Good evening. We have a lot to get to in the next hour of the readout, including Donald

Trump's definition of meritocracy. Added to the TV host, reality TV stars, Nepo Kennedy's, and

J.D. Vance, two more wildly unqualified people who have faced confirmation hearings today.

Iconoclastic former liberal Democrat Tulsi Gabbard nominated for Director of National

Intelligence with zero intel experience and an apparent penchant for the former Syrian dictator

and Edward Snowden. And Cash Patel, the podcast bro who would have the flimsyest resume of

any FBI director ever.

So much to say.

But we begin tonight with an unspeakable tragedy that has left 67 people dead and their families devastated.

At 8.47 p.m. last night, a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines jet on route from Wichita,

Kansas, as it was preparing to land at Washington's DCA airport, leaving no survivors. The victims

included 14 bright young souls returning from a skating competition in Kansas, including a number

of skaters and their coaches who were based in Boston.

It was really just kind of a force of nature. And about three years ago,

um, saw Nathan Chen in the Olympics and decided, hey, I could do that. He just was like a phenom and just loved it. And it wasn't

anyone pushing him. He was just somebody who loved it and had natural talent, but also just

worked every day. Kind of just felt like a nightmare and was hoping I would wake up and it would

be that. But it's a new reality that we just

have to work through together.

This tragedy is the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly 24 years and the first test of Donald

Trump's second administration. An administration fully staffed with people Trump chose, not for their

experience, but because

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