Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Biden And Harris Meet With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with both the President and Vice President yesterday to discuss the ongoing war against Hamas. President Joe Biden and Netanyahu met with families of American hostages being held in Gaza for about an hour, with the two leaders discussing negotiations for a cease-fire and the release of all the hostages. Biden also reportedly talked with the Israeli Prime Minister about the US’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran and its proxies.” While Biden made no public remarks about his meeting other than a brief mention of meeting former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and joking that he was “only 12 when it happened,” Vice President Kamala Harris held a press conference after she talked with Bibi. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris told reporters, adding “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies.” The Vice President didn’t take any questions from reporters after her comments.
2 Tests This Weekend Will Determine If Boeing's Starliner Capsule Can Return To Earth Safely
wo astronauts on the International Space Station are probably listening to “Major Tom” on repeat. Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Willaims, traveled to the ISS early in June for a roughly week-long mission on the Boeing Starliner capsule, and they’re still there almost two months later. The capsule had unexpected helium leaks that affected its maneuvering thrusters as it approached the station. NASA and Boeing have been testing thrusters on the ground, and more tests this weekend will determine if the leaks have gotten any worse on the capsule. Yesterday was the 50th day in space for the capsule, which has batteries that were rated for 45 days in space. That limit has been extended to 90 days based on their performance, but there’s still no word on when the two astronauts can hope to get back to Earth.
3 Northern California Wildfire Explodes On Day One, Arson Suspect Arrested
A wildfire that started Wednesday afternoon in the Chico area of California exploded in size throughout the day yesterday, growing to 124,900 acres by last night. The fire was fanned by winds in the area, but there’s a lot of attention being focused on how it started. A woman named Elizabeth Fox posted a TikTok video claiming to have seen a man “explode” his car, push it down a hill, and then walk away. That video led Cal Fire arson investigators to arrest a 42-year-old Chico man on suspicion of starting the fire. Officials found the car suspected of starting the fire where it had slid 60 feet down an embankment and apparently started the fire. As of last night, the fire was only 3-percent contained.