JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, another fatal plane crash as recovery teams continue the search for more bodies from Wednesday's deadly mid-air collision.

Then, what President Trump's tariffs could mean for America's three biggest trading partners and why veterinarians suffer a higher suicide rate and what vet schools are trying to do about it.

MAN: We hope that you will focus as much attention on your physical and mental well being as you do your academic performance.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

There's been another fatal plane crash, this one in Philadelphia, even as investigators piece together evidence from Wednesday's deadly mid-air collision in Washington, DC.

Last night, a small jet transporting a pediatric patient home to Mexico crashed in Northeast Philadelphia shortly after takeoff.

At least seven people died, including the six Mexican citizens on board.

On the ground, homes were set ablaze and at least 19 people were injured.

It came as investigators continue their search for answers in the collision of a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington's airport.

That accident claimed 67 lives, the worst U.S. air crash in at least 15 years.

Randy Babbitt is a former administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and he's also a former commercial pilot.

Mr. Babbitt, the FAA took its first step, its first action yesterday.

They closed off the area around Washington, Reagan national to low altitude most low altitude helicopter traffic.

What do you think of that?

RANDY BABBITT, Former Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration: I think it's a good move.

I think it was an important move.

There's other ways they can move the aircraft around and let's get to the bottom of what happened to this one before we reinstate that type of routing.

JOHN YANG: You say reinstate, would you want to see that made permanent or do you think it's just a pause is fine?

RANDY BABBITT: Well, I think until they determine the actual anything we say would be speculation.

But I think the safe thing to do is what they did, and that is just suspend the traffic for no harm done.

It's not like they're grounding them.

They can go other ways.

It's just they don't want them in that area until we understand, have we got the right controls and safety parameters in place to allow traffic to do that?

If the answer is no, then they'll have to design another route.

JOHN YANG: Now that the NTSB investigators have black boxes from both the helicopter and the passenger jet and they say they're confident they can get good data from it, are you confident that they're going to get to the bottom of this?

RANDY BABBITT: Oh, yes, I am.

Now, it's not going to be quickly.

The NTSB is a very diligent operation.

They're assisted to the extent they wish to be by the FAA.

They'll do a thorough investigation, recreate everything.

I mean, they're going to look at the machine, they're going to look at the weather, they're going to look at the people, everything involved.

And yes, they'll come up with a good answer.

And, you know, the probable cause and the contributing factors.

You know, the pilots, for example, in the helicopter were wearing night goggles.

Was that helping or hurting?

We don't know.

Goggles become quite restrictive to your peripheral vision as opposed to the, you know, the full cockpit of a helicopter is a lot of glass and you see everything.

And you put those goggles on, you narrow down what you can see, and that may be a contributing factor.

JOHN YANG: Actually, I think the Pentagon is saying that they're still trying to figure that out if they were wearing night goggles.

But I want to ask you served in the Obama administration.

What did you think when you heard President Trump talk about the diversity efforts, the diversity programs that went back to the Obama administration and suggested it's made air traffic less safe?

RANDY BABBITT: I thought it was a grossly misstated words, nowhere near the facts.

To be an air traffic controller is a rigorous, the hiring, screening and then the school.

They wash out about 30 percent of those who enter the 70 percent.

It's about a two year program before they're actually going to control aircraft.

And to even suggest that there's anything but the best and brightest out there, it's a tough job.

They do it well.

Remember, at any given moment there's 7,000 airplanes in the air over this country and they're being controlled by aircraft controllers in coordination with the pilots.

So to suggest anything different, in my opinion, was just horribly misleading.

JOHN YANG: For years now, the NTSB and the FAA have been talking a lot about close calls, near misses they're called.

Do you think this tragedy is going to spark a rethinking of the larger air traffic system, the safety of it, the role of controllers and that sort of thing?

RANDY BABBITT: Well, we certainly, I mean, you can always look for improvements, that's for sure.

But let's not lose sight of the fact that it's been 12 years.

We move, what is it, 90 million people a year without incident.

We kill 38,000 people a year on the highways and we've killed no one in an airplane.

So it's a remarkably safe system.

Nevertheless, it's a tragedy and I feel it was horrible when you see what happened.

But to suggest that the system isn't safe is really not looking at the facts.

Can it better?

Of course.

Will we learn from this?

I think we will.

JOHN YANG: There's also been a lot of talk about Reagan National.

It's tight.

It's got only one main Runway.

It's right up against the Washington D.C. What can be done to make Reagan national safer?

RANDY BABBITT: Well, let's start with the fact it's a pretty safe airport.

As a commercial pilot, I was based here, so I made as many takeoffs and landings at a national airport as probably anybody you're going to talk to.

