for all those making it big out there... ...shouldn't your mobile service be able to keep up with you? get wifi speeds up to a gig at home and on the go. introducing powerboost, only from xfinity mobile. now that's big. xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half vs. t-mobile, verizon, and at&t for your first year. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. needs. we got you. >> get $30 off at ro. >> covid day. >> good day. i'm jose diaz-balart in for andrea mitchell, who is on assignment. she's covering secretary of state rubio's first foreign trip. she'll be joining us shortly from panama. but we begin in washington, where there's a major change in effect for the airspace where that regional passenger jet and an army helicopter collided in mid-air on wednesday night. the

faa tells nbc news there are new restrictions for where helicopters can fly, with exceptions for medevac and police activity. divers, meanwhile, are back in the potomac hoping to recover more victims, as well as salvage more evidence from the regional passenger jet and army helicopter that collided mid-air on wednesday. 41 of the 67 victims have been pulled from the icy waters. the youngest that we know of right now, just 11 years old. new video of the collision, first aired by cnn, appears to show the jet on approach, the black hawk flying close by before they collide and both plunge into the river. investigators hope to pull critical clues from the passenger jets, black boxes, which have been recovered and are now being analyzed. a preliminary faa report found staffing at the control tower was, quote, not normal, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, only one person was overseeing both airplane and helicopter traffic at the time of the crash,

although that is allowed by faa guidelines. joining me now, nbc news senior correspondent tom costello at reagan national airport, nbc senior national security correspondent courtney kube at the pentagon, and former ntsb and faa safety investigator jeff guzzetti. so, tom, a lot of new developments this morning. what's the very latest? >> we have a lot of multiple developments on multiple fronts. but let's start with that air traffic control focus. and that is because as you mentioned, there was only one controller wednesday night handling both helicopter activity and plane activity. right behind me right there. and as you can see, as we have planes moving on the tarmac, the river, the potomac river is right behind. let me just come out a second. that plane that's coming in and the planes you see taking off right behind them is the potomac river. so that is heavy with helicopter traffic constantly, 100 helicopters a day, more or less. and then, of course, the plane activity into and out of

reagan airport, also known as dca. i can tell you that today that runway, runway three three, which the which the regional jet was coming in to make the landing on that runway remains closed because right at the end of that runway out there in the river, they are still working to recover bodies and bring up the remains of both aircraft. so they're keeping runway 33 closed. and as a result, we've got more than 90 cancellations or so right now at reagan national airport out to let me get back to the air traffic control issue, because on that night, just one controller was handling both planes and choppers. typically you have one on choppers, one on planes. but a supervisor, according to a source, tells me that in fact, a supervisor had let one controller leave early and therefore they were consolidating that that activity with just a single a single controller. that's allowed, not optimal, but it is allowed under faa standards. also a focus on why the chopper appears to have been at an altitude above its designated altitude. choppers

operating in this area must remain under 200ft. this chopper appears to have been 350 to 400ft, and so it literally at the same altitude, more or less, as the regional jet. the question is why? why was it operating at that level? keeping in mind that this flight, this chopper flight was on a training mission, as we understand it, the copilot was actually the one who is being certified or checked out to operate in this airspace. so those are the questions. now, the ntsb really wants to get hold of the black box from the helicopter. you mentioned that they have them from the plane. they want that black box from the helicopter, because that will provide the real constant data stream on the altitude, the data that they get transmitted from the chopper comes in bursts. they want the stream, the real time stream, which will give them a constant rate reading, rather on the altitude of the helicopter at the time of the crash. and then lastly, i can tell you that the

ntsb has been working as you would expect, also with the families keeping them updated. the families are at a nearby hotel. the ntsb is trying to give them briefings and keep them away from all of the activity here at the airport, not only, of course, the reporters who are here, but also candidly away from the air activity. right. so the families are not around planes that are taking off and landing because this is still a very busy airport. even with that runway closed, it is still very busy here. and there's a lot of activity on any, any given day, any given hour. >> jose and tom, just thinking and looking at this from from the distance, you know, our distance to this horrible incident. but but tom, it seems as though the black boxes from the airplane, as you say, that have already been recovered, are far less important for the investigation than the black box on that helicopter. because, tom, it looked as though that

airplane was coming in. right? it was pretty much textbook coming in. there was nothing different unusual about the flight path, about there was nothing. i mean, it could have been on autopilot for all the way it was doing. so it's as if the only outlier of this was the helicopter. >> yeah. and the radio, the air traffic control radio traffic suggests that the controller asked the chopper, do you have the rj regional jet? do you have the rj in sight? and the chopper pilot responded, yes, but here's the question. at about that same moment, though, another rj was taking off or another plane taking off from a different runway, so did the chopper pilot simply confuse which plane they were seeing? did did the chopper pilot think the control tower was saying, hey, watch out for the plane that's taking off, instead of the plane that's literally in front of them. that will be part of this investigation. i think you're right about how how much value there is from the plane's black

