Air

WASHINGTON — The White House provided trips on Air Force One or presidential helicopters to 56 campaign donors and fund-raisers in 1995 and 1996, administration officials said Monday.

In addition, leading campaign fund-raisers appeared on a “must consider” list for positions in the newly elected Clinton administration in 1992, according to newly released Democratic National Committee documents. Some later became ambassadors and other high-level appointees.

The White House and the national committee provided the new information as the Justice Department and congressional committees continued their investigations into Democratic fund-raising practices and White House perquisites provided to major financial benefactors.

The national committee documents included more than 10,000 pages about controversial fund-raiser John Huang’s employment by the national committee.

Among those on the “must consider” list for appointments was Huang himself, who received a mid-level Commerce Department job in 1994 after helping raise money for Clinton in the 1992 campaign.

Major donors and fund-raisers have been given jobs and political appointments for years by both Democratic and Republican administrations, but rarely have documents spelling out the practice been publicly available.

Huang’s activities at the national committee are at the center of the inquiries, particularly allegations that overseas interests, including the Chinese government, may have sought to channel contributions to the Democrats.

The documents detail contacts between Huang and the Chinese embassy and Chinese government officials as well as new information about his contacts with certain donors whose money the Democrats have decided to return as potentially improper.

White House and Democratic officials said there was nothing wrong with the Clintons’ use of Air Force One or with recommending supporters for appointments.

“We believe there is nothing inappropriate or unusual about the president of the United States inviting guests to be on his plane on official trips,” said Lanny J. Davis, a special White House counsel.

“As long as that privilege isn’t abused, we don’t believe the American people would object to that. And we believe that these numbers suggest it was very modest as an exercise of that prerogative.”

The cost of political travel is billed directly to the campaign, the DNC or the guest. But if a guest was on an official trip or leg of a trip, the individual was not required to pay air fare.

All told, Clinton took at least 477 guests on his 103 trips aboard Air Force One and presidential helicopter Marine One between Jan. 1, 1995, and Nov. 6, 1996, according to records compiled by the White House.

The White House defined “financial supporters” of the president as those who contributed $5,000 or more to the Democrats or raised $25,000 or more for the party or the Clinton-Gore campaign in the 1996 election cycle.

Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile, took 17 such donors on his 169 trips on Air Force Two or Marine Two.

Among those who made multiple flights were Terence McAuliffe, the Clinton-Gore finance chairman and his top aide, Laura Hartigan, and three Democratic officials: Finance Chairman Marvin Rosen, Finance Director Richard Sullivan and Treasurer Scott Pastrick.

A trip aboard Air Force One is among the most highly prized perquisites offered to major donors and fund-raisers. Supporters who flew with the president said that they were given “Welcome to Air Force One” name tags and sat in the VIP section equipped with large cabin-cruiser seats and telephones.

“It’s a tremendous ego boost,” said a Democratic official who participated in several trips. “The most exciting part for these people was to fly into their city and be able to get off the plane with all the local dignitaries on the tarmac.”

The guests on Air Force One in 1995 and 1996 contributed a total of $9.2 million to Democratic candidates and party committees since 1991, when Clinton first sought the party’s presidential nomination, according to an analysis by the Campaign Study Group. Of this total, $6.7 million went to the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton-Gore committees in the two races.

Twenty-one of the Air Force One guests and their companies each donated more than $100,000. One of those was Stanley Chesley, a Cincinnati attorney. He and his law firm gave $581,450. Another was Rashid Chaudry. His company, the Raani Corp. of Bedford Park, Ill., contributed $401,819.

Three of the Air Force One guests, all major Democratic givers, also provided employment to Clinton friend Webster L. Hubbell after Hubbell’s resignation from a top Justice Department position because of improprieties in his previous law practice.

Independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr is investigating whether administration officials and supporters arranged employment deals for Hubbell to dissuade him from providing Whitewater prosecutors with damaging information about Mrs. Clinton, his former law partner in Little Rock.

Those who arranged deals and rode on Air Force Once included Truman Arnold, a Texas oil executive and longtime Clinton friend; Wayne Reaud, a Beaumont, Texas, lawyer who paid Hubbell a total of $36,000 in 1994; and Bernard Rapoport, a Waco, Texas, insurance executive.

The rewarding of campaign donors with high-level political appointments is a staple of any administration. However, the Democrats had criticized previous Republican administrations for some of these practices–such as giving ambassadorships to big-dollar contributors.

The first Democratic memo about jobs for financial backers was sent to Michael Whouley, a Clinton campaign aide who was in charge of providing names to the transition team, on Dec. 21, 1992, a month before Clinton’s inauguration.

“We urge you to consider strongly the following leading national fund-raisers who are interested in serving in the White House,” the memo said. “We are pleased to sponsor these ‘must considers.’ ”

Among those named were Erskine Bowles, who obtained the post he sought as head of the Small Business Administration. He is now Clinton’s chief of staff. Also recommended was Arthur Levitt, who was proposed as a possible ambassador to Germany or a member of the National Economic Council. He became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Those touted for ambassadorships and receiving postings, though not necessarily in their first-choice countries, were Alan Blinken in Belgium; Donald Blinken, Hungary; Clay Constantinou, Luxembourg; and Thomas Siebert, Sweden.

Huang, then an executive in Los Angeles with the Indonesian-based Lippo conglomerate, was recommended for a position of “under- or assistant secretary for international affairs” in an unspecified agency. He was ultimately appointed deputy assistant Commerce secretary for East Asia and the Pacific in 1994.

“We make no apologies for trying to get jobs for those who were helpful in trying to elect this president,” said Democratic Communications Director Amy Weiss Tobe. “It is not unusual for somebody who is helpful to end up on a list for a must consider for a top position.”

Democrats noted that more than a dozen of those on the Republicans’ major donor group known as Team 100 received ambassadorships and sub-Cabinet positions in the Bush administration.

The documents also reveal that Huang was extensively involved in Chinese organizations and participated in events at the Chinese embassy in Washington. Included were numerous business cards from representatives of Chinese groups and invitations to events. Huang also is listed as a director of the Committee of 100, a New York-based nonprofit group of Chinese-Americans who are active in public affairs.

A handwritten note that was faxed to Huang by Haipei Xue, an official with the Council on U.S.-China Affairs in Washington, reads: “What follows is an update on strategies & programs I drafted for discussion with our partners, like Boeing in this case, & with the Embassy. Although you are not directly involved in U.S.-China . . . your Committee of 100 and often yourself, I believe, will be engaged in it.”

