Plane Crash

• A Turkish Airlines passenger plane crashed in Amsterdam today. Nine of the 134 people aboard were killed. — Reuters
• US stocks fell this morning, after President Obama's speech to Congress failed to rally the markets. — Reuters
• Iran tested its first nuclear power plant today. An Iranian technician declared it Iran's "independence day." — CNN
• Michelle Obama has revealed that the White House dog will be coming in April. — MSNBC
• Last night when MSNBC cut to Bobby Jindal's response, someone with a live mic was overheard saying "Oh, God." — Huffington Post

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All passengers and crew members died in a major plane crash in New York state last night. Continental Airlines Flight 3407 was commuting from Newark to Buffalo when it crashed into a home, five minutes before landing. One person on the ground died, too, bringing the death toll to 50.

Among the passengers was Beverly Eckert, a woman whose husband died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Fires, fueled by a natural gas leak, made it difficult for investigators to retrieve the cockpit, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

This is the second major air crash in a month for New York. The state has barely finished celebrating the miracle of US Airways Flight 1549. Now residents must face a tragic ending.

Our hearts go out to the victims' families.

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• A giant crane is set to pull out the US Airways jet that crashed into the Hudson River yesterday. Investigators will look into how the plane went down and perhaps how all 155 passengers survived.The pilot and crew are being hailed as heroes. — AP
• The Senate voted yesterday to release the second half of the $700 billion bailout to soon-to-be President Obama. It was a big political win for the incoming president. —Boston Globe
• Communities around the country, including Oakland, CA, celebrated Martin Luther King's 80th birthday yesterday. — Oakland Tribune



• Pakistan formally informed India of the actions it has taken to address the Mumbai terrorist attacks today, hoping to ease tensions. The US says that Pakistan's investigation is a promising start. — Reuters
• Bank of America will receive $20 billion of taxpayer money. The second bailout will make the government the bank's largest shareholder. — International Herald Tribune

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Update: The FAA reports that all passengers are safe.

A flock of geese may have caused US Ariways flight 1594 to crash into the Hudson River this afternoon. The flight, and its 155 passengers were headed from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, NC. One witness described what she saw: “I just thought, ‘Why is it so low?' And, splash, it hit the water.”

The extent of injuries is not certain, but ferries and helicopters are helping rescue passengers and crew from the freezing waters.

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• Spanish Plane Crash Possible Cause:
  The plane that crashed in Madrid yesterday and killed 153 people, including two babies and 20 children, had reported an overheated air intake valve before the first attempt at takeoff. The problem was reported and the equipment turned off to fix it. It's not known if this is the only factor in Spain's worst air disaster in almost 25 years.



• Pakistan Suicide Attack Kills 60:
  Killing 60 and wounding dozens more, a suicide bomber attacked Pakistan's largest military munitions plant. The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility. The violence comes amid political uncertainty in the country following the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf earlier this week.




• Rice Surprise Visit to Iraq:
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice surprised Baghdad with a visit to discuss the future of US forces in Iraq. Amid negotiations over the timing of the final withdrawal of US forces, reports suggest that a compromise draft agreement of the plan is being considered by both governments. RIce will meet with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki during her visit.

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• Plane Crash: Moments ago a DC-9 plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in the eastern Congo town of Goma. CNN is reporting at this moment, 78 have died in the crash.
• Bombings: More than 50 people have been killed in car bomb explosions in two Iraqi cities. At least 40 people were left dead and another 70 were injured in a blast outside a restaurant in Baquba, north of Baghdad. Baquba is the capital of the Diyala province. It has been an insurgent stronghold, where militants linked to al-Qaeda are said to have regrouped after being driven away from Baghdad. Shortly after the bombing in Baquba, police said a bomb in the city of Ramadi had killed an additional 13 people.



• Berlusconi: As we reported yesterday, Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right alliance have returned to power after two years in opposition. For the first time since World War II, Italy’s parliament will not have any communist representatives in part because of the disappearing support for the communist-green Rainbow Left alliance. The failure of many small parties like this to win even a single seat leads to a sharp reduction in the number of parliamentary groups and a greater possibility of stable government.
• Airline Merger: Rival airlines Delta and Northwest have agreed to a merger, creating the world's biggest air carrier. The $5 billion deal ends in a new airline to be called Delta, which will have annual revenue of more than $35 billion and employ about 75,000 people. The new CEO says, "merging Delta and Northwest is the most effective way to offset higher fuel prices and improve efficiencies, increase international presence and fund long-term investment in the business."

At London's Heathrow Airport this morning, British Airways flight 38 originating from Beijing, China, crash landed. Severely damaging wings as well as the under carriage of the Boeing 777, all passengers and crew aboard were evacuated safely. Several minor injuries are being reported, and at least 90 flights have already been canceled.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was at Heathrow Airport, waiting to board a flight to China, his first official trip as prime minister. His flight was delayed, though not involved in the incident. The crash is expected to cause widespread delays for flights throughout the day.
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