girl and turned her passion into figure skating. And one thing we're hearing from this figure skating community, which is so incredibly tight knit, is how the loss of a couple of young skaters, a loss of team members of coaches, has reverberated for so many. And here's what one of those skaters told us.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through.
Everyone heard that echo Diane from the Boston Skating Club. They held a news conference yesterday and talked about how the loss of six of their members and coaches were was still. So, you know, they just couldn't believe it. They were at a loss for words. Nancy Kerrigan, of course, the Olympian tearfully describing how this community learns to fall down and get back up. This is a big fall. And she said they will get back up. But right now, just processing and so much shock. Diane.
All right. Elizabeth. Thank you. And as Elizabeth mentioned, this tragedy had a devastating impact on the figure skating community. 14 skaters, coaches and family members were among those killed. ABC's Erielle Reshef has more on this tight knit family now in mourning.
The skating world.
Reeling.
In loss.
Six members.
Of the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood.
Massachusetts.
Killed.
On the.
Ill fated.
American.
Airlines flight.
And then when you find out, you know, you know some of the people on the plane, it's. Even a bigger blow.
The club, a home away from home for Olympians like Nancy Kerrigan, who gathered at the rink to remember the young athletes and coaches.
If I could do anything for somebody that I just wanted to be there to do it.
All of the skaters and coaches had been in Wichita at a development camp that took place immediately following the U.S. National Championships. 16 year old Spencer Lane posted this last TikTok performing a flawless triple toe loop at camp.
He started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift, and. He said, please let me skating in with you next year.
The skating phenom.
Also sharing this haunting picture from inside the plane bound for D.C. just before takeoff, his dad, Douglas, speaking with WCVB about the pain of losing both his son and his wife.
I just happened to open like, a news browser and saw a small plane in the Potomac, and I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest.
Spencer's teammates remembering his raw talent.
He was a little fireball. He was a little firecracker. That's the best way to put it.
The club also paying tribute to 13 year old Jenna Hahn, seen here competing just last month.
Jenna was a very energetic child. Whenever you meet her, you met her in the morning. Say hi, and you just see this smiling girl.
Hahn's mother, Jen, also on the plane, along with her coaches Jenna Shishkova and Vadim.
Naumov.
Former world champions.
The skating community.
Hoping the lessons they've learned on the ice will help give them the strength to face the face the future.
Even when it's hard. You get back up. Even when you're crying, hurt, pain. You get back up and move forward. It's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together.
And that's what skaters are taught to do from such a young age. Deep grief felt through the entire world of skating and beyond. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee echoing. There are truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow. A moment of silence was held at the European Figure Skating Championships to remember those lost that community leaning on each other now. Diane.
All right Erielle Reshef. Thank you. Let's bring in ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers. Karen President Trump has posted to Truth Social today blaming what or who may be responsible for the crash. What do you make of what he's saying now and the white House press briefing yesterday?
You know, the president yesterday said that there was going to be an.
Investigation, but he.
Said.
Yesterday he.
Had very.
Strong opinions about what.
Had happened.
In.
That crash. And of.
Course, Diane, he was saying.
This.
Less.
Than.
24.
Hours after the crash had.
Happened. The president yesterday in the briefing room, had suggested.
That diversity efforts in hiring at the FAA had made air.
Travel less safe.
There were a lot of questions about that. Our Mary Bruce asked him.
How he could say.
That, and he said it just could have been asked him where the evidence was.
To.
Support that.
And, you know, I also had the opportunity to.
Ask him later.
In the Oval.
Office if he.
Was saying.
If race or gender.
Played a role in this plane.
Crash.
And, Diane, the president told me.
It may have. I don't know. He said incompetence.
May have played a role. And he repeated.
That.
Line.
Throughout this question and answer we had with him in the.
Oval.
Office about how he wanted competent people in these.
Roles.
And it might have been incompetence.
That.
Led to this crash. You know, I think it is notable the president likes.
To.
Put things.
Out on social media or when he's talking to reporters speculating about this almost as an as an observer, but we, of course, are waiting to hear from officials. And this investigation now is going to take place over the coming weeks and months.
And Karen Trump was also asked if Americans should feel safe to fly after that crash. What is the white House saying about that and the aviation community saying about that?
Dan, the president was very insistent yesterday that Americans should not hesitate to fly. Of course, National Airport reopened again yesterday. Flights were taking off and landing there. Even as that recovery effort was still underway. He also said that he is not hesitant to fly, but he was very clear that an accident like that cannot happen again.
Karen Travers, thank you. Coming up, Sean Diddy Combs has been hit with new allegations. What's in the newly expanded indictment against the music mogul?
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Tonight, the aftermath of the tragic D.C. plane crash. The victims and families who waited for them to arrive. As the investigation continues, World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
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The Kardashians are here.
What have you been up to?
What haven't.
We been.
Up to?
We're going to Vegas.
This is my 40th birthday.
Kim and.
Khloe.
Take.
India that.
Monday.
I feel like Cinderella at the ball.
Corey.
Are here. I make a hole his closet.
You must really like him.
Where do you think she learned it?
I'm Kris Jenner. Oh, my God.
I'm Kris Jenner.
Oh, honey.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, federal prosecutors are expanding their case against Sean Diddy Combs. A newly expanded indictment filed by prosecutors says the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women longer than first alleged. ABC news senior investigative correspondent Erin Katersky has the details.
Federal prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against Sean Diddy Combs, saying the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women over a longer period of time than first alleged. 20 years from 2004 until his arrest last year in New York. The new indictment says Combs assaulted not only women but also his employees. Witnesses to his abuse and others.
It was a.
Circus.
He did whatever he wanted.
And we were just at his disposal.
For two years, Phil Pines was Combs senior executive assistant and is suing him for sexual battery and harassment, which Combs has denied. Alleged violence was vividly captured in this 2016 video obtained by CNN, showing Combs kicking and dragging his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel. The new indictment says Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 for the footage. And prosecutors now say Combs coerced two additional victims into sex acts. The ones that also recruited male prostitutes were called freak offs. Others involved only Combs and a female victim. Like the freak of the new indictment says, these sex acts sometimes lasted multiple days or were sometimes electronically recorded and often involved a variety of drugs meant to keep the victim obedient and compliant. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said he is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial.
Senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky, thank you. Meanwhile, the judge is expected to hear arguments over whether the mother of a Michigan high school shooter should get a new trial or have her conviction overturned. Jennifer Crumbly was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford High School shooting. Her husband, James Crumbly, was also convicted on those same charges. They were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Now, a judge will hear what the prosecution and defense have to say. After denying most of Jennifer Crumbley's request for a new trial yesterday. ABC news contributor and trial attorney Brian Buckmire joins me now for more on this. Brian, walk me through this because this was a first of its kind case for both Jennifer Crumbley and her husband. So where does this all stand now? As. As she's asking for a new trial.
So we're at the first appellate level after the trial, where the judge has already denied a number of motions, as you pointed out, that of ineffective assistance of counsel. The argument that there are two competing theories that Ethan Crumbley, the shooter, was charged as an adult. But in this case, they said that Jennifer Crumbley could not control her minor son. And also, they're saying that the judge made an error in saying that the that the jury did not have to decide between two different theories as to whether or not Crumbley was, uh, failed to secure the weapon or failed to control a minor son in in these charges. And so the judge is going to put those aside. Right now, what we're focusing on is whether or not a proffer agreement was given to a counselor and former dean who testified in Jennifer Crumbley's trial, to the extent that they would not be prosecuted for the information they were giving. And if that did happen, the prosecution should have turned that information over. But they didn't.
And if that is an issue that ultimately could have over changed or overturned or changed this case, the judge may issue a decision that grants a new trial.
So, Brian, what happens if the judge grants or denies the defense's motion here? Where does the case go from here?
So if the judge grants the motion for the defense that there should be a new trial. And that's a very high standard to reach, because both the defense would have to prove that there was an error in not turning over this information and that it was not harmless, and that it would have actually had an effect on the trial. And if that happens, there could be a new trial, a dismissal of of this conviction. And we basically just start all over again. But if this is denied, like all the other arguments, then this is just the first level of appeal. And I would expect that the defense would then go to the Michigan Court of Appeals to re-enlist the same arguments again, but at a higher level, hoping that that court have a different outcome than the one they're in now.
ABC news contributor Brian Buchmeyer. Thank you. Coming up, Dwyane Wade reveals he had nearly half of his kidney removed with the NBA star is saying about his battle with cancer and what helped him cope during recovery.
It was a kidnapping torture case, a crime of greed and cruelty.
The men tortured the victim by beating.
Tasing.
And burning him.
And this is.
Where it gets.
Really horrible. The guy was cutting.
Off my roommate's.
It was like a bad dream.
This crime was horrific.
He's a psychopath.
How could you possibly defend somebody like that?
This was a story about greed, sadism, evil.
Wicked game. Devil in the desert. Only on Hulu.
I'm 110% ready to fall in love.
Tall.
Handsome. Smart.
He's perfect.
Time just stood.
Still.
It's kind of.
Already.
Sinking in that these other girls are dating my boyfriend.
Everybody just.
Really.
Wants Grant. And we're all fighting.
For his.
Love. You act like you don't care.
He knows how I feel.
I know I'm in trouble.
Everyone's so.
Mean.
I did not know how hard this.
Was gonna.
Be.
This is ABC News Live.
The crush.
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On.
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The Kardashians are here.
What have you been up to?
What haven't.
We been up.
To?
We're going to Vegas.
This is my 40th birthday. Kim and Khloe.
Take.
India met Monday.
I feel like Cinderella at the ball.
Corey. Are here. I make a hole.
His closet.
You must really like him.
Where do you think she learned it?
I'm Kris.
Jenner. Oh, my God.
I'm Kris Jenner.
All we.
Want.
Is.
To find our way home.
I'll get you.
Home. But a crew.
Of murderous bounty hunters is coming after us. We have to move fast.
We have no idea who he is.
You can trust.
Me.
You're a Jedi, right?
Of course.
What just happened?
What's this?
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Tuesdays only on Disney Plus.
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, Dwayne Wade is opening up about his battle with cancer. The NBA Hall of Famer appeared to be the picture of health when he got the surprising diagnosis. Now he's sharing his experience undergoing surgery to have 40% of his kidney removed. ABC's Eva Pilgrim has more on why he is encouraging others to stay on top of their health.
NBA legend Dwayne.
Wade revealing a terrifying health scare.
What I had on.
My kidney.
Was.
A cyst, a tumor.
The Hall.
Of Famer sharing on.
His.
Podcast.
That doctors removed nearly half of his right kidney in 2023.
Thank God that I did do the surgery right. Because the tumor was cancerous and.
They took 40% of my.
Kidney.
To make sure.
That they can get all the cancer off.
Of.
It.
Wade posting to posting to Instagram. It's my story. A reminder to face your fears, prioritize your health and get checked. There were over 430,000 new cases of kidney cancer worldwide. Black men are among the most diagnosed.
In.
The.
U.S..
It is generally seen in.
Older individuals. So people, you know, 60 to 70 and older.
When it's.
Found, but it can.
Be found at.
Any age. And especially different types of kidney.
Cancers can be.
Diagnosed at younger and.
Older ages.
The basketball superstar saying he went to the doctor after having stomach.
Issues.
Cramps and trouble going to the bathroom. Wade saying he was inspired to get checked by his father who battled prostate cancer.
I went in to get myself checked out and.
I went.
In and I was like, doc, I want to know everything.
About my.
Body. Head to toe.
The 13 time all star and father of five, who was married to actress Gabrielle Union, says the Says the health scare helped show him the true meaning of family.
I found.
Strength in my family and my friends and.
My group.
Wade says for.
Him, surgery was the right decision. He didn't give too many more details about his current health, but we, of course, are wishing him all the best.
And we sure are. Eva Pilgrim, thank you and thank you for watching. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops and neither do we. We have a lot more news after the break. Stay with us.
What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America?
An operation to.
Capture ISIS.
Fighters. This is the combat operation center.
We're approaching the gate now. Militants came in from 4 or 5 different directions.
Operational nuclear.
Reactor. So you have a couple loaded and ready to go upstairs.
The house is destroyed, but.
The flag.
There's not a.
Tear.
In it.
Not a.
Tear in.
It. How important.
Is this.
Label right here? Made in the.
USA? Look at your smile. You're proud.
Of.
This. I love this great work.
Hi. Where are you? Where are you?
I appreciate you. Thank you.
David.
Good to meet you, Ismail.
David.
David.
Yes.
Yes.
I'm David Muir. I know who you are. You do? Every night.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Do you know how difficult my dad is?
You know, I hear everything.
From in here.
I'm broke, and I need a.
Place.
To stay until I find a job.
Can we try to talk.
To.
Each other.
Like rational adults?
You watch the news lately? That's not a thing anymore.
You could.
Go.
Back to.
Law school.
That's always.
Been.
Your.
Dream.
Actually, that.
Was your dream for me.
You like.
To argue?
You do love to argue.
Means we.
Get paid for.
It.
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Reporting from.
The fire line in Altadena.
California.
I'm Alex Stone.
Wherever the story is, we'll take you there.
You're streaming.
ABC News.
Live. It was a kidnapping torture case. A crime of greed and cruelty.
The men.
Tortured.
The victim.
By.
Beating.
Tasing.
And burning.
Him.
And this is where it gets really horrible. The guy was cutting off my roommate's. It was like a bad dream.
This crime was horrific.
He's a.
Psychopath. How could you possibly.
Defend somebody like that?
This was a story about greed, sadism, evil.
Wicked game. Devil in the desert. Only on Hulu.
All we want is to find our way home.
I'll get you.
Home. But a crew.
Of murderous bounty hunters is coming after us. We have to move fast.
We have no idea who he is.
You can trust.
Me.
You're a Jedi, right?
Of course.
What just happened?
Watch this.
Skeleton crew. New episodes.
Tuesdays only on Disney Plus.
Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. Our top story on ABC News Live. First, the search for answers in the deadly DC air collision. The NTSB has recovered the black boxes from the American Airlines flight. What we're learning about staffing and the air traffic control tower. Moments before a military helicopter hit the hit the plane.
Part of any investigation. We look at the.
Human.
The machine.
And the environment. Meanwhile, we're learning more about the people on board the plane, including 14 members of the figure skating community.
He was so young and he was excited about life and his future.
Plus, the controversy after President Trump claims, without evidence that the crash may have been caused by diversity policies. Our special live team coverage starts right now. But first, the NTSB now has the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from that American Airlines flight. The black boxes could show what was happening in the cockpit before the jet was hit by a Blackhawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport. Meanwhile, a source confirmed to ABC news the air traffic controller on duty was doing a job normally done by two controllers. And the tragedy comes after increasing safety concerns about the airspace around Reagan Airport. ABC News Senior Pentagon reporter Louis Martinez is here, along with ABC news senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky. Thank you both. Aaron, what's the latest on the recovery efforts? How is that going?
It's a slow go. The divers have recovered all of the remains that they can at this point. So now the recovery crews are awaiting heavy machinery from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, even some private contractors. And with all of that equipment, if it can arrive. The hope is as soon as today, they want to raise the fuselage, the the big pieces of fuselage, where they believe some victims are lodged both inside and beneath. Diane. And so that's the next phase of the operation.
And Louis Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox and Friends this morning and gave some more details on the Army helicopter crew. He also addressed die at the FAA, saying he doesn't care what background they come from or what their race is. He just needs flights to land safely. What more can you tell us about the crew on the helicopter and his role in this investigation?
We know that this was a very experienced flight crew. There was an instructor. This was a qualification flight. The instructor had 1000 flight hours. The pilot who was being tested had 500 hours of crew chief had several hundred flight hours as well. But this is part of the routine training that these officials that these officers had to undertake for this mission, which is to fly VIPs all over the Pentagon area, especially the DC area. So one of the things that they're looking at is, why were they flying at a certain altitude that was above the 200ft maximum, the ceiling threshold for helicopters in that area. And so one of the things that they're trying to find is the black box. There is a black box that belongs aboard that black Blackhawk helicopter. They still haven't found it. They're looking for it. They think that they might find the answers there. But this discussion began yesterday with President Trump inside at the white House briefing room. He brought up the issue of whether there had been a lack of excellence.
If I think there's the wording that he used with regards to the hires at the FAA. And Hegseth again stressed that, look, the the Trump administration is focusing on merit, on a meritocracy here at the Pentagon. He could not speak to what was going on with regards to the FAA, but he said that across the board, the Trump administration is focusing on these issues. Of course, these comments are highly controversial because it's not really sounding like they're speaking from fact, but it's kind of you have now politics clouding this investigation. And but for now, officials that I'm speaking to say they're just waiting for the facts to emerge.
All right. Aaron Katersky, Louis Martinez, thank you both. And we're also learning more about the victims of the crash. At least two were as young as 12 years old. Some died alongside their parents. Now, their loved ones say they are determined to keep their memories alive. ABC's Elizabeth Schulze joins me for more on that. Elizabeth, what are you learning about the victims here?
And, Diane, this number 67 victims. Hard to wrap your head around how much those families, their communities are grieving. We know that 64 people were on board that American Airlines flight. There were the three military service members. And as you say, some of those victims as young as 12 years old. One of them was Brielle Beyer. She was a figure skater. A big contingency of figure skaters were on this flight, returning from Wichita back to DC after a development camp there after they had the national championships in Wichita. Brielle had actually overcome cancer at a young age and she was coming back with her mother. Her father saying they are just devastated about this. The overall figure skating community has been in shock. We've heard from members of team members, coaches, so many. This is an incredibly tight knit community, and they are still processing the fact that they lost at least 14 people of their own community, including two well-known Russian journalists turned coaches. And then when you look at the list of other victims, many of them, Diane, going about their lives, traveling back from work, there was a lawyer here based here in D.C., Elizabeth Keyes.
It was her 33rd birthday. When she died on that flight, she was trying to take an earlier flight home to spend her birthday with her boyfriend. Kia Duggins was a civil rights attorney who was set to become a professor here at Howard University in the fall. These names we will continue to learn. We have confirmed the identities of 20 of these people. But obviously, as the search or the recovery mission continues, we will learn more about them and their families and work to honor their their memories, too. Diane.
So, Elizabeth, what are the next steps in the recovery efforts?
So one of the tricky issues right now is just getting access to the recovery itself, because the sources have told us that some of the bodies are stuck under the fuselage of the plane. We talked about this during the Baltimore Bridge collapse, when there was just so much debris and wreckage, the divers could not access what they were trying to get to underneath. So it took some time to actually clear that debris out before they could recover the bodies and the remains. And then, of course, there's the task of identifying who those people are. So families may have to wait some time here as this as this mission continues. But the airline has said the priority is making sure that those families are supported, providing them with everything they need. As this as this goes on and as they can, as they grieve this, this horrible tragedy.
All right. Elizabeth Schulze, thank you.
Thanks.
And the president says he doesn't plan to visit the site of the crash, but he does plan to meet with victims families. ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers joins me for more on that. Karen, what more can you tell us about the president's plans here?
You know, I asked the president yesterday if he intended to meet with some of the families of the victims, and he said at first he wasn't going to talk about it, but then did tell me that, yes, he did have some plans to do that. We're not clear when he might make a visit. Just nearby here in Virginia or Maryland, to meet with some of those families who are, of course, grieving right now as this recovery process plays out. The president has a pretty packed schedule here today with a couple of events behind closed doors, so might not be today. I also asked him, though, if he would visit the site of the crash and meet with first responders there who of course are working around the clock right now. He said that no, he would not be doing that and even questioned why he would go there. He said to me, what's the site? The water. Want me to go swimming? We've seen presidents in the past, go to disaster sites, meet with the first responders and thank them for their efforts.
But doesn't sound like the president will be doing that. But does indicate, though, that he would like to meet with some of the families of the victims.
Now the white House is holding a press briefing later today. What are you expecting to hear?
Diane, I think a lot of the questions today will be the follow ups on the president's comments yesterday, where he was suggesting that diversity efforts of previous administrations somehow made airline travel less safe. I asked him yesterday in the Oval Office if he was saying that race or gender played a role in this plane crash. And the president said, I don't know. It may have. But he said incompetence may have played a role here and that that was something that they were focused on. I think press Secretary Caroline Leavitt is going to get a lot of questions. Following up on what evidence the president may now have to back up his claims from yesterday. He did sign that presidential memo directing the Department of Transportation and the FAA to take a look at what they were calling the damage done to aviation safety by the previous administration. Again, Diane, they never provided evidence to back up that claim.
All right. White House correspondent Karen Travers, thank you. And let's bring in veteran airline pilot Douglas Rice. Doug, the NTSB now has the plane's black boxes. What do you think we'll learn from them?
We'll learn.
A great deal.
From the.
Cockpit voice.
Recorder. We'll know what was going on.
In the cockpit at the time of the accident. We'll hear what the pilot saw or did not see. The the other key is given the new video that surfaced. We'll see what the actual attitude of the airplane was from the flight data recorder, and whether the visibility out the first officer's window was such that he could not see the helicopter coming down the river towards them.
Now, as a veteran pilot, you've flown into Reagan National Airport many times. How difficult is that given how crowded the airspace is?
Difficulty is is a relative term. As pilots, we we welcome the challenge to fly in and out of airports that require us to use the skills that we don't get to practice as often as we would like. So flying into and out of Reagan is a challenge, but it's it's not difficult per se. The unusual part is this maneuver that these pilots were doing that night, which is initiating an approach to runway one and then changing runways, which moved them across the river and to a turn onto the final to land on runway 33.
And Doug. A lot of questions are being raised about this Army helicopter, why it was flying at the same height as the plane, why it crashed despite the pilot saying he saw the plane. What are your biggest questions or concerns on that front?
Well, one of the questions is, did the Army pilots actually see the aircraft that was involved in the accident, or did they misidentify and see another aircraft that was taking off from Reagan at that time? The other question that's going to be lingering is the altitude of the helicopter. Theoretically, they're supposed to be below 200ft on that route. And yet the accident occurred at approximately 400ft. That could relate to a couple of different issues. One on the aircraft itself and one in the settings that the pilots on the helicopter put into the aircraft.
All right, Doug Rice, thank you. Coming up, President Trump is facing backlash for blaming air traffic controllers Dei initiatives for the crash. We will talk to our transportation reporter about requirements for air traffic controllers.
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, President Trump is facing backlash for blaming air traffic control initiatives for the mid-air collision over Washington, DC. The president accused his predecessors of hiring air traffic controllers based on diversity goals, not qualifications, implying that played a role in the crash. But he later admitted he had no evidence for that.
The FAA says people with severe disabilities are most underrepresented segment of the workforce, and they want them in and they want them. They can be air traffic controllers. I don't think so.
Are you saying this crash was.
Somehow.
Caused.
And the result of diversity.
Hiring?
And what evidence.
Have.
You seen to support these claims?
It just could have been we have a high standard. We've had a much higher standard than anybody else. And there are things where you have to go by brainpower. You have to go by psychological, uh, quality. It's all under investigation.
I understand.
That.
That's why.
I'm trying.
To figure out.
How you can come to the conclusion right now that diversity.
Had something.
To.
Do.
With this crash.
Because I have common sense.
Now, a former FAA official is disputing Trump's claims, saying anyone applying to the FAA has to meet the same rigorous standards, and Democrats are calling for the president to apologize. ABC news transportation reporter Sam Sweeney has the latest on all that. So, Sam, you say Dei initiatives actually don't factor in to air traffic control or hiring. So expand on that. How does it work and what are the requirements?
Diane, we are an air traffic control shortage in the United States because it is so difficult to become an air traffic controller more than in 2022, there were more than 50,000 people who applied to be air traffic controllers. And of those 50,000, just 2000 qualified to attend the academy. 1000 showed up because they were able to, you know, agree to the medical, the psychological test pass, an aptitude test. And of those, just 70% will pass the academy. And then once you finish the academy, you have to do 3 to 4 years of training before you know you are on your own. It is an extensive process and only the very best will make it through.
And Sam, you talked about this shortage of air traffic controllers. President Trump has offered 2 million federal employees a buyout offer, essentially trying to encourage them to to quit and get a severance. could that impact this shortage, or are those two things unrelated?
It's unclear if those, you know, we don't know exactly who's going to qualify for this, but right now, the FAA tells me that these initiatives do not affect air traffic control, hiring or their air traffic control staff. They are working around the clock to bring more people on, bring more universities on that can help train these air traffic controllers. And in this particular incident, we are told that the Washington DC, Reagan National Airport Center and that tower is fully staffed. Now, there were reports or reports that one controller was doing two the work of two controllers. And that does happen in this tower when the traffic level, the air traffic level in the area drops below a certain point. Typically that happens after 930 at night on this particular night of the incident. We are told that the controllers went from 2 to 1 roughly 40 minutes earlier than they normally would because there was a reduced amount of traffic in the area. But overall at this center there it is properly staffed. And we should note that in operations plan goes out every couple of hours.
It is public from the FAA and there were no staffing warnings the night of this incident.
And so, Sam, this idea that the the air traffic controller that night was doing the job of two people, you're saying that's something as a result of low traffic in the area at that time and common practice, not a result of the understaffing or a combination of both?
No. This is a common practice. You know, during the day there are two people doing this job, but again, when the traffic is reduced, they can bring that down to one position. Now does that mean the NTSB and the FAA won't reevaluate that? It's possible they're going to be looking at everything. And they may say at the end of this, there always needs to be two people. That's what the NTSB's job is. They make Recommendations when they find problems in the system. But at this point in time, the FAA says they were sufficiently staffed in that tower that night.
All right. ABC news transportation reporter Sam Sweeney. Sam. Thank you.
Thank you.
And let's bring in Republican Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas for more on this. Congressman, thank you for coming on. Can we talk a little bit more about what the president was saying last night, because he's talked about DUI policies, implying that they were linked to this crash, but then he later said that he didn't have evidence of that and that he's just sort of speculating or using common sense in his words. What's your reaction to that? And Democrats now saying that he should apologize.
Well, first of all, thanks for having me on. I mean, this is a horrific tragedy and I hope everybody listening will join Danielle and me in praying for the 67 people who lost their lives, as well as their families in this horrific event. But let me tell you, President Trump is bringing up a very logical point here, which is that we know for a fact that the FAA, as well as other federal agencies, have been hiring based on racial characteristics rather than merit. And while we don't know directly what led to this event in particular, we do know that die hiring policies prioritize certain characteristics over merit, over qualifications. I mean, that's a serious problem. And that's what exactly what President Trump is addressing.
Aviation experts are saying that doesn't apply to air traffic control. And again, there's no evidence that that happened in this case. So do you think the president is getting ahead of himself talking about this before the investigation is complete? The first time he's addressing the nation about this?
Well, what we do know is that the FAA has prioritized hiring people with severe psychological disabilities, with psychiatric problems, and with physical and mental issues. That is straight from the FAA. Now, the question is, do you want people with severe psychological problems being involved in any respect at all, with planes landing at DCA or any other airport, or do you want the people at the FAA to be the most highly qualified people imaginable? That's what I want. That doesn't seem to be what the other side of the aisle wants. I think that the American people have been very clear. They are sick of die. They're sick of prioritizing woke, race based hiring or hiring people for anything other than merit. And that's exactly what President Trump is addressing here. He was sent to Washington to go after policies just like this. And that's exactly what he's doing.
Congressman, you serve on the committee overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. Are you at all concerned that buyout offers are being made to federal employees could lead to more accidents if agencies are understaffed?
Here, I'll tell you what I am concerned about. Since 2012, whenever Obama took away our race race blind hiring practices at the FAA, we have turned away over 3000 highly qualified agents for the FAA. That is a serious problem. What Dodge is going to go after is blatant waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in the federal federal agencies. And I'm looking forward to seeing more more career bureaucrats retiring. I think that that's going to be a good thing for the American taxpayer. I'm certainly not going to apologize for that because that is the goal here. But no, I think that what is making America less safe, what is making our planes less safe, is hiring based on race rather than on merit.
I want to ask you about the administration's intensifying crackdown on immigration because you represent a border state. Have you seen a difference in the numbers at the border now that the administration has sent additional troops there?
Well, listen, we had a secure border under President Trump in his first term. And as soon as Joe Biden got into the white House, he issued between 70 and 80 executive orders, inviting millions upon millions upon millions of illegal aliens into our communities. That includes gang members. That includes members of the Tren de Aragua. That includes Ms. 13 gang members. And it has made America significantly less safe over the past ten days. President Trump has already deported north of 10,000 people. That includes murderers, rapists. That includes people involved in sex trafficking. That involves includes people involved in child pornography. These are the people that President Trump is getting out of our neighborhoods. And I think he's doing a great job of it.
You also introduced the Remain in Mexico Act, which requires many asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they wait for U.S. immigration court hearings. That policy started in the first Trump administration during the height of the pandemic. Why do you think it's important to make it law now?
Listen, President Trump's executive orders have been great. He's doing exactly what the American people elected him to do. But it is our job as Congress members to provide him with the legislative backup that he needs. That includes funding for deportations, funding to build the wall. But it also means codifying his executive orders into law so that a future Democrat administration doesn't undo everything that he's been doing, just like Joe Biden did over the past four years. The American people are sick of open borders. They're sick of Democrats flooding their communities with gang members, with murderers and rapists. They want these people gone. They want them out of our country, out of our communities. They want to live in a safe American, a safe American world. And that's what President Trump is creating.
All right. Republican Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas, we have to leave it there. Thank you, Congressman.
Thanks for having me.
Coming up, the it ends with us feud heading to court. What's next in the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Let's get this.
Done.
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No.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, attorneys for Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Justin Baldoni are heading to court. It's the first hearing for the feud between the It Ends With Us stars. Attorneys for Lively and Reynolds are expected to file a motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit from Justin Baldoni. ABC's Juju Chang has a look at the legal feud in a new episode of Impact! By Nightline.
I want to see you again.
Now you see me.
It Ends.
With Us was poised to be a summer.
Blockbuster.
One of TikTok's most popular.
Books.
Finally.
Coming to the big screen.
This book is amazing.
Starring Hollywood royalty.
Blake Lively.
And Blake.
Lively steps onto the red carpet, all eyes are.
On her.
Every photographer wants a picture of her.
Her co-star Justin Baldoni, an up and coming director.
She's an A-lister, he's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven promotional wise. That didn't occur.
But this was.
No.
Ordinary premiere beneath the flash of the paparazzi. Tensions are about to boil over.
I noticed that there wasn't any group picture, big cast picture with everyone, and that made me go, well, is there more to the story here?
Rumors were swirling of a major clash between the movie's two big stars.
It was a very odd how you noticed that Lively and Baldoni didn't do any press together, for It Ends With Us, which essentially is a movie about the two of them.
Fueled even more by cryptic red carpet interviews.
Honestly, the work that I did on screen was easier than the work that I did off screen.
I almost had to.
Step.
Out of my body. There were a lot of times, Um. Even thinking about.
It is hard.
What exploded.
Months.
Later shocked.
Fans.
A legal bombshell that is rocking Hollywood.
Actress Blake Lively accusing Justin Baldoni.
Blake Lively hit with a lawsuit from Baldoni.
That filing hit the New York Times article hit boom.
And then the whole thing just went off the rails in every way possible.
All right, Juju Chang, thank you. And be sure to check out Blake versus Justin in the latest episode of Impact! By Nightline, now streaming on Hulu. New episodes drop every Thursday. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops, and neither do we. We have a lot more news right after the break. Stay with us.
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Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. This is our top story on ABC News Live. First, the search for answers in the deadly DC air collision. The NTSB has recovered the black boxes from the American Airlines flight. What we're learning about staffing in the air traffic control tower. Moments before a military helicopter hit the plane.
Part of any.
Investigation.
We look at the.
Human.
The machine and.
The environment. Meanwhile, we're learning more about the people on board, including the 14 members of the figure skating community.
He was so young and he was excited about life and his future.
Plus, the controversy after President Trump claims, without evidence that the crash may have been caused by diversity policies. Our special live team coverage starts right now. But first, the NTSB now has the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from that American Airlines flight. The black boxes could shed more light on what happened in the cockpit before the jet was hit by a Black Hawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport. Meanwhile, a source confirms to ABC news, the air traffic controller on duty was doing a job normally done by two controllers, and this tragedy follows increasing safety concerns in the airspace around Reagan Airport. ABC's Perry Russom has more from Reagan Airport. Perry, what's the latest from NTSB?
Yeah. So right now, the NTSB is looking at the two boxes that were pulled just from the plane. As I mentioned, there were two of them, the voice recorder and the data recorder. So with the voice recorder, they have to do what's called audition. So multiple people, multiple investigators have to listen to what was being said inside the cockpit of that plane and make sure everybody is hearing the same things. What words were being said, what noises were heard, any pings, any booms, anything like that. So they want to make sure everybody is on the same page with that. Then with the data recorder, they have a number of data points they're looking at. We're being told about 1000 different data points. Then they have to link everything up, sync everything up and make sure that they have a, you know, solid idea of what happened inside that plane. And this is all happening as bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac. As we know, as of yesterday, about 40 bodies had been recovered.
So we're still waiting to find out about the other 27. We know that the recovery efforts they have to bring the aircraft, the plane up to the surface so they can extract the remaining 27. And this is all happening as we're dealing with rain here today in DC. The rain has just picked up. So when there's rain, there's runoff which can then churn up the Potomac, which could complicate efforts even more. Diane.
And this change from two controllers to one was made about 40 minutes earlier than usual because of lighter traffic. So what more are you hearing about what happened moments before that collision?
Right. So we know that this happens from time to time here at DCA, there is a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, but there is no shortage here at DCA. We're being told. So when air traffic volume goes down what happens is positions are combined. So one person does the job of two. That decision is made by a supervisor. We're told that's what happened on Wednesday night 40 minutes earlier than it typically does. But we're not. We're being told just to take our time with trying to figure out exactly what that means and not jump to any conclusions, but we are being told that that person was in charge of talking to both the Blackhawk helicopter as well as the planes. When the NTSB says that they want to talk about and investigate the environment, the machines and the humans involved. That is a part of that humans section of the investigation, Diane.
And the DC area is expecting some bad weather today. How could that affect the recovery effort?
Yeah. So what's happening here is we're experiencing some rain and we know that this is a pretty wide debris field. We saw some images from the sky of the debris field here in the Potomac, where you can still see some things that are floating in the water. And this river has been running. I mean, when we were at the news conference yesterday, speaking with DC fire, they said that some of the of the debris was going down to the bridge about a mile away. And I'm sure even in the time since then, it's even drifted even further. But when there is rain here in DC, there's runoff the Potomac churns up, which could complicate efforts even more. And remember, the issue yesterday with divers is that they're diving in water with a plane that is broken into pieces. And now that they know that, you know, everybody involved is dead, they want to make sure that the recovery efforts and the recovery teams are staying safe when they're in the water. So that's why they're waiting to bring the aircraft to the surface and then extract the remaining 27 people.
All right. ABC's Perry russom at Reagan Airport. Perry. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims of the crash. At least two were as young as 12 years old. Some died alongside their parents. And now their loved ones say they are determined to keep their memories alive. ABC's Elizabeth Chelsea joins me now for more on that. Elizabeth, what else are you learning about the people on board this plane and the families impacted?