DNC officials said that they were unable to determine whether any of Huang’s Chinese-related activities while he was employed by the party raised concerns because they did not know the context of the documents.

Times researchers Edith Stanley and D’Jamila Salem-Fitzgerald contributed to this story.

* RENO DENIES COUNSEL BID: Attorney general denies request for outside counsel on donations. A14

* SUBPOENA MIX-UP: Investigators issue subpoenas for the wrong DNC donor. A16

The Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has cut federal limits on air and water pollution and promoted fossil fuels, a metamorphosis that clashes with the agency’s stated mission — to protect human health and the environment.

The administration says its actions will “unleash” the American economy, but environmentalists say the agency’s abrupt change in focus threatens to unravel years of progress on climate-friendly initiatives that could be hard or impossible to reverse.

“It just constantly wants to pat the fossil fuel business on the back and turn back the clock to a pre-Richard Nixon era” when the agency didn’t exist, said historian Douglas Brinkley.

A lot has happened this year at “Trump’s EPA,” as Administrator Lee Zeldin frequently calls the agency. Zeldin proposed overturning the landmark finding that climate change is a threat to human health. He pledged to roll back dozens of environmental regulations in “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen.” He froze billions of dollars for clean energy and upended agency research.

Zeldin has argued the EPA can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time. He announced “five pillars” to guide the EPA’s work; four were economic goals, including energy dominance — President Trump’s shorthand for more fossil fuels — and boosting the auto industry.

A former New York congressman who had a record as a moderate Republican on some environmental issues, Zeldin said his views on climate change have evolved. Many federal and state climate goals are unattainable in the near future — and come at a huge cost, he said.

“We should not be causing … extreme economic pain for an individual or a family” because of policies aimed at “saving the planet,” he told reporters at EPA headquarters in early December.

But scientists and experts say the EPA’s new direction comes at a cost to public health and would lead to far more pollutants in the environment, including mercury, lead and especially tiny airborne particles that can lodge in lungs. They also note higher emissions of greenhouse gases will worsen atmospheric warming that is driving more frequent, costly and deadly extreme weather.

Christine Todd Whitman, a longtime Republican who led the EPA under President George W. Bush, said watching Zeldin attack laws protecting air and water has been “just depressing.”

“It’s tragic for our country. I worry about my grandchildren, of which I have seven. I worry about what their future is going to be if they don’t have clean air, if they don’t have clean water to drink,” said Whitman, who joined a centrist third party in recent years.

The history behind EPA

The EPA was launched under Nixon in 1970 at a time when pollution was disrupting American life, some cities were suffocating in smog and industrial chemicals turned some rivers into wastelands. Congress passed laws then that remain foundational for protecting water, air and endangered species.

The agency’s aggressiveness has always seesawed depending on who occupies the White House. The Biden administration boosted renewable energy and electric vehicles, tightened restrictions on motor-vehicle emissions and proposed greenhouse gas limits on coal-fired power plants and oil and gas wells. Industry groups called rules overly burdensome and said the power plant rule would force many aging facilities to shut down. In response, many businesses shifted resources to meet the more stringent rules that are now being undone.

“While the Biden EPA repeatedly attempted to usurp the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law to impose its ‘Green New Scam,’ the Trump EPA is laser-focused on achieving results for the American people while operating within the limits of the laws passed by Congress,” EPA spokeswoman Brigit Hirsch said.

Zeldin’s list of targets is long

Zeldin has announced plans to abandon soot pollution rules, loosen rules around harmful refrigerants, limit wetland protections and weaken gas mileage rules. Meanwhile, he would exempt polluting industries and plants from federal emissions-reduction requirements.

Much of the EPA’s new direction aligns with Project 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation road map that argued the agency should gut staffing, cut regulations and end what it called a war on coal or other fossil fuels.

“A lot of the regulations that were put on during the Biden administration were more harmful and restrictive than in any other period. So that’s why deregulating them looks like EPA is making major changes,” said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of Heritage’s Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment.

But Chris Frey, an EPA official under Biden, said the regulations Zeldin has targeted “offered benefits of avoided premature deaths, of avoided chronic illness … bad things that would not happen because of these rules.”

Matthew Tejada, a former EPA official under both Trump and then-President Biden who now works at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said of the revamped EPA: “I think it would be hard for them to make it any clearer to polluters in this country that they can go on about their business and not worry about EPA getting in their way.”

Zeldin also has shrunk EPA staffing by about 20% to levels last seen in the mid-1980s.

Justin Chen, president of the EPA’s largest union, called the staff cuts “devastating.” He cited the dismantling of research and development offices at labs across the country and the firing of employees who signed a letter of dissent opposing EPA cuts.

Relaxed enforcement and cutting staff

Many of Zeldin’s changes aren’t in effect yet. It takes time to propose new rules, get public input and finalize rollbacks.

It’s much faster to cut grants and ease up on enforcement, and Trump’s EPA is doing both. The number of new civil environmental actions is roughly one-fifth what it was in the first eight months of the Biden administration, according to the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project.

“You can effectively do a lot of deregulation if you just don’t do enforcement,” said Leif Fredrickson, visiting assistant professor of history at the University of Montana.

Hirsch said the number of legal filings isn’t the best way to judge enforcement because they require work outside the EPA and can bog staff down with burdensome legal agreements. She said the EPA is “focused on efficiently resolving violations and achieving compliance as quickly as possible” and not making demands beyond what the law requires.

EPA’s cuts have been especially hard on climate change programs and environmental justice, the effort to address chronic pollution that typically is worse in minority and poor communities. Both were Biden administration priorities. Zeldin dismissed staff and canceled billions in grants for projects that fell under the “diversity, equity and inclusion” umbrella, a Trump administration target.

Zeldin also spiked a $20-billion “green bank” set up under Biden’s landmark climate law to fund qualifying clean energy projects. The EPA chief argued the fund was a scheme to funnel money to Democratic-aligned organizations with little oversight — allegations a federal judge rejected.

Pat Parenteau, an environmental law expert and former director of the Environmental Law School at Vermont Law & Graduate School, said the EPA’s shift under Trump left him with little optimism for what he called “the two most awful crises in the 21st century”: biodiversity loss and climate disruption.

“I don’t see any hope for either one,” he said. “I really don’t. And I’ll be long gone, but I think the world is in just for absolute catastrophe.”

