Investigators have recovered the black boxes of the passenger jet involved in a collision with an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside D.C. — the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in more than 20 years.
The big picture: The American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided on Wednesday night, sending both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. There are no known survivors.
President Trump rallied against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in air traffic control as having contributed to the deadly plane crash outside of D.C. Wednesday, but the data paints a different picture.
The big picture: Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and IPUMS showair traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists are predominately male and white.
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Doug Burgum to be Interior secretary in a bipartisan vote.
Why it matters: Burgum will lead President Trump's efforts to expand oil and gas drilling on public lands and deal with any energy-related fallout from the administration's funding freeze.
The leading contenders to lead NOAA include a former acting head of the agency, a Shell executive and an ex-Interior Department official.
Why it matters: As one of the agencies that affects Americans' daily lives via weather forecasts and warnings, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is critical for public safety and the economy.
Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick shot down Project 2025's recommendations to break up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Why it matters: Project 2025, a governing blueprint that President Trump distanced himself from on the campaign trail but has since tapped into for ideas and personnel, called for the Commerce Department agency to be dissolved.
Chestnut Carbon, a nature-based carbon removal company, has inked a new, long-term agreement with Microsoft to provide the tech giant with removal credits from its projects in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.
Why it matters: The 25-year offtake agreement is among the largest U.S. afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) projects to date.
Swiss Weather intelligence firmMeteomaticsraised $22 million in a Series C round, the company announced Wednesday.
The funding comes soon after the company announced that its ultra-high resolution computer model will soon be available across the U.S.
Why it matters: The new funding indicates continued interest in startups that can help companies and society at large better anticipate and withstand extreme weather events.
An American Airlines regional passenger jet carrying 64 people collidedwith a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday night, officials said, citing preliminary reports.
The latest: Emergency respondents were now "switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation," D.C. Fire and EMS Department chief John Donnelly said at a press briefing Thursday morning.
Pittsburgh had its hottest year on record in 2024.
Why it matters:Human-caused climate change is fueling a spike in extreme weather events globally, most recently seen in the Southern California wildfires, leading to longer-lasting and more intense heat waves, flooding and more.
Rescue teams were combing the Potomac River after a plane carrying 64 people and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday night.
The big picture: Both the American Airlines regional jet that was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to D.C. and the helicopter carrying three people while on a training exercise were in the river, officials said.
