After watching 6-plus hours of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifying before two Senate committees, I have no idea whether he'll be confirmed as HHS secretary — I could see it going either way.

• Yes, but: It was still incredibly interesting to watch Kennedy reintroduce himself after decades in the public eye, hear more about how he'd govern and, in some cases, read between the lines of what he wasn't saying.

Here are some major takeaways from the hearings:

He's not declaring himself an entirely new man — on vaccines, on abortion or on many of his Democratic views.

Kennedy didn't deny several of his outlandish past statements, although he frequently tried to add context or explanation. He also began his testimony by saying that "news reports have claimed I am anti-vax or anti-industry. I am neither."

• But he refused to acknowledge that vaccines don't cause autism, saying only that he wouldn't take any preconceived notions into the office with him and would look at the data.
• The problem with that, as several senators pointed out, is that reams of studies have existed for years that find no link between vaccines and autism.

He also made no attempt to convince them he'd had a personal change of heart about abortion policies, saying repeatedly instead that he would implement President Trump's policies and that "every abortion is a tragedy."

• He didn't run away from other liberal positions, either, saying at one point that he and Trump have "agreed to disagree" on climate change.

Deference to Trump — both by Kennedy and GOP senators — may make none of that matter.

That's not to say Kennedy doesn't have any true fans, and he was vocally supported and praised by several GOP senators. Many on both sides of the aisle found points of agreement with him.

• But on abortion, one of his diciest issues, his repeated commitment to follow Trump's lead seemed to satisfy ardent anti-abortion members, although several Democrats did their best to remind those colleagues that Kennedy's personal values have been in stark contrast with their own.
• It's "great that my Republican colleagues are so open to voting for a pro-choice HHS secretary," Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, said at one point.

He's unfamiliar with the basics of how the federal health programs work.

This first became apparent during Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy's first round of questioning on Wednesday, when he asked a series of Medicaid-related questions. Kennedy's answers contained factual errors about the program and suggested a lack of familiarity with federal health programs.

• Hassan then went in for the kill yesterday, asking him to explain what each of the four major parts of the Medicare program cover. Kennedy fumbled his responses.

If Kennedy is confirmed — or maybe even if he isn't — pharma is probably in trouble.

The hearings yielded very little information about what Kennedy would want to do as secretary outside of public health and vaccine policy. But he did have a few illuminating comments on drug pricing.

• In an exchange with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) about how much more the U.S. often pays for pharmaceuticals compared with other countries, Kennedy said that "we should end that disparity" and that he's spoken with Trump about it.
• He told Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) that "I've spoken to President Trump about negotiations. He's absolutely committed to negotiating lower drug prices."
• And in a fiery back-and-forth with Sanders, Kennedy made clear his disdain for the pharmaceutical industry's influence in Washington.
• "Almost all the members of this panel — including yourself — are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests," Kennedy said.

Where it stands: For the handful of senators truly on the fence about Kennedy's nomination, he may not have made the decision much easier for them. As a reminder, Kennedy can only lose three Republicans if every Democrat votes against him.

• At the end of yesterday's hearing, Cassidy told Kennedy that he is "struggling with your nomination."
• Does someone "who has spent decades criticizing vaccines and who is financially vested in finding fault with vaccines — can he change his attitudes and approach now that he'll have the most important position influencing vaccine policy in the United States?" Cassidy asked.
• "Will you continue what you have been, or will you overturn a new leaf at age 70?"

What the White House is saying: "After two days and over six hours of testimony in two Senate Committees, we are fully confident [Kennedy] will be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, 🇺🇸" confirmation spokesperson Katie Miller posted on X.

Almost everyone I talked to thinks this is ultimately going to be a nail-biter, including both Kennedy supporters and critics.

• If he is confirmed, it's also hard to predict which version of himself he'll bring to the job as the nation's top health official.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gave government leaders, policy experts and journalists a sneak peek at coming technology Thursday during an off-the-record demo near Capitol Hill.

Why it matters: The briefing was designed both to show how the U.S. can maximize economic benefits of AI, and to warm D.C. leaders to coming capabilities so they're less likely to be caught off-guard.

• Referring to new agentic technology that can independently complete tasks in the real world, Altman said: "My intuition would be that ... these things are [a] single-digit percent of the economic value we will pass to the U.S. economy."
• "This is going to be a big, big efficiency gain."

State of play: Altman and OpenAI's Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil previewed new AI capabilities coming in Q1 and focused on how those capabilities will support science, education, health and government services, Axios' Maria Curi reported ahead of the meeting.

• It marked the second week in a row Altman was in D.C. after attending Trump's inauguration and announcing Stargate — a partnership among companies including OpenAI to invest billions in AI development.

Spotted at the briefing Thursday: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum (confirmed yesterday) ... Lynne Parker, executive director of President Trump's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST) ... Sriram Krishnana, White House senior policy adviser for AI ... Jacob Helberg, Trump's designee for Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment ... Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) ... Kellyanne Conway ... Wally Adeyemo, former deputy Treasury secretary under President Biden ... retired House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry ... former Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).

Go deeper: Behind the Curtain — Coming soon: Ph.D.-level super-agents

There's a growing marriage gap in the U.S.: Marriage rates for women without college degrees are falling, while rates for those with four-year degrees are holding steady.

• A fascinating new working paper from researchers at Cornell, Harvard and Yale unpacks the trend.

Why it matters: The drop-off in marriage rates for women without degrees has everything to do with their male counterparts, the researchers find.

How it works: Men without degrees have seen their economic prospects decline over the past few decades, a trend that's been well-documented.

