THE BIG STORY

A Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashed after takeoff in Iran, killing all 176 people on board

The crash took place shortly after the Ukraine International Airlines jet took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on its way to Kyiv early Wednesday.

Most of the passengers were from Iran or Canada, officials said.

Ukraine's embassy in Tehran initially blamed engine failure for the crash but later updated its statement to say a cause could not be determined until an official inquiry had been carried out.

Though the plane crash took place hours after Iran fired missiles at US bases in Iraq (more on that below), there is currently no suggestion the two events are related.

This story is still developing. For more updates throughout the day, return to buzzfeednews.com

A relative of someone onboard the flight reacts at an airport outside Kyiv. Sergei Supinsky / Getty Images

THE OTHER BIG STORY

Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at two major US military bases in Iraq

Days after a US airstrike killed a top Iranian general in Iraq, Iran launched a retaliatory attack, firing ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq that house US troops.

The Pentagon confirmed the attack, saying more than a dozen ballistic missiles were aimed at US and coalition forces at two military bases in the region: Al Asad west of Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq.

There were no immediate confirmed reports of injuries or deaths as officials continued to assess the damage, but President Donald Trump tweeted, “All is well!”

After the attack, Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif said on Twitter that his country “took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense.” Iran’s Supreme Leader said the attack was a “slap in the face” for the US.

The attack is the latest escalation of aggressive acts between the two countries and came just hours after US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said the US was “not seeking a war with Iran.” He added, “But we are prepared to finish one.”

You should also read:

👉 Trump is running hundreds of Facebook ads praising himself for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

👉 The potential for war with Iran is driving the fight between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

👉 A photo essay of how Iranians reacted to the death of Soleimani. This is what the crowd for his funeral ceremony looked like:

Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

IMPEACHMENT TODAY

You down with OMB? Mick Mulvaney has a million jobs in the Trump administration. If the Democrats had it their way, he’d have a million and one: they badly want him as a witness for the Senate trial. What’s Mulvaney’s importance? Listen and subscribe.

SNAPSHOTS

An angry judge threatened to jail Harvey Weinstein for using two phones in court. On the second day of his rape trial, Weinstein surrendered two phones then pulled out two more — a violation of the judge’s rules.

An 18-year-old charged with attacking a Planned Parenthood shared memes popular with a new, younger white nationalist movement. Samuel Gulick, 18, was charged after lighting an incendiary device and throwing it at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Delaware.

A popular skincare company is pulling a face mask after women said they had horrible reactions. Dozens commented on the social media accounts of the company Yes To, complaining of a burning sensation and redness after using the masks. Now, Yes To is pulling one of its masks off the market.

The model who went viral for offering nude photos in exchange for donations for the Australia bushfires said she’s raised an estimated $1 million. Kaylen Ward, 20, ignited the craze with a tweet saying she would send a nude photo to anyone who provides proof they donated to organizations working in Australia. Now other online sex workers are joining the cause.

A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE

The Star Wars misinformation hell is the new future of everything

Last week, a post on a Star Wars subreddit caused a bit of chaos. It claimed that director J.J. Abrams’ original cut of The Rise of Skywalker was 40 minutes longer than the released version, and contained scenes that would’ve made fans happy, but was cut by Disney.

Why would Disney do this? According to the post, for two reasons: to appease the Chinese government and to damage the professional reputation of Abrams, who was being courted by another studio.

Regardless of veracity, the post went viral after inflaming long-running Star Wars fandom paranoia that Disney has been using social media to manipulate fans.

As Ryan Broderick writes (in a story that contains spoilers), it’s also the future of culture: “It is a glimpse of a future in which anxieties over the motives of the megacorporations that drive our culture — down to our very mythologies — set off conflicts between warring information tribes who inhabit their own artificial narratives.”

THE PRESENCE OF ROYALTY

Kate McKinnon shared her very awkward encounter with Beyoncé at the Golden Globes and it’s hilarious

McKinnon and Beyoncé ended up sitting at the same table at the Golden Globes. And like many celebs before her, McKinnon didn't quite know what to do or say when the time came to meet Beyoncé for the first time.

McKinnon revealed that she and her sister found out Bey was gonna be at their table, and panicked while making a list of things to talk about: “We live in one-bedroom apartments in New York City, what can we say? Do you use Hello Fresh? What kind of milk do you like to drink?”

The whole thing is hilarious and lovely.

Be deliberate about protecting your mental health today,

Elamin