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 is 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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted the Army’s top uniformed officer and two other generals as the U.S. 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.” 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. A Pentagon official says Hegseth also fired Army Gen. David Hodne and Army Maj. Gen. William Green. No reasons have been given for the departures, which come nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

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.

President Donald Trump's new White House ballroom has gotten final approval from a key commission. This comes after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress approves the project. The Trump-appointed chair of the National Capital Planning Commission said the agency moved ahead with Thursday's vote because the judge’s ruling affects construction, not planning. The ballroom is estimated to cost $400 million and has faced opposition and legal challenges. The Republican president aims to complete the ballroom project before his term ends in 2029. The ballroom will include security upgrades and is funded by donations and public dollars for security enhancements.