Yeah. Just heartbreaking day. And to think about those young children traveling with their parents on this flight. They were about to land when the crash happened. We we. ABC news has identified about 20 of the victims of the presumed 67 people presumed dead. So of course, that's the 60 passengers who are on board the American Airlines flight. There were four crew members and then the three military service members on that Blackhawk helicopter. So what we do know is that one of those 12 year olds who died was a figure skater. Her name was Brielle Beyer. She actually survived cancer at a young age, went on to pursue her dream of becoming a figure skater. She was traveling back from Kansas with her mom when and both both are dead. Their father. Her father telling us he is just at a loss for words right now. And this was part of a big group of figure skaters, family members, teammates, teammates who were on this flight. We know that there are at least 14 people in that community, an incredibly tight knit community that is still reeling from this this tragedy.
And beyond that, we're we're learning some of the identities of people who were going about their day to day lives, traveling like they would for work. There was a lawyer coming back from Wichita, back here to DC. She was trying to get on a flight that night because it was her 33rd birthday, and she wanted to make it home to see her boyfriend that night. I mean, the stories that we will hear as these victims continue to be identified, resonate so closely with this community, resonate so closely with people who, you know, many people have taken those regional flights. We know this is an incredibly busy airport, and we're just continuing to identify the grief that a lot of these families are starting to process now, Diane.
And so what are the next steps in the recovery efforts?
Yeah. So this is an incredibly difficult process to recover these bodies. We know that part of what needs to happen now is to actually get the fuselage out of the river so that they can then see what's underneath. This is similar to what we saw, Diane, during the Baltimore Bridge collapse, when there was just so much debris that divers rescue, you know, recovery workers couldn't actually get at what they needed to. And then, of course, there's the process of identifying the bodies. We know that there are several medical examiner's offices involved in identifying the bodies and the remains. So this is something that could take some time to play out. Families obviously desperate for answers. In the meantime, and American Airlines has said it will. Its priority right now is to continue to provide those families with support. We do know that a lot of the families last, as of last night, the NTSB said, were traveling here to D.C. so that they could be in place and get briefed by all of the officials as this process is underway.
All right. ABC's. Elizabeth. Chelsea. Thank you.
Thanks.
And President Trump is facing backlash for blaming air traffic control initiatives for the midair collision. President Trump later admitted he had no evidence for that claim. Now, a former FAA official is official is disputing those claims, saying anyone applying to the FAA must meet the same rigorous standards. This is Democrats are calling for the president to apologize to the public. ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers pressed the president on his remarks.
The president.
To be clear, are you saying race or gender played a role in this tragedy?
It may have. I don't know. Incompetence might have played a role. Well, we'll let you know that. But we want the most competent people. We don't care what race they are.
ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers joins me now for more. Karen, what's the latest on this back and forth about diversity and the claims that he's been making?
Yeah, the white House has not provided evidence to back up the president's claims yesterday. From the president that, you know, diversity efforts from the previous administration had in any way impacted air safety and that hiring practices at the FAA had any declines at those agencies. Our colleague Mary Bruce asked the president about evidence to back up those claims, and the president said yesterday it just could have been. He was also asked in the briefing, you know, how he could come to a conclusion like that so quickly after a tragedy? I mean, it wasn't even 24 hours later and the president told reporters, it's because I have common sense. And, you know, as you heard there, I tried to just get at the central question there of whether he was saying race or gender played a role in this. And he said, it may have, but he was really emphasizing competence is what he thinks was an important part of this, and that incompetence played a role. Diane, we heard him blame the helicopter pilots, the air traffic controllers throughout the day yesterday.
But again, the NTSB is doing this investigation now. They'll have a report within a couple of weeks and then a longer investigation. But the president says he wants answers on this and that. Something like this should not happen again.
The president is also talking about visiting the families impacted by this crash. What more are you hearing about those plans?
I asked the president yesterday if he intended to meet with the families of the victims, and he said that, yes, he does intend to do that. No details yet on when that would happen. He has a pretty packed day here today, meeting with some governors and also signing executive actions. But Diane, I also asked him if he intended to go to the crash site, meet with first responders who have been involved in that recovery effort that Elizabeth was just describing there. And the president seemed to dismiss that idea. He said to me, what's the site? The water. Do you want me to go swimming? You know, we've seen presidents go to disaster sites in the past, you know, talk to first responders, thank them for their efforts there. But the president did say that he intends to meet with some of the families. No sense of when that would be happening just yet.
And Karen, he's also faced some questions about plans to slash the federal workforce and offering federal workers a buyout when the FAA is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers. What is the white House saying about that?
This is a potentially significant part of this, because if you're talking about shortages with air traffic controllers, shortages with airline safety, remember, just a couple days ago, this administration was offering more than 2 million federal workers the option to resign immediately. I asked the president about this in the Oval Office yesterday, about whether he is concerned that there would be so many federal employees that would take them up on that offer, that that would jeopardize airline safety. And he said, no. These employees have to come into the office and that that is essentially going to weed people out. But I again, pushed him on this about what happens if some of the 50,000 FAA employees take them up on this offer, and that puts safety at risk. And he said they will be replaced with very competent people. Diane.
All right. White House correspondent Karen Travers. Thank you. And let's go to retired U.S. Navy pilot Captain Ahmed Curtean for more. Captain, thank you for joining us. I know you have nearly 30 years of years of experience as a Navy pilot. So what do you make of the way this collision happened? Based on what we know so far? Looking at the video, listening to the audio, listening to investigators description, what is your reaction?
Good morning Dan. Well, based on my history and knowledge of when I was in the Navy, when we had mishaps, you're going to find that there's going to be more than one causal factor. It's going to be a mixture of human and system or mechanical or computer issues. I found it very, very fascinating. The fact that these two aircraft would find themselves in the same piece of airspace so close to the runway that there's a lot of things that could happen. Every single one of them, probably on its own, is extremely improbable that that happened. So say, for example, did the helicopter believe it was at one altitude but actually reporting a different altitude? Did the American Airlines jet start its approach to final a little bit too early? Was there something going on with the air the air traffic controller system that prevented it from seeing a flare, or the kind of alert that it normally gets whenever two aircraft are converging within the same airspace. So they're going to look at all these causal factors, but they're also going to look at training.
They're going to look at the history. They're going to look at how many hours this guy worked, the controller or woman I don't know if it was a man or a woman was working that particular day or in the last few weeks. All of these things are going to go into a very, very comprehensive report. And those lessons are going to be applied to the future so that this doesn't happen again.
I think many of us who aren't pilots put ourselves in the position of a driver when we think of situations like this, and it's hard to imagine crashing into, you know, a bus or a truck or something like that. If you're saying you have eyes on it and you're being told to avoid it. So can you explain how much more complicated it is in the air at night, and especially if they were using night vision goggles?
Absolutely. Regarding night vision goggles, I would be very shocked if both pilots in that helicopter using night vision goggles, if they were making something they shouldn't be doing. But if you think about it, you have a pilot in command. You have a co-pilot, co-pilot working the radio, other systems, checking other things. Perhaps that co-pilot was under training himself. Maybe the pilot was training the co-pilot. So the co-pilot was doing something. The pilot maybe looked away for a second. And although it's very hard to tell from the aspect of the video, I couldn't believe that even if they were looking at the right aircraft, that they would have only seen it maybe within their view scan for just a few seconds before the impact actually occurred. So, you know, just a just a minor distraction. Think of yourself in the car. Your phone rings and you switch on the radio. All of a sudden, you know, you hit somebody or distracted driving or texting and something happens. So those kinds of things can happen in the air as well, because pilots, although they're very disciplined, distracted, just like everybody else because they're human beings.
And investigators are calling this a tragic accident. We've also heard over and over again from various officials and various departments that departments that air travel is safe. So does that mean they're sure this was unintentional?
I can't imagine any situation where somebody intended for something to actually go wrong like this. Uh, I can't even conceive of a situation or a series of events that would cause this to be intentional. I can assure the American public that air travel is safe. We do have the best air traffic controllers in the world. We do have a shortage of air traffic controllers. The mandatory retirement age is 56. I think that's something they're going to look at to keep the air traffic controllers on a little bit longer. We also have a shortage of airline transport pilot. So if you want a career in aviation, it's uh, the path is clear. But, uh, a lot of things possibly went wrong here, but the air travel is safe, and I would not be concerned. In fact, I've got a flight coming up here next month. I got no issues.
And, captain, the NTSB now has the black boxes of the plane. I'm out of time, but what do you think we're going to learn from that?
You're going to learn a lot of things. You're not just going to be looking at those last few seconds of seconds of flight to see if there's any control inputs or what? Radar or excuse me, what communications they were using. But you're going to look at maybe a takeoff. You're going to look at everything, the entire holistic picture and help build that picture. So to the to the pilot of the helicopter, see the aircraft at the very last second and put in a control input. What altitude was the was the helicopter reporting. What did it radar somebody say, what was the altimeter setting that they placed. And maybe that there was a mistake there that caused the helicopter to believe as it went altitude when it was in fact at another? I do believe, just based on what I've seen at altitude or a misunderstanding of altitude is going to play a part in this, uh, but, uh, it's it's a lot of things that they're going to be looking at. And, um, there's a tremendous amount of data on those black box recorders and also the tapes in the air traffic control system and the tower that they're going to look at.
All right, retired U.S. Navy pilot. Captain, we appreciate your time today, sir. Thank you.
Thanks. Have a nice day.
Coming up. The first American Israeli hostage is set to be released tomorrow. The emotional moment his wife found out he's coming home.
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Guillory. Major crimes.
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Our killer's name is Dubois.
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Google.
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Phone?
Morgan?
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, an American hostage in Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says. Keith Siegel and two other Israelis are on the list sent by Hamas. ABC news foreign correspondent joins me from Tel Aviv, Israel. Now with more. Hi, Brit. So what are you hearing from the Siegel family about his potential release?
Hi, Diane.
Yeah, well, speaking to ABC, Keith's wife, Aviva, she voiced.
Her.
Excitement.
Over her.
Husband's return. Tomorrow, she can finally.
Diane.
Expect her husband.
To come home in the next release tomorrow.
Keith's daughter. She.
She shared this emotional video as they finally learned.
That.
Keith is on the list and that he is alive. Aviva saying.
I can't.
Believe it.
Dad is on the list. You know, the.
Families.
They've.
Really tirelessly campaigned to bring their loved.
Ones home.
Aviva in September.
Told me she's.
Worried that her husband.
Had been killed. She'd been she was.
Worried that he'd.
Been.
Tortured, that he was.
Being starved. So today, I.
Think.
Just sheer relief.
From Aviva. You know, she was with.
Keith.
When they.
Were both kidnapped.
From.
Kibbutz.
Kfar Aza.
She was.
Released in.
The first temporary ceasefire back in November.
2023.
Now the.
Couple moved.
To Israel from the US 40 years ago. He's an occupational therapist, and on April 2024, Hamas released a video of him from captivity.
Now, Israeli national Yarden Bibas is also on the list, and Hamas initially claimed that his wife and two children had been killed, but he is believed to be alive. What more are you learning about his case?
Yes, he's the father of Kfir, who is the youngest hostage who was ten months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. His wife, Shiri, and their other son, Ariel, five, were also captured. Kfir would be two now, but their fate is unknown. In November 2023, Hamas claimed that Shiri and her children were killed in an Israeli airstrike and and released a video showing Jordan receiving the news of their deaths. But at this stage we just can't confirm. But it might be some mixed emotions for that. That Bieber's family.
Yeah. And Brit, before we let you go, I know you spoke to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to the region. What did he tell you and how does it look like? This cease fire deal is holding up?
Yeah, there have been a lot of creases in this cease fire deal. So far. Nothing has been straightforward so far. Most of it's kind of been ironed out. A few miscommunications, delays. But, you know, as I say, lots of contentious aspects. But President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, he told me that they're doing everything they can to get them out. And he is confident that the cease fire will hold.
All right. ABC News foreign correspondent.
Thank you.
And some of President Trump's most controversial nominees are facing difficult confirmation battles after tense hearings on Capitol Hill. FBI director nominee Kash Patel. Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr. Faced tough questions from lawmakers on their past comments. ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott has the details.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. Trump's pick for health secretary, facing tough questions from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about his history spreading misinformation about vaccines.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Cassidy, who is a doctor, repeatedly asked Kennedy to outright reject claims that two vaccines cause autism. Kennedy would not.
Senator, I am.
Not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're. Because the data is there and that's kind of a yes or no. And I don't mean to cut you off, but that really is a yes or no.
If that is.
There.
I will absolutely do that.
Cassidy, a key Republican vote in the Senate, was not satisfied, making it clear by the end of the hearing he was, quote, struggling with the nomination. Across Capitol Hill, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, defended her 2017 meeting in Syria with dictator Bashar al Assad.
I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator.
But the hearing turning heated about her past support of Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets.
Your answer?
Yes or no? Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who.
Has worn.
My uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security.
You don't.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, nominated to lead the FBI, pressed on his own words that he wants to go after President Trump's political enemies. Patel tried to strike a strike a different tone.
There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI. Should I be confirmed as the FBI director?
But in a rare move, he did split with President Trump on commuting the sentences of rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
So, Diane, any of these Republican nominees can only afford to lose three Republican senators. The question now, did those moderates like Senator Bill Cassidy, get the assurances they need? Diane.
ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, thank you. And sources tell ABC news multiple senior FBI officials are being threatened to resign or face getting fired or demoted. The move follows a series of firings of Justice Department officials who worked on the special counsel's investigation of President Trump. Let's bring in ABC news justice reporter Jack Dante for more on that. Jack, what more do you know about who is getting these threats to threats to resign and why?
So yeah, as.
You said, several top officials at the FBI, the heads of field offices were told to resign or be fired. And many were recently promoted by director Chris Wray in the closing months of his tenure as FBI director. He, of course, resigned right before Trump's inauguration.
Now, Trump's FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, was almost these things happened almost simultaneously. He was in his confirmation hearing while these threats were issued. During that hearing, he said he played no role in the mass firing of several Justice Department prosecutors. What's expected to happen if he does get confirmed on this front?
That's right. So, yeah, he claimed to have no role when he was pressed on this during the hearing. But Kash Patel will, of course, if confirmed, be the person deciding who fills these prominent roles at the FBI. Further sort of reshaping the FBI in a In a sort of new image and really in sort of the image that Trump wants to see it in.
Jack, how does this compare to previous administrations? Is it normal to come in and sort of clean house?
It's really not. The FBI is mostly left to its own devices. These agents sort of work their way up through the agency over their career. When they reach some of the top tier positions, like special Agent in charge or assistant director positions, those are usually near the end of their career in their last few years when they're approaching retirement anyway. But it's really mostly left up to the FBI to decide who's qualified for those roles and who ought to get them.
All right. ABC News justice reporter Jack date. Jack. Thank you. Coming up, music's biggest stars come together for Southern California. How Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and many more are raising millions for wildfire victims.
Let's do.
This.
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Tonight, the aftermath of the tragic D.C. plane crash. The victims and families who waited for them to arrive. As the investigation continues, World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
America's number one news. ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, donations are pouring in after music's biggest stars came together for Fire Aid in Los Angeles. The show comes just days before the Grammy Awards are set to honor first responders and victims of the fires. ABC's Lara Spencer has the highlights from last night and what to expect on Sunday.
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All to help those who lost.
Everything in.
The L.A. area. Wildfires.
I'm off the deep end. Watch as I dive in.
Legendary comedian Billy Crystal.
Bringing.
Laughter to the evening.
But.
Also a stark reminder. Wearing the very clothes he had on when he escaped his.
Home.
Just before it burned to the ground.
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California showing its love.
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They they took me off the rig just to get some relief, you know, get some rest. I asked him, hey, can we please go by my house to see if it's still standing? So, um, we came up and it was gone.
Lara Spencer. Thank you. And thank you for watching. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops and neither do we. We have a lot more news right after the break.
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The crash into the Potomac. New details on the investigation. Plus the president testing the limits of executive authority. Sunday morning on ABC's This Week.
Reporting from West Palm Beach, Florida, covering Donald Trump's planning for a second term. I'm Jay O'Brien. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC News Live.
Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. Let's get right to our top story. Divers are back in the Potomac River trying to recover the wreckage from a deadly midair collision. The NTSB now has the black boxes from that American Airlines flight that collided with a military helicopter. It could shed some light on what happened moments before the jet was hit by a Black Hawk Blackhawk helicopter over Reagan National Airport. ABC news transportation reporter Sam Sweeney joins me now with the latest on all that. Sam, what does the recovery effort stand and how much is the rain complicating things?
Diane, they are working right now around the clock to do this as quickly and as safely as possible. Again, working on that perishable evidence and clues that will help them piece this puzzle together. They're also working with the Army Corps of Engineers and salvage private salvage companies to get barges on the Potomac. Keep in mind there is ice. There is wind, rain, as you mentioned, and it's also very shallow in some parts, as shallow as five feet in that area. But it is not uncommon. When they fix the bridges on the Potomac, they bring in barges and cranes, and they will do that in this case.
Now the NTSB has the black boxes from the plane. What do you think we'll learn from them?
Well, the American Airlines plane. The black boxes have been found there, but they have not been recovered from the Army helicopter yet. And it's likely we'll get more information from the Army helicopter versus the American Airlines plane, because the helicopter hit the American Airlines plane that was on its approach. And it is more likely than not that those pilots on board never saw that helicopter and did not make any evasive maneuvers. So we may not learn that much from the American black boxes, but from the Blackhawk is where we'll likely learn the most. We'll hear those, or the investigators will hear the final words and get the final data inputs from that helicopter once they are recovered.
What's the latest on the air traffic control shortage and what happened in the air traffic control tower that night?
So there is an air traffic control shortage across the entire country. It's been going on for several more years, and it's going to take several more years for them to get fully staffed. It is extraordinarily difficult to become an air traffic controller, and it can take as long as four years in the night of the tower. We are told that they were properly staffed and in the operations reports that we've. Obtained. There was no staff warnings. But what we have learned is that when. Traffic reaches a certain level during the day when it's busy, there are two controllers. One. Handling the landings and takeoffs at Reagan. Another one handing, handling. Solely helicopter traffic. In this case, because traffic was lower at this point, according to the FAA, they were able to reduce it from two controllers to one controller, which is an approved maneuver for the FAA and happens routinely, but it typically doesn't happen until after 930 at night. So this happened a little bit earlier because they said traffic was lower and they reduced it to one controller.
But overall, they say that the D.C. Reagan National Airport tower is properly staffed.
And Sam, I just spoke with Republican Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas, and he echoed some of President Trump's claims that diversity initiatives may have played a role in this crash. I want to play a little bit of what he said.
President Trump is bringing up a very logical point here, which is that we know for a fact that the FAA, as well as other federal agencies, have been hiring based on racial characteristics rather than merit. And while we don't know directly what led to this event, in particular, we do know that hiring policies prioritize certain characteristics over merit, over qualifications. I mean, that's a serious problem. And that's what exactly what President Trump is addressing.
Sam, what's your response to that?
Look, there are programs within the federal government that he is alluding to. That and what he is saying is accurate. But for air traffic control hiring, specifically, you are required to pass extensive measures. We are talking about an aptitude test, a psychology exam. You have to go through extensive training, as I mentioned, up to four years in 2022 alone, more than 50,000 people applied to be air traffic controllers. Only 2000 were qualified to go to the academy, and of those 2000, only 1000 were able to go to their first day, and then only 70% of the people graduate from the academy. And then finally, when they go into their on the job training, roughly 60% of those people will pass and continue on to be full time controllers and able to handle air traffic control by themselves. It is extraordinarily difficult, and there is no evidence pointing to any sort of hiring practices based on religion, race, sexual orientation that contributed to this crash.
And Sam, is there any evidence that diversity, equity, inclusion hires in other areas outside of air traffic control have made air travel less safe?
We have nothing to point to that.
All right. ABC news transportation reporter Sam Sweeney. Sam. Thank you. Thank you. And let's bring in retired air traffic controller Colleen Connor for more. Colleen, thanks for joining us. I know you spent more than 30 years as an air traffic controller and an ATC supervisor. How difficult is it to get and do this job?
Good morning.
First, I'd like to.
Start by saying that.
I send my sincerest.
Condolences.
Out to the families and loved ones.
Of all the.
Crash victims.
And to answer your question, it's extremely difficult.
Sam just touched on pretty much the entire process.
Of.
Getting.
Hired.
And how difficult it is to get through the.
FAA.
Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Once a developmental.
Air traffic.
Controller does reach their.
Respective facility.
Whether it be air traffic control tower, Tracon or.
Center Air Route.
Traffic Control center. The training process continues with a training team which consists of that developmental.
Mostly two Uh, on the.
Job.
Training instructors.
Or.
More, but two main.
Ones.
That carry the greatest.
Load.
Of the training. And also the training.
Team includes.
The operations supervisor. And there are, uh, every control position.
That.
The.
Developmental.
Goes through. There are.
Stringent.
Uh, workloads.
And.
Just all, um, many different levels that the developmental must.
Pass.
Accordingly for the entire training.
Process in order to.
Become a fully certified professional controller.
And why is it why is it so hard? Can you paint the picture as best as you can of what it's like when you are in the air traffic control tower, especially in an area like DCA with so much air traffic around that airport.
Well, it's.
Uh, thinking on your feet as you're going and making the best decisions that you can, uh, to prevent a collision in the air. And you are trained to do this, but you need to always be ready for something that can happen outside of the ordinary.
And so, Colleen, what do you think needs to be done to prevent something like this from happening again?
That's a difficult.
Question to.
Just answer in such a short time. Honestly.
Um, and I don't I don't think.
I can address it properly right now. I'm sorry about.
That.
That's okay. Well, any any kind of final thoughts or just your reaction when you first saw this crash, what you've seen of the video, of the audio, of the description of what happened as an expert in air traffic control, what do you think?
Um, I don't want to comment on that either right now, because all of the facts have not come out. There's going to be a huge investigation on this and all the facts will come out. Um, I will say one thing that I would like to see in the future that I do feel is extremely necessary, and Sam touched on this as well. I would like to see funds be allocated for the hiring of air traffic controllers and air traffic control supervisors, and not just one big burst. It needs to stay in place constantly because the system gets overloaded with too many developmental. It needs to be a steady process that continues throughout the the entire rest of air traffic control. It can't just be 1200 new controllers are hired into the system, and they're all going to be trained up because there's too much overlap and you cannot effectively train when you have a situation like that.
All right. Retired air traffic controller and supervisor Colleen Connor, we appreciate your time today. Colleen. Thank you.
You're welcome.
And the president says he doesn't plan to visit the site of the crash, but he does plan to meet with victims families. ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers joins me for more on that. Karen, what more can you tell us about the president's plans to visit those impacted by this crash?
The president told me yesterday that he does plan to meet with some of the families of the victims who are going through this very difficult time. Of course, the white House has not given details on when or where that might take place. The president does have a pretty busy schedule this afternoon, Diane. We're expecting him to drop by an event that some governors are doing here at the white House focused on education and school choice. And then later today, he's expected to sign more executive action. So unlikely it's today. We're also, as you can see, and you probably heard from other reporters having some really bad weather here in D.C.. So I had asked him yesterday if he might go to the crash site and talk to some of the first responders there. He said he wasn't going to do that. He kind of questioned why he would make a visit like that. But of course, that course, that recovery effort still continues at the site on the Potomac River.
Diane and Karen. The white House is also holding a press briefing later today. What are you expecting to hear there and what questions do you want answered?
I think on the issue of the plane crash, there are going to be a lot of questions for press Secretary Caroline Leavitt about whether or not there is evidence to back up some of the president's claims yesterday, where he was making the assertion that diversity efforts in the previous administration had impacts on airline safety. The president was pushed on that repeatedly when he made the appearance at the briefing room yesterday. I asked him later in the day whether he was saying race or gender played a role in the crash. He said it may have. He didn't know, but that incompetence did play a role. So I think Caroline Leavitt today is going to get all the follow ups to that of whether or not the president did get that evidence and what he is trying to do with this push and focus on Dei in the wake of this tragedy.
All right. Karen Travers for us from the white House. Karen. Thank you. And we're learning more about the victims of the crash. At least two were as young as 12 years old. Some died alongside their parents, and now their loved ones say they are determined to keep their memories alive. ABC News White House correspondent MaryAlice parks joins me for the latest on that. MaryAlice, what else are you learning about the victims here?
Yeah, Diane, it's hard to even wrap our heads around what these families with. These communities are dealing with such.
Unthinkable.
Grief and sorrow right now. But you're right. People are determined to keep the memories of their loved ones alive.
And so we are starting.
To get some pictures here, some stories about some of.
The.
67.
People who died.
In the crash.
The first.
Officer.
On that American.
Airlines flight.
Samuel Lilly, was.
Just 29.
Years old.
Newly.
Engaged. His sister talked to ABC and described him as a kind soul who was excited about.
All of.
His life in front of him. We talked to the family of Ian Epstein, one of the flight attendants on board the flight. He was a father and a husband. His family saying in a statement.
That he absolutely loved.
Being a flight.
Attendant, loved meeting.
People.
And traveling, this tragedy.
Touching so.
Many different communities.
We've also.
Heard about two powerful, strong female.
Lawyers here in the.
Nation's.
Capital, Elizabeth Keys.
Who died in the.
Crash on her 33rd birthday. She had flown back.
From.
A work trip.
Early.
We're told.
To celebrate her birthday. There she is, a picture of her.
To celebrate.
Her birthday with her longtime.
Boyfriend and another civil rights.
Attorney, Diane. We've heard about.
Kia.
Duggins.
Who was just about to start a new professorship.
At.
Howard University. She focused on civil rights, focused on unfair police practices. We've heard about. And so many people, like we've talked about the last 24 hours from the figure skating community. Brielle Byer was just 12 years old. She actually overcame cancer as a kid. She was coming back from that development camp in Kansas and was.
Traveling with.
Her mother, Justina Spencer Lane, killed alongside his mother Christine, a 16 year old figure skating star. There he is.
His dad described.
Him as a force of nature.
14 members.
Of the figure.
Skating community.
Coaches.
Athletes.
Their family members dying in that plane crash. Such, such a huge.
Tragedy.
For that tight knit community.
Diane.
It sure is. So, Mary Alice, what are the next steps in the recovery efforts?
Well, you.
Can imagine this.
Is.
Such a sensitive process, such important work to get right. All of those first responders want to make sure that they are treating the remains of the victims with such.
Dignity and.
Respect in this moment, but it is really tough. They are telling us that they need to move pieces now of the plane out of the water to be able to get to some of those other bodies, to treat those bodies well. So this is going to be slow, very painstaking process. But of course, the airline and the first responders talking about how the priority is making sure that they are treating the remains of the victims with such care, and that the families and communities at this time have the support that they need.
All right. MaryAlice parks, thank you. Coming up, the first American Israeli hostage is set to be released tomorrow. The emotional moment his wife found out he's coming home.
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, an American being held hostage in Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says Keith Siegel and two other Israelis are on the list sent by Hamas. ABC news foreign correspondent joins me from Tel Aviv, Israel, with the latest. Hi, Brit. What are you hearing from Siegel's family about his potential release?
Well, Diane.
Speaking.
To ABC, Keith's wife, Aviva, she voiced really her.
Excitement.
Over her.
Husband's.
Expected.
Return.
As.
She can.
Finally expect.
To see.
Him.
Come home. You know Keith's.
Daughter.
She shared this very emotional video and you could.
See them.
Embracing.
Of.
Eva.
As.
Saying.
I can't.
Believe it.
Dad is on the list.
Now these.
Families and you.
We've been speaking.
To them throughout the course.
Of this war.
They have tirelessly campaigned.
To bring.
Their.
Loved ones home. Viva! In September.
She told me.
She is worried.
About her husband.
About the condition.
He was being held.
In, or.
Even that, you know, he was already dead in captivity. So there's been a lot of concern. It's been an agonizing wait.
You know.
Aviva was actually with Segal when they were both kidnapped from their kibbutz, Kfar Azar. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in November 2023. Keith Segal is on the list, along with Ofir Calderon and Yarden Bibas. Now, Jordan is the father of Kfir. That's the youngest hostage who was who was just ten months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. His wife Shiri, and their other son, Ariel, who's five years old. They were also captured. Kefir would now be two years old and their fate is still unknown.
Diane and the UN's office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says at least 462,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, and the need for supplies is urgent. So what's the latest on the efforts to provide that aid?
Yes. Since the opening of the corridor, as you say, more than 400,000 people crossing into the North Unwra is still assisting those on the move by providing water, food and medical care along those routes. It's still a very arduous, long journey for many of them. Once back in the North, UN aid workers, they've reported seeing Gazans using using shovels to remove rubble and set up these makeshift shelters or tents where their homes used to be. There is still a shortage of tents. You know, the situation is still dire as they try to rebuild their lives from scratch. Unwra has a few thousand workers still in Gaza. This aid group is is the backbone of the international aid operation there, and it has been for seven decades. It has provided essential aid to nearly 6 million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. It's seen as a lifeline for many. So certainly the banning of this aid group deals a huge blow for many Palestinians. Diane.
Foreign correspondent in Tel Aviv. Thank you. And President Trump's most controversial. Some of President Trump's most controversial nominees are facing difficult confirmation battles. After tense hearings on Capitol Hill, FBI director nominee Kash Patel, director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr faced tough questions from lawmakers on their past comments. Let's bring in ABC's Jay O'Brien for the latest on those confirmation hearings. Jay. RFK Jr. Faced some tough questions, especially about his past positions on vaccines. How are lawmakers reacting to his answers on that?
Well RFK.
Jr.
S goal in that hearing yesterday was the.
Second of two hearings was to try to.
Quell concerns of lawmakers.
About past.
False statements he's made.
About vaccines and other health related.
Quote unquote.
Conspiracy theories, as.
Democrats said in their.
Questioning.
Of RFK.
Jr.
Over the last.
Few days, and while.
We saw.
Some Republicans.
Satisfied with what they.
Heard out of RFK Jr. There were.
Others.
That.
Were now keeping our eyes on because they.
Had.
Some.
Pointed.
Questions.
For this controversial.
Trump nominee. One is Bill Cassidy.
Who is the.
Republican chair of the.
Committee.
That.
RFK Jr was testifying in front of.
Yesterday. He's also.
A doctor. And here was one of the exchanges between him and RFK Jr yesterday.
Today.
Will you reassure mothers unequivocally and without qualification, that the measles and hepatitis B vaccines do not cause autism?
Senator, I.
Am not going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're because the data is there and that's kind of a yes or no. And I don't mean to cut you off, but that really is a yes or no.
If the data is there, I.
Will.
Absolutely.
Do that.
Now there is the data. Just because I used to I used to do hepatitis B, as I said, I know the data is there.
Well, and.
Then I will be the.
First person.
If you show me data, I will be the first person.
To.
Assure the American.
People that they.
Need to take those vaccines.
Cassidy also.
Said because of Kennedy's past comments on vaccines, he was quote unquote struggling.
With.
This.
Nomination.
And that's.
Key.
Because.
Kennedy.
Has to.
Get the get the requisite.
Republican votes to first.
Get voted out of committee.
And then.
He can only lose.
Three Republicans if.
He ultimately.
Made it to a full vote.
On.
The.
Senate floor.
And that's why we're.
Watching.
These.
Individual.
Republican votes closely, like Cassidy's and also Dianne, like.
Mitch McConnell.
Mitch.
McConnell.
Contracted polio as a child. He's long been a proponent of the polio vaccine. So we're keeping an eye on him as well, closely too.
So, Jay, what lies ahead for Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr. Is there a sense of how likely they are to be confirmed?
Yeah, those other two also had confirmation hearings yesterday. Each has to get voted out of the requisite committee that's in charge of their nomination to make it to a full vote on the Senate floor. It looks.
Likely for.
Patel. He didn't get many pointed questions from Republicans who are in control of all the committees because they control the Senate. We're keeping our eye on those moderate Republicans, as we said, with Kennedy and with Tulsi Gabbard yesterday, she got pointed questions, too, from a number of number of Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, the panel that she was testifying in front of. They questioned her on past comments she's made praising Edward Snowden. They questioned her on FISA and a provision in it which allows for warrantless surveillance of foreigners, which the intelligence community has said is integral to their work. And again, these weren't just pointed questions from Democrats, which we expected, but also from Republicans, too. And the makeup on the Senate Intelligence Committee complicates all of this, because the way that panel is constructed, different to all the other committees in the Senate, Tulsi Gabbard can only can't afford rather to lose a single Republican on that panel because it's just nine Republicans and eight Democrats. So if just one flips, it would doom her chances of getting approved out of that committee and significantly complicate her process, too.
So a rocky road ahead for at least her and Kennedy right now, given what we saw out of those hearings yesterday. Diane.
All right. ABC's Jay O'Brien. Jay. Thank you. Coming up, President Trump is threatening to place tariffs on tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico. Alexis Christoforous is here with more on how soon it could impact prices in the U.S..
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, experts are warning that prices in the U.S. could increase soon if President Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico and Canada. As promised, the Trump administration has threatened to put 25% tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico starting tomorrow. The president says he'll impose those tariffs if both countries don't do more to control drugs coming across the U.S. border. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, says the country will respond immediately and forcefully, and Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, says she doesn't think they'll happen. But if the tariffs do, she says Mexico is ready to respond. ABC news business reporter Alexis Christoforous has more on that for us. Alexis, experts say that tariffs of this magnitude would very likely increase prices on U.S. consumers. So are there particular industries that could see a bigger impact? What are we going to experience when we go to the store?
Absolutely. For sure.
And that's because Canada and Mexico are our two top trading partners. We know that President Trump has used these tariffs as negotiating tactics in the past. If they do happen, though, they could definitely impact an array of categories for us, including gasoline, because 70% of crude oil imports into the U.S. come from Canada and Mexico. This could add anywhere from 50 to $0.70 a gallon to the price of gas, especially at a time when we're going to be ramping up for the busy spring driving season. We imported about $40 billion worth of agricultural goods from Mexico in 2023 alone. So you're talking about tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados. 90% of the avocados consumed in this country come from Mexico, and also auto parts and autos in general. More than 1 in 5 autos, cars and light trucks coming into the U.S. come from Canada and Mexico.
So these are the everyday items. When you go to the store and you're looking at the price tag, you're going to see a difference there.
Perhaps not immediately. A lot would depend on if the tariffs happen first of all. And if so, how long will they be put in place? We don't know if wholesalers and suppliers will eventually pass that cost on to consumers, but we could start to see a difference at the grocery store. And, you know, gas prices move higher in the coming weeks and months.
And in tech news, President Trump is meeting with the CEO of chipmaker Nvidia today at the white House. Now, a source tells us that that meeting has been on the book for weeks. So it's not related to the sell off that we saw after the news from Deep Sea. But what are you watching for out of this meeting, given that major development?
This is the first time President Trump is meeting with the CEO of this specific company, Nvidia, which we know is at the forefront of powering artificial intelligence. It's their computer chips that are at the forefront. Nvidia in particular. Its stock fell by a historic amount on Monday, 17% biggest one day drop in the company's history. It's still up 100%, though. In the past year it's had an incredible run. So we're going to be seeing if any news comes out of this. We don't expect there to be any major announcements. As you say. We've been told here at ABC news that this has been on the books for a long time, but they're going to talk about AI strategy and how, you know, the U.S. can remain competitive with other parts of the world.
How much of how much different do you think the meeting will be given the news out of China, that they have companies that may have developed similar AI capabilities, or even better, without using those Nvidia chips.
I have a feeling tariffs are going to be a big part of that conversation. And because we know that President Trump wants to impose hefty tariffs beyond what's already imposed on China, and I'd have to think he's going to tap the CEO here of Nvidia to get his thoughts on it.
All right. ABC News business reporter Alexis Christoforous. Thanks, Alexis. And I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops, and neither do we. We have a lot more news right after the break. Stay with us.
Let's get this done.
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Is.
Stressful.
Every year.
On the.
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Work smarter, not harder.
