NASA to name DC headquarters after 'hidden figure' Mary W. Jackson

She was NASA's first Black female engineer.

BUILD A MONUMENT TO HER AND HER SISTERS

By Ivan Pereira 24 June 2020
Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.Mary Winston Jackson, professional aerospace engineer and leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations, is seen in this undated photo.NASA
Washington D.C. renames street to honor black female NASA mathematicians

The residents of Washington D.C. gathered to celebrate Hidden Figures Way, the new street honoring the prolific achievements made by black female mathematicians during the Space Race.

Mary W. Jackson was once a "hidden figure" at NASA, but now her name will grace the agency's office in the nation's capital.

NASA announced on Wednesday that its Washington, D.C., headquarters will be renamed in honor of Jackson, the agency's first Black female engineer and who spent decades juggling complex research with pushing for more diversity in scientific fields.

"NASA facilities across the country are named after people who dedicated their lives to push the frontiers of the aerospace industry. The nation is beginning to awaken to the greater need to honor the full diversity of people who helped pioneer our great nation," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.

Jackson, a Hampton, Virginia native, earned a degree in math and physical sciences in 1942 and worked as a teacher, bookkeeper and Army secretary before she joined NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in 1951. She worked on several engineering projects, including ones that involved the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, and her supervisor suggested she enter a training program to be promoted to engineer.
MORE: NASA honors 'hidden figures' who helped John Glenn orbit the Earth

Jackson needed special permission to attend the classes since they took place at the then-segregated Hampton High School. She eventually earned the promotion in 1958. As an engineer, she worked on studies mostly focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around airplanes, NASA said.

In 1979, she worked at Langley's Federal Women's Program and advocated for more women and minorities to be hired in math and science fields. Jackson retired in 1985, and she died about 20 years later.

"She was a scientist, humanitarian, wife, mother, and trailblazer who paved the way for thousands of others to succeed, not only at NASA, but throughout this nation," Carolyn Lewis, Jackson's daughter, said in a statement.
MORE: Katherine Johnson, mathematician and real-life subject of 'Hidden Figures,' dies at 101

Jackson's work, along with that of other Black female NASA scientists, was highlighted in the 2016 book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race." Janelle Monáe portrayed Jackson in the film adaptation that came out the same year.




Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C.NASA

Last year, Jackson and "Hidden Figures" colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Christine Darden were awarded Congressional Gold Medals, and Congress voted to rename the street outside NASA's D.C. headquarters Hidden Figures Way.

Democrats on track to elect first openly gay Black lawmakers to Congress

© Richard Drew/AP, FILE | Al J. Thompson/The New York Times via Redux In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. | Mondaire Jones is shown in Nyack, N.Y., June 16, 2020.
Two years after LGBTQ candidates made historic gains in federal, state and local elections across the country, two New York Democratic House candidates are on the verge of crossing a new milestone in the halls of Congress.

Attorney Mondaire Jones and New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres are leading crowded fields in primaries to replace retiring Reps. Jose Serrano and Nita Lowey. While neither race has been called by the Associated Press or ABC News, as absentee ballots have yet to be counted, both, should they win, could become the first openly gay Black members of Congress.

“With these two candidates, we are on the cusp of achieving history,” Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, told ABC News.

 “(MORE: COVID-19 outbreak exposes generations-old racial and economic divide in New York City

Jones, an attorney who worked in the Justice Department under President Obama and the Westchester County Law Department, received endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

He leads an eight-candidate field in a district that includes portions of New York’s Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York City’s northern suburbs.

“This is a huge victory for the progressive movement and for the working people of New York’s 17th Congressional District,” Jones told ABC News. “Government has never worked for everyone, it’s only ever worked for a subset of the American people, and I’m running to change that.”© Richard Drew/AP, FILE | Al J. Thompson/The New York Times via Redux In this, March 19, 2018, file photo, New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres addresses a news conference in New York. | Mondaire Jones is shown in Nyack, N.Y., June 16, 2020.

Torres, who identifies as Afro-Latino and would also be the first gay Hispanic member of Congress, is ahead in a 12-candidate contest that includes City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister and social conservative with a history of anti-gay and homophobic remarks.

(MORE: How a Trump-praising Democrat could win a New York House primary)

While some progressive activists worried that a splintered primary field would give Diaz Sr. a path to victory, he trails Torres and state assemblyman Michael Blake, after a number of outside groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, poured money into the race and ran ads against him.

