ALEX BLOG

The military "successfully defended" against hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones, and there were "no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries," U.S. Central Command said in a Feb. 28statementposted to X. "Damage to U.S. installations was minimal and has not impacted operations," the statement said.

There are between 30,000 and 40,000 U.S. troops in the region on any given day, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for Central Command,previously told USA TODAY.

A service center for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is headquartered in Bahrain, wasattackedwith missiles, according to the country's communication center.Videoverified by multiple news outlets showed the moment a missile struck near the naval base, leaving a billowing cloud of smoke.

The United States attacked Iran roughly an hour after midnight on Feb. 28, hitting targets to "dismantle the Iranian regime's security apparatus," including the command and control facilities for its Revolutionary Guard Corps, "air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields," according to the statement.

Dozens killed at girls' school in Iran amid US-Israeli strikes, state media reports

PresidentDonald Trumphas for monthsthreatened to attack Irana second time, ordering the largest buildup of U.S. troops and military assets in the region since the Iraq War began more than a decade ago. The U.S. military previously dropped penetrating bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

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In the aftermath of the U.S. attack, Iran launched attacks at U.S. allies where American troops are stationed across the region, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Videos posted to social media and media outlets showed missiles smashing into urban areas and high0rise buildings.

Videos on X also showed a missile taken down over Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command. Qatar's Defense Ministrysaidmissiles fired at the base were intercepted.

Three members of Kuwait's armed forces suffered minor injuries from falling shrapnel after Ali Al-Salem Air Base, whichhoststhe 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, came under attack, according to the country'sdefense ministry.

Erbil, a city in Iraq that is home to a U.S. air base, was also hit by missiles, the Iraqi government said in astatement. Witnesses in Al Dhafra, the site of a U.S. air base south of the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, also heard explosions, Reutersreported.

Jordan, the home of Muwaffaq al Salti Air Base, which hosts the Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, also intercepted missiles, according to newsreports.

The same could not be said in Iran. According to state media, more than 200 people were killed and more than 700 injured across Iran in the attack, including40 at a girls' schoolin the country's south.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What US bases did Iran target? Were any Americans killed?

Friendship Gate, following the exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, in Chaman

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday expressed support for what it called Pakistan's "right to defend itself" against ‌attacks from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the ‌day that the neighboring countries were in "open war."

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers had said on Friday they ​were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.

"The United States supports Pakistan's right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed ‌statement. U.S. diplomat Allison ⁠Hooker said on X she spoke on Friday with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.

Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities ⁠are vastly superior to Afghanistan's. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in ​2021 ​when Washington withdrew chaotically.

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Pakistan is a major ​non-NATO ally of Washington. The ‌U.S. considers the Afghan Taliban to be a "terrorist" group.

The latest violence erupted after Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, escalating long‑simmering tensions over Pakistan's claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants. Afghanistan denies this and argues Pakistan is deflecting ‌blame for its own security failures.

The State Department ​spokesperson said Washington was aware of the ​escalation in tensions and "outbreak of ​fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban," adding the ‌U.S. was "saddened by the loss of life."

Both ​sides reported heavy ​losses in the fighting, which Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said amounted to an "open war".

"The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their ​counterterrorism commitments," the ‌State Department said, adding that "terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching ​pad for their heinous attacks."

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing ​by Alistair Bell and Sam Holmes)

Cuba Boat Shooting

Officials also revealed to The Associated Press that authorities were able to establish that the 10 Cuban suspects left the U.S. in two boats, but one failed, so they transferred all the supplies to the remaining one and left the other adrift.

The government said the detained suspects revealed those details and stressed that theyimmediately contacted the U.S. Coast Guard.

Among the items Cuban officials said were aboard the boat: a dozen high-powered weapons, including one with a scope; a big cooler filled with more than 12,800 pieces of ammunition; 11 pistols; heavy-duty boots, helmets with cameras; and camouflage backpacks.

"We were clearly able to assess that we were facing a terrorist action from a boat coming from the United States," 1st Col. Ivey Daniel Carballo of the Cuban Border Guard Troops told the AP.

According to Carballo, the 30-foot (nine meter) border patrol boat detected an intruder on Wednesday morning and approached to within about 600 feet (185 meters) to investigate, but it was met with high-caliber gunfire.

He said that three of the attackers were immediately killed and that a fourth was wounded and later died.

Caraballo said the speedboat was located about one mile (1.6 kilometers) northeast of Cayo Falcones off the island's north coast. The border guard commander was injured, he added.

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Victor Eduardo Álvarez Valle, one of the heads of Criminal Investigation for State Security at the Ministry of the Interior, told the AP that authorities were surprised by the resistance they encountered.

"We didn't expect it, especially with that many people and weapons," he said.

"The military equipment found on board has been identified by the assailants, including where and how they acquired it, and the training they received. They also revealed who financed it," Álvarez added.

He noted that officials detected 13 bullet holes on the border guard boat and 21 others on the suspect's vessel, "meaning that there was combat."

The Cuban government had reported Wednesday that a person had been captured on land, but Álvarez said that so far, there is no information that the suspects had any support network on the island.

Cuba's chief prosecutor of the directorate at the Attorney General's Office, Edward Robert Campbell, told the AP that the six arrested, all of Cuban origin, could face terrorism charges, which carries a possible sentence of 30 years in prison, life imprisonment or even the death penalty, although the latter has been on moratorium for more than a decade.

