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Isa Soares Tonight
Israel's Ban on UNRWA in Effect; Heated Confirmation Hearings on Capitol Hill; Deadly Plane Crash in Washington; No Survivors in Deadly Midair Collision; Officials Gives Update on Deadly Midair Collision. American Airlines Plane and Army Helicopter Collide Outside Reagan National Airport Near Washington D.C.; Eight Hostages Freed By Hamas Amid Chaotic Scenes As Israel Releases Over 100 Palestinian Prisoners; Trump's Cabinet Nominees Face Bipartisan Grilling on Capitol Hill. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 30, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a fatal collision between a passenger
jet and an army helicopter leaves no survivors. We are live in Washington D.C., of course, as we await a briefing from the National Transportation
Safety Board.
Plus, celebrations tonight in Ramallah, as Israel frees more than a 100 Palestinian prisoners after eight hostages are released from Gaza. We have
the very latest for you. And three of President Trump's nominees are on Capitol Hill today, we'll bring you the latest on those confirmation
hearings.
We begin this hour, though, with the latest on the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. in more than two decades. We are expecting a news
conference from the National Transportation Safety Board later this hour. And of course, we'll bring that to you as soon as it gets in the --
underway.
But this is what we know so far. All 67 people on board an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter that collided in mid-
air near Reagan National Airport are now feared dead. Flight 5342 was just moments away from landing when it collided with the helicopter and then
plunged into the ice -- into the icy Potomac River.
A law enforcement source tells CNN more bodies have been recovered over the past hour from the wreckage, and you can hear the audible sounds of shock
in the background of the air traffic control audio. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: PAT 2-5, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ. (INAUDIBLE) I don't know if you caught earlier what
happened, but there was a collision on the approaching 3-3.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SOARES: A security camera, as you can see there, caught the moment of impact. The plane was arriving from Wichita in Kansas. Earlier, President
Donald Trump spoke about the tragedy, without evidence, he blamed diversity initiatives and the Biden administration for the deadly crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do want to point out that various articles that appeared prior to my entering office, and here's one.
The FAA's diversity push includes focus on hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. That is amazing. Pete Buttigieg,
a real winner, that guy is a real winner.
Do you know how badly everything is run since he's run this Department of Transportation? He's a disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: As you heard there, the President referring to Pete Buttigieg; the former Transportation Secretary, Buttigieg responded to those remarks,
calling them despicable. Our Richard Quest has more on the timeline of the crash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: PAT 2-5, do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT 2-5 pass behind the CRJ.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: PAT 2-5 has aircraft in sight, request visual separation.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE (voice-over): This is the fateful moment when the Air Traffic Control operator asked a U.S. Army
helicopter pilot to move away from a passenger plane. The helicopter pilot confirmed that he did have an aircraft in sight, but was it the one Air
Traffic Control was referring to?
Because less than 13 seconds later, the helicopter and the commercial plane collided over the freezing Potomac River in Washington D.C., it was just
before 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crash. This is an alert 3. Crash. This is an alert 3.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fire command, the accident happened in the river. I just saw a fireball, and then it was just gone.
QUEST: Later, the D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that both aircrafts are in the water, and that 64 people were aboard the jet operated by
American Airlines subsidiary, PSA Airlines, and three people were on board the military helicopter.
JOHN DONNELLY, CHIEF, WASHINGTON D.C. FIRE & EMS: We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At
this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident.
QUEST: So, what happened? The investigation will sift through the multiple factors at play, and only then will come up with a final conclusion.
[14:05:00]
But already, we know certain basic facts. The passenger jet, a Canadair Regional Jet 700 was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington D.C.'s
Reagan National Airport. It was on final approach when Air Traffic Control asked the pilot to switch runways.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you take runway 33?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we can do 33, Bluestreak 5342.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can confirm runway 33, runway 33 cleared to land.
QUEST: We don't yet know the reason why. We also know that the U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, like the one here, was on a training flight at the
time. But that does not mean the pilots were inexperienced. Air Traffic Control asked them to maintain visual separation from the commercial jet.
It appears not to have done that.
And that will be the key question for investigators. Then there's the sensitive location of the airport Reagan National. It is close to both
Dulles International and Joint Base Andrews, along with the White House, the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol and other key civilian and military
facilities. It is an exceptionally busy air corridor.
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST & FORMER FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR: The fact that this is one of the busiest airports, not only is it the busiest, it's
the most complex airport. There's military and commercial together. There's flight restrictions on where you can fly, what kind of approaches you have
to make, and there's demands on how quickly those airplanes have to come in and out.