“Groups lined up and said, ‘We hope you support our candidate, but don’t support Ruben Diaz Sr,’” said Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston who serves as president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ candidates for political office. “We can’t have that attitude and those beliefs in Congress, and I think that had an impact.”

The number of LGBTQ members of Congress reached double digits for the first time in 2019, and could hit a record high of eleven, should both candidates win their primaries, and the sitting lawmakers win reelection.

In interviews with ABC News, Jones and Torres discussed the need to further diversify representation in Congress as the nation grapples with racial inequality following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and the coronavirus continues to disproportionally impact communities of color.

“This country is facing a reckoning when it comes to racial justice issues,” the Human Rights Campaign’s David told ABC News. “Voters are speaking up loudly about the path forward and how that path has to include people of color.”

Jones, who said he was raised by a single mother with the help of food assistance and subsidized housing, has called for monthly stimulus checks to Americans - $2,000 per adult and $1,000 per child – to help families weather the coronavirus-induced recession, and has also endorsed Medicare-for-All.

He said he’s excited to “bring my experiences to bear as we formulate policy at the federal level,” and also serve as the role model to Americans that he never had.

“It is a [responsibility] I take very seriously, it is one that I know would have directly improved my life if I had that kind of representation growing up,” he said.

Minnesota sues Exxon, Koch and API for being 'deceptive' on climate change
By Valerie Volcovici

© Reuters/Eric Miller FILE PHOTO: Minnesota Attorney General Ellison announces charges against former police officers involved in Floyd death


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The state of Minnesota on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil Corp and Koch Industries for what it called a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about climate change.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges by states, cities, and citizen groups targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in global warming.

Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state believed the oil and gas industry's main lobby group, as well as Exxon and Koch, violated Minnesota laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices and false advertising.

The complaint alleges the companies and industry body "strategized to deceive the public" about climate science to protect their business interests and accused them of a "multi-pronged campaign of deception" conducted over the last 30 years.

"The fraud, deceptive advertising, and other violations of Minnesota state law and common law that the lawsuit shows they perpetrated have harmed Minnesotans’ health and our state’s environment, infrastructure, and economy,” Ellison said.

He said the state has asked a Minnesota district court to require the defendants to fund an education campaign on climate change and pay for damages caused by global warming.

The API did not directly comment on the lawsuit, but said the oil industry had been working to provide "affordable, reliable energy to U.S. consumers while substantially reducing emissions and our environmental footprint."

“Any suggestion to the contrary is false,” said API Chief Legal Officer Paul Afonso.

Officials at Exxon and Koch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At least 15 other plaintiffs, including states, cities and youth and citizen groups, have filed similar lawsuits against the oil and gas industry, including Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.

In December, Exxon prevailed in a case brought by New York that accused the oil major of failing to disclose the financial risks of climate change to investors.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

RCMP can't explain silence on criminal charges against Mountie

Court records reveal that 10 months ago, Const. Simon Seguin, 31, was criminally charged with assault, mischief and unlawfully entering a dwelling house.

Seguin was seen on a March 2020 RCMP dashcam video tackling Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. The video shows Seguin taking the chief to the ground without warning, punching him in the head and putting him in a chokehold. Charges against Adam for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer were dropped by the Crown in Fort McMurray on Wednesday. 

Janice Johnston

The Fort McMurray RCMP officer now being investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response team for the violent arrest of a First Nations chief will go to trial in September on three unrelated criminal charges.

Court records reveal that 10 months ago, Const. Simon Seguin, 31, was criminally charged with assault, mischief and unlawfully entering a dwelling house.

"He did attend a residence while he was off duty and attempted to gain access inside this home," RCMP spokesperson Fraser Logan told CBC News. "An altercation ensued with two occupants inside before he left the residence."

Logan said Seguin had a personal relationship with one of the home's occupants. He said he didn't know if the woman who was allegedly assaulted is the one Seguin had that relationship with.

CBC News first learned of the criminal charges against Seguin on Tuesday. They were not made public by RCMP.

Logan admitted that is a departure from their typical practice.

"This is not normal for us," Logan said. "That is something that we are concerned about because internally we don't know exactly why those charges weren't made public. That is something we normally do."

© Peter Evans/CBC The Fort McMurray house Cst. Seguin is being investigated for unlawfully entering last August.