The Associated Press was given access to Cuban military officials and shown the items displayed at the headquarters of the former Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ahead of a program that showed them to the public for the first time.

U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubiohas said it was not a U.S. government operation and thatthe American governmentwas gathering its own information.

Now those forces are lining up for a rare overlap in acase coming before the Supreme Courton Monday, and it is not the only unusual alliance.

The Republican Trump administration will be defending a firearm restriction, with backing from gun-control groups typically more aligned with Democrats.

On the other side is a pairing of the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

At stake is a federal law that bars people who regularly use marijuana from legally owning guns. It is an issue that has divided lower courts since a landmark 2022Supreme Court decisionexpanded gun rights.

Cecillia Wang, legal director at the ACLU, said the law violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague about what it means to be a drug user.

"We're deeply concerned with the potential of this statute to basically give federal prosecutors a blank check," she said. "Millions of Americans use marijuana and there is no way for them to know based on words of this statute whether they could be charged or convicted of this crime because they own a firearm."

Cannabis is legal for medicinal use in most states and for recreational use in about half the country.

But the law also applies more widely against all illegal substances, meaning the case could allow broader legal gun use by other drug users. The group Everytown for Gun Safety said the law meets theSupreme Court'srequirement that gun laws must have a strong grounding in the nation's history and tradition.

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"Restricting firearm use by illegal drug users is 'as old as legislative recognition of the drug problem itself,'" attorneys wrote.

Cannabis remains illegal on a federal level, though President Donald Trump hassigned an orderto fast-track its reclassification as a less dangerous drug.

His Justice Department is also asking the justices to revive a criminal case against Ali Danial Hemani, a Texas man who was charged with a felony because he had a gun in his house and acknowledged smoking marijuana every other day. FBI agents also found a small amount of cocaine when they searched his home as part of a broader investigation, but the gun charge was the only one filed against him.

The conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the case, finding that only people who are intoxicated while armed can be charged with a crime.

The administration has arguedin favorof gun rights in other cases, but government lawyers say this law is a justifiable restriction. "Habitual illegal drug users with firearms present unique dangers to society — especially because they pose a grave risk of armed, hostile encounters with police officers while impaired," they wrote in court documents. The law fits within the nation's history of restrictions on people who were frequently drunk, they argued.

While the conservative-majority Supreme Court has expanded gun rights, it also has upheld a federal lawdisarming peoplewho are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. The Department of Justice argues that drug users are similarly risky. The law it is asking the court to uphold was also used in the case of Hunter Biden, who was convicted of buying a gun when he was addicted to cocaine.

But the NRA and other gun-rights groups, typically aligned with the GOP, are arrayed against the administration in Hemani's case.

"Americans have traditionally chosen which substances are acceptable for responsible recreational use, and the fundamental right to keep and bear arms was never denied to people who occasionally partook in such drugs — unless they were carrying arms while actively intoxicated," lawyers for the Second Amendment Foundation wrote in court documents.

The cannabis group NORML agrees, saying one of the fastest-growing groups of users are baby boomers trying products such as marijuana gummies to relieve arthritis and sleep problems.

"It's laughable to think that by outlawing cannabis users possessing firearms you'll minimize the problem with gun violence," said Joe A. Bondy, chair of the board of directors for NORML, one of the country's oldest and largest groups advocating for the legalization of marijuana.

Authorities have said little about digital evidence in the case, but one leading expert has no doubt that whoever is responsible for the 84-year-old's disappearance left a digital trail.

"People forget how much their data spreads across devices. So the same thing that makes investigations hard make it hard for criminals to clean up," said Heather Barnhart, a digital forensics expert with the SANS Institute and Cellebrite.

Barnhart helped investigate theUniversity of Idaho murders, for which Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to four life sentences. Barnhart is not involved in the Guthrie investigation.

"Your phone is the silent witness to your life. It knows everything you do," Barnhart said. "So forming those patterns and then looking for any anomaly of someone trying to hide their digital footprint is key here."

More coverage of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

• Genetic genealogy brings promise and challenges to the Nancy Guthrie case

• What could come next in the investigation into Guthrie's disappearance

• Guthrie's home will be returned to the family as search stretches into fourth week, sources say

• 'TODAY' co-host Savannah Guthrie releases new plea for information as FBI reviews tons of video in her mother's case

• What we know about the search for Nancy Guthrie

It's been nearly five weeks since Guthrie, the mother of "TODAY" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, wasreported missing on Feb. 1.

Since then,digital forensics has helped unearthimages of a masked man captured on Nancy Guthrie's doorbell camera in the hours before she was reported missing — but authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or person of interest.

Concern for Guthrie has only mounted, as her family on Tuesday announced a$1 million reward for her recovery.

Investigators appear to have faced some obstacles in the case: DNA evidence from gloves found two miles from Guthrie's home turned upno hits in CODIS, the FBI's convicted offender DNA database.

Authorities are also examining DNA collected from Guthrie's home. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has said he is hopeful they will be able to useinvestigative genetic genealogy— a forensic tool that combines advanced DNA analysis with traditional genealogical research — but the lab that received the DNA has reported "challenges" with the sample.

Nanos has said that his team is committed to chasing leads until they find Guthrie.

"We're not going to give up. We're going to find Nancy, and we're going to find out who did this," he said earlier this month.

Chris Burbank, a former police chief in Salt Lake City, said that physical evidence isfar from the only thingthat can crack a case.

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"Let's really start combing every other bit of information that exists out there in the world," he said.

