Image Credit: spacex.com

SpaceX Is Launching a Mystery Military Mission From California Tonight

There’s a rocket launching from California tonight—and the government isn’t saying exactly what it’s carrying.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch the USSF-259 mission for the U.S. Space Force Wednesday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 6:07:56 p.m. PDT.

The Falcon 9 will head south after blasting off from Space Launch Complex 4E, but when it comes to the actual payload, details are being kept under wraps.

So... What’s On Board?

That's the fun part—or the frustrating part, depending on how curious you are.

The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command hasn't publicly revealed what USSF-259 is carrying. The mission is part of a series of recent national-security launches, following USSF-366 on August 15 and USSF-153 on September 10.

Public documents have identified those missions as R1 and R2, with each reportedly carrying 23 satellites. USSF-259 is identified as TH-1, with another mission, R-3, scheduled for September 27.

Basically, we know a rocket is going up. We know it's important to national security. And that's about where the details stop.

It Was Supposed to Launch Tuesday

The mission was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but SpaceX called off the launch before fueling began. No explanation was immediately provided.

Now the rocket is back on the schedule for Wednesday evening.

The Falcon 9 first-stage booster assigned to the mission has already been around the block—it will be making its 13th flight. The booster has previously launched missions including Sentinel-6B, Twilight, NROL-172 and eight Starlink missions.

After separation, the booster is expected to land on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean.

If everything goes according to plan, that would mark the droneship's 224th booster landing and the 661st Falcon booster landing overall.

You Might Hear It—or Even See It

If you're anywhere around Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo or Ventura counties, SpaceX says there's a chance you could hear one or more sonic booms following the launch. Whether you hear them will depend on weather and other conditions.

And if you're hoping to actually see the rocket, you'll have a shot at catching the launch after sunset. Getting away from city lights and heading toward the mountains or desert could give you a better view of the night sky.

SpaceX plans to begin its live webcast about 10 minutes before liftoff.

So tonight, Southern California gets another rocket launch—and this time, whatever is riding into space is staying a mystery.

You can watch here, spacex.com.

Almost 1 in 3 People Admit They Just Cut the Mold Off Their Food and Eat It Anyway

Be honest: When you see a little mold on your food, do you throw the whole thing away… or grab a knife and start performing food surgery?

With grocery prices in 2026, tossing an entire container of strawberries because one berry looks like it has grown a tiny fur coat can feel financially irresponsible.

And apparently, we're not alone.

A new survey found that nearly 1 in 3 people say they simply cut the moldy part off fruits and vegetables and eat the rest.

But here's the problem: sometimes that works, and sometimes you're basically playing Russian roulette with your leftovers.

That Little Fuzzy Spot Could Be Just the Beginning

Researchers surveyed 1,000 people about mold and mycotoxins — toxins that can be produced by certain molds.

The results found that nearly 79% of people rarely or never think about mycotoxins in their daily lives.

Which makes sense. Most of us aren't sitting at work thinking, "I wonder how much Penicillium is growing on my lunch?"

But here's the part that might make you reconsider your food-saving strategy:

More than half of the people surveyed didn't know that cooking or baking doesn't necessarily destroy mycotoxins after they've formed.

So if your plan is to simply throw the questionable food into a 400-degree oven and hope for the best… that's not exactly a food-safety strategy.

When You CAN Cut the Mold Off

Not everything with a tiny spot of mold needs to be sent straight to the garbage.

Some dense fruits and vegetables, including cabbage, bell peppers and carrots, can generally be saved.

The USDA recommends cutting away at least 1 inch around and below the moldy area.

And here's an important detail: Don't let your knife touch the mold and then drag it through the good stuff.

Basically, you're performing surgery. Keep the scalpel clean.

Hard cheeses can also usually be saved by cutting at least an inch around and below the mold. Afterward, wrap the remaining cheese in fresh packaging.

And then there are foods where mold is actually part of the recipe.

Blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton are intentionally made with specific molds. Brie and Camembert also get their characteristic white mold from the cheesemaking process.

Some dry-cured hard salamis can also have a thin white mold coating that's considered normal.

So don't look at a piece of blue cheese and yell, "WE HAVE A SITUATION!"

When You Should Just Throw It Away

Here's where things get ugly.

If the food is soft, moist or porous, cutting off the visible mold usually isn't enough.

That includes:

• Soft fruits and vegetables
• Bread
• Baked goods
• Yogurt
• Sour cream
• Soft cheese
• Shredded, sliced or crumbled cheese
• Peanut butter
• Nuts and legumes

Why?

