AMNA NAWAZ: In the day's other headlines: The U.S. Army was hit by tragedy, nine soldiers killed in the crash of two Black Hawk helicopters late Wednesday.

They belonged to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and were on a training mission.

The Army says they crashed about 30 miles northwest of Fort Campbell near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

At a briefing today, the division's deputy commander said it's not clear why went wrong.

BRIG.

GEN. JOHN LUBAS, Deputy Commander, 101st Airborne Division: They do very detailed planning, very detailed rehearsals.

Depending on the risk of the operation they're doing has different levels of approval from the command.

So we will always relook our safety precautions and our measures.

But this was -- like all of these training events, safety is a primary focus for us.

AMNA NAWAZ: The helicopters carry flight quarters that could carry critical information about that crash.

Federal regulators are investigating another fiery train derailment, this time in Minnesota.

It happened overnight near Raymond, some 100 miles west of Minneapolis, and cars carrying ethanol caught fire.

At daybreak, some of the 22 derailed cars were still burning, and nearby residents were evacuated for a time, then allowed back.

The train's operator, BNSF, is a "NewsHour" funder.

The Nashville school shooting sent crowds of protesters into Tennessee's state capitol today demanding tougher gun laws.

Demonstrators filled hallways and shouted "Six are dead.

How many more?"

Republicans control the legislature and have backed greater gun access.

Also today, police released 911 recordings from that school shooting.

Callers appealed for help amid sounds of gunshots.

Doctors say Pope Francis is showing market improvement at a Rome hospital.

He was admitted Wednesday with bronchitis.

The doctors say he rested well last night and is responding to antibiotics.

Well-wishers gathered outside Gemelli Hospital and left flowers today.

Francis voiced his gratitude in a message posted on Twitter.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen spent this day in New York on a highly sensitive stopover.

She arrived in Manhattan on Wednesday and today held a series of closed events before heading on to Central America, hoping to shore up support for Taiwan.

In Washington, the State Department counseled calm, despite heated complaints from mainland China, officially the People's Republic.

VEDANT PATEL, Principal Deputy State Department Spokesperson: Our message to the PRC continues to be that there's no reason to turn this transit, which is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy, into something that it's not or use it as an opportunity to overreact.

AMNA NAWAZ: China considers Taiwan a renegade province and has warned Tsai not to beat with U.S. leaders.

For now, at least, she is expected to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on her way home next week.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has returned home after a three-month stay in Florida.

The far right populist said he wants a new role in politics, but he faces investigations that could prevent a comeback.

Supporters in yellow and green chased after him and swarmed party headquarters in Brasilia today.

Bolsonaro predicted that the leftist President Lula da Silva, who ousted him, will not last or get much done.

Finland won admission to NATO today when Turkey ratified its application.

All 30 members of the alliance had to agree, and Turkey was the last to do so.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Sweden's application is still pending.

Back in this country, the founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, has pleaded not guilty to new federal criminal charges.

He appeared briefly this morning in federal court in New York.

The new indictment alleges he bribed a Chinese official to unfreeze company assets.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pushed through a broad energy package today to undo most of President Biden's climate priorities.

It would ramp up us production of fossil fuels and expedite approvals for pipelines.

But Democrats controlling the Senate say the bill is dead on arrival there.

And, on Wall Street today, stocks had another positive day, as fears of banking turmoil faded further.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 141 points to close at 32859.

The Nasdaq rose 87 points and the S&P 500 added 23.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": the debate over raising the federal debt limit heats up on Capitol Hill; a federal judge's decision puts the future of the Affordable Care Act in doubt; Detroit's Arab American artists reflect on the invasion of Iraq 20 years later; plus much more.