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U.S. At Odds With Russia Over ISS Safety

U.S. At Odds With Russia Over ISS Safety

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
November 18, 2024

Good Monday morning. The late Betty White will get her own postage stamp next year. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

Library of Congress: Email breach
Bangladesh: Extradition attempt
Harris: No campaign debt
GM: More layoffs
Oscars: Host selection

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Difference of opinion

The United States believes the International Space Station has a big problem, but Russia disagrees.

Catch up: The ISS is divided into a pair of connecting sections under American and Russian control. There has been an air leak in the Russian section since 2019. The nations disagree on the severity of the issue, even as the air leak rate grows. The current approach is to seal the section unless it needs to be open for work.
The news: NASA believes the leak could lead to "catastrophic failure" and is the most significant current threat to the ISS. But Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, does not share that assessment. The agencies also disagree on the causes of the leak, leading NASA to request an independent review.
Big picture: Operations in space are arguably the last area where the U.S. and Russia have common ground and are productively collaborating. NASA did stress talks with Roscosmos regarding the leak have been positive. The ISS is nearing the end of its anticipated lifespan, but it could continue after 2030 without a replacement in orbit.

2) Game theory

President-elect Donald Trump could use the House to get around the Senate and install his most controversial personnel picks.

Catch up: There are two ways a president gets many of his cabinet choices in place. The Senate approves them or theyreceive a recess appointment. In the latter case, a president makes an appointment when the Senate is not in session; the appointee then temporarily serves until they are formally approved or the next session of Congress ends, whichever comes first. Recess appointments can effectively be in place for up to two years.
The news: Trump has demanded Senate Republicans allow recess appointments. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the new GOP leader in the chamber, has said he will consider it. And now Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has also suggested he is open to it.
Why that matters: There are doubts the Senate GOP would willingly recess and forfeit their "advise and consent" power, especially with controversial selections like former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attonery General on the table. But if the Johnson-led House agrees to recess, Trump would have the authority as president to send the Senate into recess, sparking speculation.

3) Bombshell claims

The family of Malcolm X has filed a $100M lawsuit against the U.S. government.

Catch up: The Black resistance and civil rights leader was assassinated in New York in 1965, two days after he alleged there was a Nation of Islam plot against him. Three members of the group were convicted of murder in 1966, but all eventually received parole. Two were exonerated in 2021 after a review determined the FBI and New York Police Department withheld evidence during their trials.
The news: Malcolm X's family and their attorneys claim they have evidence the CIA, FBI and NYPD were complicit in the assassination. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges a decades-long coverup by various agencies; the Department of Justice is also a defendant.
Notable claims: The lawsuit accuses the agencies of being aware of a plot and facilitating the assassination. It alleges Malcolm X's security guards were targeted for NYPD arrest before the incident. The filing also claims there were nine FBI informants present at the incident, federal agencies failed to provide adequate protection and that police tried to help one of the shooters escape the scene.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

The Library of Congress IT system was hit by an adversarial cyber attack. Emails between congressional offices and library staff from January to September of this year were compromised; officials did not provide information on the origin of the hack, but said its impact was mitigated (More)
A deadly E. coli outbreak was traced to a California-based organic carrot supplier. Multiple brands and sizes of Grimmway Farms products were recalled; at least 39 cases have been reported in 18 states with 15 hospitalizations and one death (More)
Armed and masked individuals marched through Ohio's capital in black clothing with swastika flags. Columbus Police said some members of the group were detained, but no arrests were made; Gov. Mike DeWine and other leaders condemned the incident, which occurred after a similar recent demonstration in Michigan (More)

World News

Bangladesh will seek the extradition of its former prime minister from neighboring India. Sheikh Hasina fled into exile in August when her 15-year rule collapsed following violent uprisings and human rights abuse allegations; the country's interim leadership has asked the International Criminal Court and Interpol for help (More)
President Joe Biden told Ukraine it may use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. The White House lifted the prohibition amid the deployment of North Korean troops to the front lines and continued Kremlin attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure (More)
Pope Francis has called for an investigation into whether Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. His comments are reportedly included in a book set to be published next year; the pontiff has publicly criticized Israeli military operations in the enclave and Lebanon (More)

Political News

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign and the Democratic National Committee denied any post-election debt. Reports suggested the campaign finished with at least $20M in unpaid cost despite raising over $1B once Harris became the party's presidential nominee (More)
President-elect Trump nominated fracking executive Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy. He is the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgam, a former Republican presidential candidate, is the pick to lead the Department of the Interior (More | More)
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 to avoid a lawsuit, according to his attorney. The former Fox News host denies the allegations and said the encounter was consensual; no criminal charges were filed in the California city where the incident occurred (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed lower on Friday. The Nasdaq dropped over 400 points and the Dow Jones slid over 300 as speculation grows the Federal Reserve may not cut interest rates again next month (Dow -0.70%, Nasdaq -2.24%, S&P 500 -1.32%).
General Motors will lay off about 1K workers worldwide. The automaker provided few details about the workforce reduction, but the bulk of the impacted employees reportedly held white-collar positions after a round of buyouts earlier this year (More)
The Onion's bankruptcy auction purchase of Infowars is under review. A Texas judge expressed concerns about the transparency of the process and scheduled a hearing; the satirical news outlet expressed confidence it will soon close on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' controversial platform (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Conan O'Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards in March. It will be the former late-night host's first time emceeing the Oscars; he previously hosted the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006 and the MTV Movie Awards in 2014 (More)
Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly settled its lawsuit against the NBA over media rights. The company will no longer broadcast the league's games, but TNT's popular Inside the NBA studio show will be licensed on ABC and ESPN as part of the pact (More)
Former Team USA gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi died at 82. The charismatic Romanian helped build the U.S.national team into a global power after defecting, but his techniques led to controversy and criticism (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: A Missouri woman lost her phone and a folder of documents for her mother's funeral, accidentally leaving them on her trunk when she drove off. A stranger saw the papers flying and stopped to corral them and the phone. He returned to the scene and recovered more papers.
New Idea: Scientists in China believe they have figured out how to make commercially grown tomatoes taste better. They say genetic editing can kick-start sugar production during ripening and make the produce as sweet as that growing in the wild.
Go Deep: The House Oversight Committee held another hearing about UFOs last week. The testimony produced more claims and headlines, but when will someone produce proof?
Take Note: A new research study concluded regular walking may add years to your lifespan. Here are some tips on establishing a solid routine to get moving.
Real Hero: An animal welfare worker in New York scaled a 20-foot ladder but could not reach a kitten who had climbed a tree. He then saved the day with a clutch catch when the distressed cat slipped and fell.

Watch This

Here is the trailer for The Penguin Lessons, an upcoming film about a boarding school teacher who accidentally gains a penguin companion.