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SpaceX Pulls Off Historic Private Spacewalk

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
September 13, 2024

Good Friday morning. A new store in Tokyo lets you choose from over 600 varieties of salt to create your own blend. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

  • New York: Police commish out

  • Putin: Saber rattling

  • Electoral College: Security designation

  • General Mills: Yogurt deals

  • Venu Sports: Court date

... and more

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Top Tips

1) ‘Giant leap forward’

The first-ever commercial spacewalk is in the books.

  • What happened: Two members of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission crew completed maneuvers and tests after briefly exiting the Dragon spacecraft. Two other crewmembers remained inside the spacecraft, but all four are credited after the cabin was depressurized and exposed to the vacuum of space. The mission is helmed by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, the first spacewalker; he was followed by mission specialist Sarah Gillis, the youngest person ever to make a spacewalk at 30.

  • The significance: Even though each astronaut was only in space for roughly 10 minutes, the spacewalks are still considered a major event. SpaceX proved it is capable of conducting a safe, smooth spacewalk after just two years gearing up for the operation. And its success was viewed as a significant step forward for the commercial space industry and mankind's efforts to greater harness what is possible off of Earth.

  • The reactions: "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world," Isaacson said while outside the cabin. "Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and NASA's long-term goal to build a vibrant US space economy," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

2) Midwest mayhem

The Ohio city that has become an unlikely focus of the presidential election was rocked by a bomb scare.

  • What happened: An email threat was sent to "multiple agencies and media outlets," mentioning City Hall in Springfield, Ohio, as well as other facilities. The threat led to a significant police response Two elementary schools and driver's license bureaus were also said to be targets; Clark County court facilities were also closed as a precautionary measure. The origin of the bomb threat remains unknown.

  • The controversy: Viral social media posts claimed Haitian migrants living in the city were abducting and eating pets and other animals. City officials say there have been no credible reports or specific claims, but the allegations were amplified by former President Donald Trump during Tuesday's presidential debate after Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, his running mate, originally discussed them. There was a recent 911 call alleging people were taking ducks from a park, but that incident was not corraborated. Neo-Nazis have also marched in the city.

  • The facts: Springfield has a metropolitan area population of about 136K, and local officials estimate there 12-15K Haitian migrants in the county. The city said the rapid population spike has strained public resources like health care and housing, but the migrants are in the country legally, were attracted by local jobs and many have protected status. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has pledged more state help while also rejecting the claims made by Trump and others; Mayor Rob Rue has criticized the federal government for a lack of assistance.

3) Safety first

A government agency has a new pitch to address the surge in pedestrian deaths and injuries.

  • The news: Performance and testing requirement rules targeting large cars have been proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. All vehicles over 10K pounds would be impacted, but big SUVs and pickup trucks are the main focus with an emphasis on reducing pedestian head injuries.

  • The reasoning: NHTSA said pedestrian deaths increased 57% from 2013 to 2022; deaths involving the front of a vehicle were most common among SUVs and pickup trucks, The agency said automakers' moves to increase the size and hood height of these vehicles have created more blindspots for drivers.

  • Next steps: The rule was required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a major industry group, said it will review the proposal but claimed most cars now have crash avoidance technology that makes pedestrians safer. About 80% of new cars sold in the U.S. this year have been SUVs and trucks.

  • Keep in mind: The Save Our Pedestrians Act was introduced in the House in February. It calls for 5% of all funds -- about $100M annually -- from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program to go toward high-risk street crossings safer. Its sponsors claimed pedestrian deaths increased 77% between 2010 and 2021, triple the 25% rise in traffic deaths over the same period and at a 40-year high. The bill contains suggestions to improve safety, such as roundabouts and buffer areas between sidewalks and roads. But local governments would be free to use the funds as they see fit.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned following an FBI raid on his house. There are reportedly four ongoing federal investigations involving members of Mayor Eric Adams' inner circle; influence-peddling and ties to foreign money are believed to be central to the probes (More)

