The Longview Fire Department responded to a rescue after a hot air balloon basket with two occupants struck a cell phone tower early Saturday morning.
Around 8:15 a.m., the Longview firefighter rescue team and several assisting agencies responded to the hot air balloon crash. According to the fire department, the balloon is believed to have struck the cell phone tower while flying at about 920 feet.
The incident happened near the intersection of State Highway 300 and FM 1844 in north Gregg County.
According to the fire department, climbing operations began around 8:50 a.m. using multiple rope systems due to the extreme height.
Rescuers reached the occupants at around 10 a.m. Both were conscious and no injuries have been reported, according to the fire department.
This is still an ongoing investigation, according to the Longview Fire Department.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
From the February 28, 2026, edition of The Benny Show, posted to YouTube
BENNY JOHNSON (HOST): Crazy. Crazy, man. Here we go. Everyone be safe out there. I don’t know. There’s a lot of people who live in Dubai. A lot of Americans live in Dubai. A lot of Brits live in Dubai. Israel’s David’s Sling defense system launching in Tel Aviv to take down incoming Iranian ballistic missiles. They say that this could go on for days. This could go on for days. So this is Dubai right now. Wow. And, again, just crazy, crazy clips out of — wow. You know? I don’t know.
I have mixed emotions on all of us. It’s bad. You know? It’s really bad. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens next. Situation monitors will be here to monitor the situation.
And, I just got to say, I was promised that this wouldn’t turn into a larger regional conflict. It’s hard to believe that at this point. And it wouldn’t turn into American boots on the ground. It’s hard to believe that, but we’ll see.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, and an increasing number of patients are living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs). Multimorbidity presents complex challenges for healthcare systems, patients, and communities, highlighting the urgent need for integrated models of care that combine prevention, treatment, and policy innovation.
Launched in 2014 by WHF Past President Professor Salim Yusuf, the programme offers advanced training, mentorship, and networking for healthcare professionals, researchers, and global health advocates dedicated to improving cardiovascular care.
This year, the programme will focus on integrated care for CVD and MLTCs, providing early and mid-career professionals with the tools, mentorship, and global networks to address these challenges.
Dates: 29 November – 3 December 2026 Location: House of Sciences, Menarini Foundation, Fiesole (Florence), Italy
Selected participants will engage in intensive seminars, workshops, and collaborative project development, supported by international experts including Prof Denis Xavier, Prof Clara Chow, Dr Maria Fernandez, and Prof Pablo Perel.
Why apply? “Fantastic peers, mentors, and networks. Reasons not to? None. Join a growing community of early-career professionals focused on global approaches to CVD prevention.” — Prof Amitava Banerjee, WHF Board Member 2025-2026 & Emerging Leader 2014
Application Requirements
The selection committee will expect candidates to demonstrate their passion for improving CVD care and making a difference at the grassroots level and beyond.
Applicants are requested to submit the following (in English) by Monday 16 March 2026:
Completed online application form
Motivation letter
1-minute video
A published writing example
Letter of support from institution and WHF member organization (if applicable)
Request for travel support (if applicable)
Deadline: 16 March 2026 Notifications: By end of June 2026
Thanks for visiting us. Disclaimer: The resources, documents, guidelines, and information on this blog have been collected from various sources and are intended for informational purposes only. Information published on or through this website and affiliated social media channels does not represent the intention, plan, or strategies of an organization that the initiator is associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly indicated. If you have any complaints, information, or suggestions about the content published on Public Health Update, please feel free to contact us at blog.publichealthupdate@gmail.com. #StayUpdated
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced late on Friday that his company has reached an agreement allowing the Department of Defense to use its AI models in the department’s classified network.
In a lengthy statement released Thursday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the company “never raised objections to particular military operations nor attempted to limit use of our technology in an ad hoc manner,” but he argued that “in a narrow set of cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values.”
More than 60 OpenAI employees and 300 Google employees signed an open letter this week asking their employers to support Anthropic’s position.
After Anthropic and the Pentagon failed to reach an agreement, President Donald Trump criticized the “Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic” in a social media post that also directed federal agencies to stop using the company’s products after a six-month phase-out period.
In a separate post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed Anthropic was trying to “seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military.” Hegseth also said he is designating Anthropic as a supply-chain risk: “Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic.”
