TYB
Russia launches a NASA astronaut and 2 cosmonauts to the International Space Station
July 14, 2026
Liftoff occurred at 10:47 a.m. ET.
Three people just launched to space aboard a Russian rocket today (July 14), and are now in orbit speeding toward the International Space Station.
NASA's Anil Menon and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off atop a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:47 a.m. EDT (1447 GMT; 7:47 p.m. local time in Baikonur).
Their Soyuz rocket executed nominal side booster separation about two minutes after launch, followed by second stage separation about 2.5 minutes later, as the rocket flew at 105 miles (169 kilometers) in altitude.
Third stage orbital insertion and separation was completed at about 8 minutes and 46 seconds, putting Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft and crew on course to chase down the International Space Station (ISS).
The trio will catch up to the ISS after just two orbits, and are scheduled to dock with the outpost at about 1:56 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT).
You can watch rendezvous and arrival here at Space.com, beginning at 1:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT).
There will be a bit of a break after docking, then coverage will resume at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT) ahead of the opening of the hatches between the Soyuz and the ISS, which is expected around 3:55 p.m. EDT (1955 GMT).
The MS-29 trio will join the seven astronauts already living aboard the ISS — NASA's Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams, the European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot, and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrey Fedyaev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
This will be the first spaceflight for Menon, who was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in December 2021, in the agency's Group 23. He's married to Anna Menon, who was picked in the next astronaut candidate class, Group 24, in September 2025.
Anna Menon has already been to space, though not with NASA. In September 2024, while an employee of SpaceX, she flew on the company's Polaris Dawn mission to Earth orbit.
That five-day flight, which was funded and commanded by current NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, featured the first-ever commercial spacewalk and reached a maximum altitude of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers) — higher than any previous crewed Earth-orbiting mission had gotten.
Anil Menon is a former SpaceX-er as well; he was the company's first-ever flight surgeon.
MS-29's flight is the second-ever space mission for both Dubrov and Kikina. Dubrov lived aboard the ISS from April 2021 to March 2022, and Kikina spend five months on the outpost, from October 2022 to March 2023.
Kikina, the only female member of Russia's active astronaut corps, flew to and from the ISS back then on SpaceX's Crew-5 mission.
That was a big deal: She was the first Russian ever to fly on a private U.S. spacecraft, and the first cosmonaut to fly on any American space vehicle since December 2002, when cosmonauts Valery Korzun and Sergey Treshchov came back to Earth from the ISS aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.
The MS-29 trio will spend about eight months living and working on the orbiting lab. Menon will help conduct a wide variety of scientific experiments during that stretch.
"He will continue research to refine in-space production of semiconductor crystals to enable the large-scale manufacturing of components needed for high-performance computers, artificial intelligence, and improved medical devices," NASA officials wrote in a July 9 media advisory.
"Menon also will perform ultrasound using augmented reality and artificial intelligence methods that could eliminate the need for medical support from Earth on future space missions," they added.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/soyuz-ms-29-astronaut-launch-international-space-station-anil-menon
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/07/14/soyuz-spacecraft-launches-new-crew-for-station-arrival-today/
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/07/14/new-station-crew-counts-down-to-soyuz-launch-live-on-nasa/
https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/space-runs-in-the-family/
https://www1.ru/en/news/2026/07/14/soiuz-ms-29-segodnia-startuet-k-mks-na-baikonur-vpervye-za-8-let-priexal-glava-nasa.html
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2077045703944130920
https://x.com/NASA/status/2076752609616998837
https://x.com/Astro_Jessica/status/2076729517347880995
https://x.com/NASA/status/2077044224168468951
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwhPXxNtdoc
NASA’s SunRISE Mission Changes Launch Vehicle to SpaceX Falcon Heavy
July 13, 2026 4:36PM
NASA’s SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shifting from its original ride into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur vehicle. NASA will share updated launch timing in the near future.