boxes. they are critical in that they are part of the total picture, trying to come up with the entire timeline of what happened. but the real evidence probably is going to be on that. choppers, flight data recorder, flight data, black box, which will give them the altitude readings. >> jeff, what are you seeing and what are the questions, the preliminary important questions that you think are being asked right now. >> jose, i think. >> the controllers are. >> being interviewed. i think ntsb investigators are are meticulously reviewing the policies and procedures and agreements between those the military and the faa control tower for those helicopter flights in there. i think that they're going to be examining the congestion of this airport, and they're going to be. >> doing their normal. >> routine aspects of looking into maintenance and operations and how the pilots were trained. but they're in full investigative mode, and you can

be sure that they're going to try to piece together meticulously, second by second, how these targets came to occupy the same space. >> and, courtney, so what do we know from the military's perspective as about this three person crew on board the chopper? two the black hawk? what do we know about their experience and about who they were? >> yeah. >> we're getting. >> a lot. >> of people in the military and the army specifically, who are warning us that we need to be careful about making any kind of assumptions before this investigation is done. you know, we've been hearing from tom's great reporting that the this we could this could be a matter of weeks before we have some sort of sense of what may have happened here, but the military is really asking everyone to pause and wait until the facts actually come out. as far as the experience of the pilots and that crew chief, army officials are saying that they were all well experienced. one of the main pilot, the instructor pilot with more than 1000 hours in the cockpit of a helicopter, the.

copilot 500 hours the crew chief well experienced in all three of them well experienced in this unit, meaning that they were familiar with the corridors, with the routes, with the restrictions that go along with flying in this area, specifically when we're talking about the congested airspace around national airport and around these military bases that are throughout this area. so the army officials are telling us. >> look. >> these people were not new pilots, despite the fact that this was a training mission or it was an evaluation mission that does not indicate that their level of experience in the cockpit was low. so again, but again, the standard way of handling a military aircraft mishap or crash, really, no matter the scale and scope of it, is always that the military does not talk about any of the kinds of facts in advance. that's really why this has been such a departure from how we're

used to covering these sort of, these sorts of, of incidents. and, you know, tom knows that. well, the ntsb tends to take that same posture as well. >> yeah. and, tom, i mean, i was just thinking, you know, it's important to kind of talk a little bit about blackhawks. i remember i mean, essentially blackhawks are the substitute or the new version of what for from vietnam war to the central american wars. the hueys. right? i mean, they're kind of like the, the. f or, you know, used maintenance light aircraft. >> well, i'm no expert on blackhawks because even courtney and i kind of divide up our responsibilities. right. she handles military aviation and i kind of handle civilian aviation. but i can tell you that back here at that reagan, there is also focus of another close call the day before here at reagan, in which an inbound rj regional jet reported that a

helicopter and we don't know what kind of a helicopter got in front of it, got into its flight path, and the regional jet had to abort landing. so that is leading to this broader conversation about, you know, the overall volume of traffic here at reagan national airport, specifically as it relates to helicopter activity up and down the river. listen, there's already been an ongoing fight here, and i mean a fight because it's with the city. it's with, you know, the airport. it's with congress about the fact that congress has added more and more and more flights here at reagan national. i mean, this airport was designed for 15 million passengers a year. it now handles 25 million. and it's because, in part, congress keeps adding flights to congressional districts, because congress wants to be able to get home quickly. so, for example, this flight from wichita had just been added a year ago. but, you know, coming from an airport on the east coast all the way to

wichita, you might find that unusual that they wouldn't go through a hub, for example, right? kansas city, for example, saint louis. but no, it's a direct flight into wichita. and there are many of those all over the country from reagan. because this airport is so convenient. it's so i mean, literally, i can see capitol hill from where i am. it's so convenient for members of congress to jump on a plane here and get home quickly. okay. the question is whether by adding all of those flights, they've simply added to the congestion here at reagan. >> tom, thanks for refocusing me on that, because, you know, here i am looking about the history of the black hawk and everything. and whereas that's important, it's important also to talk about what is really right now critical. and jeff, i'm just wondering, you know, along the potomac, helicopter corridors intersect with south southeastern approach to runway 33 as a pilot. what's it like when you spot another aircraft so close from the cockpit and then at night and then what aircraft it is. what's that like? >> it can be a challenge. it can

be startling. but you know, you're kind of expected to see additional airplanes. the closer you get to an airport. and, you know, the statistics will show that most mid-air collisions occur near airports where you have multiple airplanes coming in. this this crew of the american airlines. >> airplane was. >> focused on putting the airplane down on the runway. so there could have been some peripheral vision there, but they need to all the pilots need to see and avoid and be alert to that. >> so it's. >> it can be challenging, especially in a, a congested airport like washington dc. >> tom costello, courtney kuby and jeff guzzetti, thank you all so very much. really appreciate it. after a break, heartbreak throughout the figure skating community, take a listen to one skating coach in indiana who had a decades long relationship with the russian athletes who lost their lives in the crash. describing the enormous loss she

feels. >> my close friends. who were world champions, a husband and wife. i grew up with them. i compete against them. i knew them since we were 14 years, extremely heartbreaking news for me. >> hey, it's. >> ryan reynolds and this. >> year. >> our holiday commercial. >> is just stuff i picked. >> up. >> for $5 from. >> a. >> yard sale. oh, good. >> you're still doing this? doing what? >> well. >> the holiday offer. >> all the big wireless companies. >> stopped doing theirs in january. >> so i wanted. >> to make sure that we. >> don't stop. >> loving our customers just. >> because december. >> is over. >> his future. me micromanaging me. >> me. >> just just. >> cut to the offer. well, it's. >> your commercial now. >> your commercial now. >> i am insufferable. growing your business is easy once you know the moves. with godaddy websites plus marketing, you can quickly create a website, and ai will customize it for you.

