B-52 took sharp turn before

crashing, killing 8 on board

LOS ANGELES — A flight tracking website shows that the B-52 that crashed during a test flight at an Air Force base in California took a sharp turn before plunging to the ground.

Limited tracking data shows it plummeted at a rate nearly 10 times faster than a plane normally descends for landing. All eight people aboard were killed in Monday’s fiery crash of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.

It was taking part in a routine test mission as part of an overall program to keep the long-running aircraft flying for decades to come. Officials at Edwards Air Force Base said it could take up to six months to complete the investigation into the cause of the crash.

Trump continues to break up Department of Education

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration is further dismantling the Department of Education, moving oversight of special education and civil rights to other agencies.

The Department of Justice will take on enforcement of civil rights in education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education. Trump’s Republican administration made the announcement on Tuesday.

The Department of Justice also will take over work protecting student privacy and will provide some training and advisory help to schools.

Trump campaigned on shutting down the Education Department and moving education “back to the states,” but only Congress can close the department.

Officials disrupt planned

attack on Trump UFC fight

WASHINGTON — Court papers say law enforcement officials disrupted a planned attack targeting the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House this past weekend.

Papers unsealed Tuesday say plotters spoke of flying explosives-laden drones and shooting panicked crowd members as they fled.

The documents reveal the FBI obtained encrypted text messages showing roughly 20 people sharing detailed maps of the area and discussing the need for a “safe house” and escape routes after the attack.

It’s unclear from court records how close the would-be attackers came to being able to carry out their plan, which was thwarted last week. The FBI says among those arrested was a 19-year-old man from Danville, Ohio.

The Associated Press