Phillis, John and Daly write for the Associated Press.

A floating community sauna on frozen Lake Oulu seemed as good a place as any to ask Finnish locals what they think of the European Capital of Culture bandwagon that will be rolling into their city in 2026. Two women sweltering on the top bench seemed to sweat more over my question than over the clouds of sauna steam – the result of a beefy Finn ladling water on the wood-fired coals with a grim determination to broil us all.

“Hmmm, yes, it will bring people to Oulu, which is good, but we don’t really know much about it,” said one of the women. “We know it’s happening, but we haven’t had many details.”

Outside, queueing for the pleasure of a dip in the frozen lake, the question elicited the sort of shrug rarely seen outside France. “We know it’s happening because the posters and signs are everywhere and people are talking about it, but we don’t know exactly what is happening,” said another woman, steaming in the sub-zero air.

There are many reasons to visit the Finnish city of Oulu, which sits on the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea: it hosts the Air Guitar world championships; is home to the world’s only Screaming Men’s Choir (20-40 suited, shouty men); and holds the annual Polar Bear Pitching event, where would-be business leaders pitch money-spinning ideas while standing in icy water. The presentations tend to be brief.

Oulu, Finland’s fifth most populous city, is 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It is a short drive from huskies and sled rides; it offers sea, rivers, rapids, lakes, woods, nature trails and reserves; and there is cross-country skiing as well as almost 600 miles of cycle lanes. You can see the midnight sun in summer and the northern lights in winter. It is a leading light in solar power and renewable energy – and it has saunas. Saunas on lakes and on rafts, saunas in hotels, free saunas by the roadside and in most homes. A century ago, 95% of all children were born at home, often in the sauna. Today, most parents-to-be choose a hospital but introduce their offspring to the sauna at an average age of 4.5 months.

Plus, the Oululainens have a cheery disposition, as do most Finns according to a survey that declared Finland the world’s happiest country for the eighth successive year.

These are all positives to attract visitors to this northern Nordic city that began as a settlement on Sami land in the 1600s, then became a trading site for wood tar, salmon and Nokia phones, and is now a European digital hub and a “living laboratory” (where innovations are tested in a real-world environment) for new technologies.

Sadly, few of these esoteric attractions featured on a trip organised by the city’s Oulu 2026 culture committee, which chose highbrow over the shouty men and pretend guitarists.

The city’s diverse €50m Capital of Culture programme, spread across 39 sites and four counties, is aiming to attract up to 2.5 million visitors – 20% up on an average year – with the theme “Cultural Climate Change”. Highlights include a free Frozen People electronic music festival, held on the iced-over Bothnian Bay – provided it is frozen next year. Also on the calendar is the Lumo Art & Tech festival, plus the Arctic Food Lab, celebrating local cuisine (wild fish, berries, mushrooms), and a Sami opera, Ovllá, about the Indigenous people of Sápmi – the local word for Lapland – which covers northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia’s Kola Peninsula.

“Its a unique opportunity for Oulu,” said Piia Rantala-Korhonen, chief executive officer of Oulu 2026, who estimates that for every euro spent, there will be a €5 return for the city. “Climate change is already happening and is a big concern here: the ice and snow are disappearing. Last year, we had to cancel the skiing marathon for only the second time in 100 years because there was no snow,” she said.

Out on Oulu’s unseasonably slushy streets, most locals are cheerfully enthusiastic about 2026. “It will be nice to have people come here and discover our city,” said Matti, a student at one of Oulu’s two universities. “I am looking forward to it.”

Thirty meters under the city, you can find the Kivisydän (“stone heart”), a vast state-of-the-art car park that diverts vehicles away from the centre and doubles as a walkway when it rains and an emergency bomb shelter. It is a reminder of Finland’s proximity to Russia and the increasing alarm over its aggressive neighbour since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Behind the Kivisydän’s steel doors, a vast red stone column stands like a beating heart. The car park could house the entire city, our guide told us.

But does it have a sauna? I asked.

“I don’t think so, but we’re Finns. If necessary, we can build one in a couple of days,” he said.

Were I a publicist for Oulu 2026, I would have hired Finland’s best air guitarist to accompany the screaming men with a few riffs while standing in an icy lake. Instead, after a traditional salmon soup dinner hosted by the city – followed by a sauna – we were treated to a cosy Norse tale. When 19th-century Oulu sailors became drunk and rowdy on merchant ships carrying tar to Liverpool, local legend has it that the Liverpudlian landlord would urge them to “keep peace”. This is now a popular toast.

As we raised glasses of local schnapps, I can think of many exclamations a scouse pub owner might make to an inebriated Finn. “Keep peace” is not one of them. Still, surrounded by the world’s happiest people, it seemed churlish to argue.

Then it was off to the sauna.

The trip was provided by Oulu 2026

Tony Hawk, the skateboarding legend synonymous with daring tricks and modern skate culture, over the weekend faced an experience “WAY outside” his comfort zone: performing in a ballet.

The San Diego native and “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” namesake, 57, made his ballet debut Saturday skating on stage for Golden State Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker.” During the one-of-a-kind showing at San Diego’s Civic Theatre, Hawk appeared in multiple scenes of the beloved holiday ballet, entertaining audiences with tricks while in costume.

“Sometimes you just have to say yes to things WAY outside your comfort zone, especially when your daughter thinks [it’s] funny,” he wrote Sunday in an Instagram post.

Golden State Ballet teased Hawk’s “Nutcracker” cameo on social media earlier this month, announcing, “he’s trying something completely new.”

“He’s supporting San Diego arts,” the original post read. “He’s making his daughter proud.”

“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that follows a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas. When the toy magically comes to life, he defends Clara from the Mouse King and takes her on the journey of her dreams through the colorful land of sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy rules.

So how exactly does a pro skater fit in?

Hawk posted several photos and videos from his performance, including footage of his first cameo during the ballet’s opening number. The sports icon, donning a scarf and newsboy hat, disrupts the snowy scene outside of Clara’s home. He skates across the stage balancing on his board with both hands in the air as a police officer runs after him.

In the ballet’s second act, Hawk was not the only skater to take the stage. During the crowd-pleaser trepak, or Russian dance, Hawk and young skater Katelyn West joined a trio of dancers, launching themselves into the air off a quarter pipe. Like the dancers, both Hawk and West wore Russian-inspired fur hats, tunics and baggy red pants. The audience erupted in raucous applause.