He suggested that investigators could use artificial intelligence to track social media leads because "most of the time, people involved in this leave some sort of social media trail."

Barnhart, the digital forensics expert, said that eventually, when digital evidence in the Guthrie case becomes available, "it will also paint a picture of truth." Digital evidence could arise with the naming of a suspect or a person of interest, or if a license plate reader or other form of technology picks up clues, she said.

Digital forensics involves the analysis of data from digital devices and the far-reaching corners of the internet and cloud services.

She said when she worked on analyzing the digital footprint of Kohberger in the2022 University of Idaho murders case, initially "the lack of evidence freaked everyone out."

"My husband and I worked on that case, we really focused on the [laptop and phone] logs that tell the truth on why there wasn't evidence. And that became the bookend of Bryan Kohberger being awake at those hours, manually powering down a device that was at 100% battery. So he created a perfect timeline for us to hone in on that investigation," she explained.

A couple of hours before the four Idaho students were killed, Kohberger left his home in Washington anddisabled or turned off his phone, and it did not go back online until after their deaths, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Barnhart said phones give insight into a person's regular patterns and habits, but they may not follow those same patterns before a crime.

"Typically, you don't do the same thing every single day in the same way you're going to act the day you commit a crime," she said.

In digital forensics, analysts comb through everything from cell tower data and Wi-Fi logs to travel data and the cloud, where information is stored digitally.

"Your phone is a really smart device," she said. "Locations that you've traveled to, times you turn your phone into airplane mode, if you put your device in Do Not Disturb, when you turn off cellular, you turn it back on. All of this is logged, and those logs are some of the most valuable pieces of information we get in digital forensics," she said.

She said even in tough cases, there's always a digital trail.

"There really isn't a perfect crime," she said.

In the U.S., not so much.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the case remains open. But according to aJustice Department and FBI memo last year, the department underwent an "exhaustive review" of materials related to Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors and died in federal custody in what was ruled a suicide. There was no evidence of an "incriminating 'client list'" or evidence that would lead to additional prosecutions of third parties, the memo said. Justice Department officials have said they complied with the law and did all that was required of them.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recently put it more bluntly: Thereview is over.

Yet the publication of more than 3.5 million documents has prompted a global reckoning, including the arrests in the U.K. of both theformer Prince Andrewand Peter Mandelson, the formerBritish ambassador to the U.S.,on suspicion of misconduct in office. The formerprime minister of Norwayhas been charged with aggravated corruption. All deny the allegations, which were not connected to the sex abuse charges against Epstein but were uncovered because of their presence in the files.

And the investigations are raising questions about why the Trump administration isn't doing more.

"Right now, the government in charge has no interest in pursuing this, whereas the governments in other countries, or the authorities in other countries, for whatever reasons, do," said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in New York and former district attorney for Westchester County.

There are hurdles to any new investigation. While there is no federal statute of limitations for criminal child sex abuse or sex trafficking, there are limitations on when someone can be charged with most other federal crimes in the U.S., usually between five and 10 years. And allegations or details uncovered in the Epstein documents may be salacious or troubling, but might not rise to the level of chargeable criminal conduct. Laws overseas are different; the U.K., for example, has no statute of limitations for crimes triable by a jury.

Yet legal experts and survivors of Epstein's abuse say there is still much more the Justice Department could uncover. There are still more documents that have not been publicly released and some that appear to be missing, including 54 pages of summaries and notes from three FBI interviews with a woman who had also made an allegation against Donald Trump. He has denied any wrongdoing. After the files were flagged by news outlets, Justice Department officialssaid they would reviewto see if any should be released.

"As with all documents that have been flagged by the public, the department is currently reviewing files within that category of the production," the DOJ said in a statement on X.

The release of the files under a federal law signed by Trump was a major departure from typical Justice Department procedures; never before has such a trove of investigative detail been made public. Congress also forced the Epstein estate to release documents related to his business and personal dealings.

The trove of documents increasingly paint a picture of a vast network that facilitated Epstein's abuse, from financial institutions to doctor's offices. Scores of rich and powerful people appear in the files but say they did not know what he was up to;at least 20 have left their jobsor been fired as a result.

The allegations against Epstein began in Florida in 2005, after parents of a 14-year-old girl say he paid her for a massage. By 2007, a 60-count federal indictment had been drafted. But in 2008, Epstein struck an agreement to plead guilty to lesser charges and got an 18-month sentence.

The much-criticized deal included a nonprosecution agreement that meant thecase against Epstein and his potentialco-conspirators was done. The victims weren't told about the resolution to the case before it was signed.

He later was investigatedby federal prosecutors in New York for yearsand was facing a raft of charges when he died. His accompliceGhislane Maxwell was found guiltyof sex trafficking and other offenses in 2021.

No one else has been criminally charged.

"If they were able to commit the most heinous crime out there, what else could they have committed? Why aren't we following the money? Why aren't we taking more action?" asked Sky Roberts, the brother ofVirginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the earliest and loudest voices calling forcriminal charges against Epsteinand his enablers. Giuffre was the first to raise claims against the former Prince Andrew, which he denied. She died by suicide last year.

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"We should be opening the investigations, and we should be subpoenaing their flight records. They should be subpoenaing their bank account records and start combing through those, and let's see what's there," Roberts said.

Redactions of tens of thousands of names and places in the files make it hard to decipher who may have played a role in enabling Epstein.

