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No survivors found after plane that prompted F-16 response in D.C. crashes

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Ominous forecasts about the impact of climate change serve as the backdrop for the world — led by U.S. lawmakers and companies — to debate big action on the problem, which could upend energy systems and our way of life.

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President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

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A sonic boom rang out across the D.C. region as authorities responded to an unresponsive pilot flying a Cessna that prompted officials to place the U.S. Capitol complex on alert on Sunday afternoon.

State of play: NORAD said it deployed F-16 fighter aircraft to intercept the plane, which the FAA reported was carrying four people before it later crashed in mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia.

A screenshot of a tweet by the City of Bowie, Maryland, saying: "We have confirmed that the loud boom heard in Bowie was a sonic boom from a plane out of Joint Base Andrews."

State and local law enforcement reached the crash site by foot just before 8pm after an hourslong search in the Staunton-Blue Ridge Parkway area, per an emailed statement from Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller late Sunday. "No survivors were located," she said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating the incident that saw startled residents across the region post on social media about hearing a "loud explosion" as the sonic boom occurred.

Zoom in: The incident prompted the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management to tweet just after 3:30pm: "We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud 'boom' this afternoon. There is no threat at this time."

Officials in Maryland said the boom was caused by an authorized Defense Department plane out of the  Joint Base Andrews (JBA), where President Biden was playing golf with his brother, according to a pool report.

A White House official said Biden was briefed on the situation, per a pool report. "The sound resulting from the authorized DOD aircraft was faint at JBA," the official added.

U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Steven Kopek said in an emailed statement Sunday evening that the incident had no impact on its operations.

What they're saying: The North American Aerospace Defense Command said an emailed statement Sunday evening that the civilian aircraft was intercepted about 3:20pm ET.

"The NORAD aircraft were authorized to travel at supersonic speeds and a sonic boom may have been heard by residents of the region," per the NORAD statement.

"During this event, the NORAD aircraft also used flares — which may have been visible to the public —in an attempt to draw attention from the pilot," the statement said.

"The pilot was unresponsive and the Cessna subsequently crashed near the George Washington National Forest, Virginia," NORAD added. "NORAD attempted to establish contact with the pilot until the aircraft crashed."

Meanwhile, the United States Capitol Police said in an emailed statement Sunday evening that its officials worked closely with federal partners to "monitor an unresponsive pilot" who was flying an airplane near the National Capital Region.

"The U.S. Capitol Complex was briefly placed on an elevated alert until the airplane left the area," the statement added.

What's next: The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are working to determine what caused the Long Island, New York-bound Cessna Citation 56o to crash after it left Elizabethton, Tennessee.

The NTSB said in an emailed statement Sunday night that investigators would request radar data, weather information and maintenance records as part of the investigation.

"NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation," the statement added.

Between the lines: A sonic boom is "an impulsive noise similar to thunder," according to the U.S. Air Force. 

"It is caused by an object moving faster than sound —  about 750 miles per hour at sea level," per the Air Force.

Sonic booms can shatter glass, but the threat to communities is low.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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The U.S. Capitol Complex "was briefly placed on an elevated alert" as authorities scrambled to respond, police said.

 Aerial photo of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virgina on September 26, 2003. 

An aerial photo of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Andy Dunaway/USAF via Getty Images)

Transportation

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis several times during her CNN town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, Sunday evening.

Driving the news: Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, said her Republican presidential rivals are "not being honest with the American people" on entitlement reform.

"We can't keep kicking this can down the road," said the former South Carolina Governor, who supports changing the retirement age for Americans who are now in their 20s, to CNN’s Jake Tapper.

"And I know that Trump and DeSantis have both said we're not going to deal with entitlement reform, well all you're doing is leaving it for the next president, and that’s leaving a lot of Americans in trouble."

State of play: Trump has warned Republicans to avoid making any immediate changes to Medicare or Social Security, though his administration did plan to cut food stamp benefits before a judge blocked the move in October 2020.

DeSantis' campaign declined to comment on his stance on Social Security and Medicare earlier this year after CNN reviewed remarks he made in his first congressional campaign in 2012 saying he "would embrace" proposals to privatize them.