Finally, Hawk and West rolled on stage for the show’s curtain call. Not too shabby, skater boy.

The recent strikes by the United States on alleged ISIL (ISIS) targets in northwest Nigeria have been presented in Washington as a decisive counter-terror response. For the supporters of the administration of US President Donald Trump, the unprecedented operation signalled his country’s renewed resolve in confronting terrorism. It is also making good on Trump’s pledge to take action on what he claims is a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.

But beneath the spectacle of military action lies a sobering reality: Bombing campaigns of this nature are unlikely to improve Nigeria’s security or help stabilise the conflict-racked country. On the contrary, the strikes risk misrepresenting the conflict and distracting from the deeper structural crisis that is driving violence.

The first problem with the strikes is their lack of strategic logic. The initial strikes were launched in Sokoto in northwest Nigeria, a region that has experienced intense turmoil over the past decade. But this violence is not primarily driven by an ideological insurgency linked to ISIL, and no known ISIL-linked groups are operating in the region. Instead, security concerns in this region are rooted in banditry, the collapse of rural economies, and competition for land. Armed groups here are fragmented and motivated largely by profit.

The Christmas Day strikes appear to have focused on a relatively new ideological armed group called Lakurawa, though its profile and any connection to ISIL are yet to be fully established.

The ideological armed groups with the strongest presence in northern Nigeria are Boko Haram and the ISIL-affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP). The centre of these groups’ activity remains hundreds of kilometres from Sokoto, in the northeast of Nigeria – the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – where insurgency has a long history. This begs the question: Why strike the northwest first? The logic is unclear.

Equally concerning is the uncertainty surrounding casualties. So far, we have no authoritative figures. Some social media accounts claim there were no human casualties, suggesting the bombs fell on empty targets. Security analyst Brant Philip posted on his social media platform X: “According to a private source familiar with the US operation against the Islamic State in Nigeria, several strikes were launched, but most of the individuals and groups targeted were missed, and the actual damage inflicted remains mostly unknown.”

Nigerian news platform Arise TV reported on X that locals confirmed the incident caused widespread panic; according to its correspondent, at least one of the attacks happened in a district that had not suffered from violence before. They also noted that the full impact of the attack, including whether there were civilian casualties, is yet to be determined.

Other social media accounts have circulated images alleging civilian casualties, though these claims remain unverified. In a context where information warfare operates alongside armed conflict, speculation often travels faster than facts. The lack of transparent data on casualties from the US government risks deepening mistrust among communities already wary of foreign military involvement.

Symbolism also matters. The attack took place on Christmas Day, a detail that carries emotive and political significance. For many Muslims in northern Nigeria, the timing risks being interpreted as an act of supporting a broader narrative of a Western “crusade” against the Muslim community.

Even more sensitive is the location of the strikes: Sokoto. Historically, it is the spiritual seat of the 19th-century Sokoto Caliphate, a centre of Islamic authority and expansion revered by Nigerian Muslims. Bombing such a symbolic centre risks inflaming anti-US sentiment, deepening religious suspicion, and giving hardline propagandists fertile ground to exploit. Rather than weakening alleged ISIL influence, the strikes could inadvertently energise recruitment and amplify grievance narratives.

If air strikes cannot solve Nigeria’s security crisis, what can?

The answer lies not in foreign military intervention. Nigeria’s conflicts are symptoms of deeper governance failures: Weakened security, corruption, and the absence of the state in rural communities. In the northwest, where banditry thrives, residents often negotiate with armed groups not because they sympathise with them, but because the state is largely absent to provide them with security and basic services. In the northeast, where Boko Haram emerged, years of government neglect, heavy-handed security tactics, and economic exclusion created fertile ground for insurgency.

The most sustainable security response must therefore be multi-layered. It requires investment in community-based policing, dialogue, and pathways for deradicalisation. It demands a state presence that protects rather than punishes. It means prioritising intelligence gathering, strengthening local authorities, and restoring trust between citizens and government institutions.

The US strikes may generate headlines and satisfy a domestic audience, but on the ground in Nigeria, they risk doing little more than empowering hardline messaging and deepening resentment.

Nigerians do not need the US to bomb their country into security and stability. They need autochthonous reform: Localised long-term support to rebuild trust, restore livelihoods, and strengthen state institutions. Anything less is a distraction.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Drone attacks hit fuel market in city that serves as headquarters for RSF’s alternative government.

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group says the country’s army struck a fuel market in the city of Nyala, the RSF’s administrative capital, as part of an intensified aerial campaign against its positions in South Darfur.

For three consecutive days ending Thursday, military drones and warplanes pounded strategic RSF sites across Nyala, including the international airport, military positions and training facilities.

The strike on the fuel market triggered a huge blaze as barrels of fuel exploded, according to footage circulated on social media, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air.

Youssef Idris Youssef, who heads the RSF’s civil administration in South Darfur, accused the army of deliberately targeting civilians. He described the attack as part of “a systematic policy” to punish Darfur residents for not resisting the RSF presence in their communities.

The Sudanese military has not issued any statement regarding the strikes.

Casualties were reported among both civilians and RSF members involved in the fuel trade.

In the aftermath, RSF intelligence services conducted mass arrests near the targeted site and Nyala’s main market, detaining civilians and military personnel on accusations of providing coordinates to the army, according to local sources.

Nyala holds particular strategic importance as the seat of the RSF’s parallel government, known as TASIS, which the group declared in July. Led by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the alternative administration has been widely condemned as possibly fracturing Sudan, but controls significant territory across Darfur.

The city was struck by the army in October when it targeted the RSF and Nyala airport, which has been reportedly used by the RSF as a logistics hub for its forces.

Fighting continues across Darfur

Fighting has raged across Darfur since the RSF captured el-Fasher in October, an offensive marked by atrocities documented by rights groups.

The United States has said the RSF has committed genocide in Darfur.

This week, the RSF announced it had seized the Abu Qumra region in North Darfur and claimed advances towards Um Buru, though joint forces allied with the army disputed RSF assertions that they had also taken the town of Karnoi.

The attack on Nyala came just two days after Sudan’s prime minister, Kamil Idris, presented a peace proposal to the United Nations Security Council calling for RSF withdrawal from captured areas, disarmament in camps, and eventual elections.

The RSF rejected the plan, with spokesman Alaa el-Din Naqd telling Sudanese outlet Radio Dabanga it amounted to “wishful thinking”.

