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Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now aiming for Wednesday to conduct the next test flight of its massive Starship rocket, following a last-minute cancellation on Monday.The world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle is set to lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, during a launch window that opens at 5:30 pm local time (2330 GMT).It will be Starship’s eighth orbital mission — all so far uncrewed — and the first since its dramatic mid-air explosion over the Caribbean during its last test.Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall — about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty — Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable and is key to Musk and SpaceX’s vision of colonizing Mars.Meanwhile, NASA is awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded Starship after its previous flight on January 16 ended with the upper stage disintegrating in a fiery cascade over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting cleanup efforts for fallen debris.Last Friday, the FAA announced that Starship could proceed with its next flight before the agency finalizes its review of SpaceX’s “mishap investigation.”During Joe Biden’s presidency, Musk frequently accused the FAA of excessive scrutiny over SpaceX’s safety and environmental concerns. Now, as one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, the world’s richest person faces allegations of wielding undue influence over regulatory agencies overseeing his companies.For the upcoming flight, SpaceX says it has introduced numerous upgrades to the upper-stage spaceship that enhance its reliability and performance.The mission, expected to last just over an hour, includes another attempt to catch the booster stage using the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms — a feat SpaceX has successfully executed twice, including in the last flight.Additionally, Starship will deploy Starlink simulators designed to mimic Starlink satellites, which will burn up upon atmospheric re-entry.Eventually, SpaceX aims to recover the upper stage as well, but for now, it is targeting splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of Australia, as in previous flights.In a recent interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk said the toughest engineering hurdle is building a “fully reusable orbital heat shield — a problem that has never been solved before.”Despite the challenge, Musk remains optimistic, predicting that Starship will be fully and rapidly reusable by next year, a milestone he describes as the “fundamental breakthrough required for life to be multiplanetary.”

Florida’s attorney general said Tuesday that a criminal investigation has been opened into self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who flew to the southern US state last week from Romania, where they faced rape and human trafficking charges.”These guys have publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,” James Uthmeier said in comments posted online by a reporter with EW Scripps broadcasting.”This is an ongoing criminal investigation and we’re going to use every tool we have to ensure that justice is served,” he said.Andrew Tate arrived in the United States on Thursday — the first time he has been out of Romania since his 2022 arrest.Prosecutors in the eastern European country allege that Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.Andrew Tate, speaking to reporters after arriving in Fort Lauderdale last week, said he and his brother have “yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.””We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” he said.The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationalities and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24, with a no-show potentially leading to “preventive arrest.”Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate civil case in the United Kingdom, recently voiced concern that the US government would help the Tates escape.In a joint statement, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.” Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference in February.Trump last week denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration.”I know nothing about that,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll check it out.”A Romanian court has granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the United Kingdom.He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the “Big Brother” UK reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.

An internet rights group on Tuesday raised alarm over reports the United States may steer billions of dollars to Elon Musk’s Starlink by making changes to a rural broadband deployment program.Net neutrality supporter Free Press spoke out after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Commerce could set Musk up for a windfall by overhauling a $42.5 billion program established under former President Joe Biden to bring broadband internet service to rural parts of the country.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has told staff he plans to significantly increase the share of money available to satellite-internet providers such as Starlink rather than firms that use fiber-optic cables to deliver high-speed internet service, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.Starlink is a unit of Musk’s SpaceX company.Musk — the world’s wealthiest person and a top donor to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign — has status as a “special government employee” and “senior adviser to the president.”Trump put Musk in charge of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency that has been slashing the ranks of US agencies under the auspices of budget cutting.”The Trump administration is undermining an essential bipartisan program designed to bring reliable and affordable broadband to tens of millions of Americans — and it’s doing so just to line Elon Musk’s already bulging pockets,” Free Press co-chief Craig Aaron said in a statement.The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment.During the Biden administration, the Federal Communications Commission rejected Starlink’s application for nearly $900 million in subsidies on the grounds it failed to show it could meet service requirements, Free Press noted.Fiber optic cables are considered faster and more reliable than satellites for broadband internet service.Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program as part of a 2021 infrastructure bill that Biden signed into law.Proposals from every US state have been approved, but critics argue the program is moving too slowly.The bill called on states to prioritize reliable, fast broadband service built to last, according to Free Press.”The Trump administration is throwing out this sensible approach to favor only providers who are stationed inside the White House,” Aaron said.”From the FAA to the Defense Department, giving billions to Musk seems to be the Trump administration’s top priority, and now the Commerce Department is getting in on the action,” he added.Starlink internet service can currently be accessed by anyone in the United States, and the company doesn’t need taxpayer subsidies, Free Press argued.

