Morning Wire
Plane Collision Revelations & Hamas Hostage Handoff | Afternoon Update | 1.30.25
Thu, 30 Jan 2025
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I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, January 30th, and this is your Morning Wire Afternoon Update.
New Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the collision between an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter was absolutely preventable. Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce has more on the crash details.
All 67 on board both aircraft are presumed dead, with around 30 bodies having been recovered so far. Meanwhile, the bodies of three soldiers who were aboard the helicopter have also been recovered, making it the deadliest U.S. crash in decades. Rescue workers continue to sift through the Potomac River as they work to recover the bodies of the victims of Wednesday night's crash.
Meanwhile, the NTSB is investigating. In a press conference today, the NTSB outlined the shape the investigation would take.
Part of any investigation, we look at the human, the machine, and the environment. So we will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. Again, we will look at the aircraft. We will look at the helicopter. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in.
Among the plane passengers believed to be dead are 14 members of the U.S. figure skating team. The group was returning from a national development camp in Wichita. For his part, President Trump called out the former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, accusing him of running the agency into the ground with diversity. Here's Trump.
The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe injuries. intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website.
Today, three of Trump's most controversial cabinet picks were in the hot seat. Daily Wire reporter Amanda Prestigiacomo has the highlights.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel to run the FBI were all grilled by lawmakers today. Much of RFK's hearing today and yesterday focused on his view of vaccines, though New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan asked him about Medicare.
So, Mr. Kennedy, you want us to confirm you to be in charge of Medicare, but it appears that you don't know the basics of this program. So let's turn to Medicaid. I just explained the basics. No, I had to correct you on several things. Oh, you just added information. Let's turn to Medicaid. You didn't correct me. I didn't get it wrong.
At the same time, in a different room, Kash Patel sat down for his hearing to lead the FBI. In one particularly tense exchange, Senator Amy Klobuchar implied that he previously claimed police lied about aspects of the January 6, 2021 riot. Here's that.
On Joe Pack's podcast, he asked you, the Capitol Police in that fake January 6 committee, they didn't tell the truth, did they? Patel, no, not just them, many others. And lying under oath is a federal offense and they should be investigated for it. Do you believe that about the police officers?
That's a general statement and a mischaracterization of what I said. I encourage you to read the rest of the interview. This is why snippets of information are often misleading and detrimental to this committee's advice and consent process.
Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard was pushed on several topics, including her previous statements on Edward Snowden and a previous visit she took to Syria where she met with Bashar al-Assad. Here she is answering a question from Arizona Senator Mark Kelly about her meeting with the Syrian leader. I shed no tears for the fall of the Assad regime.
But today we have an Islamist extremist who is now in charge of Syria, as I said, who danced on the streets to celebrate the 9-11 attack, who ruled over Idlib with an Islamist extremist governance, and who has already begun to persecute and kill and arrest religious minorities like Christians in Syria.
ICE says it's rounded up at least 5,500 criminal migrants since Trump's inauguration. Daily Wire deputy managing editor Tim Rice has the latest.
That number includes dozens of individuals associated with Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as well as MS-13 gang members. Other apprehensions included individuals wanted for murder, kidnapping, and child molestation. The increased pace in arrests comes as the White House has imposed a daily quota of at least 75 arrests from each of ICE's 25 offices.
Border Czar Tom Holman says the aggressive pace will continue until all 700,000 migrants with a serious criminal history are apprehended. Holman says serious offenders are the top priority, but anyone living in the country illegally could eventually be targeted for deportation.
In light of the dangerous way that Hamas handled the latest hostage release, Israel has delayed the release of Palestinian prisoners. The latest group of freed hostages included three Israeli citizens and five Thai nationals who were forced to walk through a hostile crowd. Netanyahu called the spectacle unimaginable cruelty and is demanding guarantees for safer releases in the future.
Meanwhile, emotional reunions have followed, including Israeli soldier Agam Berger, who had been held captive for 482 days. Here she is reuniting with her family.
President Trump is cracking down on anti-Semitic college students. Trump ordered agencies to identify legal actions to prosecute offenders and deport pro-Hamas activists on student visas. The executive order also cuts federal funding to schools promoting critical race theory and reinstates protections for American monuments after recent vandalism.
House Republicans have urged stricter policies against anti-Semitism at universities following reports of rising anti-Jewish incidents. Trump's UN ambassador pick, Representative Elise Stefanik, reinforces his strong pro-Israel stance.
And House Republican leaders are rallying behind President Trump's push to regain U.S. control of the Panama Canal. A new GOP policy memo highlights concerns over Chinese influence and argues that Panama has violated treaty agreements by charging high transit fees and allowing Chinese investment.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Panama as lawmakers explore legislative options, including a proposal to repurchase the canal.
Those are your Drive Home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And in case you missed it this morning, we covered some other big stories, including the tragic plane wreck in D.C., RFK's first confirmation hearing, and Trump's order on trans procedures. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back tomorrow morning with another full edition of Morning Wire.