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Washington DC Plane Crash: After American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, collided midair with an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport, leaving no survivors, US President Donald Trump criticised diversity policies implemented during the Obama and Biden administrations, blaming them for compromising air safety standards. 

Trump claimed that these policies prioritised diversity over safety, stating, "I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first." He argued that the Obama administration’s directive, which deemed certain positions “too white”, undermined competence. Trump also accused the Biden administration of further lowering standards, calling their policies "horrible" and their politics "even worse".

Trump also questioned the helicopter’s movements before the collision, suggesting that the pilot had multiple options to avoid the crash. "You could have gone up, you could have gone down," Trump remarked, emphasising that the helicopter had manoeuvring capabilities that could have prevented the incident.

 Here Are The Latest Updates

 - Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the midair collision between a passenger plane and an Army helicopter "shouldn't have happened" and assured that reforms would be implemented to prevent such incidents in the future.

 - Vice President JD Vance suggested, without providing evidence, that air traffic control hiring standards have been lowered, and claimed the Trump administration would address this issue.

 - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the midair collision occurred during a routine training mission, but acknowledged that "a mistake was made" during the training.

 - Flights resumed taking off from Reagan National Airport late Thursday morning, with several departures from the Southwest Airlines terminal starting just after 11 am.

 - Trump announced that Chris Rocheleau, former chief operating officer of the National Business Aviation Association, will serve as the acting commissioner of the Federal Aviation Administration following the tragedy.

 - Emergency authorities have transitioned to a "recovery effort" following the plane crash, with 28 bodies recovered so far.