QUEST: President Trump took to social media to call the situation a bad situation, and perhaps stating the obvious, said it looks like it should
have been prevented. For now, the shocked families are demanding answers. This is the deadliest commercial airplane disaster in the United States in
more than 20 years.
So, it's not surprising everybody is now demanding to know what happened and why? Richard Quest, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And hopefully, we'll start getting some answers when we hear from the NTSB, which are holding a news conference at some point this hour, of
course, bring that to you as soon as it gets underway. In the meantime, we are learning about a few of the 67 people who are believed to have perished
in the crash.
Among them a pair of married world figure skating champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. They had represented Russia in competition, but
have lived and coached in the U.S. for more than 25 years. The Skating Club of Boston says two young skaters and their mothers were also killed.
The Pentagon is withholding the names and ranks of the crew of that -- on that Blackhawk helicopter until the next of kin is notified. Well, American
former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan spoke earlier about the impact on the skating community and the lessons learned from her experience. Have a
listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY KERRIGAN, U.S. FORMER FIGURE SKATER: You don't have to know everybody to feel that connection. We've been through the same thing, that
training, that rigorous schedule of falling over and over and somehow picking yourself back up, which is like the main lesson I think learned in
skating is, you get back up, keep on trying, and even when it's hard, you get back up.
Even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. It's not easy, but that's what we all have --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes --
KERRIGAN: To do now together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's turn to CNN's Julia Benbrook. And Julia, I mean, this is just a devastating incident. We are waiting to hear from the NTSB, of
course, in the meantime, we are hearing from law enforcement officials telling CNN that more bodies have been recovered over the past hour, but
that the recovery operation incredibly challenging.
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And just a devastating day of news here. Devastating --
SOARES: Yes --
BENBROOK: To see those images of these lives that were lost. We know that there were 64 people on that American Airlines passenger jet. Sixty
passengers and then four crew members, and then three soldiers on that Blackhawk helicopter. Of course, those collided over the Potomac River. We
know that both aircrafts went into the water, and that there were no survivors.
So, we've been receiving updates and different briefings throughout the day. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who I will add, has only been on
the job for a couple of days now, sworn in just on Tuesday. He spoke earlier during a press conference at Reagan National Airport and said, you
know, this was a clear night, and that helicopter was on a standard path.
That aircraft was also on a standard path. But a collision like this is not standard, and they will continue to investigate. Now, the NTSB, as you
mentioned, they are leading this investigation. We expect to hear from them within the hour. They've managed expectations though, about what we're
going to hear. We expect them to really outline what the investigation is going to look like instead of having takeaways at this point, because we
are still just so early in all of this.
[14:10:00]
SOARES: Yes, we are incredibly early at this stage, yet, we have heard from President Trump, who after just a minute of silence and with the
investigation only just beginning as you just highlighted there, Julia, you know, with the bodies still in the river, we heard him blaming Democrats,
blaming DEI, the diversity, equality and inclusion policies and blaming them for this collision.
Just I mean, first of all, just talk us through whether there is any evidence of this, because when he was pressed by one of the journalists, he
said, common sense, that's how he reached that conclusion.
BENBROOK: Well, lots of people are already saying, don't speculate. They were saying that --
SOARES: Yes --
BENBROOK: Before the President took the podium today in the White House briefing room. And he's just a couple of weeks into his second presidency
now. But we're getting a glimpse as to how he will handle these types of big moments. And I think that his remarks can really be broken into two
parts. He came in very somber.
He asked for a moment of silence, took the podium, offered his condolences, and then praised the first responders who jumped in and looked for
survivors. Unfortunately, we're learning that there were no survivors, but they put everything they had into helping. And here's a bit more of what he
had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The massive search and rescue mission was underway throughout the night, leveraging every asset at our disposal. And I have to say, the
local, state, federal, military, including the United States Coast Guard in particular, they've done a phenomenal job. So quick, so fast. It was -- it
was mobilized immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BENBROOK: So, that's how those remarks started. And then in the second part of those remarks, he really started to play the blame game,
criticizing former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Trump, of course, served his first term in-between those two Presidents, and took
aim specifically at the FAA's diversity policies without evidence, claiming that, that could have played a role.
And as you mentioned, he was really pushed by reporters about what evidence there is there? And he went on to say -- let me find this exact quote for
you. His administration does not know yet what led to the crash, but they, quote, "have some very strong opinions and ideas." So, really admitting
that this is speculation.
Again, we'll hear from the NTSB in within the hour, hopefully they'll be able to provide some more information as they work on this investigation.
They're looking for those black boxes, hoping to get some details from that as well.