When I became.
President, I asked.
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Agent Collins.
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What aren't you telling me?
Nightline. The stories that shape your world, that shape your life. Your magic is stunning. Empowering. Jaw dropping. The most powerful stories of our time. Nightline on right after Kimmel and streaming on Hulu. David Muir, Your ABC's World News Tonight, the most watched newscast in America and honored with the Emmy Award winner for outstanding Live News Program. More Americans watch World News tonight with David Muir than any other newscast.
Hi, I'm Diane Macedo. Welcome back to ABC News Live. First divers. We'll be back in the Potomac River today to search and recover wreckage from a deadly midair collision. 67 people are dead after an American Airlines jet and Army helicopter collided over Washington, D.C.. Police say the remains of 40 victims have been pulled from the water so far. Meanwhile, the NTSB is releasing pictures of the plane's black boxes being cleaned and processed. Let's bring in ABC's Perry Russom at Reagan National Airport and ABC news senior Pentagon reporter Louis Martinez for more. Perry, what is the latest on these black boxes?
Yes. So there are two black boxes that were pulled from the plane and one one's a voice recorder. The other is a data recorder. Right now, the NTSB is analyzing both of those boxes, trying to extract the information and line them up to essentially do a TikTok of what happened inside the plane, what was being said, what was the altitude, which way was the plane shifting? Essentially gathering as much information as they possibly can to figure out what happened inside the plane. So as for the helicopter, as for the Blackhawk, that black box, whatever apparatus that they use to measure what's going on inside that has still not been recovered, we're being told, and this is all happening as bodies are still being pulled from the freezing waters of the Potomac. As of yesterday, about 40 bodies had been recovered. So we're still waiting to see what's going on with the other 27. As we were told yesterday, they are waiting for the aircraft to be brought to the surface of the water to extract the remaining people, and this is all happening as rain is forecast.
It's light rain right now and when there is rain in DC, there is runoff. That runoff goes into the Potomac, which then turns up the up the water, which could complicate these efforts even more. But the NTSB is looking at three different things. We're looking at the humans involved, the machines involved, and also the environment that played a factor in this.
Diane and Perry. A source is confirming that the person working in air traffic control in the tower at that moment was doing the job that's supposed to be done by two people. What more can you tell us about that?
Right. So we're being told that this happens from time to time. So when aircraft volume is lower, what they do is they combine jobs. So one person does the job of two people. This happened Wednesday night 40 minutes earlier than it typically does. But we're told that this does happen from time to time. It is routine. And we're also being told that this position had to talk to both the helicopter and the plane as well. So we're sure that the NTSB is going to be looking at this when they say that they also want to talk to the humans involved in this crash.
And, Louis, a lot of this investigation centers around the Army helicopter. So what's the latest on that side of the investigation.
Diane, a lot going on with in terms of the investigation. What they're looking at is, was the helicopter in the right place where it was supposed to be? Defense Secretary Pete Hoekstra saying this morning that they're looking at the altitude. We have seen reports that the helicopter potentially was higher than the 200 foot ceiling for the Army helicopter or any kind of helicopters flying through that corridor above the Potomac River. So one of the things that they're looking at is potentially that they're also looking at the communication. So they are trying to find the black box that also includes that is also included aboard that Black Hawk helicopter. And I think as we know, they have found the black boxes for the civilian aircraft. It will be crucial to find exactly what the information is contained on the military black box, given that it will fill in most of the picture.
And Louis, how is the Army responding to all of this?
The Army unit that has to which these three crew members belong to, that unit has stood down its flight operations and has paused momentarily for now. But one of the things that they're looking at is this is just a temporary thing. It's only for 48 hours. And I think it's to reinforce safety. Now, remember, this is a unit that is highly specialized in carrying out flights for VIPs in the DC area, particularly from the Pentagon to other parts in the region. So it's one of the things, excuse me, one of the things that they're trying to ascertain is what what part of their training needs to be reinforced. But it also it's a safety issue, given that there are flight operations, that there's a salvage operation, there's recovery operations taking place right now in the Potomac River. So they want to focus on that right now.
All right. Louis Martinez Perry Russom, thank you both. And let's bring in ABC news contributor, former Coast Guard Lieutenant Don Mihalic for more. Don, thanks, as always, for coming on. What do you see as the Coast Guard's role in this recovery mission and investigation?
Well, anytime there's a waterways disaster, whether it's a crash or a ship collision, the Coast Guard are the on scene incident commanders. They have the expertise in both search and rescue and search and Search and recovery. And there were also the coordinators for all the other assets, police, fire and other federal agencies that show up in order to coordinate that response and recovery efforts, which, as we've seen, involve both the recovery of the individuals involved in the crash. And then also you have the evidence recovery. So that way the NTSB and the FBI can investigate exactly what happened here. While they're doing that, they have to maintain the integrity of the waterways and maintain the integrity of the security of the of the crash site. So that way they can collect all the evidence needed in order to figure out what happened in this tragic incident.
And there's rain in the forecast today and tomorrow in Washington. How does that impact a recovery effort like this? Don.
Anytime anything happens in the water, you have Mother Nature working against you. You've got tides, you've got temperatures, you've got currents, and you've got water depths that are that are fighting against you in addition to the temperature changes. Um, D.C. and the northeast have just come out of an extreme cold. So the water there is very cold. So it limits the amount of time that the divers and rescue personnel can operate in and around the water. With rain coming in, they may have to suspend operations again because of the weather changes. That's one of the problems with trying to work an incident like this in the water.
And what is the Coast Guard looking for that you think could really help this investigation the most?
Well, top priority for the Coast Guard and all the agencies is, of course, rescue. But in this case, it's more of a recovery operation. So from my understanding, they've recovered about 40 people. They're going to want to recover the rest of the people, but that is going to necessitate them now moving both of the aircraft out of the water and trying to find where these where the people are similar to what happened in the Key Bridge collapse, where it took them some time and they ended up having to move some of the structure that was in the water and the key Bridge collapse in order to find some of the individuals there. So it's going to be a very delicate process and a very choreographed process because they want to make sure that they're protecting the individuals, that they're trying to recover, as well as protecting the evidence that they need to investigate this incident.
All right, Don, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
And let's bring in ABC's Elizabeth Chelsea with more on what we're learning about the victims of this crash. Elizabeth, how many have been identified at this point?
So, Diane, ABC news has identified 20 of the victims. Of those 67 people presumed dead. Of course, the 64 passengers and crew members who were on the American Airlines flight and then the three service members on the military helicopter. And we are learning, Diane, that some of these victims were as young as 12 years old. They were kids traveling with their parents on that flight. Grace Maxwell was one. She was an engineering student. She was working on a hand stabilizing device she was trying to in her life. Family members told us to help disabled children be able to write and more Independently, we learned about Elizabeth Keys. She was a DC based attorney. She died on her 33rd birthday. She was trying to catch that flight back from Kansas, where she was working here to DC so she could spend her birthday with her longtime boyfriend. We learned about Kia Duggins, a civil rights attorney. She was set to become a professor at Howard University here in DC just this fall. And of course, the crew members.
Samuel Lilly was the flight's first officer. Ian Epstein was a flight attendant. Both of their families say they were both full of life. Loved their jobs. And, you know, 67 families, but also communities that are just going to be still obviously processing what happened and a long road of grief ahead. You can really feel the heaviness of that reverberating throughout the community here. Diane.
And, Elizabeth, what do we know about the figure skating team that was on board?
Right. So we know that at least 14 figure skaters, coaches and team members were coming from Wichita to DC on that flight after they'd been there for a training camp. That training camp took place just after the national championships. One of those skaters was 12 year old Brielle Bryer. She actually was a cancer survivor when she was just a little girl, and turned her passion into figure skating. And one thing we're hearing from this figure skating community, which is so incredibly tight knit, is how the loss of a couple of young skaters, a loss of team members of coaches, has reverberated for so many. And here's what one of those skaters told us.
The skaters, we are all connected. So when something happens to one of us, it reverberates through.
Everyone heard that echo Diane from the Boston Skating Club. They held a news conference yesterday and talked about how the loss of six of their members and coaches were was still. So, you know, they just couldn't believe it. They were at a loss for words. Nancy Kerrigan, of course, the Olympian tearful, describing how this community learns to fall down and get back up. This is a big fall and she said they will get back up. But right now, just processing and so much shock. Diane.
All right. Elizabeth. Thank you. And as Elizabeth mentioned, this tragedy had a devastating impact on the figure skating community. 14 skaters, coaches and family members were among those killed. ABC's Erielle Reshef has more on this tight knit family now in mourning.
The skating.
World.
Reeling in loss. Six members of the Skating Club of.
Boston.
In Norwood, Massachusetts, killed on the ill fated American Airlines flight.
And then when you find out, you know, you know some of the people on the plane, it's even a bigger blow.
The club, a home away from home for Olympians like Nancy Kerrigan, who gathered at the rink to remember the young athletes and coaches.
If I could do anything for somebody that I just wanted to be there to do it.
All of the skaters and coaches had been in Wichita at a development camp that took place immediately following the U.S. National Championships. 16 year old Spencer Lane posted this last TikTok performing a flawless triple toe loop at camp.
He started to discover this connection with the audience and that joy that he was giving to other people through his gift. And. He said, please let me skate again with you next year.
The skating phenom also sharing.
This.
Haunting picture from inside the plane bound for D.C. just before takeoff. His dad, Douglas, speaking with WCVB about the pain of losing both his son and his wife.
I just happened to open like, a news browser and saw a small plane in the Potomac, and I was just like, oh my God. And my heart just started, like, exploding out of my chest.
Spencer's teammates remembering his raw talent.
He was a little fireball. He was a little firecracker.
That's the.
Best.
Way.
To put.
It. The club also paying tribute to 13 year old Gina Hahn, seen here competing just last month.
Gina was a very energetic child. Whenever you meet her, you met her in the morning. Say hi and you just see this smiling girl.
Hahn's mother, Jen, also on the plane, along with her coaches Jenny Shishkova and Vadim.
Naumov.
Former.
World.
Champions. The skating community.
Hoping the lessons they've learned on the ice will help give them the strength to face the future.
Even when it's hard to get back up. Even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. It's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together.
And that's what skaters are taught to do from such a young age. Deep grief felt through the entire world of skating and beyond. The U.S. Olympic and Olympic and Paralympic Committee, echoing, there are truly no words to capture the depth of our sorrow. A moment of silence was held at the European Figure Skating Championships to remember those lost that community leaning on each other now. Diane.
All right Erielle Reshef. Thank you. Let's bring in ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers. Karen President Trump has posted to Truthsocial today blaming what or who may be responsible for the crash. What do you make of what he's saying now and the white House press briefing yesterday?
You know, the president yesterday said that there was going to be an investigation, but he said yesterday he had very strong opinions about what had happened in that crash. And of course, Diane, he was saying this less than 24 hours after the crash had happened. The president yesterday in the briefing room, had suggested that diversity efforts in hiring at the FAA had made air travel less safe. There were a lot of questions about that. Our Mary Bruce asked him how he could say that, and he said it just could have been asked him where the evidence was to support that. And, you know, I also had the opportunity to ask him later in the Oval Office if he was saying if race or gender played a role in this plane crash. And, Diane, the president told me it may have. I don't know. He said incompetence may have played a role. And he repeated that line throughout this question and answer we had with him in the Oval Office about how he wanted competent people in these roles.
And it might have been incompetence that led to this crash. You know, I think it is notable the president likes to put things out on social media or when he's talking to reporters speculating about this almost as an observer. But we, of course, are waiting to hear from officials. And this investigation now is going to take place over the coming weeks and months.
And Karen Trump was also asked if Americans should feel safe to fly after that crash. What is the white House saying about that and the aviation community saying about that?
Diane, the president was very insistent yesterday that Americans should not hesitate to fly, of course. National airport reopened again yesterday. Flights were taking off and landing there even as that recovery effort was still underway. He also said that he is not hesitant to fly, but he was very clear that an accident like that cannot happen again.
Karen Travers, thank you. Coming up, Sean Diddy Combs has been hit with new allegations. What's in the newly expanded indictment against the music mogul?
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Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, federal prosecutors are expanding their case against Sean Diddy Combs. A newly expanded indictment filed by prosecutors says the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women longer than first alleged. ABC news senior investigative correspondent Erin Katersky has the details.
Federal prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against Sean Diddy Combs, saying the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women over a longer period of time than first alleged 20 years from 2004 until his arrest last year in New York. The new indictment says Combs assaulted not only women but also his employees, witnesses to his abuse and others.
It was a circus.
He did whatever he wanted and we were just at his disposal.
For two years, Phil Pines was a senior executive assistant and is suing him for sexual battery and harassment, which Combs has denied. Alleged violence was vividly captured in this 2016 video obtained by CNN, showing Combs kicking and dragging his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel. The new indictment says Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 for the footage, and prosecutors now say Combs coerced two additional victims into sex acts. The ones that also recruited male prostitutes were called freak offs. Others involved only Combs and a female victim. Like the freak offs, the new indictment says these sex acts sometimes lasted multiple days or sometimes electronically recorded, and often involved a variety of drugs meant to keep the victim obedient and compliant. Combs has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said he is as committed as ever to fighting these charges and winning at trial.
Senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky, thank you. Meanwhile, the judge is expected to hear arguments over whether the mother of a Michigan high. School shooter should get a new trial or have her conviction overturned. Jennifer Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford High School shooting. Her husband, James Crumbley, was also convicted on those same charges. They were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Now, a judge will hear what the prosecution and defense have to say. After denying most of Jennifer Crumbley's request for a new trial yesterday. ABC news contributor and trial attorney Brian Buckmire joins me now for more on this. Brian, walk me through this because this was a first of its kind case for both Jennifer Crumbley and her husband. So where does this all stand now? As as she's asking for a new trial.
So, Dan, we're at the first appellate level after the trial, where the judge has already denied a number of motions, as you pointed out, that of ineffective assistance of counsel. The argument that there are two competing theories that Ethan Crumbley, the shooter, was charged as an adult, but in this case, they said that Jennifer Crumbley could not control her minor son. And also, they're saying that the judge made an error in saying that the that the jury did not have to decide between two different theories as to whether or not Crumbley was failed to secure the weapon or failed to control a minor son in in these charges. And so the judge really put those aside. Right now, what we're focusing on is whether or not a proffer agreement was given to a counselor and former dean who testified in Jennifer Crumbley's trial, to the extent that they would not be prosecuted for the information they were giving. And if that did happen, the prosecution should have turned that information over. But they didn't. And if that is an issue that ultimately could have changed or overturned or changed this case, the judge may issue a decision that grants a new trial.
So, Brian, what happens if the judge grants or denies the defense's motion here? Where does the case go from here?
So if the judge grants the motion for the defense that there should there should be a new trial. And that's a very high standard to reach, because both the defense would have to prove that there was an error and not turning over this information, and that it was not harmless in that it would have actually had an effect on the trial. And if that happens, there could be a new trial, a dismissal of of this conviction. And we basically just start all over again. But if this is denied, like all the other arguments, then this is just the first level of appeal. And I would expect that the defense would then go to the Michigan Court of Appeals to re-enlist the same arguments again, but at a higher level, hoping that that court have a different outcome than the one they're in now.
ABC news contributor Brian Buchmeyer. Thank you. Coming up, Dwyane Wade reveals he had nearly half of his kidney removed with the NBA star is saying about his battle with cancer and what helped him cope during recovery.
What does it take to be the most watched newscast in America.
An operation to capture ISIS fighters.
Combat operations center.
We're approaching the gate now. Militants came in from 4 or 5 different directions.
Operational nuclear reactor.
So you have a couple loaded and ready to go?
Yes, sir.
The house is destroyed.
But the flag.
There's not a tear in it.
Not a tear in it.
How important is this label? Right here? Made in.
The USA. Look at your smile. You're proud.
Of this. I love it.
Great work.
Hi.
Where are you? Where are you?
Appreciate you.
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Good to meet.
You.
Ismail. David.
David.
Yes, yes.
I'm David Muir. I know who you are. You do? Every night.
ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Freeze!
Morgan Guillory, major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Check out at the it's dollar store. You hired.
Me because I noticed things.
That you miss.
I can't help it. It's just how I do.
Let's solve this case.
Bingo!
Wahoo!
Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google.
Who's the killer on your.
Phone? Morgan?
Um, no, I did not do that.
No, I know.
Attention, teachers. No child.
Is.
To be.
Sent to the principal's office today. Kids, if you want to do crime, now's the time.
Happy first day of school. You better bring your best wonder.
Like four more of these?
Yeah, we were robbed.
Hey! Buy three.
Get.
One.
Free. I'm gonna call your mother on you. Bring the rest.
Back.
Here, boy.
Hey, bear. Bear!
Are you ready for some football?
All Super Bowl week long. Good morning America is in New Orleans.
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From the hottest parties to the best game day. Food to football fashion for women and all the puppies. Plus Drew Brees, Stephen A Smith and of course Gronk.
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GMA At the Super Bowl it was a kidnapping torture case. A crime of greed and cruelty.
The men tortured the victim.
By.
Beating, tasing.
And burning him.
And this is where it gets really horrible. The guy was cutting off my roommate's. It was like a bad dream.
This crime was horrific.
He's a.
Psychopath. How could you possibly.
Defend.
Somebody.
Like that?
This was a story.
About greed.
Sadism.
Evil.
Wicked game. Devil in the desert. Only on Hulu.
I'm gonna tell him the truth.
No you're.
Not.
Welcome back to ABC News Live. First, Dwayne Wade is opening up about his battle with cancer. The NBA Hall of Famer appeared to be the picture of health when he got the surprising diagnosis. Now he's sharing his experience undergoing surgery to have 40% of his kidney removed. ABC's Eva Pilgrim has more on why he's encouraging others to stay on top of their health.
NBA legend Dwyane.
Wade revealing.
A terrifying.
Health scare.
What I had on my kidney was a cyst, a tumor.
The Hall of.
Famer sharing.
On his podcast.
That doctors removed nearly half of his right kidney in 2023.
Thank God that I did do the surgery right. Because the tumor was cancerous and they took 40% of my kidney.
To make sure.
That they can get all the cancer off.
Of it.
Wade posting.
To Instagram. It's my story. A reminder to face your fears.
Prioritize.
Your health and get checked. There were over 430,000.
New.
Cases of kidney cancer worldwide. Black men are among the most diagnosed in the U.S..
It.
Generally.
Seen in older.
Individuals.
So people, you know.
60 to 70.
And older when.
It's found, but.
It can.
Be found at.
Any age.
And especially.
Different types of kidney.
Cancers can be diagnosed.
At younger.
And older ages.
The basketball.
Superstar saying he went to the doctor after having stomach.
Issues.
Cramps and trouble going to the bathroom. Wade saying he was inspired to get checked by his father.
Who battled prostate.
Cancer.
I went in to get myself checked out and I went in and I was like, doc, I want to know everything about my body. Head to toe.
The 13 time all star.
And father of five who was married.
To actress.
Gabrielle.
Union, says.
The health scare.
Helped show him the true meaning of family.
I found strength in my family and my friends and my group.
Wade says. For him.
Surgery was the right decision.
He didn't give too.
Many.
More.
Details.
About his.
Current health, but we, of course, are wishing him all the best.
And we sure are. Eva Pilgrim, thank you and thank you for watching. I'm Diane Macedo. The news never stops and neither do we. We have a lot more news after the break. Stay with us.
I'm 110% ready to fall in love.
Tall. Handsome.
Smart. He's perfect.
Time just.
Stood.
Still. It's kind of already sinking in that these other girls are dating my boyfriend. Everybody just really wants Grant.
And we're all fighting.
For his love.
You act like you don't care.
He knows how I feel.
I know I'm in trouble.
Everyone's so mean.
I did not know how hard this was gonna be.
This is ABC News Live.
The crushing.
Families.
On the.
Ground in.
Ukraine.
ABC News Live. America's number one streaming news. Anytime, anywhere. Streaming 24 over seven. Straight to you for free.
Thank you for making.
ABC.
News Live.
America's number one streaming news.
From the old.
City of Damascus, I'm James Longman. Wherever the story is, we'll take you there. You're streaming ABC News Live.
Do you know how difficult my dad is?
You know, I hear everything.
From in here.
I'm broke, and I need a place to stay until I find a job. Can we.
Try to.
Talk to.
Each other like rational adults?
If you watch the news.
Lately.
That's.
Not.
A thing anymore.
You could go.
Back.
To.
Law school.
That's always been your dream.
Actually, that was your dream for me.
You like.
To argue? You do love to argue.
As we.
Get paid for.
It.
On the bus. But. This family is suffocating. We are all here.
To help.
Them.
We're going to make this happen. We have 96 hours to build a house.
Come on, guys, it's moving day. Let's go.
It can't be real.
This was.
More than just Extreme.
Home Makeover. This was extreme life makeover. Extreme Makeover Home Edition Thursday on ABC and stream on Hulu.
Air safety.
Failures, families.
Grieving. And now investigators.
Have the daunting task.
Of trying to piece together not only the wreckage, but what went.
Wrong.
When.
A passenger plane.
And an Army helicopter collided over our nation's capital. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra.
Phillips.
Now, a.
Key.
Break in the case.
NTSB officials.
Recovering.
The black.
Boxes from the.
Passenger.
Plane. The flight.
Recorders.
Could.
Shed light.
On the mystery.
Of how that American Airlines.
Jet and U.S..
Army Black Hawk exploded.
Near Reagan.
National Airport.
Killing.
67.
People.
You can see the new CCTV images obtained.
By CNN.
Right.
Here, showing the moment.
Of that deadly collision.
It does.
Not appear either.
Aircraft.
Took evasive.
Maneuvers to.
Avoid the crash.
Either. And while investigators look for answers, the recovery effort enters.
A new phase. Crews now waiting on heavy machinery, including.
Cranes, to.
Begin lifting.
Pieces.
Of the.
Fuselage out of.
The.
Water so.
Divers can.
Reach.
The remaining victims lodged.
Beneath.
Family members of those victims determined to keep their memories alive.
He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life in his future and getting a dog, getting a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did, and she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
Joining me now, ABC news chief global.
Affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz. Our transportation reporter.
Sam Sweeney, our.
White House correspondent MaryAlice parks.
And our Perry.
Russom who is out there at Reagan.
National Airport.
Sam, what do we know at this.
Hour.
About these flight recorders?
Well, they are at the lab at the NTSB, just a mile from the scene. These are the flight recorders from the American Airlines plane that were in the tail. They were brought there yesterday, and we could get a readout as early as today. But what the problem is here is that this American Airlines plane was doing everything right, according to preliminary reports. And it was coming in. It had permission to land. What we really need is the recorders from that Black Hawk that will give us an idea of what was happening inside the cockpit in those seconds leading up to this crash, but nonetheless, we still will get valuable information from that American Airlines plane. And as I said, that could come as early as today.
So Martha Trump.
Has repeatedly blamed the.
Helicopter.
Crew for this crash.
What is.
The Defense Department.
Saying now?
Well, the Defense Department is obviously looking. Pete Hegseth, the new defense secretary, is obviously looking very carefully at this. They've they've had a pause in operations for that particular unit out of Fort Belvoir, about 20 miles from the airport. We have heard Pete Hegseth say that the crew is believed to have been wearing night vision goggles, which would be expected in a flight like that in the nighttime. And that is part of the training, certainly. He actually said this morning that he wasn't positive they had them on and I'm sure they had them close by. But sometimes pilots put them up and down so they can see either by regular vision or those night vision goggles, but that is certainly something they are looking at as well. Did those night vision goggles contribute to the accident? Did the helicopter pilots who said they had a visual on the regional jet? Did they actually see another jet that was that was coming in for landing behind the regional jet or the lights of the city? And that confused them because they clearly did not see that regional jet since they slammed right into it.
Kyra.
So, Martha.
What else do we know just about this training exercise? The pilots who were carrying out the mission.
There were two pilots and there was an instructor pilot and and what's called an evaluated pilot. And this was Raining just to reinforce their regular routes. Both pilots had a lot of experience. According to the Defense Department, they gone up and down that river in the night, in the daytime. But you have to renew your certification basically every so often. I'm not sure whether it's yearly or maybe every six months. So the instructor pilot was keeping an eye on the evaluating pilot. Again, that pilot was an experienced pilot as well. You just have to get recertified. Even if you do it all the time. That particular unit does priority transport. And that means they transport VIPs or senior army leadership or senior government officials to and from Washington. And they also practice in case there was an emergency. And you had to get government officials or senior leaders out of Washington, D.C. that is what that unit does. That is what they were practicing that night. It appears that they were returning to Fort Belvoir after their training mission.
We're not positive that's the case, but it looks like that probably is. And again, going going up the river as the other as the aircraft was coming down.
So Perry, you are following.
The recovery.
Process.
Now.
We know.
Operations.
Had to cease yesterday.
What is happening.
Today and what is the plan moving forward?
Yeah. So the plan right now is that there's a pause in recovery efforts. They're waiting for some of the heavy machinery to come into the Potomac. We're waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, and some private contractors, actually, who are being called in. But we're dealing with some rain today. Rain is in the forecast. We're curious to see how that changes recovery efforts, but we're being told it is going to take some time to recover all of the victims from inside the plane, inside the Black Hawk helicopter. They're waiting to essentially raise both aircraft to the surface and then remove those victims and remove their bodies. And we're also hearing about some of the people who tragically died in the 67 people involved, 64 on the plane and then three in the helicopter. There are so many stories that still have to be told, but so far we know about 12 year old Brielle Beyer, who was on the plane with her mom, Justina Elizabeth Keys, a lawyer in D.C. who was rushing home to go on a date with her longtime boyfriend, Samuel Lilly, a pilot on the plane who was recently engaged.
And we just got some new information in the past couple of minutes about a family of four that was on this plane together, the Livingstons. This information is coming from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Donna. Peter Everly and Olivia. They are known as the ice skating Sisters on Instagram. And that account is just flooded with messages of love and support.
Guys thank.
You. We got to get straight to.
The white House now.
Where Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt is answering reporters questions about the crash.
President Trump.
Swiftly.
Signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of the Federal Aviation Administration to To ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel and policy aviation.
Safety.
Standards. The memorandum.
Directs.
The.
Secretary of Transportation.
And the FAA administrator to immediately review.
All.
Hiring.
Decisions.
And changes to safety protocols.
Made during the prior four years.
And to take all necessary.
Corrective.
Actions to achieve uncompromised aviation safety. The review will include a comprehensive assessment and reversal of any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation safety standards and protocols during the previous administration. Aviation safety was addressed by President Trump before this tragic collision even took place on his second day in office. The president signed a memorandum to immediately stop Biden hiring programs and return to non-discriminatory, merit based hiring. And in 2018, during President Trump's first term, the Department of Transportation announced it would put an end at that time to use the biological questionnaire that was introduced by the Obama administration, which punished skilled applicants. President Trump has long led on the issue of aviation safety, and he will continue to do so. He will continue to deliver on the promises he made to the American people at record speed. The Senate has already confirmed eight of President Trump's exceptional cabinet nominees, including most recently Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. As you of course know, EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is scheduled to be sworn in later today.
We expect the Senate to continue quickly, confirming the remainder of President Trump's well-qualified nominees in the days ahead. Earlier this week in the East Room, the president proudly signed the Laken Riley Act into law, surrounded by his loving parents and sister. This common sense bipartisan law mandates the federal detention of illegal aliens who are accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury. Like the animal who murdered Lincoln Riley in cold blood. This was the first piece of legislation President Trump proudly signed as the 47th president of the United States, and it will guarantee that Lincoln did not die in vain. As Lincoln's mother, Allison tearfully said during the signing event. President Trump said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Lincoln. And he hasn't. He's a man of his word, and we trust that he will fight for the American people. Those are the words of Lincoln's mother, and we will never forget them. So to help lock up even more criminal illegal aliens, President Trump signed a memorandum this week to detain them at Guantanamo Bay.
This action will expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide critical extra detention space for high priority criminal illegals. Our brave Ice agents continue to arrest more and more of these types of individuals every day in communities across our country, and I have more updates for you on January 27th, 2025. Ice Chicago arrested a citizen of Guatemala who has been convicted of solicitation to meet a child disturbing and sentenced to 24 months probation. On January 28th, 2025, Ice Atlanta arrested a citizen of South Korea who has been convicted of nine counts of possession or control of material depicting minors in sexually explicit conduct conduct. On January 28th, Ice New York arrested a Mexican national previously charged by the State of New York for attempted murder and possession of a weapon and assault. And on January 28th, Ice Philly arrested a citizen of Mexico who has been convicted of possession of child pornography. Our message is simple if you are a criminal illegal alien, you will be arrested and deported. On another important matter, the nation's report card was released this week and the news is not good.
It showed that U.S. students had record low reading comprehension scores last year. Its National School Choice Week. And in part of the president's commitment to education, he just left a round table in the Roosevelt Room focused on this issue with leaders from across the country. The national report card showed that 70% of eighth graders were below proficient in reading, and 40% of fourth graders did not even meet the basic reading levels. This is completely unacceptable to the president, and he continues to take aggressive actions to address this education problem in our country. He signed an executive order this week prohibiting federal funding of the indoctrination of our children, including radical gender ideology and critical race theory in the classroom. The president believes American education should focus on cultivating patriotic citizens who are ready for the workforce. And this action will help get schools back on track and defend fundamental parental rights in education. The president also signed a School Choice Executive order expanding educational freedom and opportunity for families. And in lighter news, but in exciting news, after announcing our briefing room changes on Wednesday, this white House has received more than 10,000 submissions from individuals across the country who are eager to join.
All of you. We might have to make this room a little bit bigger to do that. Um, who want to participate in our new media seat at a future briefing? So in this seat today, we have the Ruthless podcast. They humbly started by entertaining small audiences on Capitol Hill. But after four years, this program has become one of the most influential podcasts in America. They previously reached number one on the charts and earned over 25 million downloads as they deliver political news with a humorous touch. The hosts are Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, Comfortably Smug and the man joining us today, John Ashbrook. So with that, I will take your questions. John, please kick us off.
Thank you very much.
You know.
Caroline.
In your first.
Briefing, the.
Media went.
After.
This.
Administration for deporting illegal.
Immigrants.
They claimed.
Were not.
Criminals. The question.
Is, do you.
Think they're.
Out of touch with Americans demanding action on our border crisis?
The media out of touch. I think the media certainly is out of touch. And I think that's proven by a number of things, John. Number one, there was a New York Times poll that was released prior to President Trump's inauguration by The New York Times, which, of course, is a legacy media outlet that showed that 83% of Americans support deporting the individuals that you mentioned, illegal immigrant criminals, especially those who have committed heinous crimes in the interior of our country. And I received a very interesting statistic on this front from Ice this week. 97% of the deportations that this administration has made thus far are of individuals who had a removal order from the previous administration, but were never removed from the interior of our country. So this shows that the previous administration was actually defying our laws. And all this administration is doing is simply following the laws, the immigration laws of this great country. Thanks for the question, John. Anything else?
No.
That's it. Okay. Great. Peter.
Thanks, Caroline.
If President.
Trump is telling us that air traffic.
Control.
Towers are staffed with unqualified.
Controllers, these.
Di.
Hires who.
Never should have been brought on. Then it's not safe to fly commercially, is it?
The president was asked and answered this yesterday, and he believes that it is still indeed safe, and Americans should feel safe traveling our skies. With that said, two things can be true at the same time, and we certainly have seen the deterioration of federal hiring standards at the Federal Aviation Administration. And the president wants to increase those standards. He wants pilots in this country who have the great responsibility of flying American citizens by the tens of millions every single day, to be chosen for that position based on their merit and their skills. And so the administration will continue to prioritize.
This was the air traffic.
Controller.
In.
The tower on Wednesday night, hired or not fired at some point because of his or her race.
That investigation is ongoing. And so when we have updates on the exact individuals who were involved in the collision, including the air traffic controller. Also the pilots of the helicopter and others. We will confirm those. I don't want to confirm names from this podium today. We are not in a position to do that. But I will say the president has still rightfully pointed out that there has been problems with the aviation industry over the past several years, and this started under Barack Obama in 2014.
And when the president says on.
Truth Social, the.
Black.
Hawk helicopter was flying too high by a lot, it was far above the 200.
Foot limit.
That's not really too complicated to understand, is it? Is he suggesting a helicopter malfunction or a crew error or a crew doing this intentionally?
No, the president is simply stating what he said in that Truth Social post, which is that the helicopter was flying higher than it should have been, which is one of the reasons that led to this collision and the other reasons for that are still being investigated. And I will let that investigation play out. Kelly.
Some of our.
Colleagues have obtained.
A memo.
From.
The.
Defense.
Intelligence.
Agency that talks about not holding.
Any.
Activities or.
Programming related to Black.
History Month to be in line with.
The president's views.
On diversity.
Equity.
And inclusion.
Does the president plan to.
Have a proclamation.
About.
Black History.
Month in his first term? Each of the four years of his term.
He.
Did so and called on those.
In.
Government to.
Have programming activities.
And celebrations. Is he.
Going to.
Do that.
This.
Year?
Yeah. The president looks forward to signing a proclamation celebrating Black History Month. I actually spoke with our great staff secretary. It's in the works of being approved, and it's going to be ready for the president's signature to signify the beginning of that tomorrow.
If an agency is calling off those kinds.
Of.
Activities.
In.
An.
Attempt to be in.
Alignment with.
The.
President's views on Dei.
And.
Other things.
Should they adjust.
That now and.
Have.
Those programs and make those.
Celebrations however.
They.
See fit in the.
Office?
The president is leading here at the white House, and I'll leave it to the proclamation that he will sign very soon. Mary, great to see you.
Thanks for having.
Us. So I wanted to follow up on the gender.
Executive orders that.
You mentioned.
First of all, we know that President.
Trump has taken a.
Bunch of steps to.
Protect.
Children from irreversible.
Transgender.
Procedures.
Is he interested.
In backing congressional.
Legislation on this point?
And does.
The Trump administration have interest in investigating doctors.
Who perform.
These.
Irreversible.
Procedures.
On kids, such as a double mastectomy on a minor girl?
Well, the president has already taken a very strong stance on this issue this week with the signing of his executive order, a few executive orders in this space. First, he made it the official policy of the federal government that there are only two sexes, male and female. And we have directed all federal agencies to comply with that policy. As for congressional legislation to support the president's agenda in this space, and certainly ending the mutilation of young children, the chemical castration of young children, which is a is a barbaric practice that the vast majority of Americans do not support for young minor children. Certainly, the president would support Congress's efforts, as he has already made that very clear this week. Jennifer.
On Rick Grenell's.
Trip to Venezuela.
To meet with Nicolas.
Maduro.
Is there anything you can share.
On timing on that? What is.
Agenda is what the mission of that trip.
Is.
Yes. So I can confirm that Ric Grenell is in Venezuela today. I can confirm that Ric Grenell is going to Venezuela or is in Venezuela with very two immediate directives from the president of the United States. Number one, Ric Grenell has been instructed to identify a place and ensure that repatriation flights of trend. Aragua members of Venezuelan nationals who have broken our nation's laws will land in Venezuela. As I said at this podium a few days ago, we expect every nation on this planet to cooperate with the repatriation of our Of our citizens. And so Rick Grenell is in Venezuela to ensure that can continue. And number two is in Venezuela to ensure that all U.S. detainees in Venezuela are returned home. That's his mission. And I will provide a readout after this trip on Bob Menendez.
Can you.
Tell.
Us if anyone has approached the white House or the president about a pardon or commutation?
I have not been part of those discussions. If they have, I am not sure if they have, but I won't speculate on potential pardons that may or may not happen to my awareness. The answer is no. Justin.