The US commerce secretary on Tuesday said President Donald Trump could dial down huge tariffs on Canada and Mexico this week while maintaining pressure on China, hours after Canada’s premier attacked the United States’ “dumb” trade war.”I think he’s going to work something out with them,” Howard Lutnick told Fox Business, adding the announcement would probably come on Wednesday.”Somewhere in the middle will likely be the outcome, the president moving with the Canadians and Mexicans, but not all the way.”Earlier Tuesday, a furious Trudeau accused Trump of trying to cause the collapse of Canada’s economy to make it easier for the United States to annex his country, and blasted Washington for targeting a close ally while “appeasing” Russia over Ukraine.Trump had announced — and then paused — blanket 25 percent tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.But he pushed ahead with them Tuesday, citing a lack of progress on both fronts. After Canada retaliated, Trump quickly threatened to escalate tariffs further, while mocking Trudeau’s position as the country’s prime minister.Fears that the tariff spat is rapidly devolving into the most brutal trade war of modern times sent global markets lower, with major Wall Street indexes tumbling for a second straight day.The sweeping duties will hit US imports from both North American neighbors, affecting everything from avocados to the lumber crucial for building US homes, and hampering supply chains for key sectors like automobiles.Multiple Canadian provinces also banned the sale of US alcohol products Tuesday, as part of a broad national retaliation against Trump’s latest tariffs.Trump also inked an order Monday to increase a previously imposed 10 percent tariff on China to 20 percent — piling atop existing levies on various Chinese goods.Beijing condemned Washington’s “unilateral imposition of tariffs,” filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization and threatening to impose 10-15 percent levies on a range of agricultural imports from the United States. – ‘Inflationary in its essence’ -Analysts and businesses have warned that the higher import costs could increase prices for consumers, which may complicate efforts to bring down inflation, one of the issues that got Trump elected.That includes at grocery stores — Mexico supplied 63 percent of US vegetable imports and nearly half of fruit and nut imports in 2023, according to the US Department of Agriculture.Brian Cornell, chief executive of US retail giant Target, said Tuesday the company could be forced to raise the cost of some fruits and vegetables over the coming days.”If there’s a 25 percent tariff, those prices will go up,” he told CNBC. “The short-term effect of any tariff clearly is inflation,” Charles van der Steene, the North America president for shipping giant Maersk, told CNBC. “It’s inflationary in its essence.”Housing costs could also be hit. More than 70 percent of imports of two key building materials — softwood lumber and gypsum — come from Canada and Mexico, according to the National Association of Home Builders.Truck drivers at the Otay Mesa border crossing in Mexico told AFP they were already feeling the impact as they waited to cross into the United States.- Fight to ‘bitter end’ -Ottawa’s retaliatory 25 percent tariffs on $30 billion of goods took effect early Tuesday, and Trudeau said they would expand to “the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days time.””Canadians are reasonable. We are polite,” he said. “We will not back down from a fight.”Addressing the US president directly, Trudeau said that while he thinks Trump is a “smart guy,” the tariffs are a “very dumb thing to do.”China said its tariffs against the United States will come into effect next week and will impact tens of billions of dollars in imports, from soybeans to chicken.Beijing also announced that imports of US lumber have been suspended, and that soybean shipments from three American exporters have been halted, as China’s foreign ministry vowed to fight the US trade war to the “bitter end.”burs-da-bys/mlm

Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle show went live on Netflix Tuesday, showcasing the former British royal as a thriving domestic maven.The Duchess of Sussex, wife to Britain’s Prince Harry, harvests honey, makes pasta and mixes bath salts against an idyllic California backdrop.A rustic and effortlessly chic home provides the setting for the first episode, whose conceit is that she is hosting a long-time friend.Of course, we’re not actually at Markle’s house, but rather another luxury property near her home, where camera operators roam, offering purposely wobbly close-ups of candles, crudite and cake.It also seems to have two kitchens. You know, like everyone’s house does.Harry — whom Markle wed in a fairytale ceremony in 2018, and with whom she fled to California two years later — only makes a fleeting appearance at the end of the eight episodes.But there are little hints about life as a British royal; reminders of how — in their telling — the couple were spurned by a stuffy and racist establishment.A friend who comes to stay, makeup artist Daniel Martin, “has just been in my life from the before, during and after, shall we say,” Markle tells an off-screen producer, with a meaningful pause to let viewers piece everything together.Episodes of “With