The heliophysics mission will fly as a rideshare sponsored by the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
The mission’s six toaster-oven-size small satellites, or SmallSats, will operate as one giant radio dish slightly above geosynchronous orbit (about 22,000 miles, or 35,000 kilometers, in altitude) to track the rumbles of radio bursts coming from within the Sun’s atmosphere, or corona.
Those bursts are generated by accelerated particles leaving the Sun. The solar radio waves arrive at Earth before the solar energetic particles. In extreme cases, solar particle events can damage satellites and affect astronauts.
Using SunRISE to track the radio waves they generate could improve prediction and mitigation efforts.
The SmallSats have completed assembly and testing at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, where they will be stored until the launch period is confirmed.
NASA’s SunRISE is a Mission of Opportunity under the Heliophysics Division of the agency’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
These missions are part of the Explorers Program, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The mission’s science investigation is led by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which also provides the science operations center, and the project is managed by JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, which also provides the mission operations center.
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/sunrise/2026/07/13/nasas-sunrise-mission-changes-launch-vehicle-to-spacex-falcon-heavy/
https://starlust.org/united-launch-alliance-loses-nas-as-sun-rise-mission-to-space-x/
moar NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/07/13/expedition-74-stays-busy-and-awaits-tuesdays-new-crew-arrival/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/planetary-expeditions/2026/07/14/utah-helicopter-flights-test-nasas-davinci-mission-to-venus/
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/fans-of-the-arctic/
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4941-4947-pinstripes-on-the-fourth-of-july/
NASA Study Points to Smoother Air Taxi Rides
Jul 13, 2026
No one wants to get into an uncomfortable aircraft. NASA research could help the emerging industry of air taxis —small, vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft meant for short trips — understand the relationship between comfort and willingness to fly.
That’s where NASA comes in, with data that can help identify how to plan air taxi rides that can keep travelers feeling good.
NASA was able to gather that data by putting its own employees through some rough virtual flights.
At the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, volunteers have been strapping into a virtual reality motion simulator to experience the sudden shifts and tilts that tomorrow’s air taxis could encounter, showing researchers those moments feel from a passenger’s point of view.
Their reactions are giving NASA new insight into how aircraft motion influences comfort and confidence in flight — for instance, that certain kinds of large, sudden motions can be especially bothersome.
Using that data, the team developed new models linking those sudden motions to passengers’ willingness to fly.
The models can help guide future aircraft design and flight operations, letting producers know what maneuvers will be too jarring for future air taxi riders.
Large, sudden movements can also come from gusting winds or landings.
The NASA data allows researchers to estimate when passengers may begin to feel uncomfortable as motion increases, giving them the ability to shape aircraft designs and operations to minimize the impact of those situations.
“Through this study and others, we are starting to identify passenger comfort thresholds for aggressive flight motion,” said Curtis Hanson, NASA Armstrong lead researcher for this effort.
“We can begin to make predictions about how air taxis should fly so that most passengers will find the experience enjoyable and want to ride again, which will benefit the public and the industry.”
In the simulator, each participant experienced four levels of their aircraft pitching up and down, tilting from side-to-side, rotating, or accelerating quickly into a climb or a dive during flights from downtown San Francisco to Alcatraz Island in California.
Even moderate changes in these motions reduced comfort for some participants, while others remained comfortable at higher levels. Participants rated each flight on a five-point scale and identified which motions felt uncomfortable.
Participants were asked whether they would take a real air taxi flight with motion they find uncomfortable.
Their answers suggested that today’s travelers may be less tolerant of rough motion than airline passengers 50 years ago, based on comparisons with earlier NASA ride-quality research.
This latest feedback builds on a multiyear NASA study to better understand air taxi passenger comfort. The overall research effort found clear relationships between specific aircraft motions and how comfortable people feel during flight.
This work is currently led under the Subsonic Vehicle Technologies and Tools project in NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate and contributes to the agency’s advanced air mobility research.