The big picture: During her town hall in Grand View University, Haley broke with 2024 Republican front-runner Trump's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine (the former president said at a CNN town hall last month that he'd negotiated with both sides to end the war).

"It's in the best interest of our national security for Ukraine to win," she said.

Addressing DeSantis' comments in March calling the war "a territorial dispute," Haley said: "For them to sit there and say that this is a territorial dispute — that's just not the case, or to say that we should stay neutral."

Separately, Haley took aim at Trump for congratulating North Korean leader Kim-Jong-un after the nation was elected to the World Health Organization’s executive board.

"Kim Jong Un is a thug," Haley said. "I don't think we should congratulate dictators."

Zoom out: Haley said at the town hall that Americans are tired of divisive politics and "want to see a government work for them again."

A less divisive tone "starts from the top," said Haley, pointing to her decision to remove the Confederate flag from South Carolina's state Capitol when she was governor in 2015 in response to the racist mass shooting.

Meanwhile, Haley doubled down on previous remarks that she would defund sanctuary cities and reinstate the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" program.

She also said she opposed red flag laws that allow law enforcement that have a court order to temporarily seize guns from someone considered a danger to themselves or others.

And Haley reiterated comments she's made previously about having a "national consensus" on abortion — and that she's "unapologetically pro-life," but there aren't enough lawmakers to pass federal legislation.

Representatives for Trump's and DeSantis' campaigns did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Nikki Haley campaign memo rips Trump "drama"

.Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

"All you're doing is leaving it for the next president, and that’s leaving a lot of Americans in trouble," she said of her 2024 rivals.

 Nikki Haley campaigns on Wednesday in Bedford, NH. 

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley campaigns in Bedford, New Hampshire, in May. Photo: Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)May 24, 2023

2024 Elections

With the debt ceiling debate behind them for another two years, vulnerable lawmakers in swing districts — from both parties — are breathing a sigh of relief.

Why it matters: Both sides risked potential backlash from their respective ideological flanks, but many feel they came out with a compromise that projects serious governance and puts them on a stronger political footing.

The fact that two-thirds of the House GOP — and even eight hard-right Freedom Caucus members — backed the deal will make it harder to target the moderate Republicans in primaries over this issue.

Democrats in tough districts also can tout their support for spending discipline to burnish a moderate image.

Go deeper: Debt ceiling fights carry monumental political and financial peril, something many lawmakers fear would be heightened in the heat of an election year.

But lawmakers and strategists from both parties are confident the issue has been defused.

For Republicans, party officials are relieved the episode empowered House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) against the often self-defeating instincts of his caucus' right flank.

Details: The bill House Republicans passed in April — the Limit, Save, Grow Act — would have lifted the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or until March 2024, dropping the issue into the heart of the 2024 primary calendar.

But McCarthy and President Biden agreed to a bill suspending the debt ceiling until January 2025, meaning it likely will be tackled in the lame duck session after the 2024 general election.

What they're saying: "One critical piece in the deal that is not being looked at as a positive for the Democrats, but I view it as a tremendous positive and a win ... is that we're raising the debt ceiling for two years," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.).

Moskowitz said it would have been "catastrophic for the American people" to have a debt ceiling fight "in the middle of a partisan presidential election," calling it "not just a win for Joe Biden, but a win for the country."

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) cast this year's debt ceiling talks as "grownups at the table, meeting in the middle," and said that "if you're closer to the election, there may be less willingness to compromise."

"[I] fear that this [House Republican] majority would, again, use this threat as a political tool to try to embarrass the president," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.).

By the numbers: Congress hasn't taken a vote to raise or suspend the debt ceiling in an election year since 2014. The last time it took one in a presidential election year was 2012.

Once a routine act, debt ceiling votes have become increasingly fraught, with Republicans in particular often using the issue to extract spending cuts from Democratic administrations.

Reality check: The House campaign committees targeted their rivals over debt ceiling votes — Democrats hitting Republicans on voting to cut benefits for veterans, Republicans hitting Democrats for opposing any spending cuts — but there's little expectation these votes will be major factors in the 2024 campaign messaging.