get your business out there and get more customers in here. no sweat... for you anyway. create a beautiful website in minutes with godaddy. got an itchy throat from allergies? new claritin liquid provides powerful, all-day allergy relief in an instantly soothing liquid. for relief of even your most irritating symptoms, like an itchy throat. new claritin liquid. live claritin clear.® least. >> you can go to safelite. com and schedule a fix. >> in minutes. go to safelite. >> in minutes. go to safelite. >> com a prilosec knows, for a fire... one fire extinguisher beats 10 buckets of water, and for zero heartburn 1 prilosec a day... beats taking up to 10 antacids a day. it's that simple, for 24 hour heartburn relief... one beats ten. prilosec otc.

members of their own athletes, coaches and family members were among the victims in that deadly dc crash, making up as many as a third of the 60 passengers on that flight. six people were affiliated with the skating club of boston. young athletes gina hahn and spencer lane, their mothers, jin hahn and christine lane, and coaches yevgenia shishkova and vadim naumov. young skaters, kids as young as 11 from northern virginia, from pennsylvania and elsewhere were also on board. olympic figure skater nancy kerrigan, who was connected to the boston club, became emotional over the community's loss. >> even when you're crying, hurt, pain, you get back up and move forward. it's not easy, but that's what we all have to do now together. >> joining us now, laura mitchell. she is the president

of the philadelphia skating club, which lost members in this crash. they're waiting for u.s. figure skating to make those names public. laura, thank you very much. i'm so sorry for the loss of so many people. just how how are you? how is the skating community? how is the entire community doing? >> the. >> it's always. >> difficult to cope. >> with such sudden, unexpected loss. and as you just showed. >> the clip. >> from nancy. >> everyone is. >> is grieving in. different ways. >> but everyone is clearly grieving. we are. in still in a state. >> of shock and trying to piece. together as best we can what. >> happened, what. >> to do next. >> and really, in a way, i. >> guess what. >> happened almost. it's. >> an intellectual exercise

because what we need to do it won't change. it won't change what needs to be done. >> it won't. change the fact that they're gone. your previous segment. was quite specific about facts. about how. >> this happened, how that happened in the collision and. >> who. was there. >> and who wasn't. >> i was just struck. >> through that time of. just the loss. >> of people. the children, the. >> the fact. >> that these. >> bright lights, the. >> possible future stars of the figure. >> skating world. >> are just their. >> dreams are gone. they're they're no. >> longer here. >> they're they're the coaches. >> that. >> were training them, their families. this is just. >> such an incredible tragedy. >> and we're all trying to process it. >> and trying to move forward the. >> best we can. >> as you said, we are. >> not ready to communicate the names until we have. official notification.

>> from the airline about. >> who was on that plane. >> yeah. and i too was struck, laura, about, you know, when you have to just even saying it this 11 year old child, i mean, every single life is precious. every single person had their own individual legacy of service. every single person had dreams, hopes, aspirations and to just, you know, it's so difficult to comprehend, to understand why these dreams, hopes and aspirations are extinguished and yet how does this affect your. it's almost as though you are within a community, within a

town, within a country, within a planet. how how much of an impact is it having in your community? >> so it's interesting you use. those phrases because. >> we actually in the. >> figure skating community. >> this is an incredibly tight knit community that i'm in philadelphia, but i know the people in delaware, i know. >> some of the people. >> in washington, i know some of the people in boston. i see them at competitions. there are skaters and the skaters for our club interact. >> with each other, see each other. >> especially at the high level. there just aren't that. many skaters. everyone knows everyone. and so a loss like this hits both at the community local level, but. also at the community wider level. just that there are. connections that we have with towns. >> and cities.

>> quite far away. >> from us. just because these people. >> also took from that coach. these people also supported. >> that skater. >> these people. saw that that skater, that family at a recent competition. and we are all grieving in one way or another. and so at the moment, we are trying to process that grief. we have each of us a different way of coping with it, and we are just trying to figure out the best way to move forward. but yes, the loss of dreams, of aspirations, of many, many things for everyone on that flight. >> is. is just. >> crippling in in terms of the emotional intensity of it. >> oh, yeah. i mean, you know, the, the pilots, the young pilots that, you know, had a one year old child or or the or the or the or the attorney returning back to dc on a business trip

