US pulls off first moon landing since 1972 with spacecraft Odysseus
Odysseus is the first spacecraft built by a private company to land on the lunar surface. The United States has pulled off its first lunar landing in more than half a century with a spacecraft built and operated by a Texas-based private company. Odysseus, an uncrewed robot lander built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines with funding from NASA, touched down near the lunar south pole at around 23:23 GMT, the company announced in a webcast on Thursday. The successful landing followed a tense final descent during which flight controllers had to switch to an untested landing system after a problem arose with the spacecraft’s autonomous navigation system. NASA administrator Bill Nelson described the landing as a “triumph for humanity” and a “new adventure in science, innovation and American leadership in space”. “Today, for the first time in half a century, the US has returned to the Moon,” Nelson said in a video posted on social media. “Today for the first time in the history of humanity, a commercial company, an American company, launched and led the voyage up there. And today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships.” Today, for the first time in half a century, America has returned to the Moon 🇺🇸. On the eighth day of a quarter-million-mile voyage, @Int_Machines aced the landing of a lifetime. What a feat for IM, @SpaceX & @NASA. What a triumph for humanity. Odysseus has taken the Moon. pic.twitter.com/JwtCQmMS2K — Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) February 23, 2024 Intuitive Machines’ mission, the first successful lunar landing by a private firm, follows a failed bid by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology last month that ended with its lander crashing back to Earth. The last time a US spacecraft landed on the moon was in 1972 when Apollo 17 brought astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt to the lunar surface. Only four countries apart from the US have successfully landed on the moon. Japan last month became the fifth country to achieve the feat when it landed its so-called “Moon Sniper” spacecraft on the lunar surface, following in the footsteps of the former Soviet Union, China and India. Odysseus launched from Florida on February 15 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The hexagon-shaped craft carried NASA’s scientific instruments, including cameras and a device to analyse clouds of charged dust particles, and cargo shipped on behalf of private clients, including the latest insulating jacket fabric produced by Columbia Sportswear. Odysseus, which is solar-powered, is expected to operate for a week on the surface of the moon before the lunar night renders the lander inoperable. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested if..’: AAP leader Atishi’s big statement
Atishi further stated, during a press conference, that a number of AAP leaders had received messages and threats regarding Kejriwal’s arrest and potential action by investigative agencies such as the CBI and ED.
‘After independence, Congress party…’: BJP chief JP Nadda at Labharthi Sammelan in Mumbai
Addressing the gathering at the Labharthi Sammelan in Mumbai, the BJP chief said, “Congress ruled the nation for a long time after the independence. They discussed the welfare of the poor too but nothing was implemented in reality.”
Former Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi passes away at 86
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi passed away at around 3 am on Friday due to age-related health complications.
Mississippi bill would allow incarcerated people to sue prisons over transgender inmates
A bill before Mississippi lawmakers might allow incarcerated people to sue jails and prisons if they encounter inmates from the opposite sex, such as those who are transgender, in restrooms or changing areas. State lawmakers advanced the proposal out of a House committee Thursday. It would require inmate restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping quarters in correctional facilities to be designated for use only by members of one sex. If prisoners encounter someone of the opposite sex in any of those areas, they could sue the prison under the proposal. MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY MULLS OVER REMOVING ‘WOMEN’ FROM ITS NAME Correctional facilities in the state are already segregated by sex, and Republican Rep. Gene Newman, the bill’s sponsor, could not point to any example of a Mississippi facility forcing a prisoner to share spaces with someone from the opposite sex. Instead, Newman said, he introduced the bill in response to people in other parts of the country receiving accommodations that match their gender identity. “It gives the inmate a course of action,” Newman said. “Just watching things that’s happening around the country, I mean you’ve got girls sports. You’ve got men that are pretending to be women just to win. It’s going to happen in prison. Men shouldn’t be in with women. Period.” The legislation defines “sex” as “a person’s biological sex, either male or female, as observed or clinically verified at birth.” It does not contain language about intersex people — those born with physical traits that don’t fit typical definitions for male or female categories. Newman said the bill was written in part by the Alliance for Defending Freedom, which describes itself as a Christian law firm. A handout distributed to lawmakers that Newman said was prepared by the firm cites a California law that requires the state to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity — but only if the state does not have “management or security concerns.” Transgender inmates are often housed based on their sex assigned at birth. Advocates have said that practice can be dangerous for transgender women housed in facilities for men. A report on the California law issued by the state’s Office of the Inspector General found that 382 people had requested transfers based on their gender identity by December 2022. The state conducted hearings for 55 out of 382 requests, approving 36 and denying 19. None of the hearings during that period were for incarcerated people requesting a transfer from a women’s prison to a men’s prison, the report said. The Mississippi law was introduced amid a broad effort in conservative states to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows. This year, GOP lawmakers are considering a new round of bills that would restrict medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults. That marks a return to the issue a year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. In 2023, Newman sponsored Mississippi’s law banning gender-affirming hormones or surgery in the state for anyone younger than 18. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Newman’s latest bill awaits consideration by the full House.