Hey. Um.
Friends at Reuters.
Are reporting that the president has made a decision on the Canada and Mexico tariffs, but that they won't actually be implemented until March 1st. I was wondering if you could confirm that and talk through some of the president's thinking.
I saw that report, and it is false. I was just with the president in the Oval Office, and I can confirm that tomorrow, the February 1st deadline that President Trump put into place at a statement several weeks ago, continues. The president will be implementing tomorrow a 25% tariffs on Mexico. 25% tariffs on Canada and a 10% tariff on China for the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed tens of millions of Americans. These are promises made and promises kept by the president.
The president yesterday said that last night he was planning to discuss whether an exemption would be made on oil imports. Do you have any information on what decision he made there, or will there be exemptions at all offered under this?
I don't have an update or readout for you on the exemptions, but those tariffs will be for public consumption in about 24 hours tomorrow. So you can read them then. Stephen Nelson.
Thank you very much.
I have.
Three questions, if.
That's all right.
I'd like to ask you about press freedom and then about two economic matters.
Sure.
On Press Freedom on.
Tuesday, you.
Announced.
Plans.
To.
Roll.
Back the.
More restrictive press badge policy with.
Biden White.
House.
But there's.
A different.
Anti-press freedom policy I wanted to ask about.
The Biden White House adopted.
A.
Mysterious.
Pre-screening process for journalists allowed into large event spaces that.
In.
The pre-pandemic days.
The first Trump.
Term, were open to all journalists on campus. This effectively.
Limited.
The diversity of reporters present, and blocked the asking of questions that large segments of the American public wanted answered. As press secretary, can you commit to abolishing this mysterious pre-screening process?
There were a lot of mysterious processes that my team and I have had to unravel over the past two weeks that were implemented by the previous white House, and in particular, the previous press shop here. And so I can commit to a greater access and transparency, which I believe we already have, by ensuring that the 440 journalists whose credentials were revoked will be reinstalled. They will get their credentials if they wish to. We've also, of course, opened up a new seat to new media. And as far as open press events here at the white House, if we tell you it's open press, it's open press.
So just to confirm this pre-screening thing is something you're aware of. And we'll work to undo to the maximum extent possible.
When we say something is open press it will mean it's open press.
Economic matters. And I can just.
Ask them.
Both at.
Once for.
You in New York City. Governor Hochul's congestion pricing went into effect this month. Vehicles that drive through parts of Manhattan have to pay a $9 toll. President Trump has made clear his opposition. He said that it's, quote, the most regressive tax known to womankind. Will the administration be trying to block this? And the second question is millions and maybe tens of millions of Americans who voted for President Trump were excited about his plans to do away with taxes on tips over time and Social Security benefits. But there's uncertainty about the timing of this. So can you clarify for.
Them when this is going to.
Happen? And does President Trump want this to be in the first all three of those in the first batch of legislation early this.
Well, to answer your question in one swoop, I will say that President Trump is committed to lowering taxes for Americans. Cutting taxes for Americans. As for congestion pricing in New York, I do know that the president spoke with Governor Hochul about that. I don't have any, you know, actions, so to speak, to read out for you on that issue today. Number two, when it comes to no taxes on tips and Social Security, the president has made it very clear to our allies on Capitol Hill that is a critical piece of this reconciliation package. And he expects that his tax cuts from 2017, which put a lot more money back into the American people's pockets, those must be implemented. And no tax on tips. The president is intent on delivering on that promise, and he will get it done.
Over.
Time also.
As part of reconciliation.
Yes, sure. Thanks, Caroline.
Can you guarantee.
That those tariffs won't increase prices for Americans, including at the gas pump in the grocery store? I think Americans who are concerned about increased prices should look at what President Trump did in his first term, he effectively implemented tariffs, and the average inflation rate during the first Trump administration was 1.9%. In fact, when President Trump left office, it was 1.4%. So President Trump is going to do everything he possibly can to cut the inflation crisis that the previous administration imposed on the American people, and he will continue to effectively utilize tariffs.
Tariffs do increase.
Prices for Americans. Will the administration reverse them? That's a hypothetical question. And the president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation and costs for the American people. And, you know, the media has this way of just looking at everything in a microscope, rather than looking at the whole of government economic approach that this president is taking. He will effectively implement tariffs. He is also, as I just answered Stephen's question, committed to tax cuts. He's also also clearly committed, as evidenced by his executive orders to unleashing the might of our energy industry, which we know will eventually drive down inflation and all the other economic measures that this president has made will have it. Trump incoming economic boom, just like we saw in our first term.
And has the white House found any.
Fox business?
Yes.
Thank you.
Thanks, Caroline. You're welcome. Um, the Justin.
Trudeau, the Canadian prime.
Minister.
Said today that.
If the U.S. imposes.
Tariffs, he will respond.
And he will not relent until the tariffs are removed. Are we seeing the start of a trade war with Canada?
I don't think so. I think the president is going to implement those tariffs tomorrow, and he will respond to Mr. Trudeau's comments in due time, I am sure.
What type of things have to happen? What does the administration need to see.
In order to avoid.
Those tariffs?
Well, the tariffs are incoming tomorrow on Canada. And the reason for that is because both Canada and Mexico have allowed an unprecedented invasion of illegal fentanyl that is killing American citizens and also illegal immigrants into our country. In fact, I have more language for you right here. Canada, Mexico and China, which, as I mentioned, President Trump will implement a 10% tariff on China, have all enabled illegal drugs to pour into America the amount of fentanyl that has been seized at the southern border in the last two years alone has the potential to kill tens of millions of Americans. And so the president is intent on doing this. And I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media.
If I may. One more question. The president.
For one, how.
Do you go back to the.
Plane crash for just.
One second?
You're interrupting your colleague. But sure.
I thought you called on me.
I called on Lindsey.
The president.
This.
Morning said the Black Hawk helicopter.
Was flying too high. I'm wondering if.
He's basing.
That on.
What.
He learned from.
Investigators. And if.
You could.
Offer.
A little.
Bit more of a window.
Into how he.
Is keeping.
Abreast of.
This investigation as the NTSB.
Briefing him.
Separately, is he.
Meeting in the.
Situation Room? You just sort.
Of.
Offer a window into.
That?
Yeah. The president based that statement on truth because it is truth and it's fact, and it was relayed to him by the authorities who are overseeing the investigation into this horrific plane collision. And the president, as I said in my opening remarks, continues to be briefed on the collision by everybody across his cabinet, the Secretary of Transportation, the secretary of defense, the NTSB, who the commissioner there was in the Oval Office with him yesterday. Lindsey. Lindsey. Go ahead. Lindsey. Go ahead. Thank you.
The CIA actually.
Revealed that they do also believe that.
Covid.
19 was from.
A lab leak in.
Wuhan, China. How is.
The president planning.
On.
Responding to this.
Additional Intel.
From the.
CIA? And will it impact how he.
Responds to them with.
Tariffs?
Yeah, kudos to John Ratcliffe for revealing that truth and that fact to the American people. Many years too late, the Biden administration had a chance to let the American people know the truth about that, and for some reason, they chose not to. I also would just like to point out that several years ago, when I was working in this press shop and President Trump would take to this podium to brief the American people on Covid 19. He suggested that Covid very well may have came from a lab in Wuhan, China, and many members in this very room mocked him for that. Said, he was spewing conspiracy theories. He was not. We now know that to be the confirmable truth. It took many years for it to come out. But the president was right in this instance again. Sure.
Caroline. Thank you. I wanted to ask about Secretary Rubio's trip to Panama.
First, what.
Have the conversations.
Looked.
Like.
With.
President Trump on that? The president of Panama says it is impossible.
To negotiate over the canal. So what.
Are you.
Expecting from this visit?
So I have not been present for Secretary Rubio's conversations with President Trump about the Panama Canal. I have been present for President Trump's own thoughts on the Panama Canal, and you've all seen them as well. And his public statements that he has shown. He believes it's unacceptable that the canal is essentially run by the Chinese Communist Party. If you look at both ends of the of the canal. Massive Chinese Communist Party linked companies run the canal. That's unfair to the American people, many of whom lost their lives many years ago. Building this canal, the American taxpayers are paying millions of dollars for the canal, and the president believes it's in our national interest as a nation. For Secretary Rubio to go there and begin these discussions. And that's exactly why he's doing that. Sure.
Thank you very much, Caroline.
Is the United.
States.
In the process.
Of pulling out of Syria.
Militarily.
Because president.
Wanted to do that in his first term as well, and he had a lot of pushback from the Pentagon.
And Congress.
And based.
On what he said.
Yesterday. Is he considering doing that in a short time?
The president was asked and answered this question yesterday. And he, as the commander in chief of the United States Military reserves, the right to review troop deployments overseas at any point in time.
Is that.
A.
Topic right.
Now?
Yes.
Thank you. Two questions.
So we now know that the staffing was not normal at the air traffic tower. Power.
And so.
With the government.
Raising.
The hiring of new federal workers and offering buyouts, are you not afraid that more incidents of different kinds could happen with less staffing in different agencies?
Well, the president is intent on ensuring that we are increasing staffing at these agencies, and that's why he signed a very strong executive order on his second day in office, immediately terminating D-I hiring practices at the FAA. He also following the tragic crash, as you all know, in the Oval Office, yesterday signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of the FAA to ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel in aviation safety standards. And I would also just say there's a cultural piece to this as well. If you are an American who has spent many years studying aviation and you, you know, graduate from school and you're an air traffic controller based on skill and merit, and then you apply for a job and you're forced to fill out a biographical graphical questionnaire asking you the color of your skin and asking you where you're from in details that aren't relevant at all, to the job description. I think that deteriorates the morale of people in this industry. And if you talk to people in this industry, they'll tell you that, in fact, many of them filed a lawsuit against the FAA a couple of years ago under Joe Biden's administration because they were denied positions because of this DEA hiring practice that was putting identity politics over merit and skills.
That's unacceptable. And I think just to put a fine point on this, because this is the third or fourth question I've answered on this subject. When you are flying on an airplane with your loved ones, which every one of us in this room has, do you pray that your plane lands safely and gets you to your destination? Or do you pray that the pilot has a certain skin color? I think we all know the answer to that question. And as President Trump said yesterday, it's common sense. Rob Crilly.
Yeah, I'd just like to follow up on that last question. Has there been any sort of assurance from the.
FAA.
That they will immediately improve staffing levels. Given the reports of not normal staffing levels on Wednesday.
Oh, absolutely. You had Secretary Duffy here yesterday at the white House at this podium saying that he is on it and we can all trust that he definitely will be.
John Decker, thank you. Thanks a lot, Carolyn. You call on me, right?
Yes I.
Did. Thank you very.
Much. As long as your name is still John Decker.
It is.
Absolutely.
Thank you.
The president's.
Meeting today.
With the founder and CEO of Nvidia. What is that meeting concerning? And who sought that meeting?
I don't have details on this. It's a private meeting. It will take place at 2:30 p.m.. I'll try to get there in time, and I can let you know after.
How's that on Guantanamo Bay? Can you give more details.
About.
Setting up that detention facility at Gitmo? How will that come about? What's the timing in terms of standing it up?
And of course.
This has happened before during the Clinton administration. Right. Detainees of Cuban and Haitian descent were both detained at Guantanamo. Are you looking at that model and setting up this detention facility.
Secretary Hegseth, I believe, was on television this morning answering this question, and he said that the Department of Defense is already on it. He has directed his agency to ensure that Gitmo is increasing their capacity for beds. And that's exactly what President Trump's executive order did. It directed Secretary Hegseth and also Secretary Noem to expand the Migrant Operations Center at the naval station to provide for this extra detention space. And as Secretary Helseth confirmed this morning, that operation is underway. Sure.
Caroline, on the tariffs.
Can.
You clarify.
Whether.
Those will actually.
Be going into.
Effect.
Tomorrow or whether there might be some lead time?
And are those.
They will be going.
Into.
Effect? Correct.
And are those meant to be in place long term, or is there.
A.
Scenario in which.
Canada and Mexico and China can offer concessions and then they would be removed?
At this point, the president has made it very clear those tariffs are going to be implemented. And in effect, if the president at any time decides to roll back those tariffs. I'll leave it to him to make that decision. But starting tomorrow, those tariffs will be in place. Sure.
Thanks.
Yes. Can you confirm a report by our friends at the Daily Mail that the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is going to be visiting in visiting the white House in February. And also, if I may, do you have any more details on Netanyahu's visit here next week?
Sure. I have not seen that report about the Prime Minister. I can go check back with our friends at the National Security Council and get back to you on that. I can confirm that Prime Minister Netanyahu will be here on Tuesday, February 4th, for a working meeting and visit with the president. And I'm sure you will all be here very excited to cover that visit.
We've been tracking a.
Caroline Leavitt, their press secretary to the Trump administration, taking questions from reporters in her press press briefing that is wrapping up the week.
Everything from.
Aviation safety, die education.
Tariffs and also a tremendous amount of applications, apparently for a hard pass into.
The.
White House. Let's bring in our white.
House correspondent, MaryAlice.
Parks, who already.
Has her hard pass so we don't have to worry about it in.
Transportation reporter Sam Sweeney.
I mean, on.
A on a.
Lighter note, MaryAlice.
And we'll get, of course, into.
The.
Serious stuff. But we'll.
Remember the.
Last time we covered the Trump.
Administration, you sometimes.
Looked around.
The room and.
Thought, oh my.
Gosh.
How did you get in here? According to the questions and where they were from.
But, I mean.
It looks like we're going to be seeing.
All.
Kinds.
Of new.
Faces.
There.
In.
The briefing.
Room, 10,000 applications from various people saying they want a media.
Hard pass to.
Come into those briefings.
Every.
Day. I mean.
How is.
This going to be.
Handled?
I have no.
Idea. You heard.
Her there joke that they might need to expand.
The.
Room.
It's interesting.
Who gets.
A.
Pass. What what qualifications will be required for them to work out? But it's definitely setting a different tone there in the press briefing room. And you saw the very first question, even hours. Still, we're still in the early.
Parts.
Of the investigation of this horrific plane crash. This huge news about tariffs that will be put in place on trading partners tomorrow. And the first question there was from a friendly outlet about legacy media kind of bashing other reporters in the room. So it is definitely setting a tone. It is definitely a change that they are trying to put in place there at the white House.
Yeah, and a.
Plug for.
A podcast.
That everybody probably is now.
Going.
To be checking.
Out, which.
Brings up a whole.
Nother conversation.
All right. Let's get down to serious business now.
Sam.
Uh, she.
Did, uh.
Kind.
Of double down on on.
What the president was saying yesterday making these allegations that because of Dei.
Hires.
We encountered this plane crash. But we should point out that the FAA is now coming forward saying that affirmative action in.
Hiring air.
Traffic controllers is.
Not something.
That is implemented for these.
Jobs.
So let's just start.
To unravel.
What we know and the facts here. As the president.
And.
Members of his administration push hard on this being a part of why this.
Collision.
Happened.
Yeah, we should point out that we have no evidence that anybody related to this or any cause of this was because of so-called die hiring. Look, it is possible in places in the federal government that there are die programs, affirmative action style programs in place. But for air traffic control specifically, they have a rigorous system in place for training, mental evaluations, psych evaluations, job history, age that all play into this, and then an extensive 3 to 4 year training program that is extraordinarily difficult. 50 more than 50,000 people applied to be air traffic controllers in 2022 2000 were qualified to show up at the Academy and on day one, only 1000 were able to show up because they passed all the tests. All the medical tests were willing to move to Oklahoma City for this long training program. And then once they finished that training program, they have to go to a tower for on the job training that can last around three years, and roughly 60% of the people will make it to the end of that training.
The people who are in the tower at Reagan National Airport are among the best. They handle the most difficult and complex airspace in the country, and they were all well qualified to be there.
MaryAlice Parks, Sam Sweeney, thank you both.
As our country.
Still.
Agonizes.
Over how this collision could even happen, lawmakers are trying.
To figure.
Out how to ensure that it never happens again. Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids from Kansas is one of them. As you know, the American flight.
Took off from.
The state that she serves.
She's also a member of the House Transportation and.
Infrastructure Committee and serves.
On the.
Subcommittee on Aviation, which oversees the FAA and NTSB. Congressman, great to see you.
And let's.
Go ahead and start with.
Trump again, attempting.
To blame diversity for for.
Our diversity.
Diversity programs, rather rather for this.
Crash.
We can.
Report.
Now that the FAA.
Has.
Come forward saying that affirmative action has never been a factor in the hiring of.
Air.
Traffic controllers. So your.
Response.
Now that the FAA has come out and made that point.
And.
Also, are you worried that the president's allegations will actually derail.
This.
Investigation?
Well, the first.
Thing I want.
To say is.
Just how.
Heartbroken so many.
Of course, the families.
Impacted, um, appreciation.
For all.
The.
First responders.
I think that.
It's.
Really important for us to remember how.
Many.
Real.
Lives.
Have been impacted by this tragedy. And it highlights, in my opinion, that the how inappropriate the president's comments have been and how.
Dismissive.
Of the gravity of this tragedy that's being.
Felt.
By.
So.
Many people. You know.
Kansas.
Is.
A small state.
Every single Kansan is going to be impacted. And as more information comes out, people across the country are impacted by this. So making sure that we are allowing this investigation that the NTSB is is taking charge of. And by.
The.
Way, they are similar.
To our air traffic.
Controllers.
NTSB is.
Filled with professionals.
Who have a lot.
Of.
Experience.
Doing this.
Um, it is it's.
Inappropriate and and jumping.
To a blame.
Game when we just do not have the facts yet. Uh, is is not helpful.
You serve on the.
Committee that oversees aviation safety. What answers will you be looking for from that NTSB investigation?
Yeah, that's.
A great question.
And I think somebody, you know, some there are a lot of people out.
There who are wondering, um, how do we prevent.
This from.
Ever happening again. And that is the role that we're going to have. The NTSB is going to do their investigation. We all need to be supporting that and letting them do the work that.
They need.
To do.
So that those of us on the aviation.
Subcommittee.
Both in the House and the Senate.
Are able to.
Take the findings.
Of that report and and make adjustments.
Where needed, whether.
It's in the regulations or in policies. And we have done this before, unfortunately, when there.
Are.
Incidences.
Which is very rare, we take.
We take all of that information.
In and we and we adjust.
Where necessary.
And that's exactly what we're going to do now. Is your committee. So your committee.
Is planning on on your.
Own on conducting your own investigation.
So one of the things.
That I can.
Tell you and.
And I can tell you this based.
On previous experience.
And oversight.
That we have.
That I have personally participated.
In.
We are we are going to do everything we can to support the NTSB.
The.
FAA, the Department.
Of.
Defense as the professionals conduct their investigation. And we will.
Take.
All.
Of.
Those findings, and we will also bring them in front of the committee to ask a lot of a lot of questions about whether or not we need to adjust the the laws or the regulations, and that.
Will.
Happen on both the House side.
And the.
Senate side.
There are.
A lot of people who are going to make sure that that NTSB is.
Able.
To do their work in the way that they need to do it.
Last spring, Congress.
Voted to.
Increase the number of flights.
At DCA, which already has the busiest.
Runway.
In the country. Pilots tell me that the airspace around Reagan National is some of the busiest and trickiest to navigate, given this this crash and also the near misses three in the last two years. Will Congress consider restricting flights now?
I think I.
Do think it think it is.
It's again.
We do not have all.
The facts of.
Um, and the determinations of.
The.
Professionals.
Who are conducting this, uh, and conducting this investigation.
But I can tell you that when it comes.
To.
Aviation.
And keeping American airspace safe.
We are going to look at.
Every single aspect of what happened here.
That will.
Include.
Looking.
At, you.
Know, we've seen these.
Preliminary.
Reports about.
The.
Uh, about.
The specific.
Tower where the air.
Traffic controllers were at. We're hearing and and we are aware and have been aware of the.
Need.
To.
Increase the number of.
Air.
Traffic controllers.
And so we're going to be looking at every.
Single.
Aspect of this to make sure that we continue to have the.
Safest.
Airspace.
In the.
World. And when these tragedies happen, we we cannot let this, um, we cannot let this tragedy go unanswered in terms of ensuring that we're learning from this and and making the air.
Space as.
Safe as possible for the traveling public. You know, over.
40,000.
Flights take off and land every single day in this country. We that happened yesterday without incident. We will continue to do everything we can to improve and increase safety at every opportunity. Congresswoman from Kansas, Sharice Davids, thanks for your time. Appreciate it Congresswoman. Thank you. Coming up, 484.
Days in.
Captivity. Now, the.
First.
American Israeli hostage set to be released by Hamas. What we're learning after the break.
The news never stops. We are here in Israel, a nation at war.
We heard.
What appeared.
To be gunfire. The former president rushed off the stage.
Hurricane Helene ravaging the coastline of Florida.
It's moving really.
Fast.
Screaming across the state. And that's why.
ABC News.
Live.
Never stops.
Taking you to the center of the story as news breaks live. We hear the.
Small arms fire.
Around us. We're right on the border between Ukraine and Russia.
ABC News Live is there for you at the start of your day.
All morning live on ABC News Live. Right there as events unfold.
Across.
The day.
ABC News Live breaking down the day's top stories.
Lyle and Erik Menendez.
There is new evidence in this.
Case.
ABC News Live Prime going there. Wherever the story is, are you going to build it back up?
And ABC News Live lighting.
Up.
The.
Weekend.
With breaking news.
And all.
The.
Latest pop.
Headlines.
Happy Oscar Sunday.
A lot.
To watch for tonight.
ABC News Live.
Because the news never stops.
Yeah.
You know something.
Serious about to.
Happen. Oh, shit.
I have an.
Idea. You guys have eyes on your target.
Shouldn't we strategize?
Come on. We're gonna improvise. Freestyle.
No.
Attention, teachers.
No child is to be sent to the principal's office today. Kid, if you want to do crime, now's the time.
Happy first day of school.
You better bring your best wonder.
Like four more of these.
Yeah, we were robbed.
Hey!
Buy three, get one free. I'm gonna call your.
Mother on you.
Bring the rest back here, boy.
Good. Better. Best.
She's an A-lister. He's a co-star. And he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven, Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were.
Swirling.
For.
Blake to.
File.
A sexual harassment.
Claim. I don't think.
Anyone.
Saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is a fight for power.
This actually.
Could go.
Either.
Way.
It did not end with. It ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu.
Hey good morning America.
Good morning America. Good morning America.
Good morning America.
Good morning America. Every day of your life.
And tonight, the aftermath of the tragic D.C. plane crash. The victims and families who waited for them to arrive. As the investigation continues, World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
America's number one news ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus.
Hope and.
Guarded relief for an American family is they have now learned, a U.S. citizen.
Being.
Held hostage in Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says Keith Siegel and two other Israelis.
Are.
On the.
List to come.
Home. Our foreign correspondent, Rick Clement, with how Siegel's family is now reacting. Hey, Brit.
Hi, Kara. Well, speaking to ABC news. Keith's wife, Aviva, she voiced her excitement over her husband's return tomorrow. Keith's daughter shares she shared this emotional video as they learned that Keith is on the list. Aviva saying I can't believe it. The families have tirelessly campaigned to bring their loved ones home. Aviva in September told me she's worried about the conditions that her husband might be held under, or even that he was already dead in captivity. Aviva was actually with Siegel when they were both kidnapped from their kibbutz, Kfar Aza. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in Back in November 2023. Keith Siegel is on the list, along with Ofer Calderon and Yadin Bibas. Now, Jordan is the father of Kfir, the youngest hostage who was just ten months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. His wife Shiri, and their other son, Ariel, who's five years old, was also captured. Kefir would be two years old now and their fate is unknown. Kira.
All right. Thanks so much.
So this is what happens when you.
Cross Donald.
Trump.
Sources now telling us that.
Multiple high ranking members.
Of the FBI.
Have been.
Told.
To.
Resign.
Or face getting.
Fired.
Or demoted.
This comes after a number.
Of Justice.
Department.
Officials were fired after being.
Involved in special counsel's investigation.
Of President.
Trump.
These threats being made at the same.
Time, one.
Of Trump's.
Controversial.
Cabinet picks.
Kash Patel.
Wraps up his up his confirmation.
Hearing.
He and other problematic.
Picks like.
Director of National Intelligence.
Nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Also faced tough questions.
From lawmakers.
During their hearings. Our senior.
Political correspondent.
Rachel.
Scott is on the story for.
Us.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump's pick for health secretary, facing tough questions from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy about his history spreading misinformation about vaccines.
Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me.
Cassidy, who was a doctor, repeatedly asked Kennedy to outright reject claims that two vaccines cause autism. Kennedy would not.
Senator, I am not.
Going into the agency with any.
Kind of a yes or no question because. So if you're because the data is there and that's kind of a yes or no, and I don't mean to cut you off, but that really is a yes or no.
If the data is.
There.
I will.
Absolutely.
Do.
That.
Cassidy, a key Republican vote in the Senate, was not satisfied, making it clear by the end of the hearing he was, quote, struggling with the nomination. Across Capitol Hill, Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, defended her 2017 meeting in Syria with dictator Bashar al-Assad.
I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator.
But the hearing turning heated about her past support of Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked sensitive intelligence secrets.
You're answering yes or no. Is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America? As someone who has worn my uniform in combat, I understand how critical our national security. Apparently you don't.
Meanwhile, Kash Patel, nominated to lead the FBI, pressed on his own words that he wants to go after President Trump's political enemies. Patel tried to strike a different tone.
There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken by any FBI. Should I be confirmed as the FBI director?
But in a rare move, he did split with President Trump on commuting the sentences of rioters who attacked officers on January 6th.
I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.
And of course, any of these nominees can only afford to lose three Republican senators. So the question now, did those moderates, did senators like Bill Cassidy get the assurances they need before that critical confirmation vote? Kyra.
Our senior political.
Correspondent, Rachel.
Scott. Rachel.
Thank you.
And coming up.
The magic of music. Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and Sting raising millions.
Of dollars.
For wildfire.
Recovery.
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He's perfect.
Time just stood still. It's kind of already sinking.
In.
That these.
Other girls.
Are dating my boyfriend. Everybody just really wants Grant.
And we're all fighting for his love. You act like you don't care.
He knows how I feel.
I know I'm in trouble. Everyone's so.
Mean.
I did not know how hard this was gonna be.
Isabella. Strahan.
It's been rough. It's been challenging, and it's been very hard. But I know I'll get through it.
Life interrupted.
The first thing.
That went through my.
Mind was.
This must be a mistake.
You don't really think the worst until you get told the worst. I'm not.
Loving that support.
Really helped.
Her pull.
Through.
I'm very proud of her.
The powerful special Wednesday night on ABC.
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Tonight, a mystery that shook a small town.
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It was a kidnapping torture case. A crime.
Of.
Greed and.
Cruelty.
The men.
Tortured.
The victim by.
Beating, tasing.
And burning him.
And this.
Is where it gets.
Really horrible. The guy was.
Cutting off my.
Roommate's. It was like a bad dream.
This crime was horrific.
He's a.
Psychopath. How could you possibly defend somebody like that?
This was a story.
About.
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The magic of music stars.
Born.
And raised.
In California, and.
Others who.
Just call it home came together in LA for fire aid, the concert benefiting.
The.
Victims.
Of.
Southern California's deadly and unprecedented.
Wildfires.
Our Danny New has the highlights.
We love you, Los.
Angeles, and we got your back no matter what.
The benefit concert. So big.
Always your.
Name.
Forever young.
It filled two arenas. Fire aid brought thousands of spectators and dozens of stars together to both heal as a community and raise money for those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
Everything in.
The.
Fire.
And.
All.
My.
Love to you.
For those watching at home, the live stream kicked off at 10 p.m. eastern from the Kia Forum with the duet of two billies Billie Eilish and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Both were born and raised in California, which was a theme for the night.
Our goal is simple tonight to raise more money than the Dodgers spent on free agents.
Then legendary comedian Billy Crystal set the tone for the evening, revealing that he was wearing the very clothes he had on when he escaped his home just before it burned down. Still, Crystal said he knew laughter would help his fellow victims through these hard times.
But everybody's been so supportive. This young girl, she must have been 20, came up to me and said she understood my pain because she had lost tick tock for a day.
But guess what else I got for you?
He's up at the Kia Forum. Appearances were also made by.
Compton's.
Own Doctor Dre.
And I've looked at clouds from both sides now.
Joni Mitchell, who may not be from California but certainly wrote beautiful music about it.
Hello.
Samuel L Jackson here.
Meanwhile, you just heard who kicked off the show at the Intuit Dome, which featured performances from California native and rock legend John Fogerty, who turns.
80.
This year.
I'll take you to love peace.
And the rock band.
No Doubt, who originally formed in Anaheim.
That all.
Right? Just talking about how much I love No doubt. Gwen Stefani.
Also love.
Her.
Stuff with Blake Shelton. All right. The news.
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Too. I'm Kyra Phillips. Glad you're streaming with us.
Lot more news up next.
Do you know how difficult my dad is?
You know, I hear everything.
From in.
Here.
I'm broke, and I need a place to stay until I find a job. Can we try to talk to each other like rational adults?
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Actually, that was your dream for me.
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She's an A-lister. He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me it was a match made in heaven. Promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were.
Swirling.
For.
Blake.
To file.
A sexual harassment.
Claim. I don't think.
Anyone.
Saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
It is.
A.
Fight for power.
This actually.
Could go.
Either.
Way.
It did not end with. It ends with us.
Is there more to the story here?
Blake versus Justin now streaming on Hulu.
Morgan Guillory. Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Check out at the dollar store.
You hired.
Me because I noticed.
Things that you miss.
I can't help it. It's just how I do.
Let's solve this case.
Bingo! Woo hoo! Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google.
Who's the killer on your.
Phone?
Morgan?
No, I did not do that.
You're not on.
Air safety.
Failures.
Families grieving. And now investigators have.
The daunting.
Task of trying to piece together not.
Only.
The wreckage.
But what.
Went wrong.
When a passenger plane and an Army.
Helicopter.
Collided.
Over our nation's.
Capital?
Good afternoon, everyone.
I'm Kyra.
Phillips.
Now, a key break in the case. NTSB officials recovering the.
Black.
Boxes from the.
Passenger plane.
The flight recorders.
Could shed light.
Now, on the mystery.
Of.
How that American Airlines jet and U.S..
Army.
Black Hawk.
Exploded.
Near Reagan National.
Airport.
Killing 67 people. You can.
Actually.
See in the new CCTV images we obtained or obtained by.
CNN right there, showing.
The moment.
Of.
The deadly collision.
It doesn't.
Appear either.
Aircraft.
Took evasive maneuvers to avoid the crash, either.
And while investigators look for answers while.
The recovery.
Effort.
Enters a new.
Phase.
Crews now waiting on heavy machinery.
Including cranes.
To begin.
Lifting.
Pieces of that fuselage.
Out of the.
Water.
So.
Divers can reach the remaining victims lodged.
Beneath.
Family members of those victims determined to keep their memories alive.
He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog, getting a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did. And she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
Joining me now, our transportation reporter, Sam Sweeney.
Also our white House.
Correspondent, MaryAlice.
Parks. So, Sam, what do.
We know about.
These flight recorders?
And. Well, we know it's going to.
Play a.
Tremendous.
Part of this investigation, but are we learning anything.
From.
From the.
Retrieval?
The retrieval happened yesterday. They brought them to the lab in buckets of water, which is a standard operating procedure. So they don't ruin so they don't dry out and get damaged. And they are being logged right now. And it is possible that we could get some of that data as early as today. Now the flight recorders that recorders that have been recovered are only from the American Airlines jet, which may have limited information. It's possible that these pilots, who were on final approach, just a few hundred feet from that runway, never even saw that helicopter. So we may not get a lot of data from the American Airlines black boxes, but it could be a much different story for the helicopters data recorders, which have not yet been recovered.
And Mary Alice, we were.
Listening altogether.
To the white House briefing today, and Caroline Leavitt.
Doubling.
Down on Trump's.
Allegations, blaming Dei.
Initiatives.
For this.
Crash.
We should point out once again, there is.
Still no.
Evidence to support.
That. And we are also.
Learning.
Now from the FAA that.
Came out.
With a.
Statement that.
Affirmative.
Action is not implemented when hiring.
Air traffic controllers.
Yeah. And I'm thinking about.
The interview that ABC.
Did.
Today with representatives from the NTSB as well, who said.
It is just.
Too.
Early to be reaching any conclusions that there's absolutely no evidence.
That.
Any of the standards, the.
Extremely.
High standards for becoming not only a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, but also an air traffic controller, that there's no evidence that any of those standards were ever lessened or loosened in any way over the last few years, or any evidence that that contributed in any.
Way.
At all to this tragic accident. I think what's so clear from investigators is that they want to stay focused on the facts at this point. And, of course, we know that when leaders, especially someone as powerful as the president, United States speculates on what could have happened, especially speculates using language that can be so offensive to so many, it can be really distracting for Washington, D.C. for lawmakers, especially in this really tough moment when investigators are trying to get answers to the families, trying to answer questions of loved ones who are grieving.
And.
Trying to focus on making sure this doesn't happen again.
So, Mary Alice, let's talk about the white House.
And how it's reacting now to.
This criticism.
That the buyout.
Offer to federal.
Employees that.
Was made.
Could actually.
Further.
Weaken.
Air.
Traffic control staffing.
Yeah, they've been really dismissive of this criticism. In fact, Caroline Leavitt, the new press secretary, got a question about this today, and she basically wrote off the possibility that it could be a problem. But experts are telling us it very much could be a problem. Sam has been talking about this the last few days that we have been experiencing a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, that it has been an issue. The federal government has tried to look at ways to encourage people to be air traffic controllers. And so the reality is, right now, when we know even air traffic controllers received that email sort of offering, seeming to offer a blanket buyout and option for resigning and quitting their posts without a lot of information about who can and should take them up on that offer. There's real questions experts are telling us. There's real questions about whether that could lead to an increased shortage, whether that could create staffing problems, whether it could create scheduling problems. It's part of the reason that we've heard from so many unions and experts that represent federal workers across the country that that that they just don't believe that this was done, this rollout was done in the right way.
You know, I talked to one representative of.
A large.
Union that that represents over 110,000 federal workers, Kyra. And he told me that there would be a responsible way to try to limit the size of the federal government, but they just don't feel like these emails that went out across the board to every kind of federal employee without a lot of details, without legal language, without contracts, and with no description, no discernment between the kinds of employees that were getting these emails. He told me he just thought that it was essentially reckless and not a responsible way for the federal government to try to reduce the size of its workforce.
Sam, what are we learning.
About that night.
In the DCA tower and.
The air.
Traffic controllers. There's reports out there that the the air traffic controller was working two jobs at the.
Same.
Time that they there.
Are.
Numbers out there that they were not.
Understaffed.
In, particularly.
At that.
Airport. What can we confirm and what do we know about.
That night and ATC?
Well, every couple of hours the FAA puts out what's called an operational report. It's open to the public. You can read it at any time. And it has a ton of information. And in those reports they talk about staffing. If there's going to be shortage, shortages in any of the towers, any of the FAA centers that night, there were no staffing shortages. And we've just learned in the last few hours that the 28 air traffic controllers work at the Reagan National Tower, and all those 28 positions are filled. So there's no staffing shortages at DCA. That night, there was one person doing what sometimes is done by two people. So during the busy hours when there's a lot of helicopters, a lot of lot of planes moving around. They have someone on helicopters and another person on what's known as the local, uh, the local, uh, control position, if you will, that handles departures and takeoffs because traffic was lower that night, according to the FAA. They released the other person and allowed one person to do that job, which happens on a routine basis.
