Crews have conducted a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The demolition Monday marks a major step in freeing the grounded Dali container ship. The span landed on the ship's bow after the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26. Since then, the ship has been stuck amid the wreckage and Baltimore's busy port has been closed to most maritime traffic. The controlled demolition will allow the Dali to be refloated and restore traffic through the port.
By JOSEPH KRAUSS and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, he said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah offensive, raising pressure on Netanyahu. But in a statement released Thursday, Netanyahu said "if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails."
U.S. and Philippine forces, backed by an Australian air force surveillance aircraft, have unleashed a barrage of high-precision rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes and sank a mock enemy ship as part of large-scale war drills in and near the disputed South China Sea that have antagonized Beijing. Military officials and diplomats watched the display of firepower from a hilltop on Wednesday. Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over China's increasingly assertive actions to defend its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. Last year, the Philippines approved a wider U.S. military presence in the archipelago. China opposed the move, which puts U.S. forces across the sea from Taiwan. The Philippines countered it has the right to defend its sovereignty.
A Maryland transportation official says the state plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion. Transportation department spokesman David Broughton said Thursday the state plans to build a new span by fall of 2028. As salvage efforts continue, authorities also announced late Wednesday they had recovered the body of a fifth person who died in the March 26 collapse. Meanwhile, the broker for the bridge's insurance policy confirmed Thursday that a $350 million payout will be made to the state of Maryland.
By TRAVIS LOLLER and MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press
Thousands of ordinary people who helped clean up after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico say they got sick. A court settlement was supposed to help compensate them, but it hasn't turned out as expected. A large majority got only the minimum award and had to file individual lawsuits to recover more. However, attorneys familiar with the issue say only one person has received a settlement after suing — and that took extraordinary luck and effort. Judges have dumped plaintiff experts. BP has fought every case. And lawyers sometimes have done a poor job representing clients. The entire sprawling process has left those who jumped into action after the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history stranded.
Salvage crews at the site of Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge are using the largest crane on the eastern seaboard to remove sections of the wreckage and deposit them at a nearby processing yard. Over 1,000 tons of steel have been removed from the waterway so far as authorities work toward their goal of opening a temporary channel later this month that would allow more commercial traffic to resume through Baltimore's port. Crews are also working to remove some containers from the cargo ship Dali before lifting steel spans off its bow and refloating the vessel. It will then return to the Port of Baltimore.
