Federal investigators are probing whether Iranian state-backed hackers are behind a series of malicious cyber attacks this week that targeted water supply systems in seven states across the United States, including Minnesota, as the conflict in the Middle East continues into its sixth month, officials tell CBS News.

On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro filed a motion seeking to dismiss a felony charge against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist who was arrested and accused last month of pulling up a piece of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, instead accusing contractors chosen by President Trump of botching the renovation of the iconic pool in Washington.

In the extraordinary motion, Pirro broke with claims having been made over the last few months by the Trump Administration that damage to the pool had been caused by vandals, with President Trump himself claiming that people had “slashed” the lining of the pool with blades, something echoed initially by the Interior and Justice Department.

Pirro said in her motion that prosecutors had been misled by the Interior Department, who had blamed all the damage on vandals, when the lining applied by the first-time government contractor used had begun to peel within two days of installation. According to Pirro, the shoddy work done by the contractor caused “widespread damage” to the new blue lining of the pool located between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.

Following yesterday’s announced motion by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro accusing contractors hired by the Interior Department, not vandals, of causing “widespread damage” to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, President Trump has stated that he disagrees with Pirro, claiming that it was a “pure case of VANDALISM.” Closing his statement with, “There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!”

At least three killed and nearly two dozen injured in an explosion earlier today during a private event at the Balzi Rossi fine dining restaurant in Moscow, Russia.

President Donald J. Trump has announced on Truth Social that at the request of Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries, to 'hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to." President Trump says this potential deal will include the total opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the Iranian nuclear threat.

The U.S. Air Force KC-135 "Stratotanker" that survived the fatal midair collision with another KC-135 over Iraq in March is now en route towards the United Kingdom, likely beginning its return to the United States.

Based on the extensive structural damage sustained in the collision, it is likely the aircraft was repaired using a replacement tail section sourced from a retired KC-135 at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, aka the "Boneyard", at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. While the U.S. Air Force has not publicly detailed the repair, such component replacements are a well established practice for returning heavily damaged aircraft to service.

Ukraine's long-range drone campaign appears to have struck another Wildberries distribution center, this time in Novosyomyeikino, continuing a sustained effort to target Russia's largest e-commerce and logistics network. According to Russian officials, the strike ignited a fire at the facility.

This video from Telegram purportedly shows a massive fire at the facility following the earlier Ukrainian drone strike.

Wildberries is essentially Russia's equivalent of Amazon, operating the country's largest online marketplace with an extensive nationwide warehousing and distribution network. Ukraine argues the company supports Russia's war effort by selling dual-use goods and equipment used by the military, an allegation Moscow denies.

The attack is the latest in a broader campaign that has targeted roughly a dozen Wildberries facilities since mid-July, disrupting an estimated 10% of the company's logistics capacity and forcing the retailer to reroute shipments, compensate victims, and absorb significant financial losses. The strikes reflect Ukraine's increasing focus on economic and logistics infrastructure well beyond the front lines, aiming to raise the cost of sustaining Russia's war effort while disrupting everyday commerce.

The U.S. State Department renewed its warning yesterday for Americans across the Middle East, urging heightened vigilance amid the increasingly volatile regional security environment.

Americans currently in the region are advised to consider departing while commercial travel remains available or be prepared to leave if the situation deteriorates. The advisory warns of potential flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and other travel disruptions. Americans outside the region are urged to reconsider travel to or through the Middle East.

The updated warning follows a series of increasingly specific security alerts issued in recent weeks, including notices for Jordan, Bahrain, and, for the first time, Egypt, reflecting the geographic expansion of Iranian attacks and concerns that Iran or Iran-backed groups could target U.S. diplomatic facilities, businesses, and other American interests both within and beyond the Middle East.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released video of a U.S. Marine Corps F-35C "Lightning II" assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) "Black Knights," based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) while transiting the Arabian Sea in support of operations enforcing the naval blockade of Iran.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have now redirected 35 commercial vessels, disabled two that failed to comply with blockade directives, and boarded two others to verify compliance before allowing them to continue their voyages.

Spain is facing its most serious migration crisis in years after a mass surge into the North African enclave of Ceuta left at least 72 people dead and reignited debate over European border security.

According to Spanish authorities, more than 50,000 people attempted to enter Ceuta from Morocco by land and sea, overwhelming local resources. While the vast majority have since returned to Morocco, Spanish officials continue to recover bodies, reinforce the border, and investigate the role of human smuggling networks and online misinformation in fueling the surge.

The crisis has prompted a broader European response. Twenty-two EU member states have called for stronger external border protections, Spain has installed a 500-meter floating sea barrier off Ceuta, and Italy temporarily reinstated border controls with Spain, citing security concerns.

Until this incident, Spain had actually experienced a decline in irregular migration during 2026. Through the end of June, 12,138 migrants had entered Spain irregularly; 32% fewer than during the same period in 2025. Arrivals to the Canary Islands were down sharply, while land crossings into Ceuta and Melilla had already increased by more than 150% year-over-year, foreshadowing mounting pressure along Spain's North African land border.

Image: Wall Street Journal

Thanks to newly released photos from @havoc_aviation, we now know that U.S. Air Force KC-135 "Stratotanker" 63-8017 - the aircraft that survived the fatal midair collision over Iraq in March - was repaired using the tail section from KC-135 63-8002.

