Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest on the Flight 5342 crash: “A preliminary FAA report on the collision found that air traffic control tower staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was ‘not normal’ for the amount of air traffic and for the time of day, a source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.”
* We have an acting FAA chief again: “President Donald Trump said today he is immediately appointing an acting commissioner to the Federal Aviation Administration — Chris Rocheleau, a 22-year veteran of the agency.”
* In the Middle East: “Hamas today freed eight hostages and Israel was set to release 110 Palestinian detainees and prisoners during the latest exchange in the ongoing ceasefire-hostage deal.”
* GDP data: “Growth slowed but remained resilient at the end of 2024, leaving the U.S. economy on solid footing heading into a new year — and a new presidential administration — that is full of uncertainty. U.S. gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, grew at a 2.3 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of last year, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday.”
* On the Hill: “Senate Budget Committee Republicans approved Russ Vought’s nomination to serve as President Donald Trump’s budget director on Thursday, overcoming the absence of Democrats on the panel who boycotted the markup. The 11-0 party-line vote clears the way for Vought’s nomination to go to the full Senate.”
* Noted without comment: “Meta said Wednesday it would pay $25 million to settle a four-year-old lawsuit from President Donald Trump over the social media company’s decision to suspend Trump’s accounts after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.” * Tariff threats: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would likely decide by the end of the day whether to put a 25% tariff on imports of Mexican and Canadian oil that would take effect on Feb 1. ‘We may or may not. We’re going to make that determination probably tonight,’ Trump told reporters at the White House.” * Quite an allegation: “A senior NATO official has confirmed that there was a Russian scheme to kill Armin Papperger, the head of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The plot, which was foiled by United States and German intelligence, was part of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe, according to NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber James Appathurai.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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