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/armstrong/nasa-study-points-to-smoother-air-taxi-rides/
extra extra NASA / space
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/07/13/nasas-artemis-iii-flight-hardware-stacks-up-at-kennedy/
https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/07/nasa-satellite-spots-mysterious-ocean-glow/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/artemis-1s-orion-spacecraft-withstood-the-heat-of-re-entry-in-a-critical-test-for-humans-return-to-the-moon-now-nasa-will-loan-the-historic-capsule-to-the-smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum-180989094/
https://www.sciencealert.com/astronauts-have-taken-the-first-human-x-rays-in-space-and-they-actually-worked
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4544635/guardian-astronaut-brings-operational-medicine-experience-to-iss-mission/
https://x.com/astro_anil/status/2077008039870165110
moar Space Force
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4542378/space-force-launches-initial-enlisted-bonus-pilot-program-to-maximize-readiness/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4541922/14-guardians-graduate-inaugural-regional-space-advisor-academics-course/
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2077058100318679347
Guardian astronaut brings operational medicine experience to ISS mission
July 14, 2026
U.S. Space Force Col. Anil Menon launched aboard NASA’s Expedition 75 mission to the International Space Station, bringing with him a career shaped by operational medicine, military service and human spaceflight support.
Menon is serving as a flight engineer aboard the ISS during his first mission to space, marking another milestone in the growing relationship between NASA and the Space Force as Guardians continue supporting the nation’s expanding role in the space domain.
“The mission I'm flying is fundamentally a space mission, so it felt right for the uniform to match the work,” Menon said. “The Space Force is where the future of operating in this domain lives, and I wanted to be part of building it from the inside.”
A former Air Force officer who transferred to the Space Force in 2026, Menon said the move also reflects the long-standing relationship between military space operations and NASA human spaceflight missions.
“The Air Force has supported NASA going back to Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo, and the Space Force carries that legacy forward,” he said. “Becoming a Guardian was a way to honor where I came from while leaning fully into where space is going.”
Before becoming an astronaut, Menon worked across emergency medicine, aerospace medicine and operational astronaut support, experiences he said continue shaping the way he approaches spaceflight and crew performance.
“Medicine teaches you to think in systems and to plan for what can go wrong before it does,” Menon said. “In emergency departments you learn to make decisions with incomplete information and to do it calmly because the team is reading you. That translates almost directly to spaceflight operations.”
Menon said his medical background also reinforces the importance of the human element in long-duration space operations.
“The technology only works if the people do,” he said. “You can build the most capable spacecraft in the world, but performance still comes down to a small team making good decisions under fatigue, isolation and risk.”
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As flight engineer aboard the ISS, Menon supports spacecraft systems, maintenance operations, robotic activities, dockings and scientific research while also serving as the crew’s on-orbit medical officer.
“A flight engineer is essentially the crew’s hands on the vehicle,” Menon said. “The ISS runs hundreds of experiments at any given time, and we serve as the test subjects, the lab techs and the operators.”
Menon said the scientific mission aboard the station is one of the aspects he looks forward to most.
“The ISS is the most remarkable laboratory humans have ever built,” he said. “Microgravity unlocks experiments you can't run anywhere else — protein crystals, cell biology, fluid physics, materials science, human research that will eventually let us go to the Moon and Mars safely.”
The mission also highlights the operational partnerships supporting the broader space enterprise, including NASA, the Space Force, commercial industry and international teammates.
“Human spaceflight is a piece of a much bigger picture, and the Space Force is a huge part of that picture,” Menon said, highlighting the service's critical role in supporting launch operations, range safety, and space domain awareness.
Menon added that the operational mindset Guardians bring to space missions will become increasingly important as human spaceflight missions grow longer and more autonomous.
“Military experience builds habits that map well to spaceflight: clear communication, rehearsed procedures, mission-first culture and comfort with risk that's been thoughtfully managed,” he said.
