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• A United Airlines jet experienced an apparent engine fire after takeoff from Los Angeles on Monday.
• Everyone evacuated, some with their bags, and none of the 268 souls on board were seriously injured.
• Pilots are trained to handle engine failures, and aircraft are designed to fly on one engine.

A United Airlines Boeing 787 turned around 15 minutes after takeoff from Los Angeles on Monday after smoke and alarms suggested a fire in one of its two jet engines.

United told Business Insider in a statement that there was a “possible engine fire.” It added that none of the 268 passengers and crew on board the plane were seriously injured, and that passengers were bused to the terminal and flown out on a different aircraft.

The plane was back on the ground at LAX within about 40 minutes; a replacement flight to New Jersey took off around 6:30 p.m. local time — eight hours after the originally scheduled departure, per Flightradar24.

“We are grateful to our pilots and flight attendants for their quick actions to keep our customers safe,” United said. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the incident.

It’s unclear what caused the engine issue, but previous incidents at United and other carriers involved bird strikes and metal fatigue.

Pilots are trained to handle engine failures and fires and to remain calm in emergency situations. Airliners like the Boeing 787 are designed to fly safely on one engine.

Recordings from the website LiveATC.net reveal the crew initially thought the fire was out but received additional “fire indications” for the left engine despite using the extinguishers, prompting the decision to evacuate passengers.

“People will be coming out the right side, the side toward the runway; we prefer to stay right here and just get people off,” one of the pilots can be heard telling firefighters after landing.

Videos circulating on social media show the scene from inside the jet, including smoke coming from the aircraft’s left engine and people evacuating via slides and airstairs onto a taxiway.

Some commentators have pointed out that individuals leaving with their bags is dangerous during an emergency. Aviation safety leaders have long instructed passengers to abandon their carry-on items during evacuations to avoid wasting time or clogging the aisles.

“The FAA’s message to passengers is simple: If you have to evacuate, leave your bags behind and follow crew instructions,” the agency said in a statement to Business Insider. “Airlines have policies requiring passengers to leave luggage behind to ensure they can evacuate as quickly as possible. Federal aviation regulations require passengers to obey crewmembers’ safety instructions.”

The warning has precedent: an Aeroflot plane caught fire during landing in 2019, and industry experts said people fleeing the blaze with their luggage partially contributed to the deaths of more than half of the passengers.

In 2024, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Coast Guard jet on the runway in Tokyo and caught fire. All 379 people on board survived; experts partially attributed this to passengers leaving their bags behind.

• British F-35s shot down drones over Jordan within the past 24 hours, the UK government said.
• It marks the first time a Royal Air Force F-35 has destroyed a hostile target during operations.
• The Middle East has been locked in an air defense frenzy as Iran fires waves of missiles and drones.

British F-35s shot down drones over Jordan, marking the first time that one of the Royal Air Force’s stealth fighter jets has destroyed a target in combat, the UK defense ministry said on Tuesday.

British forces have shot down multiple drones across the Middle East over the past 24 hours as Iran continues to retaliate against countries across the region in response to US and Israeli strikes.

The UK said that the interception of drones above Jordan marks “the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target on operations.” The fighters were supported by Typhoon jets and a Voyager tanker aircraft.

The F-35B jets the UK operates are designed for air-to-air, air-to-surface, and electronic warfare missions. They have short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities that allow the fighter jet to operate from austere environments, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers.

The UK received its F-35 jets, manufactured by the American defense giant Lockheed Martin, in 2012. The stealth fighters reached initial operational capability status in 2018.

The UK recently deployed additional defensive assets to its bases in Cyprus, including F-35 jets, radars, counter-drone systems, and ground-based air defenses, amid the soaring tensions in the Middle East.

Over the past day, British counter-drone forces have also intercepted hostile drones in Iraqi airspace, and an RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft used an air-to-air missile to down an Iranian drone heading for Qatar.

Since the fighting began, Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic and cruise missiles and one-way attack drones at many Middle Eastern countries, including the Gulf States and Israel, as well as bases for US forces across the region. A strike on an American military installation killed at least six service members and wounded several others.