Love, Meghan” feature appearances from chef Alice Waters, actress Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer, one of Markle’s “Suits” co-stars.The show coincides with a rebranding of Markle’s jam-and-cookies online retailer, which was originally called “American Riviera Orchard” but is now known as “As Ever.”The series is the latest effort by the Sussexes to make their own financial way after being cut off from the royal purse.A reported $100 million deal with Netflix yielded the much-talked-about “Harry & Meghan,” a six-episode tell-all about their relationship and their high-profile split from the House of Windsor.That was followed by Harry’s successful autobiography “Spare,” which re-trod much of the same angry ground, with bonus tales about taking drugs in proximity to Hollywood celebs.But subsequent media ventures that have not rehashed the same grievances have fallen flat.A Spotify interview podcast by Markle was not renewed after a first series critics blasted as pointless, while Netflix offerings about the sport of polo and the Invictus Games failed to make much impression.Early reviews of “With Love, Meghan” in the British press were not kind, with The Telegraph calling the series an “exercise in narcissism.””Meghan invites people to her pretend house” wrote the paper’s critic, and “they tell her how amazing she is. This happens for eight episodes,” it said.Meanwhile Britain’s The Times newspaper said the show was desperate in its “upbeatness” with Markle “presenting her extreme wealth and mind-bogglingly exclusive lifestyle as if it is available to anyone.”

President Donald Trump will tout radical plans to reshape the US government and end the Ukraine war Tuesday as he addresses Congress for the first time since his blistering return to power six weeks ago.Trump’s theme will be the “renewal of the American dream” but it promises to be a divisive evening, with the high-octane start to his second term causing huge upheaval at home and abroad.The Republican is expected to set out what he views as his key achievements, including a record blitz of executive orders and an assault on the federal bureaucracy led by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.Space X and Tesla tycoon Musk will be at the US Capitol to watch the speech, which is to begin at 9.00pm (0200 GMT Wednesday).Trump will also set out his vision on the economy — even as the trade war he launched against Canada, China and Mexico roils world markets and threatens to raise prices at home.Despite a bitter row in the Oval Office with Ukraine’s leader just days ago and a pivot to Moscow that has stunned allies, Trump will then lay out his plans to end the grueling three-year conflict.”He’s going to dive into foreign policy, talk about his intention to end the war in Ukraine,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Tuesday.Trump had said on Monday that he would “let you know” during the speech about the fate of a minerals deal with Ukraine that remains unsigned after Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous visit.Leavitt said Trump would also discuss his “plan to bring all the hostages out of Gaza” — the Palestinian territory he has proposed that the United States should take over, sparking outrage across the Middle East.The US president will finally ask Congress for funds to support his plan for mass deportations of undocumented migrants, some of whom his administration has already dispatched to Guantanamo Bay.Trump said the address “will be big” and promised to “tell it like it is,” in a post on his Truth Social network on Monday.- ‘Big day’ -It will mark a triumphant comeback to the Capitol for Trump, just four years after he left office in disgrace after his supporters stormed the building in protest at his 2020 election loss.Trump returns as the most powerful Republican president in decades, with the popular vote behind him and a Republican-controlled House and Senate doing his bidding.The 78-year-old also appears to be determined to test the limits of presidential power — in the face of Congress and the courts if necessary — referring to himself on occasion as a “king” and musing about a constitutionally-barred third term.Aided by Musk, Trump has pushed through an unprecedented blitz on the federal bureaucracy that has led to thousands of job cuts, the closure of entire agencies and the decimation of foreign aid.Republicans have welcomed Trump’s rapid start to his new term and have thrown up few roadblocks. They rapidly confirmed a number of cabinet members including vaccine skeptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Democrats have so far struggled to counter Trump’s “flood the zone” strategy and his hogging of the news cycle with constant press conferences.But the speech promises to be rowdy, with Democratic lawmakers bringing as guests a number of federal workers targeted by Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE).The Democratic rebuttal to Trump’s address will be provided by new Michigan senator Elissa Slotkin, a 48-year-old former CIA analyst and rising star in the party.Republicans are expected to cheer Trump on loudly, while the president and First Lady Melania Trump will invite guests who reflect his speech’s priorities.”We’re so excited — it’s a big day and it’s a big night for President Trump and we know he’s going to give a fantastic speech,” Leavitt said.