  • Two jets almost collided on the ground at Nashville International Airport. An Alaska Airlines plane aborted its takeoff when a Southwest Air flight was cleared to cross from the same runway; the Alaska Air pilot had to hit the brakes so hard and fast that his tires blew out, but there were no injuries (More)

  • The arson suspect in California's Line Fire allegedly set two other fires the same day. Police believe Justin Wayne Halstenberg may be a serial arsonist tied to other blazes; the Line Fire has engulfed over 37K acres and was only 18% contained as of yesterday (More)

World News

  • Ukraine may be given the right to use British cruise missiles on Russian territory. President Joe Biden and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss the situation today at the White House; Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the Kremlin would consider such a move as tantamount to NATO directly entering the war (More)

  • A former CIA officer was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit espionage for China. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma had arranged for him and a relative, also a CIA veteran, to hand over top-secret documents to Chinese officials in Hong Kong for $50K; he was ensnared in an FBI sting (More)

  • A two-week election period to determine Japan's next prime minister has begun. Nine candidates are vying to become the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and replace Fumio Kishida, who is stepping down following a slush money funds scandal (More)

Campaign News

  • The Electoral College vote count and certification was declared a special national security event. The Homeland Security designation means the Secret Service has control over planning; DHS said it was necessary following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot (More)

  • West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin endorsed former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for Senate in the state. Spending to support Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks has ramped up; some view that as a sign Hogan, a popular two-term Republican, is positioned to flip the seat (More | More)

  • Georgia's state election interference case against former President Trump has been narrowed. A judge tossed two counts involving the former president, but Trump still faces racketeering conspiracy charges; there will not be a trial before Election Day (More) 

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Dow Jones was up over 200 points while the Nasdaq jumped over 100 (Dow +0.58%, Nasdaq +1.00%, S&P 500 +0.75%).

  • General Mills has sold its North American yogurt business to a pair of French dairy farms. The $2.1B deal includes the Yoplait and Liberte brands and should close next year; Groupe Lactalis has acquired U.S. business while Sodiaal will take over Canadian operations (More)

  • The United Kingdom will ban television ads for "junk food" before 9 p.m. local time next month. There will also be a complete prohibition on digital ads; the measures aim to combat childhood obesity rates (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Fubo's antitrust lawsuit against Venu Sports will be heard next month in New York federal court. The streaming service won a preliminary injunction in August to temporarily block the launch of the sports platform co-owned by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery (More)

  • The 76th Emmy Awards are Sunday in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Dan and Eugene Levy will host the event; Shogun has 25 nominations in the drama category while The Bear has 23 in the comedy division (More)

  • The Sundance Film Festival has narrowed its host city search to three locations. Incumbent Park City, Utah (and Salt Lake City) remain in the running; Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati are also in the mix for when a new contract starts in 2027 (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: Photos of kids heading to their first day of school have been everywhere the past few weeks. One mom got creative with an assist from a band of (plastic and tiny) superheroes.

  • Take Note: Three-quarters of Americans know the First Amendment gives them freedom of speech. But the other four freedoms? That's when people need civics lessons.

  • Go Deep: You may never been an Olympic sprinter, but that does not mean you cannot run faster. The science is pretty straightforward if you are interested.

  • Chow Down: Don't shoot the messenger here, but ... apparently smores are really good if you replace the marshmallow with a hunk of cheese.

  • Life Hack: A cleaning cart can be the perfect way to address clutter when you have limited time. It allows you to clean up a mess and free space up, but also park things until you are ready to put them away.

Addressing famous misconceptions about major cities.

Looking Ahead …

TSA said it remains prepared to begin enforcing new ID requirements beginning in May of next year, but it may go with a staggered approach for a more smooth switchover. Only 56% of licenses nationwide are REAL ID-compliant, despite the fact the law was originally passed in 2005.

Question of the Day

Who is the only person to have been the police commissioner in New York and Los Angeles?

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