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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have no plans to discuss the horror collision between an American Airlines plane and U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, DC, after the Russian President offered his condolences, according to the Kremlin.
All 67 people on board both aircraft are feared dead, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said Wednesday night, with at least 30 bodies being recovered from the water by Thursday, according to BBC News.
The president, who has been fully briefed on the situation, wrote on Truth Social that the crash “should have been prevented,” as he grieved over the victims on what he called a “terrible night”. Trump questioned the conditions of the crash, not it was “a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn”.
He added: “This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!”
According to the Senate website, Robert F Kennedy’s second confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services secretary will go ahead in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
More of Trump’s most controversial picks to face Senators today
Robert F Kenedy Jr, Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel are among Donald Trump’s controversial, high-ranking picks will face Senators in their indivdiual confirmation hearings today.
Daniel Driscoll is set to be considered as secretary of the Army; Kash Patel as FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard as National Intelligence director; RFK Jr (again, today facing the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee after facing the Senate Finance Committee yesterday); Elise Stefanik as Ambassador to the United Nations; and Russell Vought as director of Office of Management Budget.
There is no word on whether the hearings will be postponed after the American Airlines-U.S. helicopter crash in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening.
James Liddell30 January 2025 12:42
More Americans support Trump’s birthright citizenship rollback than oppose it, new poll reveals
More Americans are in favor of President Donald Trump’s attempt to curb birthright citizenship than are against it, a new poll reveals, as presidential approval is improving post-inauguration.
The controversial executive order issued by Trump at the inauguration aims to end birthright citizenship for children of migrants, who are in the US on temporary visas or illegally. The move has already faced lawsuits from dozens of states and affected parties.
Yet a new poll from Emerson College post-inauguration, carried out from 27 to 28 January, shows 45 per cent of Americans support Trump’s efforts to roll back birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants.
The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian has the details.
James Liddell30 January 2025 11:53
British billionaire says Trump’s mass deportation of immigrants has made America ‘nervous’
British billionaire Lord Sugar has addressed the mass deportations being carried out in the US at the order of his former Apprentice peer Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, President Trump’s new immigration policy was implemented, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids leading to the arrest of 1,179 people across major cities in the US.
It has been reported by The Washington Post that senior ICE officials have been told by Trump’s team to aggressively ramp up the number of arrests they carry out, with the figure reportedly raised from a hundred every day to at least 1,200 to 1,500.
Jacob Stolworthy has te story.
James Liddell30 January 2025 11:32
Vance offers prayers for victims and is ‘monitoring the situation’
James Liddell30 January 2025 11:11
Trump questions how American Airlines plane crash happened
President Donald Trump has questioned the actions of both the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers prior to a deadly mid-air collision on Wednesday night outside Reagan Washington National Airport.
The crash involved an American Airlines aircraft carrying 64 passengers and crew and a US Army Black Hawk chopper carrying three people. All those on board are feared dead, though officials said they would not be able to provide confirmation on the status of rescue efforts until Thursday morning.
Mr Trump said he has been briefed on the “terrible accident” in a brief official statement offering prayers for those on board.
James Liddell30 January 2025 10:50
Will RFK Jr’s Senate hearing commence today
The American Airlines-U.S. helicopter crash in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening, has cast doubts over whether Robert F Kennedy’s second confirmation hearing for Health and Human Services secretary will go ahead on Thursday.
RFK Jr was supposed to face the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee after being grilled by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.
According to the Senate schedule, the hearing is still due to go ahead.
James Liddell30 January 2025 10:29
Trump says plane crash ‘should have been prevented’
Trump, who said he was fully briefed on the situation, took to Truth Social to ponder how the crash unfolded, noting it was a “CLEAR NIGHT” and the lights on the plane “were blazing”.
“This is a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented. NOT GOOD!!!,” he added. In another post, he added: “What a terrible night this has been. God bless you all!”
James Liddell30 January 2025 10:10
Cuban president says Trump’s Guantanamo plan ‘act of brutality’
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel deemed the decision as “an act of brutality” in a message on his X account, and he described the based as one “located in illegally occupied #Cuba territory.”
The Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also lambasted the announcement.
“The US government’s decision to imprison migrants at the Guantanamo Naval Base, in an enclave where it created torture and indefinite detention centers, shows contempt for the human condition and international law,” Rodriguez said on X.
Oliver O’Connell30 January 2025 09:40