• These financial troubles have led to lower marriage rates for men — and for women without four-year degrees. (Even as these women have seen their incomes rise.)
• In other (potentially outdated) words: a "good" man has become harder to find, at least for women with less than a four-year degree. So they're getting married less.

By the numbers: 71% of women with a bachelor's degree, born in 1980, were married by age 45. That's compared to 52% of women without a degree, per the research.

• The paper looked at government data for women born 1930 - 1980, and also projected out these numbers through to women born in 1994, and found that this trend should continue.

Zoom out: There's been a lot of worrying in recent years that women with degrees would have trouble finding husbands; fewer men are graduating from college, after all. So who would these ladies marry?

• Turns out that a good-sized share of college-educated woman have always married men without bachelor's degrees, per the research.
• These men tend to be the highest earners among their peers. The non-college educated men, born in 1980, who married college-educated women earned $68,000 a year. That's compared to $46,000 for the other men, per the research.
• The pool of men left behind are the ones who are less likely to marry — their incomes have declined over the years, researchers found.

The bottom line: The declining economic prospects of men are undermining the marriage prospects of women.

In his first national tragedy, President Trump posted like a pundit, speculated needlessly, and blamed Democrats and DEI without any evidence to suggest either were involved.

Why it matters: The traditional presidential playbook is boring by design — pray for the lost and their families, reassure the public, promise a swift investigation. That has never been Trump's style.

The big picture: Trump has responded to the deadliest U.S. air disaster in a generation with a similar approach that he took to COVID — which produced arguably the lowest moments of his first term.

• It's vintage Trump: His instincts for bare-knuckle brawling were a huge asset during his four years in the wilderness, helping to fuel a historic political comeback.
• But Trump is president now, not a powerless pundit. His words carry the weight of the U.S. government.

Zoom in: As bodies were still being recovered from the Wednesday night collision outside Reagan National Airport, Trump began a press conference at the White House with a moment of silence and request for national unity.

• Moments later, he pivoted sharply to attacking his Democratic predecessors, Presidents Biden and Obama, and accusing the Federal Aviation Administration of prioritizing diversity over air safety.
• He acknowledged an investigation was needed to determine the exact causes of the crashes, but cited "common sense" when asked how he knew diversity hiring could have played a role.
• "They actually came out with a directive — 'too white,'" Trump claimed of the FAA under Obama. "Their policy was horrible and their politics was even worse."

Trump later signed a memo ordering a review of all federal aviation hiring and safety decisions — and explicitly blaming his predecessors for the collision.

• "This shocking event follows problematic and likely illegal decisions during the Obama and Biden Administrations that minimized merit and competence" in the FAA, the memo alleged.

Reality check: There's no evidence that Obama or Biden's hiring policies at the FAA led to any kind of decline in aviation safety.

• The "disabilities" language that Trump now opposes was in FAA regulations during his entire first term and first appeared around 2013, according to the fact-checking website Snopes.
• The FAA administrator under Biden resigned when Trump took office, and the agency had been leaderless until Trump tapped Chris Rochealeau on Thursday, after the crash.

What they're saying: Democrats reacted with outrage at Trump's finger-pointing, with some lawmakers diverting blame to the president's gutting of a key aviation safety advisory committee and federal hiring freeze.

• "Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," tweeted former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whom Trump accused of leading the diversity charge at the FAA.
• "We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch," Buttigieg wrote.

Zoom out: Trump's knee-jerk politicization of the Potomac River crash fits a familiar pattern — one that was on display not only during his first term, but in the weeks before he took office this time.

• After Hurricane Helene ravaged North Carolina, Trump spread baseless conspiracy theories about the Biden administration purposely refusing to help mostly Republican areas and wasting emergency resources on migrants.
• When an American-born Army veteran drove through a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day, Trump falsely linked the terror attack to undocumented migrants crossing the border.
• And when the worst wildfires in California history unleashed mass devastation in Los Angeles, Trump blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom's water policies and floated the idea of placing conditions on federal disaster aid.

Flashback: In a post-2020 election autopsy, Trump's own pollster cited the president's handling of COVID as the leading cause of his defeat.

• Trump's daily pandemic press briefings and public attacks on his own health officials wore down the American public, which ultimately saw Biden as the steadier hand.
• Four years in opposition have helped Trump rehabilitate his image. But by reflexively blaming Democrats and DEI for the country's problems, Trump risks a repeat of the dynamics that weakened his first presidency.

President Trump rallied against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in air traffic control as having contributed to the deadly plane crash outside of D.C. Wednesday, but the data paints a different picture.

The big picture: Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and IPUMS show air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists are predominately male and white.

By the numbers: 78% are men, while 22% are women, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau and IPUMS.

• 71% identify as non-Hispanic white.
• The data includes air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists working in air transportation or services incidental to transportation.

Driving the news: Trump on Thursday repeatedly cited DEI policies at the Federal Aviation Administration as having played a role in the crash, and blamed Democrats including Presidents Biden and Obama, for advancing inclusive workplace policies.

• Trump implicitly equated racial, gender and other forms of diversity with a lower-quality federal workforce.

Reality check: In addition to the statistics showing the opposite is true, the cause of the crash has not been determined and there's no evidence that FAA hiring policies led to a decline in aviation safety.

Zoom in: Trump signed a memo Thursday alleging that Biden's administration "egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all agencies to implement dangerous 'diversity equity and inclusion' tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with 'severe intellectual' disabilities in the FAA," according to a person familiar with the matter.

• The "disabilities" language that Trump is opposing was in FAA regulations during the entirety of his first term and first appeared around 2013, per fact-checking website Snopes.
• The American Association of People with Disabilities said on X that FAA employees with disabilities did not cause the crash.
• "It is extremely inappropriate for the President to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda," the AAPD said. "Doing so makes all Americans less safe."

