BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA |
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In another life, we would be friends and go golfing.”
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Trump’s handing riches to private space companies owned by obnoxious billionaires. Meanwhile, NASA is being “demolished,” the agency’s former chief warned What A Day.
- A hearty congrats from everyone here at What A Day to gazillionaire Jeff Bezos on his big, much-protested Venice wedding; and to fellow rich guy Elon Musk on his 54th trip around the sun last month. President Donald Trump got both men very generous presents: Tax breaks for spaceports, aka the place where the megabillionaires’ rocket launch companies — Blue Origin and SpaceX — park their big ol’ metal yachts before shooting them into space. Those tax breaks were slipped into the “big, beautiful bill” shortly before it passed and are expected to turbocharge the wealthy dudes’ extraterrestrial cruises around the cosmos.
- “A whole lot of kids are going to go hungry and sick people are going to lose their health care so that two of the world’s richest men can pocket some extra spending money,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) told What A Day, referring to the spaceport tax break.
- Meanwhile, NASA has become an “absolute shitshow” since Trump took office, according to one insider, thanks to wanton cuts and careless mismanagement. Trump now wants to cut the space agency’s science research budget in half, down to $3.9 billion from its current $7.33 billion. That would be NASA’s smallest budget since 1961 if finalized, according to The Planetary Society. Such a draconian reduction risks ceding exploration of the galaxy to China, according to a letter signed by every living person who has served as NASA’s science leader.
- “NASA is being demolished,” Bill Nelson, the agency’s chief during the Biden administration, told What A Day. “When you cut space science by half, you're cutting the beating heart out of the institution, because the science goes hand-in-hand with the exploration, be it robotic or human.”
NASA doesn’t even have a leader, six months into Trump’s new term — creating massive bureaucratic headaches.
- NASA’s headlessness is a result of Elon Musks’ fall from grace in the Trumposphere. At the height of his influence earlier this year, Musk persuaded Trump to nominate his friend, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, to lead America’s space agency. But Trump pulled the nom after his relationship with Musk experienced what space nerds might call a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” this summer. “I don’t want to play dumb on this,” Isaacman said on the All-In podcast afterwards. “I don’t think the timing was much of a coincidence.”
- The NASA administrator is supposed to be the strongest guard against devastating budget cuts — a perennial problem for the agency. (It’s easier to convince lawmakers that we need missile defense, for instance, than a man on the moon). The official also plays a critical role in making sure nothing goes wrong — a vital role that Nelson warned is going unfulfilled.
- “We hammered on safety until the cows came home,” Nelson said. And he knows what he’s talking about. In 1986, Nelson returned from a spaceflight only 10 days before the infamous Challenger explosion. “I’m afraid that NASA — in a leaderless position in such budgetary turmoil — it isn’t a good situation to not have a leader constantly reminding everybody of safety.”
“When you inject politics into the running of NASA, you’re going to get some problems,” Nelson added. “And that’s what’s happening right now.”
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The Supreme Court lifted the pause on the Trump administration’s plan to cut scores of federal employees’ jobs as it reshapes the government. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only member to publicly dissent.
Someone is using AI to mimic Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s voice and texts, sending messages to foreign ministers, a governor and a lawmaker, according to the Washington Post. This bout of bizarre diplomatic mimicry comes two months after someone hacked Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ phone and impersonated her in calls and messages. “This is precisely why you shouldn’t use Signal or other insecure channels for official government business,” one expert told the Post. Be super careful if Pete Hegseth calls and asks for your Venmo account! Or, y’know, wants to invade something.
Donald Trump’s supporters are livid at the president’s decision to continue sending weapons to Ukraine, a major reversal from his previous suspension. Ukraine has to “be able to defend themselves” after “getting hit very hard” by Russia recently, Trump told reporters last night. So… those “ Trump Will End The Ukraine War” signs are aging poorly.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) claimed that he rushed back to Texas “as fast as humanly possible” from his vacation in Greece to address the deadly floods. But flight data shows that he had the chance to book earlier flights back, according to the Daily Beast. Why is Cruz always on vacation when disaster strikes in Texas?
El Salvador’s government admitted that the Trump administration is responsible for more than 130 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to the country’s megaprison. It’s a stunning acknowledgment that completely contradicts Trump officials’ repeated claims that they can’t bring the migrants back to the United States since they’re not in U.S. custody.
Critics blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. “Obviously this is pathetic ass kissing and a PR stunt, but I’d imagine that the folks who award the Nobel Peace Prize aren't the biggest Netanyahu fans,” Crooked’s Tommy Vietor tweeted. This is yet another instance of that viral tweet we just mentioned above.
Musk’s Grok chatbot was recently updated to be more “politically incorrect” and “assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased.” So much for Elon’s “truth-seeking” AI bot, with its penchant for slapping down its creator’s most unhinged ideas. I suppose Grok is just gonna mimic the gazillionaire’s deranged tweets from now on. The last thing we need in this world is AI Elon. |
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THERE'S MORE IN STORE
Summer reading alert! Amanda Litman’s new book, When We’re In Charge, is out now from Crooked Reads. It’s a guidebook to leadership for the next generation from the founder of Run For Something and the newest release from Crooked’s publishing imprint. When We’re In Charge makes a great gift for new grads, friends celebrating a big promotion, or anyone looking to up their beach reading game this summer. Plus, you can complete your book look with a ‘We Do Not Dream Of Labor’ tote, perfect for anyone who wishes every day was a summer friday – just head to crooked.com/store for the exclusive tote bundle. Or head straight to crooked.com/books to get the book.
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Right-wing hack Alex Jones literally cried over the Trump administration’s alleged coverup of the files related to child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein’s death. “I need to defend Trump. He’s being lied about. And then this type of shit happens, I don’t even know what to say,” he said in a video. There’s something downright soul-affirming about witnessing nutjob conspiracists realize they’re crazy.
A Delta Airlines flight headed for Portugal was forced to make an emergency landing — in the Azores. For those of you unaware, the Azores are a remote island chain off the coast of Portugal… and one of the most stunning places on earth. I would simply choose to not get back on the plane! Bonus vacation!
A panel cleared French Olympic fencer Ysaora Thibus of a doping charge, ruling that she could’ve tested positive on a drug test after repeatedly kissing her partner. This is the coolest way to beat a drug rap I’ve ever heard.
Researchers in Arizona found the oldest known fossil of a pterosaur, aka the first vertebrates with the ability to fly. This 209 million-year-old fossil is expected to offer clues about the evolution of pterosaurs, which includes the famous pterodactyl. I’m pthrilled about pthis!
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