The third solider who died in the plane crash over the Potomac River has been identified as a former Biden administration aide, adding a new mysterious connection to a tragedy that has already sparked a fierce political debate over diversity.
The U.S. Army named 28-year-old Captain Rebecca Lobach, of Durham, North Carolina, as the third victim in the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines jetliner. Her family said she was a volunteer military social aide under Joe Biden, ABC News reported.
Lobach was co-piloting the doomed Black Hawk helicopter on a routine training mission alongside Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md., and Staff. Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga, who also died.
Lobach's identity was initially withheld at the request of her family, as a political controversy began to brew over the crash and its possible causes.
"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. She was a bright star in all our lives. She was kind, generous, brilliant, funny, ambitious and strong. No one dreamed bigger or worked harder to achieve her goals,” her family said in a statement.
“We request that you please respect our privacy as we grieve this devastating loss,” Lobach’s family added.
Lobach served in the Army since 2019 and was assigned to the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The Army said she had no deployments but was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medical and Army Service Ribbon.
Lobach served as a social aide at the White House, assisting with official events under Joe Biden. Just weeks before her death, she was pictured escorting fashion designer Ralph Lauren on January 4 as he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"Her life was short, but she made a difference in the lives of all who knew her. Our hearts break for the other families who have lost loved ones in this national tragedy and we mourn with them," her family added.
While an investigation into the crash has just begun, officials believe the helicopter was flying too high before it collided with an American Airlines flight last Wednesday, killing 67 people.
President Trump sparked outrage last week by speculating about the possible role of reduced hiring standards and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies pushed by the last administration. Trump's Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has echoed Trump's comments.
"The environment around which we choose pilots or air traffic controllers, as the president pointed out correctly yesterday, better be highest possible standard," Hegseth told Fox News last week.
The plane crash that involved a Blackhawk helicopter last week over Washington D.C. rocked the entire nation and cost dozens their lives.
According to Breitbart, new video has been released that shows a different angle of the crash between the American Airlines commercial jet and the helicopter, which occurred over the Potomac River.
American Airlines flight 5342, with 60 passengers and four crew, was on its final approach from Witchita, Kansas before colliding with the helicopter, resulting in a fiery explosion.
Multiple videos of the tragic accident have been pushed across social media, which has raised mountains of questions from many as to how such a deadly accident could have occurred.
Many have claimed that the odds of the crew of the Blackhawk helicopter not seeing the large commercial jet are simply too slim to be a terrible, random accident.
Audio transcript from the air traffic control tower was also released this week.
“Um, I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ [the type of plane that crashed] and a helicopter that hit, I would say a half-mile off the approach," the tower said after the crash.
The new angle in the video that quickly went viral simply served to fuel conspiracy theories that the accident might not have been an accident at all.
There is absolutely NO WAY the Black Hawk didn’t see the American Airlines plane. They flew right into it," Ian Miles Cheong wrote, with the video attached.
There is absolutely NO WAY the Black Hawk didn’t see the American Airlines plane. They flew right into it. pic.twitter.com/Fco4yVzSXy
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 31, 2025
There were plenty of theories and potential explanations for the collission across social media. Some current and former pilots weighed in on the tragedy as well.
"Army helicopter pilot here. Based on what we’ve seen so far, my guess is the PAT Blackhawk helicopter pilots confirmed visual on the wrong aircraft and likely never even saw the aircraft they crashed into. Comms between tower and the helicopter crew weren’t very explicit," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Helicopter pilot flying so low using NVGs assumed airspace was cleared, his flight vector was consistent for some distance. My question, why is the army doing night training ops near such a busy airport? Amazing this hasn't happened before."
Investigations are already well underway as the American public demands answers as to what happened that evening.
The world of Iowa state politics was shaken this week after the unexpected death of a Republican lawmaker.
According to the Des Moines Register, it was revealed Friday that Iowa Rep. Martin Graber, a Republican from Fort Madison, died suddenly that morning. He was 72.