Go deeper: D.C. plane crash is among country's deadliest in decades

RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard will have to sweat their confirmations over the weekend, based on what GOP senators said at hearings the past two days.

Why it matters: Republicans with choice committee seats can blow up confirmations before they reach the Senate floor.

• Any GOP "no" vote means the nominee won't get the committee's recommendation.
• No recommendation = no floor vote, or at least a very unlikely one, as Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday.

Senate Finance, which votes on Kennedy for secretary of Health and Human Services:

• Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told RFK Jr.: "I've been struggling with your nomination" and "you may be hearing from me over the weekend." Cassidy questioned Kennedy about vaccines at Thursday's HELP Committee hearing and has a vote on the Finance Committee.

Senate Intel, which votes on Gabbard for director of national intelligence:

• Susan Collins (R-Maine) asked Gabbard if she'd seek a pardon or commutation for Edward Snowden. Gabbard said no to both. "I was happy with her responses to my questions," Collins told reporters Thursday night, per CNN.
• Todd Young (R-Ind.) told Gabbard, "It would befit you and be helpful for the way you're perceived by members of the Intelligence Committee" to say Snowden harmed national security. Gabbard repeatedly refused to call Snowden a traitor at the hearing.
• Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) offended Gabbard by saying he wanted to be sure Russia doesn't "get a pass in either your mind or your heart."
• John Cornyn (R-Texas) could not get a direct answer from Gabbard on whether warrants should be required for wiretaps under Section 702 of FISA. (He posted Thursday he's a yes on Gabbard).

The bottom line: Even senators who support Gabbard were taken aback by her Snowden answers.

• "I think there are a lot of questions after," Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters. "I thought that was going to be an easy softball question."

A congressional delegation will visit New Orleans on Friday to review security for the Super Bowl — an unusual step that underscores heightened tension around the Feb. 9 event, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The city is taking extraordinary security measures for the Super Bowl in the wake of the deadly New Year's Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.

• Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Wednesday that law enforcement will conduct bag checks at checkpoints in the French Quarter between Feb. 5 and 10.
• Vehicle traffic will also be restricted in the area, and coolers and ice chests will be prohibited — measures responding to the methods used by the New Year's Day attacker.

Driving the news: The delegation will be led by Rep. Dale Strong (R-Ala.), the chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, a spokesperson for the panel told Axios.

• Lawmakers will visit the site of the New Year's Day attack with officials from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and New Orleans police.
• They will then tour the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Caesars Superdome and be briefed by NFL and law enforcement officials.

Zoom in: Strong will be joined in New Orleans by Reps. Julie Johnson (D-Texas) and Nellie Pou (D-N.J.).

Congressional offices are being warned not to use DeepSeek, an upstart Chinese chatbot that is roiling the American AI market, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Congress has struggled to navigate the security and administrative challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI technology.

• "At this time, DeepSeek is under review by the CAO and is currently unauthorized for official House use," the House's Chief Administrative Officer said in a notice to congressional offices obtained by Axios.

What they're saying: The notice warned that "threat actors are already exploiting DeepSeek to deliver malicious software and infect devices."

• "To mitigate these risks, the House has taken security measures to restrict DeepSeek's functionality on all House-issued devices," it continued.
• Staffers are prohibited from installing DeepSeek on any official phones, computers and tablets, the notice said.

Zoom out: This is far from the first time the CAO has restricted staffers' use of an AI product, though other targeted companies have been based in the U.S.

• In 2023 the office set limits on the use of ChatGPT, telling offices they can only use the paid version of the OpenAI chatbot for certain tasks.
• The CAO also told staffers last April that they could not use Microsoft Copilot, though the company told Axios it was working on a suite of government-oriented tools it hoped would be allowed.

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

A nonprofit group tied to House Democratic leadership is already planning an ad slamming the Trump administration's funding freeze, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), viewing the days-long battle over the freeze as a win for Democrats, has been urging his members to press their advantage and keep hammering the topic.

• The Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday rescinded an earlier memo freezing federal grants, loans and other financial assistance, though the White House said parts of the freeze remain in force.
• The initial memo led to widespread confusion and locked some states out of a federal Medicaid portal.

Driving the news: House Majority Forward, an issue advocacy group closely aligned with Jeffries, is running an ad called "Real Steal" on national cable Monday — including "Fox & Friends" — backed up by a five-figure ad buy.

• The ad accuses Trump and congressional Republicans of causing "chaos, confusion across the country" and cutting funds for healthcare, police and fire departments, and pre-K centers.
• "Trump's grabbing that money to pay back his billionaires with more tax cuts," the ad says. "It's … The Real Steal."

Between the lines: The ad — part of HMF's $10 million "economic accountability" campaign — is a clear signal the short-lived OMB memo will play a prominent role in Democrats' political messaging.

• Jeffries and his messaging arm have encouraged lawmakers to hold events on the freeze and highlight the impact it had on their constituents.

The other side: "President Trump and Republicans hit the ground running, delivering for the American people," said Torunn Sinclair, a spokesperson for the House Republican-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund.

• "Democrats are spewing lies — it's sad and pathetic. They've learned nothing from the 2024 election," Sinclair said.
• A senior White House official said in a statement to Axios: "The American people sent President Trump back to the White House to end the massive waste, fraud and abuse of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars."
• "No amount of fearmongering and falsehoods in this baseless ad will change the excitement the American people feel now that we have true leadership here in the White House," the official said.

President Trump and his allies are blaming diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for contributing to the tragic plane crash outside of D.C. Wednesday night, without providing any evidence of a link between the two.

