Day: February 8, 2025

Kim’s latest statement implies that the North Korean leader won’t likely embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s overture to meet him and revive diplomacy e soon

He says Trump recognizes Japan’s huge investment in US

A look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week

Government leaders say individuals or businesses that pay extortion money to al-Shabab ‘face legal action’

(NewsNation) — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are examining the wreckage after an American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter collided midair near Reagan National Airport (DCA), killing 67 people.

The crash happened on the evening of Jan. 29, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River below. Since the collision, crews have recovered and identified the remains of all 67 victims.

In an update on Thursday, Feb. 6, authorities said crews had removed all large, major wreckage components from the plane and jet and that the pieces would be taken to a secure location to be examined by investigators.

On Saturday, the NTSB said investigators were already working to examine and document the wreckage and would be looking for “witness marks” on the aircraft that could provide clues to the collision’s angle.

The agency also added that a “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration TopoBathy lidar survey from a manned NOAA aircraft” was conducted Saturday morning and identified potential additional debris still in the river from the crash. Investigators use this survey to find and map wreckage that may be submerged underwater.

Divers investigated the potential debris Saturday and will continue to do so this week, according to the NTSB.

(NewsNation) — By now, the average American may be more familiar with two acronyms that are grabbing headlines in Washington and beyond: DOGE and USAID.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is headed by “special government employee” Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. With President Trump’s blessing, DOGE is scrutinizing spending at federal agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development.

USAID operations have effectively been put on hold, less than three weeks after Trump began his second term in office.

Proponents of the agency say it pays dividends by promoting democracy when it assists struggling foreign nations. But people in Trump’s corner say USAID has funded several questionable programs, such as efforts to promote “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” across the globe.

NewsNation’s Mills Hayes reports that not all of the information cited by Trump representatives bear out, although USAID did offer Serbia a $1.5 million grant to advance DEI in the workplace.

Other examples offered by the White House — such as $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia and $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru — were efforts funded by a different federal entity, the U.S. State Department.

On the flipside, USAID has disbursed millions to fight AIDS in Africa; conserve the Amazon Rainforest in South America and support a United Nations food program. USAID has also distributed U.S. agricultural products, and $34 million in rice, soybean and wheat purchases are on hold, the Washington Post reports.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration’s attempts to place 2,200 USAID employees on paid leave.

Meantime, Musk’s DOGE has also set its sights on the U.S. Department of Education. Concerned about the ramifications, Democratic members of Congress sought to enter the agency’s Washington headquarters last week but were locked out.

“The Democrats have lost their minds,” Trump said in response. “They tried to break into the Department of Education just because we want to go and check the books.”

Musk also is facing scrutiny over the young DOGE team he’s hired as reports surface about their prior businesses and online activity.

A 19-year-old DOGE member started a company that hired convicted hackers, and WIRED reports that company has at least two Russian-registered domains.

Another DOGE staffer reposted comments from white nationalists and misogynists on social media, and a third staffer resigned after past racist posts were made public.