Sudan’s de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was in Ankara for talks on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at which Erdogan expressed his support for peace efforts and his opposition to dividing Sudan.

Hours earlier, a senior official in Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council ruled out any negotiations, declaring there could be “no truce and no negotiation with an occupier”.

The war, which erupted in April 2023, has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced nearly 14 million, in what the UN describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Since the RSF seized el-Fasher – the last major army stronghold in Darfur – the conflict has shifted to Central Kordofan, splitting Sudan between territories controlled by the military and the RSF.

Jimmy Kimmel swapped his suit and late-night desk for a cardigan and Christmas living room scene as he shared with British viewers an important holiday message: “Tyranny is booming over here.”

Kimmel appeared on public broadcaster Channel 4 Thursday to deliver an “alternative Christmas message,” counter programming to the British monarch’s annual televised address.

Kimmel’s message focused on his battle with President Trump, who reveled in his talk show’s September suspension. Kimmel was benched for roughly a week after backlash to his comments about Charlie Kirk — and an ominous threat by the Federal Communications Commission chair. Kimmel had criticized MAGA supporters for attempting to “score political points” after the conservative activist’s killing. He also poked fun at Trump boasting about White House ballroom renovations after being asked about Kirk’s death.

“You may have read in your colorful newspapers my country’s president would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored,” he said. He attributed the return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the “millions and millions of people” who fought to get him back on the air in the name of free speech.

“And because so many people spoke out, we came back. Our show came back stronger than ever. We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on Earth a right, and richly deserved, bollocking,” he said, referencing the British slang for scolding. Earlier this month, Kimmel signed a contract extension with ABC through May 2027.

Past hosts of the alternative Christmas message, which began in 1993, include Edward Snowden, Jesse Jackson and a deepfake of Queen Elizabeth II.

During his address, Kimmel called the president “King Donny the 8th.” “We don’t have a problem with your king, just the guy who thinks he’s our king,” he said, apologizing for the state of America and its democratic institutions.

“Don’t give up on us,” Kimmel said. “We’re going through a bit of a wobble right now, but we’ll come around.”

Dec. 25 (Asia Today) — North Korea said it conducted a first test launch of a high-altitude long-range surface-to-air missile system under development, but a South Korean defense expert said the launch appeared to be a flight test because no interception footage was released.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said the Missile Bureau carried out the test Wednesday to evaluate the system’s tactical and technical characteristics. The agency said the missile hit and destroyed a simulated high-altitude target at a range of 200 kilometers.

The Missile Bureau said the test was part of routine work by the bureau and its research institutes to advance the country’s air defense capabilities. State media said Kim Jong-un observed the launch and praised the results.

The missile was first shown publicly at an event marking the 80th anniversary of North Korea’s air force last month, according to the report.

Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said North Korea claimed it intercepted a simulated target but did not release footage of the intercept. He said that suggests the test focused on flight performance and reflects an effort to develop a new surface-to-air missile as North Korea’s SA-5 long-range system ages.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch Wednesday but did not disclose it publicly at the time.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected indications of a launch in advance and was prepared. It said that around 5 p.m. Wednesday it detected multiple projectiles believed to be surface-to-air missiles launched from the Sondok area in South Hamgyong Province toward the East Sea.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it is closely monitoring North Korea’s activities under the South Korea-United States combined defense posture and remains ready to respond to any provocation.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

A NUMBER of popular holiday destinations loved by Brits are about to be much cheaper to fly to.

Wizz Air is launching six new flight routes from a London airport – and one is a UK first.

The budget airline has gained new slot at London Luton Airport, replacing TUI Airways.

From summer 2026, a new destination will connect London to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

This will be the only direct flight route from the UK.

Five flights a week will operate to Alicante in Spain, as well as another four to Faro in Portugal.

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Three flights a week will connect the airport to booth Turin and Lyon, with two a week to Corfu.

The cheapest fares will be for Faro, Turin, Lyon and Alicante, all starting from £17.99.

Flights to Corfu start from £45.99 while Yerevan is £36.99.

Wizz Air UK’s Managing Director Yvonne Moynihan said: “With the launch of our 15th based aircraft at London Luton Airport, we’re delighted to deliver a festive surprise by introducing six exciting new routes, including the first-ever direct connection from London to Armenia.”

“Our focus on growth continues, having delivered two new aircraft and nearly 20 new routes from the UK during 2025, reinforcing Wizz Air UK’s position as Luton’s local carrier. “

Yerevan is one of the one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, and called “up-and-coming” by Lonely Planet.

Most of Armenia is deemed safe to travel, apart from its border with Azerbaijan.

It’s borders with Turkey and Georgia are also safe to visit, as well as the capital Yerevan.

As part of Asia, Armenia is often overlooked as a holiday destination for Brits.

This is despite having a number of beautiful churches, as well as pink-stoned buildings, leading to its nickname the Pink City.

It also has a lot of street art, and amazing food.

There are lots of new flight routes launching new year.

Air France will operate a London Gatwick to Paris route.

EasyJet is launching new flights from London Southend to the island of Ibiza.

And here are 16 other new routes easyJet is launching next year.

Jimmy Kimmel, the US chat show host, has recorded Channel 4’s 2025 Alternative Christmas Message, during which the 58-year-old star has lauded a “really great year”

US chat show host Jimmy Kimmel has said it has been a “great year” from “a fascism perspective” in his Christmas address.

The presenter, 58, was chosen to deliver Channel 4’s 2025 Christmas Message, an alternative to the monarch’s annual televised address on December 25. Jimmy, who was taken off air by Donald Trump earlier this year, is expected to say: “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.”

The comedian was suspended indefinitely in September following comments he made on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, an ally of the US President. Staff were reportedly “shocked” when the programme was yanked off air minutes before it was due to broadcast.

But Jimmy’s fans expressed their outrage at Mr Trump’s decision, and the programmne was swiftly reinstated. Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and political figures towards the US administration for infringing on their freedom of speech and free press.

READ MORE: Jimmy Kimmel’s childhood friend Cleto Escobedo’s cause of death revealed

OPINION

Mikey Smith

In the Christmas Day address, Jimmy, born in Brooklyn, New York City, will continue by reflecting on the events of the past year, sharing his own personal experiences and insights after being at the centre of one of the stories that shocked the US and its foundational democratic values.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said: “Donald Trump’s return to the White House and wide-ranging impact on the world has been the story of 2025 and it would be hard to think of a better person to address it than Jimmy Kimmel, who has found himself on the front line of America’s battle over free speech.”