Why it matters: Trump repeatedly cited DEI policies, a favorite boogeyman, at the Federal Aviation Administration as having some role in the plane collision during White House remarks. He also blamed Democrats who advanced inclusive workplace policies.

• While the cause of the crash isn't yet known, Trump implicitly equated racial, gender and other forms of diversity with a lower-quality federal workforce.
• Officials said Thursday that there hadn't been anything unusual about the flight paths for either aircraft leading up to the collision, nor had there been a breakdown in communications.
• Asked Thursday if he was getting ahead of the official investigation by blaming DEI initiatives, Trump disagreed, even while acknowledging it was still unclear what caused the collision.

Reality check: Aviation experts have focused on a shortage of air traffic controllers, rather than any DEI initiatives, as a safety concern.

• There are simply not enough people at present, of any identity, making it through the long, arduous qualification process.

State of play: Other Trump administration officials echoed the president's sentiments about the connection between DEI and the quality of the federal workforce.

• "We can only accept the best and the brightest in positions of safety that impact the lives of our loved ones, our family members," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the press conference after Trump spoke.
• Duffy also promised reforms after Trump's comments. "We are going to take responsibility at the Department of Transportation and the FAA to make sure we have the reforms that have been dictated by President Trump in place to make sure that these mistakes do not happen again and again."
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struck a similar note at the briefing. "The era of DEI is gone at the Defense Department and we need the best and brightest — whether it's in our air traffic control or whether it's in our generals, or whether it's throughout government," he said.
• Vice President JD Vance claimed that over the past decade, hundreds of people had sued the government because they wanted to be air traffic controllers but had been "turned away because of the color of their skin."
• "That policy ends under Donald Trump's leadership, because safety is the first priority of our aviation industry," Vance added.

Elon Musk, one of Trump's most powerful supporters, has long had a combative relationship with the FAA and has previously blamed DEI efforts for making air travel less safe.

• Trump also announced Thursday that he was appointing a new acting administrator of the FAA. Former FAA administrator Michael Whitaker stepped down earlier this month after Musk pressured him to resign.

Zoom in: Trump claimed the FAA's DEI policies had included "hiring people with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities."

• People with such severe disabilities — including missing extremities, hearing and vision loss, and dwarfism — all qualified for air traffic controller positions under the DEI policies, Trump added.
• Trump did not offer specific examples of when such hires had occurred. The FAA did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
• After slamming groups that had previously determined the FAA as being "too white," Trump added: "We want the people who are competent."

Driving the news: Trump wasted little time blaming former Presidents Obama and Biden for allegedly lowering safety standards at the Federal Aviation Administration at a press conference Thursday.

• He also railed against former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, saying the former Biden administration official had run the FAA "right into the ground with his diversity" initiatives.
• Buttigieg hit back at Trump's accusations in an X post, calling them "despicable" and noting that one of Trump's first acts in office was to "fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe."

The big picture: American Eagle Flight 5342 was en route from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, D.C. when it collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter late Wednesday.

• The passenger jet was carrying 64 people on board while the helicopter was carrying three soldiers.

Go deeper:

• D.C. plane crash: What we know about the collision as all passengers feared dead
• Trump touts national unity over air disaster before bashing Biden and Obama

New Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has been privately indicating she's prepared to intervene in contested primaries.

Why it matters: Senate Democrats want to avoid the GOP's Obama-era pain of watching preferred candidates lose primaries to unelectable newcomers.

• Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) know their ability to claw their way back to the majority starts with candidates who are built for the general election.
• The top target: Getting the right candidates in three of the most competitive races of the 2026 cycle — Maine, North Carolina and now Michigan.

Zoom in: At a private DSCC fundraiser on Wednesday night, Gillibrand told donors that Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor, would be a "formidable candidate," according to people familiar with the matter.

• Cooper has yet to decide whether to run, but he's clearly indicated he's considering it and used his farewell address to say, "I am not done."
• A big announcement from Cooper would help offset fears of losing other seats — especially if Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) decides to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).

Democrats were stunned by Sen. Gary Peters' (D-Mich.) surprise announcement he won't seek a third term, opening a primary they thought would be closed.

• Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) are both mulling primary bids. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the current Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist are also taking a look.

The bottom line: In these MAGA times, the NRSC is typically left with whatever candidate President Trump endorses.

• Schumer and Gillibrand don't have that kind of power, but they clearly want to avoid intra-party fights and save their resources for the general election.
• "As always, the DSCC evaluates every primary on a case-by-case basis and doesn't take any options off the table," a DSCC aide said.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Doug Burgum to be Interior secretary in a bipartisan vote.

Why it matters: Burgum will lead President Trump's efforts to expand oil and gas drilling on public lands and deal with any energy-related fallout from the administration's funding freeze.

Driving the news: The former North Dakota governor and onetime 2024 presidential aspirant cleared the Senate in a 79-18 vote.

• He previously advanced out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with an 18-2 vote.

What they're saying: Majority Leader John Thune praised Burgum's record as governor and said he would "bring the same data-driven, consensus-based, think-big work ethic to his work as Secretary of the Interior."

• During his confirmation hearing, Burgum made the case for speedier permitting and putting more baseload power — namely, coal, nuclear and oil and gas — onto the grid.
• "We have a shortage of electricity, and especially we have a shortage of baseload," he told the committee. "We know that we have the technology to deliver clean coal."

Between the lines: Burgum is also slated to lead Trump's National Energy Council — which has yet to be formally created — and will have a seat on the National Security Council.

• He'll likely have coordinating permitting and production efforts across agencies and will be at the center of Trump's energy emergency executive order.

If you need smart, quick intel on federal energy policy for your job, get Axios Pro Policy.

If it's hard to be a CEO right now, then that difficulty is sure to extend to those who advise them.