"The Justice Department's job is to follow the facts and follow the law and not to protect anyone, whether it's wealthy men, whether it's well-connected men, that does not matter," said Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor. "'Without fear or favor.' Those aren't just words. That's the job. And it's not being done here. The victims, the survivors, deserve better than what they're getting from this Justice Department."

At least one criminal investigation is open in the U.S., in New Mexico, on allegations of criminal activity atEpstein's Zorro Ranch.

New Mexico officials say they're seeking immediate access to the unredacted files. U.K. officials, too, said they were working with overseas law enforcement in order to aid in their investigations.

New probes have been launched across Europe that focus on individuals who were associated with Epstein or that are looking into trafficking or financial networks, or both.

Thorbjørn Jagland, who was prime minister of Norway in the 1990s and went on to head the Nobel Committee and the Council of Europe, wascharged in Februaryfollowing searches of his home in connection with Epstein file disclosures. Authorities are also scrutinizing possible ties to the files including in Britain, France, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Turkey and Slovakia.The European Union's anti-fraud office is investigating Mandelson.

During a combative congressional hearing earlier this month, Bondi said there were pending investigations related to Epstein, though it wasn't clear what or who she was referring to.Last year, Bondi's office quickly acquiescedwhen Trump used his social media platform to call on the Justice Department to investigate Democrats over their affiliations with Epstein.

Blanche, during a news conference about the release of the documents, argued there is "mantra out there that, oh, you know, the Department of Justice is supposed to protect Donald J. Trump," but he said that the DOJ was "always concerned about the victims."

For the survivors, their best shot at accountability may come from Congress. Even with Republicans in power, Congress has driven the effort to keep the investigation alive; it passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which led to the release of the files, and held depositions with a number of prominent people connected to them, includingHillary Clinton, and on Friday, Bill Clinton.

But the Republican leadership has stopped short of calling for continued criminal investigations or pushing for more documents.

Democrats have promised to step up investigative efforts if they win back the majority in Congress, giving them subpoena power that would allow them to force witness interviews, collect documents and conduct extensive investigations.

While Congress does not have the power to prosecute, lawmakers could make criminal referrals to law enforcement agencies and make their findings public.

"When DOJ says that there is nothing to investigate, we, the American people, must rise up," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. "It is the voices of the survivors ringing through in the darkness of all of this horror that has gotten us this far, and in speaking to so many of them myself, I know that this effort is not just for them."

Congress also has the power to change law; Democrats recently introduced "Virginia's Law" named in honor of Giuffre, who was one of the first Epstein survivors to come forward. The law eliminates the statute of limitations on civil claims for adult survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking.

Marina Lacerda, who was referred to as "minor victim 1" in court documents and who has publicly shared her experience of abuse, called for full transparency and said it's up to everyone to stop the cycle of abuse uncovered by the files.

"What are we doing as Americans?" She asked. "Because we need to take this a little bit more serious."

Iran US Israel

Iran's Foreign Ministry said it would defend its homeland and its Revolutionary Guard said it launched counterattacks, firing drones and missiles at Israel and strikes aimed at U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

The strikes came after Trump has pressured Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear program, building up a fleet of American warships in the region as the countrystruggleswithgrowing dissentfollowingnationwide protests.

At least 40 people were reported killed at girls' school in southern Iran in the Israeli-U.S. strikes, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed one person, state media said.

Explosions in Tehran are the first signs of an attack

Israel announced it had launched an attack on Iran shortly after explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday morning. One of the first strikes hit near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It wasn't immediately clear where Khamenei was at the time; he hasn't been seen for days.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the attack as being done "to remove threats." Iran's military, symbols of government and intelligence sites were targeted, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information.

Sirens wailed across Israel to warn the public about possible incoming missile strikes.

Iran strikes back

Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to U.S. Army Central. Explosions could be also be heard in Qatar, where Al Udeid Air Base hosts thousands of service members.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.

An apartment building in northern Israel was damaged and shrapnel fell in multiple sites, according to media and police. But Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said there had been no significant hits in Israel and rescue services said there were no injuries reported from missile barrages across the country.

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Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, have vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement from leadership.

Trump urges Iranians to rise up

It took over an hour for Trump to make an official announcement on the U.S. involvement in what he termed "major combat operations."

In an 8-minute video on social media, Trump indicated the U.S. was striking for reasons far beyond the nuclear program, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from one of America's closest allies in the Middle East into a fierce foe.

Trump told Iranians to take cover but urged them to later rise up and topple the Islamic leadership.

"When we are finished, take over your government," Trump said. "It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."

The attacks came a day after Trump voiced frustration over lack of progress in negotiations to stop Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Building up forces

Israel said it had worked with the U.S. for months to plan the attacks.

Before U.S.-Iran negotiations were underway in Geneva, the U.S. had assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran intoa deal over its nuclear program.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in January to bolster the number of warships in the region. The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers later were dispatched from the Caribbean to head to the Middle East and are now in the Mediterranean.

The fleet has added more than 10,000 U.S. troops to the region.

Despite efforts by tech companies, law enforcement and activists, offenders consistently exploit system loopholes, open-source AI models and ready-made sexual exploitation platforms to generate imagery of both identifiable and nonexistent children, according to experts and law enforcement officials who spoke with NBC News.

Between January and September of 2025, NCMEC's CyberTipline — the official online sexual exploitation tip line in the U.S. — received over a million reports related to generative AI, according to Fallon McNulty, the executive director of the center's exploited children division.

"We often see bad actors at the forefront of leaning into those types of advancements in order to sexually exploit children online," McNulty said. "The almost indistinguishable nature of the content that is being generated makes it extremely difficult for victim identification efforts."