SOARES: Yes, indeed, what we need are facts at this -- at this moment, not conjecture. Thank you very much, appreciate it, thanks, Julia. Let's bring
in Chad Kendall for more. He's an FAA Chief Instructor and Associate Professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado. Chad,
appreciate you taking the time to speak to us here.
Look, as we've just outlined incredibly horrific and tragic accident here, and of course, our thoughts are with all the families involved. Let's just
speak to what we know so far. We are, of course, waiting for the NTSB news conference that will hopefully start in the next half an hour or so. Just
from what you -- from what you've heard and the facts, we know, what stands out to you. What can you share?
CHAD KENDALL, CHIEF INSTRUCTOR, FAA & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, MSU DENVER: As the recovery efforts continue at this point, the investigation has begun.
The NTSB, the FAA, military are gathering all of the pieces of the puzzle as they begin this very meticulous investigative process to determine the
final cause.
We obviously have all seen some factors that have come out. We've heard Air Traffic Control communications to the pilots. We know what the weather was
like, but we need the rest of the information. We need the cockpit voice recorders, the flight data recorders, we need the rest, ATC transcripts. We
need to add all of the investigative pieces to allow the NTSB and the FAA to determine a final cause for this accident.
SOARES: And when we heard from the Transportation Secretary, who was just very minted on this job, it was a clear night that both were non-standard
path, and what relates to that Air Traffic Controller audio, we heard and we've heard of this clip just at the top of the show where they were
warned. They warned the helicopter pilot about the jet and told him to go behind.
Why do you -- I mean, why do you think the chopper pilot doesn't follow through those instructions? What do you surmise from that?
KENDALL: That's the question that the NTSB and the FAA are going to be trying to answer. I've flown into Washington Reagan hundreds of times in
this exact aircraft. It's a very dynamic airspace. And you have the commercial aircraft from Washington Reagan and Dulles and the entire
northeast corridor of the United States.
You have special use airspace surrounding Washington D.C. where you're required to communicate with ATC.
[14:15:00]
This is a special qualifications airport for pilots that even when you meet the standards for hire as an airline pilot, you need additional training --
you need additional time in the airplane before you're allowed to land at Washington Reagan. And so, with all the dynamics at play, the complex
environment of the airspace, helicopters transiting up and down the Potomac, traversing the Potomac, aircraft going in and out of Washington
Reagan, you're looking around, you're using equipment in your airplane.
You're listening to Air Traffic Control to put together a mental image of where everyone is at. And so -- and certainly, we hear Air Traffic Control
giving communication to the helicopter to maintain visual separation from the aircraft. And now, what occurs after that, that's going to be part of
the investigation. And was there a distraction? Were they looking at something else?
And night does come into play here as a higher level of risk, especially around a major metropolitan airport, an area, and so, that's what's going
to be part of the investigation to make a cause on what happened.
SOARES: And we are hearing that the army pilots had at least 1,500 hours of flight hours between them. That's what we're finding out, CNN is
receiving from a retired aviation expert. And on your -- you know, the point that you were just making there as well, these are just for our
viewers around the world.
These are highly monitored airspace, right? This is also highly congested. And the paths are well known. Do you see this being a problem in the
future? Were there alarm bells prior to this?
KENDALL: Again, that's going to be part of the investigation, and the unfortunate occurrence in aviation is that accidents happen. You know, it's
--
SOARES: Yes --
KENDALL: Been a long time since we've had one since 2009. It's very unfortunate for this accident to have occurred. And the NTSB and the FAA,
their mission is safety. Safety in the national airspace system, how to improve safety, whether that's training, whether that's technology, whether
that's procedures.
And so, as the investigation continues, as we see the final report come out, the NTSB is going to provide a list of items that should be
considered, and the airline level and the military level with Air Traffic Control to ensure this doesn't happen again. Now, whether that's change of
procedures in this specific airspace, that's yet to be seen, but that's going to be part of the investigation. That's going to be part of the
findings that come out from the NTSB.
SOARES: Chad, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Chad Kendall there, thank you. And still to come tonight --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(WOMEN CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Cries of relief as well as joy. Three more Israeli hostages are in the arms of their loved ones tonight after being released from Gaza. Then
vaccine skepticism, enemies list and a heated debate about Edward Snowden. Coming up, the biggest moments from today's confirmation hearings in
Washington. We'll break it all down for you. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
SOARES: Huge celebrations are taking place in the West Bank and Gaza after Israeli freed -- Israel freed 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of a
ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(RAUCOUS CROWD)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Thirty children were among those released after being held without charge or trial. Dozens of other prisoners were serving life sentences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(CRYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And three Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza in exchange today. And here you can see an 80-year-old man hugging his children, really
overcome, as you can imagine, with emotion, to be reunited with his family again. And Hamas also released five Thai hostages, they had been working on
Israeli farms when they were seized during the October the 7th attacks.
