SpaceX’s Starship ‘Learning Experience’ Ends in Explosion
SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which had no people aboard, exploded Thursday, minutes after lifting off from a launchpad in south Texas. The rocket, the most powerful ever built, did not reach orbit but provided important lessons for the private spaceflight company as it worked toward a more successful mission. Despite the mission’s fiery outcome, Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, offered congratulations to the company. The space agency is relying on SpaceX to build a version of Starship that will carry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon during its Artemis III mission.
In a Nation Armed to the Teeth, Many Paths Lead to Tragedy
This week, the issue of “wrong address” shootings stirred protests and widespread outrage after a homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, shot a 16-year-old who rang the wrong doorbell. Gun-control advocates say “wrong address” shootings, while relatively uncommon, are a stark illustration of how quickly America reaches for guns. And activists and researchers say they stem from a convergence of bigger factors — increased fear of crime and an attendant surge in gun ownership, increasingly extreme political messaging on firearms, fearmongering in the media and marketing campaigns by the gun industry that portray the suburban front door as a fortified barrier against a violent world.
House Passes Bill to Bar Transgender Athletes From Female Sports Teams
House Republicans on Thursday approved legislation that would bar transgender women and girls from participating in athletic programs designated for women. The bill, approved entirely along party lines on a 219-203 vote, was the latest attempt by House Republicans to take up a potent social issue that has rallied their base and been championed at the state level by Republican lawmakers. The bill has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate or being signed by President Joe Biden. In a statement of administration policy, the White House said Biden would veto it if it made its way to his desk.
‘Rust’ Prosecutors Are Dropping Charges Against Alec Baldwin
New Mexico prosecutors are dropping the involuntary manslaughter charges that were filed against Alec Baldwin for the 2021 shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the film “Rust.” It was a dramatic reversal in the case against Baldwin, just months after the prosecutors who originally handled the case had filed charges against him. The decision to drop the charges against Baldwin came after the new prosecutors reviewed new evidence that showed that the gun he was practicing with had been modified before it was delivered to the set, according to an official close to the investigation who was granted anonymity to discuss the case.
‘Prove Mike Wrong’ for $5 Million, Lindell Pitched. Now He’s Told to Pay Up.
Mike Lindell, MyPillow founder and Donald Trump ally who has been a leading voice in pushing conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, must pay $5 million to software forensics expert Robert Zeidman, who debunked a series of false claims as part of a “Prove Mike Wrong” contest, an arbitration panel said Wednesday. Lindell issued the challenge in 2021, saying he had data that would support his claims that there was Chinese interference in the election and offering the seven-figure prize to anyone who could prove the data had no connection to the election. Zeidman filed the claim against Lindell in November 2021 after the contest’s organizers rejected his findings.
Florida Apologizes After 4:45 a.m. Emergency Alert Test
Many Florida residents woke up to a screeching alarm around 4:45 a.m. Thursday, after an early morning test of the emergency alert system blared from their cellphones. The Florida Division of Emergency Management, which coordinates and manages alert systems for emergencies and other disasters, apologized in a statement. “Each month, we test emergency alerts on a variety of platforms, including radio, television and text alerts,” said Alecia Collins, a spokesperson for the agency. “This particular alert was supposed to be on TV, and not disturb anyone already sleeping.” Officials in St. Lucie County said that the alert was sent to “every wireless subscriber” in the state.
As Xi Befriends World Leaders, He Hardens His Stance on the U.S.
China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, has rolled out the red carpet for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil. He has sipped tea in a garden with President Emmanuel Macron of France. And he has talked on the phone with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. But even as Xi has offered a glad hand to those and other world leaders in recent weeks, it has been only the cold shoulder for the United States. The efforts to shore up ties with American allies while publicly discrediting the United States reflect Beijing’s hardening position as relations sink to their lowest point in decades.
Ugandans Flee Ahead of Harsh Anti-Gay Law
In a spartan safehouse northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, people from neighboring Uganda clung to the few valuables they could snatch while fleeing harsh new legislation targeting them back home. They began leaving after Uganda’s parliament passed a sweeping anti-gay bill in late March that threatens punishment as severe as death for some perceived offenses, and calls for life in prison for anyone engaging in same-sex relations. The bill, which passed 387-2, punishes anyone who leases property to gay people and calls for the “rehabilitation” of those convicted of being gay.
Pentagon’s Repatriation of Algerian Leaves 30 Prisoners at Guantánamo
The U.S. military repatriated a prisoner to Algeria on Thursday who had been held at Guantánamo without charge for more than two decades, as the Biden administration continues its efforts to reduce the detainee population at the Navy base. The prisoner, Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush, 52, was among about 20 suspected low-level fighters who were swept up by Pakistani security services in a 2002 raid. Bakush’s repatriation was the sixth transfer in six months by the Biden administration. Now, 16 of the 30 men held there are eligible for transfers.
Stampede in Yemen Kills 78 People Gathering to Receive Holiday Donations
At least 78 people died in a stampede in Yemen while gathering to receive charitable donations from local merchants ahead of a major Islamic holiday, a sign of how desperate many Yemenis have become after eight years of a civil war that has deepened poverty and hunger in the Arab world’s poorest country. The tragedy unfolded Wednesday night in the capital, Sana, which is controlled by the Houthis, an Iran-linked tribal militia that swept through northern Yemen in 2014 and displaced the internationally recognized government. The Houthis’ health ministry said Thursday that an additional 77 people were injured in the stampede.
U.S. Positioning Troops for Evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Sudan
The Pentagon is moving more troops to the African nation of Djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation of U.S. Embassy staff in Sudan, where fierce fighting between two warring generals has led to the swift deterioration of conditions in the capital, according to two officials. Senior U.S. officials acknowledged that it would not be easy to get embassy staff out, let alone the estimated 19,000 U.S. citizens who are believed to be in the country. The international airport in the capital, Khartoum, has been the target of heavy shelling.
Devastation in One Turkish Historic District
The New York Times examined what’s left of one of the oldest streets in Antakya, a southern Turkish city, after a massive earthquake and aftershocks reduced it to rubble. Called Saray Street by locals, the stretch was once lined with more than 70 shops, restaurants and other businesses. Drone footage taken less than three weeks after the earthquakes shows the ruins of what used to be a vibrant main corridor in the heart of Antakya’s Old City, a commercial and religious hub. Some buildings are still standing, but most will need to be rebuilt.
By wire sources
