World Briefing: January 31, 2025

The air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport was understaffed on Wednesday evening when a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided in midair, according to a government report about the circumstances surrounding the disaster that killed 67 people and sparked renewed debate around the airport’s crowded airspace. According to the report, described to The Washington Post, two people were handling the jobs of four among other colleagues inside National’s control tower at the time of the collision. The control tower staffing levels, the report concludes, were “not normal” for the time of day or the amount of air traffic over D.C., where an average of more than 100 helicopters a day zip around and underneath arriving and departing airline flights. The crash occurred around 8:50 p.m., and its cause remained unclear Thursday evening.

• The plane that departed from Wichita on Wednesday evening carried 60 passengers and four crew members, according to a statement by American Airlines. The U.S. Army helicopter had a crew of three soldiers. Bodies were taken to National and near the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, where authorities had pitched red morgue tents on the banks of the Anacostia River.

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• The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the probe into Wednesday night’s collision, said the plane’s flight data and voice recorders, known as black boxes, have been recovered. The agencyhopes to have a preliminary report ready within 30 days. Efforts were suspended Thursday night with at least 14 people still missing - CNN.

• Donald Trump speculated that changing standards of hiring for air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration during the Biden and Obama presidencies may have been a factor in the disaster. But it’s unclear how that drive to make recruitment more diverse may have impacted the ranks of air traffic controllers, who Trump said needed to all be “naturally talented geniuses”. The FAA has more than 35,000 employees, only a fraction of which perform that role - BBC

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• Just a day before the fatal collision, another flight approaching Reagan was forced to abort its first landing and go around after a helicopter flew near its flight path, CNN has learned. At least two other pilots in the last three years reported near-misses with helicopters while landing at the airport.

“Rather than rising to the occasion, sticking to being consoler-in-chief to soothe the pain of a nation in the aftermath of a national tragedy, Donald Trump launches into partisan attacks at his first presser, partially blaming diversity policies for the crash at Reagan National. It certainly sets the tone for the next four years....”— Michael Bociurkiw

China’s military is building a massive complex in western Beijing that US intelligence believes will serve as a wartime command centre far larger than the Pentagon, according to current and former American officials. Satellite images obtained by the Financial Times that are being examined by US intelligence show a roughly 1,500-acre construction site 30km south-west of Beijing with deep holes that military experts assess will house large, hardened bunkers to protect Chinese military leaders during any conflict — including potentially a nuclear war. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Several current and former US officials said the intelligence community is closely monitoring the site, which would be the world’s largest military command centre — and 10 times the size of the Pentagon. Based on an assessment of satellite images obtained by the FT, major construction started in mid-2024. Three people familiar with the situation said some intelligence analysts have dubbed the project “Beijing Military City”. The construction comes as the People’s Liberation Army develops new weapons and projects ahead of the force’s centenary in 2027. US intelligence says President Xi Jinping has also ordered the PLA to have developed the capability to attack Taiwan by then. The PLA is also rapidly expanding its nuclear weapons arsenal and working to better integrate its different branches. Military experts believe the PLA’s lack of integration is among its biggest weaknesses compared to the US armed forces - Financial Times

North Korean soldiers who joined their Russian allies in battle against Ukrainian forces have been pulled off the front lines after suffering heavy casualties, according to Ukrainian and U.S. officials. The North Korean troops, sent to bolster Russian forces trying to push back a Ukrainian offensive inside Russia’s borders, have not been seen at the front for about two weeks, the officials said after requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive military and intelligence matters. The arrival of around 11,000 North Korean troops in Russia in November caused alarm in Ukraine and among its allies in the West, who feared their deployment signaled a significant escalation in the nearly three-year-old war. But in just three months, the North Korean ranks have diminished by half, according to Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top military commander. Ukrainian troops who have fought against the North Koreans have described them as fierce warriors. But disorganization in their ranks and a lack of cohesion with Russian units have quickly driven up casualties, a Ukrainian official said. Since arriving on the battlefield, the North Korean soldiers have been left to fend for themselves, advancing with few armored vehicles and rarely pausing to regroup or fall back, according to Ukrainian officials and frontline troops - NYT

Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has started to take shape nationally with aggressive new arrest quotas, planned deportation flights and executive orders that take aim at, among other things, birthright citizenship. All the while, immigrants living in the president’s backyard — in and around the nation’s capital — have drawn blinds, locked doors and begun to plan for the worst. Workers have left jobs early. Families have drafted safety plans and signed off on emergency guardianship rights for their children, giving that responsibility to older siblings. Visa-holders and those under temporary protected status have left frantic messages for attorneys. Prayers around the dinner table have taken on new weight. A 6-year-old in Maryland recently started adding a line to his: Please don’t let them take my abuela away - Washington Post

