Train wreck near D.C.
The week's news at a glance.
Kensington, Md.
An Amtrak train derailed this week, critically injuring six passengers and banging up 95 more. Witnesses heard “a lot of loud banging” as part of Amtrak’s 13-car Capitol Limited jumped the tracks at 60 mph, and skidded to a stop 20 feet short of a house. “Things were just flying all through the air,” said passenger Craig Roberts of Wisconsin. The train was nearing the end of its Chicago to Washington, D.C., run, with 161 passengers and 12 crew members aboard. Investigators said 99-degree heat may have caused a rail to buckle, although they have not ruled out other causes.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’
The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston Martin
In the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rights
The Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain