June 16, 2025

THE NEW SPACE RACE: NASA sets new potential launch date for Ax-4 mission to ISS.

In a June 14 statement, NASA said it is working with Axiom Space and SpaceX on “reviewing launch opportunities” for the Ax-4 mission, with the earliest such opportunity on June 19.

The mission was set to launch June 11 but was postponed the evening before to correct a liquid oxygen leak in one of the engines in the Falcon 9’s first stage. That repair appeared to be ready to support a launch as soon as June 13, but NASA announced June 12 it put the launch on hold to allow the agency and Roscosmos to assess a “new pressure signature” in a Russian ISS module after recent work there.

The assessment involved a vestibule or “transfer tunnel” known as PrK at one end of the Zvevzda module, connecting a docking port to the rest of the module. That vestibule has had a small leak for several years, despite efforts by Roscosmos to seal it, and the vestibule is usually sealed off from the rest of the station.

NASA said that after the recent work, pressure in PrK remained stable rather than dropping slightly as previously detected.

Previously: ‘Possibility of a catastrophic failure’: Inside the space station leak problem that has NASA worried.

Posted at 1:44 pm by Stephen Green

NEW GOLDEN GIRLS REBOOT FLOPS BADLY: Check out these hilarious clips of the geriatric “No Kings” protests that flopped hard despite big crowds.

Related: No Kings at the Old Folks’ Home.

Posted at 1:35 pm by Ed Driscoll 9

WARNING: MAY LEAVE A SMILE ON YOUR FACE ALL DAY: Confirmed video shows the moment Israel hits Iran’s state propaganda channel.

Posted at 1:34 pm by David Bernstein 7

WHY HURRICANES AND TYPHOONS DON’T CROSS THE EQUATOR. I figured they were just afraid of being hazed by King Neptune.

Posted at 1:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds 5

BAGHDAD BOB SMILES: Israeli jets bomb building of Iran state broadcaster in Tehran; anchor flees studio in mid-broadcast.

WKRP in Tehran’s offices looking worse for wear:

More here: Iranian state TV is bombed during live broadcast as Tehran’s leaders show first signs of crumbling in wake of Israeli strikes amid radiation warning at targeted nuclear plants — live updates.

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll 46

COOL. NOW DO COLORADO: Trump’s DOJ Argues Illinois’ Ban on ‘Assault Weapons’ is Unconstitutional Under the Second Amendment. “In an earlier appeal reviewing a preliminary injunction against the Protect Illinois Communities Act (‘the Act’), this Court held that the Act was likely constitutional and reversed. But this Court made it crystal clear that its opinion was ‘just a preliminary look at the subject.’ Id. at 1197. Now after final judgment, there are three very good reasons why this Court should reverse course and affirm the district court’s injunction.”

Seriously, Colorado needs help: The 12 gun bills passed by the Colorado legislature this year and signed into law.

Posted at 12:42 pm by Stephen Green 21

I DON’T THINK THE AYATOLLAH IS TRYING TO BRING THE US INTO THE WAR: But some of his subordinates seem to have other ideas. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have tried to attack US bases with drones. And yesterday the US embassy annex in Tel Aviv, which is really our primary building in Israel, was damaged by an Iranian rocket. I am very familiar with the geography there, my wife once did a “detail” for the US government in that building. On one side, you have beach and ocean. On the other, you have mostly low-rise buildings and parking lots. To the north and south, you have a bunch of scattered hotels, with space between them. In short, if you are firing rockets accurate within X meters, but not fully accurate, this is not an area you’d be targeting because you’d be unlikely to hit anything significant, and your rocket might well just fall into the ocean. Which suggests that someone was, in fact, targeting the embassy.

Posted at 12:29 pm by David Bernstein 57

TOM COTTON SHUTS DOWN A CBS NEWS HOST’S TALKING POINTS ON LA RIOTS IN LESS THAN 90 SECONDS:

CBS News’ Margaret Brennan had another rough go of it on Sunday, which is becoming a theme here. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) was a guest. He’s back after being vindicated with his 2020 New York Times op-ed which argued for the deployment of federal troops into American cities when the entire summer that year was rife with leftist mayhem. It caused heartburn among the media, it led to an NYT editor resigning, and Cotton branded as a madman.

Flash-forward to 2025, we have a real president in the White House again, another wave of riots engulfing Los Angeles, this time over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, and Trump did what he likely wanted to do five years ago: deploy the National Guard to quell the unrest. He also moved the Marines into the city. They’re protecting federal buildings and aiding local law enforcement. And that’s what teed up Cotton to deliver the body slam.

To be fair, this sort of crisp media savvy response comes with the territory when you’re the owner of the New York Times.

Posted at 12:25 pm by Ed Driscoll 40

THE “HAVE YOU NO DECENCY” CROWD IS, AS USUAL, ON SHAKY GROUND:

Posted at 12:23 pm by Glenn Reynolds 41

HE’S NOT WRONG:

Posted at 12:17 pm by Glenn Reynolds 31

THIS APPROACH ALWAYS WORKS WHEN TRIED. THE REASON IT’S NOT TRIED MORE IS THAT IT’S INSUFFICIENTLY PRODUCTIVE OF GRAFT:

Posted at 12:04 pm by Glenn Reynolds 74

POWERLINE: No Kings at the Old Folks’ Home. “They were leaving an assisted living facility. But still–they epitomize the demographic of those who turn out for Dem rallies. The Democrats’ violent rioters and looters, admittedly, trend younger.”

Posted at 11:40 am by Stephen Green 59

INCENTIVES MATTER: Nearly 1 million illegal immigrants have ‘self deported’ under Trump, which has led to higher wages.

One of those tracks relies on arrests and deportations of aliens unlawfully here, which at the outset has focused mainly on criminals (the “worst first” strategy).

The other track is more subtle but also cheaper for taxpayers and arguably much more effective —encouraging illegal migrants here to self-deport.

It began with an Inauguration Day Trump directive requiring DHS to ensure all aliens present in the United States — legal and otherwise — have registered with the federal government, and to prosecute those who don’t comply.
…
One way to track the program is by checking employment numbers. One financial wiz cited by the Wall Street Journal calculated a decline in the immigrant population of 773,000 in the first four months of Trump II.

The Washington Post claims “a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March.” The Post frames this as “a sign of the weakening labor supply.” Yet the paper also notes, “Average hourly wages accelerated, rising by 0.4 percent over the month, to $36.24 in May, as earnings continue to beat inflation in a boost to workers’ spending power.”

In other words, with fewer illegal immigrants, businesses had to raise wages to attract workers.

Unexpectedly.

Posted at 10:38 am by Stephen Green 182

THE HORROR… THE HORROR…:

“Crazy Ladies Lecturing Their Selfie Cameras” is the worst show on TV.

Posted at 9:50 am by Stephen Green 424