There's a finite limitation with the, you know, the long runway for the bigger aircraft and the amount of traffic you can put in there.

And then so to suggest that we should, you know, add more flights, maybe we should think about the other direction.

Maybe we should think about tapering off a little bit, maybe spread those flights out.

Everybody wants to fly at the peak hours.

Maybe we say, not everybody can fly at the peak.

Let's spread that out so we have an even flow of traffic through the day, which would be a step to look at.

JOHN YANG: Randy Babbitt, thanks very much for your thoughts and your expertise.

RANDY BABBITT: You're sure.

Welcome.

Thank you.

JOHN YANG: In tonight's other news, the delicate ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas move forward today with another hostage release and prisoner exchange.

Hamas freed three hostages and Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

In Khan Yunis, two of the Israeli hostages were paraded in front of a crowd before being handed over to the Red Cross.

Separately, Israeli American Keith Siegel was transferred further north in Gaza City.

All three men were abducted during the October 7th attack and finally reunited with their families 483 days later.

On the southern border of Gaza, another part of the ceasefire was implemented.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopened for the first time in nine months.

50 sick and wounded Gazan children crossed into Egypt with their parents for medical care.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, the leaders of five Arab nations issued a joint statement rejecting President Trump's recent call to transfer Palestinians to their countries.

Mr. Trump has said he wants to clean out Gaza.

President Trump ordered the first military strikes of his second term.

Mr. Trump announced the military action in Somalia on his social media platform.

He said the strikes targeted a senior ISIS planner, attack planner and other terrorists.

The Pentagon said the strikes were coordinated with Somalia and that there were no civilian casualties.

There's a new chairman of the Democratic Party as it comes to grips with Republican control of the White House and both houses of Congress.

Ken Martin, the Minnesota party leader, won on the first ballot, getting 32 more votes than the majority he needed.

Martin has pledged to refocus the party's message on working class voters and to improve the party's rapid response to President Trump.

Hours before the start of Black History Month, the Defense Department declared cultural awareness months at the Pentagon dead.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said celebrations of Black History Month, Women's History Month and the like divide the force and erode camaraderie.

He went on to say service members may only attend these celebrations in an unofficial capacity.

The guidance is effective immediately.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend, the United States may be on the brink of a trade war with its neighbors as President Trump's tariffs loom and the mental health challenges plaguing veterinarians.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: America's biggest trading partners are bracing for sweeping tariffs that President Trump is imposing 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico except 10 percent on energy products from Canada.

Tariff threats have been a bargaining chip in Mr. Trump's effort to get America's neighbors to curb the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.

Together, Canada, Mexico and China account for nearly half of all U.S. Imports, and tariffs could mean higher prices for American consumers.

Ali Rogan explores the trickle down effects of these tariffs with Matina Stevis-Gridneff.

She's the Canadian bureau chief for the New York Times.

ALI ROGIN: Matina, thank you so much for joining us.

Mexican and Canadian officials have said they plan to impose retaliatory tariffs.

What is the effect on Americans in all this?

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF, The New York Times: I think the immediate effect, or experts say the immediate effect is going to be inflation is going to be higher prices, a disruption of several industries that are so closely linked to Canada and Mexico.

Things such as avocados or even vehicles could become much more expensive for Americans really quickly.

ALI ROGIN: You mentioned some of the consumer items, but what do we know about what sectors of the US Economy are going to be most affected by these tariffs going into effect?

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: The Canadian government is certainly going to be imposing retaliatory tariffs in key industries in the U.S. that they think will hurt the most because they're trying to change the course of this policy.

They want to exert maximum pain.

And that could include anything from Kentucky bourbon they've told me to orange juice coming from California to dishwashers made in Wisconsin.

So they have a long list of goods that they believe that they can impose tariffs on made in the United States, and they will want to disrupt those industries in the U.S. as quickly as possible.

ALI ROGIN: And of course, the economies and the people of Canada and Mexico are going to be impacted as well.

What are the consequences for people in those two countries?

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: Absolutely the U.S. will hurt, but Mexico and Canada will hurt more and faster.

We expect, for example, in Canada, the country will probably tip into a recession of 2.6 percent.

Experts tell us here we expect hundreds of thousands of jobs to be affected, half a million jobs just here in Ontario, where I live.

And also the availability of certain goods will be disrupted as these tariffs come into play.

The pain will be longer for those two smaller economies than it will be for the United States.

ALI ROGIN: And President Trump has threatened these tariffs as a bargaining tactic.

Is this an effective way to regulate what he says are his ultimate goals, which are limiting immigration and fentanyl trafficking?

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: He's been very effective already on the question of borders, which was the first thing he said he was trying to extract out of these tariffs.

Both Canada and Mexico have played ball.