Why it matters: Only 17% of CEOs feel their communications and public affairs functions are "very equipped" to keep pace with rapid economic, geopolitical and cultural changes, a new report from The Weber Shandwick Collective found.

What they're saying: "The increased volatility, at least in the U.S., is something that [CEOs] are concerned about. And unfortunately, for whatever reason, they don't think that their communications teams are equipped to fully address or navigate that," CEO of The Weber Shandwick Collective, North America and Global President Jim O'Leary said at a sponsored Axios conversation in Davos, Switzerland.

• "What maybe is potentially most disappointing is that a lot of the people in our profession feel like over the past several years we've gained a significant amount of influence at the C-suite level because the role of comms is much more materially important to the success or failure of a company than it's ever been."

By the numbers: Weber Shandwick surveyed 200 global executives from Nov. 14-Dec. 4, 2024, and found that roughly 7 in 10 are anticipating heightened volatility in the year ahead, and few feel prepared.

• C-suite leaders feel the least prepared to address violent and nonviolent attacks or protests, getting caught in the political crosshairs and division within the workplace.

And executives aren't likely to increasingly turn to their comms or public affairs teams for guidance.

• Overall, only 27% reported an increased sense of confidence in their communications and public affairs function over the past three years, with a majority of CEOs (59%) saying their confidence in the team remains unchanged.
• Of note, leaders of larger companies and those operating in more than 20 countries are more likely to report a loss in comms and public affairs confidence.

Zoom in: Executives are navigating the competing demands and expectations of their stakeholder groups.

• According to the report, CEOs are prioritizing customers first — with 86% naming this group as "very important" — followed by investors and shareholders (73%), employees (45%), policymakers (32%), partners and suppliers (24%) and local communities (22%).

Zoom out: While policymakers might not be the top audience, several CEOs are tripping over themselves to appeal to the new Trump administration.

• The big picture: Corporate America found itself in the political crosshairs with the new Washington taking shape. This prompted several companies to revise their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and sustainability commitments.

Yes, but: Even given their wavering confidence levels, CEOs are investing more in some communication and public affairs functions.

• According to the report, most plan to expand resources for marketing and brand building, communications, crisis and government relations.
• Meanwhile, about 1 in 4 plan to pull back on environmental, social and governance (ESG) and DEI efforts.

What to watch: New governments are forming across the globe and proposing policies that may affect business operations, supply chains, investments and reputation, the report points out.

• This creates more opportunity for communication and public affairs teams, said O'Leary.
• "No scenario plan is ever going to survive contact with the amount of volatility that's out there in the world. So, in addition to being able to plan for and be resilient through all of the change, you also have to have an enormous amount of agility in the year to come."

More on Axios: CEOs embrace Trump with minimal employee resistance

• Which companies are rolling back DEI and which are standing firm

President Trump on Thursday reiterated that tariffs are coming against Canada and Mexico on Saturday, though he said the scope of those levies is still up in the air.

Why it matters: Canada and Mexico are the top U.S. trading partners, and his ongoing tariff threats have sparked fears of an economically damaging trade war.

Catch up quick: In a question-and-answer session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump confirmed his previously stated plan to impose tariffs on Feb. 1.

• "Mexico and Canada have never been good to us on trade. They've treated us very unfairly on trade," Trump said, adding: "We don't need what they have."
• The U.S., Mexico and Canada have been joint parties to free trade agreements for decades, first NAFTA and then the USMCA.

Yes, but: The president left the door open to the possibility the tariffs would not be blanket levies on all imports; specifically, he said Canadian oil imports might be exempt.

• "We may or may not, we're going to make that determination tonight," he told reporters.

By the numbers: Trump has previously spoken of a 25% tariff on both countries.

• S&P Global Ratings, in a research report Thursday, said those levies would most affect the Mexican auto industry and the Canadian paper and rubber industries, among others.
• Both nations are expected to retaliate in some way if Trump goes ahead with his plan.
• The U.S. dollar rose to its strongest levels against the Canadian dollar in five years after his statement.

The intrigue: Trump had previously spoken of a 10% tariff on China as of Feb. 1, as well, but he wasn't as firm Thursday on proceeding with that levy.

• Instead he said he was "thinking about doing something" because of the alleged volumes of fentanyl coming to the U.S. from China.
• "China is going to end up paying a tariff also for that and we're in the process of doing that … we'll make that determination what it's going to be."

President Trump ordered a review of all federal aviation hiring and safety decisions in response to Wednesday night's deadly air collision near Washington.

Why it matters: The order shows Trump is doubling down on his claim, without evidence, that DEI policies were a factor in the crash. His memo explicitly mentions "diversity equity and inclusion," and reflects how anti-DEI efforts are a centerpiece of his second administration's policy.

• It's also the latest example of Trump trying to blame the Biden administration and Democrats on issues that arise during his term.

Zoom in: Trump signed the new memo today, according to a person familiar with the matter. It directs the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA administrator to:

• "Review all hiring decisions and changes to safety protocols made during the prior four years, and to take such corrective action as necessary to achieve uncompromised aviation safety, including the replacement of any individuals who do not meet qualification standards."
• "This review shall include a systematic assessment of any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation safety standards and protocols during the Biden administration."

Reality check: It's unclear what caused Wednesday night's crash involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Blackhawk military helicopter. The investigation into the collision is just beginning.

• Trump's memo alleges that Biden's administration "egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all agencies to implement dangerous 'diversity equity and inclusion' tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with 'severe intellectual' disabilities in the FAA."

The "disabilities" language that Trump now opposes was in FAA regulations during his entire first term and first appeared around 2013, according to the fact-checking website Snopes.

