Divers aim to salvage crashed aircraft

Near-misses at the Washington airport worried pilots well before the fatal crash.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Linda Noakes Investigators find the black boxes from the Washington crash, North America braces for new Trump tariffs, and Russia is closing in on a key Ukrainian city. Plus, economic shock therapy in Syria. Today's Top News   Search and rescue teams operate in the Potomac River. Handout via REUTERS Washington plane crash Investigators plan to push forward with efforts to retrieve the two aircraft involved in a crash in Washington that killed 67 people and raised questions about air safety in the US capital.  We break down what happened, and what we know so far about the investigation. Planes approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport must navigate a narrow flight path and near-misses worried pilots well before Wednesday's crash. Aerospace and Defense Editor Joe Brock explains the issues on the Reuters World News podcast. In other news Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, vowed to protect FBI employees against "political retribution" even as the Trump administration has begun to fire and sideline Justice Department officials who were involved in investigations into the president. Russian forces are slowly tightening the noose around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub whose main supply lines are under threat nearly three years after Moscow invaded its neighbor. Germany's parliament could pass a law thanks to far-right support for the first time in the country's post-war history today, if an opposition motion on tightening immigration controls passes with the backing of the Alternative for Germany party. Syria's new Islamist leaders are undertaking a radical overhaul of the country's broken economy, including plans to fire a third of all public sector workers and privatising state-run companies dominant during half a century of Assad family rule. When M23 rebels swept into the Congolese city of Goma this week, world powers urged them to immediately withdraw. Instead, the Rwanda-backed insurgents are intent on showing they can restore order and govern. Business & Markets   US economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter as a strike at Boeing depressed business investment in equipment, but consumer spending increased at its fastest pace in nearly two years, underscoring strong domestic demand that probably keeps the Federal Reserve on a slow interest rate cut path this year. The European Central Bank cut interest rates and policymakers guided for a further reduction in March as concerns over lackluster economic growth supersede worries about persistent inflation. Samsung warned of sluggish sales of its artificial intelligence chips in the current quarter due to US export restrictions to China. Apple executives forecast relatively strong sales growth, a sign the company will recover from a dip in iPhone sales as it rolls out artificial intelligence features. Intel posted December-quarter results that beat analysts' low expectations, while its forecast for current-quarter revenue missed estimates as the chipmaker grapples with tepid demand for its data center chips and as investors wait for a new CEO. The Week Ahead Trump's tariff deadline is looming large, the US reports jobs data and markets are gauging the new AI landscape ahead of major tech firms reporting. The Bank of England has an interest rate decision to make, and lenders in Europe also publish their results. Here's your guide to the week ahead in global markets.  Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Trump's secretary of state, as the region reels from the new administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday amid the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Japanese get creative to fight soaring food prices   Kazuki Nakata looks at his indoor farm at his home in Kawasaki, Japan. REUTERS/Tom Bateman For Japanese YouTuber Kazuki Nakata, soaring food prices have proved to be a boon. Having started indoor farming at home as a hobby during the pandemic, the 37-year-old now has nearly 90,000 subscribers eager to learn how to stretch out store-bought vegetables and grow new ones in containers of water, without soil. Read more Pictures of the Week A climate activist wears a scold's bridle outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett A selection of our top photography from around the world. See the gallery Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2025 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Scores feared dead in DC plane crash

Pentagon says it will launch investigation.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Edson Caldas An American Airlines passenger jet collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport. We bring you what we know so far about the deadly crash.  Elsewhere, we cover Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Senate hearings, the ECB's interest rate decision, and the latest stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal. Today's Top News   Emergency personnel work near the crash site. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Washington plane crash Scores of people are feared dead after an American Airlines regional passenger jet with 64 people on board and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and crashed into the frigid Potomac River. The Pentagon says it will launch an investigation. The incident highlighted issues around the congested airspace shared by civilian and military aircraft over the US capital. Air traffic control audio recorded the moments before and after the collision. For more, follow our live updates here. US politics Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's pick to run the top US health agency, heads to the Senate Health committee today after being grilled by Democrats on a different committee over his past comments on vaccines and shifting stance on abortion rights. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's choice to be Director of National Intelligence, will attend what is expected to be contentious Senate hearing, while Kash Patel, his nominee for FBI director, will face probing questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats. In other news Palestinian militants began handing over more Israeli hostages in Gaza today in return for 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed under a phased agreement that halted fighting in the shattered coastal territory earlier this month. Rwandan President Paul Kagame blasted criticism of his country's role in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where rebels his government backs have seized its largest city, saying Kigali is prepared for "confrontation" if necessary. Millions of devout Hindus thronged the northern Indian city of Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh festival, a day after dozens died in a stampede on the most auspicious day of the six-week event. But some devotees remained nervous after the fatal crush. Business & Markets   The European Central Bank is all but certain to cut interest rates by 25 basis points later today and is likely to keep open the door to further policy easing as concerns over lackluster economic growth supersede worries about persistent inflation. Meanwhile, the US central bank held interest rates steady, and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there would be no rush to cut them again until inflation and jobs data made it appropriate. Fed Correspondent Howard Schneider explains what is behind the decision to slow down in today's Reuters World News podcast. Top White House advisers expressed alarm that Chinese upstart DeepSeek may have benefited from a method that allegedly piggybacks off the advances of US rivals. The technique may be difficult to stop, according to sources in Silicon Valley. Days after DeepSeek revealed a breakthrough in cheap AI computing that shook the US technology industry, the chief executives of Microsoft and Meta defended massive spending that they said was key to staying competitive in the new field. Breakthrough cost-efficiency claims from the made-in-China AI model stunned investors, eroding billions of chipmaker Nvidia's value. In this week's Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists debate what the advance means for machine-learning hype. Insight: NATO scrambles for drones that can survive the Arctic   Canadian Armed Forces members of the Artillery unit of NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia look at an RQ-21A Blackjack drone. REUTERS/Janis Laizans Drones in the world's far north are vulnerable. Only the largest, long-range models have enough power for anti-icing systems like those used by aircraft. Cold, fog, rain or snow can cause a malfunction or crash. Read more And Finally... The Year of the Snake begins. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha We take a look at Lunar New Year celebrations around the world with dances, light sculptures and lanterns marking the Year of the Snake. See our photo gallery Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2025 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036