On Friday, Anthropic said it had “not yet received direct communication from the Department of War or the White House on the status of our negotiations,” but insisted it would “challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”
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Surprisingly, Altman claimed in a post on X that OpenAI’s new defense contract includes protections addressing the same issues that became a flashpoint for Anthropic.
“Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems,” Altman said. “The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement.”
Altman said OpenAI “will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted,” and it will deploy engineers with the Pentagon “to help with our models and to ensure their safety.”
“We are asking the DoW to offer these same terms to all AI companies, which in our opinion we think everyone should be willing to accept,” Altman added. “We have expressed our strong desire to see things de-escalate away from legal and governmental actions and towards reasonable agreements.”
Fortune’s Sharon Goldman reports that Altman told OpenAI employees at an all-hands meeting that the government will allow the company to build its own “safety stack” to prevent misuse and that “if the model refuses to do a task, then the government would not force OpenAI to make it do that task.”
Altman’s post came shortly before news broke that the U.S. and Israeli governments have begun bombing Iran, with Trump calling for the overthrow of the Iranian government.
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Just Security is a non-profit, daily, digital law and policy journal that elevates the discourse on security, democracy and rights. We rely on donations from readers like you. Please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation today. Donate Now
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We’re on that delicious cusp of winter to spring, slowly stepping away from reading indoors cooped up in a blanket with a cup of tea and inching towards a book on a park bench with your first iced latte of the season (am I getting ahead of myself?). As we bid February farewell, here are four of our favourite book covers released this month. And if you’re guilty of judging books by their covers, you may even feel inspired to read them.
Clutch by Emily Nemens Cover design by Beth Steidle (Tin House/Zando, February 3)
This cover is sparse yet dramatic. The bright red does an excellent job of creating intrigue and swallowing everything up, in contrast to the figure in white who seems to almost dissolve into the background. The image is Wayne Thiebaud’s Supine Woman, chosen by cover designer Beth Steidle, and it’s a smart pairing. The novel follows five college friends, two decades later, navigating the biggest challenges of their lives, and Nemens has described it as an ode to friendship.
They by Helle Helle, translated by Martin Aitken Cover design by Erik Carter (New Directions, 10 February)
Artsy, print-like, crunchy… A scrumptious cover that would double nicely as a large poster in a well-lit flat. The designer behind it is Erik Carter, a New York-based graphic designer and art director whose work draws from video game culture, early digital aesthetics and critical design, and who has made covers and illustrations for the New York Times, The New Yorker and Pitchfork.
Emilio Pucci by Terence Ward and Idanna Pucci (Macmillan, February 10)
The black and white figure set against those blue-brown tones, the 3D effect of a figure standing in front of a giant letter C, the photograph itself – there’s a lot going on, and it captures your attention. The book inside is equally compelling: a biography that focuses primarily on Pucci’s wartime life, co-written by his niece Idanna Pucci and her husband Terence Ward, following the designer through Nazi-occupied Italy.
How to Disappear and Why by Kyle Minor Cover design by Danika Isdahl (Sarabande, February 24)
This one carries a darker, more ominous energy – the TV-like visuals and eye symbols raise tension and questions immediately. The designer is Danika Isdahl, an award-winning book designer whose cover for Hotel Almighty was selected as an AIGA 2020 50 Books/50 Covers winner, with previous work for authors including Sandra Cisneros.
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With President Donald Trump calling for regime change in Iran, the country’s leadership now faces an existential threat and is likely to respond to U.S.-Israeli airstrikes accordingly, experts said.
So far, the Islamic Republic appears to be launching fewer missiles and drones in retaliation compared to its barrage in June 2025, when the U.S. joined Israel’s 12-day war on Iran to target nuclear facilities.
But retired Admiral James Stavridis, former NATO supreme allied commander, told CNN on Saturday that Iran has two options. One is to continue launching missiles at the current tempo and hunker down.
“Option two: if they truly believe they’re at the end of the string, they could go big and that would mean closing the Strait of Hormuz, conducting terrorist attacks against American diplomats, businessmen and citizens in the region and elsewhere,” he added. “They could unleash what’s left of their proxies, notably the Houthis who could try to shut down shipping again through the Suez Canal. So they have a lot of cards still to play.”
Energy analysts have warned that closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil passes, could send Brent crude prices soaring to $100 a barrel.