The intrigue: Moskowitz, who won by just 5 points in 2022, said he does plan to incorporate the debt ceiling into his campaign message — arguing a vote for Democrats is a "vote for normalcy" on the issue.

"We already had Donald Trump saying live on CNN that the U.S. should default," Moskowitz said. "Imagine what he would say in January or February or March of next year."

The bottom line: Historically, big compromises between a Democratic president and conservative Congress benefit the incumbents.

Both Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress won re-election in 1996 after heated fights over spending and entitlements that led to a government shutdown — and later, a major legislative compromise over welfare reform.

President Obama's high-stakes fiscal fights with the Tea Party-fueled Republican House in the 2010s also led to Obama winning a second term — and Republicans comfortably retaining their House majority.

Voters like divided government, which would bode well for both Biden and the House GOP's political prospects in 2024.

Lawmakers in swing districts — from both parties — are breathing a sigh of relief.

Illustration of the U.S. Capitol over a divided blue and red background with elements of ballots.

Axios China

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Hundreds of people gathered in Taipei on Sunday to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement in China, which was crushed by the Chinese military. 

Why it matters: The event, held at Liberty Square in front of a memorial to Taiwan's former dictator Chiang Kai-shek, marked a stark contrast between Taiwan's successful struggle for democracy and the loss of rights in Hong Kong. It also served as a grim reminder of what's at stake for the future of Taiwan. 

Taiwan is now the "only Chinese society" that can freely hold a Tiananmen memorial, Chinese scholar and former Tiananmen organizer Wu Renhua said in a speech at the event.

Hong Kong organizers once held annual Tiananmen candlelight vigils that attracted tens of thousands of participants. But such vigils are now effectively banned since Beijing's national security law was enacted in the city in 2020. 

Over the weekend, Hong Kong police fanned out around central areas and arrested or detained several people for even small acts of protest like posting a photo of a candle, and carrying a copy of a play about June 4th. 

The big picture: The struggle between democracy and authoritarianism has shaped the relationship between China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan — and at times, created unexpected bonds between those societies.

Details: The memorial featured more than a dozen booths set up by local human rights organizations and several hosted by Hong Kongers, as well as a Lennon wall and a small-scale replica of the "Pillar of Shame," a sculpture commemorating Tiananmen that was seized by Hong Kong police in 2021. 

Organizers estimated about 1,000 people visited the booths throughout the day and attended the rally. 

The rally included speeches by prominent Tiananmen leaders and other pro-democracy activists. 

Former Hong Kong professor Kacey Wong led the crowd in chants including "Fight for freedom! Stand with Hong Kong!" and "Fight for freedom! Stand with Taiwan!"

What they're saying: "These people died fighting for democracy, so that's why it's really important to remember it," one Hong Konger studying in Taipei told Axios on condition of anonymity due to fears of prosecution back in Hong Kong for attending the memorial.

"You don't see this in Hong Kong anymore. It's really refreshing to see it... I feel it in my heart."

Background: The Tiananmen movement helped inspire the 1990 student-led Wild Lily movement in Taiwan that successfully pushed the government to implement democratic reforms. 

In 1989, when students around China staged demonstrations for weeks demanding democracy, many people in Taiwan wanted the same for themselves. Martial law in Taiwan had been lifted two years before, but the Kuomintang (KMT) still ruled over the country as a one party-state and continued to stifle dissent.

Zhang Longsan, a 53-year-old Taipei resident present at the event on Sunday, told Axios he attended the Tiananmen solidarity gathering in Taipei on June 3, 1989, the night before the massacre in Beijing. The KMT government allowed the gathering, Zhang said, because people were expressing opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.

"At that time I thought, Taipei students and Beijing students are the same," Zhang said, leading him to question why the KMT, which he originally supported, would allow Taiwanese students to support demands for democratization in China but not demands for democratization at home.

"After that, I commemorated June 4th every year ... I think it's a very important thing for democracy in Taiwan and China." Zhang now works at the Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation, which supports human rights in Taiwan.