“As human missions get longer and farther from Earth, those habits will matter more, not less.”
For Menon, the opportunity to launch as one of the first Guardians into space also carries responsibility.
“It's a chance to set a tone for what comes after,” he said. “I want to represent the Space Force the way the Space Force deserves to be represented — competent, humble, collaborative and focused on the mission.”
As the mission continues aboard the ISS, Menon said he hopes Guardians across the force recognize the impact their work has on missions far beyond Earth.
“Your work matters, and it reaches farther than you probably realize,” he said. “Every Guardian operating a satellite, defending a network, planning a launch, or training the next generation is part of why a mission like this is even possible.”
“This is the most exciting time to be in the space domain,” Menon added. “Everything is scaling up at such a rapid pace that the sky is no longer the limit; it’s much bigger than that.”
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Artemis II astronauts visit ESA
14/07/2026
ESA / Science & Exploration / Human and Robotic Exploration
Yesterday, the four Artemis II astronauts visited ESA’s technical site in the Netherlands, where they met the team behind the European Service Module that powered their Orion spacecraft around the Moon and safely back to Earth.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were joined by NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya and NASA’s Orion Program management for this first stop of post-flight visits to the European teams that supported the Artemis II mission.
Later this week, they will also visit European Service Module prime contractor Airbus in Bremen, Germany, and Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, who built the module's structure.
The day began with a tour of ESA's exploration facilities at ESTEC, visiting the Eagle mission control room, where engineers monitored the European Service Module around the clock throughout Artemis II and worked closely with teams at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The astronauts also visited the Human-Robot Interaction Lab, where robotics engineers are developing technologies for future lunar and martian exploration.
The visit included a recognition event during which NASA Orion Program Manager Howard Hu presented ESA with a Program Award and certificates acknowledging the important European contribution to the mission.
In the afternoon, the astronauts participated in a press conference, including ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander, US ambassador to the Netherlands Joseph Popolo and Canadian Ambassador to the Netherlands Hugh Adsett on-site, as well as ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher joining remotely.
The day ended with an informal gathering with ESA’s European Service Module team and their families.
The Artemis II mission launched on 1 April and lasted 10 days, carrying humans around the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Throughout the journey, ESA’s European Service Module supplied air and water for the crew, maintained thermal control, generated electrical power through its four solar arrays and provided the propulsion needed to travel more than one million kilometres through deep space.
Built by European industry under ESA leadership and assembled by Airbus in Bremen, the module brings together expertise from 13 European countries.
Following successful flights on Artemis I and Artemis II, Europe has already delivered for the next mission.
The third European Service Module arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2024 and will soon be connected to the crew module to form the Orion spacecraft for Artemis III.
The mission will include ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, who will become the first European to fly an Artemis mission.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Artemis_II_astronauts_visit_ESA
extra ESA
https://x.com/Soph_astro/status/2076950212417892461
Russia strikes Ukrainian drone and missile production sites – MOD
14 Jul, 2026 17:00
Russian forces have carried out high-precision strikes on drone and missile production facilities in Kiev, as well as military-related port infrastructure in Odessa, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
Among the targets was the state-owned enterprise Radioizmeritel, which the ministry described as a key supplier of electronic components for Neptun-MD guided missiles and FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles produced by Fire Point.
The company was promoted internationally by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and has been linked to his former business associate Timur Mindich, who has been accused of running a large-scale corruption scheme.
The ministry also said it struck the Kiev-79 enterprise, which assembles warheads for Ukrainian drones and missiles and serves as a logistics hub for military equipment.
In Odessa, Russian missile and drone strikes targeted fuel storage facilities supplying the Ukrainian military, the ministry said. It added that a cargo vessel carrying military equipment and a tanker were also hit.
Last week, the MOD said that its long-range strike campaign had demonstrated that Russian weapons can “reliably penetrate any anti-aircraft air or missile defense systems provided to Zelensky by Western sponsors.”