British bases have also been hit in this conflict, in which the UK is not offensively involved. A UK defense ministry spokesperson said on Monday that a suspected drone had struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. There were no casualties, but the incident has triggered a response in London.

On Tuesday, the UK announced that it is deploying the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon and Wildcat helicopters to the Eastern Mediterranean region to strengthen Britain’s missile and drone defense.

“We are moving quickly to further reinforce our defensive presence in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Defense Secretary John Healey said. “HMS Dragon brings world-class air defense capability, and our Wildcat helicopters are armed with Martlet missiles to counter the growing drone threat.”

The Middle East has been locked in air defense battles since the US and Israel started striking Iran on Saturday. Washington and its allies in the region have shot down hundreds of Iranian retaliatory missiles and drones over the past three days.

• Four judges have said Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms were unconstitutional.
• The DOJ on Monday said it would not appeal the rulings favoring Big Law firms.
• On Tuesday, the DOJ backtracked, saying it wants to move forward with an appeal.

On Monday, the Justice Department waved a white flag, telling a court it would no longer try to justify President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms.

On Tuesday, the DOJ decided it was ready for battle again.

The Justice Department filed a notice with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday afternoon, asking for permission to continue appealing lower court rulings that struck down Trump’s executive orders.

The filing came in a case that consolidated the Justice Department’s appeals of rulings by four different district court judges who said Trump’s executive orders targeting Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey were unconstitutional.

Trump issued the executive orders shortly after taking office last year. Had they gone into effect, they would have revoked security clearances for the firms’ attorneys, required a review of their government contracts, and may have barred the attorneys from entering federal government buildings.

Nine other Big Law firms struck deals with the White House to avert similar executive orders targeting them. The deals require the firms to each contribute millions of dollars’ worth of pro bono work toward Trump’s political priorities.

Friday would have marked the deadline for the Justice Department to file a brief to convince the appellate court to overturn the lower court rulings invalidating the executive orders.

It’s not clear whether the appellate court will allow the Justice Department to withdraw its decision to drop the appeal. All four law firms opposed the Justice Department’s motion, according to the DOJ’s Tuesday filing.

“Yesterday evening, the Administration told the Court that it gave up and wouldn’t even try to defend its unconstitutional executive orders,” a Susman Godfrey spokesperson told Business Insider. “Today, it reversed course. Regardless, Susman Godfrey will defend itself and the rule of law — without equivocation.”

A Perkins Coie spokesperson told Business Insider the Justice Department “offered no explanation to either the parties or the court for its reversal.”

“We remain committed to defending our firm, our people, and our clients,” the spokesperson said.

Justice Department representatives didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

• As someone who loves traveling and has visited all 50 states, I love checking out capital cities.
• Some of my favorites include Oklahoma City and Little Rock, which have tons of nature and art.
• I also think Providence has a great food scene, and Juneau should be on every travel bucket list.

Having traveled all over the US, state capitals fascinate me.

Some are major metropolitan areas, whereas others feel more random — supposedly chosen for historical significance, strategic location, or reasons I may never understand.

If you’ve already visited the obvious tourist destinations (Phoenix, Denver, and Austin, looking at you), consider this your cue to plan a trip to one of these lesser-known capital cities that deliver culture, history, and seriously good food — usually without the crowds or inflated price tags.

Call it capital gains for your travel bucket list. You’re welcome.

Oklahoma City has the perfect mix of nature and culture.

As someone who geeks out over economic development, I think the Bricktown neighborhood in Oklahoma City is one of the best examples of downtown revitalization in the country.

To get a sense of what the neighborhood has to offer, take a water taxi through the old warehouse district-turned-entertainment hub and check out all the restaurants, public art, and local landmarks.

Then, within walking distance of Bricktown, you can get wet and wild white-water rafting, tubing, or kayaking — when seasonally appropriate — at Riversport, where Team USA trains for Olympic canoeing.

If quirky attractions are your speed, you’ll love this city, too: OKC has some niche spots like the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and Factory Obscura, a cool interactive art space that gave me major Meow Wolf vibes.

Finally, I recommend everyone visit the sobering tribute to the victims, survivors, and rescuers of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

I think Providence is one of the most underrated cities for food.