Chicago school board votes to remove uniformed police officers from schools
The Chicago Board of Education voted on Thursday to end its contract with Chicago police and remove uniformed officers from the city’s schools. The vote came at the end of a nearly eight-hour school board meeting in which teachers, students and elected city officials spoke. The battle on whether to keep the uniformed police officers in the 39 city schools where they continue to patrol, out of 634 schools, has been going on since police were assigned to protect the schools in 1991. Some students told school board members that police in the schools scare them. CHICAGO SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SAYS POLICE ARE IN SCHOOLS ‘THAT WANT THEM’ AFTER THE MAYOR SUPPORTED THEIR REMOVAL Supporters of removing police from schools said the officers targeted minorities and did not make schools safer. Instead, the same supporters suggested the money spent on police patrols could be better spent. Opponents of removing police from schools claim the officers made the schools safer, telling board members it should be up to the individual schools to decide whether to have uniformed police on the premises. CHICAGO MAYOR SLAMMED AFTER CITY APPROVES RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA AS CRIME RUNS RAMPANT FOX 32 in Chicago reported that when the board cast their votes, it was in favor of a new “Whole School Safety Policy,” which eliminates the use of school resource officers. The official plan will be presented to board members for final approval over the summer, and if approved, it goes into effect next school year. “We want to be clear that many schools will still employ physical safety personnel like security guards at points of entry, and crossing guards and Safe Passage workers to ensure students can get to and from school safely,” the board said in the letter obtained by the station. “Some schools will also continue to use physical security tools such as security cameras or metal detectors. Furthermore, each school will still maintain a relationship with their local Chicago Police Department ‘School Sergeant,’ a position assigned to each police district to provide safety support to schools.” The board also reportedly said in the letter the funding used for uniformed officers in schools will be reallocated for “alternative safety positions, resources, and interventions,” like restorative justice coordinators, youth intervention specialists, wrap-around supports and mentoring programs, and more. LIBERAL CHICAGO MAYOR CLAIMS REPARATIONS WILL REDUCE CRIME Earlier in January, the Chicago Board of Education was reportedly seeking to strip Local School Councils, organizations made up of parents, teachers, and students, of their power to choose whether to have SROs at their schools. After taking the decision away from local councils, the board will remove all officers from school grounds, according to local outlet WBEZ. Alderman Nicholas Sposato had reportedly already been told that CPS would not opt out of renewing its contract with the Chicago Police Department. The Illinois Policy Institute, a think tank that tracks policy decisions in the state, said, “Local School Councils already have the power to remove officers, but district leaders are taking away that local control.” The Chicago Teachers Union, (CTU) advocated for police officers to be removed from schools in 2020, amid the George Floyd protests. “These students along with the parents, teachers and staff that support them have looked at the data, experienced the brutality and are calling for police-free schools,” the CTU said in a statement in June 2020. Some schools opted to remove officers from their premises in 2020. William Taft Howard High School was among the few that voted to keep them. William Howard Taft High School is one of 151 high schools in CPS and serves over 4,000 students. CPS presides over 646 schools and 300,000 students. For News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
US expected to hit Russia with sanctions on over 500 targets: ‘Not just America’
President Biden said on Thursday the U.S. will impose sanctions on Russia on Friday, and according to the U.S. Treasury, over 500 targets will be affected. The sanctions are expected to be imposed on the second anniversary of Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. Reuters reported that Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the U.S. and other countries, in partnership, are targeting Russia’s military industrial complex along with companies in countries that help Russia access materials and goods it wants. BIDEN SAYS SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA ARE COMING AFTER MEETING WITH NAVALNY’S WIFE AND DAUGHTER The measures also come as the U.S. looks to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for the war with Ukraine and the death of Alexei Navalny, leader of the Russian opposition. “[Friday] we’ll release hundreds of sanctions just here in the United States, but it’s important to step back and remember that it’s not just America taking these actions,” Adeyemo said. The deputy treasury secretary also said the sanctions are being made to ensure Russia cannot get the goods needed to build weapons, while also slowing down the country’s access to revenues needed to grow its economy and arsenal. BIDEN, AFTER NAVALNY’S DEATH, SAYS ‘NO DOUBT’ THAT ‘PUTIN AND HIS THUGS’ WERE BEHIND IT The U.S. Treasury did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter. This package of sanctions is the latest of thousands of other sanctions against Russia, brought on by the U.S. and its allies after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since its occupation of the country, Russia is responsible for killing tens of thousands and reducing cities to rubble. GEN. KEANE SAYS PUTIN BELIEVES US, EUROPE ‘TAKING A KNEE’ ON UKRAINE Earlier on Thursday, President Biden met in San Francisco, California with Yulia and Dasha Navalnaya, Navalny’s wife and daughter, respectively. After the meeting, Biden told reporters he and his administration would be announcing sanctions against Putin, adding that the Russian president is responsible for Navalny’s death. The White House also said in a statement that the Biden administration plans to announce new sanctions against Russia on Friday “in response to [Alexei’s] death, Russia’s repression and aggression, and its brutal and illegal war in Ukraine.” Reuters contributed to this report.