The channel’s annual broadcast, which first aired in 1993, aims to bring viewers a message about that year’s events. Kimmel’s address follows on from previous messages delivered by a wide range of presenters, including comedian Chris McCausland who addressed ableism last year after becoming the first blind person to win Strictly Come Dancing.

He playfully said: “Discrimination is never a good thing. Well, I mean sometimes I suppose. Many, many years ago before I got into comedy, I applied to be a spy for MI5. I got down to the last 30 out of 3,000 applicants. The top 1 per cent of potential spies that this country had to offer before they decided no, a blind spy wasn’t what they were looking for but, you know, I think they had a point. I think sometimes discrimination can be vital for the safety of the nation, but usually, we can do better.”

Other presenters have included former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, actor and TV presenter Sir Stephen Fry, whistleblower Edward Snowden, former speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, and actor Danny Dyer. The Alternative Christmas Message will air on Channel 4 at 5.45pm on Christmas Day.

Emmerdale fans have a lot to look forward to on the ITV soap this Christmas – and this is when they can tune in as all the drama unfolds over the festive period

Emmerdale fans are looking forward to tuning in on Christmas Day – and it’s looking like quite a dramatic time during the festive time on the farm. Viewers of the long-running ITV soap, which first aired in 1972, would expect nothing less from the programme but it’s already been quite the year for the residents of the Yorkshire-based village.

This Christmas, there’s concern for Robron as a threat looms for newly reunited Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden. When news of a possible return is shared not everyone is immediately happy about it, sparking a new feud. Ross Barton is blindsided when he finds out Aaron and Robert are planning to bring Robert’s son Seb back into their lives. Ross was Seb’s stepfather and helped raise him, until Seb’s mother Rebecca White sadly passed away.

What’s more, someone will be showing lurking in the shadows with intent and their reign of terror is only just getting started. When the trees outside his flat are set alight, Aaron once again blames Ross, only for Robert to uncover who the real culprit is. Will he be able to stop them? As Christmas Day arrives Aaron is puzzled when Robert heads off on a mystery errand. Soon there’s serious concern when he doesn’t return – so what has happened to Robert?

READ MORE: Emmerdale Christmas spoilers: Return sealed, escape plan and Robert ‘missing’READ MORE: Emmerdale fans ‘rumble’ who is set to expose Celia after shock confrontation

What time is Emmerdale on Christmas Day? What happens?

But when exactly will fans be able to catch all the Yuletide drama? Traditionally, the soap airs weeknights at 7:30pm in a half-hour slot, often just before Coronation Street. Eager fans can also watch the latest instalment from 7am on the day of broadcast by logging onto ITVX.

However, on Thursday 25th December, the festive special of Emmerdale will air at the significantly earlier time of 6:15pm. Prior to that, the programme will hit screens at 6:55pm on Christmas Eve and once the big day is all over, the soap air again at 6:30pm on Boxing Day.

Emmerdale will then resume its ordinary slot in the days after Christmas, and conclude the festive period with an hour-long special on New Year’s Day.

There’s lots more for fans of Emmerdale to look forward to this Christmas, as evil mother-and-son duo Celia Daniels and Ray Walters are fearing the game is up and they may need to flee, amid their shocking drug schemes being exposed. But with Ray growing closer to Laurel Thomas, could he dare to dream of starting things afresh away from his evil mum?

Kim Tate’s recent near-death experience leaves her pushing people away, and soon Joe Tate is furious by a confession from Lydia Dingle. Joe returns to Home Farm to patch things up with Kim but she sends him packing.

But when she falls and hurts herself, she calls for help only for Lydia to arrive and help her. Kim immediately dismisses her, and she’s soon facing Christmas alone.

Wrapping up Christmas, there’s a public marriage proposal happens, Paddy is missing his father Bear as he remains on Celia’s farm, and Vanessa and Charity are strong-armed into spending Christmas Day together. When Vanessa gets drunk, Charity fears the beans will be spilled as a threat looms.

The entire festive schedule for the ITV soap is as follows: :

Monday December 22 – 7.30pm (30 minutes)Tuesday December 23 -7pm (30 minutes)Wednesday December 24 (Christmas Eve) – 6:55pm (30 minutes)Thursday December 25 (Christmas Day)- 6:15pm (One hour)Friday December 26 (Boxing Day) – 6:30pm (30 minutes) Monday December 29 – 7:30pm Tuesday December 30 – 7:30pmWednesday December 31 – 7:30pmThursday January 1 (New Year’s Day) 7pm (One hour)Friday January 2 – 7:30pm

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

A key Russian airbase in occupied Crimea has been targeted by a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Ukraine. Authorities in Kyiv claim that drones hit a MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptor, as well as elements of an S-400 air defense system, at Belbek Air Base, near Sevastopol.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the government’s main internal security agency, reported that a successful drone strike operation was carried out overnight by forces from its Special Group “Alpha.” Russian officials, including the governor of Sevastopol, claim that the attack was repelled with 11 drones downed and resulted in no damage.

The SBU has published a series of video stills showing the attack, with footage taken from the perspective of the long-range one-way attack drones heading toward their targets. Based on the imagery, the drones could well be the same fiber-optic types that have been launched from Ukrainian drone boats.

Further videos were posted to social media by residents of Crimea, showing explosions and attempts by Russian troops to shoot down the drones. At this point, it should be noted that, without the full videos of the strikes, we cannot be sure whether the drones detonated or the degree of damage they might have caused.

According to the SBU, damage was recorded to a MiG-31, a 92N6 (NATO reporting name Grave Stone) long-range multifunction radar that is part of the S-400 system, two Nebo-SVU long-range surveillance radars, and a Pantsir-S2 surface-to-air missile system.

Ukraine claims that the targeted MiG-31 was carrying a full combat load, although the available video reveals that it carries no armament under its wings. Potentially, it carries air-to-air missiles below the fuselage, but the forward-mounted examples are also not visible. While it looks like a real aircraft rather than a decoy, it remains possible that it may have been a non-operational example. However, recent satellite imagery assessed by TWZ shows a MiG-31 sporadically at the base in recent weeks, sometimes sitting out in the open.

It’s worth noting, too, that the reported 92N6 system (seen below) was covered with camouflage and/or anti-drone netting, making its positive identification harder. It could also have been a 96L6 (Cheese Board) all-altitude detection radar, also associated with the S-400 air defense system.