Democrats on Thursday pointed fingers at Trump and criticized him for suggesting DEI played a role.

• "He's in charge. This happened on his watch," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in a video message on X. He blamed Trump for throwing the FAA into chaos by "ousting the sdministrator and the whole FAA safety board."

Catch up quick: Trump issued a blizzard of executive actions and orders in his first week in office, including the "Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation" action, which his new memo largely repeats.

• Trump dismantled DEI hiring in the federal workforce in a Day 1 order.
• Trump's administration established an email reporting site to root out DEI programs.
• Trump placed DEI staffers on paid leave on his third day in office.

The deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport outside D.C. Wednesday marks the deadliest air carrier crash in the U.S. since November 2001, when a passenger jet crashed in Queens, New York killing 265. Another 265 were killed in airplane crashes during the 9/11 terror attacks.

The big picture: Fatal crashes of commercial aircraft in the U.S. have become uncommon in the 21st century, as regulations have increased, technology has advanced and safety measures and controls have improved.

Driving the news: An American Airlines passenger jet with 64 people on board collided late Wednesday with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers.

• Both aircrafts went plunging into the Potomac River. There are no known survivors.

Zoom out: The last deadly aircraft incident with a mass casualty was in 2009 near Buffalo, N.Y. All 49 passengers and crew on Colgan Air Flight 3407 were killed when the Bombardier DHC-8 propeller plane crashed into a house. One person on the ground also died, bringing the death toll to 50.

• Prior to that, a Comair plane crashed while taking off from Lexington, Kentucky, on Aug. 27, 2006, killing 49 people onboard.
• The deadliest of the last quarter century in the U.S. was when 265 people died onboard in four plane crashes on Sept. 11, 2001. They were among nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks.
• Two months later, on Nov. 12, 2001, an American Airlines flight crashed into a residential area in Queens, N.Y., killing 265 people.

Zoom in: Prior to 9/11, Wednesday's crash is the worst air tragedy in the D.C. area since Jan. 13, 1982, when Air Florida Flight 90 crashed, killing 78 people on board.

Go deeper: D.C. plane crash: What we know about the collision as all passengers feared dead

No survivors are expected after an American Airlines passenger flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair on Wednesday night, near Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport.

The big picture: While the cause of the crash is being investigated, details are emerging about the people who were aboard the aircrafts.

• American Eagle Flight 5342 had 64 people on board, while the helicopter was carrying three soldiers.

State of play: The flight was en route from Wichita, Kansas to Washington, D.C., when the plane and helicopter collided.

• The American Airlines flight attendants were based out of Charlotte, an Association of Flight Attendants spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
• The Communication Workers of America, a labor union, said two members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA were on the plane. They did not immediately name them.
• Doug Zeghibe, the CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, confirmed at a briefing Thursday that "to the best of their knowledge" 14 skaters were on board the flight, returning home from a development camp put on in Wichita by U.S. Figure Skating.
• United Association, a union representing plumbers and other service technicians, said Thursday that at least five members were on the flight. Four of them were members of Maryland-based Steamfitters United Association Local 602. They were not immediately identified by name.

Zoom in: Two Chinese citizens were also on board, China's state media reported the country's embassy in D.C. as saying.

• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Telegram that Russian figure skaters and other citizens were on board. Russian state news agency TASS reported coaches of Russian origin may have been on board.
• Philippine National Police confirmed to local media one of its officers was on the plane.

Here's what we know about the victims so far:

Police Col. Pergentino Malabed Jr.

Col. Pergentino Malabed Jr., 51, was the chief of the Philippine National Police Supply Management Division and "on official travel," officials told Filipino reporters.

• "His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honor, integrity and dedication throughout his career," the PNP said in a media statement.

Sarah Lee Best and Elizabeth Anne Keys

Law firm Wilkinson Stekloff paid tribute to its D.C.-based associates Sarah Lee Best and Elizabeth Anne Keys in a media statement.

• "We are heartbroken by this terrible tragedy. Liz and Sarah were cherished members of our firm — wonderful attorneys, colleagues and friends," the statement said.

Casey Crafton

"Salem has lost a dedicated father, husband, and community member," said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont in a post to X confirming Casey Grafton was on the flight.

• Montville Youth Soccer Club said on Facebook the coach "was a valued volunteer," who "helped to enrich the lives of all those that he came in contact with."

Vikesh Patel

GE Aerospace employee Vikesh Patel was remembered as a "cherished" colleague by Larry Culp, the company's chair and CEO said to WXIX Channel 19.

• "This is a tragedy not only for our industry, but also for the GE Aerospace team," the company said on X.

Grace Maxwell

Cedarville University student Grace Maxwell, a mechanical engineering major who was due to graduate next year, was on board the plane, per a statement from the college that's northeast of Cincinnati, Ohio, to WLWT.

• "As you can imagine, the past 24 hours have been very difficult for the Maxwell family and the Cedarville University community. As a university, we do not desire to turn this tragic event into anything more than a way to honor Grace, her family, and Jesus," the statement added.

Alydia, Everly, Donna and Peter Livingston

Donna Livingston and Peter Livingston and their daughters, Everly, 11, and Alydia, 14, from Ashburn, Virginia, "were among those lost on AA5342," The Skating Lesson said on Instagram.

• The sisters were members of the Washington Figure Skating Club and had over 14,000 followers on their Instagram account, where they shared their love for skating.

Brielle and Justyna Beyer

"Brielle Beyer, 12, of Aldie, Virginia, was a spunky skater who was said to live on the ice," The Skating Lesson said on Instagram.

• Andy Beyer told ABC News his wife, Justyna, and daughter, who overcame cancer at four months old had been away for six days for a figure skating camp, adding: ""I missed them… Figure skating at that level, it's a lifestyle."