Law enforcement officials have found that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) created with generative AI can take on many forms. Sometimes people photograph children in public settings or use already-public photographs, and then use AI systems to turn them into CSAM. Other times, people create entirely new sexually explicit material that involves no real child or recognizable face and is completely AI-generated.

The material is becoming more realistic and harder to differentiate from real images, posing new issues for prosecutors and law enforcement.

Michael Prado, the deputy assistant director of Homeland Security Investigations' Cyber Crimes Center (C3), said that in the first six months of 2025 alone, reports of child exploitation and generative AI increased by over 600% compared to 2023 and 2024 combined.

"What has, quite frankly, taken us by surprise is how rapidly it has spread," Prado said.

Now, it's not uncommon to find AI-generated CSAM mixed in with troves of "traditional" CSAM featuring real children, according to Prado.

"Collectors of this type of material, sometimes they don't really differentiate. They're just looking to increase their collections," he said. "They're looking to satisfy their perverse sexual interest in children and will use any means to accomplish that."

Though widely available generative AI is a relatively recent phenomenon, the issue is already appearing in dozens of CSAM prosecutions across the U.S. But the number of cases is a tiny fraction of the number of reports made about CSAM created with AI.

NBC News identified 36 state and federal criminal court cases brought within the last three years related to or mentioning AI-generated CSAM, spanning 22 states. In several cases NBC News reviewed, defendants were allegedly caught with thousands of AI-generated CSAM images. While over half of the cases NBC News reviewed are still active, all closed cases have resulted in guilty verdicts.

The cases appear to represent only a small part of the problem, but Prado said it's hard for reports to match prosecutable cases.

"The fact of the matter is, half a million reports just in the first six months of the calendar year, that's not going to result in 500,000 investigations, or certainly not 500,000 arrests," Prado said. "Let's say multiple reports pertain to one individual, so it's hard to track just exactly how prevalent it is amongst the general population."

How people are creating more AI-generated CSAM

Creators of AI-generated CSAM use a constellation of apps and platforms to generate abusive material, outpacing enforcement efforts.

While public attention has been focused on companies racing to create more powerful models, many smaller companies and websites have sprung up that offer similar features. A review of the legal cases highlights how these smaller platforms can fly under the radar of law enforcement.NBC News found five criminal cases that involved defendants allegedly using small AI platforms like Bashable.art, undress.ai and Faceswapper.AI — which seemingly have less robust platform moderation or were expressly built for making explicit content — to create nude imagery of children. None of the platforms were mentioned as defendants in the cases, and none responded to requests for comment.

An Idaho man allegedly generated over a thousand images of "Apparent Child Pornography" using Bashable.art, according to a federal complaint. Investigators had found that the man was a registered sex offender and had previously been arrested 21 years earlier for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl.

Using the platform's "unrestricted mode," he allegedly prompted the program to create nude images of children under 13, including requests for images of a "large group of girls who are age 11 years old taking a shower" and a "10 year old little nude girl." The case is still active.

Bashable.art restricts explicit content but gives registered users access to its "unrestricted" mode, which "removes any filters on prompts and models, and allows viewing other shared unrestricted generations," according to its website. The platform's website also says it monitors content created in unrestricted mode and may suspend users and report them to NCMEC.

While the defendant who allegedly used Bashable.art is not accused of generating images of known victims, the defendants in cases involving undress.ai and Faceswapper.AI are.

Platforms like undress.ai are part of a network of "nudify" generators designed solely to create explicit deepfakes using images of real people.

In a federal criminal case, a defendant allegedly used the website DeepSukebe, described as an "AI-Leveraged Nudifier" that generates deepfake nude images of women from a clothed photograph, according to a motion to suppress evidence. DeepSukebe did not respond to a request for comment.

According to aJustice Department press release, the man used AI to "digitally alter clothed images of minors making them sexually explicit," including images of "from a school dance and a photo commemorating the first day of school." The man, who had also possessed videos and images of children that he secretly recorded, was sentenced to 40 years in prison.Open-source AI models present particularly difficult issues in the effort to fight CSAM, allowing anyone to download, copy, modify and operate them.

Stability AI, a company behind the widely used open-source image model Stable Diffusion, was allegedly used by a Wisconsin man to create CSAM, according to a federal court brief.

Law enforcement alleged that the man had used Stable Diffusion as well as "special add-ons created by other Stable Diffusion users that specialized in producing genitalia," which allowed him to "generate photo-realistic images of minors," according to the brief in the ongoing case. A lawyer representing the man declined to comment.

In response to a request for comment on the case, a Stability AI spokesperson said to NBC News that it "is deeply committed to preventing the misuse of AI and has always prohibited the use of our image models and tools for unlawful activity, including all attempts to edit or create CSAM."Riana Pfefferkorn, a policy fellow at the Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, said the use of open-source platforms has made it difficult for authorities to crack down on AI-generated CSAM.

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"When you have an identifiable entity that has a U.S. presence and has a corporate office, you can pin them down," Pfefferkorn said. But open-source models like Stable Diffusion 1.5, she said, can "float around out there and can keep being trained up locally."

Larger companies face an uphill battle given their number of users. Major tech companies have submitted thousands of reports of users potentially using their services to create CSAM, according to a report from NCMEC's CyberTipline — a reporting mechanism where electronic service providers can flag potential CSAM to the center. Platforms are legally mandated to report potential CSAM.