As to the estimated value of these items of equipment, the SBU put a figure of $30-50 million on the MiG-31, depending on configuration and armament, $30 million on the 92N6, $60-100 million for each of the Nebo-SVUs, and $12 million for the Pantsir-S2.

“The SBU continues its effective work to destroy air defense systems in Crimea that cover important military and logistical facilities of the occupiers,” the agency said in a statement on its Telegram channel. “The elimination of components of this echeloned system significantly weakens the enemy’s defense and military capabilities in the Crimean direction.”

Belbek plays a key role in Russia’s war in Ukraine and, as such, has been targeted by Ukraine in the past.

The significance of the airbase, in particular, lies in the fact that its aircraft and air defenses help extend coverage deeper into Ukraine, as well as providing critical screening for the nearby Russian naval base at Sevastopol, and also extend this coverage far out into the Black Sea.

Belbek Air Base was used by Ukraine before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Today, it is home to the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment (38 IAP, in Russian nomenclature), a unit that you can read more about here. When Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belbek received an influx of additional combat aircraft deployed from units in Russia. These have included examples of the Su-30SM and Su-35S, as well as Su-34 Fullback strike fighters, and MiG-31s.

MiG-31s, together with the very long-range air-to-air missiles they carry, have been a particular threat to the Ukrainian Air Force.

In October 2022, during take-off from Belbek, a MiG-31BM departed the runway, crashed, and was completely burned out. The navigator/weapons system officer ejected successfully from the rear cockpit, while the pilot was killed.

The airbase’s value means that it has received new hardened aircraft shelters and additional construction to help shield aircraft from drone attacks and other indirect fire. This is part of a broader push by the Russian military to improve physical defenses at multiple airfields following the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Notably, the MiG-31 was targeted while standing in the open, unprotected. Its twin cockpit canopies were open, suggesting it was being prepared for a sortie or had recently returned from one.

As well as previous drone attacks, Ukrainian forces have employed U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missiles with cluster munition warheads against the base, with a notably destructive ATACMS barrage in May of last year. That attack resulted in two MiG-31s being burnt out, confirmed in post-strike satellite imagery. Since then, however, the use of hardened aircraft shelters at Belbek will have made the resident aircraft less vulnerable to the effects of ATACMS armed with cluster munitions, in particular.

The Russian Aerospace Forces began the current conflict with around 130 MiG-31s in active service, a small number of them adapted to carry Kinzhal aero-ballistic missiles. The two aircraft destroyed previously at Belbek are the only confirmed combat losses, though thast ight change when more details of the latest drone strike become available.

Russian MiG-31 Downs Ukrainian Su-25 from high altitude

The same attack on Belbek in May 2024 saw the Russians lose elements of an S-300 or S-400 air defense system, including what looked to be another 92N6 radar.

The targeting of Belbek again overnight, which Ukraine claims caused significant damage to prized air defense assets, shows that Ukraine is continuing to apply pressure on Russian forces in Crimea and is using a variety of weapons to achieve this.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

More than two months after an explosion erupted at the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, neither the company nor the regulators responsible for monitoring the facility have released details on the cause and the extent of the environmental fallout.

Here’s what we do know so far: Around 9:30 p.m.on Oct. 2, a large fire broke out in the southeast corner of the refinery, where Chevron turned crude oil into jet fuel. The resulting violent blast allegedly wounded several workers on the refinery grounds and rattled homes up to one mile away.

The refinery carried out emergency flaring in an effort to burn off potentially hazardous gases, as public officials told residents in neighborhoods nearby to stay indoors. That warning held until firefighters managed to extinguish the fire the following day.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District — the agency responsible for regulating the refinery’s emissions — said Chevron would submit reports detailing the potential cause of the fire and any unexpected equipment failures within 30 days. But the preliminary reports were handed in nearly a month late — and without any significant updates from what was said in the days immediately following the fire.

In those reports, Chevron said the fire was “unexpected and unforeseeable.” The cause is still under an investigation that probably won’t conclude until next month, an air district spokesperson told me recently.

Company officials said the fire significantly damaged power supply, utilities and gas collection systems in that section of the refinery. Repairs are underway but could take months. Meanwhile, the majority of the 1,000-acre refinery is operational, distilling crude oil into gasoline and diesel.

At an air district meeting on Dec. 2, Chevron asked for leniency from conducting equipment testing at the damaged wing of the refinery that is now offline, and the air district obliged.

One member of the agency’s hearing board, Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta, said she understood that the investigation was “quite involved” but stressed the need for “some type of response” from Chevron on the cause.

“I’m hoping that this will never happen again,” she said. “Hopefully this repair will indeed be a full repair and there won’t be another incident like this.”

Environmental regulators like the South Coast Air Quality Management District often rely on the very industries that they oversee to arrange for monitoring and investigations into disasters. For obvious reasons, that’s not ideal. Experts say this system of self-reporting is somewhat inevitable, given that many government agencies lack the staffing, budget and access to provide adequate oversight.

But it often leaves the public waiting for answers — and skeptical of the findings, when they finally arrive.

For example, there are still serious questions surrounding the air monitoring systems at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery that were supposed to act as a safety net for the public nearby during emergencies like the October fire.

Under state law, refineries are required to install, operate and maintain real-time fence line air monitors. Indeed, over four hours after the Oct. 2 fire at El Segundo, Chevron’s fence line air monitors detected elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, a category of quickly vaporizing chemicals that can be harmful if inhaled.

However, at the time of the incident, the refinery’s monitors oddly did not detect any elevated levels of some of the most common types chemicals that experts say would have been likely to be released during such a fire, such as cancer-causing benzene, a typical byproduct of burning fossil fuels.

Experts are now asking whether those monitors were fully functioning at the time.

Earlier this month, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District fined Chevron’s refinery in Richmond $900,000 after the agency found 20 of the oil company’s fence line monitors were not properly calibrated to detect the full range of emissions, potentially allowing excessive air pollution to go undetected and unreported.

As for the El Segundo facility, neither the South Coast air district nor the refinery could confirm whether the air monitors were working properly on Oct. 2. A spokesperson said the air district is scheduled to audit Chevron’s fence line air monitoring network sometime next year.

But it may already be too late to warn nearby communities. Since October’s explosion, there have been more than a dozen reported incidents of unplanned flaring at Chevron’s refinery in El Segundo, according to air district data.