Wendy Jo Shaffer

Charlotte mother-of-two and "incredible" wife Wendy Jo Shaffer was a passenger on the plane, Fox News' Los Angeles-based correspondent Bill Melugin said in a post to X about his friend, which also carried a statement from her husband, Nate.

• "Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met. We will miss you more than words can express, Wendy Jo," her husband's statement said.

Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov

Delaware skating coach Alexandr "Sasha" Kirsanov was "more than just a coach — he was a mentor, a friend, and a light in the skating world," per a Facebook post by the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club confirming its former coach and "two incredible skaters from our rink" were on the plane.

• He is survived by his wife, Natalia Gudin, who also teaches students, and daughter, Nicole.

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Angela Yang and Sean Kay

Natalia Gudin confirmed to Delaware Online that the two child skaters were also on the plane.

• "This young team — Sean Kay and Angela Yang — they were so amazing. All the judges were so proud and they had such a big future," Gudin said. "For me, it's a triple [loss]."
• Angela, 11, and Sean, 11, "were undefeated in juvenile ice dance this season," The Skating Lesson said on Instagram.

Ryan O'Hara

Ryan O'Hara, the crew chief of the helicopter, was remembered by Parkview High School Marine Corps JROTC in Lilburn, metro Atlanta, "as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team."

• He leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son, per a school Facebook post.

Andrew Eaves

Brooksville native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves was one of three pilots in the Black Hawk, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on X.

• Eaves was Central Academy graduate who grew up in the Brooksville area, per the Macon Beacon.
• Eaves is remembered as "one of the finest, most disciplined, committed trainers," Josh Muehlendorf, Chief Warrant Officer 5 with the US Army, told CNN in an interview.

Asra Hussain Raza

Asra Hussain Raza was traveling home from a work trip when the crash occurred, according to Indianapolis' WISH-TV.

• The 26-year-old graduate of the University of Indiana and Columbia University had recently moved to D.C. with her husband for a consulting job, per CBS News.

Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov

The two Russian skaters aboard the American Airlines flight were Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, TASS reported.

• The pair were married and former world champions, having won the pair title in 1994. They competed together at the Olympics in 1992 and 1994.
• They moved to the U.S. in 1998 to coach at the International Skating Center in Connecticut, per Radio Free Europe.
• The Skating Club of Boston lists both Shishkova and Naumov as coaches.
• Their son, Maxim Naumov, is a skater at the club, but returned home earlier in the week, Zeghibe said.

Jinna Han and Jin Han

Jinna Han was one of the athletes aboard the American Airlines flight, the Boston Skating Club confirmed Thursday.

• Zeghibe described her as a "wonderful kid" and a "great competitor" who was "loved by all."
• Her mother, Jin Han, was accompanying her during her time at the development camp and was also killed in the crash.

Spencer Lane and Christine Lane

Spencer Lane was another skater from the Boston Skating Club who died in the crash.

• Lane was a "highly talented" skater "rocketing to the top of the sport," Zeghibe said.
• His mother, Christine Lane, was also on the plane.

Inna Volyanskaya

Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam confirmed on X Thursday that one of his constituents, Inna Volyanskaya, was aboard the American Airlines flight.

• Volyanskaya was a coach at the Washington Figure Skating Club, which said in a statement Thursday that it was "devastated" to hear of the crash but did not confirm details about any potential victims.
• Inna Volyanskaya was a former professional skater who had competed for the Soviet Union, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Sam Lilley

One of the American Eagle flight pilots was 28-year-old Sam Lilley, who started started his pilot training in 2019, his father told FOX 5 Atlanta.

• "He was engaged to get married in the fall," Timothy Lilley said of his son in a Facebook post. "Sam was the First Officer on the flight that crashed in DC last night. It is so devastating to lose someone that is loved so much."

Ian Epstein

Charlotte flight attendant Ian Epstein was "full of life," his family said in a media statement.

• "He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family. He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed."

Michael Stovall and Jesse Pitcher

• Michael Stovall, 40, and Jesse Pitcher, 30 were on a hunting trip with their friends in Kansas, the New York Times reported. Stovall was a steamfitter and Pitcher owned a plumbing business.
• "He said he'd see me when he got back," Pitcher's father, Jameson Pitcher, told the NYT.

Go deeper: D.C. plane crash: What we know about the collision as all passengers feared dead

Editor's note: This story will be updated with additional information as it is available. Axios' April Rubin contributed reporting.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg swiftly shot back against President Trump's criticisms of him during a Thursday press conference, less than a day after a deadly plane collision outside Washington D.C.

Why it matters: Buttigieg's comments represent one of his strongest public rebukes of Trump since he took office last week.

• Buttigieg, an outspoken Democratic surrogate during the 2024 campaign, is widely considered a 2028 presidential contender.

Driving the news: Buttigieg defended his record as Transportation Secretary, saying, "we put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch."

• "As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," Buttigieg said.
• Buttigieg also said that "one of [Trump's] first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe."
• "Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again," he added.

State of play: During his first press conference after the fatal plane crash, Trump expressed his condolences for the lives lost before skewering his political rivals and the FAA's diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

• Trump took specific aim at Buttigieg, saying: "A real winner. Do you know how badly everything has run since he's run the Department of Transportation? He's a disaster."

Between the lines: Buttigieg drew heightened scrutiny during his time as Transportation Secretary, as he navigated multiple transportation crises.

• Republicans repeatedly criticized Buttigieg over his handling of the crises, often trying to paint him as underqualified.

Go deeper: Trump touts national unity over air disaster before bashing Biden and Obama

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios in an interview at the end of his trip to the Middle East that rebuilding Gaza could take between 10 and 15 years.