It added that Kiev had deployed virtually all available Western air defense systems to protect the capital but failed to prevent Russian strikes from reaching their targets.
Moscow has intensified long-range attacks on Ukraine’s military-industrial and dual-use infrastructure in recent weeks.
The Defense Ministry has described the campaign as retaliation for Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, which it says have increased as Kiev’s forces have suffered setbacks on the battlefield.
Earlier this month, Russia announced that it had captured Konstantinovka, a major Donbass city on the southern edge of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last major urban stronghold under Kiev’s control in the region.
https://www.rt.com/russia/643045-russia-strike-ukrainian-drone-missile-production/
extra RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/642974-ukraine-drone-attack-foil-fsb/
https://www.rt.com/russia/643011-ukraine-commander-civilian-executions/
https://www.rt.com/news/643041-radev-bulgaria-out-coalition-ukraine/
https://www.rt.com/news/642956-poland-ukraine-zelensky-hitler/
https://x.com/MSchreiberM
==Russian Refinery With 10M-Ton Capacity Burns After 870-Mile Drone Strike
Jul 14, 2026 10:31 Updated Jul 14, 2026 14:31
Ukrainian drones reportedly struck the Salavat oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, sparking a fire at one of the country’s largest oil refining and petrochemical complexes, according to OSINT community Exilenova+ on July 14.
The community published footage showing thick black smoke rising from the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat facility, located roughly 870 miles from the Ukrainian border. According to Exilenova, the drones struck the AVT-6 oil processing unit at the refinery.
Local residents reported hearing a series of explosions near the plant before smoke began pouring from the industrial zone. The plume was visible from several parts of the city.
The regional governor later claimed Russian forces had repelled a large-scale drone attack, adding that several fires had broken out after debris from intercepted UAVs fell at the site.
Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is one of Russia’s largest integrated oil refining and petrochemical facilities. It produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, bitumen, lubricants, polyethylene, ammonia, methanol, and other petrochemical products.
The complex has a designed refining capacity of about 10 million metric tons per year. It processed approximately 6.8 million tons in 2022.
The company’s industrial network includes an oil refinery, a gas chemical plant, and the Monomer production facility.
The reported strike adds to Ukraine’s expanding campaign against Russian refineries, fuel depots, and energy infrastructure supporting both the domestic economy and Moscow’s war effort.
Earlier, Ukraine’s military intelligence struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region.
In addition, Ukraine’s Defense Forces attacked an oil depot in the city of Mikhailovsk in Russia’s Stavropol region.
After a series of explosions at the industrial site, flames spread to fuel storage tanks.
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russian-refinery-with-10m-ton-capacity-burns-after-870-mile-drone-strike-20745
other Russia and Ukraine
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukrainian-sea-drone-sinks-russia-s-izumrud-1784032131.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/fsb-ukraine-balloons-trailers-drones-attack-quadcopters-airfields-russia-2026-7
https://news.err.ee/1610077216/estonia-ukraine-drone-deal-implementation-begins-immediately
https://www.reuters.com/graphics/UKRAINE-CRISIS/RUSSIA-TANKER/zjpqgyxjgpx/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/07/14/geran-4-vs-grain-ships/
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4144275-russian-drones-strike-residential-area-in-sumy.html
Lindsey Graham Toured Ukrainian Drone Factory Before His Sudden Death
Jul 14, 2026, 5:01 AM EDT
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham visited a Ukrainian military drone factory the day before he died, according to local reports.
The South Carolina Republican and ally of President Donald Trump toured a production facility which belongs to the Ukrainian defense company SkyFall on Friday, per Ukraine Pravda.
Graham was reportedly shown Vampire bomber drones, also known as "Baba Yaga," as well as the Shrike FPV drone and P1-SUN Shahed interceptors.