The Trump administration’s sudden move to suspend foreign aid has thrust many countries - especially Ukraine - into uncertainty as they assess how to proceed without the funding that has kept key social programs running for years. For Ukraine, the situation feels especially precarious, with the cuts raising questions about the future of everything from humanitarian aid supporting those most affected by Russia’s invasion to whether Washington will continue military funding. A congressional aide familiar with the matter said the order appeared to halt U.S. foreign military financing to Ukraine as well as direct bilateral economic assistance. USAID has sent more than $7.6 billion in humanitarian and development aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, plus $30 billion of direct budget support. A Ukrainian official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, maintained that the suspension did not affect direct U.S. budget assistance, which fills key gaps including paying for the salaries of public servants who keep the country running despite the war. But many other programs, ranging from support for humanitarian aid and energy assistance to news outlets and anti-corruption initiatives, have been halted. Assessing the full scale of repercussions is complicated by the fact that many affected organizations are declining to speak publicly, citing fears that they could face repercussions during the review process if they are perceived as having criticized the Trump administration. The White House has already suspended dozens of career officials from USAID amid accusations they are trying to circumvent Trump’s order. One person affiliated with USAID-supported programs in Ukraine said American funding has helped protect U.S. interests in the country, including through anti-corruption efforts. “USAID has done a lot of good things here, especially during the war — things like securing energy for communities that suffered because of Russian attacks, humanitarian work, school support, especially building shelters in schools,” the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity over fears of possible retaliation for criticizing the order. “My concern is that the current administration probably does not care as much about this humanitarian side of things.” - Washington Post

Donald Trump has had so much to say since his return to the Capitol that White House stenographers, the individuals tasked with transcription his words, are now having a hard time keeping up. “One of the things that has given him the advantage is that he thinks like an executive producer,” Kevin Madden, a Republican communications strategist, told AP News. “He’s constantly programming the next hour and trying to keep his audience engaged.” Trump’s words, or rather their ferocious volume, also draw in stark comparison with former President Joe Biden, who is a man of very few words. Biden, for example, spent 2 hours and 36 minutes talking on camera and used 24,259 words during his first week in 2021, AP reported. By comparison, Trump has shared nearly 7 hours and 44 minutes of camera time. For those of you doing the math, that’s about 81,235 words just last week. Examining the bigger events since his second term began, that’s 22,000 words on Inauguration Day and 17,000 words during his visit to disaster sites in North Carolina and California. “He’s dictating the news on his terms,” Michael LaRosa, who worked as a television producer before serving as a spokesperson for Jill Biden, told AP News. “He’s become America’s assignment editor.” - Daily Beast

The M23 rebel group’s assault on the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern city of Goma has brought familiar dangers for Congolese journalists, who for years have navigated intimidation and attacks from government and armed groups in the country’s restive, mineral-rich east. Advances by the M23, which United Nations experts say is supported by the Rwandan military — charges Rwanda has denied — in combat against DRC government forces, have intensified authorities’ efforts to control reporting about the conflict. The escalation of the long-running conflict in eastern DRC has worsened already harsh conditions for journalists trying to cover the conflict. All parties must prioritize the safety of journalists,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program. “Sadly, we are seeing death threats against journalists and Congolese authorities pursuing a strategy of censorship similar to that used by other governments to stifle public interest reporting of wars and security concerns.”

Russian schools need to hold more “romantic” events, including school discos, to encourage teenagers to start families, Education Ministry official Natalia Agre said at a State Duma roundtable discussion titled “From Population Preservation to Population Growth” on Thursday. Her comments were reported by Agentstvo Media. “We organize a lot of serious and important events — understandably, given the ongoing special military operation — but where is the romance for children? […] Where are out school discos? Only eight percent of young people aged 18 to 21 see themselves in family life. That’s very little. And why is that? Because we haven’t created the conditions for romantic relationships. Agre also promised to work with her colleagues to “place greater emphasis on shaping proper relationships between the sexes before they enter adulthood.” The roundtable event was part of an official discussion among lawmakers on ways to achieve the targets set by Vladimir Putin last May, when he issued a decree stating that the Russian birthrate should reach 1.6 by 2030 and 1.8 by 2036. It currently stands at 1.4. - Meduza

The BBC World Service has announced it will cut 130 jobs as part of a plan to save around £6m in the next financial year. Planned cost-saving measures include closing posts in the UK and internationally as well as roles in BBC Monitoring, a division which reports and analyses news from media around the world. The World Service was given a funding boost by the government as part of the autumn Budget, but financial pressures and the previous two-year freeze in the licence fee means the corporation’s projected total deficit will increase to £492 million for the 2024/25 financial year. Despite the cuts, it said it will continue to provide journalistic coverage across its 42 language services - BBC

This Briefing is reprinted with the author’s permission. Please find the original here.