Gaza ceasefire sees its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners

The ceasefire in Gaza saw its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, and the crucial Rafah border crossing reopened two days before discussions on the truce’s far more difficult second phase begin.

Reagan National Airport has long struggled to manage helicopter traffic, records show

Incident report show how concerns over managing the congested airspace around Reagan National Airport in Washington have stretched back decades before this week’s deadly collision of a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter.

Rubio bans Cuban company that handles money transfers to the island in move against military

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reversed on Friday the last-minute decision by former President Joe Biden to remove sanctions on Cuban military companies and is extending the list of banned entities to include the Cuban company — secretly run by the military — that handles money transfers from Cuban Americans to their families on the island.

Army helicopter was alerted to plane’s presence 2 minutes before collision

Air traffic controllers twice alerted the crew of a U.S. Army helicopter to the presence of an inbound American Airlines jet, with the first warning issued two minutes before the aircraft collided Wednesday night near Reagan National Airport, radio transmissions show.

Sailor who survived 1941 Pearl Harbor attack in battleship’s belly dies at age 103

William Henry Pratt, who survived both the 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and a series of dangerous patrols aboard a submarine during World War II, died last week in Fresno, Calif. He was 103.

Venezuela frees 6 Americans after meeting between President Maduro and Trump’s envoy

Six Americans who had been detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of President Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a Trump administration official tasked with urging the authoritarian leader to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the United States.

Medical plane carrying child patient and 5 others crashes in Philadelphia, setting homes ablaze

A medical transport jet with a child patient, her mother and four others aboard crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff Friday evening, exploding in a fireball that engulfed several homes.

A list of government web pages that have gone dark to comply with Trump orders

U.S. government websites have gone dark as agencies scrambled to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders declaring his administration would recognize only two genders and ordering an end to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Korean War soldier lost in the ‘Frozen Chosin’ laid to rest in San Antonio

Seventy-four years after her brother shipped off to boot camp, Holland said she had given up hope that her brother would ever come home. But the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in August identified her brother’s remains using DNA that Holland had provided and she was able to bring him to Texas for burial.

Trump says he and Putin could do something ‘significant’ toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine

President Donald Trump says his administration has already had “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” action toward ending the grinding conflict.

2 soldiers killed in training accident at Fort Stewart

Two soldiers at Fort Stewart were killed Thursday night in a single-vehicle incident during night training at the base in Georgia, Army officials said.

Second federal judge orders temporary pause to Trump administration efforts to freeze funding

Judge John McConnell on Friday sided with nearly two dozen states that requested a temporary restraining order preventing most federal agencies from “pausing, freezing, impeding, blocking, canceling, or terminating” spending. The federal government had opposed the order, arguing it was unnecessary.

The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel, more than a decade after attacking it

According to information on the Hotel State Owned Corporation’s website, the corporation’s mission is to develop Afghanistan’s hotel industry. Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani acknowledged planning a 2008 attack on the hotel, which killed eight, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla.

Pentagon revokes travel policy for troops seeking reproductive health care, including abortions

Troops seeking reproductive health care, including abortions, not covered by the Defense Department will no longer receive travel stipends to do so after the Pentagon revoked its travel policy Thursday.

Military aircraft land at Boston Logan for funeral of ‘true American hero’ who spent 6-plus years in captivity during Vietnam War

U.S. military aircraft were spotted landing at Boston Logan International Airport on Friday ahead of a funeral for a “true American hero” who spent more than six years in captivity during the Vietnam War.

Afghanistan veteran, pilot who served in the Navy were two of three soldiers killed in Army helicopter’s midair crash over DC

Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga., served as a Black Hawk repairer in the Army from July 2014 until his death Wednesday night. The remains of another soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md., have not yet been recovered.

Flagship US military medical center faces building failures

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has experienced widespread flooding in recent days and outages of its steam system vital for equipment sterilization, significant infrastructure failures that threaten to disrupt patient care for months to come, The Washington Post has learned.

Navy SEAL who led workout that hospitalized Tufts lacrosse players lacked expertise, report says

The review released Friday states that the university should enact stricter procedures for workouts and states the September 2024 workout was “unusually intense,” resulting in 24 of the 61 participants developing rhabdomyolysis, a serious and uncommon muscle injury.

President Trump to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the White House

President Donald Trump is meeting Friday with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company designs and supplies the advanced computer chips that play an integral role in the AI boom. A person familiar with the matter said the meeting was set up weeks ago and would enable them to get acquainted and talk about AI policy.