Artemis II astronauts rocket toward

moon 25 hours after Earth liftoff

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have fired their engines and are blazing toward the moon.

The so-called translunar ignition came 25 hours after liftoff, putting the three Americans and one Canadian on course for a lunar fly-around early next week.

Their Orion capsule has bolted out of orbit around Earth and chased after the moon nearly 250,000 miles away.

It’s the first engine firing for a moon crew since Apollo 17 set out on that era’s final moonshot in 1972. NASA had the Artemis II crew stick close to home for a day to test their capsule’s life-support systems before clearing them for lunar departure.

Hegseth asks Army’s top uniformed

officer to resign amid war with Iran

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down as the United States wages a war against Iran.

Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday that Gen. Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.”

Pentagon officials aren’t offering a reason for George’s departure, which comes nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023.

His is just the latest in a series of firings of top military officers.

Trump plans to sign order to resume

pay for Homeland Security workers

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday he’ll soon sign an order to pay all Department of Homeland Security employees who have gone without paychecks during the partial government shutdown that has reached 48 days.

He’s blaming Democrats for the impasse while thanking Republican leaders for their work this week in trying to end the standoff.

The Republican president used a similar maneuver to resume pay for the Transportation Security Administration. Trump’s latest intervention is expected to apply to other non-law enforcement employees at the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard and support staff.

Trump unveils plans for 100% tariff

on some imported patented drugs

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that could slap long-threatened pharmaceutical tariffs of up to 100% on some patented drugs from companies that don’t reach deals with his administration in the coming months.

Companies that have signed a “most favored nation” pricing deal and are actively building facilities in the U.S. to onshore production of patented pharmaceuticals and their ingredients will have a 0% tariff. For those that don’t have a pricing deal but are building such projects in the U.S., a 20% tariff will apply but increase to 100% in four years. Companies still have months to negotiate before the 100% tariffs kick in.

Also Thursday, Trump rolled out an update on his 50% tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper.

After crash, Tiger Woods told deputy

he was ‘just talking to the president’

After crashing his SUV last week in Florida, Tiger Woods took out his phone and told a deputy, “I was just talking to the president.”

That’s according to newly released body camera footage that also shows that Woods appeared astonished as he was handcuffed.

It’s not clear if Woods was referring to President Donald Trump. Woods said he was looking at his phone when his speeding Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side. The video also shows that deputies found painkiller pills in Woods’ pocket after the crash.

Woods entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence.

The Associated Press