Well, Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners today was delayed by several hours because of chaotic scenes at one of the hostage handover
sites in Gaza. Jeremy Diamond has the details from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the chaotic final moments of Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud's 15 months in
captivity, flanked by masked militants, the 29-year-old appears terrified as she is hustled through a raucous crowd in Gaza's southern city of Khan
Younis.
Red Cross vehicles and her freedom are just steps away. In Tel Aviv's hostage square, Israelis watched with dreaded anticipation as the scene
unfolds live on television. Minutes later, Yehud is handed over to Red Cross officials. Gadi Moses is next amid a sea of militants wearing the
green and yellow bandanas of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The 80-year-old hostage is handed over to the Red Cross. The Israeli Prime Minister condemning the chaotic scene, calling it yet more proof of the
unimaginable cruelty of the Hamas terrorist organization, demanding that the mediators ensure that such horrific scenes do not recur.
In response, the Prime Minister delaying the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners, driving Palestinian youths into the streets. Amid clashes, at
least, three Palestinians are shot by Israeli forces, according to the Palestine Red Crescent. Hours later, the buses emerge from Ofer Prison. Of
the 110 prisoners being released, 32 were serving life sentences, including several responsible for deadly attacks on Israeli civilians.
Thirty children were also released. They had all been arrested in the last two years, some held without charge, none convicted of a crime. In Israel,
emotional reunions as three Israelis held hostage by Hamas, including the Israeli soldier Agam Berger were reunited with their families. Five Thai
hostages were also released, freed in addition to the 33 Israeli hostages being released during the six-week ceasefire. President Trump's Middle East
envoy also making an appearance at Hostage Square.
STEVE WITKOFF, UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: Now, President Trump is committed to doing everything possible to help the
families.
DIAMOND: Indicating one of two Americans set to be released in the coming weeks will be freed on Saturday. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Well, joining us now is Ruby Chen live from Tel Aviv? He is the father of Itay Chen, one of the seven U.S. hostages in Gaza taken by Hamas
on October the 7th. And Ruby, I really appreciate you coming back on our show and the scenes that we have seen from the capture really there in that
report from our Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv as families embrace their children finally being home after months, of course.
[14:25:00]
Incredibly moving. And of course, we are all relieved to see this, yourself included, no doubt. But for you, as I understand, the wait continues. What
are you learning at this stage about your son and his fate?
RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Yes, Isa, thanks for having me again. You know, it's a day of a bag of emotions. You know, one day,
there's joy to see the families reunited, including the Thai hostages as well that were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and, you know,
were in captivity for such a long time.
To be honest, a little bit envy as well. And we hope to believe that with the new President in the White House and Steve Witkoff, that has been doing
everything possible to make sure all that, the deal happened and does not collapse and continues forward. Gives us, you know, a light of hope that,
that light that was lit a few weeks ago will continue until our son is also released as well.
SOARES: And Ruby, I'm sorry to have to ask you this. Do you know whether your son is still alive at this stage? What do you -- what are you hearing?
CHEN: So, a few months ago, we got the Intelligence information claiming that most likely a Thai was killed on October 7th. We did not get any
acknowledgment from Hamas. We've asked the negotiators ourselves, as well as the United States, to do whatever they can to get some acknowledgment on
the status of Itay.
Unfortunately, we do not have that. So, we do have a glimmer of hope that maybe we have a miracle waiting for us. So, it's unfortunate, but that is a
tragedy that we've been living in for 482 days.
SOARES: Yes, still very much holding out hope, and do you have some sort of clarity at this stage. And of course, Ruby, you know, the ceasefire,
hostage negotiations that is still ongoing, I assume that soon-ish, I think 16 days from the first hostages being released, the negotiations of the
second phase then begin. Have you been given any reassurances that your son will be returned and that phase -- I mean, what is your biggest fear right
now, Ruby?
CHEN: Yes, so, we all recognize that this agreement is very fragile.
SOARES: Yes --
CHEN: Just last week, we saw both sides basically, believe compliance that the other side is not adhering to the agreement. And we have been
advocating to the negotiators, including the Israeli government as well as the U.S. government, to do whatever they can to condense the phases, phase
two and phase three into one phase that ends as quickly as possible.
Because this deal is so fragile. We have heard from the U.S. administration that they are doing everything possible to bring out the U.S. hostages as
well as all the hostages, and we just need to make sure that this window of opportunity does not close. Because if there's one thing that is
predictable about the Middle East, it is that it is -- it is unpredictable. And we need to make sure that, that window of opportunity gets all the
hostages out.