PM Modi to dedicate projects worth Rs 12000 crore to Varanasi today
On February 23, PM Modi’s itinerary includes attending a program at Swatantra Bhavan, BHU, where he will felicitate the toppers of the Sansad Sanskrit Pratiyogita and distribute certificates.
The Speaker’s Lobby: Wants and needs, and the looming impeachment trial of Biden’s border chief
There is a major difference between what we want – and what we need. This is a staple of the human condition. But especially politics. Lawmakers and politicians often make various demands of the president, Congressional leaders, the public and even the press corps. REPUBLICANS BLOCK THEIR OWN BILLS FROM THE FLOOR But in politics – much like life – there is a big difference between what political figures want and what they need. Take for instance the recent process to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. House conservatives frankly needed to impeach Mayorkas for political purposes. This may be especially important now for the GOP since their efforts to impeach President Biden were long sliding sideways. The arrest of FBI informant Alexander Smirnov further undercut the Republicans’ inquiry into the President, Hunter Biden and his family. House Republicans promised their base a political scalp during the 2022 midterm elections. Even last summer, Republicans couldn’t agree on who they wanted to impeach – be it the president, Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Washington, DC U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Attorney General Merrick Garland or Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “All of ‘em,” replied Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., when I asked last summer who House Republicans endeavored to impeach. The encompassing group have been who some Republicans wanted to impeach. But, politically, the GOP needed to impeach someone because of campaign promises. So, Mayorkas emerged as the “winner” of the GOP’s impeachment sweepstakes. Mayorkas is the surrogate Republicans are targeting for what they perceive as the myriad of administration’s ills, starting with the border crisis. A Senate trial for Mayorkas hits next week. And we’re back to wants and needs. REP MIKE TURNER FACES ‘BLOWBACK’ FOR SOUNDING THE ALARM OVER RUSSIA THREAT Most Senate Republicans want a robust trial. A lengthy, bona fide trial presents GOPers with a stage to highlight what they believe are misdeeds by the White House and its handling of the border. Some conservatives have warned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., about short-circuiting an impeachment trial. They wrote to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., demanding that the Senate “fully engage our Constitutional duty to hold a trial.” They’ve also wanted U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to preside over an impeachment tribunal. However, the Senate’s impeachment rules do not require the participation of the chief justice for anyone besides the president and vice president. And notably, former Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., even presided over the second impeachment trial of former President Trump in 2021. Do Republicans need a full-fledged Senate trial? Probably not. Did they need to place demands on Schumer and McConnell? Yes. But what Senate conservatives need the most is for their base to see them giving Schumer and McConnell the business about not conducting a lengthy Senate trial. In fact, the politics of the right might even dictate that conservative senators show outrage and disdain for an abbreviated trial. Such dismissiveness from the left plays into the conservative narrative that Democrats aren’t taking the trial seriously, and, vis-à-vis, the border. Conservatives will also deploy this as what they say is another example of McConnell losing touch with the right. So, conservatives might achieve what they need – even if they fall short of what they want. There is another set of wants and needs emerging as the government barrels toward a potential set of government shutdowns in early March. Some conservatives genuinely pine for a government shutdown. You can imagine why. Many would like to use that as a wedge. They argue “no government funding until the border is secure.” Although no one can quite agree on what constitutes a “secure” border, let alone support a legislative plan to seal it. This is why conservatives detonated the bipartisan border package proposed a few weeks ago. Certainly many Republicans truly desire a secure border. But the politics dictate something else in conservative circles. They won’t admit it. But what conservatives may strangely need is an insecure border for political purposes. That’s how they can point to the Biden administration and portray this as a national security problem. So here, a need outweighs the want. But back to government funding. Conservatives were genuinely securing some discretionary spending cuts on other spending bills. That may be what they want. But raising cane with the GOP leadership about cuts not being deep enough works better in some political circles. That’s a political need. And frankly, since Republicans have yet to force a government