What to watch: As Chinese President Xi Jinping pushes Beijing's claims of sovereignty over Taiwan more aggressively, many people in Taiwan are increasingly worried that Taiwan may one day face the same fate as Hong Kong.

The anniversary is a grim reminder of what's at stake for the future of Taiwan.

A participant places a candle on a memorial at a Tiananmen memorial at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan on June 4, 2023. 

A participant places a candle at a Tiananmen memorial at Liberty Plaza in Taipei, Taiwan on June 4, 2023. Photo: Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian.

Chuck Todd, the longtime moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," will step down from the hourlong political show later this year. 

Driving the news: Todd, who has hosted "Meet the Press" for nine years, will depart the show in September, he said at the close of the June 4 show. 

He will be replaced by Kristen Welker, who currently serves as NBC News’ co-chief White House correspondent. 

Todd will transition to a new role with NBC News, he said Sunday, though no details were given as to what that will be. 

What he's saying: “It’s been an amazing nearly decadelong run. I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade," Todd said on Sunday's show. 

"I’ve loved so much of this job, helping to explain America to Washington and explain Washington to America." 

Todd grew emotional when he said he's let work "consume" his life for nearly 30 years. "I've watched too many friends and family let work consume them before it was too late, and I promised my family I wouldn't do that."

"I'd rather leave a little bit too soon than stay a little bit too long," Todd said of his departure from the show. 

Todd began as the "Meet the Press" moderator in 2014, and helped expand the show from its traditional Sunday timeslot to MSNBC and the show "MTP Daily," which ran from 2014 to 2022. 

Todd further pushed "Meet The Press" to expand its brand with the development of two streaming shows:  "Meet the Press Reports" and "Meet the Press NOW," which air on the NBC News Now app. 

He has been NBC News' political director since joining the network in 2007, anchored election night coverage and served as the co-moderator for two presidential debates during the 2020 election cycle.

What's next: Welker will take over the show in September, though a specific date was not given for when the handover will occur. 

Todd praised Welker in his closing remarks, saying she has been ready for the job for "a long time." 

"I've had the privilege of working with her from essentially her first day here in Washington. And let me just say she is the right person in the right moment." 

"This is how I always hoped this is how it would end for me, that I would be passing the baton to her."

Welker joined NBC News in 2010 and was named a co-host of "Weekend TODAY" in 2020.

Welker served as moderator for the final presidential debate between then-President Trump and Joe Biden in October 2020.

The bottom line: In his final remarks Sunday, Todd said he was departing the show "feeling concerned about this moment in history." 

"We didn’t tolerate propagandists and this network and program never will. But it doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand either; if you ignore reality, you’ll miss the biggest story," he said.  

"Being a real political journalist isn’t about building a brand, it’s about reporting what’s happening and explaining why it’s happening and letting the public absorb the facts. If you do this job seeking popularity, you are doing this job incorrectly. " 

"I’ve loved so much of this job, helping to explain America to Washington and explain Washington to America."

Chuck Todd stands in front of a map of Georgia that displays individual voting results for state counties.

Chuck Todd in Studio 1A at Rockefeller Plaza on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022. Photo: Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty Images

Markets

Axios Markets

Data: Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking; Chart: Axios Visuals

Americans are not happy with the economy. Which is weird, given that it is doing just fine. 

Why it matters: It's hard to see what could turn sentiment around. That's largely because of Fed chair Jerome Powell, who doesn't want and won't allow some kind of economic boom — he thinks the economy is running too hot already.

The big picture: The U.S. economy continues to defy the odds. The May employment report, released on Friday morning, marked the 14th straight month that more jobs were created than economists expected. 

It's all a far cry from the misery in other countries like the U.K. — with sky-high inflation — or Germany, which is now officially in a recession. 

By the numbers: The U.S. economy has created more than 4 million new jobs in the past 12 months. 

GDP continues to grow, and is up more than 5% from its pre-pandemic peak, even after accounting for inflation.

The average U.S. employee now makes $33.44 per hour, a raise of more than 17.5% since pre-pandemic. 

The stock market is up 10% so far this year, and we're not even halfway done.