SOARES: And you said, you know, ceasefire, these deals fragile. They tend to be by their nature -- they normally are. But, you know, when you hear
Ruby that this deal that is on the table was the same deal that was on the table earlier last year. What goes through your mind?
CHEN: That there was a need for political will --
SOARES: Yes --
CHEN: From both sides. And that at least at the moment, it feels as if the United States new administration understands that the bigger fish to fry,
so-to-speak, is Iran. And in order to, indeed box out Iran as a need to bring the Saudis into this. And that is where the motivation is, to get to
a hostage deal, which is the key for stability in the Middle East, which is a top United States interest.
And we have seen this effect materialize ever since the elections, and there has been the Trump effect. And we just need to make sure that it
doesn't stop, and we met today Mr. Steve Witkoff, that is visiting the region. And he was in Gaza, but he also stopped at the Hostage Square and
also met us, the families. And he is doing everything in his power to make sure that the deal continues as well as U.S. hostages coming out.
SOARES: Yes, and I -- you and so many other families, it must be, Ruby, a roller-coaster of emotions right now and for all those months, of course,
particularly now, when you see so many families embracing in these incredibly moving moments.
I'm going to ask my producer just to bring up the video and the photos we have of Itay. Because in every single photo, Ruby, he is smiling. He has a
big smile, making some smirky faces. And a young 19-year-old. Talk to us about your son and, you know, how you are celebrating him even, of course,
as you wait for some, hopefully, some good news here.
RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Yes. So, he's the middle child. So, he's the connect in the family. He actually -- his birthday is coming
up Sunday. He was born February 2nd. And we've been debating how to acknowledge, you know, that birthday with friends and family.
He has so many friends. And it astonishes us to see so many different circles of relationships that he has with so many different people at such
a young age. He is like any other kid that you would see at the age of 19, you know, loves to play basketball, PlayStation.
I am a proud New Yorker, became a New York Knicks fan. For the love of God, I don't know how he became a Celtics fan. And, you know, it's just missing,
you know, being on the couch and just, you know, talking, you know, basketball and, you know, just going down and playing and he is missed.
And, you know, it's like a void that we have that needs to be, you know, completed somehow and just going through this type of psychological warfare
by this organization, this terrorist organization that even the basic (INAUDIBLE) are not able to supply to us, which is, you know, so basic on
so many different levels.
SOARES: Yes.
CHEN: And we need to find a way to get him back. And, you know, we have our dinner table where we have an empty chair. And he's, you know, very
much missed. The one that was always the happy kid, life of the party, and was always the one telling jokes and always, you know, getting us excited
about, you know, what's happening and what's going on with him.
SOARES: And we hope and wait that he will be sitting on that chair, in that table with your family, Ruby, we really do. Thank you so much for
taking the time to speak to us, always appreciate and value your time, Ruby Chen there. Thank you, Ruby.
CHEN: Thank you, Isa, and God bless.
SOARES: Thank you. Now, Israel's long threatened ban on UNRWA is now in effect, and many Palestinians fear it will have a devastating impact on
their lives.
The U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees provides assistance to millions of people across Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, as well as neighboring
countries, schools, it runs healthcare facilities, aid distribution centers, even women's centers and much more. UNRWA is now banned from
operating in Israel, but also from communicating with Israeli authorities, which could severely restrict its operations.
Israel escalated long time efforts to shut down UNRWA after October the 7th, accusing some employees of participating in the attacks. A U.N.
investigation found nine of UNRWA's 13,000 staffers may have been involved and no longer work for the agency. UNRWA accuses Israel of detaining and
torturing some of its staffers and coercing them into making false confessions about ties to Hamas.
Still to come tonight, heated confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill today. Details ahead on the controversial nominees who could soon join the new
Trump administration. We'll bring you that.
Plus, we continue to follow the deadly plane crash in Washington as we wait, of course, to hear from the NTSB press conference. That is soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:00]
SOARES: Welcome back to the show, everyone. If you're just joining us, we'll be bringing you up to date. We are, as you can see, the -- an empty
podium there on your screen. We are waiting to hear from NTSB. Of course, it's the National Transportation Safety Board. They are going to give a
press conference. The next 10, 15 minutes, they are getting set up, as you can see. As soon as that gets underway, we will bring you that full -- that
press conference in full.
This of course, as we've been hearing, just at the top of the hour, that more bodies have been recovered from the crash sites. This is according to
a source, a law enforcement source telling CNN. But the mangled wreckage, we've been told, in the Potomac River is making the recovery incredibly
difficult and painful for the dive paint teams.