shutdown since they won control of the House last year, this may frankly be a GOP “need.” SENATE VOTED IN FAVOR OF $95 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPENDING BILL, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER AROUND THE CORNER Wants and needs are not exclusive to the Republican side of the aisle. Democrats may not want a government shutdown. A shutdown is definitely not a Democratic “need.” However, some on the left will privately tell you that a government shutdown might benefit them. Thus, this could be, in some diabolical quarters, a mild political “want.” The impeachment of Mayorkas is certainly not a Democratic “want” or “need.” But Democrats guffawed when Republicans failed to impeach Mayorkas on their first try. A failed impeachment vote was definitely not a Democratic need. But Democrats basked in the schadenfreude and curated the narrative that the GOP can’t run the House. The failed impeachment vote was a Democratic “relish.” And Democrats definitely believe that Republicans overplayed their hand on impeachment. This is augmented by continued impeachment talk about President Biden – despite recent developments. Again, not a want nor need. But news like the Smirnov arrest is something Democrats welcome in small doses. But there are other wants and needs for Democrats, too. Some liberals want and need to make a stand against funding for Israel because of concerns for human rights in Gaza. Again, enter politics. Progressives need to show they are standing up for Palestinians – because of political
AOC suggests cutting off aid to Israel after U.S. vetoes ceasefire resolution
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., suggested the U.S. should consider cutting off aid to Israel on Thursday when she was confronted by a constituent about the U.S. vetoing a United Nations ceasefire resolution. The progressive “Squad” Democrat made the comments during a town hall to discuss the Green New Deal. “I think it is completely wrong,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the veto. “I think that it is an outrage that we said that we would send our top diplomat to veto a ceasefire resolution that has essentially been agreed to by every other actor and only abstained by one. I think it is against our values.” She targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically, who leftists have attacked over his response to Hamas’ Oct, 7 surprise attack that saw just over 1,000 people, mainly civilians, killed. ISRAELI PARLIAMENT BACKS NETANYAHU, REJECTS PUSH FOR ‘UNILATERAL’ RECOGNITION OF PALESTINIAN STATE “I believe that not only should we be advocating for a ceasefire, I believe that we have to at bare minimum being conditioning aid, if not cutting aid, to the Netanyahu government, which has shown no regard for human life in Gaza,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Her comments were met by applause from the audience. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, has said more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s response to the invasion. Progressives have been critical of the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel and it’s even inspired waves of Muslim Americans to campaign against his re-election. President Biden himself has pressed for restraint, but his left wing has argued it’s not far enough. HAMAS TERRORISTS USE ISRAELI HOSTAGE RELEASE IN GAME OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE Ocasio-Cortez, for example, called for the U.S. to “wind down” its support to Israel “in order to prevent additional loss of life.” “This has been atrocious. It is very clear that the language of ethnic cleansing is being invoked against Palestinians and innocent people,” she said. The U.S. vetoed a United Nations ceasefire resolution for the third time earlier this week, arguing it could have adverse effects on ongoing negotiations to free Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Thirteen countries voted in support of the resolution, and the United Kingdom abstained. The issue of Israel and the U.S.’s relationship with its Middle Eastern ally has driven a wedge within the Democratic Party, with younger leftists calling to shun longstanding diplomatic ties over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. UNITED NATIONS SLAMMED FOR SILENCE OVER HAMAS RAPES, MUTILATION AND MURDER OF ISRAELI WOMEN, CRITICS SAY Ocasio-Cortez has been among the growing number of progressives calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, a position that has put her at odds with both American Jewish groups as well as moderates within her own party. On Wednesday she clashed with the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a Jewish lobbying group, over a social media post that mentioned her and several other lawmakers with the caption, “A cease-fire now keeps these rapist monsters armed and in power in Gaza.” She responded, “It is appalling that AIPAC is targeting women members of Congress who have survived sexual assault with this horrific rhetoric. Each and every day, their role in U.S. politics becomes a greater scandal. They are the NRA of foreign policy. Of course they don’t want a cease-fire.”