Trump pays his respects in Delaware to 6 US service members killed in the Middle East

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump paid his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base where the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft were returned to their families.

It was the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president attended the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.

Accompanying Trump were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and lawmakers including Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, both Alabama Republicans.

All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.

“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.

The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.

Wednesday's dignified transfer was closed to news media coverage at the request of the families in accordance with military policy. Trump spent just under two hours on the ground and didn't speak to reporters leaving Air Force One or returning to it.

Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base's mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.

“It's the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I'm sure. I hate to do it, but it's a part of war, isn't it?”

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.

The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.

“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”

The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.

Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.

“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”

Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del., to attend the casualty return for the six crew members of an Air Force refueling aircraft who died when their plane crashed in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Seth R. Koval. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

This image provided by the Ohio National Guard shows Capt. Curtis J. Angst. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump salutes as an Army carry team moves a flag-draped transfer case with the remains of Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was killed in a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, during a casualty return, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slumped Wednesday after a report said inflation was primed to worsen even before the war with Iran caused oil prices to spike. That and comments from the head of the Federal Reserve pushed Wall Street to see less chance of getting the lower interest rates that it loves.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and flipped to a loss for the week so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 768 points, or 1.6%, and the Nasdaq composite slid 1.5%.

The losses deepened after the Fed decided to keep its main interest rate steady, instead of resuming cuts meant to give the job market and economy a boost. Fed officials are still penciling in one more cut by the end of 2026, but Chair Jerome Powell suggested those projections may be worth less than usual because of how much more uncertainty exists about inflation and the economy.

“We just don’t know,” Powell said about what will happen with oil prices, along with how long President Donald Trump’s tariffs will take to work their way fully through the system.

For oil, the price for a barrel of Brent crude has jumped from roughly $70 before the war to $107.38 on Wednesday, up 3.8% from the day before. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude got to nearly $99 before settling at $96.32.

Oil prices have soared because the war has disrupted the Persian Gulf’s energy industry. Iran’s state television said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would be attacking oil and gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after an attack on facilities associated with its offshore South Pars natural gas field.

If the disruptions keep oil and gas prices high for long, they could create a debilitating wave of inflation for the global economy.

A report released Wednesday morning showed inflation pressures were already building before the war began. It said inflation at the U.S. wholesale level unexpectedly accelerated last month to 3.4%.

Such numbers were likely factors in keeping the Fed on hold Wednesday. A cut to rates would give the economy and investment prices a boost, and Trump has been angrily calling for them. But lower interest rates would also worsen inflation.

Only one Fed voter wanted to lower rates this time around, and the tally was 11-1 to keep rates steady.

Powell said the rule of thumb has been for the Fed to look through jumps in oil prices, which could prove to be only temporary, but he said that works only if expectations for upcoming inflation don’t spike themselves. He also noted that several Fed officials downgraded their forecasts for rate cuts this year to one from two, even though the overall median Fed official is still calling for one.

That pushed traders to downgrade their own expectations for a single rate cut by the Fed this year. They’re now betting on less than a coin flip’s chance of that, 49%, down from the 95% probability they saw a month ago, according to data from CME Group.

That sent Treasury yields upward in the bond market, along with the higher-than-expected update on inflation at the wholesale level. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.26% from 4.20% late Tuesday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran started.

Higher Treasury yields grind down on prices for all kinds of investments, from stocks to crypto to gold.

Gold dropped back below $5,000 per ounce after falling 2.2% to settle at $4,896.20. It’s lower than it was at the start of the war, despite its reputation as a safe haven during uncertain times. Because it pays its owners nothing, gold begins to look less attractive to investors when Treasury bonds are paying more in interest.

On Wall Street, Macy’s jumped 4.7% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The retailer behind Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury is in the midst of a turnaround plan to drive growth under CEO Tony Spring.

But General Mills fell 3% after the company behind the Pillsbury, Progresso and Wheaties brands reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Jeff Harmening is investing in its brands in hopes of driving growth, and it’s sticking with its forecast for profit over the full fiscal year.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 91.39 points to 6,624.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 768.11 to 46,225.15, and the Nasdaq composite sank 327.11 to 22,152.42.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rallied 2.9% after the government reported exports in February were higher than expected. South Korea’s Kospi leaped 5%.

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed.

Christopher Lagana works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Philip Finale works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing international oil prices at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing international oil prices at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A person looks at a stock price monitor showing New York Dow and Nikkei indexes also US dollar Japanese yen exchange rate at a security company Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)