Divers aim to salvage crashed aircraft

Near-misses at the Washington airport worried pilots well before the fatal crash.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Linda Noakes Investigators find the black boxes from the Washington crash, North America braces for new Trump tariffs, and Russia is closing in on a key Ukrainian city. Plus, economic shock therapy in Syria. Today's Top News   Search and rescue teams operate in the Potomac River. Handout via REUTERS Washington plane crash Investigators plan to push forward with efforts to retrieve the two aircraft involved in a crash in Washington that killed 67 people and raised questions about air safety in the US capital.  We break down what happened, and what we know so far about the investigation. Planes approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport must navigate a narrow flight path and near-misses worried pilots well before Wednesday's crash. Aerospace and Defense Editor Joe Brock explains the issues on the Reuters World News podcast. In other news Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, vowed to protect FBI employees against "political retribution" even as the Trump administration has begun to fire and sideline Justice Department officials who were involved in investigations into the president. Russian forces are slowly tightening the noose around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub whose main supply lines are under threat nearly three years after Moscow invaded its neighbor. Germany's parliament could pass a law thanks to far-right support for the first time in the country's post-war history today, if an opposition motion on tightening immigration controls passes with the backing of the Alternative for Germany party. Syria's new Islamist leaders are undertaking a radical overhaul of the country's broken economy, including plans to fire a third of all public sector workers and privatising state-run companies dominant during half a century of Assad family rule. When M23 rebels swept into the Congolese city of Goma this week, world powers urged them to immediately withdraw. Instead, the Rwanda-backed insurgents are intent on showing they can restore order and govern. Business & Markets   US economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter as a strike at Boeing depressed business investment in equipment, but consumer spending increased at its fastest pace in nearly two years, underscoring strong domestic demand that probably keeps the Federal Reserve on a slow interest rate cut path this year. The European Central Bank cut interest rates and policymakers guided for a further reduction in March as concerns over lackluster economic growth supersede worries about persistent inflation. Samsung warned of sluggish sales of its artificial intelligence chips in the current quarter due to US export restrictions to China. Apple executives forecast relatively strong sales growth, a sign the company will recover from a dip in iPhone sales as it rolls out artificial intelligence features. Intel posted December-quarter results that beat analysts' low expectations, while its forecast for current-quarter revenue missed estimates as the chipmaker grapples with tepid demand for its data center chips and as investors wait for a new CEO. The Week Ahead Trump's tariff deadline is looming large, the US reports jobs data and markets are gauging the new AI landscape ahead of major tech firms reporting. The Bank of England has an interest rate decision to make, and lenders in Europe also publish their results. Here's your guide to the week ahead in global markets.  Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Trump's secretary of state, as the region reels from the new administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday amid the fragile Gaza ceasefire. Japanese get creative to fight soaring food prices   Kazuki Nakata looks at his indoor farm at his home in Kawasaki, Japan. REUTERS/Tom Bateman For Japanese YouTuber Kazuki Nakata, soaring food prices have proved to be a boon. Having started indoor farming at home as a hobby during the pandemic, the 37-year-old now has nearly 90,000 subscribers eager to learn how to stretch out store-bought vegetables and grow new ones in containers of water, without soil. Read more Pictures of the Week A climate activist wears a scold's bridle outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett A selection of our top photography from around the world. See the gallery Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. 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