Because mold can spread beneath the surface where you can't see it.

So when your peach has a fuzzy spot, don't just cut off the fuzzy spot and declare victory.

The mold may have already moved into the neighborhood.

And Don't Mess Around With Moldy Home-Canned Food

If you discover mold growing inside a home-canned food, the recommendation is simple:

Throw it away.

Don't scrape off the top of Grandma's homemade jam and convince yourself the bottom is fine.

Mold in canned food can be a sign of a bigger problem, such as a broken seal or improper processing.

Grandma will understand.

Probably.

The Official "Eat It or Toss It?" Cheat Sheet

How to Keep Your Food From Growing Its Own Civilization

The best way to deal with mold is to prevent it from showing up in the first place.

Keep perishable foods refrigerated and don't leave them sitting out for more than two hours.

You should also:

• Eat leftovers within 3–4 days
• Move opened canned foods into clean containers
• Keep your refrigerator clean
• Wash or replace moldy-smelling sponges and dishcloths
• Keep household humidity below about 40% when possible

Basically, your refrigerator should be a food-storage appliance — not a science experiment.

So… Should You Cut It or Toss It?

The answer is: It depends.

A little mold on a hard cheese or dense vegetable doesn't necessarily mean the entire thing is doomed.

But mold on bread, soft fruit, yogurt or soft cheese?

Don't be a hero. Throw it away.

Saving $2 worth of strawberries isn't worth spending the rest of the day wondering if that weird stomachache was lunch or your latest encounter with the mold kingdom.

When in doubt, toss it out. Your stomach will thank you.

VOTE HERE

Anthropic Researcher Says AI Could Have More Than 10% Chance of Killing All Humans

Artificial intelligence could pose an extreme threat to humanity within the next decade, according to a senior safety researcher at AI company Anthropic.

Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment science lead, said he personally believes there is a greater than 10% chance that AI could “kill all humans” within the next decade.

The startling assessment came in response to a resignation post from Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at both Anthropic and OpenAI. Coxon announced that he was leaving Anthropic and accused major AI companies of moving too quickly toward increasingly powerful, potentially self-improving systems.

“I resigned from Anthropic today,” Coxon wrote in a post on X. “Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.”

Hubinger responded to Coxon’s concerns and acknowledged that Anthropic researchers genuinely believe AI could eventually pose an existential threat.

“Jacob is correct here—we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,” Hubinger wrote.

He added that, in his personal assessment, the risk is greater than 10% over the next decade.

The Biggest Concern Isn't Today's AI

Hubinger emphasized that he does not believe current AI systems pose a major risk of wiping out humanity.

Instead, his concern centers on the possibility of superintelligent AI capable of recursively improving itself.

Recursive self-improvement refers to a scenario in which an AI system could help improve its own software, capabilities or training processes, potentially allowing it to become dramatically more capable at an accelerating rate.

Hubinger said the risk from current AI models is low, but warned that the development of superintelligence could change the situation dramatically.

Coxon raised similar concerns in his resignation statement, arguing that increasingly powerful AI systems could eventually become capable of hacking computer systems, rapidly advancing scientific fields and gaining access to significant resources and real-world power.

An AI Race Could Make Things Worse

Coxon also argued that AI companies may feel pressured to continue developing increasingly powerful systems because they fear a competitor could get there first.

In his view, researchers may recognize the potential dangers but continue pushing forward because they believe another company or country will move ahead if they don't.

That creates what critics describe as an AI arms race, where safety concerns could take a back seat to the pressure to develop more powerful technology.

Coxon suggested that preventing a catastrophic outcome could ultimately require governments to consider extraordinary measures, including a temporary halt on increasing the capabilities of the most advanced AI models.

How Worried Should We Be?

The comments are certainly alarming, but the 10% figure is Hubinger's personal estimate of an extremely uncertain future scenario, not a prediction that AI will kill humanity.

There is also no scientific consensus that AI has a specific 10% chance—or any precisely measurable probability—of causing human extinction within the next decade.

Still, the comments highlight a growing debate within the AI industry itself: How quickly should companies develop increasingly powerful AI, and how confident should we be that those systems can ultimately be controlled?

For researchers like Hubinger and Coxon, the question isn't whether today's chatbots are going to destroy the world. It's whether humanity can develop adequate safety measures before AI systems become far more capable than the ones we have today.