U.S. Moon Mission Flops

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
January 09, 2024

Good morning and happy Tuesday! We typically do not list job postings in the newsletter, but an exception is warranted here. Oscar Meyer is hiring 12 full-time Wienermobile drivers. Yes, this is a real job with a salary, health benefits, a meal stipend and 18 days of PTO. And you get to criss-cross America inside a 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels. Go apply! And have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

  • United Air: Loose bolts on Boeing jets

  • Israel: Scaling down Gaza operations

  • Trump: Will attend immunity hearing

  • Office space: Historic vacancy rate

  • Michigan: Wins national title game

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Moon return looks like a dud

The first U.S. mission to the moon in over a half-century appears doomed.

  • What happened: A lander took off from Cape Canaveral early yesterday morning; it was the first American lunar launch since Apollo 17 in 1972. But an issue with the craft may keep it from landing on the moon. 

  • The response: Astrobotic Technology, the private company that developed the Peregrine lander, said the lander has lost a critical amount of fuel. The propellant loss came after its propulsion system experienced a failure. The craft is supposed to attempt a moon landing on Feb. 23, but the issues could make a soft landing impossible.

  • Big picture: A failed mission would be a significant setback for NASA, which contracted with Astrobotic and hopes to send astronauts back to the moon in the next few years. The Peregrine's issues could delay the program. A silver lining: The Vulcan Centaur rocket that carried the lander had a flawless debut.

2) 2024 through an 1864 lens

The Civil War has surprisingly emerged as an early focus of this year's presidential campaigns.

  • What happened: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was criticized late last month after she did not cite slavery as the cause of the Civil War during a campaign event; she later said it was while clarifying her comments. Former President Donald Trump said he believed the Civil War could have been negotiated during a campaign event last weekend in Iowa.

  • The response: President Joe Biden has aimed at both potential Republican opponents. He strongly rebuked Haley's comments and connected Trump to the Confederacy yesterday, calling his election denialism "a second lost cause" during a speech at a Charleston church where a white supremacist killed nine Black parishioners in a 2015 shooting.

  • Big picture: The first few days of the election year have been heavy, suggesting it will be a grueling road to November. Biden's campaign has hit on dark topics and warned about the nation's future. Trump, the heavy favorite to win the GOP nomination, has been doing the same for some time.

3) Red Cross sounds alarm

The U.S. has an emergency blood shortage, according to the American Red Cross.

  • What happened: The Red Cross says the number of people volunteering to donate blood is at the lowest level in 20 years. Blood donations have dropped about 40% in that span.

  • The response: About 8K additional donations are needed each week in January to get back to a safe supply level. There is currently not enough blood to meet demand; reserves could be depleted further due to winter weather and seasonal illnesses.

  • Big picture: The Red Cross said almost 20 blood centers nationwide have a one-day supply or less. A typical donation delivers one unit of blood; a car accident victim can need as many as 100 units.

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Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • United Airlines said it found loose bolts on some Boeing jets from the same line involved in the Alaska Airlines midair incident. The bolts fasten the door plug that blew off the Alaska flight's fuselage, causing an emergency landing (More)

  • President Biden will not fire Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after he concealed a recent hospital stay. The president would also reportedly refuse to accept Austin’s resignation (More)

  • House Republicans released a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress and could have a vote today. The president's son defied a subpoena to appear for a closed-door deposition and said he would only testify in public (More)

World News

  • Israel said it will scale down its military operations against Hamas in Gaza with fewer ground troops and air attacks. The U.S. has been pushing for a lower-intensity conflict for weeks (More)

  • The U.S. does not believe Bangladesh’s recent elections were free and fair, echoing the opinion of other democracies. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth term in a landslide; there were reports of irregularities and poll-related violence (More)

  • French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has resigned. Her exit comes as President Emmanuel Macron works to revamp his government amid internal strife ahead of European Parliament elections and the Paris Olympics (More)

Campaign News

  • Former President Donald Trump said he will attend an appeal hearing today in his federal election interference case. Trump is arguing he has complete presidential immunity from prosecution in the matter (More)

  • The Democratic National Committee has been accused of voter suppression by New Hampshire state officials. The DNC recently told local party leaders to tell voters their presidential primary is “meaningless” (More)

  • Winter weather could impact the Iowa Caucuses, both last-minute campaigning and the vote. The state is experiencing snow storms and a polar vortex; frigid temperatures may depress turnout next Tuesday (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes all finished higher yesterday. The Nasdaq had a big day, jumping over 2% (Dow +0.58%, Nasdaq +2.20%, S&P 500 +1.41%).

  • Nearly 20% of office space in major U.S. cities was unoccupied during Q4 of 2023, according to Moody's Analytics. It was the most significant vacancy rate since Moody's began compiling data in 1979 (More)

  • The National Association of Realtors' president resigned due to an alleged blackmail plot. Tracy Kasper said she was threatened over a past personal, non-financial matter and asked to compromise her leadership (More)

If you would like to go deeper on any of these topics, we highly recommend subscribing to Bay Area Times. It's a newsletter similar to Tip News where we get much of our business and tech information. What's best, it's a visual email - it includes graphs, charts, and bullets - so it's super easy to read. You can subscribe for free in 1-click right here:

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Entertainment & Sports

  • Michigan won the college football national championship with a 34-13 victory over Washington. The Wolverines captured their first title since 1997 (More)

  • Tiger Woods ended his Nike endorsement partnership after 27 years. The move comes amid speculation the sneaker giant will exit the golf business (More)

  • Soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer died Sunday at 78. He led Germany to World Cup victories as a player and manager and starred at Bayern Munich and with the New York Cosmos (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Feel Good: When a 103-year-old man in Colombia recently left the hospital after a lengthy stay, his wife greeted him. The man was so overjoyed he began running to her, forgetting he used a walker. Here is the heartwarming video.

  • Take Note: LensCrafter has agreed to pay $39M to settle a class-action lawsuit over false claims related to its AccuFit system. You may be eligible for compensation if you bought glasses from the retailer in the last 10 years. Here are the details.

  • Wild World: Sikander Ali is a Pakistani fisherman who cannot read or write. He is also instrumental in the push to save the endangered river dolphin. The effort is working, too -- there are about 2K worldwide now after there were under 200 just 50 years ago.

  • Life Hack: Unsure what you should wear today? Try picking something and then wearing it again tomorrow. And the next day. And .... you get the point. Here is the case for "dressing like a cartoon character," as one reporter puts it.

  • Get Healthy: Pop quiz: What’s the body’s most abundant protein? The answer: Collagen. NativePath's Certified Grass-Fed Collagen Powder is made from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows and contains 18 grams of protein per suggested serving. Start incorporating it daily to support skin elasticity, joint health, bone strength, and muscle growth and maintenance.*

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Check out the trailer for The First Omen, a prequel to the 1976 horror film The Omen. It will come out April 5.Links

Looking Ahead …

We finally have an arrival date for Apple's new gadget. The Vision Pro mixed reality headset will launch Feb. 2, with pre-orders beginning Jan. 19. The device has a steep price tag of $3.5K; many analysts believe its success (or lack thereof) could define Tim Cook's tenure as the tech giant's CEO.

Question of the Day

Have you ever seen the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile on the road?

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Yesterday’s results:

Should Lloyd Austin resign as Secretary of Defense?

  • Yes, his lack of transparency is unacceptable (62%)

  • No, he was not incapacitated and deserves privacy (38%)