Is 'In the absence of information that the crash was anything other than an accident, the White House staff monitored the news as they went ahead with their regular schedules.' an autonomous statement, not logically connected to 'The staff at the White House kept an eye on the news.'
In the absence of information that the crash was anything other than an accident, the White House staff monitored the news as they went ahead with their regular schedules.###The staff at the White House kept an eye on the news.