Greetings! Happy National Girl Scout Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇮🇶 American refueling tanker crashes in Iraq as rescue begins. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that an aerial refueling aircraft went down in Iraq. The plane was supporting the military operation connected to the Iran war. CENTCOM said rescue efforts were underway as the situation developed. Officials said it was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. A United States official said the aircraft had at least five crew members aboard. CENTCOM said two aircraft were involved in the incident. One aircraft landed safely while the other crashed in western Iraq. A second official said the other aircraft was also a KC-135 tanker. The military described the crashed plane as “a loss” and asked for patience. It is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft loss by the United States in the Iran War campaign, following earlier incidents.

🇨🇺 Cuba says it will release 51 prisoners in a surprise move. Cuba’s foreign ministry said 51 people will be released in coming days. Officials framed it as a gesture of goodwill tied to relations with the Vatican. The government did not publish names or case details for the group. It said those freed have served a significant part of their sentences. Officials also said the prisoners kept good conduct while incarcerated. The announcement came hours before President Miguel Díaz-Canel was set for a rare press meeting. The government said it has granted pardons to 9,905 inmates since 2010. It added that 10,000 more people sentenced to prison were released over the last three years. Cuba previously pledged to free 500-plus prisoners after Vatican talks, including dissident José Daniel Ferrer. Rights monitors said there were 1,214 political prisoners as of February 2026, and it is unclear who qualifies in this batch.

🎓 ROTC students stop Old Dominion shooter, FBI calls it terror. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the shooting happened at Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia. Agents said the gunman opened fire on a classroom and killed one person. The FBI said two other people were wounded in the attack. The shooter, Mohamed Jalloh, was subdued and killed by Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students. FBI official Dominique Evans said the students’ actions prevented further loss of life. Evans said the students “rendered him no longer alive” and said he was not shot. Authorities said Jalloh was a former Army National Guard member. The FBI said he previously spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State. FBI Director Kash Patel said the case is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Sentara Health said one victim was in critical condition while another was treated.

🕍 Michigan synagogue attack leaves questions, smoke, and gratitude. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is leading an investigation into a vehicle attack at Temple Israel. Authorities said a man with a rifle rammed a vehicle into the synagogue in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit. Officials said the attacker was Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized American citizen born in Lebanon. Investigators said he drove down a hallway and the vehicle caught fire. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said staff, teachers, and 140 children at the early childhood center were not injured. Bouchard said one security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious. He said the officer’s injuries were not life-threatening. Authorities said 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Rabbi Arianna Gordon thanked security and staff for getting children reunited with parents. Steven Ingber of the Jewish Federation of Detroit said the attack fit a wider pattern of rising threats.

🗺️ Google Maps adds Gemini features to talk you through your day. Alphabet ($GOOGL) said Google Maps is getting a major redesign powered by artificial intelligence. Executives said the changes roll out through the company’s Gemini system. Google said the service is used by more than 2B people worldwide. The first new feature, Ask Maps, is designed for conversational planning. Google said Ask Maps pulls from a database of 300M-plus places. It also draws on reviews from 500M-plus contributors gathered over 20-plus years. Google said Ask Maps can suggest chargers, cafes with short lines, or multi-stop itineraries. The second feature, Immersive Navigation, adds 3D driving context with landmarks and road details. Google said it has built guardrails to reduce fabricated recommendations, a failure known as hallucination. Executives declined to say whether ads could later influence what users see.

🌪️ America gets weather whiplash: heat dome, blizzard, and flood risk. Forecasters said nearly every part of the country will see extremes soon. The Southwest is expected to bake under a heat dome early next week. Meteorologists said Phoenix could hit triple digits for multiple days. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned the heat may be more dangerous because it is so early. Two storm systems are expected to dump heavy snow across the northern tier and Great Lakes. Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) chief scientist, said totals could reach 3 to 4 feet in places. Maue said the second storm could qualify as a bomb cyclone developing over land. He said the polar vortex could drive single-digit lows into cities like Chicago. He also said Hawaii is getting an atmospheric river with flooding concerns, and Oahu is under a flash flood warning. Washington saw record warmth, then snow, as the atmosphere changed outfits without warning.

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