John Farrell

In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how. The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.

For our new visual investigation into how night vision and city lights may have played a part in the DCA crash we flew a drone along the helicopters route, filmed incoming planes through night vision goggles, and analyzed it all within a 3D model of Washington, D.C.
Watch here wapo.st/4atdTBI

Trump team cites wolf ‘de-extinction’ as reason to cut endangered species list The interior secretary cited a biotech company’s claim to have brought back the dire wolf to generate momentum for a rollback of 50 years of species protections.

The latest from Dino Grandoni:

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

These L.A. homeowners had coverage for fire. But not for the toxins left behind. Clashes over covering smoke damage have become a growing issue in recent years as wildfires intensify and home insurance companies look for ways to limit their financial risks.

As wildfires intensify and insurance companies look for ways to limit their risks, clashes over covering smoke damage have multiplied. Now the problem has come to LA, where CA's high-risk insurer is refusing to clean up "nonpermanent damage" left by the fire.

www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

At this point if the helicopter pilot had misidentified the incoming plane for one further behind, it would have become increasingly difficult for them to realize their mistake as the AA 5342 jet's lights merged with the city lights below as it arced to the east preparing to land at runway 33.

Our examination shows how the American Airlines jet, AA5342, and the second plane AA3130, though separated by miles, would have appeared close to one another near the horizon and the helicopter crew could have confused the two jets when the tower first warned of incoming air traffic.

3D analysis shows how helicopter pilots could have mixed up jets in DCA crash From the perspective of the helicopter cockpit, the lights of the incoming American Airlines jet could have also been obscured by the glow of the city skyline, pilots said.

Helicopter pilot's request for "visual separation" from passenger plane complicated by city lights and potential confusion with another jet in line of sight, our new 3D reconstruction shows.
wapo.st/4htyTJf

Trump preps order to dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE probes data Closing the agency would require congressional approval, so the new administration hopes to diminish it in the meantime.

New Washington Post reporting:

Some DOGE staffers have gained access to internal systems at the Education Dept., including a financial aid dataset that contains personal information for millions of students enrolled in the federal student aid program.

www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

In a first, scientists find microplastics are building up deep in our brains A new study shows that microplastics are making their way into our brains, and that their numbers are rising.

Amid everything, a new study finds that microplastics are accumulating in human brains.

“Every time we scratch the surface, it uncovers a whole host of, ‘Oh, is this worse than we thought?’” lead author Matthew Campen told me last fall.

A short thread: 1/

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

House GOP nears plan for Trump’s agenda — but may not have the votes Republicans will attempt a tax and spending bill that will not require substantial budget cuts, but there may be serious math problems ahead.

🚨 Big Scoop: We have the "blueprint" that House Republican leadership presented for reconciliation bill at their Miami retreat this week.

Spoiler alert: For all the talk of spending cuts, it doesn't actually cut spending.

via me + @mariannasotomayor.bsky.social

Poll: Md. Gov. Moore’s taxes on the wealthy and cannabis are popular Maryland residents support Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthy, but they’re not enthusiastic about a 75-cent delivery fee.

I made a bunch of charts using Maryland colors and I think you'll appreciate that: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Analysis | $50 million for condoms in Gaza? There’s no evidence of the White House claim. The figure would rain 1.5 billion condoms on an area only double the size of the District of Columbia.

NEW --> $50 million for condoms in Gaza? There’s no evidence of the White House claim. wapo.st/40AkYK3

Does Elon Musk cheat at video games? An investigation. The world’s richest man has paid to boost his online warriors into global leaderboards, raising questions about his prowess — and his need for digital praise.

This is my Watergate wapo.st/4aBla0g

Hello, I am a video reporter for the Washington Post. Are you the original source of this video? If so, we would like to play your video alongside our reporting on our website with credit to you. Could you also please provide the location of this video? Thank you, please stay safe.

Trump dropping his own memecoin means he has the wrong people in his ear re crypto policy. I’m now getting very concerned about the Trump presidency.

nic carter @nic__carter · 11h Something that hasn’t been much discussed - creating a bunch of personal memecoins opens the door to secretive foreign buyers trying to curry influence with our leaders. If you hated hunter biden’s anonymous art sales, you should hate this too. nic carter @nic__carter Basically, we used to have an informal rule that presidents wouldn’t start or run businesses that could pose a conflict of interest. Creating a bunch of memecoins and defi protocols opens the possibility to rampant violations of the emoluments clause. Not to mention the obvious COI given the fact that trump can set crypto policy.

Ryan Selkis (d/acc) 🇺🇸 @twobitidiot Dear @realDonaldTrump : Please fire whoever recommended going forward with the Melania launch today. 1. They don’t know what they’re doing. 2. They cost you a lot of $ and goodwill. 3. They don’t have your interests in mind.

Brent @Brentsketit feel bad for anyone trying to build anything serious rn president just making a complete mockery of this industry fighting another biden admin prolly would have been better longterm

I’m not sure people quite grasp how much of the crypto world is reacting to the Trump memecoin launches.

hell yeah

Watch Inauguration Day live on Jan. 20 at 9:15 a.m. ET YouTube video by Washington Post

The Washington Post will carry live coverage of Trump’s inauguration all day: www.youtube.com/live/8XEWiuk...

I had my doubts when I first heard of this $1000 trash can, but after a couple of weeks of churning produce, crushing bones and shredding expired meat, it might have won me over:

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

Why the world needs lazier robots To waste less energy, language models, self-driving cars and industrial robots need to think less.

Data centers worldwide generate only around 1 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. But by 2026, data centers are projected to use double the electricity than they did in 2022 as demand for data processing and computing grows.

PSA: USPS has D&D stamps for your holiday card needs

Who Needs Transmission Wires Anyway? — Episode 175 of Local Energy Rules - Institute for Local Self-Reliance Visited 106 times, 1 visit(s) today

We could get firm power from modular wind-solar-battery hybrid projects today, rather than waiting on transmission expansion for large-scale projects or yet-to-be commercialized modular nuclear power: 🔌💡

We Built the Raft and It Floats! Awesome DIY Raft from Storage Bins and Plywood Step-By-Step YouTube video by Scoutmaster Outdoors

Like these guys:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHpn...

I think a wood frame with ply wood should work with your base. Then put that on top of giant storage bins sealed with some kind of waterproof adhesive.

I made a starter pack of @washingtonpost.com journalists on this app to make it easier for you to read / curse at us all go.bsky.app/D7WHbei

“This ridiculously tendentious story, its predetermined conclusions, and its hand-picked ‘experts’ who just happen to parrot the writer’s long-existing biases, is a great example of what Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos now describes as the media’s ‘long and continuing fall in credibility’—in fact, it’s hard to explain how Bezos hasn’t fired you yet"

Full Trump Media response to me for this story: “This ridiculously tendentious story ... is a great example of what Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos now describes as the media’s ‘long and continuing fall in credibility’—in fact, it’s hard to explain how Bezos hasn’t fired you yet" wapo.st/3UVnY1G

For years, Tulsi Gabbard has echoed claims made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Syria and Ukraine.

New @washingtonpost.com archival mashup:

Ten months ago, Nathan MacKinnon steamrolled the overmatched Capitals at Ball Arena. They never had a chance to keep pace.
Last night, MacKinnon was neutralized. It was an important bounce back after Wednesday, and a sign of how far the Caps have come:
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/...