And the FAA says that is in their guidelines. But that, of course, is going to be something that the NTSB looks at. Should that happen, should that continue to happen in the future? The FAA says it's okay now, but of course, that could change with an NTSB recommendation.
Got it.
And Stephanie Ramos, I know.
You're over at Reagan.
National Airport. Still, you've.
Been following the.
Recovery process. We know that that was put on hold yesterday.
What's happening today? Has that equipment, the.
Heavy machinery.
Arrived yet to work.
On getting the.
Rest of that fuselage.
And also.
The remaining victims.
Right. Well, it is a rainy day here in D.C., not necessarily helping the operations, but as you mentioned, divers have had a difficult time getting to that fuselage and extracting additional victims. So recovery teams are now relying on that heavy equipment such as cranes that they are getting from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and private contractors to extract those additional collision victims and the fuselage. So we understand that the equipment would be in a position to begin raising pieces of the fuselage as soon as today. The bodies of those victims are lodged, we understand, beneath and inside the fuselage and cannot be accessed by those divers. So now this is why recovery teams are relying on that heavy equipment, Kyra.
Got it. All right.
Let's take it.
To Louis.
Martinez.
Now, our Pentagon correspondent. Trump has.
Repeatedly blamed.
The helicopter now.
For this.
Or the helicopter.
Crew, rather, for this crash. What is the Defense Department saying, Louis?
Well, Kyra. Yes. President Trump has spoken about the altitude of the of the helicopter, that it was above the 200 foot ceiling for helicopters in that flight path, which would be above the Potomac River. Um, but what we are hearing from officials, including Defense Secretary said this morning is that essentially, yes, that needs to be looked at, but that the real answer is going to be found inside the black box that was aboard the Black Hawk helicopter itself. Until then, it's just going to be speculation because they really don't know exactly all this particular information. They only have a portion of the picture based off the radar tapes that they have. But one of the things that they really will be able to find is when they get that black box, it will be hopefully, information that will be saved in terms of the data and the cockpit voice recorder. It's all an integrated unit actually, aboard that Black Hawk helicopter. And once they find that, then they think they'll be able to have answers.
But yes, you do have President Trump going out there and talking about this, but I don't believe that's necessary right now, because right now, as we as we've said, investigators are saying let this play out. Let's get more information before we can weigh in. But I know that military officials here are saying exactly the same thing.
All right, Selina.
Let's take it to you.
At the white.
House. You were just in the briefing where they were also talking about another major, major story we've been following. And that's tariffs. We're learning.
Everything from avocados to autos.
That Trump.
Tariffs.
On Canada and Mexico could hit pretty close.
To home.
Yeah. In fact, the white House press secretary just confirmed that those.
Tariffs will be taking.
Effect.
Tomorrow. She said.
This would.
Be 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10%.
Tariffs.
On China. She wouldn't get into specifics if there would.
Be any.
Exemptions.
Here.
But this could be hugely disruptive.
To the global economy.
To global.
Trade.
We're talking about America's three biggest.
Trading partners.
Here. So this.
Could.
Increase.
The.
Prices.
Of everything from clothes, electronics.
Cars.
And gas and oil. When I asked.
The white.
House press secretary if she could guarantee to Americans that their grocery bills.
Would increase.
That the prices.
At the.
Gas.
Pump would increase.
She would not directly answer.
All she said is that Americans should look at what Trump did during his first term. She said that his tariffs during his first term were effective. But the reality here is that during Trump's first term, studies have repeatedly shown that his tariffs on Chinese goods were largely borne out. Those tariffs were largely borne out by American consumers who had to pay higher prices. That's because tariffs are essentially a tax on goods that U.S. companies, U.S. importers pay, and they oftentimes pass that higher cost on to U.S. consumers. So the entire world is bracing for this, Kyra. And Canada and Mexico have already vowed to retaliate. So this could be the cusp of an incoming trade war.
Stand by.
A lot happening.
That's for sure. Selina Stephanie Merrill.
Is Sam.
And.
Louie.
Appreciate all of you.
Thank you.
So the.
Audio recordings.
Are.
Chilling.
And by now you've probably heard the.
Radio comms.
Among the Army.
Helicopter.
Pilot. The American Airlines pilot. And the DCA.
Tower.
The chatter, instructions.
And call signs.
Not everybody understands it unless you're trained for it. Sadly, the two words we all understand, though, when we listen to these recordings are.
Oh, my.
That's when we heard the very moment.
That.
The.
Collision.
Happened and.
The.
Reaction.
From air.
Traffic control.
As for how we got to this point, it has the aviation.
Community talking all.
Across the US, and that includes Jeffrey Needles as well.
Retired Air Force.
Fighter pilot and current.
Commercial.
Pilot that takes off and lands at DCA on a regular basis. Together, we've gone through those final moments of air.
Traffic control.
Chatter, and I thought it would be a good conversation.
For.
All of us.
To have.
Jeffrey joins me.
Now along with our aviation.
Analyst.
John Nance. Guys, I couldn't think of a better, uh, you know, group here to to have this talk. Both of you on each.
Of my side.
Let's get.
Right to the.
Part in the DC.
Tower audio.
Where the American Airlines plane is.
Approved to land on.
Runway 3333. Let's listen.
35 seconds just off the wooden bridges here at 1000ft. Runway 33. Separation approved.
So, Jeffrey.
So.
Far, so.
Good.
At.
This.
Point, right?
That's right.
The army.
Helicopter.
Is.
Flying.
Down one of.
The.
Prescribed.
Helicopter.
Routes through the city. And these.
Routes are.
Designed to have.
Deconfliction.
From the helicopter.
Traffic, from the other arrivals.
And.
Departures.
Coming into.
DC.
So at this point, he said, I'm.
Visual the traffic.
And.
And.
I'm going to maintain.
Visual separation.
So the onus.
Is on him.
Effectively to.
To.
Deconflict from.
The the arriving.
Traffic.
And John, when you listen to that.
First.
Part of the comms, I.
Mean, everything seems like everything's.
On track.
Right?
I think sounds routine. Absolutely. And that's the correct statement that he accepted the responsibility when he said, yes, traffic's in site. And certainly they would not have been aiming at the inbound flight. They they obviously had an error involved in this in some way, so that they thought they were seeing the traffic that was inbound that they had accepted the responsibility for. But obviously, I think at this point you can say obviously they did not have the right traffic in mind.
So and.
The question.
Is.
Why? What happened?
What what what.
Led to that? So here comes.
The.
Most tragic part of of this recording. American Airlines is making its final turn onto the runway.
A conflict.
Warning alert goes off.
In the air traffic controllers.
Radar system.
And this is what we hear.
Flight.
Pathfinder. Aircraft Corporation. American 4782 by Mount Vernon. American 472132317.
Yeah.
Ooh!
Oh, my. And then everything changed.
Jeffrey.
How did we get to that point?
Obviously, it's gut wrenching.
And this is.
This is unfortunate. And before before I kind of delve a little further, I want to point out that the goal of any accident investigation.
Is.
Not to just throw.
Mud.
And litigate.
But really.
To to come back to the table and.
Figure out.
How do we preserve.
Lives in the.
Future so that we we learn.
Whatever lessons that.
We can out of this? Unfortunately, here the.
The Army.
Helicopter.
He clearly.
Thought.
That.
He.
Had the traffic in.
Sight. The there.
Was a conflict.
Warning.
Based.
Off.
Of.
The.
Closure rates.
And.
Altitudes of the.
Two.
Traffic.
And that's.
That's what triggers.
The.
The controller to.
Ask the question. Um, and then the the army helicopter comes back and.
He reconfirms.
That.
Yep. I've got the traffic in sight. Uh, there's.
A human.
Factors piece here that this.
This helicopter.
Is.
Trying to fly very low to the ground on a on a.
Prescribed route under 200ft above the ground.
And he's probably.
Doing it on night vision goggles.
Which means.
That.
In.
A urban setting.
There's a lot of other cultural.
Lighting.
And other lighting.
Sources.
Uh, I.
Can say that I've.
Seen more than one, uh, young.
Wingman try and rejoin on a star out over the ocean, as opposed to on my airplane.
As.
The flight lead. And you do lose a sense of depth.
Perception.
Flying on night vision goggles at night. It can be very challenging. The other piece here is obviously the the human factor of trying to walk and chew gum at the same time. And in this final moment, we also see the Army helicopter climb somewhere between 1 and 200ft and ends up being low altitude with the, uh, with the airliner.
Which means, John, they're flying.
At the.
Same.
Elevation.
So.
So, John, just looking back at.
The radio.
Comms.
How does that.
Happen?
I understand what Geoffrey is saying is there's so much going on and everything, all these split decisions are being made. But but actually reaching the.
Same elevation.
From what you hear in the radio.
Traffic.
How do you think that.
Happened, John?
Well, I think it could be a number of things, and it's going to take a lot of investigating and a lot of thinking about this with all the flight dynamics before they can make an assessment. But it's pretty hard to hold that altitude in a helicopter when you've got all sorts of things going on around you and your night vision goggles popping up, a thousand or pardon me, 100ft or 200ft is not an unusual situation, but you expect to get back down. So we have two things here going on. We have not only a an aircraft that is aiming mean, essentially at the inbound flight, trying to land on three three, but doesn't realize that that's the case. And secondly, we have somebody at the same altitude. But can I say one other thing here? It is so counterproductive and so ridiculous to be throwing mud. We're not doing that, obviously, but we know who is. And trying to prejudge an accident like this when there is so little closure in terms of the facts and all the different figures that we've got to put together.
And the NTSB is going to be considering that the essence of, of accident investigation and aviation is not blame. Blame helps us. Not at all. Blame is for the lawyers and that's for later on. What we need to know is everything that went wrong so we can make it not go wrong again. Bad English, but good concept.
Well, I know John and.
Jeffrey, you are both on the same.
Page.
Because that's one thing. Jeffrey drove home when we went through all those comms. John, was that within this tragedy, there are always.
Takeaways and.
That means change and and saving lives.
Moving.
Forward. And that's what that's.
What we will focus on. Clearly, especially.
When I talk to you to John Nance. Jeffrey Needles.
Thanks, guys.
Thank you.
Straight ahead. 484 days in captivity.
Now, the.
First American Israeli hostage set to be released by Hamas. What we're learning.
After the break.
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An operation to capture ISIS fighters.
This is their combat operation center.
We're approaching the gate now. Militants came in from 4 or 5 different directions.
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The house is destroyed, but the flag, there's not a tear in it.
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How important is this label?
Right here?
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David.
David.
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Yes.
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ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Freeze! Morning glory. Major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Check out at the dollar store.
You hired.
Me because I noticed things.
That you miss.
I can't help it. It's just how I do.
Let's solve this case.
Bingo! Woo hoo! Our killer's name is Dubois.
Did you just Google.
Who's the killer on your.
Phone?
Morgan?
No, I did not do that.
You know, I know.
Attention, teachers. No child is.
To be sent to the principal's office today. Kids, if you want to do crime, now's the time.
Happy first day of school.
Gavin, you better bring your best.
Wonder, like four more of.
These.
Yeah, we were robbed.
Hey!
Buy three, get one free. I'm gonna call your mother and bring the rest back here. Boy.
You better.
Hope and guarded relief. Now for an American family.
As they.
Have.
Learned, a U.S. citizen being held.
Hostage.
In Gaza is expected to be released tomorrow. Israel says Keith Siegel and two other Israelis are on that list to.
Come.
Home. Our foreign correspondent, Rick Clement, is in Tel Aviv with all the details. Brit.
Hi, Kara. Well, speaking to ABC news. Keith's wife Aviva, she voiced her excitement over her husband's return tomorrow. Keith's daughter shares she shared this emotional video as they learned that Keith is on the list. Aviva saying I can't believe it. The families have tirelessly campaigned to bring their loved ones home. Aviva in September told me she's worried about the conditions that her husband might be held under, or even that he was already dead in captivity. Aviva was actually with Segal when they were both kidnapped from their kibbutz, Kfar Aza. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in November 2023. Keith Segal is on the list along with Ofer Calderon, and now Jordan is the father of Kfir, the youngest hostage who was just ten months old when he was kidnapped by Hamas. His wife Shiri, and their other son, Ariel, who's five years old, was also captured. Kefir would be two years old now and their fate is unknown. Kyra.
Yes.
All right.
Brit Clinton, thank you.
And coming up, the magic of music.
Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and Sting, all raising millions.
Of dollars for wildfire.
Recovery.
You'll hear next.
Yes, some.
People do not.
Know how to date. That's why they come to us.
As a matchmaker. We're here to help you get your wings on.
Let's get some people married.
Why are you single?
Maybe the.
Kind.
Of guys that I.
Go.
For. You go.
For hot.
Guys? Yeah, it's a pitfall. What would you say are like the top things you're looking for?
You don't.
Like hairy.
Men.
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All Muslims are.
Out. What are you talking about? This process doesn't have to suck. Ooh! He's cute.
Make it.
Happen.
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You know, something.
Is about to.
Happen. Ooh.
I have an.
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Can we strategize?
Come on. We're gonna improvise. Freestyle.
No. Hey! Good morning. America.
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Every day of your life.
Tonight, the aftermath of the tragic D.C. plane crash. The victims and families who waited for them to arrive. As the investigation continues, World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
America's number one news. ABC news now streaming 24 over seven on Disney Plus. Tonight, a mystery that shook a small town.
I woke up to the gunshot.
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Okay. She's had not one, but two husbands shot in the head.
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The magic of music.
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Just call.
It home.
Came together.
In LA for fire aid, the concert.
Benefiting the victims of Southern.
California's.
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Wildfires.
Just say I love you right out loud.
An all star.
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Good enough for Me and Bobby McGee.
Featuring rock legends.
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All to help those who lost everything in the L.A. area. Wildfires.
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Legendary comedian Billy Crystal bringing laughter to the evening. But also a stark reminder. Wearing the very clothes he had on when he escaped his.
Home.
Just before it burned to the ground.
But everybody's been so supportive. This young girl, she must have been have been 20, came up to me and said she understood my pain because she had lost TikTok for a day.
California showing its love.
But guess what else I got? California is up.
Hey.
Hey.
For it's first responders and firefighters.
But what I keep.
Hearing is this. We're not going anywhere. We will rebuild like Pasadena.
Firefighter Chen Yu, who was fighting the Eaton Fire as it claimed his own home. We met him during SoCal strong.
They took me off the rig just to get some relief, you know, get some rest. I asked him, hey, can we please go by my house to see if it's still standing? So, um, we came up and it was gone.
Our thanks.
To Lara Spencer for.
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I'm Kyra.
Phillips. Glad you're with us on this Friday. We do have a lot more news.
Don't go.
Far.
Isabella Strahan it's been rough. It's been challenging. It's been very hard. But I know we'll get through it.
Life interrupted.
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You don't really think the worst until you get told the worst. I'm not.
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The powerful special Wednesday night on ABC.
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We're going to Vegas.
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Air safety.
Failures, families grieving, and now investigators have.
The.
Daunting.
Task of.
Trying to piece together.
Not only the wreckage, but what went wrong. When a.
Passenger.
Plane and an Army helicopter collided over our nation's capital. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.
Now, a key break.
In the case. NTSB officials recovering the black boxes from the passenger plane. The flight recorders could.
Shed.
Light. Now, on the mystery of how that American Airlines.
Jet.
And U.S. Army Black Hawk exploded near Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people. You can actually.
See in the new CCTV.
Images we obtained or obtained by CNN right there, showing the moment of the deadly collision. It doesn't appear either aircraft took evasive maneuvers to avoid the crash, either. And while investigators look for answers while the recovery effort enters a new phase. Crews now waiting on heavy machinery, including cranes, to.
Begin.
Lifting pieces of pieces of that fuselage out of the water so divers can reach the remaining victims lodged beneath. Family members of those victims determined to keep their memories alive.
He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids, and it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did. And she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
Joining me now, our transportation reporter, Sam Sweeney, also our white House correspondent, MaryAlice parks. So, Sam, what do we know about these flight recorders? And. Well, we know it's going to play a tremendous part of this investigation, but are we learning anything from from the retrieval?
The retrieval happened yesterday. They brought them to the lab in buckets of water, which is standard operating procedure. So they don't ruin. So they don't dry out and get damaged. And they are being logged right now. And it is possible that we could get some of that data as early as today. Now, the flight recorders that have been recovered are only from the American Airlines jet, which may have limited information. It's possible that these pilots, who were on final approach, just a few hundred feet from that runway, never even saw that helicopter. So we may not get a lot of data from the American Airlines black boxes, but it could be a much different story for the helicopters data recorders, which have not yet been recovered.
And Mary Alice, we were listening altogether to the white House briefing today, and Caroline Leavitt doubling down on Trump's allegations, blaming Dei initiatives for this crash. We should point out once again, there is still no evidence to support that. And we are also learning now from the FAA that came out with a statement that affirmative If action is not implemented when hiring air traffic controllers.
Yeah, I'm thinking.
About the interview that ABC did today with representatives from the NTSB as well, who said it is just too early to be reaching any conclusions, that there is absolutely no evidence that any of the standards, the extremely high standards for becoming not only a helicopter pilot in the US Army, but also an air traffic controller, that there is no evidence that any of those standards were ever lessened or loosened in any way over the last few years, or any evidence that that contributed in any way at all to this tragic accident. I think what's so clear from investigators is that they want to stay focused on the facts at this point. And, of course, we know that when leaders, especially someone as powerful as the president of United States, speculates on what could have happened, especially speculates using language that can be so offensive to so many, it can be really distracting for Washington, D.C., for lawmakers, especially in this really tough moment when investigators are trying to get answers to the families, trying to answer questions of loved ones who are grieving and trying to focus on making sure this doesn't happen again.
So, Mary.
Alice, let's talk about the white House and how it's reacting now to this criticism that the buyout offer to federal employees that was made could actually further weaken air traffic control staffing.
Yeah, they've been really dismissive of this criticism. In fact, Caroline Leavitt, the new press secretary, got a question about this today. And she basically wrote off the possibility that it could be a problem. But experts are telling us it very much could be a problem. Sam has been talking about this the last few days that we have been experiencing a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, that it has been an issue. The federal government has tried to look at ways to encourage people to be air traffic controllers. And so the reality is, right now, when we know even air traffic controllers received that email sort of offering, seeming to offer a blanket It buyout, an option for resigning and quitting their posts without a lot of information about who can and should take them up on that offer. There's real questions experts are telling us. There's real questions about whether that could lead to an increased shortage, whether that could create staffing problems, whether it could create scheduling problems. It's part of the reason that we've heard from so many unions and experts that represent federal workers across the country that that that they just don't believe that this was done, this rollout was done in the right way.
You know, I talked to one representative of a large union that that represents over 110,000 federal workers, Kyra. And he told me that there would be a responsible way to try to limit the size of the federal government, but they just don't feel like these emails that went out across the board to every kind of federal employee without a lot of details, without legal language, without contracts, and with no description, no discernment between the kinds of employees that were getting these emails. He told me he just thought that it was essentially reckless and not a responsible way for the federal government to try to reduce the size of its workforce.
Sam, what are we learning about that night in the DCA tower and the air traffic controllers? There's reports out there that the the air traffic controller was working two jobs at the same time that they there are numbers out there that they were not understaffed in, particularly at that airport. What can we confirm and what do we know about that night in ATC?
Well, every couple of hours, the FAA puts out what's called an operational report. It's open to the public. You can read it at any time, and it has a ton of information. And in those reports they talk about staffing. If there's going to be shortages in any of the towers, any of the FAA centers that night.
Straight to Reagan.
National, the site of that deadly collision that happened this week. DC fire and the Airport authority holding a news conference. Let's listen.
In.
Washington.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports.
Authority.
And both the.
Fire and.
Police.
Chiefs.
The United States.
Coast Guard Guard.
The Maryland State Police.
The Virginia Department of Emergency.
Management, and.
The Virginia.
State Police. And I'd like to thank all of them for.
Being here as.
Well.
We are.
Here at.
Reagan.
National.
Airport with our.
Unified command team, and we.
Will provide.
An update on where.
Recovery.
Efforts.
Stand. We'll also give more information about the cadence of updates from Unified command going forward. I'm joined today by Terry Lyric from the.
Metropolitan Washington Airports.
Authority and the other members of the Unified Command Team. As we continue to learn.
More about.
The.
Victims. We are sharing our prayers and condolences with.
The families of the loved.
Ones and those.
Who.
Were lost in this tragedy. And I want to thank again.
Our.
Response teams for their heroic efforts over the past 30 or so hours, including the team on this site, as well as the teams that are supporting the families. This is heartbreaking work. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into what happened, and they will be providing updates later this afternoon. We will not be talking about the investigation in this conference. So Teri Lyric from the Metropolitan.
Washington.
Airports Authority will now provide an update on airport operations. And then I will update you on the activity since our last briefing and the activities over.
The next operational.
Period. Okay. Thank you chief. Again my name is Terry Lyric. I'm the vice president airport manager of Reagan National Airport. I just kind of wanted to give an update on where we stand. As we know, the airport is open and operating. We are.
In.
A reduced capacity and a reduced arrival rate due to the proximity of the recovery site. We do have two of our three runways that are closed. So as always, we do want to encourage passengers to reach out to their airlines for any potential flight delays. Um, typically a full schedule here at National Airport would encompass about 800 flights a day, um, using those three runways. Uh, we've had several, obviously, cancelations yesterday. Uh, airlines are resuming, uh, as much as possible normal operations. I think we have about 100 flights or so canceled today. Um, I do want to just recognize, uh, a lot of the airport teams, uh, who work behind the scenes. Uh, and we are here to support and coordinate with the ongoing recovery efforts, as well as working with NTSB, uh, in their investigation. Um, with that, I'll just turn over my remarks to the next speaker. Thank you. Thank you. So, um, overnight, our team's continued search operations and surface work, including site sonar scanning, shoreline searches, and aerial searches.
Also, two Coast Guard cutters.
Have arrived.
On station, and you may be able to see them out there on the water. Um, other efforts off site included the NTSB, American Airlines and district officials, officials meeting with families at the Family Assistance Center and providing the support that they need to get through this horrible event. We've identified 41, or we have recovered 41 sets of remains, and 28 of those victims have been positively identified. And as of 6 a.m. this morning, next of kin notifications have been made to 18 families. Going forward with our with our recovery operations. Search teams will continue to work. The site will do side scan, side sonar scanning, searching the shoreline and aerial operations. Our dive teams are working in targeted areas, and additional Coast Guard assets will arrive this afternoon. The salvage crews have begun to arrive on the scene, and they're assessing the work that's going to be needed to recover the aircraft from the water. We expect those operations to begin no later than tomorrow afternoon. The teams are also working the shoreline down the river, as we do expect some debris to be dragged by the current.
And if members of the public believe they have information or have discovered potential wreckage, we're asking you not to touch it and to call 911, and we will send somebody out to get it. Supporting the response team. This has been a tough response for a lot of our people. We've had over 300 responders operating at one time and I and I think we've got about 500 people that have worked through the site. So the Unified Command has activated peer support for its first responders to make sure that everybody has somebody that can help us get through this. And the outpouring of support people like the World Central Kitchen Relief Team and many of the local restaurants and restaurants here at the airport have supported the the people working, making sure they have food so they don't have to stop. And I want to thank the rest of the community for their outpouring of support and the messages that they have given to the firefighters, police officers, military officials and everybody else that's working. If you want to help, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has a relief fund.
You can donate at the link above. We also be careful avoid your fundraising scams. Only trust verified sources and ways you can help is to amplify that message using trusted sources on social media. Exercise patient through the transition as this impacts the region. Things like the delays at the airport. People are going to need your Grace. Um, I know we've got a lot of vehicles around. We've got some areas closed that are normally open to the public around the river, and we need your patience in that. Um, check in on your friends and neighbors. And if you're feeling anything, uh, about this event, please call the crisis hotline. Talk to a medical professional, and you can use nine, eight, eight on your phone. We got here. Is that the last one catching up? So with that, um, I'm. We're going to be able to take a few questions. I'm going to start over here and we'll work our way across. One. Two. Three. Yes, sir.
Hey, miss Campbell Roberts with the New York Times.
Can any of you talk about the FAA's decision to restrict helicopter flights in and around National Airport.
So the question is, can anybody talk about the FAA's decision to restrict flights in and around National airport? I don't believe we have any. So that's probably beyond the scope of this interview. You'll have the NTSB later. And that's something I might ask them. Yes, sir.
Skyler Henry, CBS news. Given the time.
That.
Has passed, can you describe the conditions right now as it relates to the recovery process? And whether you think that y'all will be able to recover more bodies?
Okay. The question was, given the time that has passed and the conditions outside, do we believe we're going to be able to recover more bodies? And there's a lot of challenges with that. So I'm going to answer that one. I'm going to say that yes, we expect to recover all of the bodies. We have a that's why our teams are still working. We're going to have to work with the salvage company to do some of that work. Yes, sir.
If I may ask a question on behalf of the Reagan National Airport. This is Alex Capriolo with News Nation. A lot of questions now circulating about the crowded airspace surrounding this airport. Also, reports of other close calls.
Including.
24.
Hours before the fatal.
Accident.
We've seen.
The FAA.
Take the position.
Of restricting the.
Airspace.
Specifically route one and four, for choppers in this.
Area.
What is the airport's position about potentially toning down some.
Of the air traffic.
Around this.
Airport.
And should.
This have been done sooner?
Specifically, the.
Restrictions on the airspace.
For choppers on route one and four.
You can restate the question. Yeah, sure. The question was regarding air traffic helicopter routes up and down the Potomac, right? That is an FAA responsibility. The airspace is controlled by the FAA. The airport does not have any responsibility outside of the surfaces of the airport itself.
But most certainly.
This has been conversations.
That you've had. And when it comes to safety for the airport, for the passengers that come in and out of DC.
Absolutely. The FAA does regulate the airport and we follow all FAA safety regulations. Um, again, all I can say is the FAA is responsible for the airspace.
Very briefly, a question for the chief. Sir, how long do you expect it to take for the salvage to be removed from the river, to recover the bodies and do everything that's necessary to bring closure for these families.
So we're working as fast as we can. Um, I'm not going to be able to give a timeline on that, as there's a lot of unknowns. Um, but we are we hope that we have better. We have not better, but we have more salvage equipment here tomorrow. And that that operation could begin then. So next three questions. One. Two. Three.
Yeah. Chief Perry.
Russell.
ABC news. How is.
Weather.
Affecting.
The recovery.
Efforts?
Rain today. Rain forecast later. What are the elements inside the river? How is all of this affected recovery?
So the question is how does the weather affect the recovery operation. I thought in my view it may slow it down slightly, but we are all of the units out here, all of the people working work year round in all conditions. We're going to be careful. We're going to make sure we don't hurt anybody else. But, um, the weather we've seen so far is whether we can work in if that were to change, that would affect it, but we haven't seen that. I get one question at a time. Yeah.
You talked earlier about.
Access to.
The site and to gain access to that to that area. Um, we don't think that ice was a.
Real.
Problem that day, but the the John Glenn has been out of service for some time. Do you have.
An.
Update on when that vessel.
Can.
Be put back?
So the question is, um, access to the site and, um, the John Glenn is the fireboat for the District of Columbia. So, um, what I referred to on access to the site is things like Gravelly Point being closed and that being lost as a local recreation area while we're working. Um, there was some ice on the river. Uh, we made good access to the site with everybody else. The John Glenn, uh, as has been reported, is, uh, the district one of the district's fireboats. Um, it is not the primary asset for this type of operation. And, uh, so while it's in the shop, it didn't affect anything. And we hope to have it back by the summer. Yes, sir.
I have.
A follow.
Up question about the runway closures. Grady Trimble with Fox. Um, so you said two of three are closed because of.
Their proximity to the the crash.
Site. Can you.
Explain why they remain.
Closed?
Sure, absolutely. So the question is, why are two of the three runways here at National Airport closed? Uh, so if you're familiar with the runway configurations here, we have a main north south runway, and we have, uh, two, what we call crosswind runways. Uh, the two crosswind runways, uh, if aircraft were to, uh, take off or land over the aircraft recovery sites that is out there right now. Those would be impactful to the operation. So we've elected to keep those runways closed.
And to follow up, how long do you expect that to.
Remain.
The case?
And are you saying.
That if.
There's if there are still recovery.
Teams.
In the Potomac.
Then.
There's.
No chance that.
These two.
Runways are going to open? And how does that impact.
Yeah, sure. So so the question is asking how long we anticipate those runways to be closed. That's a dynamic situation. We've worked with the FAA. I think what we've communicated is we anticipate our expectation is is week. However we'll reassess on Monday. And as the recovery efforts go, um, it's a fluid situation, obviously. Yeah. That's okay. Uh, Paul here and there.
Uh, chief.
Uh, talking salvage. Can you confirm that you're not going to be able to recover the remaining bodies until you're able to get the piece of logic off the the floor of the river and on to a barge, And then my follow up to that is, are you making an effort today to get into the helicopter to recover those two bodies?
So, um, the question is, do we believe we have to lift the aircraft out of the water in order to finish and find the the rest of the remains? And the second part of the question was, are, are we focused on the helicopter today? And, um, the answer to the first question is yes. I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains, that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. The second part of the question is, yes, a lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our operations today are focused on the helicopter. Um, yes, ma'am.
This question.
Is for.
Mr. Laird. Um, I'm about Fox five DC. Can you confirm sufficient staffing moving.
Forward in the.
Tower? I don't know if that's on your scope or if that's.
It's not. So the question was regarding staffing and the air traffic control tower. That's outside my scope of responsibility.
Can you talk a little bit about the toll this is taking on your team? Specifically, how many people still remain? I know on day one there were upwards of 300 mutual aid who are still out there.
So, um, you know, this is an incident where even if it doesn't affect you right now, it's probably going to affect you later. It'll be something that you think about. So the in emergency services across the board, we have support teams, uh, the National Capital Region. All of the departments do. So they've been activated. The International Association of Firefighters regional peer support team has been activated to, uh, to help support. And we, the incident management team, as they rotate responders through the scene, are making sure that there are opportunities for them to get the assistance they need. I'm going to ask the Virginia State Police to talk about the peer support. He's doing a little bit.
Um, First Sergeant Blank with.
The.
State police.
In Virginia.
We are working.
With our partners.
Is leading the support for the effort, for peer support.
But I'm here in support.
Of that effort.
And we have.
Several regional partners.
That are contributing.
To that, including mental health professionals.
Who.
Are.
On.
Site from Inova and from the from a nonprofit in.
The in the area.
That are.
Providing.
Support.
The Virginia Law Enforcement.
Assistance Program is also.
Planning to.
Send support. And all of the most of the public safety agencies in the region are providing personnel to assist with that effort.
Yes, ma'am.
Mariel Carbone DC News Now, I know that this is an unpleasant question for you, chief. We've been hearing reports from people that live along the river are potentially seeing cars coming up onto it, and people are seeing is that you're hearing, or is that why you're keeping people away from some of these?
So we're not keeping anybody away from the shoreline for any of those reasons If we've closed off an area like Gravelly Point here, it's because we have emergency access vehicles coming in and out, and we need the access to the river. Um, we have received some 911 calls about either debris or remains. I don't know that we have actually found any remains. We've certainly picked up debris from those 911 calls. So we're going to do three more and go one, two and three in the back. Yes, sir.
Thanks, chief.
Jonathan Kearsley from.
Channel nine Australia.
This is a question for Terry Terriers vice president and manager of this airport. What concerns have you had specifically about the congested airspace. And have you ever raised those directly with the FAA?
So again, the United States airspace is the safest in the world. Safety is our one of our top priorities. And we continue to ensure that the airport and is safe for operations.
Follow up on that. What do you say when you see this? Do Students. There have been near misses here before. You would have been made aware of those as manager if you said, have you raised concerns with the FAA about the congested airspace around Washington DC?
Yeah, I can say again, we work with the FAA. We are regulated by the FAA. We comply with all FAA safety regulations.
But that doesn't answer the question.
Yes, sir.
Can you talk about how much debris has been removed to hangar seven? And at some point that operation be transitioned to a private company, the NTSB will will hire a well, you guys actually put all three of them.
So that's an investigation question and appropriate for NTSB this afternoon.
Take two more.
Yes, sir.
Channel seven had a question for Terry as well. As far as, uh, the airport took a position against adding extra long distance flights out of here. And one of the concerns was there's just too much already going on. Do you maintain those concerns because they're supposed to start in the next few months? Are you concerned about safety as those extra flights?
Yeah. Thanks, Tom. So the question was regarding the additional slots to DCA. As you know, the slots are federally controlled, federally mandated, and we have to follow federal regulations.
Are you still concerned about them? I think that the airport authority was concerned at the time.
Yes. Again, we have to follow the federal regulations on the slot control. Yeah. Thanks. Okay.
So there one more question for you. We're talking about the FAA Congress federally mandated. ET cetera. Where does the buck stop with this accident and ensuring that the next flight to take off from this runway is safe?
So, again, the question is really directed to the FAA and Congress, I believe. Yeah. One last question is right here.
You have 41 victims recovered.
Are you confident.
In the in the location.
Of the evidence?
Where are.
They? Are you confident that you know where they are?
So, um, I think we think we know where they are. We won't know until we're done. I mean, we're going to continue this this search operation, but we've searched a large portion of this river, and, um, we are right there, so. Oh, I didn't read. So the question let me answer the question again or let me restate the question. Sorry. The the question was, are we confident we know where the other remains are and that it it couples with the question about removing the aircraft. I believe that when we remove the aircraft that that will help us resolve this number. If it doesn't, we will continue the search. Okay.
That's the process you take to salvage the fuselage out. You're going to put it on. Just reiterate that process. What that looks like removing it putting it on a barge. Is that right?
Uh, so some of that isn't decided yet. We'll have to see what the salvage team is doing once they get all of their equipment here. So we may have more on that tomorrow. But, um, so I don't know the exact process today. So thank you all for coming today. We hopefully we answered your questions. We are going to do this again tomorrow. I don't have the time yet, but we will push that out so we can provide the same type of update. Thank you.
Thank you.
Live from D.C. a there.
That is.
The.
Unified command team leading the recovery effort after that deadly collision between the American Airlines flight and the Army helicopter this week, killing 67 people in total. We know now that one runway out of three remains open. There were about 100 flights canceled today, so clearly operations changing now at DCA. A salvage team has arrived on the scene. Specialized machinery will be joining in this effort. And it looks like with regard to police, fire and the military, they will all join in. More than 300 people and responders here working on this recovery effort. And I think one of the most important things the fire chief did say is he is confident that all bodies will be recovered. Let's bring in our transportation reporter, Sam Sweeney, also white House correspondent MaryAlice parks. Sam, let's go and start with you. What stood out to you? Because previously we were under the assumption that not all bodies would be recovered due to the fiery crash. But now it sounds like the fire chief is confident that everybody's remains will be returned back to their loved ones.
And look, Kyra, this makes sense. This is a CRJ 700. It's a very small airplane. I'm six foot two, and when I get on one of these planes, I often have to bend over because they are so small. It's two seats on each side. These people were buckled into their seats and they're in the fuselage. It's extremely difficult for a diver who is wearing a scuba gear, an air tank, to get inside of that aircraft and begin removing those bodies. Again, it's been broken up. So some of these seats did come loose. But for that small fuselage that is still intact, it is very difficult to get in there. And this was a full flight.
Got it. And MaryAlice parks I understand we're learning more about the soldiers among that crew that died in this crash.