On Saturday, just one day later, Graham's office announced that he died "from a brief and sudden illness."
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” his office said.
During his visit to Ukraine, Graham—who was accompanied by Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul—also met with Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy.
He announced on the trip that he had "reached agreement with the White House on a version of the Russia sanctions bill that they will support." He said the package "would give tools to President Trump" to end Russia's war with Ukraine.
Tributes Pour In
After his death was announced, leading Ukrainian politicians paid tribute to the U.S. politician, who was an interventionist who often pushed for U.S. military intervention overseas.
"Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and of the values that make our world safer,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
“We were in constant dialogue, which I will miss,” he added.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Graham was a “true friend” and “one of the strongest voices” in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Meanwhile, U.S. politicians too expressed their shock at Graham's death.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!" Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
Reports Surrounding Graham's Death
Multiple reports said that emergency medical services had received a call at around 8:30 p.m, on Saturday about a person suffering from chest pains at Graham's home and applied CPR on a man suffering from cardiac arrest.
Preliminary findings by the Washington, D.C. medical examiner on Monday found that Graham, who served in the U.S. Senate since 2003, died of an "aortic dissection"—a tear in the main artery—caused by cardiovascular disease.
Graham's spokesperson told the BBC that Graham's death certificate would be pending until "all the toxicological and microscopic testing" was finalized.
Prior to his career in politics, Graham served as an Air Force lawyer and later joined the South Carolina Air National Guard. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and the Senate in 2002.
S.C. Governor Henry McMaster has the power to appoint a temporary replacement to serve out the remainder of Graham's term, which ends in January.
Graham's successor will be chosen in the November midterm elections.
https://www.military.com/lindsey-graham-toured-ukrainian-drone-factory-before-death
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2076230750748148175
FBI, Massachusetts State Police Warn Against Drone Use at Upcoming Boston Events
July 14, 2026
BOSTON — The FBI’s Boston field office and Massachusetts State Police are cautioning the public against flying drones in restricted airspace during maritime events taking place this week.
In a joint message, the agencies highlighted the safety risks that unauthorized drones pose to the public and emphasized their coordinated efforts to prevent such activity.
Officials appeared on WCVB Channel 5 Boston to discuss the issue and urge compliance with federal and local regulations.
Visitors planning to view the historic ships are advised to leave drones at home to avoid potential confiscation or other enforcement actions.
The agencies recommend reporting any unsafe or unauthorized drone flights by calling the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
https://www.newbedfordguide.com/fbi-massachusetts-state-police-warn-against-drone-use-boston-events/2026/07/14
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-07-14/live-updates-902426
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-said-to-urge-netanyahu-to-withdraw-idf-troops-from-syria-lebanon-in-recent-call/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sixth-round-of-israel-lebanon-talks-begins-in-rome-with-focus-on-idf-pullout-pilot/
https://vinnews.com/2026/07/14/idf-eliminates-hamas-naval-cell-commander-three-armed-terrorists-in-gaza-strikes/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skopxwq4gl
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/settler-activists-again-try-to-breach-syrian-border-are-detained-by-idf/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-902500
https://www.thefp.com/p/ro-khannas-dishonest-israel-stunt
Live Updates: Iranian islands reportedly struck, Tehran says it will not lose of Hormuz 'under any circumstance'
July 14, 2026
Trump requests Israel to pull out of Syria, Lebanon • IDF kills four terrorists in northern Gaza Strip • Trump orders full blockade on Iranian ports
July 14, 8:35 PM
Trump told Netanyahu to pull IDF troops out of Syria, Lebanon - report
According to an Axios report, Trump urged Netanyahu to pull Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon during a phone call.
US President Donald Trump allegedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should remove IDF troops from Syria and Lebanon during a phone call on Thursday, according to a Tuesday Axios report citing US and Israeli officials.
One US official told Axios that Trump claimed that the presence of Israeli military personnel in Syrian territory could create tension and may lead to escalation.