The statement released announcing his death, written by Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, didn't reveal a cause of death.
Graber was on his third term in the Iowa state House, having first been elected in 2020. He also spent 32 years in the Iowa National Guard, retiring as a brigadier general.
House Speaker Grassley released a statement announcing the death of his colleague, pouring out his condolences for Graber's family, who were undoubtedly shaken by the news.
"Our caucus is devastated by the unexpected passing of our friend and colleague Martin Graber," Grassley said in a statement Friday afternoon.
"First and foremost, we extend our heartfelt prayers to his entire family during this difficult time, namely his two daughters, two granddaughters, and his wonderful wife of 49 years, Coni."
We are saddened to hear about the passing of Iowa State Representative, Martin Graber.
We are grateful for his support of the Kosovo-Iowa partnership, especially the cooperation between the Iowa National Guard and the Kosovo Security Force.
Our heartfelt condolences to Rep.… pic.twitter.com/GOXyD9rMBY— Kosovo Consulate Iowa (@KosovoinIA) February 1, 2025
Graber's resume was beyond impressive. The Des Moines Register noted:
Graber worked as a financial adviser at Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. and as a human resources manager at Dial Corporation, according to a legislative biography.
He graduated from Central Lee High School, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1976, a master of business administration from St. Ambrose University in 1987 and a master of strategic studies degree from the U.S. Army War College in 2002.
Many of his Iowa state colleagues released statements on social media regarding Graber's passing.
Multiple Iowa state officials and lawmakers wished Graber's family peace and well wishes while also noting that Graber was a pillar in his community.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Rep Martin Graber, who served with integrity and honor both in the military and statehouse, a pillar of Ft Madison, Lee County and the rodeo communities. Our hearts break for his beloved Coni & family. Martin will be deeply missed," one person wrote.
Another wrote, "Incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Rep. Martin Graber Martin was an incredible husband, father, and grandfather who loved his family and who took deep pride in serving his community, state, and nation. We are praying for his wife, Coni, and his entire family."
Clearly, Graber left a positive impact on his community and his family can take pride in the legacy he left behind.
A preliminary investigation into the deadly Washington D.C. plane crash found that staffing levels in the air traffic control tower were "not normal" at the time of the collision.
The Federal Aviation Administration's report determined that one air traffic controller was essentially doing the job of two people.
"The position configuration was not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic," the report says.
Usually, two individuals are monitoring helicopter and plane traffic separately, but those jobs were combined after a supervisor left their shift early, according to reports.
A single person normally performs both roles when traffic slows down at night, but it was still too early when the air traffic tower lost essential manpower before the 8:48 p.m. collision.
The crash killed all 67 people, including 64 on board an American Airlines flight and three soldiers in a Black Hawk helicopter.
In the wake of the tragedy, many are looking at a chronic shortage of qualified air traffic controllers as a factor leading up to the disaster.
The air traffic tower at Reagan National Airport has 19 fully certified air traffic controllers, less than the 30 recommended by the FAA and the Air Traffic Controllers Union.
An air traffic controller shortage had been a concern leading up to the crash, as an uptick in near misses led to fears of a disaster like the tragedy that occurred Wednesday night.
The focus on understaffing could boost President Trump's suggestion that lowered standards contributed to the collision.
The president has been criticized for speculating that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy played a role, but race-based hiring under the Obama and Biden administrations may have worsened the staffing shortage.
The FAA is facing a class-action lawsuit from job applicants who allege they were discriminated against based on race. The lead plaintiff in the case, who is white, was turned away despite getting a perfect score on his training exam.
“He [Trump] obviously sees the issue at hand and if he didn’t, I’m sure people that work in the Department of Transportation and the FAA informed him that there is an issue with staffing and air traffic control and I’m hoping they can work on it immediately,” the man, Andrew Brigida, told the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, investigators have told numerous outlets that the Black Hawk helicopter did not follow the approved flight path. The helicopter traveled above 300 feet, well above the 200-foot limit.
"The Blackhawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It was far above the 200 foot limit. That's not really too complicated to understand, is it???"
Fashion editor Anna Wintour is continuing her feud with Melania Trump, using Vogue to launch a vicious attack on the First Lady's White House portrait.
The fashion magazine published a scathing review comparing Melania's look to that of a "freelance magician," the Daily Mail reports.
It's the latest example of the left-leaning bias of the publication, which famously glorified Jill Biden and Kamala Harris but has yet to feature Trump, a former supermodel, on its cover.
Melania's official portrait strikes a serious tone, with the First Lady making a power pose in a black tuxedo jacket. The black-and-white image is a stark contrast from her more conventional portrait in 2017, which was in color and showed Melania smiling.
In a vicious review of the new portrait, writer Hannah Jackson dissed the First Lady for bucking tradition and compared her to a "freelance magician."
“The choice to wear a tuxedo — as opposed to a blazer or blouse — made Trump look more like a freelance magician than a public servant," Jackson wrote.
The fashion critic invoked President Trump's past as a reality TV host in her unflattering review, adding, "Trump looked more like she was guest starring on an episode of ‘The Apprentice’ than assuming the role of first lady of the United States."
"It’s perhaps unsurprising that a woman who lived in a gold-encrusted penthouse, whose fame is so intertwined with a reality television empire, would refuse to abandon theatrics—even when faced with 248 years of tradition."
Melania appeared on Vogue's cover in 2005 following her wedding to Donald Trump, but she was blacklisted by the fashion world after her husband's rise to the White House in 2017.
Vogue never featured Melania on its cover during her husband's first term, but the magazine went on to provide glamorous treatment to First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Look, I’ve been there on the covers — on the cover of Vogue, on the covers of many magazines before,” Melania told Fox News in a recent interview.
“We have so many other important things to do than to be on the cover of any magazine. I think that life would not change for anybody if I’m on the cover,” she added.
While Melania is returning to the White House with more confidence - and more public acceptance - than she had the first time, it appears the left-wing media isn't finished hating on her just yet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt exposed the Biden administration for driving an egg shortage through the "mass killing" of chickens, as President Trump comes under pressure to lower the cost of groceries.
The price of eggs has increased in part because of a bird flu outbreak that has killed millions of chickens through disease or culling. Leavitt suggested Biden mismanaged the situation at her first press briefing on Tuesday.
In the last quarter of 2024 alone, 20 million chickens died from bird flu. The impact has been felt by shoppers, with the average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs hitting $4.15 in December.
President Trump made a campaign pledge to tackle inflation that soared under his predecessor, and Democrats aren't letting the president forget his promise. Republicans have fired back that Trump is inheriting a sticky economic problem that will take time to address.
"I would like to point out to each and every one of you that in 2024, when Joe Biden was in the Oval Office -- or upstairs in the residence sleeping, I'm not so sure -- egg prices increased 65% in this country," Leavitt said.
"We also have seen the cost of everything -- not just eggs, bacon, groceries, gasoline -- have increased because of the inflationary policies of the last administration," Leavitt said.
"As far as the egg shortage," she said. "What is also contributing to that is the Biden administration and the Department of Agriculture directed the mass killing of more than 100 million chickens, which has led to a lack of chicken supply in this country, and therefore a lack of egg supply, which is leading to the shortage."
The Department of Agriculture projects future egg price increases in 2025, with costs possibly hitting $5 by the end of the year.
When farmers find bird flu, they are forced to kill their entire flocks. Egg prices have also been attributed to cage-free laws in a handful of liberal states, which ban the sale of eggs from chickens confined in cages.
“Unlike in past years, in 2024, all major production systems experienced significant losses, including conventional caged, cage-free, and certified organic types,” said the USDA.
While it may be true that Biden drove inflation, Americans will eventually expect to see prices come down. Trump has acknowledged that it won't be easy.