Each one raises the question: What happened?

More news on air pollution

The holiday season is associated with fragrant candles, incense and gathering around the fireplace. But health experts say these traditions should be done in moderation to avoid respiratory risks, according to Associated Press reporter Cheyanne Mumphrey.

That’s especially true in Southern California, where the air district continues to issue no-burn advisories, prohibiting burning wood to limit unhealthy levels of soot, per Pasadena Now.

Almost a year after the Eaton and Palisades fires, the health effects from breathing wildfire smoke are still coming into focus. L.A. Times science and medicine reporter Corrine Purtill writes that emergency room visits rose 46% for heart attacks at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the 90 days after the fires. The findings suggest the death toll could be much higher than the 31 fatalities that have been linked with the fires.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration — for the 50th time — after the suspension of $3 billion in federal funding that Congress approved for building more electric vehicle chargers, according to Times climate reporter Hayley Smith. California alone stands to lose out on $179.8 million in grants that could help reduce smog and greenhouse gases.

A few last things in climate news

The Trump administration announced it will dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the world’s premier Earth science research institutions, per reporting from the New York Times. Scientists fear this could undermine weather forecasting in an age when global warming is contributing to more intense storms and other natural disasters.

A new analysis from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found the rate of sea-level rise has more than doubled along U.S. coastlines over the last 125 years, according to Washington Post environmental reporter Brady Dennis. The research rebuts a controversial federal assessment published this summer that concluded there was no acceleration in rising ocean waters.

The U.S. and Europe continue to abandon their electric vehicle aspirations, ceding the clean car market to China, Bloomberg auto reporter Linda Lew writes. The European Commission recently scrapped an effective ban on combustion engine vehicles by 2035, and Ford Motor Co. walked away from plans to significantly overhaul its EV production — including the imminent demise of its all-electric Ford 150 Lightning truck.

This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our Boiling Point podcast here.

The U.S. Air Force has confirmed it is buying two Boeing 747-8 airliners from German flag carrier Lufthansa. The jets will be used for training and as sources of spare parts as part of a larger effort to try to accelerate the entry into service of two new VC-25B Air Force One aircraft. This follows the service’s recent announcement that it now hopes to have the first VC-25B in hand by mid-2028, a slight improvement in the still much-delayed delivery timeline for the aircraft.

“As part of the presidential airlift acceleration efforts, the Air Force is procuring two aircraft to support training and spares for the 747-8 fleet,” Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokesperson, told TWZ in a statement. “Given [that] the 747-8i is no longer in active production, and is a very different aircraft than the 747-200, it is important for the Air Force to establish an overall training and sustainment strategy for the future Air Force 747-8i fleet.”

The Air Force’s two existing VC-25A Air Force One jets are based on the 747-200, a type that has become increasingly difficult to operate and maintain in recent years. The last 200-series model rolled off Boeing’s production line in 1991. This version is also the basis for the service’s four E-4B Nightwatch ‘doomsday plane’ flying command posts, which are in the process of being separately replaced with E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) jets converted from newer 747-8s.

Furthermore, Boeing shuttered the 747 line entirely in 2022. Lufthansa, Korean Air, and Air China are the only airlines that still use 747s of any kind for scheduled passenger flights. A number of other commercial operators continue to fly freighter versions, and a number of specially configured 747s also remain in VIP fleets globally.

“The Air Force is procuring the two aircraft for a total of $400M. We expect the first aircraft to arrive early next year. The second is expected to be delivered before the end of the year,” Stefanek, the Air Force spokesperson, added, though the reasons for the reverse order in delivery of the jets are not clear. She further clarified that one of the aircraft will fly and be used for training purposes, at least initially. The other aircraft will be utilized as a source of spare parts from the start. Air Force One pilot and flight engineer training has previously been contracted out.

Unconfirmed reports that Lufthansa was selling two 747-8s to the Air Force first emerged last week. The aircraft in question reportedly have the registrations D-ABYD and D-ABYG, which have been flying for the German airline since August 2021 and March 2013, respectively. There had been no prior indications that Lufthansa was looking to divest any part of its 747 fleet, and it is unclear how long this deal has been in the works.

“To be clear,  Boeing continues to modify two 747-8i aircraft for the VC-25B program, the first of which is expected to deliver in mid-2028,” Stefanek stressed. “The two aircraft mentioned above are additional aircraft to be used for training and spares.”

As mentioned, the VC-25B program has repeatedly faced delays due to technical and other issues. Earlier this year, the White House confirmed the first of these aircraft was not expected to arrive until sometime in 2029 at the earliest, representing a new schedule slip. The Air Force had originally hoped to take delivery of the first jet in December 2024.

Pushing the timeline to the left to 2028 would notably give President Donald Trump a better chance of flying in one of the VC-25Bs before the end of his second term. Trump has been particularly outspoken and active in regards to the program since before his first term. In December 2016, as president-elect, he had publicly called for the purchase of the two new Air Force One jets to be cancelled. Trump subsequently became a supporter of the program after claiming to have single-handedly been responsible for slashing the cost of the aircraft, though this remains debatable.

He has, however, continued to be critical of the progress, or lack thereof, on the new VC-25Bs. This is said to have contributed to the acquisition of a highly-modified ex-Qatari VVIP 747-8i aircraft earlier this year, ostensibly as a gift from that country to the United States. The process of converting that jet into an ‘interim’ Air Force One, reportedly helmed by L3Harris, began in September. The Air Force has said previously that it expects the conversion to cost less than $400 million. TWZ has previously questioned the feasibility of this plan in detail, given the strenuous operational and other requirements the jet will have to meet to truly serve in the Air Force One role.

With the ex-Qatari jet and the two 747s from Lufthansa, the plans around the future VC-25B fleet have ballooned from two aircraft to five, four of which will be flyable. This also reflects a broader trend under the Trump administration to expand U.S. government executive aircraft operations.

Separate from the VC-25B program, the Air Force’s acquisition of the two 747-8s from Lufthansa highlights broader potential challenges for operating any aircraft based on this design, also including the E-4Cs, as time goes on. It is worth noting here that with no new 747s in production, at least the initial tranche of E-4Cs are being converted from ex-Korean Air jets. Many more 747-200-series jets were made than -8 versions, as well.

Ensuring there is a sufficient logistical base to support the VC-25B and E-4C fleets will be critical going forward, and the secondary market looks set to continue playing an important role.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com