Yeah. Kyra, I'm going to read a little bit from this new statement from the Army. They identified two of the three army soldiers who died in that helicopter crash, including, they say.
That.
The remains of Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves, who was 39 years old, from Maryland. His remains, they say, have not been recovered, so he is still listed with his duty status unknown. Kind of breaks your heart to imagine what that family is dealing with. But but the statement sort of goes on to talk about just this decorated career that he had. He served in the Navy first for ten years from 2007 to 2017, before then becoming a pilot with a Blackhawk pilot for the Army in 2017. He continued in that job until today. He is, like I said, just decorated. I mean, this list, this long list. I am married to a naval officer, and I can tell you that this is a long list of incredible achievements from this officer. And then they also included, um, they say Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, 28 years old, of Georgia, is believed to also be a deceased. His remains, it says, were the ones that were recovered from the scene.
We had heard that from first responders, from those on the ground in the last 24 hours that they were able to able to recover the remains of one of those soldiers who died in the crash. So it seems like according to the army, that was the remains of Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, 28 years old, from Georgia, says that he had been a Blackhawk helicopter sort of mechanic and repair for a long time. Since 2014 to present day. He had deployed to Afghanistan back in 2017 and also decorated number a number of awards from his just remarkable service. It says here in this in this statement that the the name of the soldier of that third soldier will not be released at the time at the request of the family. Of course, we can just barely wrap our heads around what they are dealing with, the grief and the sorrow after such a tragic crash.
Kyra MaryAlice parks, Sam Sweeney, thank you. I think as we continue the investigation, all the details there we got, we must never forget those who died. And there are 67 individuals that will It will continue to lift lift up as we learn who they are and how they lived their life. All right, quick break. We'll be right back.
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Air safety failures, families grieving. And now investigators have the daunting task of trying to piece together not only the wreckage, but what went wrong when a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided over our nation's capital. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. We do begin with new information. The Army now identifying two of the three soldiers who were in that helicopter in this deadly crash. Their names, Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara of Georgia and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves of Maryland, also a key break in the case. The NTSB recovering the black boxes from the passenger plane. Those flight recorders could shed light on the mystery of how that American Airlines jet and Blackhawk exploded near Reagan National. 67 people were killed. And investigators continue to look for answers. The recovery effort entering a new phase. Crews now waiting on heavy machinery, including cranes, to begin lifting pieces of that fuselage out of the water so divers can reach the remaining victims lodged beneath. Family members of those victims victims are determined to keep their memories alive.
He was young, he was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids, and it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did. And she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating. And I will miss that so much.
Joining me now, transportation reporter Sam Sweeney, our white House correspondent MaryAlice parks. So, MaryAlice, what more can you tell us about these soldiers? Now we have names. I know we're learning more about their background too and their and their families.
Yeah. The Army put out this statement that said our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy. We'll support them through this difficult time. Of course, they also said the statement came from the major general that's there at the at the. It's a part of the Joint Task force here. Obviously, you can imagine how many army bases are right in this greater sort of DC area. And what's interesting is that the statement goes on to talk about how his team is also still just working on the recovery operation and supporting the FAA and the NTSB during this work. But but they want to want to make sure that they are also supporting the families at this time. It's interesting that only two of the three soldiers that we know died in this crash are identified here. One staff Sergeant Austin Ryan. Austin O'Hara, 28 years old, from Georgia. He is believed to be the one who they were able to pull the remains of his body out of the crash site. The Army writing that that he had been a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic repairer for a long time over ten years.
He deployed to Afghanistan back in 2017. Numerous awards. He was decorated and clearly gave years of service. And then the remains of Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves, 39 year old, from Great Mills, Maryland. His remains have not yet been recovered. He was also highly decorated. He actually, they say, was in the Navy for over ten years back in 2007 2017, and then became a Black Hawk pilot for the Army back in 2017. Hugely decorated. We're talking about men, young men that had tons of experience and of course are missed today by their loved ones. Kyra.
Understandably and Sam, we are learning more about the flight recorders also that have been retrieved. Is it at least one so far?
The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from that American Airlines flight and are at the NTSB lab, and we are told that we could get a reading of those as early as today. But meantime, that investigation continues out on the water. Salvage crews are expected to arrive as early as tomorrow with barges, but there are still bodies inside of that fuselage. They've only recovered 41 bodies. Of the 67 people on both the helicopter and the airplane. It's a very small plane. It's a regional jet. It's a confined space despite it breaking apart. And that's what's likely proving to be difficult as these people are strapped in their seats, they're asking nearby residents who find anything on the shorelines to immediately call 911, but they won't be able to get those other bodies out until they lift that wreckage.
Got it. Mary Alice Trump continuing to blame Dei initiatives for this crash. Doubling down again today. We have to point out there's still no evidence to support that. It's creating a lot of tension in our country.
I think you're exactly right, Kyra. I think that we've heard from a number of experts, including investigators that are working around the clock right now to try to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, what led to this tragic crash, who basically said, this is not helpful and have reiterated that there's absolutely no evidence at this point that there were ever standards that were lowered or loosened, either in the Army for pilots or with the FAA for air traffic controllers over the last few years around diversity or or sort of Dei hirings and some of the things that, that, that Trump has suggested. I think that there's going to be a big conversation about why the president sort of suggested that he understood or knew what had happened or led to this tragic crash before investigators sort of came forward with any evidence. It was striking to me yesterday how many reporters asked the president directly if he had evidence to support any of his claims and assertions and innuendo, and he said no, that he was just offering opinions.
But, you know, a conversation to in this country. I think you're exactly right about whether those those comments from the president were hurtful.
Well, senior white House correspondent Selina Wang is just joined us from outside the white House. There she was inside the briefing that happened this afternoon where also questions were asked about those tariffs. So let's talk about, uh, from, you know, cars to, to fruits, how exactly these tariffs on Canada and Mexico will impact us here in the U.S..
Yeah. Cara, will the white House press secretary announce that the president is following through on his tariff threat that he's going to be imposing tomorrow, 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and 10% tariffs on China. Now, this could have a sweeping impact for U.S. consumers and for the world. We're talking about America's three biggest trading partners. If these are indeed across the board tariffs, as Trump has vowed, this would upend global supply chains, the global economy. It could seriously damage the economies of Canada and Mexico. And it could also raise prices for American consumers at the grocery store, at the gas pump. We're again talking about America's three trading partners. We import a huge amount of goods from these countries. Take a listen, though, to what the white House press secretary said when I asked her if she could guarantee that this wouldn't increase prices for American consumers. Can you guarantee that those tariffs won't increase prices for Americans, including at the at the gas pump in the grocery store.
I think Americans who are concerned about increased prices should look at what President Trump did in his first term. He effectively implemented tariffs.
Tariffs do increase prices for Americans. Will the administration reverse them?
That's a hypothetical question. And the president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation and costs for the American people.
So Levitt asked us to look at what Trump did during his first term. While the reality is that Trump's tariffs in his first term did, in fact increase prices for American consumers. Studies have repeatedly shown that that was the case. This this is because tariffs are a tax on goods that U.S. companies and U.S. importers pay. Then they largely pass those higher prices on to U.S. consumers. Now there is a question as to whether or not Trump would include some exemptions to this tariff. He was asked whether or not yesterday oil would be included in these tariffs, and he wavered a bit on that. But we could care beyond the cusp of a trade war here. Other countries have already responded. Canada is vowing to retaliate. Mexico has suggested they would do the same. This could get very serious.
All right. Selina, MaryAlice. Sam. Thanks, guys. A lot of speculation continues to swirl around how this American Airlines plane, an Army Blackhawk, collided. The advantages and disadvantages of night vision goggles is a part of that conversation. Our next guest is a master aviator with more than 6700 hours of flight time, and more than 3200 hours of using Nvgs, retired U.S. military pilot Alan Mack joins me now. Alan, great to have you back. Let's talk about how night vision goggles work and the challenges that you face sometimes when it comes to situational awareness.
Well, night vision goggles nowadays related to aviation have a great visual acuity compared to what they had several years ago.
So as you.
Listen to some of your of.
Your experts.
That talk about.
Some.
Of the dangers of night vision goggles or such, you just have to wonder what versions they had. You know, nowadays you get about, uh, 20, 25, 2030 vision, right? Versus 2020 during the day. And that's not bad considering how it used to be. Now, the issue is, you know, you've got these two tubes in front of your face the size of pretty much toilet paper tubes. They're about an inch from your face. You can look around them. You can look under them, which is one of the techniques that you have to do when you're flying in a built up area like DC. Um, what you're looking at is either a green, yellow, or white phosphor, depending on the night vision goggles. And it's all monochromatic, right? So it's all the same color. You just have different brightnesses. So when it comes to picking another aircraft out of a built up area, you know, you might see it very obvious or you might have to look, you know, just off to the side or underneath it in order to find it because of the, you know, red versus green lights, to know whether an aircraft is coming at you or going away.
So from what we know so far, combined with all the flying that you have done. Do you have a a gut feeling here, an instinct about what happened? Pilot error, ATC comms. Everything all at once?
Uh, nothing. I'm really willing to share until some more actual factual data comes out from the NTSB or the Army Safety Center. But I will tell you that it was more than one thing. You know, an accident of this nature is not one item, you know. The Black Hawk may have been flying too high or maybe too far over the the river, but that alone isn't going to cause the accident unless something else is contributing. It could be a human factor. It could be mechanical. We won't know until they read the the voice data recorder from the Black Hawk. If it had one, you know, some of them do not. It's not mandatory to fly with them. Um, so we'd have to see.
Got it. And it's a typical procedure for training missions to take place near busy airports like DCA. But, you know, it's very compacted airspace and clearly there's lots of challenges. I've had pilots tell me it's very tricky going in and out of there. Do you think we're going to see? Yes.
Go ahead. I'm sorry to interrupt that. That unit, the guys are stationed down at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir. It's about 1015 miles to the south. Their mission, their primary mission is to move around the DC area. So it makes sense that they train there because that is where they fly. They have a national mission as well. As, you know, there are VH 60. Right. So it's a VIP version of the aircraft. But they also have a national mission that, you know, has some very important components to it, you know, continuity of government. They work with the Secret Service. They work with the FBI on missions that are very sensitive. And they have to get around that, that area. So why would you would you not train there?
Well, I'm sure the training will continue, but changes will more than likely be made in a number of areas, and we'll talk about it when it happens. And as we know more. Alan Mak, appreciate your experience and your time.
Thank you.
A 67 families grieve this week's plane crash. It's left a debilitating hole in the hearts of so many people within the skating community. 14 skaters, coaches and their loved ones were among those killed, including 16 year old Spencer Lane and his mom, Christine. Tributes are already pouring in for the teen, described by his family as a force of nature. Well, fellow figure skater Patrick Blackwell telling Rhode Island's ABC station what he'll remember the most about the friend he hoped to have around for life.
I want Spencer to.
Be remembered.
As the.
Great, full and.
Caring person.
That.
He was.
Because.
That's.
That's.
What.
He was.
You.
Know.
Enthusiastic.
Big.
And.
Powerful.
And.
He had.
Such a bright.
Future, and I want him to be remembered as the.
Kind.
Person he was.
Oh, we're going to do that right now because he joins me with more on their friendship. Patrick Blackwell, thanks for joining me once again. So I know you were at the National Development Camp this weekend with Spencer and the others who passed away in this crash. How did you actually find out about the news? And how have you been processing all of this? As a teenager.
I.
Have.
Found out.
About it through my mom, who just came up to.
My room.
And.
Made the bold statement.
Of.
You.
Know.
Did you hear.
About the plane crash? And I.
Immediately.
Started digging.
And.
Looking for.
Research.
And.
Seeing who was.
On.
That flight.
What exactly.
Happened? And, you know, we still don't know what exactly happened, but, um, I've.
Been processing it and it's.
Definitely.
Hard, like with everyone else involved and.
Families.
Loved.
Ones, people who were.
Related.
So it's definitely been difficult. But, uh, it's unfortunate that it happened. And I.
Think.
What I take.
Away from.
It is.
I'm just happy that I was able to be friends.
With.
These people.
And.
Know them.
And, you know, just to get inside this community, which is very, very special. Um, and you all have such a unique gift. It's a beautiful sport. We all love to watch it during the Olympics. Tell me just about the Gina Hahn and Spencer and the Russian coaches and all of you guys. Um, and what you love so much about skating and what made you all so close.
I think.
There's.
A.
Certain feature about figure skating that.
Really.
Drives.
You.
Know, if you.
Have bad.
Days.
You really.
Want to come.
Back to it. Sometimes you want to give.
Up, but then you.
Have.
That certain thought in your mind of.
I can't.
Give up now. I have to keep going. And I.
Think.
For every figure skater that drives.
Them.
To.
Just keep going. And I mean, Spencer Lane.
Really stood out to me of having.
That.
Enthusiastic.
Powerful, and willpower.
To do.
Everything.
That a lot of you had. Eyes on the Olympics. Apparently Spencer had big dreams of one day making it to the Olympics. Did you have those conversations together?
Um, we had a lot of conversations, more as a friendship and new.
Jumps.
That he's learned and everything.
I don't.
Recall any specific competition related conversations with him, but I remember him being extremely excited about his.
Accomplishments, Meaning, you know, being able to go out to national development team.
Camp in.
Kansas and competitions.
You know, getting first at one of the NCAA's, even though he's only.
Started skating.
I think, three years ago, which that's.
Unheard.
Of, you.
Know, coming.
Three years ago to skating and already.
Having triples.
And having a.
Gold.
Medal at.
A National Qualifying Series event.
Wow.
And so I guess as as everyone is coming together, I know within this tragedy that all of you are are coming together and also finding new friendships and, and consoling each other. We saw Nancy Kerrigan come forward and speak. It was very emotional. It moved a lot of people, especially for all of us who remember her from the 90s and the the Olympics when she when she competed. How has this changed the community, you think? Has it brought you closer?
I think, yes. Because, um, everyone is.
In the in.
The same boat here. I mean, we're all.
Devastated by the news of the plane crash, and.
Um.
We're all coming together to.
Acknowledge.
The skaters who are on, but not just the skaters.
You know, everyone.
This is not just.
Some event that we blow by. It's an event that we will remember.
And the skaters.
And.
The.
Great people who are on this.
Flight.
Will be remembered. And specifically.
For the figure skating.
Community.
Everyone is talking about it.
It's all.
Over.
Social media. And, um, I think everyone's coming together because everyone was so.
Great.
And we have nothing but good things to say about these people, and we come together.
And talk.
About it and feel bad for everyone.
Well, I know that you're skating and fellow skaters will keep their their legacy alive and alive and everything that you do. Patrick Blackwell, thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Coming up, the mother of the Michigan high school shooter asking a judge to throw out her historic conviction. What she's saying next.
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First mother convicted in connection to her son's school shooting is back in court, continuing to make her bid for freedom this afternoon. The judge heard arguments over whether Jennifer Crumbley should get a new trial or have her conviction overturned, after denying most of Crumbley's request for a new trial. Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford High School shooting that her son carried out. Her husband, James Crumbley, convicted on the same charges. They were both sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Let's bring in our legal contributor and trial attorney, Brian Buchmeyer. So, Brian, what are you expecting from the judge today?
Short answer to deny the motion that Jennifer Crumbly is putting forward. The reason why I say that is because on the argument that information was kept from the defense, namely that there was some sort of agreement that two of the witnesses, a counselor at the school and the former dean, were testifying with some sort of proffer agreement or an agreement that they would not be prosecuted. The prosecution has two arguments. One. One didn't exist. And if there was no kind of leniency promised towards these witnesses, then the argument for the defense falls apart. And two, I think the other argument, probably stronger, is that this would be what's called harmless error, that even if this information was given to the defense, and the defense had the opportunity to cross-examine these two witnesses about a proffer agreement, two things can be true. if someone can testify with certain protections, and Jennifer Crumbley can be liable or criminally liable for her actions, as the jury found here.
Got it. So on what grounds is the defense arguing that she should be granted either of these motions?
Yeah. So the motions that we heard in the past, some that were already denied, like ineffective assistance of counsel or the prosecution, improperly charged Jennifer Crumbley as having a duty that they believe doesn't exist. Or even this last issue that we have here, that information should have been turned over. The defense is arguing that certain facts were not provided to the defense, that they could have mounted a proper defense for Jennifer Crumbley, and the theories by which she was prosecuted were improper. Now, this is just the first level of, uh, of an appeal. And so there are these issues here, but other issues that can come up down the road depending on how this case goes. But again, I don't think that they're going to win at this level.
So what happens if the judge grants or denies the defense's motion. I mean, how would those scenarios actually play out?
So if the judge grants the motion, let's say grant, like wholeheartedly, yes. The prosecution should have turned over this discovery information. Yes. This was enough that it could have changed the course of this trial. The judge is then at a crossroads as to whether or not to dismiss the charges altogether, or dismiss and grant a new trial. I don't think this is going to be one of those dismiss altogether. If the if the motion is granted, probably more likely than not a new trial. But I think that is a very high hurdle. If the motions are not granted, which I do think is the more likely result here, then this is again, just the first level of appeal. I would anticipate that the defense would take this up to the next court of appeals in Michigan. The Michigan Court of Appeals and make the same arguments there, hoping for a different result.
Got it. All right. We'll track it. Good to see you, Brian. Happy Friday.
Thank you. You as well.
All right. You can find us anywhere you stream live news. That means you can go to the ABC news app. ABC news.com I'm Kyra Phillips, glad you are with us today. We do have a lot more news up next, so don't go far.
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Air safety failures, families grieving. And now investigators have the daunting task of trying to piece together not only the wreckage, but what went wrong when a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided over our nation's capital. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. We do begin with new information. The Army now identifying two of the three soldiers who were in that helicopter in this deadly crash. Their names, Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara of Georgia and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves of Maryland, also a key break in the case. The NTSB recovering the black boxes from the passenger plane. Those flight recorders could shed light on the mystery of how that American Airlines jet and Blackhawk exploded near Reagan National. 67 people were killed. And investigators continue to look for answers. The recovery effort entering a new phase. Crews now waiting on heavy machinery, including cranes, to begin lifting pieces of that fuselage out of the water so divers can reach the remaining victims lodged beneath. Family members of those victims victims are determined to keep their memories alive.
He was young, he was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog, getting a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did, and she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
Joining me now, transportation reporter Sam Sweeney, our white House correspondent, MaryAlice parks. So, MaryAlice, what more can you tell us about these soldiers? Now we have names. I know we're learning more about their background too and their and their families.
Yeah. The Army put out this statement that said our deepest condolences go out to all the families and friends impacted during this tragedy. We'll support them through this difficult time. Of course, they also said the statement came from the major general that's there at the at the. It's part of the joint task force here. Obviously, you can imagine how many military army bases are right in this greater sort of DC area. And what's interesting is that the statement goes on to talk about how his team is also still just working on the recovery operation and supporting the FAA and the NTSB during this work. But but they want to make sure that they are also supporting the families at this time. It's interesting that only two of the three soldiers that we know died in this crash are identified here. One staff Sergeant Austin Ryan. Austin O'Hara, 28 years old, from Georgia. He is believed to be the one who they were able to pull the remains of his body out of the crash site. The Army writing that that he had been a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic repairer for a long time over ten years.
He deployed to Afghanistan back in 2017. Numerous awards. He was decorated and clearly gave years of service. And then the remains of Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves, 39 year old, from Great Mills, Maryland. His remains have not yet been recovered. He was also highly decorated. He actually, they say, was in the Navy for over ten years back in 2007, 2017, and then became a Blackhawk pilot for the Army back in 2017. Hugely decorated. We're talking about men, young men that had tons of experience and of course are are missed today by their loved ones. Kyra.
Understandably and Sam, we are learning more about the flight recorders also that have been retrieved. Is it at least one so far?
The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from that American Airlines flight and are at the NTSB lab, and we are told that we could get a reading of those as early as today. But meantime, that investigation continues out on the water. Salvage crews are expected to arrive as early as tomorrow with barges, but there are still bodies inside of that fuselage. They've only recovered 41 bodies. Of the 67 people on both the helicopter and the airplane. It's a very small plane. It's a regional jet. It's a confined space despite it breaking apart. And that's what's likely proving to be difficult as these people are strapped in their seats. They're asking nearby residents who find anything on the shoreline to immediately call 911, but they won't be able to get those other bodies out until they lift that wreckage.
Got it. Mary Alice Trump continuing to blame Dei initiatives for this crash. Doubling down again today. We have to point out there's still no evidence to support that. It's creating a lot of tension in our country.
I think you're exactly right, Kyra. I think that we've heard from a number of experts, including investigators that are working around the clock right now to try to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, what led to this tragic crash, who basically said, this is not helpful and have reiterated that there's absolutely no evidence at this point that there were ever standards that were lowered or loosened, either in the Army for pilots or with the FAA for air traffic controllers over the last few years around diversity or or sort of Dei hirings and some of the things that that, that Trump has suggested. I think that there's going to be a big conversation about why the president sort of suggested that he understood or knew what had happened or led to this tragic crash before investigators sort of came forward with any evidence. It was striking to me yesterday how many reporters asked the president directly if he had evidence to support any of his claims and assertions and innuendo, and he said no, that he was just offering opinions. But, you know, a conversation to in this country.
I think you're exactly right about whether those those comments from the president were hurtful.
Well, senior white House correspondent Selina Wang is just joined us from outside the white House. There she was inside the briefing that happened this afternoon where also questions were asked about those tariffs. So let's talk about from, you know, cars to, to fruits how exactly these tariffs on Canada and Mexico will impact us here in the U.S.?
Yeah. Will the white House press secretary announced that the president is following through on his tariff threat, that he's going to be imposing tomorrow, 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and 10% tariffs on China. Now, this could have a sweeping impact for U.S. consumers and for the world. We're talking about America's three biggest trading partners. If these are indeed across the board tariffs as Trump has vowed, this would upend global supply chains, the global economy. It could seriously damage the economies of Canada and Mexico. And it could also raise prices for American consumers at the grocery store, at the gas pump. We're again talking about America's three trading partners. We import a huge amount of goods from these countries. Take a listen to what the white House press secretary said. When I asked her if she could guarantee that this wouldn't increase prices for American consumers.
Can you.
Guarantee that those tariffs won't.
Increase.
Prices for Americans, including at the gas pump in the grocery store.
I think Americans who are concerned about increased prices should look at what President Trump did in his first term. He effectively implemented tariffs.
Those tariffs do increase prices for Americans. Will the administration reverse them?
That's a hypothetical question. And the president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation and costs for the American people.
So Levitt asked us to look at what Trump did during his first term. Well, the reality is that Trump's tariffs in his first term did, in fact, increase prices for American consumers. Studies have repeatedly shown that that was the case. This this is because tariffs are a tax on goods that U.S. companies and U.S. importers pay. Then they largely pass those higher prices on to U.S. consumers. Now there is a question as to whether or not Trump would include some exemptions to this tariff. He was asked whether or not yesterday oil would be included in these tariffs. and he wavered a bit on that. But we could care beyond the cusp of a trade war here. Other countries have already responded. Canada is vowing to retaliate. Mexico has suggested they would do the same. This could get very serious.
All right. Selina, MaryAlice. Sam. Thanks, guys. A lot of speculation continues to swirl around how this American Airlines plane, an Army Blackhawk, collided. The advantages and disadvantages of night vision goggles is a part of that conversation. Our next guest is a master aviator with more than 6700 hours of flight time, and more than 3200 hours of using Nvgs. Retired U.S. military pilot Alan Mack joins me now. Alan, great to have you back. Let's talk about how night vision goggles work and the challenges that you face sometimes when it comes to situational awareness.
Well, night vision goggles nowadays related to aviation have a great visual acuity compared to what they had they had several years ago. So as you listen to some of your experts that talk about some of the dangers of night vision goggles or such, you just have to wonder what versions they had. You know, nowadays you get about, uh, 20, 25, 2030 vision, right? Versus 2020 during the day. And that's not bad considering how it used to be. Now, the issue is, you know, you've got these two tubes in front of your face the size of pretty much toilet paper tubes. They're about an inch from your face. You can look around them. You can look under them, which is one of the techniques that you have to do when you're flying in a built up area like DC. Um, what you're looking at is either a green, yellow, or white phosphor, depending on the night vision goggles. And it's all monochromatic, right? So it's all the same color.
You just have different brightnesses. So when it comes to picking another aircraft out of a built up area, you know, you might see it very obvious or you might have to look, you know, just off to the side or underneath it in order to find it because of the, you know, red versus green lights, to know whether an whether an aircraft is coming at you or going away.
So from what we know so far, combined with all the flying that you have done. Do you have a gut feeling here, an instinct about what happened? Pilot error, ATC comms. Everything all at once?
Uh, nothing. I'm really willing to share until some more actual factual data comes out from the NTSB or the Army Safety Center. But I will tell you that it was more than one thing. You know, an accident of this nature is not one item. You know, the Blackhawk may have been flying too high or maybe too far over the the river, but that alone isn't going to cause the accident unless something else is contributing. It could be a human factor. It could be mechanical. We won't know until they read the the voice data recorder from the Blackhawk. If it had one, you know, some of them do not. It's not mandatory to fly with them. Uh, so we'd have to see.
Got it. And it's a typical procedure for training missions to take place near, uh, busy airports like DCA. Um, but, you know, it's very compacted airspace. And clearly there's lots of challenges. I've had pilots tell me it's very tricky going in and out of there. Uh, do you think we're going to see? Yes.
Go ahead. I'm sorry to interrupt that. That unit, the the guys are stationed down at Davis and Army Airfield at, um, Fort Belvoir. It's about, uh, ten, 15 miles to the south. Their mission, their primary mission is to move around the DC area. So it makes sense that they train there, because that is where they fly. They have a national mission, uh, as well as, you know, there are VH 60. Right. So it's a VIP version of the aircraft, but they also have, uh, a national mission that, you know, has some very important components to it, you know, continuity of government. They work with the Secret Service. They work with the FBI, uh, on missions that are very sensitive. And they have to get around that that area. So why would you not train there?
Well.
I'm sure the training will continue, but changes will more than likely be made in a number of areas. And we'll talk about it when it happens and as we know more. Alan Mak, appreciate your experience and your time.
Thank you.
A 67 families grieve this week's plane crash. It's left a debilitating hole in the hearts of so many people within the skating community. 14 skaters, coaches and their loved ones were among those killed, including 16 year old Spencer Lane and his mom, Christine. Tributes are already pouring in for the teen, described by his family as a force of nature, while fellow figure skater Patrick Blackwell telling Rhode Island's ABC station what he'll remember the most about the friend he hoped to have around for life.
I want Spencer to be remembered as the grateful and caring person that he was, because that's that's what he was, you know, enthusiastic and powerful, and he had such a bright future. And I want him to be remembered as the kind person he was.
Well, we're going to do that right now because he joins me with more on their friendship. Patrick Blackwell, thanks for joining me once again. So I know you were at the National Development Camp this weekend with Spencer and the others who passed away in this crash. How did you actually find out about the news? And how have you been processing all of this? As a teenager.
I have found out about it through my mom, who just came up to my room and made the bold statement of, you know, did you hear about the.
Plane crash?
And I immediately started digging and looking for research and seeing who was on that flight. What exactly happened? And, you know, we still don't know what exactly happened, but I've been processing it.
And.
It's definitely hard. Like with everyone else involved and families, loved ones, people who were related. So it's definitely been difficult. But, uh, it's unfortunate that it happened. And I think what I take away from it is I'm just happy that I was able to be friends with these people and know them.
And, you know, just to get inside this community, which is very, very special. Um, and you all have such a unique gift. It's a beautiful sport. We all love to watch it during the Olympics. Tell me just about the Gina Hahn and Spencer and the Russian coaches and all of you guys, um, and what you love so much about skating and what made you all so close.
I think there's a certain feature about figure.
Skating that.
Really drives, you know, if you have bad days, you really want to come back to it. Sometimes you want to give up, but then you have that certain thought in your mind of, I can't give up now. I have to keep going. And I think for every figure skater that drives them to just keep going. And I mean, Spencer Lane really stood out to me of having that enthusiastic, powerful and willpower to do everything.
That a lot of you had eyes on the Olympics, apparently. Spencer had big dreams of one day making it to the Olympics. Did you have those conversations together?
Um, we had a lot of conversations, more as a friendship and new jumps that he's learned and everything. I don't recall any specific competition related conversations with him, but I remember him being extremely excited about his accomplishments. Meaning, you know, being able to go out to national development team camp in Kansas and competitions, you know, getting first at one of the NCAA's, even though he's only started skating, I think, three years ago, which that's unheard of, you know, coming three years ago to skating and already having triples and having a gold medal at a National Qualifying Series event.
Wow.
And so I guess as as everyone is coming together, I know within this tragedy that all of you are, are, are coming together and also finding new friendships and, and consoling each other. We saw Nancy Kerrigan come forward and speak. It was very emotional. It moved a lot of people, especially for all of us who remember her from the 90s and the the Olympics when she when she competed. How has this changed the community, you think? Has it brought you closer?
I think yes, because, um, everyone is in the in the same boat here. I mean, we're all devastated by the news of the plane crash, and, um, we're all coming together to acknowledge the skaters who are on, but not just the skaters. You know, everyone, this is not just some event that we blow by. It's an event that we will remember. And the skaters and the great people who are on this flight will be remembered. And specifically for the figure skating community. Everyone is talking about it. It's all over social media. And, um, I think everyone's coming together because everyone was so great and we have nothing but good things to say about these people, and we come together and talk about it and feel bad for everyone.
Well, I know that you're skating and fellow skaters will keep their their legacy alive and everything that you do. Patrick Blackwell, thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Coming up, the mother of the Michigan high school shooter asking a judge to throw out her historic conviction. What she's saying next.
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First mother convicted in connection to her son's school shooting is back in court, continuing to make her bid for freedom. This afternoon, the judge heard arguments over whether Jennifer Crumbley should get a new trial or have her conviction overturned after denying most of Crumbley's request for a new trial. Crumbley was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly Oxford High School shooting that her son carried out. Her husband, James Crumbley, convicted on the same charges. They were both sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Let's bring in our legal contributor and trial attorney, Brian Buchmeyer. So, Brian, what are you expecting from the judge today?
Short answer to deny the motion that Jennifer Crumbly is putting forward. And the reason why I say that is because on the argument that information was kept from the defense, namely that there was some sort of agreement that two of the witnesses, a counselor at the school and the former dean, were testifying with some sort of proffer agreement or an agreement that they would not be prosecuted. The prosecution has two arguments. One one didn't exist and and there was no kind of leniency promised towards these witnesses. Then the argument for the defense falls apart. And two, I think the other argument, probably stronger, is that this would be what's called harmless error. That even if this information was given to the defense, and the defense had the opportunity to cross-examine these two witnesses about a proffer agreement, two things can be true. Someone can testify with certain protections, and Jennifer Crumbley can be liable or criminally liable for her actions, as the jury found here.
Got it. So on what grounds is the defense arguing that she should be granted either of these motions?
Yeah. So the motions that we heard in the past, some that were already denied, like ineffective assistance of counsel or the prosecution, improperly charged Jennifer Crumbley as having a duty that they believe doesn't exist. Or even this last issue that we have here, that information should have been turned over. The defense is arguing that certain facts were not provided to the defense, that they could have mounted a proper defense for Jennifer Crumbley, and the theories by which she was prosecuted were improper. Now, this is just the first level of, uh, of an appeal. And so there are these issues here, but other issues that can come up down the road depending on how this case goes. But again, I don't think that they're going to win at this level.
So what happens if the judge grants or denies the defense's motion? I mean, how would those scenarios actually play out?
So if the judge grants the motion and let's say grants, like wholeheartedly, yes, the prosecution should have turned over this discovery information. Yes. This was enough that it could have changed the course of this trial. The judge is then at a crossroads as to whether or not to dismiss the charges altogether, or dismiss and grant a new trial. I don't think this is going to be one of those dismiss altogether. If the if the motion is granted, probably more likely than not a new trial. But I think that is a very high hurdle. If the motions are not granted, which I do think is the more likely result here? Then this is again, just the first level of appeal. I would anticipate the defense would take this up to the next court of appeals in Michigan, the Michigan Court of Appeals, and make the same arguments. They're hoping for a different result.
Got it. All right. We'll track it. Good to see you, Brian. Happy Friday.
Thank you. You as well.
All right. You can find us anywhere you stream live news. That means you can go to the ABC news app. ABC news.com I'm Kyra Phillips. Glad you're with us today. We do have a lot more news up next, so don't go far.
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I'm Alex Presha. And we begin with the urgent investigation into the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades. Crews are still at the scene of that midair collision, as officials say they've now they've now recovered 41 sets of remains. Investigators say they've now positively identified 28 of the victims, and are continuing the painstaking process of notifying next of kin. Earlier today, officials from the District of Columbia outlined the challenges of this recovery effort.
So, um, the the question is, do we believe we have to lift the aircraft out of the water in order to finish, uh, and find the the rest of the remains? And the second part of the question was, are, are we focused on the helicopter today? And, um, the answer to the first question is yes. I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains, that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. The second part of the question is, yes, a lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our operations today are focused on the helicopter.
Um, now, investigators say the recovery operation is expected to stretch at least through the weekend. Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport is expected to remain closed until next Friday, according to a notice sent to pilots and obtained by ABC news. And the NTSB says black boxes from that American Airlines jet have been recovered. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, and that they are at labs for evaluation. We also now are seeing a new angle of this crash obtained in video from CNN. You can see the helicopter approach the plane and then that explosion that follows. ABC News is Stephanie. Stephanie Ramos is live at Reagan National Airport, along with transportation reporter Sam Sweeney here in our D.C. bureau. And, Stephanie, I want to begin with you. What is the latest right now on this investigation?
Well, Alex, we expect an update from the NTSB in about an hour and a half. But we did get an update from D.C. fire personnel about an hour ago, and they touched on a number of things. First off, the airport here is open, and it is operating flights in and out of DCA. They do say they are.
Operating.
Off of one.
Runway out of the.
Three that they have here.
But they, of course, are urging.
Travelers to connect with their airlines and ensure that their flight is on schedule. They also mentioned that they're getting a lot of 911 calls from people in the area that are finding aircraft debris. Now, as far as the recovery operation here, the recovery crew is still waiting on heavy equipment such as cranes from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard and private contractor to retrieve the fuselage out of the.
Potomac.
River and also extract some of those additional victims. So they are waiting on that. We understand that they could get that equipment by tomorrow afternoon, and the weather should be looking a lot better by then. So that should help that recovery effort. Of course, we can only imagine that the families of these victims want those remains back so they can find some sort of peace. But right now, the big question is when that.
Will.
Happen and if that will happen. Alex?
Yeah. Some sort of piece, some sort of closure. Stephanie. Thank you for you for that, Sam. The FAA says they have restrictions in place right now for low flying helicopters around Reagan National. What do we know about that?
Well, Alex, that area is normally swamped with helicopters from the military. Moving around. That runway is less than a mile, 0.8 miles from the Pentagon. The people are being moved in and out of there all day. Senior officials, now, they are saying there will be no low flying helicopters in or around Reagan National Airport. They won't be able to land there unless it is the president, or it is of national defense or some sort of medical emergency. And this is going to last in place until the NTSB releases its at least until the NTSB releases its preliminary report, which we are expecting in roughly 30 days, depending on what that says. They could extend this. And if they find out that this is a this accident was caused because of this helicopter here in the area. And to prevent this from happening again, they could extend this indefinitely. Definitely.
