INSIDER
NASA decision against using a Boeing capsule to bring astronauts back adds to company's problems
Read full article: NASA decision against using a Boeing capsule to bring astronauts back adds to company's problemsNASA says it won't use Boeing's Starliner capsule to bring two stranded astronauts back to Earth.
NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule
Read full article: NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsuleNASA has decided it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule.
WATCH LIVE: NASA announces how and when Boeing Starliner astronauts will fly back from space
Read full article: WATCH LIVE: NASA announces how and when Boeing Starliner astronauts will fly back from spaceNASA will decide this weekend whether Boeing's new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they've been waiting since June.
What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky-high again in latest survey of federal employees
Read full article: What a blast to work at NASA. Space agency is sky-high again in latest survey of federal employeesExploring the cosmos makes for happy employees, federal workers like to work from home like everyone else, and an agency that has struggled with low morale is showing improvement.
Ken Mattingly, astronaut who helped Apollo 13 crew return safely home, dies at age 87
Read full article: Ken Mattingly, astronaut who helped Apollo 13 crew return safely home, dies at age 87Ken Mattingly, an astronaut who is best remembered for his efforts on the ground that helped bring the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to Earth, has died.
NASA says more science and less stigma are needed to understand UFOs
Read full article: NASA says more science and less stigma are needed to understand UFOsNASA says the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived.
NASA head: We have cooperation with our Russian colleagues
Read full article: NASA head: We have cooperation with our Russian colleaguesNASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Friday played down recent comments by the head of Russia’s space agency that the United States would have to use broomsticks to fly to space after Russia said it would stop supplying rocket engines to U.S. companies.
China delays mission while NASA congratulates on Mars images
Read full article: China delays mission while NASA congratulates on Mars imagesChina has postponed a supply mission to its new space station for unspecified technical reasons, while photos sent back from Mars by its newly arrived rover earned plaudits from NASA.
Biden picks former senator who flew in space to lead NASA
Read full article: Biden picks former senator who flew in space to lead NASAPresident Joe Biden has chosen Nelson, a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle to lead NASA. Scott Applewhite, File)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – President Joe Biden has chosen a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle right before the Challenger accident to lead NASA. Biden on Friday announced his intent to nominate Bill Nelson as the space agency's administrator. “There has been no greater champion, not just for Florida’s space industry, but for the space program as a whole than Bill,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said in a statement. Plenty of qualified candidates,” retired space shuttle director and program manager Wayne Hale tweeted earlier this month.
Report: Biden selects Bill Nelson as next NASA chief
Read full article: Report: Biden selects Bill Nelson as next NASA chiefThe sky isn’t the limit for former Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who’s been selected by President Joe Biden as the next chief of NASA, according to a new report from The Verge. Citing three sources with knowledge of the decision, The Verge reported the former senator has been chosen to replace NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a Trump appointee. The selection of Nelson for the post was made known to Senate and NASA staffers this week, the sources told the outlet, and an official announcement is expected to be made soon. Nelson, a former three-term senator, became the second member of Congress to journey into space when he served as a payload specialist for the Columbia space shuttle mission in 1986. In November 2018, Nelson lost his reelection bid for a fourth term in a tight race against former Florida Gov.
With another Florida loss, Democrats begin second guessing
Read full article: With another Florida loss, Democrats begin second guessingAs election postmortems go, the one that began in Florida Wednesday was especially wrenching for Democrats. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Perhaps only in Florida is a loss by fewer than 4 percentage points considered a public drubbing. Democrats zeroed in on two clear explanations: Biden didn't connect with the state's Latino voters, performing particularly poorly with Cuban voters in South Florida. Some Democrats also give Republicans credit for registering thousands of new voters and narrowing the voter registration advantage Democrats have long had. For Taddeo, the Democratic state senator, it means going back to basics.
Florida, butt of election jokes, believes system is ready
Read full article: Florida, butt of election jokes, believes system is readyState leaders eliminated computer punchcard ballots, implemented statewide recount laws and made it easy to cast and process ballots before Election Day. Though there are other scenarios that make elections officials nervous, the computer punch-card ballots that fueled 2000's chaos are buried in history's landfill. Casting valid ballots and processing them is now easier, even before Election Day, and the Legislature has enacted clearer laws governing recounts. If the statewide margin then is within a half-percentage point — likely about 55,000 votes — a machine recount would occur. These voters are notified and have until two days after the election to prove their identity, but many won’t respond.
Lawmakers on list of GOP, Democratic electors in Florida
Read full article: Lawmakers on list of GOP, Democratic electors in FloridaTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state Republican and Democratic parties have named their slates of electors for this year’s presidential election, with the names of current and former lawmakers sprinkled through the lists. EXPLAINED: Electoral College vs popular voteThe Florida Department of State posted the lists Friday on its website. The Republican list includes Florida GOP Chairman Joe Gruters, a state senator from Sarasota; incoming state Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples; state Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville; incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor; state Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville; state Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay; and state Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami. The Democatic list includes Florida Democratic Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo; Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried; former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla.; state Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura; and state Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park. Rod Smith, a Gainesville attorney who was a Democratic candidate in the 2016 race for governor, is also on the list.
Florida Democrats running to boost Biden from the bottom up
Read full article: Florida Democrats running to boost Biden from the bottom up"And Im glad to be part of that.Johnson's campaign is part of a major change in strategy for Florida Democrats. Long accustomed to being on the losing side of razor-close races, state Democrats are mounting challenges in Republican strongholds not necessarily to win but to lose by less. For years, Florida Democrats largely have focused on running up the score in heavily Democratic urban precincts in South Florida in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. But Florida Democrats are hoping that enthusiasm rises from the bottom up and compounds quickly. Were fielding candidates to win races, and we think that Trump will win Florida," said Florida Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters, who is running for reelection to his state Senate seat.
Florida's lone statewide elected Democrat takes on President Trump
Read full article: Florida's lone statewide elected Democrat takes on President TrumpFor the Democratic presidential candidates who will soon be searching Florida for a path to beating Trump, Fried may seem an unlikely guide. But as the only Democrat in statewide office, Fried is all they've got. "Bill Nelson was a throwback to a different Democratic Party. It's why she's not afraid to praise DeSantis, a fierce Trump loyalist, on issues like the environment and medical marijuana. Fried, who is Jewish, tweeted after Trump said Jewish voters who vote for Democrats show "great disloyalty.''
Democrats say law resolves ballot signature fight
Read full article: Democrats say law resolves ballot signature fightThe new law also creates a way for voters who cast provisional ballots to cure signatures that dont match those on file with elections officials. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in November sided with Nelson and the Democrats, issuing a preliminary injunction and giving extra time to cure ballots. The new law also addresses another of the plaintiffs complaints by creating a way for voters who cast provisional ballots to cure signature match rejections. And the law extended the deadline for voters to submit a cure affidavit to resolve signature discrepancies. Under the new law, voters who cast mail-in ballots and those who used provisional ballots have until 5 p.m. the second day after the election to submit the affidavits.
State wants ballot signature lawsuit tossed
Read full article: State wants ballot signature lawsuit tossedThe legal challenge stemmed from part of Floridas elections law that required signatures on mail-in and provisional ballots to match signatures on file with elections offices. It also stemmed from the process to cure signature mismatches. This training will ensure that Floridas uniform standard for accepting vote-by-mail and provisional ballots is applied accurately and consistently throughout the state, the states lawyers wrote. The new law also changes the procedures and deadlines for voters to cure signature mismatches, the state argued. Properly administered, these provisions will ensure that vote-by-mail voters are notified of a signature mismatch before the cure deadline, the lawyers wrote.
State acts against nursing home after 8 deaths
Read full article: State acts against nursing home after 8 deathsRick Scott described as “unfathomable.”The moratorium on admissions, issued by the state Agency for Health Care Administration, came after The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills was evacuated earlier in the day. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., also called on the federal Department of Health and Human Services to get involved in investigating the deaths. Carballo's statement and the moratorium provided more details about what happened at the Hollywood nursing home leading up to the deaths Wednesday. The statement said the nursing home contacted Florida Power & Light and followed up about when repairs would be made. The Florida Health Care Association, a nursing-home industry group, said Wednesday morning that about 150 of nearly 700 nursing facilities in the state did not have electricity fully restored.
Nearly a year after Hurricane Matthew, parts of Jax still need repair
Read full article: Nearly a year after Hurricane Matthew, parts of Jax still need repairJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It has been nearly a year since Hurricane Matthew devastated parts of northeast Florida and local governments are still waiting for federal reimbursements. In San Marco, Riverside Park’s bulkhead took a hard hit from the storm. “People out in the evening sit here with cameras or just watch the sunset,” San Marco resident Sam Mitchell said. Nobody is ever out here.”“I just kind of avoided the area since the fence went up,” San Marco resident Brandon Estes said. “It’s totally inaccessible,” Mandarin resident Clint Waltrip said.