Aircraft 63-8002 last served with the 22nd Air Refueling Wing before being flown to the KC-135 depot maintenance facility at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where it appears to have become the donor aircraft for the repair.

Video widely circulating online appears to show a midair collision between two aerial firefighting helicopters west of Athens, Greece, earlier today.

According to Greek authorities, two crew members aboard one of the helicopters were killed, while two others survived the collision.

The footage appears to show one helicopter climbing into the flight path of another before the two aircraft collide. Following the impact, the lower helicopter crashes to the ground, while the second, despite apparent damage to its water bucket/tank assembly, remains airborne and is able to continue flying.

Both helicopters were operated by McDermott Aviation, an Australian aerial firefighting company with operations across Australia, the United States, and Europe. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

One vessel to watch is the Bahamas-flagged, Qatar-owned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier Al Areesh.

Automatic Information System (AIS) data from MarineTraffic.com indicates the vessel has now reached the U.S. enforced naval blockade line at the entrance to the Gulf of Oman twice.

After transiting outbound through the Strait of Hormuz on July 29 using Iran's traffic separation scheme, Al Areesh reached the apparent blockade line before reversing course back into the Gulf of Oman. It has now returned to the blockade line, but rather than continuing seaward or turning back again, is loitering in a north-south pattern along the blockade line.

The vessel's movements are noteworthy because as a Bahamas-flagged, Qatar owned LNG carrier outbound from the Persian Gulf, it does not appear to fall within the publicly stated scope of the U.S. blockade, which U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has described as restricting commercial traffic supporting Iran.

If U.S. forces are delaying or preventing the vessel from departing the Gulf, the rationale is currently unclear. Alternatively, the vessel may be awaiting routing instructions, clearance, or a commercial decision by its operator. AIS data alone cannot determine the reason for its current behavior.

An Italian led European Union naval force has boarded another tanker linked to Russia's "shadow fleet," marking the second such inspection in less than two weeks as European authorities increase enforcement of sanctions on Russian oil exports.

The Toa Payoh, a European Union sanctioned tanker, was intercepted in international waters west of Sicily after recently switching to a Cameroon registry. According to Reuters, the boarding sought to verify the vessel's flag registration and documentation, but EUNAVFOR MED Irini does not have the authority to seize ships during these inspections. Officials said evidence collected could support future legal action by national authorities if violations are confirmed.

The operation reflects the European Union's expanding effort to scrutinize vessels suspected of helping Russia evade oil sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The photograph released by Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) approximately 30 minutes after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center advisory regarding an incident near Khasab, Oman appears to be the same image previously released by Turkish authorities and widely circulated following Ukrainian attacks on Russian "shadow fleet" vessels in the Black Sea late last year.

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/mystery-blasts-rock-russia-linked-oil-tankers-off-turkeys-coast-cf41a341

The U.S. Navy has announced that Cmdr. Joseph Sammur, the Commander of the Blue Crew of the Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN-736), has been relived from command due to “loss of confidence,” by the Head of Submarine Squadron 20 (CSS-20), based out of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is soliciting "creative and unconventional" ideas from military analysts for new ways to pressure Iran, highlighting the growing challenge of finding options that can increase leverage without significantly escalating the conflict, according to CNN.

The report says the unusual request came as President Trump continues weighing next steps after weeks of strikes that have failed to compel Tehran to accept U.S. terms. CNN also reports that recent assessments from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) conclude the current air campaign alone is unlikely to change Iran's negotiating position, while Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has publicly acknowledged that "air power has its limits."

The reporting aligns with recent accounts from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, and Reuters, which have described senior military leaders grappling with finite military options, dwindling air defense interceptor stockpiles, and the strategic limits of an air campaign absent a broader escalation.

Iran says no negotiations are underway with the United States and no meetings are planned, directly contradicting President Trump's claim that talks would begin Monday after his decision to call off planned military strikes on a scale not seen since World War II.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the only ongoing discussions involve Oman and concern management of the Strait of Hormuz, while a senior Iranian source also told Reuters that no U.S.-Iran talks are scheduled. President Trump has repeatedly cited diplomacy as a reason for pausing planned military action during the five-month conflict.

The conflicting public statements leave the status of diplomacy unclear as both sides continue to exchange military pressure while the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved, according to Reuters.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump stated in a post earlier on TruthSocial, that his current polling numbers are “the best they have ever been,” citing “the biggest tax cuts and employment numbers EVER, the biggest outside Investment in America in World history, a totally secure Border, a giant Victory in Venezuela, the Denuclearization of Iran, unparalleled respect and success throughout the World, and much more.”

Photo posted earlier today by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) of an Army Paratrooper, likely with the 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) out of Vicenza, Italy, participating in a live-fire exercise at an undisclosed location in the Middle East.

President Donald J. Trump has taken to Truth Social to reject recent Iranian claims that no talks are taking place with the United States, asserting that Tehran is privately seeking meetings while publicly denying negotiations.

Trump also claimed the Strait of Hormuz is "completely controlled" by the U.S. Navy, describing the naval blockade as the "United States Wall of Steel." He said nothing will be allowed into Iran unless authorized by the United States and that the blockade will remain in place until a deal is reached or Iran agrees to what he described as "total surrender."

The president concluded by saying the United States and Iran are "talking of a solution" to the conflict, despite Iran's public denials that direct negotiations are underway.