“They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump allegedly told Netanyahu, according to the official.
This is a developing story.
July 14, 8:35 PM
Strait of Hormuz escalation pushing Iran to 'run faster toward a nuclear bomb,' expert warns
According to INSS Iran expert Ben Sabti, the regime's very survival gives the leadership a sense of victory. The central power mechanisms continue to function.
The US needs to accelerate the pace of military strikes and target additional senior Iranian officials to push towards a resolution of the conflict, Beni Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said.
In an interview with 103FM, Sabti stated that the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz is not bringing Iran closer to surrender. He described a combative leadership, despite severe blows and mounting domestic hardship, and argued that military pressure is pushing Tehran to intensify the confrontation.
"An Iranian member of parliament tweeted, 'We need to immediately obtain a nuclear bomb to protect our assets in the Strait of Hormuz,'" Sabti said. "This is the Iranian hubris and mindset, 'They are pressing us even more? No problem, we will run even faster toward the nuclear bomb.' They are definitely not going to give up."
July 14, 8:33 PM
IDF kills four terrorists in Gaza, including a head of military security
The IDF killed four terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including the head of the military security of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion, according to the military.
The terrorists killed were named as: Mohammed Mawrwan Mohammed Salem, the aforementioned head of military security; Abd al-Malek Abu al-Jabin, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion and head of the investigation department of the Hamas Police; Yaman Mohammed Jibril Ubaid, a terrorist in Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion; and Ghassan Akram Salama Dakas, a terrorist in Hamas's Western Battalion and an operative in the Hamas Police.
The IDF saw the terrorists as an immediate threat to troops in the Strip, and was struck to "eliminate the threat."
July 14, 8:12 PM
Iran says US struck near key Persian Gulf islands as sirens sound in Kuwait
Separately, Kuwait’s Armed Forces announced that they were in the process of combatting hostile aerial targets, namely "missile and drone threats," within their airspace.
A US projectile reportedly exploded near a water and electricity facility on Iran's Kish Island, Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday.
Additional explosions were heard on Iran's Qeshm Island, according to IRGC-linked Fars News Agency. Their cause is not yet known.
U.S. Sailors conduct flight operations aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). pic.twitter.com/WLx1hxvd6l
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July 14, 8:11 PM
Trump says he thinks Iran and Hezbollah will be added to Russia sanctions bill
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters that he thought Iran and Hezbollah will be added to the Russia sanctions bill currently under consideration by Congress.
July 14, 6:59 PM
US strikes facilities on Iranian islands as Kuwait defends against hostile aerial threats - report
Separately, Kuwait said that its military is engaging with hostile aerial threats.
A US projectile reportedly exploded near a water and electricity facility on Iran's Kish Island, Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday.
Additional explosions were heard in Iran's Qeshm Island, according to IRGC-linked Fars News Agency. Their cause is not yet known.
Separately, Kuwait said that it is engaging with hostile aerial threats.
This is a developing story.
July 14, 6:29 PM
Return to US-Iran hostilities is huge setback for civilians, UN rights chief says
The United Nations human rights chief said on Tuesday the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran was a huge setback for civilians in the region, and he urged restraint.
"The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond. It undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region," the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, said in a statement.
July 14, 6:23 PM
Trump orders full blockade on Iranian ports, says Hormuz transit open for all except Iran
US President Donald Trump reaffirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is open for transit for all countries except Iran, which will face a “full blockade” on cargo shipped through Iranian ports, in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
He blamed the actions of Iran’s leadership for the imposition of the blockade, labeling them as “lying, violent, malicious” figures leading their nation “down the path of total destruction.”
Trump also stated that instead of imposing a 20% fee on shipping through the waterway, the US will make trade and investment deals with Gulf States.
July 14, 5:16 PM
Tehran will not lose control of Hormuz ‘under any circumstance,' says Iranian agency
A member of Iran’s National Security Commission, in an interview with the Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim on Tuesday, vowed that Iran will resist external influence over the waterway's future.