Seguin was seen on a March 2020 RCMP dashcam video tackling Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. The video shows Seguin taking the chief to the ground without warning, punching him in the head and putting him in a chokehold.

Charges against Adam for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer were dropped by the Crown in Fort McMurray on Wednesday.

Chief Adam was taken aback when CBC News told him about the criminal charges against Seguin.

© Peter Evans/CBC The reaction of Chief Allan Adam (left) when he's told the RCMP officer who tackled him faces unrelated criminal charges. He spoke to CBC News along with his lawyer Brian Beresh.

"I'm speechless because I was not aware of this information," Adam said.

His lawyer is demanding accountability from the RCMP. Brian Beresh wants to know why Seguin remains on front-line active duty.

"It was only recently that this information was discovered," Brian Beresh said. "I'm very surprised that this was not revealed publicly and I'm very surprised ... that this person has not been suspended."

Logan said an internal evaluation after the August 2019 incident determined Seguin should not be pulled off the job. But he said that status would likely be reviewed after the conclusion of the criminal trial.

ASIRT, who are investigating Adam's arrest, did not respond to an email asking if the police watchdog was aware of the criminal charges that had been laid 10 months ago against Seguin.

Code of conduct hearing

CBC News has learned an RCMP Code of Conduct hearing was held on March 26, 16 days after Seguin tackled Adam.

A source told CBC News Seguin was given a one-day suspension for the mischief allegation and received a letter of reprimand on his file for the assault allegation.

Logan was unable to explain the timing of the hearing or why it was held before Seguin's September trial.

"Honestly I don't know," Logan said. "It's a parallel process and it comes up when it comes up. It's supposed to come up when any concern has been brought to light."

Beresh said he's also at a loss to understand the timing of the internal hearing.

"I think this case leaves us with more questions than answers," Beresh said. "I think the RCMP have to provide all those answers publicly as soon as possible."

A criminologist with Mount Royal University in Calgary, Kelly Sundberg, described the situation as unacceptable.

"It's concerning and frankly, it's disturbing," Sundberg said. "What justification could the RCMP possibly have that this officer would maintain active duty in light of everything that's come to public view? It's unbelievable."

© CBC Mount Royal University criminologist Kelly Sundberg described the Seguin case as concerning and disturbing.

Sundberg thinks the RCMP needs to take immediate action to rectify the situation.

"Just for the credibility and legitimacy of our criminal justice system and for the police, surely someone would think of putting him on administrative leave, even if paid, until all this shakes out," Sundberg said

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/06/a-true-victory-charges-dropped-against.html

UPDATED
'A true victory:' Charges dropped against Alberta chief in violent arrest

© Provided by The Canadian Press

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Charges were dropped against a prominent northern Alberta First Nations chief Wednesday as it was revealed that one of the officers involved in his violent arrest had been charged in an off-duty assault seven months earlier.

The case of Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation was in front of a Fort McMurray provincial court judge Wednesday when charges of resisting arrest and assaulting an RCMP officer were withdrawn by the Crown.

The move came after RCMP dash-cam footage of Adam's March arrest, which started as a stop for an expired licence plate, was made public earlier this month as part of a court application to clear Adam's name.

"The Crown reassessed the prosecution standard based on an examination of the available evidence including the disclosure of additional relevant material and withdrew the two charges," Alberta Justice spokeswoman Carla Jones said in a statement.

"The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service has no comment on the actions of the police."

Adam, who was left bruised and bloodied during the arrest, welcomed the news.

"I'm overwhelmed at the fact that the charges have been dropped because, you know, we knew — my wife and I knew — that we didn't do nothing wrong," he said on a video call after the hearing.

"You know, it was just for an expired licence plate. We don't understand the reasons why it had to escalate."

Adam's lawyer Brian Beresh called the decision a win.

"The withdrawal of these charges at this stage in the law, for our purposes, is a finding of not guilty," Beresh said. "It is a true victory, not only for Allan Adam and his family, other Indigenous accused, but for our society generally."

Beresh said he learned through a court check that one of the officers, Const. Simon Seguin, has a trial set before a provincial court judge in September on separate charges of assault, mischief and unlawfully being in a dwelling house.

"Those events, which led to charges against him, occurred on Aug. 5, 2019," he said. "As of this date, that police officer remains on full duty, not suspended, not fired."