Of course, lots of questions -- lots of answers that we want to get to the bottom of. We have heard from President Trump in the last two hours or so,
who blamed DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, for this incident. But of course, there's a lot we do not know at this moment. So,
we -- as soon as that gets underway, we'll bring that to you. As you all know, no survivors. This is a rescue recovery operation. But we have lots
of answers and facts here are crucial. Stay across that for you. Bring that to you as soon as it gets underway.
It was staying in the United States for the time being because pivotal hearings on Capitol Hill today could lead to the confirmation of President
Donald Trump's most controversial picks. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel all grilled by U.S. Senators.
Kennedy, who is vying to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, faces an uphill battle over his history of vaccine skepticism,
pardon me, we heard this yesterday. At one point today, he defended an unfounded claim that black people should have different vaccine schedule.
Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ANGELA ALSOBROOKS (D-MD): So, what different vaccine schedule would you say I should have received? What different vaccine schedule should I
receive?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NOMINEE: I mean, the pollen article suggests that blacks need fewer antigens.
ALSOBROOKS: And this is so dangerous.
KENNEDY JR.: So, you get the same measles vaccine.
ALSOBROOKS: Mr. Kennedy, with all due respect, that is so dangerous. Your voice would be a voice that parents would listen to. That is so dangerous.
I will be voting against your nomination because your views are dangerous to our state and to our country.
KENNEDY JR.: I mean, do you think science is dangerous, Senator? This is published, peer reviewed studies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, the next possible Director of National Intelligence, you're looking at her there, Tulsi Gabbard, had a tense exchange with a key
Republican Senator over her past statements viewed as sympathetic toward the Kremlin.
[14:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JERRY MORAN (R-KS): I want to make certain that in no way does Russia get a pass in either your mind or your heart, or in any policy
recommendation you would make or not make.
TULSI GABBARD, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR NOMINEE: Senator, I'm offended by the question because my sole focus, commitment and
responsibility is about our own nation, our own security and the interests of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, Democrats argue President Trump's choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, is a conspiracy theorist. In today's hearing, they cited
Patel's memoir in which he named 60 people he claimed were members of the so-called deep state.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Is Bill Barr on your list of whatever you want to call them, you know, with been referred to as an enemy's list, you've
called them deep state after serving his country as the attorney general of the United States? Is he on your list because of a personal vendetta?
KASH PATEL, FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE: Well, it's not whatever we want to call it, Senator, with all due respect, it's not an enemies list. That is a
total mischaracterization.
KLOBUCHAR: I ask you -- I actually use the words you use for the list, which was deep state, right? That's what you put it.
PATEL: It is a glossary --
KLOBUCHAR: Against the attorney general of the United States. Is it because of a personal vendetta that he's on the list? You're under oath.
PATEL: I have no personal vendetta against.
KLOBUCHAR: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Heated indeed. Well, our team is tracking these confirmation hearings. Joining us from Washington, Zachary Cohen and Katie Bo Lillis.
Well, this was quite something pretty contentions, Zach, let me start with you, hearings. Just talk us through what we heard today, what stood out to
you both from Patel and RFK Jr. and talk to us about what they were pressed on primarily.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Democrats in the Kash Patel hearing really made a concerted effort to try to effectively use his
own words against him, right, pressing him repeatedly on things he's said in public interviews, things he's written in his book that they argue
suggests he would use the FBI, if he's confirmed, as essentially the enforcer of Donald Trump and would use it to go after Trump's perceived
political enemies. That's something that Kash Patel has alluded to in these various public remarks and they got quoted back to him on several occasions
by Democratic lawmakers today.
And for the most part, Kash Patel was -- you know, was very defiant. He did accuse Democrats on multiple occasions of taking out partial quotes or not
putting what he said in the right context. But ultimately, Democrats really trying to paint this picture of Kash Patel as a Trump loyalist and somebody
who would use the FBI to political ends. And that's something that Kash Patel vehemently denied would happen. He actually -- or did the opposite
that if he is confirmed, he would get rid of politicization of the FBI. And that's something we've heard Trump in his own context, talk a lot about,
and that's really drawn a lot of ire from Trump, you know, over the last eight years, right, stemming from the criminal investigations into him and
the so-called Russia hoax, the investigations into possible connections between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
But look, at the end of the day here, Kash Patel didn't really have a lot of substantive responses to these questions about his public comments.
However, he did get a lot of support from Republican lawmakers on this committee. They defended his credentials, they defended his experience, and
it looks like there's not a Republican on the committee as of now that is going to signal that they're going to publicly break ranks with their party
members and with Donald Trump.