Stuck in a queue at the Mexican-US border, truck driver Juan Diego Mendoza said he was worried about the fallout of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, but believed Mexicans were resilient enough to cope.”We’re economically strong and self-sufficient. Unlike them, we’re not looking for the car of the year or the best cut of meat. We’re happy with a plate of beans and an egg,” the 31-year-old told AFP.Mendoza woke earlier than usual to hear Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to Trump’s 25-percent tariff.He supported her decision to wait until Sunday before laying out retaliatory measures, while leaving the door wide open for dialogue.”The president is handling it intelligently, without getting excited or letting herself be provoked by the arrogance of Trump, who thinks he owns the world,” Mendoza said, at a crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.The tariff “will have an impact, but we will endure,” he said, warming up the engine of the truck in which he brings meat from the United States to Mexico.Mendoza is already feeling the impact of the trade tensions, which Trump has linked to drug trafficking and illegal migration.Due to increased security ordered by Sheinbaum, he and thousands of other truck drivers take up to five hours to cross the border, where vehicles undergo X-rays for contraband.- Longer waiting times -Sheinbaum announced the deployment of 10,000 more troops to the frontier in February in exchange for Trump delaying tariffs.But the pause expired on Tuesday, and longer waiting times due to increased security at the border have led to fewer trips and reduced profits for some haulage companies.Even before tariffs took effect, 28-year-old truck driver Angel Cervantes said he was feeling the squeeze from duties Trump imposed on China.There was less work available because many companies in Tijuana export Chinese brand goods, he said, adding that his company lost one client who sold air conditioners.Cervantes said his income had dropped from about $800 a week to $600, making it harder to support his wife and two children.But he was confident that Mexico’s free trade agreement with the United States and Canada would survive.Truck driver Jonathan Figueroa, 26, said that he lost his previous job when a big client of his former employer decided to move its solar panel plant from Mexico to the United States.”My boss had told me that if Donald Trump won the presidency, the company we supplied would be taken to New Mexico. And so it was,” said the 26-year-old, who was unemployed for four months.As well as truckers, the tariffs have triggered unease among the many workers in the factories in Mexico’s industrial border zones.After finishing her 12-hour shift at a car speaker plant, Maria Virginia Gutierrez admitted that she was worried, especially since the factory passed from American hands to a Chinese investor at the start of the year. Although many in Tijuana fear tariffs will bring pain, there is also a sense that Mexico must maintain its pride and self-respect in the face of Trump’s threats. “We have to defend ourselves,” Mendoza said.

