NASA has announced that final, system-wide testing for Artemis II—the first crewed U.S. lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972—will begin in about two weeks, with the earliest possible launch date set for February 6, 2026.

During today’s Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the Texas Christian University campus in Fort Worth, Texas, a pregame parachute demonstration took a dangerous turn when a member of the All Veteran Group Parachute Demonstration Team struck the field goal net and fell roughly 35 feet onto the concrete below, narrowly missing the Texas State band. Officials later said the parachutist suffered only minor injuries and was able to walk shortly after the incident. The university attributed the mishap to strong winds early Friday. Of the six-member team, four landed safely on the field, one landed outside the stadium, and one collided with the net. No bystanders were injured, a spokesperson told NewsNation.

Saudi Air Force heavily bombing UAE-backed STC separatists in Yemen today.

U.S. authorities have arrested an 18-year-old man accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired attack in North Carolina, according to the FBI. The suspect, Christian Sturtevant, was allegedly in contact with undercover FBI and NYPD agents while planning the attack.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump states that if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their rescue, adding, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

The Israeli Air Force launched a series of airstrikes this morning targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including a training facility reportedly used by the group’s elite Radwan Force.

The Russian Ministry of Defense released video footage earlier today showing Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff, presenting what Russia claims is data and a controller from a Ukrainian one-way drone allegedly used in an attempted attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in the Novgorod Oblast. In the video, the materials are shown being handed over to U.S. Coast Guard Captain Richter Tipton, the military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

According to AFP, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he is open to cooperation with the United States on drug trafficking, oil, and other issues, following weeks of heightened U.S. military pressure. Speaking on state television, Maduro said dialogue could take place “wherever they want and whenever they want,” but declined to comment on a U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan dock announced this week by President Donald Trump.

In Kuhdasht, in Iran’s Lorestan province, protesters have been seen toppling and setting fire to statues associated with the regime.

Protests underway in Isfahan City, Iran.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Zohran Mamdani would make history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, its first immigrant mayor in more than a century, and the youngest mayor in generations, adding that he would serve as a mayor for all New Yorkers.

Nahavand in western Iran has descended into violent clashes, as security forces and pro-regime supporters confront anti-government protesters amid escalating unrest.

Tensions are rising in the city of Kavar, Iran

Kuhdasht has erupted, as large crowds flood the streets and the wave of nationwide protests across Iran continues to expand.

Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters in the central city of Lordegan, killing at least four people, according to online footage and accounts from activists. Videos circulating on social media show demonstrators carrying a victim from the street and later storming a local courthouse, as unrest intensified following the shootings.

Protests in Iran have now spread to another city, with large crowds taking to the streets in Harsin, Kermanshah. Demonstrators gathered in significant numbers, chanting in unison, signaling that momentum behind the unrest remains strong and that the determination to continue the uprising is still alive.

Tucker Carlson on Somali scammers: “Recently, we learned that in both Minnesota and the state of Maine, they have committed… massive multibillion-dollar Medicaid fraud.”

🚨Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor.

A federal appellate court ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration must return control of hundreds of California National Guard troops to Governor Gavin Newsom, the New York Times reports.

Fire engulfs top of Vondelkerk (Vondel Church) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.