Russia’s Kstovo oil refinery is heavily ablaze after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, with footage showing a large fire at the facility.

An Army MH-60 Black Hawk from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment was involved in an aviation mishap during a routine training operation near Denver, Colorado, on Aug. 25. The helicopter made an apparently unplanned landing in a wooded area in the foothills west of Denver. Four people were aboard, and initial reports indicate there were no injuries. The Army has opened a safety investigation and has not released additional details about what caused the incident.

Police confirmed eight people, including four children, were killed after a gunman shot members of two families at a home in Billings, Montana, before setting the house on fire and killing himself. It remains unclear whether the gunman is among the eight dead.

Donald Trump orders U.S. flags lowered to honor Dolly Parton.

Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex, slated to become one of the largest in the world, suffered a sudden explosion and fire this morning, severely damaging the facility. The plant had been scheduled to open soon and was undergoing pre-commissioning work ups.

Video footage is circulating online showing several diplomatic vehicles with police escorts driving through the Russian capital of Moscow earlier today, following the mysterious landing of a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster lll this morning at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

A U.S. Air Force C-17A "Globemaster III", operating under callsign RCH4555, has landed at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, marking the first publicly observed U.S. Air Force C-17 arrival in Russia since May 2020, when a C-17 delivered ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aircraft arrived in Moscow from Riga, Latvia, after having flown to Riga from Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C., on August 23. Flight tracking data indicates the mission is likely connected to an upcoming trip by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, although that remains unconfirmed. The C-17 is frequently used to preposition personnel, vehicles and equipment ahead of senior-level travel, but it can also serve as transportation for the Secretary of War on sensitive or unannounced missions.

In a post on Truth Social a short time ago, President Donald J. Trump stated he is "giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America" adding that the U.S. does not expect to conduct much business with Ontario any longer.

President Donald J. Trump has posted to Truth Social stating that Iran is failing to pay "large segments of their military" and is "killing protesters...at levels not seen before," describing the situation as a "humanitarian crisis of epic proportions" that "must be stopped, NOW." The claim of mass killings appears to refer to the January 2026 nationwide protests, when Iranian security forces carried out a major crackdown in which several thousand were killed. There have not been credible reports of a comparable new mass killing of protesters in recent weeks. Iran has, however, continued its crackdown through arrests, executions and prosecutions of people accused of participating in the January protests. The European Union and 26 other countries condemned Iran's execution of protesters earlier this month. President Trump's comments come as his administration has sharply escalated pressure on Tehran, most recently announcing Operation Economic Outcast, an effort to isolate Iran economically and cut off remaining financial lifelines.

In the newest round of diplomatic rows surrounding tariffs between the U.S. and Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comments saying that U.S. negotiators saw the French language as an “irritant,” U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that he “would never interfere with” the Canadians speaking French. Per President Trump, the comment from Prime Minister Carney is a lie that further hampers already stalled negotiations.

An observer in Riga, Latvia reported a white aircraft, likely a U.S. Air Force C-40B, parked near the C-17A Globemaster III that arrived in Moscow earlier this morning. Notably, on the same day the C-17 departed Joint Base Andrews, a C-40B operating under callsign RCH790 also departed Andrews and arrived in Riga. The C-40B is operated by the 89th Airlift Wing and is used to transport senior U.S. government officials, including Cabinet level officials and senior military commanders, on official business. Vehicles displaying diplomatic license plates were also observed near the aircraft in Riga. This suggests a senior U.S. government official may have been aboard the C-40B and could now be in Moscow, although the identities of any passengers and the purpose of the trip have not been confirmed.

According to Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, 28 South Korean made K2 main battle tanks have arrived in Poland. Poland, who ordered two batches of K2s, with the second contract being for K2PL designation tanks with added modifications for regional terrain, defense pact compliance etc., has ordered over 350 of the South Korean made main battle tanks to bolster its already diverse fleet of main battle tanks.

Question: Chinese banks have often been talked about being targeted, but we don't see any of those institutions targeted here… Bessent: No one is above the reach of the US sanctions…. When the hammer of US Treasury actions falls upon them, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

Bessent: "Let me be clear: any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. Dollar system. The clock just started ticking."

Bessent says China will get “no free pass” on Iran sanctions. “If they facilitate transactions” that turn Iranian oil into revenue, “they will be targeted.” “We know who they are. They know who they are.”

Bessent: "This is a sustained campaign to collapse every last option for Iran. Let there be no ambiguity as to the position of the United States: an economic engagement of any kind with this murderous regime will expose those responsible to the full reach of American power."

Footage of a Russian soldier accidentally firing an RPG-7VR into the ground at his feet during training.

Ukrainian attack drones struck Russia’s Millerovo airbase overnight, hitting a MiG-29 Fulcrum.

As part of ongoing celebrations marking Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, hundreds of ground, air, and naval drones operated by the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine paraded through the capital of Kyiv. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has massively scaled up its production of military drones, currently estimated at 10 million units annually, with plans to exceed 20 million in 2027.

Iran’s national currency - the Rial - has dropped ⁠to a record ⁠low of more ‌than ⁠two million to the U.S. Dollar on the open market, as the United States is expected to announce plans to ramp up sanctions on both Iran and countries associated with Iran, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated yesterday they are preparing “the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary,” referring to it as an “Economic D-Day.”