An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: A deadly D.C. plane crash; Elon Musk’s surprise move; asteroid discovery; and more

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By Hannah Jewell and Jamie Ross

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Good morning. It's Thursday, Jan. 30. Let's get straight to a developing story.

An American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter in D.C.

Last night: The jet, carrying 64 people, hit a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River — we mapped the scene here.
The latest: No survivors have been found. Several members of the figure skating community were on board the flight from Wichita. Witnesses described hearing a loud bang.

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The White House rescinded its order to freeze federal spending.

Why? The reversal followed an intense backlash. Separately, President Donald Trump's move to gut the federal workforce was led by Elon Musk — and it blindsided some Trump advisers.
Other Trump actions: He plans to build a mass detention camp for migrants at the notorious Guantánamo Bay. And he vowed to punish schools for teaching about race and gender.
Losing track? Find a list of Trump orders that are having immediate impacts here.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced blistering questions from senators yesterday.

What happened? Trump's pick for health secretary struggled to defend his past controversial claims on vaccines. Find our takeaways from the confirmation hearing here.
Today: Kennedy will take more questions. So will FBI pick Kash Patel, who was recently hawking Trump merch, and intelligence pick Tulsi Gabbard, who may face a close vote.

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Eight more hostages are being released by Hamas today.

Who are they? Three Israelis and five Thai nationals held in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. In exchange, Israel will release 110 Palestinian prisoners.
In related news: Trump's Middle East envoy visited Israel to oversee the ceasefire deal. And Trump claimed $50 million was sent to Gaza for condoms — there's no evidence for that.

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A warming Arctic is weakening a key weather system.

What is it? The polar vortex, a mass of frigid air at the north pole. As it weakens, it sends blasts of cold air south, research shows. That's what led to snow on the Gulf Coast last week.
One strange exception: As the rest of the U.S. shivered in January, Alaska remained unusually warm. It's not balmy, though, with average temperatures of 29.3 degrees.

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The secret to replacing "forever chemicals" could be found in polar bear fur.

The problem: A class of widely used compounds known as PFAS are linked to a range of health problems in people. (Find tips to avoid them here.)
One solution: Recreating an oily substance secreted by polar bears' skin, which stops their fur from freezing, new research shows. It could replace some toxic chemicals.

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Scientists found life-friendly molecules on an asteroid.

The asteroid Bennu. (AP/NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Reuters/AP)

In 2020: A NASA spacecraft jabbed the asteroid Bennu and dug out samples. The probe flew back to Earth, flinging its precious cargo onto a Utah bombing range in 2023.
The latest: The asteroid samples contain the basic building blocks of life, according to new research. The discovery could offer scientists clues about how life began on Earth.

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Before you go … does daylight saving time affect dogs? It depends, a new study says. Plus: Meet the bride who went viral for a "thrift store wedding."

One more good read: Does Elon Musk cheat at video games? An investigation.

And finally … test your news knowledge with The Post's daily quiz, On the Record. Click here to play. Or try our word games, Keyword and the brand-new Wridges.

You're all caught up. See you tomorrow.