At least one major player appears to be exacerbating the issue. In January, Elon Musk's X facedglobal backlashafter an update to its AI tool Grok allowed users to create and post nonconsensual deepfakes. The U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundationtold NBC Newsthat dark web users were sharing "criminal imagery" of minor girls allegedly created with Grok.

Musk laterresponded in an X postby saying that he was "not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok," and that Grok "will refuse to produce anything illegal, as the operating principle for Grok is to obey the laws of any given country or state."

Real versus AI

Increasingly real-looking AI-generated content has introduced an issue for CSAM investigators: differentiating between imagery of real people versus fully virtual material.

"The advances in generative AI year over year have made these images become extremely photorealistic," McNulty said. "I think that is certainly a fear, that law enforcement may be spending days looking for someone who doesn't exist."

The distinction can drastically change how a case is prosecuted.In one ongoing federal case, a man who is accused of using AI to generate explicit imagery of children with no known victim has pending charges related tofederal obscenity laws,rather than federal CSAM laws, since the allegedly generated children do not physically exist.

Pfefferkorn said she has reviewed over 60 state and federal AI-related CSAM cases and found that obscenity charges have largely been used in cases that do not feature real children. However, she said that most people found to possess AI-generated CSAM possess real CSAM as well. "You can nail them to the wall for that."

When real victims have been involved, though, prosecutors have argued that charges shouldn't be adjusted because of the use of AI.

In an Arkansas case, a defendant tried to dismiss charges against him by alleging that the photos of children that were put onto the bodies of adults engaging in sexual activity were computer-generated. The prosecuting attorney for the case said in response that altered images, "would still run afoul of Arkansas' law prohibiting the production and promotion of sexually explicit conduct involving a child," according to a brief in the case. The man was found guilty.

For NCMEC, the source of the image is secondary to its impact.

"We at NCMEC consider all of those images the same. We still consider them to be a harm, whether they're fully AI-generated content or whether they are taken by an offender with access to the child," said Kathryn Rifenbark, the director of the CyberTipline at NCMEC.

"To the victim, the harm is going to be the same," she added. "They're still going to have that impact of that nude picture, whether AI or not, distributed of them online. And since it's hard for professionals to tell the difference, it's certainly hard for members of the public to be able to tell the difference, which is why victims are going to be impacted equally."

The legal landscape

While broader AI regulation remainspolitically divisive,lawmakers across the aisle are attempting to address AI-generated CSAM, though approaches have varied by state.

According to the watchdog group Public Citizen,45 stateshave enacted laws pertaining to intimate AI deepfakes, many of which focus specifically on minors. A deepfake is an AI-generate image, video or audio recording depicting a real person, typically for malicious purposes, and is difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Missouri and New Mexico haven't passed any such laws yet, and several other states have pending bills.

"My sense is there's a general interest in passing this type of legislation," said Ilana Beller, an organizing manager at Public Citizen who created the tracker. "And in states where it hasn't happened yet, it is not a function of a lack of political will or interest so much as a function of logistics and broader politics."

She noted that some state laws are specifically tailored toward minors, others toward nonconsensual deepfakes generally, and others outline specific requirements for AI companies.

Beller said states have been proactive about passing legislation on AI-generated CSAM, but that targeting AI companies can be a "trickier area to legislate in" because it can mean that the smaller, unregulated open-source AI platforms are let off the hook.

Four states have passed or introduced legislation that specifically targets platforms, but all already have pre-existing legislation that covers AI deepfakes generally.

NBC News identified five cases pertaining to AI-generated CSAM in Missouri, Alaska and Ohio that have no specific legal framework to combat the issue. Still, two of the cases, both of which involved known victims, resulted in guilty verdicts related to the possession of child pornography. The other cases are ongoing.

Federal efforts to address AI-generated CSAM are continuing. In May 2025, President Donald Trumpsigned the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which made the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes a federal crime and requires platforms to take down imagery 48 hours after it is reported. On Dec. 16, the Enhancing Necessary Federal Offenses Regarding Child Exploitation (ENFORCE) Actpassed the Senate unanimously.

It would allow for the creators and distributors of AI-generated CSAM to be prosecuted to the same degree as those who create other forms of CSAM. The legislation is now waiting to be reviewed by the House of Representatives.

Beller said the federal law is a step in the right direction, but that state legislation is crucial for civil cases, and for handling a rising caseload. Beller pointed to aNew Hampshire lawthat both prohibits "certain uses of deepfakes" and creates "a private claim of action."

"It is really important that state and local prosecutors are empowered to address these issues in the courts as well," Beller said. "The number of cases related to nonconsensual, intimate deepfakes would just be too much for only federal prosecutors. They would only be able to get to a small fraction of the total number of cases."

Prado said that if the technology continues to evolve at the pace that it has, it will continue to be difficult for lawmakers to find the right approach.

"What I see is the states and the federal government really taking action in response to this problem," he said. "But as we are well aware, the state legislatures and Congress, there's often a lag between laws, because it does take time to formulate laws and get them on the books and get people trained to enforce them. It's hard to keep up with the rapidly evolving nature of technology and generative AI."

On Feb. 28, after the sun sets, the rare phenomenon will occur, with six planets appearing to align and form a parade across the evening sky, according toNASA.

Usually, people can look up at the bright sky and spot at least one planet. Two or three planets are also commonly hanging out in the night sky, according to NASA. But what about when four, five, or even six planets are visible? Well, then it's what's known as a "planetary parade."