that, that had just started her professional career, but that had already accomplished and achieved so much in her young life. every single one of those people were going to contribute, and maybe to such a degree that would change the world, but it would certainly change their life experience and the life experience of their families. and it's just it's just tough to, to conceive. and, laura, i just thank you so much for being with us today. i very much appreciate your time. thank you. appreciate your time. thank you. we'll be right back. that grimy film on your teeth? dr. g? ♪♪

it's actually the buildup of plaque bacteria which can cause cavities. most toothpastes quit working in minutes. but crest pro-health's antibacterial fluoride protects all day. so it stops cavities before they start... crest. replace. >> but replacing. >> your windshield doesn't have >> your windshield doesn't have to be. go to safelite. it's time to grow your business. create a website. how? godaddy. coding... nah. but all that writing... nope. ai, done, built. let's get to work. create a beautiful website in minutes with godaddy. so switch to the carrier ranked number one in network coverage satisfaction. now new customers get your second month free when you switch. what if you could

tackle your dog's itching, soft stools and low energy? millions of pet parents are. raving about doctor. >> marty nature's blend. such a huge difference in. your health. more energy, more playful. >> no more pooping issues. >> i'm doctor marty. >> i've been. >> a veterinarian for more than 50 years. the dangerous. ingredients added to many pet foods could be impacting your dog's lifespan. >> that's why i. >> formulated nature's blend. >> now you can feed your dog wholesome cuts. >> of real. >> meat, vegetables and fruit. >> with no artificial preservatives. preservatives. >> or upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast. tears. >> it works. >> differently than drops. blink nutri tears is a once daily supplement clinically proven to hydrate from within, helping your eyes produce more of their

own tears to promote lasting, continuous relief. you'll feel day after day. try blink nutri day after day. try blink nutri tears a different way to support whoa! how'd you get your teeth so white? you gotta use the right toothpaste! dr. c?! ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same. crest 3d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best. crest. >> customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. >> you're just a flightless bird. no. >> he's. >> a. >> dreamer, frank. >> and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did for $50

instantly. when you play. >> your first $5 lineup, prize. >> picks run your game. >> 26. we're following breaking news from washington, where, as part of president trump's pushback on diversity and inclusion initiatives, nbc news has learned that the defense intelligence agency has ordered a pause on all events related to mlk day or black history month, which we should note begins tomorrow. joining us now with more nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell. atlantic staff writer ashley parker and errin haines, editor in chief at the 19th. so, kelly,

this follows a string of anti dea dei initiatives and messaging from the white house. what's this one about? >> well, certainly what. >> we're seeing is that in this particular agency, the. defense intelligence agency. >> there is. >> a memo that has been distributed to staff members making clear that the agency will not support any celebration. commemoration events. >> associated with. >> black history. >> month. >> martin luther king day, and. >> so forth. now. >> martin luther king day. >> is enshrined in. >> federal law as. >> a federal holiday. so it's. unclear what that means in terms of how that would be observed. federal workers do not have. >> to come. >> to work on a federal. holiday to state the obvious. so one. >> of the. >> questions we hope to learn more about. >> is how widespread. >> is this approach? >> president trump. >> has been very clear in his public statements and in his use of various instruments with a. pen meaning a memo or an executive order, or the various things that we've been seeing, seeing him. >> sign since he came into office, very clearly.

>> saying that. >> he wants. >> to root out dei. >> programing and. >> hiring related. practices and so forth. and as he has described. >> it. >> he wants the best. >> people. >> regardless of. >> what they. >> look like. >> or how they speak. or or how they live. and so is. >> this a broad. >> policy that will affect. all parts of the federal government, or was this the interpretation of a given agency to be in alignment with the. >> white house. >> part of what this new trump administration has been trying to do is to get the federal workforce to be. >> in. >> step with. >> president trump's priorities. >> and his view of how the federal government. >> should. >> operate in a broad array of areas. and included. >> in that. >> is handling matters that deal with diversity, equity and inclusion programing. >> and they have rooted. >> out those programs for funding to say those will no longer. >> be funded. >> but things like black history month. >> which are not, which are celebrated in. >> many different. >> contexts, in. >> workplaces, in communities

and so forth. so we have more. questions here about. what does this mean. and how will the federal workforce note what have been longstanding practices in american culture to honor black history month and other kinds of initiatives that lift up. parts of. >> our large community. >> whether it's persons with disabilities, whether it's women's issues, the whole array of things. but at the. >> moment, because, as you point. >> out. >> february 1st begins black history month. how will it play. out on. >> the federal level? >> that's part. >> of what we're trying to pursue. >> we have evidence. >> now of an agency. saying no activities, and we want. >> to find. >> out how broad it is. >> yeah, i mean, erin, that is a memo. it could be a suggestion. it could be an interpretation. but the president has also signed a series of executive actions, executive orders that deal with this. there is a thread here. >> absolutely, jose. >> and there is.