Alberta RCMP confirmed it was aware of the charge.

"His duty status would have been the result of an assessment made by his managers on his suitability to remain on duty," spokesman Fraser Logan said in a statement. "These internal processes are independent of any pending criminal trial."

Logan added the decision to drop the charges against Adam was up to the Crown.

"The role of the police is to investigate and gather evidence in support of a charge and the RCMP fulfilled that role on this file," he said. "The Crown's role is to assess the elements of the offence and to determine if they prosecute."

The 12-minute dash-cam video from early on March 10 shows a black truck idling outside the Boomtown Casino in downtown Fort McMurray in the glow of flashing police lights.

Adam can be seen walking back and forth between the truck and a RCMP cruiser, shouting profanities at an officer out of view. The chief tells the officer to tell his sergeant: "I'm tired of being harassed by the RCMP.'"

"Sir, just return to your vehicle. I'll come talk to you in a minute,'" the Mountie replies.

A few minutes later, Adam again gets out of the truck and takes off his jacket as he strides toward the officer. A woman in the driver's seat gets out and Adam crouches as though bracing for a fight.

At one point, the officer is seen pushing the woman against the truck and yanking her by the shoulder as she shouts, "'Ow!"

"'Hey! Leave my wife alone! You come for me,'" Adam says, before swatting the officer's hands away from the woman.

About seven minutes into the video, a second officer — who has been identified as Seguin — runs at Adam, tackles him to the ground and punches him in the head. Adam is then cuffed and put in the back of the cruiser, blood streaming from his face.

The RCMP had initially stated that the officers' actions were reasonable.

Politicians, however, have demanded answers after the video was released.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province's police watchdog, is investigating the arrest. They did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday, but posted on Twitter that the independent investigation will continue.

Speaking in Edmonton, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the Police Act is under review by the province and there will be a focus on racism and abuse of authority.

"We know, like in any walk of life, there are some bad apples. And police services, especially because of the extraordinary powers that they exercise, must be particularly careful."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 24, 2020

— By Colette Derworiz and Tim Cook in Edmonton, with files from Dean Bennett.

The Canadian Press

RCMP can't explain silence on criminal charges against Mountie

Court records reveal that 10 months ago, Const. Simon Seguin, 31, was criminally charged with assault, mischief and unlawfully entering a dwelling house.

Seguin was seen on a March 2020 RCMP dashcam video tackling Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. The video shows Seguin taking the chief to the ground without warning, punching him in the head and putting him in a chokehold. Charges against Adam for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer were dropped by the Crown in Fort McMurray on Wednesday. 

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/06/rcmp-cant-explain-silence-on-criminal.html


BULLSHIT Charges to be dropped against First Nations Chief Allan Adam

Allan Adam had been charged with resisting arrest, assaulting police officer 

VIDEO SHOWS THE COPS ASSAULTING HIM

 he Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 24, 2020

Pictured here at June 6 press conference, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam accused Wood Buffalo RCMP of assault. (Jamie Malbeuf/CBC)

The Crown will drop charges against First Nations Chief Allan Adam, who is accused of resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, CBC News has learned.

An unnamed RCMP source, who is not authorized to speak to the media, confirms that the Alberta crown decided to drop the charges because they were not in the public interest.

Adam's first court date is scheduled for later today. He is not expected to appear in person.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated later.

Investigation launched after northern Alberta chief accuses RCMP of assault 

RCMP dashcam video shows officer tackling, punching Chief Allan Adam during arrest

In the nearly 12-minute video obtained by CBC News, an agitated Adam swears repeatedly at the police officers, accuses the RCMP of harassing him and removes his jacket after RCMP pulled behind his idling truck outside the Boomtown Casino in Fort McMurray, Alta..

There is more arguing and Adam gets back into the passenger seat. The officer is seen pushing the woman against the truck and yanking her by the shoulder as she shouts, "Ow!"

"Hey! Leave my wife alone! You come for me," Adam says, before swatting the officer's hands away from the woman.

About seven minutes into the video, a second officer runs at Adam, grabs him by the neck and shoulders and tackles him to the ground.

"Don't resist, sir!" the officer yells, as he straddles the chief. That officer can be seen punching Adam in the side of the head with one arm while holding him down with the other.

"My name is Chief Allan Adam," Adam says as the two officers pin him down.