They have complied with Mr. Trump's demands for changes at the borders.

For example, the Mexican government has supported and assisted him in his deportation efforts this week of irregular migrants taking thousands of people into Mexico.

Canada has bolstered its border with the United States, has deployed Black Hawks drones and additional staff, and they have said that they are seeing a real drop in irregular crossings from Canada to the United States.

But the question in both Mexico and Canada is that enough to change Mr. Trump's mind?

And it's really not clear that it will be.

ALI ROGIN: These are some of the most ambitious trade moves that President Trump has made in either of his administrations.

This coming soon, in the beginning of his second term in the White House.

How are Canadian and Mexican officials receiving it in terms of how to deal with President Trump going forward for the rest of his term?

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: We've seen a really different attitude from Canada and from Mexico.

Mexico has mostly been quite steely, a little more aggressive in its rhetoric.

But working behind the scenes, the Canadian government has tried to be a little more conciliatory, while also threatening to retaliate with its own tariffs.

But, for example, its foreign minister, Canada's foreign minister, was in Washington, D.C. up until last night trying to change the course of this policy through diplomacy.

Obviously, that didn't work.

I think one of the concerns going forward in both countries and their officials going to be, what does Mr. Trump really want from us?

How can we truly change this?

And as we escalate into practically a North American trade war, as these three countries exchange retaliatory tariffs, what is the off ramp?

How do we stop this?

And I think Mr. Trump is going to have the top hand in determining the answer to that question.

ALI ROGIN: Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Canada bureau chief for the New York Times, thank you so much for joining us.

MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: Thank you, Ali.

JOHN YANG: Being a veterinarian can be satisfying and rewarding, caring for beloved pets that can't care for themselves or even speak up when they're sick.

But it can also bring mental health challenges that some feel have not been adequately addressed.

Now some veterinary schools are trying to do something about it for the next generation of vets.

We should warn you that this story discusses suicide.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): For as long as she can remember, Chelsea Van Thof wanted to be a veterinarian.

CHELSEA VAN THOF, Veterinarian: I loved animals.

I was little and I wanted to be animal.

You know, there's just connections that you can feel with animals that sometimes you can just never get with a person.

JOHN YANG: Like now.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: Like now, yeah.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Her four year old Dalmatian, Hugo has sustained Van Thof for the past two and a half years, ever since her partner and vet school classmate Peter Tripping took his own life.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: Hugo kept me going.

I don't know if I would be here if I hadn't had Hugo when Peter left.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Van Thof and Tripp met in a vet school study group.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: I remember walking into the room and being taken with him immediately.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): She recalls how he always thought of others, donating blood and even bone marrow and helping her when she felt consumed by the self-doubt of imposter syndrome, that nagging sense that success and achievements aren't deserved.

After graduating, they eventually settled in Washington, D.C. where Tripp worked at a veterinary hospital.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: I always felt calm with Peter.

Everything looked like it rolled off of his back.

It's kind of hard to think about now knowing what was going on in his head.

PETER VAN SANT (voice-over): She says it wasn't until April 2022 that he even hinted at his own struggles.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: I had actually asked him if he could see a therapist and he was very open to it, very open to seeing a therapist.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): But at about 9:30 that night, Van Thof woke to the sound of the front door.

She assumed Tripp was taking out the trash and waited to hear him come back in a sound that never came.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: I got a text from him at 10:40 and he talked about imposter syndrome, which was a huge shock to me because he had never said anything.

And so, you know, I realize what's happening and I jump up.

I'm just panicking.

And I immediately think, this isn't real.

This is a cry for help.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): A frantic search ended when Tripp's body was found in Rock Creek Park at the base of a 136 foot high bridge.

A 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that veterinarians are twice as likely than the general population to die by suicide.

While three quarters of vets say it's a satisfying career, there are also distinct sources of stress.

KERRY KARAFFA, University of Missouri Vet School: Veterinarians oftentimes tend to be so empathetic and caring towards other people, they'll do anything to help others.

That's in some ways part of their professional identity, but they have a very different set of rules sometimes for how they respond to themselves.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Psychologist KERRY KARAFFA is mental health and wellness coordinator at the University of Missouri Vet School.

He says part of it is a drive for perfection.

KERRY KARAFFA: We know that some aspects of perfectionism, like attention to detail or, you know, high kind of personal standards, those can be positive, those can be incredibly motivating.

But if perfectionism is maladaptive, you know, where it's characterized by excessive self-criticism or just deep fear of making mistakes or disappointing others, it starts to become detrimental not only to academic performance, but also to mental health or well-being in general.

JOHN YANG: How much of that is because their patients can't tell them what's going on?

They can't say, I feel pain here.

KERRY KARAFFA: Yeah, quite a bit.