>> also to kelly's point, there's a long standing. >> tradition among. >> presidents to. >> issue proclamations. recognizing some. >> of those months that celebrate the contributions. >> of various. americans to this. >> country, including. >> black americans. >> will president trump be. >> issuing a proclamation recognizing. >> black history month. >> you know, on behalf of the federal government? this is you know, yes. >> we're seeing this this memo from the defense department saying. >> that this is. >> the corner of. >> the federal government that. >> is going to. >> be potentially. opting out of celebrating. >> but really, i. >> think this is a. reminder that there's also. >> an opportunity. >> for our entire country to highlight the many contributions of black americans across our democracy. and just a reminder that they, too. >> have helped to make. >> america great, often in the face of. >> discrimination and. >> beliefs rooted in very racist stereotypes. >> yeah. i mean, ashley, there's been some criticism of president trump for essentially equating dei policies with some of the

reasons that there was this plane crash with the helicopter in dc. what is the tone that the president established at that news conference, and then what have been the actions that underlie that tone? >> well. >> the tone of that that news conference, which was his first time as president in his second term, coming into the briefing room, was just incredibly striking. what you might have expected from any president, including this one, is something, frankly, more in line. >> with the segment. >> you just did. >> jose. >> talking about. >> the people. >> the 67. >> people who were. >> killed in. >> that crash, who. >> they were, the life that lay. >> ahead. >> of them. >> that sort of empathy. >> and instead what we. saw was he came into the briefing room. he did. >> a brief. >> moment of silence. and then, with truly. no evidence.

>> he he potentially blamed. >> the crash. >> on dei. hiring practices. and when he was pressed on that by a number of. reporters in the briefing room, he. >> sort of admitted he had no. actual reason to believe that. dei had. >> anything to do with this crash, that the investigation, we don't. really know the causes yet. but then. >> he said. >> but but common sense. so what we saw there is something he regularly does, which he was politicizing a tragedy to, to further one of his. >> own goals. >> or messages, which he has made. very clear, as kelly and others have said, with executive orders, with memos, with just simply his rhetoric and who he surrounds. >> himself with. >> the dei. >> is something. >> he believes is bad and is. >> to be. >> rooted out. but again, it's so important to say there is no evidence that that tragedy had anything to do with this. and the last thing i would just say is it was also striking to watch.

>> him because. >> he is the president of. >> the united states, and he actually has the ability to marshal the federal government to get some of these answers. >> and he. >> was speaking in some moments as if he was sort of. a rubber necker. you know, the way, the way you see people talking on twitter or speculating on reddit of. >> what might have happened. >> you saw that in his truth. social post about the crash. >> being not. >> good when he is actually in a position of leadership to. >> to if he chose to lead. >> erin. and with one of the indisputable things is that president trump has a certain sense of politics and sometimes a sui generis sense of politics. what do you see? that there's a lot of political calculations behind what the president does says, or is this more of a kind

of riffing? >> on this issue? jose? i think, yes. >> i mean. >> you have. >> to remember. >> that that this president was inaugurated on martin luther king day. he talked about martin luther king's dream. >> and making martin. >> luther king's dream real, while at the same time talking about getting rid of, you know, government overreach as it pertained to race and gender in our society. and, you know, with his remarks yesterday regarding this horrific tragedy, you know, with this dc. >> plane. >> crash that follows his, you know, his guidance just last week where he was claiming that the federal aviation administration has prioritized dangerous discrimination over excellence, singling out diversity, equity and inclusion programs and specifically people of color and people with disabilities as somehow unqualified or less qualified to work at the agency. again, to ashley's point, with absolutely no evidence. so yes, this is a familiar playbook for the former president to get people to focus really on his inflammatory

language and to distract from what is actually at issue. it's part of a broader effort for him, i think, to dismiss. >> and diminish. >> diversity as something that contributes to our society. so, i mean, obviously, there's still a lot of questions to be answered as it pertains to this crash, but i think it is also worth continuing to ask why the president would scapegoat diversity as a liability and not an asset to our democracy and workplaces. why is he using this tragedy to highlight a solution in search of a problem? so yeah, i mean, us not simply repeating what he is claiming or giving oxygen to the idea that diversity and incompetence are somehow incompatible, or that so-called american greatness, as he is defining it, only comes in a certain package. >> kelly o'donnell, ashley parker, and errin haines, thank you so much. up next, we'll head to panama, where nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent and the head of this broadcast is covering secretary of state rubio's first foreign trip. andrea mitchell. looking forward andrea mitchell. looking forward to seeing her next.

when emergency strikes, first responders are the first ones in... but on outdated networks, the crucial technology they depend on, is limited. that's why t-mobile created t-priority... ...the only solution built for the 5g era, that can dynamically dedicate up to 10 times the capacity for first responders. t-priority. built for tomorrow's emergencies. ready today. (♪♪) got eyelid itching, crusties and swelling that won't go away? it could be... demodex blepharitis! and we're demodex mites. we're very common and super irritating to your eyelids... but we love making ourselves comfortable here! oh, yeah...steam time! if demodex mites are partying it up on your eyelids... it's time to eliminate the root of the problem with xdemvy.

