BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA |
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I don’t care. You can be what you want to be, Jesse. Live your truth.”
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Elon Musk’s ambition to send astronauts to Mars, rather than the Moon, is literally impossible to execute anytime soon, Biden’s NASA chief Bill Nelson told What A Day.
- President Donald Trump raised astronauts’ eyebrows when he said it’s the United States’s “Manifest Destiny” to plant an American flag on Mars during his inaugural address. Landing on the Red Planet has long been one of “First Buddy” Elon Musk’s main targets, insisting that NASA should forget about its multi-billion dollar mission to land on the Moon again by 2027 and sail straight past. Who needs the Moon anyways!
- Even Republican lawmakers think it’s a terrible idea. But the centibillionaire appears deadset: “Can you imagine how awesome it will be to have American astronauts plant the flag on another planet for the first time? How inspiring would that be,” Musk said during a speech this week. He owns SpaceX, which launches most of NASA’s rockets into orbit. Last year, Musk tweeted that the first crewed flights to Mars will launch in 2028.
- Musk’s plan to bypass the Moon seems… half-baked. “He has never said that to me,” said Bill Nelson, who was the NASA administrator until this week, in a call with What a Day. Nelson had private conversations with Musk during his tenure, and believes Musk understands how hard it is to land on Mars. “He’s got to be able to land on the Moon, and that’s the demonstrator before we can ever go to Mars!”
- The moon is three or four days away — and Mars is seven or eight months away, Nelson explained. That’s why going to the Moon is so crucial: When astronauts eventually land on Mars, the planets are out of realignment, he said. “You can’t come back right away. You’re going to have to stay on the surface for a year or two to get back now. You’re talking major logistics, as well as the fact of keeping humans alive over that period of time.”
Nelson said he’s hopeful that NASA will remain one of the few government agencies that isn’t hyper-politicized — even in the Trump era.
- During Trump’s first term, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine was applauded for supporting climate research and bringing other countries under NASA’s wing. Much of Nelson’s space legacy built off of that work. “NASA should do great things — unless they get in and make it partisan,” he said.
- One possible complicating factor: Trump chose Jared Isaacman, a billionaire space entrepreneur with close ties to SpaceX, to lead NASA. Lots of people expect Musk and Trump to have a falling out eventually, when their galactic egos inevitably clash. That could put Isaacman in a weird, tense relationship-management situation to keep NASA’s ties with SpaceX strong. Would Trump lash out at SpaceX if he’s mad at Musk? It can’t be ruled out.
- For now, things are looking up. “I believe that with Elon’s special relationship with the new president, he is in a position to … make sure that NASA is not whacked,” Nelson said. “It takes money to get to the Moon and Mars — and even though Elon is the head of DOGE to cut money out — I’m optimistic that NASA is not going to get whacked.”
Fun note: Nelson’s a big believer in extraterrestrial life. When will scientists discover its existence? Possibly by 2040, he said. Finally, something to look forward to these days!
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It’s hard to know anything for sure in Trumpland. But What A Day got access to one well-informed assessment, and it ain’t pretty.
Trump will likely cut foreign aid to countries just because they don’t have oil, or other natural resources he’s interested in, according to a presentation by lawyers who represent a major government contractor. Those lawyers briefed employees on other things they believe will be cut: Climate initiatives, women empowerment programs, and gender equality programs. Color us shocked!
Defunding foreign assistance is “genuinely one of the most catastrophic things that Trump could do,” a former USAID staffer under the Biden administration told What A Day.
There are countless areas around the world, engulfed in wars and civil unrest, that rely on Washington’s funding for humanitarian projects: Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Ukraine, to name a few.
“It’s just inhumane and honestly incredibly heartbreaking,” the former USAID staffer said. “I definitely knew and understood this was going to eventually come down the pike, but I did not think this kind of action would be within the first three days.”
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Love to keep things simple?
Welcome to the club. We’ve put a lot of thought into our designs (and literally everything else), so you don’t have to.
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Trump downplayed the threat of China spying on Americans via TikTok, which Congress banned due to national security concerns. “Is it that important for China to be spying on young people, on young kids, watching crazy videos?” Trump told Fox News. “They make your telephones and they make your computers and they make a lot of other things … Isn’t that a bigger threat?” Shouldn’t you know? You’re the president!
Trump effectively told the civil rights department in the Department of Justice to cool its heels for at least three months. Americans should be deeply concerned since the DOJ is “literally abdicating its duty and responsibility to protect Americans from all forms of discrimination,” Damon Hewitt, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told the Washington Post.
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In the first few days of Trump’s second term, shock tactics and sweeping executive orders are taking center stage. On the latest episode of Assembly required, Stacey Abrams is joined by Strict Scrutiny’s Melissa Murray to dissect the impact of these moves—from renaming Denali to ending birthright citizenship. They explore the threat to the balance of power, why we should be concerned about the new “broligarchy” that stood behind Trump at his inauguration, and how we can resist and fight back to safeguard our democracy. Listen to this episode of Assembly Required now. New episodes drop every Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube!
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Crooked’s Tommy Vietor had some friendly-ish banter with Fox News host Jesse Waters last night. Or, as the Daily Beast put it: “Pod Save America Host Mocks Jesse Watters to His Face.” One highlight: The moment when Tommy asked, “What’s up with Pete Hegseth, a weekend anchor, getting a Pentagon job and you’re stuck here talking to me?”
Aliens again! MAGA Looney Tune Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said he believes aliens have underwater bases below the sea. He’s long accused the government of covering up the existence of aliens, so this isn’t too surprising. This isn’t necessarily good news either, but it makes you forget about all the other dumb crap happening.
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