Six planets, Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus,and Jupiter, will be visible the night of Feb. 28, according to NASA. Seeing a parade of six or even seven planets is rare.

Of the six, five planets will be visible to the naked eye, Chelsea Gohd, outreach specialist for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told USA TODAY in an email.  But binoculars or a telescope will be needed to view Uranus and Neptune.

The "planetary parade" will take place days before a total lunar eclipse, which will occur in the early morning of March 3. The light from the nearly full moon could affect visibility.

Here's what to know about when it will be visible.

Florida Atlantic University's Division of Research celebrates creativity with its annual "Art of Science" contest where research becomes stunning works of visual expression. Take a look at the mesmerizing images, starting with the competition's first place winner ...

FIRST PLACE: SELFIE ... CEPHIE. Octopuses have eight flexible appendages that can bend, shorten, elongate and twist in all directions due to their extensive nervous system and the complex arrangement of their arm musculature, which lack bones. Scientific SCUBA divers held their cameras close as the octopus tried to take a "cephie," or octopus selfie.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> SECOND PLACE: SEA TURTLE BEGINNING. Through a method called candling, a flashlight is held up against an egg in the dark to visualize embryonic development. The flipper outline of a developing loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) embryo is visible within its egg, along with the intricate network of extraembryonic blood vessels that sustain growth.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> THIRD PLACE: JOURNEY TO SPACE. This image sequence was captured at about 98,000 feet during the Aerospace Experimental Association's Mission 3, a high-altitude balloon launch conducted in fall 2024 at Florida Atlantic University. It shows the precise instant when the balloon ruptured at the edge of space, marking the transition from ascent to descent. The photograph was taken by a GoPro mounted at the top of the payload, facing upward.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> FACULTY IN THE FIELD: ROSETTE NEBULA. This shot is comprised of 1260 pictures totaling 10.5 hours of total imaging time. The Rosette Nebula is located approximately 5,200 light-years from Earth. It is a large cloud of ionized hydrogen gas. The vibrant red colors seen in images of the Rosette Nebula are primarily due to the emission of light from these hydrogen atoms. The nebula is estimated to have a diameter of about 130 light-years.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> FACULTY IN THE LAB: RADIANT ARCHITECTS. This confocal microscopy image captures radial glial cells in the zebrafish central nervous system, highlighting their unique morphology and critical role in neural development.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> STUDENT IN THE LAB: SKELETAL SECRETS. Coral reefs are crucial players for their marine ecosystems by protecting coastal areas, promoting biodiversity and providing a plethora of ecological benefits for cohabitating wildlife. This is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of P. astreoides at 120x magnification depicting the morphology and microstructures of its skeleton.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> STUDENT IN THE FIELD: TWO TO TANGO. Ever tried an activity like kayaking with a partner, only to discover that coordinating paddling is harder than it looks, and end up stuck in some mangroves?

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> TOP POSTDOC: SURVIVAL. Here, the C. elegans nematodes were left searching for more food, and instead of hiding their need, they etched their hunger into the agar, leaving behind an abstract pattern. What looks like art is actually survival - a biological request written in unexpected lines.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> TOP STAFF: ORCHARD ARCHITECTURE. This montage presents fruit in an entirely unique way - through the lens of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By capturing cross-sections with exquisite clarity and without invasive techniques, MRI reveals the hidden architecture of seeds, rinds and pulps in remarkable detail. What appears at first like abstract art is, in fact, the internal world of familiar produce, transformed into patterns of symmetry, texture and contrast.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: FACE OF DIGESTION. The picture shows a double-labeled of the fruit fly gut. Animals were genetically modified to add a fluorescent-tag (blue color) to an endogenous protein, which has been linked to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. This allows for visualization and study expression differences of the protein in response to different diets, such as high sugar, high protein or no food. The specimen was also immunohistochemically labeled with antibodies against a structural gut protein (magenta color) to visualize the gut structure. Confocal microscopy was used to acquire images of each fluorescent label.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: HATCHET. A type of lime treefrog, the picture shows the distinctive "hatchet" face of Sphaenorhynchus lacteus. The picture was captured near the bank of the only known boiling river in the world, called Mayantuyacu, in a remote area of the central Peruvian Amazon.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: TRES LECHES. These are newly hatched Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) larvae reared at the Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. At just 0 days post-hatch, they have only recently emerged from their eggs and represent the earliest stage of development for this coastal species.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: ORIGIN STORY. This image captures a developing zebrafish embryo, a powerful model for exploring how the nervous system takes shape. The image has been falsely colored for artistic effect, highlighting the intricate beauty of developing structures that guide our understanding of both healthy and disordered development.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: CONCH SUNSET. The FAU Queen Conch Lab has a partnership project with Blue Action Lab on Grand Bahama Island. The Mobile Labs are used to raise queen conch larvae to juvenile stage for conservation, restoration and education. The queen conch is important for the culture, nutrition, livelihood and coastal seas of countless communities in The Bahamas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: WHERE BONE MEETS GOLD. False-colored SEM image of 3D-printed beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) for bone regeneration. Bone has an incredible, but limited, ability to repair itself. Traditionally, the gold standard treatment is bone transplantation from another healthy site in the same patient. However, this involves a second surgery, increasing the risk of complications and treatment costs. This image shows a synthetic alternative: 3D-printed β-TCP, a ceramic material with a calcium-phosphate composition similar to natural bone. The structure has a multi-scale interconnected porous architecture (350—1500µm) and fine supporting struts (230—550µm). The manufacturing of such complex geometry is only achievable through 3D printing, resulting in an implant that is both beautiful and functional. Over time, the β-TCP biodegrades and is naturally replaced by the patient's own bone.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: MAN-IN-THE-GROUND VINE. Man-in-the-ground vine (Ipomoea microdactyla) is state-listed as endangered. The photographer is researching flora and fauna native to Florida, with an emphasis on at-risk and endangered species. The subjects of the portraits are photographed within their natural habitats or at local conservation organizations. They range from a rare deep red morning glory found primarily in the pine rocklands of Miami-Dade County (man in the ground/Ipomoea microdactyla) to the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), which faces multiple threats, including habitat loss, light pollution and incidental capture by fisheries. The project merges artistic observation with ecological inquiry to reflect Florida's biodiversity.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: CRACKS THAT MEND. This image of a fallen tree reveals the story of time, struggle and survival. Each ring marks a year of growth, while the cracks running through the wood tell of storms weathered and pressures endured. Despite the breaks, the tree remains whole and offers shelter to new plants and moss along its edges. In many ways, this mirrors the human journey through mental health. Life leaves its marks, some visible and some hidden, but resilience is found in how we continue to grow around the fractures. Healing does not erase the cracks; it transforms them into part of our strength and story.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: METALLIC BLOOM. This image was captured using specialized imaging called High-Angle Annular Dark Field with a specific type of microscope called scanning transmission electron microscopy. It uses electrons instead of light to reveal structures far smaller than what regular microscopes can detect. The bright cluster shows nickel particles formed by heating chemicals to 170°C in a polyol liquid called ethylene glycol. The polyol acts like a chemical cooking medium, helping control how the nickel particles form and grow. Though the particles didn't grow on the salt crystal, the surface beneath them looks like one, creating the illusion of a metallic bloom. Each particle is merely a billionth of a meter wide, several times smaller than a grain of sand, yet together they form a branching pattern shaped by heat and chemistry.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: SONIC PORTRAIT. This artwork traces the acquisition of the Danish vowel /y/, as in hygge. Through repeated attempts, the speaker's pronunciation shifts — each spectrogram capturing a moment of articulation in transition. These four images are voiceprints: acoustic and visual records of a phoneme being learned. Subtle changes in formant structure reflect the fine motor adjustments of speech. The data were generated and analyzed using Praat, an open-source tool for phonetic research. Together, the images form a sonic portrait of a vowel, a study in adaptation, where speech and language takes shape through repetition and time.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Winners of FAU's Art of Science competition take you under the sea and into outer space