Yeah. And Stephanie, going back to you real quick. Listen, we know we're anticipating that NTSB report in the next 30 something days, but a big, big swing in this investigation. They recovered those black boxes. We know they're they're pretty sturdy to to survive crashes like this. But you were talking about the the debris swath. And, you know, there are reports of debris washing ashore on the banks of, of Virginia, Maryland and DC. I mean, this is a huge, huge swath here. And and time is really of the essence to to recover this before, before some of this evidence is damaged.
It certainly is.
The clock is.
Ticking.
And we do understand that the NTSB investigators are are working around the clock. We saw them all day here yesterday, also meeting with families. But working in this area. We of course expect to hear from them in about an hour and a half. 530 it was scheduled for 4:00, but that's been rescheduled. That's been pushed to 530. We also want to hear from them on their progress when it comes to those flight recorders. We understand they found those flight recorders on the American Airlines flight. So we'll see what that how that process is going. They're going to need a special team to analyze that data. That of course will take time. But right now that's the big question. What do they have so far. Alex.
Well, and Sam, one more for you because you know, you know, bringing some sort of sense of closure for the families of these victims is paramount. We know so far 41 of these these bodies have been have been recovered, 28 identified. But what do we know for for those victims that that that still remain, um, at that crash site?
Well, this is a really difficult situation. You have a smaller airplane. It's a smaller, more condensed fuselage that has been torn apart. It's mangled. It's under the water. It's there's a current, it's dark and it's freezing cold. So these divers are inside this plane with their wetsuits are being ripped apart. They're only allowed to be down there for there for roughly 20 minutes or so because of the temperatures and the condition of their wetsuits. But it's a small compartment. I'm six foot two. When I get into one of these regional jets, I have to bend over. So imagine when it's mangled getting into these small confined areas with a wetsuit on your other equipment, your your air tanks, and then pulling these bodies out that are strapped into the seats is extraordinarily difficult. And that's why they are struggling to get those remaining the majority of the bodies out of this aircraft. And they say that they will need to lift the wreckage to the surface onto a barge before they can do that.
Well, and, Sam, you know, as they evaluate these, these, these flight recorders, we know they've recovered the black boxes from this American Airlines plane, but I know there's going to be a lot of scrutiny to the path that that helicopter took. Can you can you explain some of the key questions there?
There's there's highways in the sky. And these these helicopters have to fly on predetermined routes. They're going to look. Did it Did it veer off course? Was it too high? Was it too low? Was it going up and down? What was the scenario? What happened in that cockpit? In the. In the moments leading up to this. To this incident. Where was the pilot? Distracted. Was he talking with the other crew members? Was it the night vision goggles that limited his eyesight? We will have to know all of that.
All right, Stephanie Ramos and Sam Sweeney. Thank you both. And we're also learning more about the victims of this crash as investigators continue their work to identify all of the 64 people on board a flight 53. 42 remain. Remains. They continue to be recovered from this crash site. The Army is now identifying two of the three Army soldiers killed in this helicopter crash. Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara from Georgia and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Evers from Maryland. And now we're hearing more about how friends and family are remembering those who died.
He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did. And she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating, and I will miss that so much.
Yeah, a big group of figure skaters aboard that American Airlines flight. I want to bring in our white House correspondent, MaryAlice parks from Washington with more. MaryAlice, I know you've been following this, but what more are we learning about these two soldiers who were identified today?
Yeah. Alex, are we putting out a statement sending, of course, their deepest condolences to the friends and families of these soldiers that died in this tragic crash. Of course, the army has also been helping in the recovery efforts, but they want to prioritize supporting the families, too. They said in this statement they identified two of the of the soldiers, two of the three soldiers who died. Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves, 39 years old, of Maryland. His body, they said, has not been recovered, but he was a decorated pilot. He was in the Navy from 2007 to 2017, and then went over to the Army to become a Blackhawk pilot. Uh, numerous awards. A very decorated career there. And then Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, only 28 years old, from Georgia. Um, it seems as though his remains were those that were able to be identified in the wreckage. Uh, the Army writing that Staff Sergeant O'Hara was a part of that Blackhawk helicopter crew for over ten years.
He had deployed to Afghanistan back in 2017. Also receiving numerous awards for his service. You can only imagine the pain, the grief that their families are dealing with right now. An interesting the Army saying that at this point they are not identifying, they are not offering the name of the third soldier who died in the crash out of respect for the family's wishes. Alex.
Yeah, that third soldier we believe to be a woman, based off of the details of this crash that the Army first released. MaryAlice, I also wanted to ask you, because there are so many poignant stories that we're hearing today about some of those lost in this crash. Um, look, I mean, it's one of those stories where the more you learn about it, the worse it gets. But I'm curious what's sticking out to you?
Just how many communities across the country are grieving today? Alex. Loved ones that are determined to keep the memory of those who died alive. It's interesting. We're learning some more stories. Lindsay Fields, she was the president elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, a dedicated science teacher, a professor herself. She was an avid gardener. Her friends say there were two sort of powerhouse female lawyers from DC. Elizabeth Keyes, we learned, who died in the crash on her 33rd birthday. She'd flown back from a work trip, actually early to be able to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend. Of course, she was not able to do that. Another civil rights attorney, Kia Duggins, who was about to start a new professorship at Howard University. Howard writing that she had dedicated her life to trying to stop and investigate unfair policing practices. And you're right, you talked about the impact, of course, on the close knit figure skating community here in the country. 14 members of that community athletes, their parents, coaches, some of those athletes only 12 years old.
We learned about Brielle Byer. She actually overcame cancer as a kid. Her father spoke to ABC news. There's a picture you're showing right now of Spencer Lane. He was killed alongside his mother. ABC also spoke to his family. They're right there. That's Brielle Beyer. Both of these young athletes, their parents just describing them as so exceptional, extraordinary hard workers and just a wonder to see on the ice. You can only imagine, Alex. Just the pain, the unthinkable grief that these families are dealing with. But it is, I think, important for us to continue to tell the stories of those who were lost.
Absolutely. I remember hearing Spencer and his mom, Christine, their, uh, her now, uh, her husband talking about both of their memories and, you know, the heartbreak that he's going through. It's a tremendously tragic indeed. MaryAlice, I appreciate that. Thank you. President Trump looking to put his sweeping tariff plan into action starting tomorrow. The white House says that's when 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on imports from China will take effect. Of course, analysts have warned that those measures could lead to swift price increases for consumers here in America. ABC News Senior White House correspondent Selina Wang is live from the white House North Lawn for us. And, Selina, you asked the white House press secretary about these tariffs at the briefing today. What did she tell you?
Yeah. Well, Alex, we know that President Trump had campaigned and promised that he would lower prices for Americans. But tariffs have an inflationary effect because they're a tax on goods that U.S. importers and U.S. companies pay. Then they largely pass those higher costs on to U.S. consumers. So I wanted to understand from the white House press secretary, if they can guarantee that these tariffs are not going to increase prices for Americans. And she could not answer that question directly. Take a listen.
Can you guarantee.
That those tariffs won't increase prices for Americans, including at the gas pump in the grocery store?
I think Americans who are concerned about increased prices should look at what President Trump did in his first term. He effectively implemented tariffs.
Those tariffs.
Do.
Increase.
Prices for Americans. Will the administration reverse them?
That's a hypothetical question. And the president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation and costs for the American people.
So you heard Caroline say there that Americans should look at what Trump did in his first term. Well, study after study has shown that his first term tariffs on goods from China, that the cost of those tariffs were almost entirely borne out by U.S. consumers. So experts are warning that this could have a sweeping effect, raising prices on everything from clothes, cars, gas to oil. That's because Canada, Mexico and China are America's top three trading partners. We import an immense amount of goods from these countries. Not to mention the fact that this could upend global supply chains. It could have a seriously negative effect on the economies of Canada and Mexico as well, given just how reliant they are on the U.S. economy.
Yeah, I mean, we've seen President Trump threaten tariffs against Colombia. But it was a negotiation tactic of sorts. Right. I mean, what is he looking to achieve here? I mean, there's just one day before these go into effect.
Yeah, that's exactly right. We've also seen Trump, during his first term, used tariffs as a negotiating tactic to try and extract concessions from specific countries. So in this case the president is saying that he's hitting these countries with these tariffs because of the flow of illegal migrants and fentanyl through their borders into the United States. That is his reasoning for putting these tariffs on these countries. Now, just a few days ago, though, President Trump also said that he could raise tariffs on China to as high as 100% if the country doesn't agree to allow him to make a deal on TikTok. So the president has been very clear about how he uses tariffs as negotiating leverage. Now, we have heard Canada's Justin Trudeau hit back, saying that they are ready to retaliate. We've heard similar statements from Mexico as well. If they do retaliate with higher tariffs, there are fears that this could turn into a full blown trade war with a tit for tat that could seriously increase prices and upend global supply chains.
All right. Selina Wang, thank you very much. And coming up after the break, Sean Diddy Combs hit with a new indictment what prosecutors are saying about the mogul's history of alleged abuse.
Every day she's an A-lister. He's a co-star and he's the director. It seemed to me there was a match made in heaven promotional wise, that didn't occur.
Rumors were swirling.
For Blake to file a sexual harassment claim. I don't think.
Anyone.
Saw that coming.
He clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him.
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It did not end with it ends with us.
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Being a cop is stressful.
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A.
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Work smarter not.
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When I became.
President.
I asked.
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Secrets.
Aliens who killed JFK.
Agent Collins.
Yes, sir.
I want to tell you the truth. What aren't.
You telling.
Me?
Nightline. The stories that shape your world. That shape your life. Dramatic. Stunning. Empowering.
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The most powerful stories of our time. Nightline. On right after Kimmel and streaming on Hulu. David Muir. ABC's World News Tonight, the most watched newscast in America. And honored with the Emmy Award winner for outstanding Live news Program. More Americans watch World News Tonight with David Muir than any other newscast.
Welcome back. Music mogul Sean Diddy Combs now hit with a new indictment in his sex trafficking case. Federal prosecutors filing a new indictment with additional victims and allegations of abuse that they now say lasted for two decades. ABC News senior investigative correspondent Eric Katersky has details.
Federal prosecutors are expanding their sex trafficking case against Sean Diddy Combs, saying the music mogul abused, threatened and coerced women over a longer period of time than first alleged 20 years from 2004 until his arrest last year in New York. The new indictment says Combs assaulted not only women but also his employees, witnesses to his abuse and others.
It was a.
Circus. He did whatever.
He wanted.
And we were just at his disposal.
For two years, Phil Pynes was Combs senior executive assistant and is suing him for sexual battery and harassment, which Combs has denied. Alleged violence was vividly captured in this 2016 video obtained by CNN, showing Combs kicking and dragging his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel. The new indictment says Combs paid hotel staff $100,000 for the footage. And prosecutors now say Combs coerced two additional victims into sex acts. The ones that also recruited male prostitutes were called freak offs. Others involved only combs and a female victim. Like the freak offs, the new indictment says these sex acts sometimes lasted multiple days or sometimes electronically recorded, and often involved a variety of drugs meant to keep the victim obedient and compliant.
All right, Aaron Katersky, thank you very much. And coming up after the break, ABC News Live Prime investigation how untraceable ghost guns are increasingly the weapon of choice for violent criminals.
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Next. In ABC News Live Prime investigation into the deadly rise of untraceable ghost guns assembled from do it yourself kits or 3D printers. President Trump has vowed to roll back regulations on the weapons. This even as law enforcement officials say, they are increasingly used in violent crimes, like last month's killing of the United Health Care CEO in New York City. And they also say a key regulation is the line at the Supreme is on the line at the Supreme Court. ABC News Devin Dwyer reports. More from Baltimore.
This is our gun reference room, where we basically keep almost one of every type and caliber of weapon that we seize.
The guns lining the vault walls date.
Back.
Decades. Artifacts of crime in the city of Baltimore. Their serial numbers, a marker of where the firearms came from. A growing number have none at all.
This space that you see right here are all of our ghost guns, which are the private manufactured firearms where you.
Can.
Buy the pieces online, put them together, and you've got a fully assembled firearm that's untraceable because there's no serial numbers.
Ghost guns have been exploding in popularity nationwide, often built from.
Easy.
To.
Assemble.
Kits available online. Many are later recovered from the scenes of deadly accidents and violent attacks. Last month, a convicted felon allegedly shot and critically wounded two kindergarten children on a school playground in California with a ghost gun. That same day, across the country in New York City, another man equipped with a homemade gun allegedly assassinated.
The.
United Health Care CEO on a sidewalk. Daniel Webster, who studied gun violence for over 30 years, says gun part kits have created.
A huge.
Back door that lets kids and criminals evade the law.
It goes.
Around.
Every.
Law, federal.
And state that has been.
Designed.
To keep.
Guns out.
Of people that it's broadly agreed.
Are too dangerous to have.
Them.
Until recently, do it yourself gun kits like this one, assembled in as little as 30 to 40 minutes, have been especially popular with teenagers not old enough to legally buy firearms in stores. Teens instead buying a gun kit online with only a credit card. It has devastated families in nearly every state. Teens shooting teens with guns made at home. A 15 year old killed at a corner store near Philly. Two teens murdered in Virginia after a fight on social media. At a Maryland high school. A 10th grader nearly killed in a student bathroom. Outside Detroit in May 2021, Guy Boyd was accidentally shot in the face by his then best friend. He nearly died and lost his eye.
Ghost guns. It's. It's in the name.
It's a.
Gun. It's it's a firearm. It's a projectile. It's something that can take.
Somebody's.
Life or almost take somebody's life.
The firearm industry insists gun kits do not meet the legal definition of a gun. Cody Wilson, owner and founder of one of the largest do it yourself gun kit manufacturers, argues kit sales should not be restricted.
We don't sell firearms, right? So my company will never have a federal firearms license and therefore will never perform.
The.
NICs background check.
But the sudden and skyrocketing rise of ghost guns recovered from crime scenes has alarmed law enforcement groups and legislators. Up nearly 17 fold between 2017 and 2023, according to the Justice Department, the Biden administration in 2022 ordered a crackdown requiring all sellers of gun kits to include serial numbers and conduct age and background checks of buyers. Many states and cities doubled down with their own laws. In the city of Baltimore, the impact was stark. The number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement had been rising, from 12 in 2018 to more than 500in 2022 82 after the new restrictions were imposed, a sharp decline.
It's not going out on a limb to say that there's a cause.
Effect there.
But the reduction in ghost guns in Baltimore and other cities and states faces a big test this spring at the U.S. Supreme Court. In the next few months, the justices will decide whether requiring gun kits to be treated like any other gun for sale is legal under federal law.
All right. Our thanks to Devin for that. The news never stops and you can find us anywhere you stream live news. If you're on the go, we're on the ABC news app and ABC news.com as well. I'm Alex Presha. Thanks for streaming with us. More news is up next.
Freeze. Morgan Guillory, major crimes.
Where did you get this?
Checkout at the dollar store. You hired me because I noticed.
Things that you miss.
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Our killer's name is Dubois.
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Google.
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Morgan?
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To be sent to the principal's office today. Kid, if you want to do crime, now's the time. Happy first.
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Of.
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Like four more of these.
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ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir is America's most watched newscast.
Good afternoon. I'm Alex Presha. We begin with the urgent search for answers in the deadliest mid-air collision in decades at Ronald Reagan National Airport. Crews are still at the scene out on the Potomac River, as officials say they've now recovered 41 sets of remains. Investigators say they've now positively identified 28 of the victims and are continuing the painstaking process of notifying next of kin. Earlier today, officials for the District of Columbia outlined the challenges of this recovery effort.
So, um, the the question is, do we believe we have to lift the aircraft out of the water in order to finish, uh, and find the the rest of the remains? And the second part of the question was, are, are we focused on the helicopter today? And, um, the answer to the first question is, yes. I believe for us to recover the rest of the remains, that we are going to need to get the fuselage out of the water. The second part of the question is, yes, a lot of our operations, not all of them, but a lot of our of our operations today are focused on the helicopter.
Investigators say the recovery operation is expected to stretch at least through the weekend, and runway 33 at Reagan National Airport is expected to remain closed until next Friday. According to a notice sent to pilots and obtained by ABC news, the NTSB says black boxes from that American Airlines jet have been recovered. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, and that they are at labs for evaluation. We're also now seeing a new angle of the crash. In this video obtained by CNN, you can see the helicopter approach the plane and then that explosion that follows. Let's get right to transportation reporter Sam Sweeney, who's been following all of this here in our D.C. bureau. Sam, first, I'm curious, what more are we learning about this investigation and recovery effort?
Well, we just learned in the last few minutes that a Coast Guard barge and a heavy lifter has pulled up alongside of that Black Hawk helicopter. It's possible that they could lift that helicopter out of the water. As early as tonight. We're going to have, uh, learn a little bit more about that in a few moments from the Coast Guard. We are also expecting an NTSB update from their team on the ground at the airport around 530 tonight. But they are dealing with extraordinarily difficult situation. They have freezing cold water, chunks of ice, a strong current and mangled wreckage. So these people are trying to get into the plane. It's very difficult.
Hey, Sam. So we're going to take a quick break for some breaking news straight to the white House, where President Trump is signing another round of executive orders.
Massive amounts of fentanyl, killing hundreds of thousands of people a year with fentanyl. And in the other two cases, they're making it possible for this poison to get in number one. And number two, we have big deficits. And, uh, it's something we're doing and we'll, we'll, uh, possibly very substantially increase it or not. We'll see how it is. But it's it's a lot of money coming to the United States. As you know, we have about a $200 billion deficit with with Canada getting close to $200 billion. It's they've treated us very unfairly. And I say, why should we be subsidizing Canada? They you know, it's wonderful. I have so many friends in Canada. It's a great place.
Is there a.
Concession here, sir? No, we're not looking for a concession, and we'll just see what happens. We'll see what happens. And with Mexico, it's the same thing. We have a $250 billion deficit, and we have a lot of people coming into the border. And now we've largely stopped that, but we've stopped that ourselves. And I think they've done a fantastic job. You've seen the numbers. They've dropped to almost zero. But we've suffered under the past administration for years and years. We've suffered with millions of criminals coming into our country, criminals, people from jails, from all over the world. They come through Mexico and they and they come through Canada to a lot of them come through Canada, and a lot of fentanyl comes through Canada, and China makes the fentanyl. You know, China makes the fentanyl, gives it to Mexico, puts it through Canada, puts it through different different places, mostly Mexico, but also a lot through Canada. And so all three haven't treated us very well.
Sir, can I ask you about your meeting with Nvidia?
What did you talk about? And do you think you need to ban more of the chips that they're selling to China?
Well, he's a great gentleman and I hadn't met him. He's the biggest in the world in terms of chips, and I can't say what's going to happen. We had a meeting. It was a good meeting, but eventually we're going to put tariffs on chips. We're going to put tariffs on oil and gas. That will happen fairly soon I think around the 18th of February. And we're going to put a lot of tariffs on steel. We already have tariffs on steel and we've saved our saved our steel industry, but that was relatively small compared to what it will be. But we're going to be putting tariffs on steel and aluminum and ultimately copper. Copper will take a little bit longer and that will happen pretty quickly. It will mean it will be a great boost for our steel industry. It will make our steel industry very strong. If I didn't put the tariffs on years ago on steel, which actually Biden left because there was so much money that they couldn't do anything about it, we would have lost.
We wouldn't have one steel mill in this country if I didn't do that. We saved the steel industry. So it was an honor to do it. And I think the people that love me most in the whole world are people that make steel. But we're going to be putting sometime this month. Next month we're going to be putting tariffs on steel and aluminum. And we'll give you an announcement as to what the exact date is. But it will be a tremendous amount of money for our country, a Tremendous amount. These are big numbers. And in addition to that, and you see the power of the tariff, I mean, the tariff is and nobody can compete with us because we have by far the biggest piggy bank. And so that will take place very quickly. But also we'll be doing pharmaceuticals and to bring our industry back, we want to bring pharmaceuticals back to the country. And the way you bring it back to the country is by putting up a wall, and the wall is a tariff wall.
We were the richest country in the world. We were at our richest from 1870 to 1913. That's when we had we were a tariff country. And then they went to an income tax concept. And, you know, how did that work out? It was fine. I mean, it was okay, but it would have been very much better. So we'll be doing pharmaceuticals importantly and drugs, medicines. ET cetera. All forms of medicine. Medicine and pharmaceuticals. And we'll be doing very importantly steel. and we'll also be doing chips and things associated with chips.
So what do you plan on talking with the Japanese Prime Minister about next Friday when you all meet?
Well, he's coming in next week. I don't know if he asks for a meeting. And I have great respect for Japan. I like Japan. Prime Minister Abe was a very close friend of mine. What happened to him was so sad. One of the saddest days. But they're coming in to speak to me and I look forward to it.
Mr. president, on the crash, do you have any concerns that your.
Commentary.
About.
Things you have described.
As.
Common sense.
Or your.
Observations.
Could in any way interfere.
With the thorough.
Investigation.
Of the crash?
No, I think they'll do an investigation. It will probably come out the way I said it. I like to put it up front. I'm so tired of listening to things happen to our country. And then people say, we'll do an investigation. And three years later they come out with a report that nobody looks at, especially not in all cases. can you do that? But in this case, you know, you had a you had a helicopter that was the Blackhawk was too high. It was above the 200 limit by double. It shouldn't have been there. And there were some other mistakes made too. And I pointed them out also. And I was right on all of it. But they'll still do an investigation just to check it out. But I think that's what you.
Are you all.
Concerned.
About.
Opining about the.
Army and.
The conduct.
Of that.
Aircraft.
When.
You are commander.
In chief.
And these are the people.
Who.
Report.
To you?
No, no, it's an investigation.
And this was all caused by bad rules, regulations and other things by Biden, the Biden administration. And when you look at the way they ran things, in fact, if you look, we hired one of the first things I told them to do. I said, get talented people in those in those beautiful towers overlooking runways. You better get them in there fast, because we don't have people there that are qualified. And you knew that because planes were landing very, very late. They were circling all over the place. We had people that didn't know what the hell they were doing. And if you look. Excuse me.
And there.
Are.
Other. Excuse me, excuse me. They, uh. We have to have the best people, the smartest people, the sharpest people as control tower experts. And that's what they have to be. They have to be experts, and they have to be very smart. And we didn't have our best. And if you read the quote that I read yesterday at the news conference, it talked about people that were psychologically injured, were okay, and people that had lots of problems were okay. I'd read it again if you'd like me to, but I don't think I have to waste your time.
Sir. With planes.
In.
The air all around.
The country, people relying on that.
As safety. Are you.
Suggesting there's.
An ongoing.
Risk?
No, I think there's very little risk. But I think that we have to make sure that this never happens again. Very, very little risk. And we're taking actions that this can't happen again. The helicopter, as you know, was out of its zone. It shouldn't have been out of its zone. It was at the same height as the airplane. Now the airplane was coming down on its track. It was perfect. It was in perfect shape, coming down. And something was in its way. You can't let that happen. And it won't be happening again. And this was all because of weak rules in the Biden administration, and we're just not going to let that kind of thing happen again and again. I could wait and I could, you know, give a report in two years like they always do. And sometimes it's obvious. In this case, to me, it was very obvious that I think I've been proven. Proven to be very correct. Yeah.
Mr. president, what did.
You expect from your.
Meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu next week?
I expect a lot of good things from all meetings. I expect good things. Marco Rubio, as you know, is going to make a tour of various countries in South America. He's going to be meeting in Panama, where Panama has treated us very badly. They gave him rather them rather foolishly, a thing called the Panama Canal. The most expensive project we ever built, if you look at today's numbers. Most expensive ever built. We lost 38,000 men. In that case, all men. Just about all men. 38,000 to the mosquito, to malaria. And various other problems that you get from jungles. It was a tremendously costly event. We built the Panama Canal 110 years ago. Think of it. The most expensive development we ever did. And really, one of the wonders of the world. One of the great wonders of the world. And we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama. And Panama has been ripping down all the China language signs. They've been working like mad to try.
But about 70% of the signs were up and they were written in Chinese. And that's not the deal. So we're going to take it back. They've already offered to do many things, but we think it's appropriate that we take it back. They've totally violated the agreement. We have an agreement. They violated the agreement. And Marco Rubio is going over there to talk to the, uh, to the gentleman that's in charge.
Mr..
Do you still think it's a good idea for Jordan and Egypt to be taking in Palestinians when they reject the idea? And the Palestinians who are living now in Egypt.
Jordan will take people. Yeah, people from Gaza. And I think Egypt will take them also. I mean, I heard somebody said they're not going to, but I think they will. I feel confident they will.
Mr. president.
Will you will.
Tomorrow's tariffs include.
Oil. Will tomorrow's tariffs.
Be include inclusive of Canadian crude.
I'm probably going to reduce the tariff a little bit on that. We think we're going to bring it down to 10% on the oil. So it's 25% on the on the Canada candidate said.
Mr..
President, are these tariffs stacking.
On top of already.
Existing tariffs.
On top of whatever may be existing.
Yeah.
Mr. president.
That's a good question about.
Venezuela. Ric Grenell was.
Seen on state TV shaking hands.
With President.
Maduro.
Is there any concern that that might lend legitimacy to the Maduro administration?
No. We want to do something with Venezuela. We've been I've been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro. They've treated us not so good, but they've treated more importantly, the Venezuelan people very badly. We have tremendous Venezuelan population. I got 92% of the vote, the Venezuelan vote. Now we want to see what we can do to get people back in their homeland safe and free and all. He's meeting with a lot of different people, but we're we are for the people of Venezuela. We're for the Venezuelan Americans. If you look at it, we have them all in Florida, right around the Doral area. That's where that's really they call it Little Venezuela, right? And they voted for me close to 100%. So we'll see what we can do to straighten out the situation in Venezuela. Venezuela is, uh, has been very unfortunate. I was very surprised when I saw that Biden agreed to buy a lot of oil from Venezuela, because Venezuela was just about finished. The the dictator.
And when that happened, it brought him back to life. You know, Biden went out and they they buy millions of barrels of oil. I say, what's that all about? So we're not going to let that stupid stuff happen. So we'll see what happens. We're not happy with Venezuela. We don't like the way they've treated, uh, the Venezuelans at all.
Mr. president, there is some.
Warnings.
Or.
Messages that.
Government websites will be shut down.
This evening.
To scrub them of die content. Can you confirm.
If that's.
Actually.
Shut.
Down?
Government websites excuse me, will be shut down this evening to scrub them.
Of.
Die content. Can you confirm whether that's accurate and if there are any concerns?
I don't know, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I would have ruined our country, and now it's dead. I think die is dead. So if they want to scrub the website, that's okay with me. But, uh, I can't tell you. I guess probably certain people handle it in certain ways, but I'll tell you who's very happy about it. The military, the real leaders, the real generals and the military. They're very happy about it. Doug is very happy about it. He's got a big, big group of people that are going to be working for him are really starting right now. You just got signed up and they're very happy about it. He had a lot of die. Everybody did. But he has not been a fan. It would have really. It was really hurting our country badly. It was costing a lot of money too. You see the kind of money we're talking about, hundreds of millions of dollars for nonsense. Now we have a we have our country back.
Now our country is back. And it's a it's a nice thing to say. I've never seen such love. I've never had anything like it. I've never seen anything like it. People are coming up, sir. Thank you for bringing our country back. We were losing our country. And I think we're stronger now than we've been in many, many decades.
On your call with Vladimir Putin.
Well, we'll be we'll be speaking. We've been we'll be speaking. And I think we'll perhaps do something that will be significant. We want to end that war. That war would have never started if I was president. And we want to end that war. That war is a horrible war. Millions of young people are being killed, mostly on the lines now, mostly soldiers. But the cities have been largely destroyed. Many of them. They're like demolition sites, but the soldiers are just shooting at each other, you know, it's a very flat land. I said this the last time. Very, very flat land. The only place that a bullet stops is when it hits a person and they're hitting a lot of people. They're hitting a lot of soldiers on both sides. You know, I think Russia would probably say close to 800,000 and Ukraine 6 or 700,000. And it's it's just a senseless situation and it's got to stop. So whatever I can do to stop it and we are having discussions.
Yes.
I am president.
Already.
Scheduled.
And I'm.
Already talking. Yes.
So you've already spoken to Vladimir?
I don't want to say that, but we are having very serious discussions about. We are? I just don't want to say that we're having very serious discussions about that. We're trying to get it ended.
With Russia.
With Russia? Yeah.
At the Department.
Of.
Justice.
In.
The.
FBI, there.
Are a.
Number.
Of high level people who are being asked to resign or are being told.
They are.
Going to be.
Fired. Did you.
Specifically.
Request any.
Actions.
At the Bureau or DOJ with.
Respect to.
Those employees?
No, but we have some very bad people over there. It was weaponized at a level that nobody's ever seen before. They came after a lot of people like me, but they came after a lot of people. No, I wasn't involved in it. I'll have to see what is exactly going on after this is finished. But if they fired some people over there, that's a good thing, because they were very bad. They were very corrupt people, very corrupt. And they hurt our country very badly with the weaponization they used. They used the Justice Department to go after their political opponent, which in itself is illegal. And obviously it didn't work.
Are you going to impose tariffs on the European Union?
What does that mean?
Are you going to impose tariffs on European Union like you did? You are going to do for Mexico and Canada?
Well, you're asking me a question because I'm sure you didn't hear. Am I going to going to impose tariffs on the European Union? Do you want the truthful answer, or should I give you a political answer? Absolutely, absolutely. The European. The European Union has treated us so terribly.
You promised.
Americans to try to reduce.
Costs.
And so many.
Of the.
Products.
Would be tariffs when.
They.
Come into.
The.
Country.
The outgoing.
Country.
Is.
Not.
Paying.
The tariff. The buyers.
In the.
United.
States.
Pay that. And then.
That.
Is passed on to consumers.
Sometimes.
How would.
You expect.
To.
Have prices come down.
If you have such.
A broad.
Plan.
For.
Tariffs?
And what do you say to the.
Voters who want to.
See you reduce.
Everyday.
Costs?
Well, let me just tell you that I got elected for a lot of reasons. Number one was the border. Number two was inflation because I had almost no inflation. And yet I charged hundreds of billions of dollars of tariffs to countries. And I think of it, I had almost no inflation Location and took in $600 billion of money from other countries. And tariffs don't cause inflation they cause success cause. Big success. So we're going to have great success. There could be some temporary short term disruption and people will understand that. I had that when I negotiated some of the good deals for the farmers. And unfortunately, those deals have been led astray by Biden and his people because they didn't enforce the deals. We have a deal with China, which is phenomenal for the farmers, but there was nobody to enforce it in the Biden administration. They let them get away with murder. So that's another thing we're going to be bringing. They committed. Wait a minute. They committed to buying $50 billion worth of farm product, and they did it when I was president.
As soon as I left, they stopped doing it because there was nobody in Biden to enforce it. But the tariffs are going to make us very rich and very strong, and we're going to treat other countries very fairly. But if you think about it, other countries charge US tariffs. We don't charge them tariffs. And it's about time that that changes.
Sir are you concerned about the market reaction around tariffs.
No, no. Tariffs. The word tariff is a very misunderstood word. I've you've heard me say I say it kiddingly. But it's one of the most beautiful words in the dictionary. It really is. And we've been taken advantage of because others have charged us VAT. As an example, the European Union charges us 20% plus plus plus a VAT tax called a VAT tax. Very similar. And it costs us an absolute fortune. We are treated so badly they don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products. Essentially, they don't take almost anything. And we have a tremendous deficit with the European Union. So we'll be doing something very substantial with the European Union. We're going to bring the level up to where it where it should be. And if you think of the European Union, then you go to NATO. It's largely the same group of countries. Until I came along, I mean, we were paying almost 100% of NATO only to get bad trade deals. And now, uh, it's been evened out, but very unfair.
Having to do it was evened out pretty good. Actually, I did a good job. They paid, uh, $440 billion. If you look at the secretary general's report, and he was here recently and he said that he said one of the most amazing things I've ever seen is what President Trump was able to do with these countries of Europe, of which he was in charge of them, but he couldn't get them to pay. I went over, I said, you got to pay. And if you don't pay, we're not going to protect you. It's very simple, but, uh, very unfair is with Ukraine because we're in for $300 billion plus, and they're in probably for 100 billion. There's a $200 billion difference, and they need it more than we do. You know, we have an ocean in between. They don't. And so they're going to have to step it up a little bit.
With.
Efforts.
To reduce the federal workforce.
By.
Offering what we call the buyout package or other efforts.
Do you have.
Any concerns that there will be employees broadly.
Across the federal government.
Who might.
Take that up?
And there are.
Part.
Of the many different ways that agencies protect the public from food inspections.
Water.
Safety.
Too.
I know, but everybody's replaceable. And we'll get very good people to replace them. If it turns out to be more than we thought, it could be a lot. It could be a little. We don't know. But we'd love to have them leave. We're trying to remember this. We want them to go into the private sector. It's our dream to have everybody almost working in the private sector, not in the public sector. We have many people. Very few people came to work. They were, you know, it started more or less with Covid, but actually even before Covid. But it started with, with the Covid, they didn't come back. And then Biden let them let him get away with murder. And they you know, we had a federal workforce like 4% coming into the office. And that just doesn't work. You know, people can say it does, but it doesn't work. You have to be unified in a group in the office. It's just it was crazy.
You don't know what they're doing. And then at some point, we may ask them to certify that they didn't have two jobs. Meaning were they really getting a check from us, the government? And then were they also working a second job and a third job? And, you know, on on government time. And many of them will say that they did. You know, which is which is not legal, but it's a problem. It's a problem. No, we want to get that out. We want to clean it out. You know, people have been trying to reduce federal government now for 40 years, 45 years, and they haven't been able to do it. And this is a way of doing it, I think very nicely. It's sort of a buyout too. I think we're treating people very good, but people Don't come to the office. They won't have a job starting on that very special date. So we'll see how that works out. I mean, nobody knows how that's going to turn out.
Everybody might show up to the office and maybe a large number won't show up. But if they don't show up, we've accomplished a very serious goal. We're trying to reduce government.
Does Mr..
Musk or any.
Of those associated.
With.
Your Doge?
Did they have any.
Direct access.
Through the government systems to how money is disbursed?
No, nothing. No. They are. This has nothing to do also with the federal cutting, you know, with this federal cutting. This is very separate. This is if you don't show up, you don't get paid. But Doge, I think great progress has been made. We're talking about cutting, uh, over $1 trillion of waste. We're talking about waste. We're not talking about. We are going to love and cherish Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. We're not going to do anything with that other than if we can find some abuse or waste. We'll do something, but the people won't be affected. It will only be more effective and better. And our country, as our country gets richer. The people on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Those people are going to be more secure. If Biden had gotten elected, Social Security was going to fail because the country was failing. It was going to fail. The country was going to fail. And therefore, their Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and all of the other things that you may get would not be able to be paid.
Our country is getting very strong and you see it. I think more progress has been made in the last 2 or 3 weeks than has been made in the last four years, I think not only has more progress been made in the last four years, I call it progress. We went way backward as a country in so many different ways, from woke to all of the other things that took place that were so bad. You look at Afghanistan, how embarrassing that was. I think Afghanistan really started the problem with Russia and Ukraine when Putin looked over and he and he saw how incompetently that was handled. I was getting out, but I was going to keep Bagram. Right now China has Bagram. I was going to keep one of the biggest air bases in the world. They left it, but I was other than Bagram, I was going to get out and I wasn't keeping Bagram for Afghanistan. I was keeping it for China because it's one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. And we were keeping it.