Rhode Island is a state that doesn’t always get a ton of buzz (beyond whispers about Taylor Swift’s rumored wedding venue), but I think it’s highly underrated — especially the food scene.

Cool off with a Del’s frozen lemonade, a signature treat you can find around the state, then follow your nose around Federal Hill, the city’s Little Italy.

My husband and I didn’t have a bad meal there: Raw oysters were plentiful, and I still dream about the beautiful fish dish we got from Dune Brothers Seafood, served out of a literal shack.

Rhode Island’s small size makes it super easy to explore other parts of the state from Providence, too. Newport’s mansion-lined Cliff Walk is just 40 minutes away by car, and the Block Island ferry — about a two-hour drive — is another fun day trip, where you can cruise around by moped.

Pro tip: Don’t miss WaterFire, an incredible art bonfire that ignites the river. It’s typically held twice a month from May through November.

Little Rock has a fascinating history.

There’s a lot to explore and learn in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The city’s retro yellow streetcar trolleys are a fun and free way to get a lay of the land. After that, follow the Civil Rights Heritage Trail or get a history lesson at the Clinton Presidential Library and snap a photo in the replica Oval Office.

If that’s not your vibe, check out the ESSE Purse Museum — one of the few handbag museums in the world, and an interesting look at the intersection of fashion and feminism.

When you’re ready to explore the Natural State’s, well, nature, mosey down to the Old Mill at T.R. Pugh Memorial Park — which you might recognize from the movie “Gone With the Wind” — or take a day trip to Hot Springs.

There, you can soak in the mineral waters, wander the national park and Bathhouse Row, and admire the incredible architecture at Garvan Woodland Gardens, where I almost got married.

Cheyenne, Wyoming, is the place to live out your Western dreams.

The biggest city in the least-populated state still feels like a small town with ample room to roam.

A few of my favorite activities include searching for all the giant painted cowboy boots around town, shopping for fringe, suede, and leather Western wear at The Wrangler, and designing custom hats at Wild J Trading.

You can also see the majestic creatures that once roamed in the millions up close at the Terry Bison Ranch on the Colorado border, and hand-feed the bison from a custom-built train.

Cheyenne is a great place for trainiacs, too. You can snap a pic of Big Boy — the world’s largest steam locomotive, and sometimes the Union Pacific Steam Shop is also open for tours.

I personally love visiting during Cheyenne Frontier Days to experience the beloved summer tradition of rodeos, carnivals, and concerts.

Juneau’s wilderness is captivating, and the city feels less remote than you might think.

Alaska may feel worlds away, but from Seattle — the closest major gateway — it’s just a two-hour flight, and you can be adventuring by lunchtime.

Mendenhall Glacier is just 20 minutes from downtown, and you can explore its icy, ethereal beauty by hiking, paddling, or riding in a helicopter.

Warm up with crab legs bigger than your head at Tracy’s King Crab Shack (my death-row meal), or head to Hangar on the Wharf, a restaurant in an actual airplane hangar, for freshly caught halibut and salmon.

Then, wash it down at Alaskan Brewing Company with beer flavored by glacier water, spruce tips, and alder smoke.

In the only capital where a glacier can be part of your post-flight plans, Juneau pairs trailheads and tide-to-table seafood with scenery that’s cool (literally).

• Israeli Air Force F-35I planes struck Iranian missile systems and military leaders on Saturday.
• The Israeli F-35 variant is known as “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew.
• The planes also struck Iran in June and aided defenses against Iranian missiles in 2023 and 2024.

Israel launched what it called “the most extensive aerial operation ever conducted by the Israeli Air Force” on Saturday, targeting Iranian missile systems and military leaders in tandem with US forces. Israel’s F-35I stealth fighter jets were on the front lines.

The Israeli variant of the US-made Lockheed Martin Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter plane is known as “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew. With advanced stealth capabilities and a customized electronic warfare system, the F-35I is one of the most powerful tools in Israel’s air defense arsenal.

In addition to Israel’s newest assault on Iran, the Israeli planes also conducted preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear program in June, intercepted hundreds of drones, missiles, and rockets fired by Iran in a retaliatory attack in 2024, and took down a missile fired by an Iran-backed group in Yemen in 2023, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Here’s a closer look at the “Mighty One” military aircraft.

