Why Did the US Strike Iran Tonight?
The United States launched military strikes against Iran on Friday night, hitting Iranian missile and drone storage locations as well as radar sites along the Iranian coast. The strikes came just 24 hours after Iran fired on a cargo ship attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz — a move President Trump called a "foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement." US Central Command confirmed the strikes, saying they were designed to send a powerful message: ships must be able to pass freely through the strait. It has been just over a week since President Trump signed a deal with Iran in which Iran promised to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier in the day, reporters pressed the president in the Oval Office about whether Iran would face consequences. Trump was characteristically cryptic, saying only, "You're going to find out." Less than two hours after he told reporters that Iran was "dying to make a deal" and "giving us a lot," US aircraft were already in the air. A US official said the strikes were now over and were specifically intended to reinforce freedom of navigation through one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. The status of the broader nuclear talks — and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium — remains an open and urgent question tonight.
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President Trump in the Oval Office hinting at coming strikes against Iran before confirming the ceasefire violation
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Venezuela Earthquake: 18-Day-Old Baby Pulled From Rubble
In Venezuela, the scenes emerging from the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes are devastating — and at moments, miraculous. The death toll is approaching 1,000, and Venezuelan officials now say 50,000 people remain unaccounted for. But amid the heartbreak, rescuers delivered extraordinary moments of hope on Friday.
An 18-day-old baby boy named Juan was pulled alive from the debris, reunited with his father as crowds cheered. Firefighters who were about to leave one collapsed building stopped when they heard barking — and carefully dug out a dog, its head barely visible beneath the rubble, and gave it water before pulling it free by hand. Both survived.
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Rescuers pull 18-day-old baby Juan from earthquake rubble in Venezuela as crowds cheer
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The earthquakes caused what engineers call a pancake collapse — floors stacking directly on top of one another — leaving almost no survivable space. Aerial images show entire city blocks reduced to flat fields of concrete. International rescue crews, including an urban search and rescue team from Fairfax, Virginia, have now arrived on the ground. A US military plane with personnel and equipment has also landed in Venezuela. Families are digging through debris with their bare hands, and the humanitarian need is growing by the hour.
Venezuelan soccer player Hector Bayo posted a gut-wrenching tribute to his wife Andrea, who died in the quake while shielding their baby daughter with her own body. Their daughter was rescued alive. Bayo wrote: "I'll tell her the story of how you saved her, my love, how you gave your own life for our daughter."
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Video showing the small plane striking the CITIC Tower in Beijing with debris falling to the street below
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Small Plane Crashes Into Beijing Skyscraper: What We Know
Alarming video circulated online Friday showing a small two-seater aircraft crashing into the CITIC Tower — one of the tallest buildings in the world at 108 stories — in central Beijing. Chunks of debris and the plane's tail section were seen falling hundreds of feet to the street below. Footage also showed flames at the base of the building as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
FlightRadar24 data showed the plane had taken off from an airport about 30 miles east of Beijing around 6 p.m. local time before striking the skyscraper. Beijing airspace is officially closed to drones and civilian aircraft, making the incident immediately suspicious. Chinese authorities have so far said nothing publicly about the crash. Adding to the intrigue: all videos, images, and posts related to the crash have been scrubbed from the Chinese internet. Whether the incident was deliberate or accidental remains unknown.
Massive Home Explosion Near Cleveland Destroys Multiple Homes
A massive gas explosion rocked a neighborhood just outside Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday afternoon, destroying three homes outright and damaging nearly three dozen others. The blast was triggered after a construction crew struck a gas line while digging. Firefighters arrived at the scene minutes before the explosion occurred.
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Ring camera footage from Beaver County, Utah showing flames surrounding a cabin within two minutes
Watch at 10:45 →
Neighbors described debris flying through the air, windows blowing out, and a mattress ending up lodged in a tree roughly 40 feet off the ground. Two people suffered minor injuries. Remarkably, no one was killed. The blast came just one day after a separate violent home explosion on Whidbey Island near Seattle injured three firefighters — that one caused by a cache of fireworks igniting after someone nearby started smoking. Both incidents are now under investigation.
Utah Wildfires 2025: How Bad Is the Cottonwood Fire?
The wildfire situation in Utah has reached a level meteorologists are calling "particularly dangerous" — the rarest and most extreme wildfire warning the National Weather Service issues. At least 15 new fires erupted in Utah in just the last 24 hours. The Cottonwood Fire alone has scorched more than 71,000 acres and is 0% contained.
Dramatic ring camera footage from Beaver County showed burning embers flying in every direction and flames racing up a mountainside, completely surrounding cabins within minutes. Families who had been living their dream in mountain homes are now living out of their trucks. Red flag warnings are in effect across eight western states, with the greatest risk in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, flash flooding from up to half a foot of rain is swamping parts of Kansas and spreading east. Tornado watches are in effect from Oklahoma to Kentucky. Meteorologist Lee Goldberg warned that a dangerous heat wave could build across the East Coast heading into the Fourth of July.
Why Was a Boeing 777 Flying Just 25 Feet Above the Runway?
A social media video showing a Boeing 777 buzzing a private airport in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, with its right wingtip nearly scraping the ground has triggered an FAA investigation. FlightRadar24 data confirmed the aircraft dropped to less than 25 feet above the runway. The pilot told air traffic control it was performing a "low approach," but aviation experts called the maneuver essentially a form of showing off — and said the wingtip was just feet from catastrophe.
The plane, painted with Qatar Airlines branding, had been converted to a cargo aircraft by private owner Jet Tran LLC. The company said the flight "does not reflect operational standards." The FAA is now investigating.
What Happened to Lionel Richie On Stage?
Lionel Richie fell ill on the opening night of his new All Night Long tour, saying he felt dizzy, had to sit down mid-performance, and then left during intermission and did not return. Live Nation announced Friday that Richie is postponing his weekend shows in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. Doctors have advised him to rest. He is expected to return to the stage for Tuesday's show in Pittsburgh. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Gracie the Giraffe Found After Two Weeks Missing in Texas
In the feel-good story of the night: Gracie, a three-year-old giraffe who went missing from a game reserve near Leakey, Texas, two weeks ago, has been found alive. A helicopter pilot with Concho Aviation spotted her approximately four miles from the ranch as the crow flies — though it takes about 50 miles by road to reach her. Reale County Sheriff Nathan Johnson summed it up perfectly: "She's fat and happy and safe. She just decided to go on a little fling and had a bit of a catch-me-if-you-can attitude." A team of veterinarians and volunteers is now on the way to bring Gracie home safely.