with one drop in each eye twice a day... you can kill the mites in just six weeks. xdemvy is the first and only fda-approved treatment that kills the mites that cause demodex blepharitis, a common eyelid disease. avoid touching the tip of the bottle to your eye or other surfaces to minimize contamination. wait 15 minutes before inserting contact lenses. in clinical trials, the most common side effects were stinging and burning in one out of ten patients. party's over folks.... it's not you, it's demodex mites. talk to your eye doctor today. psoriatic arthritis symptoms can be unpredictable. one day, your joints hurt. next, it's on your skin. i got cosentyx. feels good to move. feel less joint pain, swelling and tenderness, back pain, and clearer skin, and help stop further joint damage with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections, and lowered ability to fight them may occur, like tuberculosis or other serious bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. some were fatal. tell your doctor if you have an infection

or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or plan to, or if inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions and severe eczema-like skin reactions may occur. ♪♪ ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. want a next level clean? swish with the whoa of listerine. it kills 99.9% of bad breath germs for five times more cleaning power than brushing and flossing alone. get a next level clean... ahhhhh with listerine. feel the whoa! some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. like you know to check the weather first, before sailing. it's gonna get nasty later. yep. hey! perfect day for sailing, huh? have fun on land. i'll go tell the coast guard. yep. yeah, checking first is smart. so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds.

you're in good hands with allstate.

craig here pays too much for business wireless. for a quote that c so he sublet half his. real estate office... to a pet shop. there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to an incredible 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. switch and save with comcast business internet and mobile. find out how to pre-order and get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us with a qualifying trade in. call, click or visit an xfinity store today. >> get started at framebridge. >> comm or visit a store today. >> 41. secretary of state marco rubio is heading to panama tomorrow as part of his first international trip. president trump is vowing to reclaim the panama canal, saying it is being controlled by china. in a new interview, secretary rubio issued a new warning about china and the canal. >> and if the government. >> and. >> china in. >> a conflict. >> tells.

>> them. >> shut down the. >> panama canal, they. will have to. >> and in fact, i have zero doubt that they. >> have contingency. >> planning to do so. >> that is a direct threat. >> it is not in the national. >> interest of the. united states. >> to have. >> a canal. >> we paid for it. >> and we built used. >> as a. >> as a. >> leverage and. >> a. >> weapon against us. >> panama's president has been very categorically stating that there is no room for negotiation about shifting the control of the panama canal back to the us. joining us from panama city is nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, also the anchor of this program that i so much admire. andrea, there's one thing that i think that is unusual among all the different aspects of how unusual this thing is, is that the focus is now backn panama, an area of the world that nobody focuses on traditionally. and the chinese regime's control or support of areas like the panama

canal. what's the reality there? >> the reality is. >> very, very different, jose. >> and what's so strange about this is. >> that panama. >> is one of america's, one of the us's closest allies here. >> in the. >> region, as you know so well, panama was the first country in the region to sign a migration agreement with the us. >> they started. >> accepting flights of deportees into panama. >> they have a very. >> tough migration. >> rule here. >> they control the borders. they control drugs. they consider themselves. >> an ally. >> at first. >> they thought this was a joke. >> the threat coming from president trump. >> they had. >> had. >> good relations. >> with president. >> trump in his first term. >> they then. >> were mystified. >> then they got angry and defiant. then you started. >> seeing, as we've. >> seen here in. >> just the last days that we've been here all this week, flags being. arrayed all. >> across on the streets. >> in panama. >> it's not, you know, a big holiday here. >> it's in defiance. >> of the u.s. and.

>> of marco rubio's incoming visit tomorrow. >> when he arrives here. i talked to a. 44 year veteran of the. >> canal, the. >> independent panamanian. >> canal authority. down at the canal. >> and he's a former administrator. he hosted vice. >> president pence here in. >> 2019, where there's nothing but praise from the trump administration. here's what he told. >> me yesterday. >> i think there. are opportunities. >> to shift. >> the focus. >> or the or the way. >> the talks. >> are. >> instead of. >> bringing in the hammer. >> extend the. >> hand, and i. >> think we'll get much further than. >> than where we are now. >> because the canal will not go back to the united states. that's that's definitely not going to happen. >> i think you've seen. >> as you come over. >> here. >> you've seen the panamanian flag all over the place, and it's. >> not our. >> national holiday. >> it's here.

>> the reception. for mr. rubio. >> okay. >> it's everybody is. wearing a flag. >> i am. >> wearing a flag because this is our country, this is our. >> canal, and it's going to remain in panama. >> so the best interest. >> of the. >> us is. >> to. establish a. >> good working relationship. >> and have these ships. >> go by and. >> serve the us. >> as we have been doing for. >> over 100. >> years now. >> so a. >> hong kong company. >> does control two of the five. >> ports on. >> the entry and the exit. but to get. >> into the canal. >> you have to have a panamanian. >> tugboat, a pilot. i watched. >> it myself. >> they tugged. the container ships through the canal is 5151 miles long. it saves more than. >> 9000 miles. >> so control is critical. >> it's saving mostly us. products that are coming to or. >> from the us in this. >> you know. >> the trip from atlantic. >> to pacific or pacific to