F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets, produced by Lockheed Martin, are some of the most advanced military aircraft in the world.

The F-35 stores its weapons and fuel internally, and its aligned edges and radar-absorbent coating also help the aircraft evade detection. The planes cost $44,000 per hour to fly, The National Interest reported.

They feature advanced stealth and information-processing capabilities and can reach supersonic speeds of Mach 1.6, or 548.8 meters per second.

Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn A. Hewson said in 2018 that the planes “can fly in what we call ‘beast mode,‘ carrying up to 18,000 pounds of internal and external ordnance, in a mix that can include 5,000-pound-class weapons.”

In 2016, Israel became the first country other than the US to acquire F-35 fighter jets.

Israel was the first country to select the model through the US Foreign Military Sales process and bought 50 planes, according to Lockheed Martin.

Israel has made significant modifications to the jets.

Israel manufactures its own wings and electronic warfare system for the F-35I. It also developed its own version of the high-tech helmet that displays the plane’s airspeed, altitude, targeting information, and other crucial stats directly on the pilot’s visor.

The Israeli Air Force named its F-35I variant “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One” in Hebrew.

The Israeli Air Force also added a six-pointed Star of David to the design, a Jewish symbol that also appears on the Israeli flag.

In 2018, Israel became the first country to use the F-35I in combat, its air force chief said.

“We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East and have already attacked twice on two different fronts,” then-Israeli Air Force chief Major-General Amikam Norkin said in a speech at a gathering of foreign air force leaders, Reuters reported.

In July 2023, Israel acquired an additional 25 Adir planes in a $3 billion deal.

The deal was financed through the military aid Israel receives from the US, Reuters reported.

In November 2023, Israel’s F-35I Adir fighter jets took down a missile fired by an Iran-backed group in Yemen, according to the IDF.

It was the first known intercept of a cruise missile by an F-35 plane.

The Israeli Air Force released footage of the encounter on X, writing in Hebrew that its personnel are “preoccupied at every moment with planning and managing the defense response and are prepared for any threat in any area.”

Iran appeared to target the Nevatim air base, which houses Israel’s fleet of F-35I jets, during an attack in April 2024.

Out of the over 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, launched at Israel by Iran and its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon, around 99% were intercepted by Israel and its allies. The IDF released photos showing minor damage near a runway at the Nevatim Airbase and to a road in Hermon caused by the few projectiles that landed.

The missiles appeared to target Israel’s Nevatim Airbase in the Negev desert, which houses its fleet of F-35I stealth fighter jets. The base remained operational throughout the attack, according to the IDF, with the Adir fighter jets aiding the defensive mission.

“Iran thought it would be able to paralyze the base and thus damage our air capabilities, but it failed,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

In June 2025, the Israeli Air Force launched around 200 fighter jets, including F-35Is, in a preemptive strike targeting Iran’s nuclear program.

An IDF spokesperson said that Israeli fighter jets struck over 100 sites across Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, including military targets and its largest uranium enrichment site in Natanz.

The IDF said that Iran’s nuclear program had “accelerated significantly” in recent months and called it “clear evidence that the Iranian regime is operating to obtain a nuclear weapon.” Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes.

“This is a critical operation to prevent an existential threat by an enemy who is intent on destroying us,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s Chief of the General Staff, said in a statement.

The IDF released photos showing planes used in the large-scale operation, including F-35I jets.

F-35Is struck Iran over the weekend in what the IDF called “the largest military flyover in Israeli Air Force history.”

As part of Operation Roaring Lion, Israel’s moniker for Operation Epic Fury, around 200 Israeli fighter jets, including F-35Is, struck 500 Iranian missile launchers and aerial defense systems on Saturday. IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani characterized the operation as “the most extensive aerial operation ever conducted by the Israeli Air Force.”

The strikes “significantly degraded” Iran’s offensive capabilities, the IDF said. The strikes also killed Iranian military leaders, including Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC.

The war in Gaza prompted new scrutiny of US military aid to Israel.

The October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and captured over 240.