I mean, they're essentially having to, you know, oftentimes read body language.

The quality of the information is sort of dependent on, you know, the pet owner or the client and their ability to self-report.

It's not the same as, you know, a human physician who's able to do a clinical interview with a patient who can speak back.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Another study says a big reason for the disproportionate rate of veterinarian suicides is easy access to euthanasia drugs.

The difference between suicide rates among veterinarians and the general population goes away when cases in which vets use those drugs are excluded.

KERRY KARAFFA: We know that in professions where folks have easier access to lethal means, there also tends to be higher rates of suicide.

You have to have these things readily available enough to where the veterinarian is able to use it for medical purposes, while also being mindful about accessibility for other purposes.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): That study suggests that suicides could be prevented with stricter controls on those drugs, like requiring a key card to get them.

While those practices haven't been widely adopted, vet schools are increasingly focusing on the underlying issue of psychological well-being.

JOHN YANG: Millions of Americans rely on veterinarians to care for the physical health of their beloved pets like Basil and Kit here.

But at a growing number of veterinary schools, they're launching programs to care for their students mental health.

WOMAN: And around Christmas time as an intern, I was on that shift and I euthanized 12 patients in a six hour period.

When that last one came in, when that 13th came in, I looked at my supervisor and I said, there is no way in hell I can do this right now.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): At Ohio State University's vet school, candid classroom conversations about mental health are part of the primary curriculum.

JANIS LAPSLEY, College of Veterinary Medicine: We talk a lot about resiliency and wellness within the veterinary profession and part of that starts here.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): In this class of first year students, assistant professor Janis Lapsley offers strategies for becoming confident and successful veterinarians, including taking care of themselves.

JANIS LAPSLEY: Starting out now with talking about these topics and opening this conversation for them now is a good way to just build these skills for them, just like we're building the skills for them of how to talk to a client or how to perform a surgery.

RUSTIN MOORE, Dean Ohio State University College of Veterinarian Medicine: None of us are perfect.

We've all had our struggles and I think sharing our struggles, even in the classroom, helps them.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Rustin Moore is dean of the school and a former practicing veterinarian.

RUSTIN MOORE: About the 21st day of my deanship in September of 2015, we lost a student, a second year student, to suicide.

What came as a complete shock to everybody, but losing that student really changed me, changed the college.

We hope that you will focus as much attention on your physical and mental well-being as usual, your academic performance.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): The school launched a comprehensive wellness initiative called Be Well.

They hired therapists, counselors and a psychiatrist for students, faculty and staff.

Open discussions about mental health and inclusion were encouraged.

WOMAN: And remember, you actually matter and you deserve to be here.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): At last year's new student orientation, the initiative's catchphrase was heard time and time again.

MAN: You belong.

JOHN YANG: You belong.

What do you mean by that?

RUSTIN MOORE: Thinking back to imposter syndrome, I'm not good enough to be here.

I shouldn't have been here.

I'm taking up somebody else's seat that deserves it more.

And my point is, no, we took you because you belong here.

You deserve to be here.

Don't ever question that.

SPENCER VARNEY, Student, Ohio State University College of Veterinarian Medicine: Sometimes those type of topics and mental health can kind of be like a side note or kind of put on the back burner.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Spencer Varney is a first year student.

SPENCER VARNEY: But here at OSU, I really feel like they prioritize mental health and really make sure that the students are well attended to and well aware of themselves.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): In Washington, Van Thof says a program like that would have been helpful when she was a student.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: If were taught as intensively around our own well-being as we are around the well-being of animals, I think it would make a huge difference.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Now she's made a difference by persuading the city to double the height of the barriers on the bridge where Tripp took his own life.

Twelve other people died by suicide there between the beginning of 2010 and the middle of 2022 for Van Thof, it's a way of dealing with her grief.

CHELSEA VAN THOF: As much as I never want people to feel the kind of pain that I and Peter's loved ones have now, and as much as I want to help people in crisis, it was also a way of taking control of something that was so unimaginable.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): At Ohio State.

The hope of preventing more tragedies also drives the commitment to the Be Well initiative, even if its effect is hard to measure.

Is there any way to tell if Be Well is making a difference?

RUSTIN MOORE: Sometimes when you're doing things preventatively, you don't know.

And so I don't know, but I'm not going to take the chance to not do it because it's too important.

JOHN YANG: On this week's edition of PBS News Weekly, the second week of President Trump's second term, from the freeze on government funding to the ending of DEI programs in the government.

All that and more is on the latest edition of PBS News Weekly.

And that is PBS News Weekend for this Saturday.

On Sunday, we look at the link between a deadly strain of the avian flu and skyrocketing egg prices nationwide.

I'm John Yang.

For all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us.

See you tomorrow.