It remains to be seen. The hearing is still ongoing. But we'll have to see what Kash Patel's fate is and if he is indeed confirmed as the next FBI
director.
SOARES: Katie, let's go to you, because Gabbard, of course -- Tulsi Gabbard is President Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence,
she's a combat veteran. And she has faced, not just today, but prior to this, scrutiny over not just a lack of inexperience, but her past comments
and actions what relates to Russia and Syria. She was offended by a question there on Russia.
What did you -- what stood out to you from what you heard from her today?
KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Well, really, what Gabbard was getting the most pointed questions about today were her views on surveillance and, in
particular, her views on NSA leaker Edward Snowden. When she was still a Democratic member of Congress in 20 -- sorry, in 2020, she issued a piece
of legislation that called for the United States to drop all charges against Snowden.
But, of course, this is somebody who is seen both within the Intelligence Community and by both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence
Committee as a traitor. And so you saw lawmakers from both sides of the aisle today repeatedly pressing Gabbard, trying to get her to answer the
question of whether she now believes that Snowden is a traitor. Take a listen to what Senator James Lankford, a Republican on the committee, how
he was pressing her on this issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R- OK): So, was Edward Snowden a traitor?
GABBARD: Senator, my heart is with my commitment to our Constitution and our nation's security.
LANKFORD: Ours too.
GABBARD: Through -- I -- thank you. I have shown throughout my almost 22 years of service in the military, as well as my time in Congress, how
seriously I take the privilege of having access to classified information and our nation's secrets. And that's why I'm committed, if confirmed, as
Director of National Intelligence, to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden type leak.
[14:45:00]
LANKFORD: Was he a traitor at the time when he took America's secrets, released them in public, and then ran to China and became a Russian
citizen?
GABBARD: Senator, I'm focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BO LILLIS: So, as you can see here, Gabbard really refusing to directly answer the question. And now, the big question is whether or not this will
stand in her way with achieving the approval that she needs to get out of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She can only -- she cannot afford to
even lose a single Republican vote.
SOARES: Katie Bo and Zachary, thank you very much to you both for, keeping and bringing us up to date with the very latest on today's hearings.
Appreciate it.
And still to come tonight, we have the latest on the deadly plane crash in Washington. What we know so far about the investigation. We are waiting to
hear from the NTSB. They're expecting to hold a news conference. We'll bring that to you as soon as it gets underway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. We are continuing to follow the deadly midair collision that happened overnight in the Washington area. As you can
see there on your screen. We are waiting for an update from the National Transportation Safety Board. We -- of course, as soon as that gets
underway, we will bring that to you.
Earlier today, about an hour and a half or so ago, President Donald Trump said there were no survivors in the crash, 64 people were on board an
American Airlines regional jet and three on a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. Several of those killed were members of the figure skating
community. We played some sound at the top of the show to really get a sense what these -- all these families must be going through right now.
We know from many of them that were returning from a development -- developmental camp in Kansas. A source tells us more bodies have been
recovered in the past hour. The American Airlines plane was about to land when it collided with a helicopter plunging into the Potomac River. The
secretary of transportation says the flight was in a standard flight pattern as it approached landing.
Richard Quest joins me now, the very latest. And, Richard, we are -- if we can bring up just the press conference that we are across when that
happens. What are we likely to hear here, Richard, from the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board?
[14:50:00]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Yes. So, the chair -- just to refresh my memory, The chair --
Jennifer Homendy, has been chair, she was appointed -- she was nominated by President Trump in 2017, and has been chair since '18. So, she's been
around a while. She knows exactly what she's doing in this sort of thing.
What we would expect her to do is give us the tick tock of the events last night. She'll come out, she will tell us what happened, in factual terms.
She will then say the current state of the recovery operation, maybe tell us the number of bodies that have been recovered. She will give us factual
information. And she will start to outline the way in which the NTSB will hold the investigation.
SOARES: Still very early on to get a sense. The black box hasn't been recovered at this point. But, you know, you know this industry so well.
What questions do you have as to what unfolded? Because I heard you earlier today, Richard, and I know you have plenty. They were both on the flight
path that they needed to be on. So, what stands out to you in terms of how this unfolded?
QUEST: Why was the helicopter where it was? That's basically what it is. The aircraft seems to be exactly where it was supposed to be. It'd be --
you know, this last-minute diversion from Runway 1, which is straightforward to Runway 33, which would have -- which required the plane
to go like that, still going in that direction, that's going to be crucial in all of this.
But then, why didn't the helicopter see it? I mean, President Trump in his long press statement at a conference earlier was right. They were at the
same height in the same place at the same time, and they shouldn't have been. Why did that happen? What, of course, she is absolutely going to be
asked about?