Israel’s counteroffensive airstrikes and military actions in Gaza resulted in over 72,000 Palestinian fatalities, according to figures provided to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. The IDF reports that at least 17,000 of these fatalities were Hamas militants. A ceasefire agreement was reached in October.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, over 1.9 million Gazans, around 90% of the population, have been displaced by the war.

The devastating human toll of the war in Gaza with US-funded planes like the F-35I has prompted new scrutiny of US aid to Israel, with some lawmakers in Congress raising the possibility of conditioning military and economic aid.

• Anthropic’s stance against the Pentagon and OpenAI’s resulting agreement is shifting the chatbot wars.
• As some ChatGPT users posted about canceling, Anthropic’s Claude over took ChatGPT to hit No. 1 on the App Store.
• OpenAI said its Pentagon agreement emphasizes human oversight of autonomous weapons and limits mass surveillance.

While OpenAI locks down Washington, Anthropic is locking down users and rocketing to the top of the App Store.

Anthropic has been sidelined in Washington following a public dispute with the Department of Defense over how its AI models would be deployed. President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to phase out its technology.

Meanwhile, OpenAI has secured new ground, with CEO Sam Altman announcing in a Friday night post on X that it had reached an agreement with the Department of Defense to deploy AI models in its classified network.

OpenAI’s agreement has left some loyal ChatGPT users uneasy about OpenAI’s ambitions, prompting online debates about the ethical implications — and some saying they were defecting to its rival Claude.

As of 12:50 pm ET on Monday, Claude ranked No. 1 among the most downloaded free apps on Apple’s US App Store. Claude also tops the chart for top productivity apps, where the top four apps are all AI competitors: ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and xAI’s Grok.

A spokesperson for Anthropic said, “Every single day last week was an all-time record for Claude sign-ups.” The AI startup said its upswing dates back to its much-discussed playful Super Bowl ad, which mocked OpenAI’s decision to test ads on ChatGPT.

“Since the start of the year, free active users have increased by over 60% and daily signups have quadrupled,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to Business Insider. “Claude’s paid subscribers have also more than doubled this year across Pro and Max plans.”

Even with the increase, Anthropic has a long way to go in matching ChatGPT, which OpenAI said on February 27 boasts over 900 million weekly active users. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also positioned his company to focus more on the enterprise market.

Converts have taken to social media to share screenshots documenting their switch.

Pop musician Katy Perry wrote that she was “done” on X, alongside a screenshot of Claude’s pricing page, with a red heart around the $20-per-month “Pro” plan.

Another X user, Adam Lyttle, wrote “Made the switch,” alongside a screenshot of his email inbox with a receipt from Anthropic and cancellation confirmation from OpenAI.

On Reddit’s ChatGPT subreddit, dozens of users say they’ve deleted their accounts and are urging others to do the same.

“Cancel ChatGPT” has become a common refrain online, while some users have taken a more personal tone, saying Altman’s move “crossed the line.”

The agreement hasn’t polarized all AI users, however.

In one Reddit thread, several commenters said the news does not affect their choice of AI model, arguing that Anthropic’s work with Palantir raises similar concerns. In November 2024, Anthropic, Palantir, and Amazon Web Services struck an agreement to provide US intelligence and defense agencies access to Claude models.

After Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he would designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk to national security,” Anthropic said it would “challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”

In his Friday post, Altman said the Department of Defense had agreed with two of OpenAI’s safety principles.

“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 wrote on X. “The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement.”

By Saturday afternoon, OpenAI published a more detailed description of its contract with the Department of Defense, including the specific language it used surrounding the use of its models for surveillance and autonomous weapons.

On the topic of autonomous weapons, OpenAI said:

The AI System will not be used to independently direct autonomous weapons in any case where law, regulation, or Department policy requires human control, nor will it be used to assume other high-stakes decisions that require approval by a human decisionmaker under the same authorities.

On the topic of mass surveillance, OpenAI said:

The AI System shall not be used for unconstrained monitoring of U.S. persons’ private information as consistent with these authorities.

While some chatbot users suggested it’s all fair in business, war, and federal procurement, others suggested the Pentagon’s stance may have handed Anthropic a public relations win.

X user Tae Kim joked that Hegseth might need a new title: “Secretary Hegseth Chief of Claude Marketing.”