Before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes, Iran conducted military exercises near the strait to demonstrate that threat, though there are no indications yet that it is attempting to do so now.
Initial U.S. airstrikes on Saturday also reportedly targeted Iranian naval assets in the Persian Gulf, potentially degrading Tehran’s ability to shut down the strait. Trump vowed to obliterate Iran’s navy.
Stavridis also recalled teachings from ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, who counseled finding a way out of conflicts without actually fighting—but fighting when on “death ground.”
“I think the Iranian leadership may feel they are on death ground. I’d look for them to go big,” he predicted.
Meanwhile, Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center security advisory firm, also warned that Iran could resort to extreme measures to retaliate, including terrorism.
“For Iran, this war is existential. And because it is, I would fully expect Tehran to activate any sleeper cell capacity it has in the West to make this painful for the U.S. & Israel. Hezbollah and other assets could very well seek to conduct attacks in Europe, North America, etc.,” he posted on X.
Thomas Warrick , a scholar at the Atlantic Council and a former deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism policy in the Department of Homeland Security, similarly raised the possibility that Iran will use “asymmetric” tactics against the U.S.
In a blog post, he said the regime will likely target Trump and other top U.S. officials, putting pressure on the FBI, Secret Service, and Capitol Police.
“Iran will try every cyber trick it can mount, testing the Department of Homeland Security, the private sector, and U.S. cyber defenses,” Warrick added. “Iran tried in the past, unsuccessfully, to meddle in U.S. elections, and would almost certainly fail to have any impact this time. Even though the United States imports very little oil from the Middle East, energy prices may spike, setting back the U.S. economy.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump has confirmed that “major combat operations” are underway against Iran.
It is a joint mission with Israel that the U.S. Department of War has called “Operation Epic Fury.”
The Israeli Air Force reportedly conducted numerous strikes across Iran Saturday morning in an effort to assassinate Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior political and military leaders.
An Israeli official told Axios that the goal “is to create all the conditions for the downfall of the Iranian regime.” He added that “developments will also depend on the extent to which the Iranian people rise up.”
Officials claim that Khamenei’s residence and government compound were among the targets that were hit this morning.
In a video posted on social media, President Trump spoke of a breakdown in nuclear negotiations and said the strikes are targeting military infrastructure and nuclear facilities in Tehran and several other major cities. In the message, Trump issued a direct ultimatum to the Iranian military to lay down their arms or “face certain death,” while simultaneously calling on the Iranian people to “seize control of your destiny,” asserting that the hour of their freedom is at hand.
The State Department is issuing immediate safety directives for Americans in the region.
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In Israel, Ambassador Mike Huckabee has urged all American citizens in the country to leave immediately while flights remain available. Air raid sirens are blaring in Tel Aviv as Israelis are being told to take shelter.
The BBC says Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has promised a “crushing response” to this morning’s military action, and said Iran’s armed forces have already begun retaliatory measures.
Explosions have been reported near U.S. military bases across the Middle East, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE defense ministry says one civilian has died after debris from an intercepted missile fell on a residential neighborhood in Abu Dhabi.
As the conflict intensifies, the administration is warning that “U.S. lives may be lost” but maintains that the objective is to ensure Iran never achieves nuclear capability.
Mohamed Salah’s run of Premier League games without scoring is up to 10.
Fortunately for the Egypt star, his Liverpool teammates had no problem finding the net in a 5-2 thrashing of West Ham on Saturday that continued the defending champion’s midseason recovery.
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo all scored for Liverpool, which also forced an own-goal as the team racked up more than four goals in a league game for the first time this season.
Liverpool has won four games in a row in all competitions and six in its last seven — the only blip being the home loss to Manchester City. Arne Slot’s side moved level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United, which plays on Sunday at home to Crystal Palace.
Salah’s last league goal for Liverpool was way back on Nov. 1 against Aston Villa. It’s his longest scoring drought in the competition since joining from Roma in 2017.
On a high-scoring day in the Premier League, Brentford gave up a three-goal lead before grabbing a stoppage-time winner through Mikkel Damsgaard to beat next-to-last Burnley 4-3 — though there was late drama as Ashley Barnes thought he equalized in the final seconds only for his goal to be ruled out by VAR.
Everton won at Newcastle 3-2 and Bournemouth’s unbeaten run stretched to eight games by fighting back to draw with Sunderland 1-1.
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