Between the lines: Americans, however, don't buy it. They're broadly happy with their own personal finances, but a majority consistently thinks (erroneously) that we're in a recession, and just 18% think the national economy is in good shape, per the Fed's most recent Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking. 

Part of the problem is higher consumer prices. Inflation might be coming down rapidly, but even if it goes all the way to zero prices will still be much higher than Americans became accustomed to.

The highly visible congressional dysfunction surrounding the debt ceiling, and all the associated rhetoric about the unsustainability of the national debt, can only have had negative effects in terms of Americans' attitude to their national economy.

More broadly, some of the feverishness of the pandemic years is beginning to wear off. What remains is a highly disconcerting "New Not Normal."

Where it stands: The Federal Reserve has been hiking interest rates aggressively to try to cool down the economy and get inflation under control. Any hint of further exuberance will be met by even more rate hikes.

The Fed has no mandate to deliver a booming economy; its job is to just reduce inflation while keeping employment high. So far it seems to be succeeding, albeit more slowly than many would have preferred. 

The bottom line: Money can't buy happiness.

Americans are not happy with the economy. Which is weird, given that it is doing just fine.

A chart showing the Proportion of Americans who feel good about their own finances and the national economy

Axios AM

Who needs Broadway? The best Shakespearean drama is playing live in Manhattan's Hudson Yards, home of CNN.

The latest act: The New York Times is out this morning with a deep dive on the ways the jilted former head of CNN, Jeff Zucker, is obsessively trying to knife the network's current leader, Chris Licht.

This comes two days after The Atlantic twisted its own knife into Licht with a brutal takedown that must've left Zucker smiling, feeling wholly vindicated.

Why it matters: Zucker remains in constant contact with CNN stars and is a coveted source for media reporters — at a time when Licht is struggling to control his image and organization.

Why you should care: CNN remains a dominant player in cable news. Its future as a more clinical, less partisan alternative to MSNBC and Fox hangs in the balance. Right now, its ratings and reputation are getting battered.

🎭 The drama behind the drama: The man behind the curtain is David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO.

Zucker, who resigned from CNN shortly before Zaslav took over, was his very close friend and golfing buddy. Zaslav replaced Zucker with Licht, a new Zaslav protégé and Hamptons party friend.

🥊 "This is all very sad for Jeff," Ken Lerer — co-founder of HuffPost and former chairman of BuzzFeed, who is best friends with Zaslav and a former Zucker friend — told The Times.

"He should move on with his life. It's disheartening to see."

🗞️ The Times article (headline on the Sunday Business cover: "Jeff Zucker Just Won't Let CNN Go Already") says he's "serving as a kind of grievance switchboard for current and former employees of the news network."

He has "made no secret of his unhappiness with the terms of his exit from CNN or his low regard for" Licht's performance," Ben Mullin writes.

Zucker has griped that Licht "didn’t take any of his pointers" after the two had lunch last year at Zucker's house in the Hamptons, brokered by friends who hoped for a rapprochement.

Risa Heller, Zucker's high-powered spokeswoman, said: "It is wholly unsurprising that Jeff Zucker, the architect of CNN’s unprecedented success, would have deep misgivings about the direction the network has taken since he left."

She told The Times he "gets asked a lot, publicly and privately, and regularly from former colleagues, about what he thinks of CNN now."

CNN drama, Act 2: Zucker's revenge

CNN remains a dominant player in news. Right now, its ratings and reputation are getting battered.

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Coastal states are already rushing to prepare for an Atlantic hurricane season that forecasters warn will be unusually unpredictable.

Why it matters: Just a decade or two ago, fretting about hurricane season in June was akin to putting up Christmas decorations before Halloween.

But officials throughout the South and along the East Coast are asking residents to pay attention earlier as storms grow more intense and seasons start sooner and end later, in part due to human-caused climate change.

What's happening: In New Orleans, the start of the season last week was cause for a media day. Ten top local officials gathered with the mayor to deliver a stern reminder for the next six months:

Prepare now. And, "we cannot be complacent," said Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold.

The early scramble to prepare for hurricane season

Officials throughout the South and along the East Coast are asking residents to pay attention earlier as storms grow more intense and seasons start sooner.

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