SOARES: Yes.
QUEST: If I was there, I would frame the question, Madam Chair, do you -- will you be examining whether DEI played any role in this crash as alleged
by President Trump? Or a follow up, do we know, Madam Chair, whether any of the air traffic controllers had -- who were on duty, had been hired --
SOARES: There we go.
QUEST: -- had been -- here we go. Let's do the press conference.
SOARES: Let's listen in.
QUEST: Is it the chair?
SOARES: Let's see, they're all coming out still.
JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: Thank you for joining us. My name is Jennifer Homendy, and I'm the chairwoman of
the National Transportation Safety Board.
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency. That's charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation and
serious accident and serious incident in the United States and significant events in other modes of transportation.
I want to start by expressing our deepest condolences, our sympathies on behalf of the entire board for those who lost loved ones in this terrible
tragedy. Our thoughts, our prayers are with you. Entire communities were affected and we are thinking of you.
With me today is Bryce Banning. Bryce is a Senior Aircraft Accident Investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. He's also going
to serve as our investigator in charge of this investigation.
Also with me today is the entire board. We have Todd Inman, member Todd Inman. Todd is going to serve as the board member on scene, the
spokesperson for this investigation. All of the board members will be here. We have Vice Chairman Alvin Brown, member Mike Graham, who lived in Wichita
for 20 years. And we also have member Tom Chapman.
The NTSB headquarters is just a mile from here. And so, we are all here because this is an all-hands-on deck event. And we're here to assure the
American people that we are going to leave no stone unturned in this investigation. We are going to conduct a thorough investigation of this
entire tragedy, looking at the facts.
Now, with that, I want to level set. When we go to the scene, and we were here last night, we allow the responders to do their important safety
mission, which in this case, was search and rescue and recovery. We stand back to allow them to do their important safety mission.
[14:55:00]
And so, this for us, is our first full day on scene with our entire crew coming together. We have about nearly 50 people on scene. And in addition
to our resources back at headquarters and our labs and throughout the agency.
So, with that said, we are not going to get into specific facts in this press conference. I want to level set here. We're going to get into our
investigative process. As we are able to confirm factual information, we will provide that.
I do want to say, this is a whole of government effort. I was able to brief, along with others, the president of the United States and the vice
president this afternoon. I want to thank them for their leadership, for their tremendous support of the NTSB, for our investigators and for the
responders that are on scene doing an important mission.
I also want to thank Secretary Sean Duffy, who I was communicating with early on after we first got word of this tragedy. We've been working
together throughout the day, along with his team at the DOT and within FAA.
I also want to thank Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was also integral in working with us today. Chris Rocheleau, the acting administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration. We've heard from many members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. And so, I will say this is a tremendous, one
more time, whole of government effort.
I also want to take a moment and thank the many, many responders that have been on scene. It has been an incredible effort. And I will have a full
list that I will provide -- that we will provide tomorrow, but I do want to thank them for all their work.
With that, I am going to turn it over to Member Inman for additional remarks.
J. TODD INMAN, NTSB MEMBER AND BOARD MEMBER, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: So, today is our first full day on scene. Our investigative team
will be on scene as long as it takes in order to obtain all of the perishable evidence and all the fact-finding that is needed to bring us to
a conclusion of probable cause.
Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened. And to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again. Since we're
just beginning our investigation, we don't have a great deal of information to share right now. We will keep you informed by getting regular updates as
we learn more. Our intention is to have a preliminary report within 30 days and the final report will be issued once we've completed all of our fact-
finding and investigation.
Now, we will not be determining the probable cause of the accident while we are here on scene, nor will we speculate about what may have caused this
accident. Today, we will be going and having an organizational meeting and establishing our parties to our investigation.
We currently have the following parties that are already identified. PSA Airlines, GE Aerospace, Sikorsky, FAA, NACDA, which represents the air
traffic controllers, ALPA, which represents the pilots, Army, AFA, which represents the flight attendants, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada
will be an accredited representative under Annex 13 of ICAO. They will be supplemented by MHIRG as a technical adviser. They were previously known as
Bombardier. Sorry.
The NTSB offers this party status to those companies, government agencies and associations that have employees, activities or equipment involved in
the accident. We offer that because they will provide technical expertise and relevant information supporting the development of the best possible
factual record.
Once they join this investigation, they are not permitted to release documents or talk publicly about the investigation without the consent of
the NTSB. So, I want to stress this, it is only the NTSB that will provide information related to this investigation with one exception, regarding the
fatalities that occurred, that notification will be handled by the D.C. medical examiner. We will not be discussing fatalities or names. That will
be handled by them as the proper authority.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END