What's Happening

US News

Passenger Jet Collides With Army Helicopter, Crashes Into Potomac Near D.C.

What's going on: Just before 9 pm on Wednesday night, a passenger plane collided midair with a US Army Blackhawk helicopter, crashing into the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. The American Airlines regional flight from Wichita, KS, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, was approaching the airport when it collided with the Blackhawk, which was on a training flight and had three people on board, none of whom were senior military personnel. US Figure Skating confirmed that skaters and coaches were onboard. Local police, alongside the Coast Guard and FBI, launched search and rescue operations. Officials said there were multiple fatalities, but the exact toll remains unclear as rescuers continue searching for survivors.  On social media, President Donald Trump said “What a terrible night this has been,” and speculated on the cause. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating, and the FBI said there is no sign of criminal activity or terrorism.

Tell me more: This is the first major passenger plane crash in the US since 2009. The D.C. area is home to some of the most tightly controlled airspace in the country, and Reagan National Airport has one of the busiest runways in the US. Last year, there was a near-miss at Reagan Airport, when an American Airlines jet came within 1,300 feet of another plane on the runway,prompting an FAA investigation. Yesterday's tragedy will serve as an early test for the Trump administration — including new Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy (who was sworn in a day before the crash), Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, and Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth. The crash also comes amid growing concern about an increase in near-collisions both in the air and on the ground. A New York Times report from 2023 revealed that close calls are even more frequent than previously disclosed — happening multiple times per week.

Related: Who Is Sean Duffy, Former Fox News Host, 'Road Rules' Star, and Trump’s Transportation Secretary? (USA Today)

Politics

Vaccines, Twinkie Promises, and a Medicare-Medicaid Mix-Up Walk Into a Senate Hearing

What's going on: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s path to confirmation looks anything but smooth. Appearing before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, President Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary faced questioning on issues like bird flu and fluoride in water — and at one point, seemed to mix up Medicare and Medicaid, two of the programs he would potentially oversee. Democrats also zeroed in on his long history of anti-vaccine rhetoric. Kennedy said he is “not anti-vaccine,” supports the polio and measles vaccines, and that his children have been inoculated. When pressed on reproductive rights, he pledged to align with Trump administration policies, including on mifepristone. As for what the country is eating, Kennedy said he wouldn’t ban Twinkies or go after Diet Coke (a Trump favorite). Instead, he emphasized interest in exploring connections between diet and chronic diseases — a message that resonates with the health influencers who showed up to support him.

What it means: With every Democrat expected to vote against him, Kennedy can only afford to lose three Republican votes. While no Republican senator has openly opposed him, some, like Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), have expressed concerns over his past support for abortion. To get the votes, he appears to be softening his language on vaccines, another major sticking point in the Senate. He'll have another chance to make his case today when he appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and help set abortion policies for federal health agencies.

Related: One Lawmaker Says Kids Should Get a Job Instead of Free School Lunches (USA Today)

Education

The Nation Just Got a New Report Card, and Kids Are Falling Further Behind

What's going on: The kids aren't alright: US students had record-low reading comprehension scores last year, according to The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The learning loss was so severe that the NAEP recorded a historic number of eighth graders with "below basic" reading skills, while 40% of fourth graders also fell into that category. The US Department of Education noted that most students didn’t recover from pandemic-related setbacks, and those who were already behind slipped even further. For example, many fourth-graders scoring below the “basic” benchmark couldn’t describe the effects of a character’s actions or the sequence of events in a story. That means a child reading Charlotte's Web today might not understand how the spider’s web-writing helped save Wilbur from the slaughter. 

What it means: Experts can’t agree on one clear reason for the disappointing reading scores. Some blame the long-term effects of the pandemic, though the scores were declining before “social distancing” was even a thing. Others in education say the drop could be tied to the rise in kids relying on videos and screens. Teachers, too, have long expressed frustration over inadequate support, with larger class sizes and fewer resources. At the same time, schools and parent-teacher meetings have become focal points for debates on issues like masks, trans rights, and book bans. Some argue these conversations have distracted from the primary goal of education: equipping students with the skills they’ll need for the workforce and in life.

Related: Trump Signs Orders Aimed At Controlling Race and Gender Education, Expanding School Choice (WaPo Gift Link)