"I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard," Trump told TIME in December,
One of the Jan. 6 defendants who was picked to receive a pardon from President Trump has been shot dead.
42-year-old Matthew Huttle, according to ABC7, was killed during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. Huttle resisted arrest, causing a scuffle that ended in his death.
Huttle, of Hobart, had received a pardon from President Trump only days before, but the man had been released from prison months ago after completing his sentence.
A Jasper County Sheriff's Department deputy pulled Huttle over on Indiana State Road 14 near the Pulaski County line around 4:15 p.m.
The man had a gun on him at the time, but police did not share the details of the arrest, including why he was stopped.
“An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect,” state police said.
Huttle spent sixteen minutes inside the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and was sentenced to six months in prison after he pled guilty to entering a restricted area. His uncle, Dale Huttle, pleaded guilty to assaulting police and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Both Huttles were pardoned by Trump, with Dale Huttle walking out of jail on January 20. Matthew Huttle was released in July and was on supervised release when he was killed.
His defense lawyer previously said he was only at the Capitol to witness a "historic event" and because he needed something to do after getting out of jail for a driving offense.
"He is not a true believer in any political cause," defense attorney Andrew Hemmer said in a court filing.
President Trump, on his first day back in the White House, pardoned the majority of the 1,500 people charged in connection to January 6th, fulfilling a campaign promise to help supporters of his whom he described as "hostages" of an unfair justice system.
"These people have been destroyed," Trump said. "What they've done to these people is outrageous. There's rarely been anything like it in the history of our country."
The sheriff's deputy who shot Matthew Huttle has been placed on paid administrative leave.
“Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased as any loss of life is traumatic to those that were close to Mr. Huttle,” Jasper County Sheriff Patrick Williamson said.
The cast of Saturday Night Live took shots at President Trump and his family over the weekend, in a limp attempt to revive the deflated cultural "resistance" against the current, and former, president.
The tedious opening skit depicts Trump as a "king" upstaging the Founding Fathers - and also mocks Barron Trump, white people, and Trump's change in his inauguration plans.
The scene depicts "king" Trump interrupting Alexander Hamilton, portrayed by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, during the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
"Never say never... Kidding of course, though in many ways I’m not. I’m in my king era," said James Austin Johnson, portraying Trump.
The skit proceeds into a wearisome, racially charged attack on Trump's first week back in office, particularly his actions reversing DEI.
"But just like the founding fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we’re doing it very whitely. DEI is over. It’s dead."
"Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show ‘The Office’: mostly white people but with one funny black guy who is having a really bad time," Johnson said.
The show's creators also made it perfectly clear that 18-year-old Barron Trump, now a college freshman, is fair game for their lame jokes.
After Trump's first inauguration in 2017, a Saturday Night Live writer was suspended for calling then 10-year-old Barron Trump a "school shooter." Saturday's broadcast poked fun at Barron's prodigious growth over the past eight years, comparing him to the Lord of the Rings character Gandalf.
“I’m back in the White House, just in time. Everything is back to how it was,” said Johnson’s Trump. “Except now my new favorite son is Barron, and he is smacking his head on every door frame. Oh, it’s bad."
“It's like when Gandalf goes to Bilbo's house,” Johnson added.
Trump's inauguration also came in for mockery, with Johnson's Trump saying, “It was inside due to cold and fear. But we had a lot of surprise guests. Like Melania. That was nice.”
Saturday Night Live famously reacted to Trump's 2016 victory with a funereal performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" by Kate McKinnon portraying Hillary Clinton.
The solemn skit marked the beginning of the anti-Trump "resistance," as the left marshalled all of its cultural influence to discredit the 45th president.
All in vain, as Trump returns to office with more popularity than he had the first time. Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live is looking more out of touch than ever.
It's not only President Donald Trump making big moves that will set the tone for his administration. His Department of Justice is just as busy, and that was proven in recent days.
According to the Daily Caller, Trump's Justice Department is moving to have charges dropped against a Texas doctor who blew the whistle on sex change procedures for minors.