atlantic. so it's a critical shortcut. even more. >> critical now. >> jose. >> because. >> of what's. >> happening in. >> the middle east, because. >> the. >> suez canal is closed. >> so anything coming from asia. >> this is the absolutely the. >> only way to get to the west coast. >> and as i say. >> they are. absolutely firm. >> that it has. >> been independent. >> it's been. >> independent for decades. it is. >> the run by. >> an independent. >> panamanian authority that is viewed. by economists. >> all over the world as. one of the most non-corrupt, independent authorities. in the entire. >> region. >> and they. >> say they intend to. >> remain that way. >> no matter what the threats from the. >> us. >> as we've seen. >> columbia buckle under pressure from. >> the. >> us from tariffs. >> so it. you know. >> we don't know what's going to happen. but that's why we'll be here all this weekend as. >> marco rubio makes. >> his first. >> visit here. it's a critical, critical. >> moment in the us foreign policy. >> and it's his first trip. >> andrea mitchell. >> i just. >> a new. >> priority, jose. >> it is. and you're in the casco antiguo, the old part of

panama city. gosh, is that not like one of the most beautiful places right by the water with it's incredible. and andrea, although there is the issue. look at these. thank you for showing us these pictures of me. this is the center of the old part of panama city. and andrea, you know, i was there, as i'm sure you know, the when the united states invaded panama to liberate it from manuel antonio noriega. the americans have been there, and they have extraordinary influence over that. but but those two companies that are hong kong based, i. chinese regime funded and financed that they are there is of concern not only, i think to the united states, but to the entire world. >> and there's also a taiwan company. >> that owns one of the ports, the us another. >> they operate the ports that unload. and offload the containers. >> they don't control. >> the canal.

>> and what they don't understand here is what is the. >> military issue. for national security, as emphasized by marco rubio. >> yesterday, we've got a lot of questions to. >> get answers to. >> andrea mitchell thank you so much. thank you for letting me be a part of your show here. we miss you. come back soon. but there's no one better to cover. >> the important. >> news of the world than andrea mitchell. so, andrea, thank you. love to you always. >> thanks so much, jose. >> thanks. >> next, congresswoman sharice davids of kansas joins us with how this devastating incident has impacted her community. has impacted her community. watching andrea prilosec knows, for a fire... one fire extinguisher beats 10 buckets of water, and for zero heartburn 1 prilosec a day... beats taking up to 10 antacids a day. it's that simple, for 24 hour heartburn relief... one beats ten. prilosec otc. tap into etsy one beats ten. for home and style finds like custom shelving for less than 50 dollars to make more space.

or linen robes under 75 to get you cozy. for affordable pieces to help you welcome big changes, etsy has it. ♪ like a relentless weed, moderate to severe ulcerative colitis symptoms can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪

responsibly with factor. all of the flavor. none of the guilt. ready in two minutes. eat smart with factor. >> buying a car is. >> kind of. >> a big deal, but you use the car gurus app. that's a price drop alert, so the deals come to you. oops, big deals right when you. oops, big deals right when you need them. power e*trade's award-winning trading app makes trading easier. with its customizable options chain, easy-to-use tools, and paper trading to help sharpen your skills, you can stay on top of the market from wherever you are. e*trade from morgan stanley. follows a string of near misses at airports over the last few years, more than 1700 so-called runway incursions were reported by the faa last year alone at

airports across the country. joining us now is democratic congresswoman sharice davids of kansas, where the american airlines flight originated. the congresswoman serves on the transportation committee. congresswoman. thank you. thank you for your time. before we get to all of this issue of the latest crash investigation, i just want your thoughts first on how your community is doing. >> yeah. >> i. >> i mean, i can just. >> say. >> heartbroken and devastated. >> i think. >> that when. >> you have something like this. >> happen. >> kansas is a small state. >> a lot of us know each other. and every single person in kansas. >> has been. >> has felt the impacts. >> of this. >> and then as more information. >> comes out. >> we see. >> that there. >> are going to be. >> families all over the country that are feeling. >> the impacts. of this, of. >> this tragedy. >> and then, of course. >> a lot of. >> gratitude to our. >> first responders. >> and the folks who immediately went out there to do. everything they. could in the in the.

>> aftermath of this tragedy. >> on the crash itself, what are you hoping to learn from the investigation? and where should congress and the white house, i guess, start in terms of if you know, what they do on the legislative and even. infrastructure? >> yeah. >> i mean. >> i think that a lot of people are wondering that right now. i can tell you that. >> as a federal as. >> a. federal official. >> anybody who's part. >> of the federal government. >> the. >> best thing. >> we can do right. >> now is everything. >> we can to support. >> the families. >> and the. >> victims. >> loved ones who have been. >> impacted by this and to support our first responders. we also need to make sure that we give the. >> ntsb, the national transportation safety board, the. >> faa. >> and the department. >> of defense all the support and resources they need so they can do an independent. thorough investigation. >> so that then congress. and