“We will not lose the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances; even if a difficult war is ahead, we will resist there,” he stated.
The National Security Commission member also claimed that the US will not have the ability to compete with Iran in that arena, “despite all of Trump's fantasies.”
July 14, 2:57 PM
India, New Zealand summon Iranian diplomats in wake of attacks in Strait of Hormuz
India summoned Iran's representatives in Delhi after Iran had struck two ships carrying a total of 30 Indian sailors, the External Affairs Ministry announced.
Several countries summoned their Iranian ambassadors on Tuesday in the wake of Iran's recent strikes on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and hostile escalation across the region.
India summoned Iran's representatives in Delhi after Iran had struck two ships carrying a total of 30 Indian sailors, the External Affairs Ministry announced.
Of those 30, one Indian was killed, and another 10 were wounded in the attacks.
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James Franco faces skepticism after showing questionable footage of 'alien' at his home
Mon, July 13, 2026 at 6:56 PM PDT
James Franco recently disclosed an alleged encounter with the extraterrestrial he's claimed has visited his residence in several prior social media posts.
Over recent weeks, the 48-year-old Spider-Man movie trilogy star has been posting videos claiming he was being tracked after the visit. James hadn't provided any proof of the incident with his followers until now, stating in his latest video, "You wanted it. Here it is. I deliver."
His monochrome footage showed an alleged being moving through the shrubbery, peering into his residence, and emerging from a garage in his backyard. This followed James's insistence that an "alien" was in his home in early June.
A video of the supposed "alien" appeared to mirror Hollywood's depiction of space travelers, complete with an oversized, rounded head and protruding eyes. James' disclosure didn't appear to persuade skeptical followers.
Jersey Shore alum commented, "Stop," while another added, "Are we all forgetting HE IS A PROFESSIONAL ACTOR???????"
A third shared, "OK now be real with us. Is this for a movie or is this legit footage?'" Meanwhile, a fourth shared, "Alright, it's time to unfollow."
James' TikTok account has followed only two other accounts: the official page for his upcoming movie Love Meets in the Sunshine and the movie's director, Christian Guiton.
Christian has denied the speculation that James' TikToks were to promote his film. "It's not a science fiction movie," Christian said on TikTok.
"It's not a conspiracy movie. If I was promoting Sunshine, this is not how we would do it," he added.
Last month, James raised alarm bells after he began asserting that an extraterrestrial was present in his home, posting videos he initially posted on TikTok after joining in June.
"That's my garage," he explained in a clip while gesturing toward the outdoor area. "That's normally where I paint. I was going out there, it was night.
I was going to do night painting, and I went inside, and before I even turned the light on, I heard something. I thought it was an animal or something. And it wasn't, it wasn't a raccoon… I saw eyes, I saw glowing eyes, and a hand."
He went on, "I don't know how many fingers, but hand, and speaking. I don't know, something, coming out of… And that was it. I ran, I have not gone back in there, but I'm going to go…. I'm going to show you."
At that point, he had assured his audience that he'd reveal what he witnessed, but he never did.
"Hey guys, this is James Franco. Me, really James Franco. I'm here at my house. I'm not promoting anything, okay? I'm making this account because,' he said before dropping his voice to a whisper. 'Some serious, some serious s–t is going on, okay?" he revealed in the clip.
James continued, "Look here,' he said, before writing down his TikTok handle on a piece of paper. 'It's real, okay? I'm real. It's not AI, it's not anything.
Could AI James do this? No, could not. This is me, okay? For those who know, there's some serious stuff going on. That's why I'm contacting you, that's why I'm doing this, okay?"
https://www.aol.com/articles/james-franco-faces-skepticism-showing-015659000.html
https://x.com/overclassifiedx/status/2076747980372340928
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OGWdE-5Vbi4
https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesfranco2319