Dr. Eithan Haim was charged by President Joe Biden's Department of Justice with violating medical privacy laws "by leaking records to the press showing that Texas Children’s Hospital was giving the procedures to kids despite announcing it had stopped," the outlet noted.
Trump's DOJ was reportedly urged first by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri to have the charges against the doctor dropped.
Sen. Hawley released a statement on his efforts to have the new DOJ dismiss the charges against the doctor, which would have otherwise cost him his career.
"I have spoken today with Trump DOJ leadership & strongly urged them to immediately stop the Biden Admin’s malicious prosecution of @EithanHaim,the brave whistleblower who exposed illegal gender transition surgeries on minors in Texas. He should be thanked, not prosecuted," Hawley wrote on his X account.
I have spoken today with Trump
DOJ leadership & strongly urged them to immediately stop the Biden Admin’s malicious prosecution of @EithanHaim, the brave whistleblower who exposed illegal gender transition surgeries on minors in Texas. He should be thanked, not prosecuted— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 24, 2025
Not only was the motion by Trump's DOJ granted by Judge David Hittner, he granted it "without prejudice," which means that the charges cannot be brought against the doctor ever again.
The Daily Caller noted:
Haim, who was scheduled to go to trial in February, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that doctors like him should not face charges for the sake of “the political interests of major hospital systems” in a phone interview Thursday.
"What they want to do is bleed us dry in order to get me to plead to some bull***t f*****g agreement, which I’m definitely not going to do," Haim told the DCNF. "If they get me to do that, all of this goes away and it legitimizes their corruption."
Users across social media celebrated the case being dropped.
"This wasn’t just a court case. It was good vs. evil. And the righteous were the victors," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Congratulations and SO WELL DESERVED!!!!!"
Chalk up another win for the Trump administration. This one was huge.
It seems that when a Democrat gets caught breaking the law, they're the first to let the cops know that they're someone special, though it never works out in their favor.
That was evidenced again recently after a longtime Democratic Oklahoma state senator was pulled over and ultimately arrested after getting out of hand with the arresting officer due to her high and might position.
Fox News reported that Tulsa-based Democratic State Sen. Regina Goodwin was seen on body camera footage arguing with Tulsa County Sheriff’s Deputy Freddie Alaniz in the early afternoon hours after being pulled over.
What should have been a routine traffic stop turned into a "very verbal" ordeal.
The state Democrat was reportedly pulled over after the sheriff's deputy witnessed her not stopping for two stop signs.
As soon as she exited the vehicle, the situation became verbally tense. She was also asked for her driver's license numerous times but refused to turn it over.
🚨 Another Privileged Politician Thinking They're Above the Law 🚨
Oklahoma State Sen. Regina Goodwin, a Democrat from Tulsa, was pulled over for running TWO stop signs and speeding. Instead of cooperating, she refused to hand over her license after being asked 10+ times!
The… pic.twitter.com/3sJv6We8xF
— The Patriots Prayer Network (@ThePatriotsPray) January 25, 2025
"Ma’am, I’m not going to ask you again. Can I get your driver’s license, or can I take you to jail on running a stop sign?" Alaniz asked the state lawmaker. "I’m not going to ask you again. It’s not for debate."
The state Democrat accused the officer of "escalating" the situation, which prompted the officer to deny the claim and repeat what he had told her, which the bodycam footage clearly showed.
The two went back-and-forth several times over whether or not she refused to hand over her license, which again, the video showed clearly that she refused on multiple occasions.
The officer, who understandably had enough, finally arrested the lawmaker, who clearly believed she was above the law.
Her lawyer, who witnessed the scene, asked the officer for a favor.
"I realize you have a job to do, officer," her lawyer said. "I realize Sen. Goodwin can be a little bit strong-headed at times, but don’t you think you can write her a citation or something? She’ll give you her driver’s license."
Though a superior officer was called in to mediate, Goodwin was eventually released at the scene and given a citation.