So we have a lot of great things happening in our country. And we appreciate that you're here. And I'm really thrilled about Doug, and I'm really thrilled about his friend Chris Wright, who's a legend in the oil business. Right. They keep telling me, Kathryn, he's like a legend and he's a legend too, in a lot of businesses. And we have an amazing group of people working with us. There's a man behind me who became a tremendous success. He was not a was not a wealthy man. He didn't start off a wealthy man, and he ended up a wealthy man. And, you know, that's a great talent. And he's willing to sacrifice so much and to put it to work for our country. Watch the job he does on. On the interior, but in particular on really making our country very, very wealthy by. Utilizing it properly and at the same time, environmentally. He does it very. He's very much an environmentalist. He's going to do it very carefully and very.
Painstakingly. Good. But you just watch what happens. And working with the Department of Energy, where his compatriot, his friend, and also consider the most talented man in the oil business is the head of the Department of Energy. And they work together. It's almost like a partnership. It really is a partnership. And watch what that does for our country. It will be a fantastic thing to see. Thank you very much everybody.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks, guys, for having us.
Thank you.
Thanks.
All right. You were just listening to President Trump in the Oval Office there with the newly confirmed Secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, his wife Catherine, the president, taking a wide range of questions during that. But one of the things he was talking about was these new tariffs that are set to be implemented as early as tomorrow. I want to bring in our senior white House correspondent, Selina Wang, who joins us from the North Lawn for more on this. And, Selina, we got a little bit more guidance about what these tariffs could impact. He said that, you know, they're even looking at oil and gas tariffs that could start as early as as the 18th of February. What do we know about that.
Yeah. Well it's interesting because just in the last hour, you and I were talking about whether or not Donald Trump was simply using these tariffs as a negotiating tactic, as we saw him do during his first term. When he was asked about that in specific. The president insisted that this is not a negotiating tack. He blamed those three countries Mexico, Canada and China for the flow of illegal drugs into the United States for the flow of illegal immigrants. He also accused them to be the blame, the one to blame for the trade deficit. So he said, this is a serious vow that he is going through with. And again, this is 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and 10% tariffs on China. America's three biggest trading partners that we're talking about here. He was also asked about whether or not oil would be included in this. He said it would be but the tariff level would be at 10%. He also talked about tariffs on a whole host of other industries, and wasn't specific about what countries this would be applied to.
He talked about putting tariffs on chips, oil and gas, steel, aluminum and pharmaceuticals. Alex.
All right. Selina. Thank you very much. And after the break we will have more. The news never stops. I'm Alex Presha. Thanks for streaming with us. More news is up next.
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I'm Alex Presha in Washington. We begin with breaking news sources telling ABC news the Trump administration is compiling a list of FBI agents from across the country to potentially fire or forced to resign. The president was asked about this move while signing executive orders at the Oval Office a short time ago.
At the Department of Justice.
And the FBI.
There are a number.
Of high level people who are.
Being asked.
To.
Resign or are being told.
They are going to be fired.
Did you.
Specifically request any.
Actions at the.
Bureau.
Or.
DOJ with respect to those employees?
No, but we have some very bad people over there. It was weaponized at a level that nobody's ever seen before. They came after a lot of people like me, but they came after a lot of people. No, I wasn't involved in it. I'll have to see what is exactly going on after this is finished. But if they fired some people over there, that's a good thing, because they were very bad. They were very corrupt people, very corrupt. And they hurt our country very badly with the weaponization they used. They used the Justice Department to go after their political opponent, which in itself is illegal. And obviously it didn't work.
ABC News senior justice reporter Jack Dougherty joins me now for more on this. And, Jack, I mean, I'm looking at our reporting. And sources are saying that the Trump administration, they're targeting possibly anyone specifically tied to any of those special counsel, Jack Smith investigations like the classified documents, investigations, and also that this is playing out in pretty dramatic fashion.
Oh that's right. This type of action is unprecedented. We've never seen anything like this, this compiling of lists. They're looking for people who may have worked on those two big investigations, but we're told that list could grow. It started out very large. We're told they're trying to winnow it down. But, you know, we'll see in the coming days what comes of this. They've already removed several top executives at the FBI from headquarters and also heads of several FBI field offices. And these these stunning firings, these removals and these resignations are really sending shockwaves through the FBI, through the entire agency. The FBI Agents Association released a statement saying that basically that, you know, Kash Patel and and Pam Bondi, the incoming attorney general and FBI director, nominees, that they made assurances that such firings wouldn't happen. In fact, they said they run counter to the commitment that Director Patel made to the FBI Agents Association during their meetings with agents and that he said that they would be afforded process agents, would be afforded appropriate process and review and not face any retribution solely based on the cases that they are working on.
And so it's very concerning that two FBI agents and two former agents and people in the law enforcement community that these actions are being taken and the reactions are still coming in. And there's a lot of concern on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the Justice Department.
Certainly, Jack. And also, just to kind of underscore part of that FBI agent association statement, I mean, they they also went on to say that it's setting the bureau up and its new leadership up for failure, which is a pretty, pretty remarkable a pretty remarkable statement.
That's right. The bureau is dependent on a it's a hierarchical structure. These leaders in top positions, of course, you know, they work their way up from from line agents to supervisors eventually to lead these field offices. So you're losing a tremendous amount of leadership experience in those firings. And then as you drill down to to agents who worked on specific cases. If that ends up being the case, that that that's extremely concerning because, you know, basically any case that an agent is assigned could potentially become problematic for their future career. And these agents don't get a choice of what cases they're assigned. The assignments come and they work the cases, they investigate what they're given, and that's their job. And their job is extremely difficult at times and dangerous. And, you know, that's why they're so concerned about it. And the agency, you know, it's already strapped. It's already overworked. And so losing a large number of agents at this moment when threats are extremely high, the outgoing director, Chris Wray, before he left, said again and again in testimony before Congress that the threat level is extremely high from basically every quarter from China, from Russia, from ISIS, from domestic terrorism, that the United States faces threats across the spectrum.
And then you had violent crime issues, drug issues, things of that nature. And the FBI is involved in all of that. And doing it with fewer people presents real challenges to national security. And many people in the Asian community are very concerned about that.
Yeah. Jack Dougherty, thank you for breaking this down for us, sir. Sure. We're going to pivot here next to the the urgent search for answers in the deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Crews are working this evening to remove the wreckage of that crashed Black Hawk helicopter from the Potomac. You can see the crane out there in the water. Officials say they've now recovered 41 sets of remains. Investigators say they've now positively identified 28 of the victims, and are continuing that painstaking process of notifying next of kin. President Trump also made these comments about the midair collision a short time ago.
This was all caused by bad rules, Those regulations and other things by Biden. The Biden administration. And when you look at the way they ran things, in fact, if you look, we hired one of the first things I told them to do. I said, get talented people in those in those beautiful towers overlooking runways. You better get them in there fast because we don't have people there that are qualified.
Investigators say the recovery operation is expected to stretch at least through the weekend. Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport is expected to remain closed until next Friday, according to a notice sent to pilots and obtained by ABC news. And the NTSB says the black boxes from the American Airlines jet have been recovered. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, and that they're at labs right now for evaluation. And we're also seeing a new angle of this crash. In video obtained by CNN, you can see the helicopter approach the plane and then that explosion that follows. ABC News ABC news transportation reporter Sam Sweeney is here in our D.C. bureau, and we're also joined by ABC news contributor and aviation analyst John Nance. But, gentlemen, Sam, I want to start with you on this. Obviously, we were expecting an update from the NTSB on on this today. I mean, what's the latest on this investigation?
Well, we're expecting to hear from the NTSB within a half hour. Perhaps they are delaying that because of that crane that is now out in the Potomac. And it could. And we do expect that, I should say, to lift that Black Hawk helicopter out of the water as early as tonight. And we have not recovered the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder from that Black Hawk, which could prove pivotal in this investigation. That will tell us what was happening in the final moments leading up to this crash. What the pilots were doing with the entire crew was doing or saying on board that helicopter before it slammed into that American Airlines plane. But as you mentioned, they did recover the data recorders and the and the voice recorder from the American Airlines plane that was taken to the NTSB lab. That's less than a mile away from the scene of this crash. Unprecedented there. And we may not learn as much from that recorder, because that plane was doing everything it was supposed to, according to preliminary reports.
It was on its final approach, just a few hundred or thousand feet from the end of the runway there, seconds from touching down when it was hit. It's possible that the pilots in that plane never even saw that helicopter.
Well, John, hearing that, knowing that the black boxes from that American Airlines jet have been recovered, I mean, is there anything that you would be listening for specifically, or is the onus really on any, any indications from that are recovered from that, that that Blackhawk crash site.
Well, the way these things go, Alex, and certainly the ethos, if you will, of the NTSB investigation is you rule nothing in, you rule nothing out. You look at absolutely everything and everything and that's what they will be doing. Now, if the pilots of the American Airlines jet were hit without having any indication that there was a threat, then there's not going to be much relevancy in in the cockpit voice recorder other than just what they were doing to set it up or set up the approach. But they're looking at the runway. They're only a couple of hundred feet in the air. The last thing you're going to be thinking of is a potential collision. So it was very likely that it did just literally come out of nowhere. Um, I think it's also important to remember that there's never just one cause. I say this all the time, and people get a little tired of hearing it, but there really isn't. And it's very important because everything that contributed to this tragedy must be looked at and must be solved if there's a problem, in order to make it not show up in some other causal chain in the future.
That's a really important point.
Yeah. Very important point indeed. Sam and Jon, thank you both very much. And we're also learning now more about the about the victims. As investigators continue their work to identify all of the 64 people officials say were on board that flight 53. 42 remains continue to be recovered from the crash site. The Army is now identifying two of the three Army soldiers killed in that helicopter crash. Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara of Georgia and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Eaves from Maryland. And we're also hearing more about how friends and family are remembering those who died.
He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog, getting a house and kids. And it's just this is just tragic.
She just she was just such a fighter in everything she did. And she just lived life to the fullest with everything. She was so proud of herself in figure skating and I will miss that so much.
I want to bring in bring in MaryAlice Parks here from our Washington bureau for more on this. And MaryAlice, you've been keeping track of of all of the family members of these victims who have been identified. I'm curious, you know, as you're listening to their stories, which, I mean, it just gets sadder and sadder. What's what stood out to you?
Oh, Alex, just how many communities are grieving across the country, loved ones that are just dealing with unthinkable grief right now and sorrow. You know, I'm thinking about those here in Washington, D.C., to powerful lawyers that we're learning about female lawyers. One woman, Elizabeth Elizabeth Keys, who died on her 33rd birthday. She was a lawyer who traveled back from a work trip early to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend, of course, was not able to. There's a picture of her right there. Another civil rights attorney, Kia Duggins, who was about to start a new professorship at Howard University. Her her colleague saying that she had dedicated her life to trying to combat unfair police practices and policing practices. Of course, we've also talked so much about some of the youngest victims that we know about only 12 years old. There was Brielle Bryer. You heard a little bit from her father there. She was a champion ice skater. She's there with her mom. She died alongside her mother, Justina.
They were coming back from that development camp there in Kansas. And her father saying that she was just absolutely unstoppable, a force of nature. But, Alex, one of the biggest developments today, of course, was that statement that we got, like you mentioned from the Army. They identified two of the three Army soldiers who died in this crash. That included, like you said, Staff Sergeant Ryan Austin O'Hara, only 28 years old from Georgia, as well as Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Lloyd Eaves, 39, from Maryland. Both of them had been in the Army for years. Staff Sergeant O'Hara. O'Hara had deployed to Afghanistan. He'd been working as a as a part of that Black Hawk helicopter team for over ten years. And interesting that eaves, the pilot, one of the pilots, one of the two pilots that was on that plane. That on that helicopter. Excuse me. That day, he actually had been in the Navy for ten years before joining, then the Army to be a pilot.
He was a decorated, decorated soldier. Alex.
Yeah. It really just breaks your heart, MaryAlice. Thank you for that. And President Trump is now looking to put his sweeping tariff plan into action starting tomorrow. The white House says that's when 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% tariffs on imports from China will take effect. Of course, analysts have warned that those measures could lead to swift price increases for consumers here in America. ABC News Senior White House correspondent Selina Wang joins me now for more on this. From the North Lawn. And Selina, we just heard moments ago the president speak more about these tariffs from from the Oval Office. I mean, what is what is he saying about the justification for them?
Yeah. Alex. Well, the president is saying that he is imposing these sweeping tariffs on America's three biggest trading partners, accusing them of the bilateral trade deficit that the United States has with those countries, as well as accusing them of for the flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he went further than that. He also talked about imposing tariffs without specifying the country on a whole host of industries. He talked about oil and gas. He talked about chips, steel, aluminum and pharmaceuticals. He was also asked specifically if Canada's oil would also be tariffed. He said yes, but it would be at a different level, not 25%, but 10%. Now, tomorrow, when this takes effect, this could have a sweeping impact, not just here at home, but around the world, upending global supply chains and the global economy. Experts are warning that this could increase prices for Americans on everything from car parts, cars, clothes, electronics, food and yes, oil and gas. Mexico and Canada account for 70% of U.S. crude oil imports.
But take a listen here to how President Trump talked about his tariff plan.
Tariffs don't cause inflation. They cause success because big success. So we're going to have great success. There could be some temporary short term disruption. And people will understand that. I had that when I negotiated some of the good deals for the farmers. And unfortunately, those deals have been led astray by Biden and his people because they didn't enforce the deals.
Now, the reality is, is that tariffs are a tax that are paid by U.S. importers and companies. Those higher costs are largely passed on to consumers. So despite what the president is saying, experts are warning that this will have an inflationary impact. Not to mention the fact that Canada and Mexico have signaled that they are ready to retaliate. That could lead into a spiraling tit for tat trade. Trade war.
All right. We will see. Selina Wang, thank you very much. And coming up after the break, singer and superstar Rihanna was in Los Angeles today supporting her longtime partner ASAP Rocky, the latest from his assault trial.
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Rapper ASAP Rocky's assault trial resumed today. He arrived at the courthouse with members of his family. The alleged victim in the case, Terell Ephron, known as ASAP rally, returned to the stand for cross-examination and the alleged 2021 shooting. The victim alleges that ASAP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, fired a handgun at him outside a Los Angeles hotel. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. And also today, the rapper's longtime romantic partner and mother to his two sons. Music superstar Rihanna was in attendance. So I want to bring in ABC News Jacqueline Lee for more on this. And Jacqueline, I'm curious. I mean, what have been the biggest takeaways from this high profile case so far this week?
Well, so.
We are seeing ASAP Rocky's attorney, Joe Tacopina trying to discredit ASAP Ali and that is the heart of the case, right? They are trying to show the jury that they say he is obsessed with money, that he is selfish. And so we're seeing that in this cross-examination we saw today. We've seen it the past few days. ASAP Rocky's attorney is trying to show that this is actually ASAP Rocky trying to get money. They have brought up his bank account information showing that it never really had that much money in it, but they also brought up his Instagram account which actually irritated ASAP rally on the stand and was showing photos of a lavish lifestyle. And we heard ASAP Ali saying why are you bringing up bringing up my Instagram? I'm already getting death threats. But the whole purpose of this is ASAP. Rocky's attorney is trying to show the jury that they believe that ASAP Rocky is really just in it for the money and making up these charges, and that ASAP Rocky is actually innocent. So that's what we're seeing unfold.
And also to you mentioned Rihanna. This is the third day that she's been in court, and this is the first time the public is seeing her. Alex.
All right. Jacqueline Lee, thank you so much. And coming up after the break, the latest on the fragile ceasefire deal in the Middle East. The new hostages set to be released tomorrow, including an American Israeli citizen.
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Turning now to the Middle East, Israel confirms the names of the hostages expected to be released tomorrow as part of the ongoing cease fire agreement with Hamas. Hostage American Keith Siegel. Israeli national Yarden Bibas, who is the father of the youngest captives held in Gaza. And Israeli citizen Ofir Calderon are set to reunite with their families. Meanwhile, the United Nations reports that over 460,000 people have returned to northern Gaza in the last week. ABC News foreign correspondent Brit Clinton has the latest from Tel Aviv.
Hi, Alex. Well, speaking to ABC news, Keith's wife Aviva voiced her excitement. She can finally expect her husband to come home. Keith's daughter shared this emotional video as they learned Keith is on the list. Aviva saying I can't believe it. Dad is on the list. The families have been working extremely hard in this campaign to bring their loved ones home. Aviva in September told me she's worried about the conditions that her husband is held under. That he's starved or tortured, or even that he was already dead in captivity. Aviva was with Keith when they were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She was released in the first temporary ceasefire back in November 2023. Now Keith Siegel is on the list, along with Ofer Calderon and Jordan. Jordan is the father of Kfir, the youngest hostage who was just nine months old when he was kidnapped on October 7th. His wife Shiri, and their other son Ariel, five years old, were also captured. Kefir would be two now, but their fate is unknown.
Alex.
All right, Brit, thank you for that. The news never stops. I'm Alex. Thank you for streaming with us. More news after the break.
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New details on the deadly midair collision here in Washington. As Democrats and others criticize President Trump for his response. I'm Alex Presha in Washington. In today's big story, the urgent investigation in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades. What we're learning as federal officials prepare to provide an update at any moment. And in our spotlight, President Trump putting his tariff threats into action. Our panel weighs in about his plans for import tariffs on Canada and Mexico and China. But we begin with our big story the urgent search for answers in the deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan National Airport. We're expecting an update from the from federal officials in Washington shortly, and we'll bring that to you when it begins. But crews are working this evening to remove wreckage of the crashed Black Hawk helicopter from the Potomac. You can see this crane in the water. Officials say they've now recovered 41 sets of remains. Investigators say they've now positively identified 28 of the victims, and are continuing that painstaking process of notifying next of kin. And President Trump also made these comments about the midair collision a short time ago.
This was all caused by bad rules, regulations and other things by Biden. The Biden administration. And when you look at the way they ran things, in fact, if you look, we hired one of the first things I told them to do. I said, get talented people in those in those beautiful towers overlooking runways. You better get them in there fast because we don't have people there that are qualified.
Investigators say the recovery operation is expected to stretch at least through the weekend, and runway 33 at Reagan National Airport is expected to remain closed until next Friday. According to a notice sent to pilots and obtained by ABC news. And the NTSB says black boxes from that American Airlines jet have been recovered. The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, and that they are at the labs for evaluation. We're also seeing a new angle of angle of this crash and video obtained by CNN. You can see the helicopter approach the plane and then that explosion that follows. ABC News transportation reporter Sam Sweeney is here in our D.C. bureau for more on this. And, Sam, obviously a lot of fluid parts here, but where does the investigation stand right now as we're waiting for this update from the NTSB?
Well, the next step is to get that fuselage from the American Airlines plane out of the water, and that Blackhawk helicopter that had been submerged since the incident. And we could see that Blackhawk lifted out of the water as soon as tonight. A crane moved into place within the last hour or so. These are live pictures coming out of just off the Potomac there, where we expect that helicopter to be lifted shortly. And this is crucial because they need to get that flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder out of that helicopter. They already did it for the airplane, but it's going to be crucial to get it from the helicopter because we need to understand what happened inside that cockpit in the moments leading up to this collision. That helicopter collided into the into the American Airlines plane. American Airlines plane seemingly did nothing wrong. It was on its final approach, and it's possible that the pilots on board that plane never even saw that helicopter. So they need to figure out how the pilot of the helicopter missed this airplane.
The other thing about this, Sam, we know the FAA says they have restrictions in place right now for low flying helicopters around Reagan National. What else can you tell us about that?
Look, we don't know what caused this crash yet. So out of an abundance of caution, they are saying that there is no unnecessary helicopter traffic permitted near Reagan National Airport. If there is an emergency, a medical emergency, medical helicopters are allowed to fly through and the president's helicopter is allowed to fly in that area. And this will go on for the next 30 days until we get that preliminary report from the NTSB. If they determine that low flying helicopters are a danger in that area, this could be extended indefinitely.
All right, Sam Sweeney, thank you very much. Now, I want to take our big story to our panel. Joining us now today is ABC news contributor and Sirius XM radio host Mike muse, ABC news contributor and former Republican New York Congressman John Katko, and ABC news contributor and former Democratic strategist, Democratic North Dakota senator. Excuse me, Heidi Heitkamp. And then also Republican strategist and CEO at American Frontier Strategies. Thank you all for joining us. But, John, I want I want you to kick us off here because you weren't in office at the time, but I'm sure you remember that that 2009 crash near Buffalo, that was the last major aircraft accident like this. So how does this investigation compare to that one?
Well, I.
Think it's very.
Similar in.
That they're going to methodically go through.
The evidence.
They have the black box. I think that will be highly instructive.
As to what.
The.
Ultimate cause of it was. They learned back.
With that.
Colgan.
Flight back in Buffalo in 2009, that.
There was.
Ice built.
Up, and that led.
To many changes.
With respect to de-icing on planes and the safety features with respect.
To that here. Um, it just boggles.
My mind that there's so much traffic at a such a busy.
Airport and.
Having all that helicopter.
Traffic there.
It's a recipe for disaster, and I hope there's going to be some real.
Long term changes.
Made. I've flown.
Into that airport.
Literally hundreds of.
Times.
As.
Has Heidi.
I know, so she knows.
Um, it's a very short runway.
It's a very congested area. And for the life.
Of.
Me, why they allow helicopters in there, unless it's absolutely necessary, is beyond me.
Yeah. One of the roles of the commander in chief is also to play the consoler in chief. What have you made of of Trump's response to to to this tragic situation?
Look, I think.
That.
President.
Trump.
Came.
Out.
Immediately.
And.
Was.
Consoler.
In chief.
He talked about the.
Different.
Countries.
And.
Individuals.
That were.
Represented.
On.
That plane and how.
He.
Wanted to offer his condolences.
Immediately.
And I.
Think.
The other part of what.
President Trump is trying.
To do.
Is immediately create.
A path of transparency.
The American people have always.
Waited.
And waited for information, for clarity. For transparency and for any type of resolution when we see something tragic that happens. So for President Trump to come out and immediately address the situation for our Secretary of.
Transportation that.
Was.
Barely sworn in on day one.
To be on the.
Ground immediately after that crash for the Department of.
Defense.
Secretary Pete Hegseth and so many others to come together and say, we're going to conduct an investigation, we're going to get to the bottom of this, and we have to look at our policies and procedures, in addition to the lack of individuals that could have been on the ground that day. I mean, all of that is extremely critical and important. It's not a singular approach to FAA in terms of how to get a secure environment for the future of air flights. It's about a holistic approach. About what happened and what we can do better. So I commend the president and his team.
Yeah, thank you for that. We're looking at a live picture right now of Reagan National Airport. As NTSB officials prepare for that press conference. That's going to begin momentarily. We'll bring you to that. But, Heidi, I want to go to you on this because we don't want to lose sight of the victims here. And as you've heard these stories, actually, actually, we got to pause. We got a special report from David Muir.
ABC news.
Special report. Now reporting David Muir.
Good evening. We're coming on the air a little bit earlier tonight, because the NTSB is about to hold a briefing concerning the deadly midair collision between that.
Jet.
And a U.S. Army Blackhawk. Let's listen.
With the.
Sikorsky.
Helicopter. Let me just start with, as usual, our hearts go out to all the families of the victims.
In fact.
I just.
Spent the.
Last several.
Hours.
With them before we came here, and I apologize that we had to move this back, but they are one of our primary concerns, along with making.
Sure.
We get factual information out. They are having a very it's a hard time for them. Obviously, we want to do everything we can to make sure they get the most accurate.
Information.
And factual, and has always been at the core of the NTSB mission. Our job is to just come out with the.
Probable.
Cause.
But then.
More importantly.
Make recommendations so that.
This type of tragedy never occurs again. So today, I know yesterday you saw the chairman, myself and all the board members here. I just want to let you know they are still actively involved with this. We're just trying to make sure we're dividing and conquering. The chairman and I have had multiple conversations today. She's helped out a lot in making sure we're getting the getting the investigative needs we have. She's at the command post right now, working with some of our people. I'd like to start by just thanking the first responders when this first happened. A unified command was set up, and we had a lot of important people that came and worked with us in.
Virginia.
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Arlington County Fire and Rescue, Arlington County Emergency Management, Arlington Police, Alexandria City Fire, Alexandria Police, Virginia State Police, the NCR Incident Management Team, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Virginia Senator Warner's office, uh, was Fire and Rescue Team and the police. A special shout out to every one of them has been amazing in helping and helping and working with us. And we're truly appreciative, along with D.C. Fire and Rescue. Just extraordinary. Taking the lead. Prince William Fire and Rescue in Maryland, the Montgomery Fire and Rescue, Prince George's fire and rescue, Charles County Fire and Rescue, Baltimore fire, Baltimore Police and Arundel Fire Department, Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resource Police, MPD, Dcfd, and from the federal side, the US Coast Guard, US Army, US Air Force, FBI Secret Service, Customs and Border Patrol, Park Police.
DoD.
Naval District, Washington, American Medical Response, and yes, the US Department of Labor. All of those have been amazing partners and are one of the reasons why that this investigation continues to progress the way we want it to. As I said, we did family briefings last night and today there are over 100 family members that are now in the area receiving briefings and as part of the legislative requirement, receiving family assistance. They have been briefed by the medical examiner. The fire chief, NTSB chairman, and myself, along with the Family Assistant unit from PSA Airlines. In regard to NTSB staff, all staff are now on scene that have been requested. And I want to point out one specific staff member, uh, because we're doing a joint NTSB and DoD investigation. The NTSB actually has a Blackhawk certified pilot on staff, on our personal staff based out of Alaska. Once we realize the dynamics and the intricacies of the Blackhawk, we brought that member in. And they are on scene now providing direct technical assistance to the NTSB.
That does not mean that the DoD is not working and helping with this. But in order to maintain our independence, Hindrance. We have our own Black Hawk certified pilot in the working group for helicopters regarding salvage. At this point, the Navy Supervisor of Salvage is conducting salvage operations. At the current time. Barges are in route from Virginia Beach and we anticipate them to be on scene early tomorrow morning. After their arrival, they will be secured and located and then significant salvage operations will continue. They are ongoing right now, but this will be the main lifting. It's being done in conjunction with the DC Medical Examiner's Office in order to make sure simultaneously, that any additional victims are recovered and immediately turned over to them for identification and return to their families, Soup. Salad, which is the supervisor of salvage, is also conducting a debris mapping right now. This will help in our post accident analysis of how the machine actually reacted to the incident. It will also help us with understanding some of the airworthiness and crashworthiness and human factors we have right now.
Two distinct debris fields, one that houses the Sikorsky, which is in comparison to the CRJ, a little bit smaller to the CRJ, is in another distinct area and we consider a little bit larger. The good news is based upon the initial mapping, while there are some small aspects of that debris field, there are large chunks that will be easily recoverable and it will aid in the investigation when we bring it into the secured facility that will be located here on Mwah! That will help us in the close proximity to be able to review and evaluate. Yesterday, we outlined for you a number of groups that have been stood up. A few of them. In particular, I want to call out, although every one of them have been working very hard for your edification. The ATC group Air Traffic Control has been conducting interviews today. They're ongoing tonight. They will be ongoing for probably the next few days. We've had full cooperation in getting the witnesses that we need to to gain those interviews. We will then take that information and match it with other data that we're receiving and, if necessary, conduct follow up interviews at a later time.
Our operations group now has on site an exemplar airplane similar to the CRJ 700. It's on a hardstand here at MOA. They will use that to evaluate cockpit Configuration, seating, things like that. So whenever the salvage comes up, we're able to use an exemplary aircraft to match it against examples such as where maybe switches are navigational aids. Electronics. It is almost the exact same configuration as the incident aircraft. I want to clarify one thing. There's been a lot of questions in discussion regarding manifest. Let me make this very clear. The NTSB will not and has not released a manifest. We have not in our history. Not in our past. We will not be in this accident. In fact, there's specific congressional language that whenever it is in our possession, it is not available through the Freedom of Information Act. It will not be included in our report. We will not be putting any names of any of the victims. any release. That information will come from other individuals or groups. Regarding the reporters.
As many of you saw last night, we recovered from the two separate recorders. One was a PhD for that is a flight data. Recorder 50. That was actually in. What we consider good condition as part of that process. It was soaked in alcohol overnight. It was then opened today, and we have a high level of confidence that we will be able to get a full download in the very near future. Now, once we do have that download, we will not be releasing immediately the information regarding it. We will have to go through, correct the data sets, make sure they're synchronized. This has approximately roughly up to possibly 2000 data points. So right. So all of that has to be synchronized and looked at. It's a very laborious practice. It takes a lot of time. Regarding the Crjs cockpit voice recorder, once it was recovered and opened we found that it had water intrusion. That is not uncommon. It is not an unusual event for us to receive a recorder with water intrusion.
We deal with that all the time. Our recorder division is one of the best in the country. In the world, actually. And we have recorders sent everywhere. So there's a step. The CVR was soaked overnight in ionized water, at which point the team put the CVR into a vacuum oven in order to extract moisture. They are still checking electrical connections to determine if they are ready to try a download. It is one step of many steps that we will take in order to get that data, but we have a very high level of confidence that we will have it. We just have to work through a number of steps. Lastly, on reporters, the Sikorsky, where the CRG has two separate recorders, the Sikorsky has a combined cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder. It's in one box. I can report to you now. We have recovered the Sikorsky Black box. It is safely at the NTSB headquarters. It will begin an evaluation, just as the other two recorders did last night.
To Determine when and how to take action. I can tell you from a visual inspection, we saw no exterior damage that would indicate that it was compromised at this time. So we have a high level of confidence that we will be able to have a full extraction from that as well. Those are some of the significant updates we have right now. Obviously, we'll be doing some more in the essence of time and making sure our team gets back. I think we're going to be able to take maybe 4 or 5 questions. I'll call on you and I'll repeat it. So we'll try to play that game a little bit please. Right here. Thank you very much. So your name and outlet please. Jonathan Kearsley, channel nine Australia. Captain Sully Sullenberger, one of the heroes of the incident.
On the Hudson.
Says that, you know, he said we absolutely should.
Be reviewing airspace.
Not just about the crisis, but a complex mix of.
Is he right?
He's dead. Right. They say that across the country to keep airspace safe and separate between.
Military.
And civilian. So the question for those watching, is it this time now for us to possibly deconflict or change some of the airspace where military aircraft operate with commercial aircraft? I can't give you a definitive answer on that. What I can say is in this incident, it should not have happened. We have an aviation what's called a Swiss cheese approach, wherein if something fails, a backup should catch it. Multiple layers of redundancy. It's been a very long time since we've had a major aviation incident in the United States. And that's the reason why it's one of the safest forms of transportation in the country. But the only way they do that is by investigating what happens now and then making recommendations in the future. Again, the NTSB has made about 100,000 aviation investigations. We've issued 15,000 recommendations. Over 84% have been accepted. Once this investigative report comes out, we will be advocating probably for years for changes that need to be made, but will not speculate on what needs to be done until we have the facts.
Is there anything you. Hey, I'll call on people. Sorry. Jefferson for warriors. Can you.
Talk.
About how long you think it will take to recover the debris? How long you plan to be on site, and have you got any early data yet off the pace? I think that was 3 or 4 together. Um, how long the debris will take? How long will it be on site? And if we got any information off of the air traffic control tapes, the debris. We are hopeful once the mapping is done, that it will be done in what I would call quick order. I I can make no guarantees of that, because first and foremost, we need to make every effort and to make sure we're recovering every one of the people that perished in this accident. We'll have some cranes that will be coming up. And once that happens, you'll see a lot more activity and we'll be moving that in. But I don't want to give you a definitive time. I would say it will start in earnest probably on Sunday, and it will go through next week. And some of that's contingent upon weather and other things.
Regarding the ATC tapes. We've received a lot of different information on ATC, and so I'm going to let people I'm just going to preempt it off the shelf. Software programs are not always as accurate as the data we specifically get from Ads-b from the black boxes. All of that are factors that come into our investigation. So we will not speculate about ATC tapes that you may have heard and seen online or snippets. We are getting the full cooperation that we need to be able to make an accurate assessment and to make sure what we are saying is factual and that it will help and aid in the entire investigation. If Todd Cooper from channel seven in Boston, is there.
Anything.
Glaring.
From the videos.
That we've all seen that will tell you that the pilot.
In the Blackhawk.
Helicopter made.
A.
Mistake? The question is, based on the videos that we draw, any conclusions we have not. We know that there was a significant incident in which the two aircraft collided. A pretty significant fireball, if you will recall, even after the first day, we only had maybe 1 or 2 grainy images that were coming out. We're seeing more and more at this time, so we're still collecting data, but we are not going to opine until we see a lot of other things in there. A couple more. Two more. Yes, sir.
Stay with.
CNN. How critical is it to interview the controller in.
The tower.
Can. How concerning is it to you the reports that that controller is working two positions.
At the.
Same time? So the question was how critical are the air traffic control interviews? And uh, basically staffing. So air traffic control interviews are critical. That's the reason why there's a process in place that began immediately after the accident. It was preservation of that evidence was immediately taking down notes, getting logs, all that information. We will go back and look at any air traffic controller that was involved in this. We'll go back and look at their past, probably 72 hours, even 2 or 3 weeks. We'll look at their training, their hiring, everything, what they probably ate that day. But it is not one point that tells us everything. It's layered into a lot of other information that's very critical. Regarding staffing, the FAA has had a very robust plan in looking at staffing. Obviously, we'll be looking at not only staffing that day, but progressively staffing. How many people, what job functions they were doing? Were they being confined? Were they not? What was the weather outside?
What was the number of landings? I recall back during Covid one runway was being used, runway one. That was the only 133. As traffic came back, started being opened up. So we would look at changes in traffic patterns, construction at the airport, all of that. It all paints a very big picture. Who are you? Sorry.
You have.
Investigators.
Interviewed air traffic.
Controllers.
At the tower?
The question is, have we interviewed air traffic controllers? Yes, I think I started with sorry. I'm sorry. The clarification. Was it an air traffic controller that was working at the time of the accident? Yes. Yes, sir. Now, I'm not going to speculate. Sorry. Nope, sorry. I'm not going to speculate. Actually, the next question is was there one, two, three? I don't have the answer for that right now. I know that the controller that was working at the time has been interviewed, and his interviews are ongoing throughout the day. Yes, ma'am. Last one.
President Trump.
Reached out to you personally or anyone.
Else.
In the white House.
To you or.
Anyone else.
On the board.
And if.
So, can you describe the nature.
Of.
The question is, is anyone from the white House reached out to me or other board members? I won't speak for other board members. I know that the chair did a briefing yesterday. It was publicly discussed and gave some information. I have not received any contact. I'm going to go back to something we talked about earlier. The NTSB is an independent, bipartisan board, 58 years as the gold standard. Our job is to find the facts. But more importantly, our job is to make sure this tragedy doesn't happen again, regardless of what anyone may be saying. Our investigators never want to see this happen again, and I never want to have to go back and brief another set of family like that.
Thank you. Thank you very.
Much.
Thank you.
Very much. Helping or disturbing?
Why the.
Helicopters.
Flying above. There you have it. News made this afternoon by the NTSB just moments ago reporting two distinct debris fields in the Potomac. One with the regional jet. He said it did break into multiple parts.
Which.
We did know. But he said they are largely together in a confined area. And he said that should help the investigation.
As the salvage.
Effort.
Now.
Begins. You can.
Actually.
See that in those live pictures on the water. It will continue over the next 24 hours with significant help from the Navy. He also talked about the Blackhawk helicopter, also in a separate area largely intact. That will be salvaged as well. When it comes to the flight data recorders on the passenger jet, there were two of them. Both of them have been recovered. One was soaked in alcohol overnight. Part of the process, he said, that will be salvageable.
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