Why it matters: The Trump administration wants to see the ceasefire continue and Gaza stabilized so it can move forward with its ambitious plans for the Middle East, which include getting a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel and trying to get a deal with Iran on its nuclear program.

• The administration is working on concluding implementation of the first phase of the deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire.
• But the White House is already thinking about the next phases of the agreement and a plan for reconstructing Gaza, which has been decimated by Israeli airstrikes and ground operations during 15 months of war.

"What was inescapable is that there is almost nothing left of Gaza," Witkoff told Axios.

• "People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave ... there is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there," he said.

Driving the news: Witkoff left Israel on Thursday several hours after Hamas released another eight hostages who were being held in Gaza and Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal.

• The White House envoy spent much of his day on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip inspecting the situation from the ground and from the air. He was the first U.S. official to visit Gaza in 15 years.
• Witkoff said aid is entering Gaza as planned, people are returning to northern Gaza in accordance with the agreement and the security arrangements at the Netzarim corridor and Philadelphi corridor are "working better than he expected."

"This is why I went to Gaza — to inspect the implementation because it is so important. How this happens will influence our ability to get to phase two of the deal," Witkoff said in the interview.

State of play: Witkoff said from what he saw on the ground, from lookout points on the Israeli side and during a helicopter flight over Gaza, the destruction is immense.

• Witkoff, a real estate developer, assesses that the demolition and moving of the debris alone will take five years.
• The process of assessing the potential impact of the many tunnels under Gaza on building new foundations could take another few years. The reconstruction itself would take another few years, he said.

"There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years. But its impossible. This is a 10 to 15 year rebuilding plan," he said.

Earlier this week, President Trump floated the idea of moving Palestinian civilians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan while the enclave is rebuilt. Both countries publicly rejected the idea and said they wouldn't take part in the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

• Witkoff told Axios he hasn't discussed with Trump the idea of moving Palestinians from Gaza. He said that from what he saw during his visit Gaza is "uninhabitable."
• "There is nothing left standing. Many unexploded ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn't have known this without going there and inspecting," he said.

The big picture: Witkoff met in Riyadh with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) on Tuesday before heading to Israel.

• "I had a very good meeting with the Crown Prince. He felt we are making progress with the ceasefire and release of hostages," Witkoff said.
• The White House envoy said he briefed MBS, who is a key stakeholder in the region, about his plan to visit Gaza and the Trump administration's push to begin negotiations on the second phase of the deal.
• Witkoff said they also touched generally on the issue of normalization with Israel "but we didn't dig into it. Hopefully it will happen in due course."

Between the lines: Witkoff confirmed he met in Riyadh with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' deputy Hussein al-Sheikh at the request of the Saudi government.

• "It was a cordial meeting. He gave me his vows about where Gaza should go. We agreed to continue the dialogue," Witkoff said.

What to watch: Witkoff met during his trip to Israel with hostages who were released last week and with families of hostages who are still in Gaza. He told them Trump is committed to bringing all remaining hostages home.

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is committed to the process — like the rest of the country he enjoys watching the families who get their loved ones back," Witkoff said.
• Witkoff said his message to Netanyahu and to other Israeli politicians he met during the trip, including those who are critical of the Gaza deal, is that the results have so far been positive.
• "We don't have violence in Gaza. It has been quiet. Let's all take notice of the positive things that are happening. We've got to finish phase one and implement it correctly and then move to phase two," he said.

President Trump after briefly offering condolences and sharing plans to investigate a deadly plane collision outside D.C., took partisan hits against former presidents Obama and Biden.

The big picture: Trump said the White House had "strong opinions" on the collision, railed against his political opponents and blasted the FAA's diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

• Trump vowed to "find out how this disaster occurred" and "ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
• Trump confirmed the midair collision of a regional jet and a Black Hawk helicopter left no survivors. The incident was the first mass casualty event involving a commercial aircraft in the U.S. in at least 15 years.

Driving the news: The president revealed he was "immediately appointing" Chris Rocheleau as acting Federal Aviation Administration administrator.

• Former FAA chief Mike Whitaker departed the agency at the start of Trump's term.
• Trump ally Elon Musk had publicly pressured him to resign last fall after Whitaker told lawmakers SpaceX must operate at the "highest level of safety" and defended a proposed fine against the space giant.

"I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first," Trump said Thursday, repeatedly suggesting without evidence that DEI initiatives had hampered aviation safety.

• Trump, during his first week in office, signed a memorandum instructing the Transportation secretary and FAA administrator to "stop Biden DEI hiring programs."
• He slammed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as "a disaster," claiming he ran the agency into the ground "with his diversity."

The other side: Buttigieg condemned the president's comments as "despicable" in a statement.

• "As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying," he wrote. "We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch."

What they're saying: Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said in a statement shared just as Trump began speaking that it "never does any good to speculate on the causes of aviation accidents before we have the facts and the details."

• During Thursday's briefing, Trump rejected the idea that he was getting ahead of the investigation by placing blame Democrats, DEI initiatives, air traffic control and others.
• Asked how he reached the conclusion that DEI policies somehow triggered the crash, Trump replied, "because I have common sense."

Catch up quick: The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three soldiers conducting a training run, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday morning. American Airlines confirmed Wednesday that 60 passengers and four crew members were on the plane.

• Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. Remnants of both have been discovered.
• American Eagle Flight 5342 was traveling from Wichita to Reagan National Airport (DCA), which is something described as having "America's busiest runway."
• Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said at a Thursday press briefing that "everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash."

Go deeper: D.C. plane crash: What we know about the collision as authorities say no survivors found

• What to know about the victims of the D.C. plane crash

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments.