Saudi Arabia to invest $1 billion in Virgin’s space launch enterprises

Space News reports that the Virgin Group and the Public Investment Fund of #Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement for an investment of $1 billion into Virgin’s #Space Launch enterprises. The deal includes an option to add another $480 million in financing. The agreement represents a financial shot in the arm for the space launch company that has been struggling to get off the ground for the past 13 years, ever since the winning of the Ansari X-Prize,

Aidan Gillen to appear in UFO-themed series for the History Channel ‘Blue Book’

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Roger Zemeckis is set to executive produce a new scripted series for the History Channel called “#Blue Book,” which will depict the United States #Air Force’s efforts to investigate UFO phenomena. #Aidan Gillen, best known for his role as “Littlefinger” on "Game of Thrones" is set to star as astronomer and UFO expert Dr. J. Allen Hynek who was the chief science advisor for Project Blue Book.

Hillary Clinton is concerned about the state of the Republican Party

#Hillary Clinton, who turns 70 as this piece is being written, has a host of troubles to contend with, from the Uranium One scandal [VIDEO] to the revelation that he campaign colluded on the so-called Trump Russia dossier [VIDEO]. However, neither her birthday nor her latest legal troubles have stopped her from expressing concern for the #Republican Party. She says that the GOP is “imploding” and that this process frightens her.

Sen Patty Murray opposed to Jim Bridenstine’s nomination as NASA Administrator

The Senate Commerce Committee has announced that Rep. Jim. Bridenstine, R-Oklahoma, will finally get his hearing on the subject of his nomination to be #Nasa Administrator on November 1. Bridenstine’s appointment will be considered along with three Commerce Department Nominees, so the opportunity for questions will be limited.

Sarah Palin reacts to accusations of sexual harassment against Mark Halperin

CNN is reporting that NBC news analyst #Mark Halperin is accused of #Sexual Harassment by five different women from when he worked for ABC. Halperin has pretty much admitted to the misbehavior, stating that he did pursue relationships with women he worked with but now realizes that his behavior was “inappropriate and caused others pain.” #Sarah Palin, who was a subject of a controversial book Halperin co-wrote called “Game Change” that was turned into an HBO movie starring Julianne Moore as the former governor of Alaska, expressed a degree of schadenfreude in her Twitter feed.

Iran declares United States in breach of nuclear weapons agreement

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that the Iranian government is accusing the #United States of 18 separate violations of the #Nuclear Weapons accord. The accusation is seen by foreign policy experts as a ploy to distract from the Islamic Republics own violations of the agreement. The Iranians took this initiative hard on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to decertify the agreement that was first concluded under the Obama presidency and has been controversial ever since.

Report calls for support of commercial space to enhance national security

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that a new report by Center for a New American Security has concluded that encouraging commercial #Space exploration will enhance America’s strategic edge over Russia and China in space. The Trump administration is already pursuing a strategy of using commercial companies such as SpaceX and #Blue Origin as partners for its plans for deep space exploration. Initiatives such as partly funding the development of the SpaceX Raptor engine [VIDEO] will enhance military space as well.

How Drones Helped Hurricane Harvey Rescue Effort

Is the military helping to pay for commercial space exploration technology?

#The United States #Air Force recently granted SpaceX $40.77 million dollars to go toward the development of the Raptor, a liquid methane liquid oxygen burning rocket engine envisioned to power the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). The BFR is designed to support lunar bases, Mars colonies, and point to point transportation on Earth. Slate theorizes that the Trump administration is channeling money to help commercial sector space exploration through the military rather than NASA. The idea is that expenditures of money on that scale are less conspicuous going through the Defense Department rather than NASA because of the relative sizes of their budgets.

Actress files suit against the Weinstein Company

Hot Air is reporting that the first lawsuit against the #Weinstein Company as opposed to #Harvey Weinstein himself concerning the disgraced Hollywood producer’s long history of sexual abuse and perhaps worse against young women. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by a struggling actress named Dominique Huett. She is asking for $5 million.

Israeli company creates new 3D food printer

One of the ways that 3D printing technology promises to change the world is in the production of #food. The idea is to take the raw components of food, run them through a printer, and produce something that is at once nutritious and tasty. NASA is interested in the application as a way to feed astronauts on deep space missions. Some commercial kitchens are already using #3D Printing to create chocolate sculptures and custom cake decorations. The Foodini is a 3D food printer that can be programmed to generate dishes that seem identical to those that are made naturally. An eatery in London, Food Ink, serves from a menu that is entirely made up of 3D printed dishes,

Crown Prince Bin Salman wants Saudi Arabia to ‘return’ to moderate Islam

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir apparent to the throne of #Saudi Arabia, is determined to be a transformative monarch. He has announced that under his rule, the kingdom will be “returning” to a form of moderate Islam. Leaving aside whether Saudi Arabia, well known for its kind of radical Wahhabism, was ever moderate, a singular reason exists for the Kingdom to lessen its support for extreme Islam. It is running out of oil revenues and needs to reinvent itself while it still can.

The DNC and the Clinton campaign helped to pay for the Russia Trump dossier

The revelation that the DNC and the #Clinton Campaign, working through Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, funded the research conducted by Fusion GPS into the so-called Russia Trump dossier starting in April 2016 has rocked Washington to its foundations. The document, the veracity of which has been called into question by a number of intelligence sources, has formed the basis of conspiracy theories that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian intelligence to steal the 2016 presidential election.

Jeff Flakes calls it quits in the Senate

Sen. #Jeff flake, R-Arizona has announced his retirement. He made it pretty clear that he is bringing his Senate career to a close because Flake is sick and tired of Donald Trump, a man with whom he has clashed repeatedly. #Hot Air speculates that Flake has looked at his reelection numbers, measured them in the balance, and has found them wanting. He has a formidable primary opponent in Kelli Ward and, beyond that, a strong Democratic challenger Krysten Sinema. Better, perhaps, to tell the voters of Arizona, “You can’t fire me. I quit.”

Elon Musk can save the 21st century

Russia was secretly supporting the anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protests

Buzzfeed is reporting on another example of Russian attempts to influence the American political process and sow discord among Americans. However, the operation in question had nothing to do directly with the 2016 presidential election. It had everything to do with pouring gasoline on the fire of the #Dakota Access Pipeline controversy. A coalition consisting of a Native American tribe and environmental groups attempted to block the pipeline through legal action and direct protest , which included civil disobedience at the site where it was being built.

Nelson and Scott are neck and neck in the 2018 Florida Senate race

According to the Miami Herald, the senate race shaping up in Florida between Sen. #Bill Nelson, the incumbent Democrat, and Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is term-limited, is a dead heat more than a year out, 37 percent to 36 percent. The same poll showed that 20 percent of Florida voters are not aware of who their choices are. However, since Nelson has won his Senate races comfortably in 2012 and 2006 after winning narrowly for the first time in 2000, the poll suggests that he is in trouble.

EPA ends the practice of ‘sue and settle’ to impose regulations

The #epa has ended a #Practice known as “sue and settle” by which regulations could be imposed by a backdoor method that lacked the usual transparency required for new rules by government agencies, according to the Washington Examiner. The practice has cost the private industry $68 billion since 2005 and has imposed an annual cost of $26 billion. Moreover, the practice has caused millions of hours of paperwork and red tape to be mandated on the private sector.

A math professor finds racism in mathematics

Campus Reform relates the story of a University of Illinois #Math professor named Rochelle Gutierrez who has concluded in a new book that mathematics is racist because it encourages #White Privilege. People who think that math simply describes the universe as it is have apparently got it all wrong. The thesis may come as a surprise to the Indians and Arabs who helped to develop algebra. Katherine Johnson, the African American math genius who made herself useful to the early space program, never knew she was promoting whiteness by being so good at the subject.

Now parents are worried their little girls want to dress as Moana for Halloween

Sadly, stupid politically correct nonsense has intruded on Halloween, in particular, the selection of costumes for the kids to wear while they go out pestering the neighbors for candy. Apparently, parents are having conniptions over whether or not their daughters should go out dressed as the latest favorite Disney princess, Moana [VIDEO], the heroic Polynesian navigator who braved the Pacific in the company of a deity played by Dwayne Johnson, the actor formerly known as “the Rock.” Such a thing might be considered #cultural appropriation.