In the Canadian city of Windsor, which survives on the cross-border auto industry, the start of a trade war with the United States has opened a period of fear and uncertainty.Windsor is separated from Detroit, Michigan by a river, and American automakers based in the US city have been an essential employer on the Canadian side for decades. “The value of what we have around us is based on the automotive industry. So if it were to collapse, that will collapse with it,” Robert Pikata, a 60-year-old who works for Windsor’s municipal government, told AFP.Like many Windsor residents, Pikata has been following the news closely in recent weeks. Many had hoped that President Donald Trump would ultimately back away from tariffs that Ford’s CEO Jim Farley warned would “blow a hole” in the auto industry. But Trump made good on his threat on Tuesday, imposing a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods. Canada immediately retaliated, triggering a trade war between historically close allies and threatening future commerce across a border that sees billions of dollars in daily trade.Addressing Canadians on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned of “tough” days ahead. Pikata said economic conflict with the United States will see living standards in Windsor fall. He told AFP he was “disappointed and scared at the same time because of the unknown.” “How is it going to affect me personally and how is it going to affect my family?”Jessica Dame, a 33-year-old healthcare worker, said businesses across Windsor rely on the US.”You’re literally breaking relationships,” she said, addressing Trump. “I think we’re gonna see a huge decline in local economies.”- ‘Shocked, not surprised’ -Trump’s justifications for launching a trade war with Canada have shifted. His administration has said the levies are designed to force Canada to act on the flow of undocumented migrants and the drug fentanyl across the border. Trudeau has maintained that Canada is not a significant contributor to either problem in the United States, and on Tuesday called Trump’s fentanyl justification “completely false.”Trump has also mused about tariffs as a corrective to the US trade deficit with Canada and falsely claimed that Canada prevents American banks from operating in the country.The president said this week that auto companies that want to avoid the consequences of tariffs should open plants in the United States. “Every time I hear (Trump) say something, I always find it’s like 50-50 about whether it’s actually true or not,” university student Zach Puget told AFP in Windsor. Voicing concern that the trade war would force grocery prices higher, Puget said he was “shocked, but not surprised” that the measures had come into force. In his address to Canadians, Trudeau offered a stark warning about Trump’s motivation. He said the US president, who has spoken often of making Canada the 51st American state, “wants to see a collapse of the Canadian economy because that would make it easier to annex us.””That is never going to happen,” Trudeau asserted. “We will never be the 51st state.”

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, stranded on the International Space Station since June, said Tuesday he believes Elon Musk’s claim that the billionaire proposed an early rescue plan, but it was ultimately rejected by then-President Joe Biden.Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams were originally scheduled for an eight-day mission, but their return was complicated when the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing was deemed unsafe for the journey home.Their prolonged stay has recently become a point of contention, with Musk and President Donald Trump accusing Biden’s administration of abandoning the pair to avoid making Musk look like a savior.”I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says is absolutely factual,” said Wilmore, a former Navy test pilot. He admitted he wasn’t privy to the ins and outs of the drama, but added, “I believe him. I don’t know all those details.”Musk recently clashed online with Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who accused him of lying in a Fox News interview when he claimed the astronauts were abandoned for “political reasons.”Mogensen pointed out that, since the Boeing Starliner was deemed unsafe for return with people aboard, NASA had planned for months to bring Wilmore and Williams back on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which arrived at the ISS in September with two spare seats.No alternative plan has been publicly discussed, and Crew-9’s return has been delayed by SpaceX itself due to setbacks in preparing the Dragon spacecraft for Crew-10, now scheduled for launch on March 12.Interrupting the standard crew rotation would also be a deviation from protocol, and extended astronaut stays are not unprecedented. In 2023, Frank Rubio became the first NASA astronaut to spend over a year in space after a meteoroid damaged the Russian Soyuz spacecraft he rode up on.Similarly, after the Columbia disaster in 2003, when a shuttle disintegrated during re-entry, NASA suspended flights for two years, forcing astronauts to rely on Soyuz and extend their missions.Musk’s response to Mogensen included a slur for people with intellectual disabilities, sparking backlash from the space community. Former NASA astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly defended Mogensen and criticized the SpaceX founder.”Obviously, we’ve heard some of these different things that have been said,” Wilmore commented. “We have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk, and obviously respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them… and we’re thankful that they are in the positions they’re in.”Wilmore’s remarks come just days after acting NASA administrator Janet Petro raised eyebrows by stating the agency aimed to put “America first,” echoing Trump’s political slogan.”We’re going to be putting America first, we’re making America proud, we’re doing this for the US citizens,” she said before a private Moon lander touched down on Sunday — a notable shift from NASA’s longstanding stance that its space achievements were “for all mankind.”