A sonic boom and a mysterious plane crash

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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What led to an unresponsive airplane’s chaotic, wayward journey before it crashed in Virginia? And attacks are intensifying on Russia's front lines, suggesting Ukraine's counteroffensive is cranking up.

👋 Hey y'all! Laura Davis here, comin' in hot with Monday's news.

But first, a creepy crawly equation. 🥴 Potentially record summer travel + low housekeeping staff = bed bug nightmares. Don't wake up itchy.

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Scrambled F-16s, a sonic boom and plane crash mystery

Federal investigators on Monday hoped to begin unraveling the mystery of a private plane that made a U-turn over Long Island, New York, and flew hundreds of miles off its flight path Sunday, prompting F-16 fighter jets to scramble to intercept the Cessna before it crashed in Virginia, killing four people. After the plane entered restricted airspace over Washington, D.C., a sonic boom from one of the pursuing jets startled residents across the region as the fighters shadowed the unresponsive Cessna. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane crashed near rural Montebello, Virginia. No survivors were found. 📍 Here's everything we know.

Members of the U.S. Forest Service and Augusta County Emergency Management work Monday afternoon near an old trail that leads to the site where an unresponsive plane crashed on Sunday.
Members of the U.S. Forest Service and Augusta County Emergency Management work Monday afternoon near an old trail that leads to the site where an unresponsive plane crashed on Sunday.

3 bodies recovered in Iowa apartment building collapse

Amid questions about why residents were never warned about potential danger, the bodies of three men were removed from the site of a collapsed six-story apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, police said Monday. The discoveries came after officials announced that the search for survivors had been completed, with attention turning to shoring up the remaining structure so recovery efforts could begin. Could this have been avoided? One of the residents injured in the collapse sued the city and the building's current and former owners Monday, alleging they knew of the deteriorating conditions and failed to warn residents of the risk. 👉 Here's what's happening.

People stand near a collapsed apartment building Monday in Davenport, Iowa.
People stand near a collapsed apartment building Monday in Davenport, Iowa.

What everyone's talking about

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Trump’s classified-documents inquiry could soon be over

The Justice Department appears to be inching closer to wrapping up its investigation into Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump's lawyers arrived Monday for a meeting at the department, which legal experts say suggests a charging decision could come within a couple of weeks. As he continues to claim he's done nothing wrong, Trump posted on social media Sunday about reports prosecutors want to indict him, and NBC News reported the grand jury resumed meeting this week.

  • What's the move? Legal experts have argued charges alleging the mishandling of classified documents could be the most straightforward case. But it's not clear whether prosecutors have made a decision yet about whether to seek a federal indictment of Trump, an unprecedented move against a former president. 🔍 Will the inquiry end in charges? Here's a look at the latest developments.

Is Ukraine's counteroffensive underway?

Ukraine has revealed very little about how and when it intends to recapture territory claimed by the Russians since the war started, living by the motto that "plans love silence." Now, a counteroffensive may be underway. The Ukrainian army claimed to be gaining ground Monday along a wide front in the Bakhmut area, the "epicenter" of hostilities, and the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had begun a "large-scale offensive on five sectors of the front in the southern Donetsk area." Pro-Russia military blogger Semen Pegov wrote that "news from the frontline ... is getting more alarming every hour." 📍 Follow our coverage.

A Ukrainian soldier covers his ears while firing a mortar at Russian positions near Bakhmut on Monday.
A Ukrainian soldier covers his ears while firing a mortar at Russian positions near Bakhmut on Monday.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia plane crash, Iowa building collapse, Ukraine: Monday's news