On Tuesday evening, SpaceX launched a powerful Falcon Heavy rocket carrying an unpiloted X-37B spaceplane for a classified mission, as well as a Falcon 9 rocket loaded with 23 Starlink internet satellites. The X-37B is a reusable mini space shuttle used to carry classified experiments, and the Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in operation. This launch marks another milestone for SpaceX in the space exploration industry.
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Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled on Thursday that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state's primary ballot in 2021 due to his role in the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. The ruling cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and will not be enforced until the courts weigh in. This ruling is part of a national effort to disqualify Trump from appearing on ballots in future elections, and it is unclear whether Trump will appeal the decision.
San Antonio police are seeking the public's help in identifying two persons of interest in the investigation into the deaths of a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend. Police have released a video of the two individuals and are asking anyone with information to contact them. They are also asking anyone who may have seen the dark pickup truck or the silver Kia Optima in the area to come forward.
BlendJet Inc. is recalling 4.8 million of its portable blenders due to laceration and fire hazards, with reports of blades breaking off during use and overheating or fires resulting in property damage claims of $150,000. There have been 49 reports of minor burn injuries and one reported laceration injury. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled blenders and contact BlendJet for a free replacement.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has terminated the role of Dr. Joe Gow as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, effective immediately due to "significant reputational harm" caused by Gow and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos. The regents voted unanimously to fire Gow, who is a tenured faculty member and will eventually return to work in a faculty role. The university community has reacted with mixed reactions, and an interim chancellor has been appointed to oversee the university's operations until a replacement is announced.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones has approved a new congressional map redrawn by the state's GOP-led legislature in Georgia, which maintains Republicans' 9-5 edge for its congressional delegation and will be used in the 2024 election. The map creates a majority-Black congressional district in the western part of metro Atlanta and Jones rejected claims that the new maps didn’t do enough to help Black voters.
The University of Idaho began demolishing a house on Thursday morning, despite pleas from two of the victims' families to wait until evidence needed for the court case was collected from the site. The house, located in Moscow, Idaho, was the site of a tragic incident last year in which four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed. The FBI had gathered additional information from the house in October, but the demolition of the house began early Thursday morning, with debris from the home’s walls being loaded into a dump truck. The families of the victims have expressed their disappointment at the school's decision to proceed with the demolition before all evidence was collected.
The Colorado Republican Party has filed an appeal to the state's Supreme Court decision that former President Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency, extending the stay of the ruling. Nikki Haley's failure to mention slavery at a campaign event in New Hampshire is a tacit acknowledgment of the party's Trumpist leanings. Trump himself has said he plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could have far-reaching implications for the future of the presidency.