Florida Atlantic University's Division of Research celebrates creativity with its annual "Art of Science" contest where research becomes stunning works of visual expression. Take a look at the mesmerizing images, starting with the competition's first place winner ...FIRST PLACE: SELFIE ... CEPHIE.Octopuses have eight flexible appendages that can bend, shorten, elongate and twist in all directions due to their extensive nervous system and the complex arrangement of their arm musculature, which lack bones. Scientific SCUBA divers held their cameras close as the octopus tried to take a "cephie," or octopus selfie.

What time is the 'planetary parade'?

According to NASA, the timing for the "planetary parade" indicates it will be visible in the evening of Feb. 28.

Gohd says that the six planets will be visible in the evening sky from Earth, just after the sun sets, for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Saturn will be near the horizon, Venus and Mercury will be higher up in the sky and Jupiter will be up high in the sky near the Moon," Gohd stated. "Uranus and Neptune will be nearby Saturn, but will be harder to spot."

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More news:A total lunar eclipse is happening in March. Here's how to view it.

What will you be able to see during the 'planetary parade'?

• Mercury - Visible with the unaided eye, but stargazers will be able to see the planet more clearly with binoculars or a telescope.

• Venus - Visible with the unaided eye

• Neptune- A telescope or binoculars are needed to view the planet

• Saturn - Visible with the unaided eye

• Uranus - A telescope or binoculars are needed to view the planet

• Jupiter- Visible with the unaided eye

Stargazing apps, such as Stellarium or Sky Safari, can also help identify planets and constellations in the sky.

Check weather forecasts ahead of time to see if clouds might hinder your view. The moonlight and light pollution could affect the visibility of the "planetary parade".

For the best chance of seeing the "planetary parade", stargazers should move away from city lights and to a viewing location where the horizon is clear, according to Gohd.

What equipment do you need to view a 'planetary parade'?

Certain planets will only be visible with binoculars or a telescope.

Those interested in purchasing equipment should steer clear of telescopes that cost less than $500 and opt for Celestron, Robert Lunsford, the American Meteor Society's newsletter editor and fireball report coordinator, previously told USA TODAY.

He advises beginners to choose a telescope with a lens rather than a mirror, and for those seeking a more affordable option, he recommends binoculars.

Tips for viewing the 6-planet alignment

• Find a spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the horizon.

• Avoid light pollution and move away from cities.

• Have your binoculars or telescope ready to view planets that aren't visible to the naked eye

Stargazers should move "away from bright lights," according to Gohd. "Dark skies are best! And your view will be clearest if you're able to find a viewing location where the horizon is clear so you can see all of the planets from the horizon up through the night sky."

Also, be sure to pack mosquito repellent and dress appropriately for the weather in your area. Check the weather in advance to ensure the skies are clear.

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers popular toys, scientific studies, natural disasters, space, and trending news. Connect with her onLinkedIn,X,Instagram, andTikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What time do the planets align tonight? How to watch the 'parade'.