Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday.
All 67 people died in a midair crash near D.C.Rescue crews rushed into the Potomac River, just three miles from the White House, after a commercial jet carrying 64 people collided last night with an Army helicopter carrying three service members. By morning, officials determined that no one had survived. The incident was the first fatal crash involving a major U.S. airline in more than 15 years. The night was clear, and both aircraft were following standard flight paths, officials said. But roughly a minute after the helicopter crew told air traffic control that it could see the jet, the two aircraft collided. We mapped out the flight paths. Among the victims on the flight, a two-and-a-half-hour journey from Wichita, Kansas, were a group of friends returning from a duck hunting trip and more than a dozen figure skaters, including two world champions from Russia. Emergency personnel pulled more than two dozen bodies from icy water, and federal transportation officials launched an investigation into the disaster. An internal preliminary report, reviewed by The Times, found that staffing at the air traffic control tower was "not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic." The controller who was handling helicopters was also instructing landing and departing planes, duties typically managed by two people. Shortly before the crash, the jet's pilots were asked to pivot their landing route from one runway to another. A webcam caught the moment of impact. In a news conference, President Trump largely blamed the Army helicopter crew for the crash, who, he said, "should've seen where they were going." The president also blamed the diversity policies of his Democratic predecessors, arguing that standards for air traffic controllers had become too lax. When asked for evidence, Trump said: "I have common sense." For more: Here's a timeline of the crash and the recovery effort.
Three high-profile Trump nominees faced tough questionsKash Patel, Trump's pick to run the F.B.I., alternated between deference and defiance today during his Senate confirmation hearing. Under aggressive questioning from Democrats, Patel suggested that he disagreed with Trump's decision to grant clemency to violent Jan. 6 rioters, and he distanced himself from his previous criticisms of the bureau. He also refused to say that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Here's what we learned. In a separate hearing on Capitol Hill, senators questioned Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's nominee to run national intelligence. Members of both parties were frustrated by her refusal to call Edward Snowden, who leaked classified information, a traitor. Gabbard, who likely can lose the support of only three Republicans, was also questioned about her sympathy toward Vladimir Putin. In yet another room on the Hill, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for health secretary, sat for his second day of questions. We fact-checked the health claims he made.
Gaza hostage release descended into chaosIsrael released 110 Palestinian prisoners today, including some convicted of deadly attacks, after a chaotic hostage handover in Gaza that cast doubt on whether the exchange would go ahead. Hamas released three Israeli and five Thai hostages after they spent more than a year in captivity. One release, in Gaza's north, went relatively smoothly. But in the southern city of Khan Younis, the hostages were surrounded by crowds, some of whom chanted support for Hamas. See videos from the scenes. For more: The families of the released Thai hostages, who worked in Israel as farmhands, shed tears of joy. More top news
Bill Gates wrote about his beginningsWhen Bill Gates was a child, he would sneak out of his window at night to write code. It was the kind of relentless drive that is present throughout "Source Code," the first volume of his planned three-volume memoir. Here's our review. The book has been in the works for at least a decade, but it arrives at an unusual moment, as Gates's fellow tech billionaires have been unleashed. My colleague David Streitfeld interviewed him about how he fit in. For more: Gates said his biggest regret was letting his marriage slip away.
A blue farewellAfter 17,800 shows and 82,150 gallons of paint, Blue Man Group is hanging up its bald caps at the Astor Place Theater in New York City for good this weekend. Over 34 years there, the trio of silent, earless blue-and-black-clad performers, who drum in primary colors, unexpectedly became a culture-infiltrating sensation. The group is sticking around in other cities, but closing the New York production, where it all began, marks the end of a spectacularly eccentric chapter. "Part of what New York is all about is like, be your crazy self, get your freak on, try your thing out," said Chris Wink, one of the founding performers.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This lush and creamy éclair cake is perfect for any gathering Watch: "Companion" is a near-future horror-comedy with a new twist every 10 minutes or so. Read: Warm up your winter nights with these romance novels. Listen: Check out Ravel's solo piano works and four other classical music albums. Rest: Here's what to eat and drink for a good night's sleep. Hunt: Which Ohio house would you buy with a $450,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
Don't underestimate the dad bodPatrick Mahomes is leading the Kansas City Chiefs to their fifth Super Bowl in six years. He is considered among the best quarterbacks in N.F.L. history. And yet, compared with our idea of a world-class athlete, he's kind of flabby. Mahomes has called his physique a "dad bod." He's not the only elite athlete who lacks muscle definition. Just look at the lumbering frame of Nikola Jokić, a three-time M.V.P. in the N.B.A. My colleagues at The Athletic explained what we misunderstand about athleticism. Have a relatable evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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