Now and again in President Donald Trump’s Washington, it’s hard to believe what you’re watching with your own eyes. First, on live television, Trump’s acting chief of staff admitted a “quid pro quo,” saying that the US had conditioned aid upon Ukraine filling Trump’s political wish list — a potential abuse of power that could…… MORE
A Hong Kong court has ruled against redefining the meaning of marriage that would have allowed same-sex unions and civil partnerships in the city. Hong Kong’s Court of the First Instance ruled on Friday against a woman, known as MK, who complained that the government’s lack of marriage options in Hong Kong violated her constitutional…… MORE
When it comes to business travel, astronauts take the cake. The six space scientists and engineers who live and work in the International Space Station are traveling at a speed of five miles per second — orbiting Earth once every 92 minutes. As far as we know, they don’t earn frequent flyer miles, but they…… MORE
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch are conducting the first all-female spacewalk outside of the International Space Station. The spacewalk officially began at 7:38 a.m. ET and will last for about five or six hours. The spacewalk officially began when the batteries in their spacesuits activated. Then, they exited the airlock. In order to…… MORE
It’s like a defendant on trial getting to sit on the jury too. Venezuela has become the latest accused human rights abuser to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. It defeated Costa Rica 105 to 96 in a secret ballot vote inside the UN General Assembly. In Caracas, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister…… MORE
The US and Turkey announced a five-day break in fighting in Northern Syria today. Referred to as a “ceasefire” by the US and as a “pause” by Turkey, the agreement is unclear about how it would be implemented in one of the most complex battlefields on Earth. Here’s what you need to know. The significance…… MORE
Afroz Shah, a lawyer in Mumbai, hasn’t had a weekend off in four years. But he hasn’t spent this time writing briefs or preparing for court. His mission? Saving the world’s oceans from plastic pollution. It’s a calling he found in 2015 after moving to a community in Mumbai called Versova Beach. He had played…… MORE
NASA’s stationary InSight lander is slowly but surely getting to know Mars on a deeper level. Since landing on Mars in November 2018, InSight has been taking selfies, providing daily Martian weather reports, detecting quakes on Mars and hearing strange sounds. But its heat probe experiment was struggling to burrow beneath the surface of the…… MORE
An Australian woman has a surveillance camera to thank for her rescue after she got lost while camping with friends. Deborah Pilgrim, 55, didn’t return from a walk Sunday in Sedan, about 60 miles from Adelaide.Police searched for three days. They used a chopper, drones, volunteers and several other adjacent agencies — without success. “We…… MORE
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been keeping an eye on its namesake planet since 2006. It’s searched for evidence of water, identified intriguing objects on the surface and acted as a communication link for surface missions. It also has been using its fantastic camera, called HiRISE, to capture stunning views of the Red Planet. Some…… MORE
