Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Russia Claims It Shot Down US Missiles Fired By Ukraine
Just a day after White House officials confirmed that permission had been given to Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike deeper within Russian territory, Ukraine did exactly that. Two US officials confirmed to ABC News yesterday that Ukraine had fired ATACMS at targets inside Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry wrote on its official Telegram page that six “ballistic missiles” were fired, and said that five were shot down and the sixth damaged by Russian defenses. A US official had a different report, saying that Russia intercepted two of eight total missiles launched by Ukraine, with the other six reportedly striking an ammunition storage site in Karachev. Shortly before the attack was acknowledged by Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which were signed by President Vladimir Putin yesterday, meant “the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response.” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters yesterday that he was “unfortunately not surprised” by the alteration of Russia’s nuclear doctrine, but officials are saying that the US sees no sign that Russia actually plans to use nuclear weapons.
2 Possible Record Bomb Cyclone To Hit Northwestern States
A record-strength low pressure system off the northwestern coast of the US is going to be causing severe weather problems for the next several days. Last night, a buoy of the coast of Washington reported an air pressure of 950-millibars and wind gusts of 74-mph, both of which are typical of a strong hurricane. The powerful low isn’t the only problem facing the Northwest; an atmospheric river of moisture stretching from Hawaii to Northern California is expected to bring between 10 and 20 inches of rain and snow to the West Coast over the next few days. The severe conditions are expected by forecasters to last through at least Friday, drenching an area from south of Portland down to San Francisco. According to the National Weather Service office in Medford, Oregon, hurricane-force winds are expected, with gusts over 75-mph. As of midnight, around 200,000 customers in Oregon, Washington state, and California were already without power as the storm moved in, with Washington the hardest hit.
3 SpaceX Completes Sixth Starship Test Flight
The sixth unmanned test flight of the SpaceX Starship almost went off without a hitch yesterday. The rocket took off from the company’s “Starbase” facility near Brownsville, Texas, traveled halfway around the Earth, and splashed down as expected in the Indian Ocean. The rocket’s “Super Heavy” booster was originally planned to return to the Brownsville facility and land on the arms of the launch tower, but the company said the booster didn’t clear its “commit criteria” and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico instead.