the. >> the. >> federal government. >> as a. >> whole can look at exactly what. >> happened. >> and, and. change policies. >> or regulations where necessary. >> and right now. >> we don't have all of those. >> facts, contrary. >> to what some folks out there, including the president, might be saying, we do not know what the we. >> do not. >> know what the facts are that led to this tragedy. and once we find those, we need to do everything we can to prevent this sort. >> of thing from. >> happening again. >> and you know, where the wherever that responsibility lies should be, should be outlined. and i think that it is really fair for everyone to say we are going to remove our partizan filters and, and, and find out where the weakness is, where the weakness was, and then just do something about it. and i'm just bringing it back to you. and i'm so glad that you mentioned, you know, people, because of the 67 people that

lost their lives in this crash, was 20 year old wichita college student grace maxwell. she was returning from her grandfather father's funeral. bob and lisa schrock were on their way to see their daughter in college. her friend had this to say about their loss. >> all the things that her parents won't be there for, like her wedding. >> if she. >> becomes a doctor, like they won't get to. >> see her achieve that. and you know, we don't know the names of all of the people that lost their lives. but every single one of those people, including 11 year old children and parents who were going to see their child at college or or returning from a funeral or, or an extraordinary young lady who who

had, you know, become a lawyer and was working, coming back from a business trip after experiencing success at such an early age and everything she intended. how do we understand this? congresswoman? >> well. >> i think. >> first of all, i. >> feel like one of the things that everybody is trying to do right now is, is, is look for a reason that this tragedy happened. and we will get that, like, we will, we absolutely will. these investigations. the ntsb is they're trained professionals. they know what they're doing. and then. for all of the rest of us, the thing. >> that. >> we can do is, is let that play out and do what we can to support our first responders, to support the families of, of the of the victims.

>> and then. >> i mean. >> i. guess one. >> thing i'll. >> say is the wichita foundation. >> like i. >> said, every kansan is thinking about ways to be supportive. the wichita foundation, if you look at their website, they've got information about ways to be supportive. >> and that's. >> not just for the folks in kansas. that's for everybody. who was who was impacted. >> i think. >> that right now, and i can tell you the outpouring of support, the outpouring of, of love has been has been. >> pretty. >> profound because, i. >> mean. you you shared. >> just a couple of the stories. there are going to be they're going to be 67 people's families, loved ones, friends, colleagues, communities that are going to feel the impacts of this for the rest of our lives. >> absolutely. congresswoman sharice davids, i thank you very much for being with us today. >> appreciate it. thank you so much. >> that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. thank you for the privilege of your time. chris jansing picks up

with more news next. i'll see you tomorrow on nbc nightly news saturday. >> we will. >> and, doug. >> you'll be back. >> emus can't. >> help. >> people customize. >> and save hundreds on car insurance. with liberty mutual. >> you're just a flightless bird. >> no. >> he's. >> a. >> dreamer, frank. >> and doug. >> well. i'll be. that bird really did it. really did it. >> only pay it's time to feed the dogs real food in the right amount. a healthy weight can help dogs live a longer and happier life. the farmer's dog makes weight management easy with fresh food pre-portioned for your dog's needs. it's an idea whose time has come. numbing pain relief available. it's the only solution with. >> two. >> max strength. anesthetics for

fast. >> penetrating. you didn't start a business just to keep the lights on. lucky for you, shopify built the just one-tapping, ridiculously fast-acting, sky-high sales stacking champion of checkouts. businesses that want to win, win with shopify. relief. >> work. >> play. blink. relief. >> play. blink. relief. >> the only aveeno introduces new daily moisturizing cream. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 48 hours. and instantly strengthen skin's barrier. for softer, smoother skin. aveeno. the power of oat for sensitive skin. jordan's sore nose let out a fiery sneeze, so dad grabbed puffs plus lotion to soothe her with ease. puffs plus lotion is gentle on sensitive skin and locks in moisture to provide soothing relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed.

america's #1 lotion tissue. way better. >> coverage. >> than i do. sounds like linda. >> has you beat. >> only in coverage. >> only in coverage. >> and plans start prilosec knows, for a fire... one fire extinguisher beats 10 buckets of water, and for zero heartburn 1 prilosec a day... beats taking up to 10 antacids a day. it's that simple, for 24 hour heartburn relief... one beats ten. prilosec otc. dude, i really need a new phone. one beats ten. check out my new samsung galaxy s25 ultra. it's got galaxy ai. imagine this thing running on our superfast xfinity mobile network. and i also heard that it can do multiple things with a single command. —with google gemini. let me try it. add recipes with overripe bananas to my “dessert ideas” note. that's what you chose to ask it? i had other things planned. ask how to get up to one thousand dollars off the new samsung galaxy s25 ultra with xfinity mobile.

(♪♪) now for something you can both agree on a sleep number® smart bed is perfect for couples. the climate360® smart bed is the only bed that cools and warms on each side and all our smart beds adjust the firmness for each of you. let's agree to agree on better sleep. and now, save 50% on the new sleep number® limited edition smart bed . plus 0% interest for 36 months. >> good day. >> i'm chris jansing, live at msnbc headquarters. in new. >> york city. >> the red flags at reagan national as investigators examined. >> the black boxes to help find. >> the cause of that fatal. crash over the potomac. >> what we're learning. >> about dc's. >> uniquely congested. >> and. >> crowded airspace.