The officers eventually handcuff the chief, pull him up and lead him toward the cruiser. His face is bloodied. His laboured breathing can be heard inside the police vehicle toward the end of the video.

Adam's lawyer Brian Beresh has dismissed criticism that Adam is responsible for escalating the situation. He said his client responded the way he did because he knows how police have treated Indigenous people.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the incident shocking and has called for an independent inquiry.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province's police watchdog, is now investigating.

WE NEED CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF POLICE WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE FIRST NATIONS ELDERS

Alberta First Nations Chief Allan Adam speaks out after charges against him are dropped

Charges have been dropped against a prominent northern Alberta First Nations chief who was the subject of a violent arrest earlier this year. The case of Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation was in front of a Fort McMurray provincial court judge Wednesday where charges of resisting arrest and assaulting a peace officer were withdrawn by the Crown. Adam said he was overwhelmed by Wednesday’s decision to drop those charges, but knew he did nothing wrong. “If we are to move forward in any capacity, we have to seriously open the eyes of each and every non-native Canadian to the realities that we, Indigenous people of the land, have had to live with for decades,” he said. “This case, like too many others in recent weeks, shines a light on systemic racism that for too long has gone unchecked and unbridled,” Allan’s lawyer Brian Beresh said. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7101448/al...

White supremacist terrorism 'on the rise and spreading,' US says in new report

© Mangel Ngan/Pool via Reuters Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gives a news conference about dealings with China and Iran, and on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, in Washington, June 24, 2020.
The threat of racially or ethnically motivated terrorism, especially white supremacist terrorism, is "on the rise and spreading geographically," according to a new report by the State Department, as the threat from ISIS and other radical Islamist terror groups evolves.

The annual report, released Wednesday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, details by country and terror organization the threats emanating around the world.MORE: State Dept. labels white supremacist group terrorists for 1st time ever

While 2019 saw some banner accomplishments in counter terrorism, according to Pompeo, like the killing of ISIS's founding leader and the fall of its caliphate, the threat of terrorism has morphed and expanded to new regions, especially the Sahel in northern Africa.

This year's report put even greater focus on white supremacist terrorism, just weeks after the department designated a white supremacist group as a foreign terrorist organization for the first time. In 2019, there were several high-profile attacks motivated by the ideology, including the Christchurch, New Zealand, mosque shooting in March; the El Paso, Texas, shooting in August; and the Halle, Germany, synagogue shooting in October.

That kind of "violence (is) both on the rise and spreading geographically, as white supremacist and nativist movements and individuals increasingly target immigrants; Jewish, Muslim, and other religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex (LGBTI) individuals; governments; and other perceived enemies," the report said.

MORE: State Dept warns of rise in 'racially-motivated' terrorism, expansion of ISIS 'toxic ideology'

According to U.S. ambassador-at-large for counter terrorism Nathan Sales, that threat has expanded since 2015, but he praised the Trump administration for taking it on.

"It took this administration coming into power to really prioritize stepping up efforts against this threat here in the case of the FBI and DHS, but also abroad where this department comes into play," Sales said.

In April, the State Department designated the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist group, as a "foreign terrorist organization" for the first time, barring U.S. individuals from supporting the group.

© Jens Schlueter/Getty Images, FILE In this Oct. 9, 2019, file photo, rescued parishioners of the Jewish community and police forces stand near the scene of a shooting that has left two people dead in Halle, Germany.

While that action was unprecedented, President Donald Trump has also downplayed the threat of white supremacist groups, telling reporters last year, "It's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess."

The State Department also announced Wednesday that it was increasing its reward for information leading to ISIS's new leader, Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, who is also known as Abu Muslim al-Turkmani. The U.S. government will now provide up to $10 million for details leading to his whereabouts, Pompeo announced, adding, "We're undaunted in our pursuit of bringing terrorists to justice."

© Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images, FILE In this Nov. 3, 3017, file photo, Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State (IS) group flag as they enter the city of al-Qaim, in Iraq's western Anbar province near the Syrian border.
Although ISIS's caliphate fell and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in 2019, the threat from the terror group has "evolved," according to Sales -- calling it now "a global network that reaches every inhabited continent" and continues to conduct and inspire attacks.MORE: 'Risk of a mass breakout' at ISIS prison camps in Syria: report

That includes in Iraq and Syria, once home to ISIS's caliphate, where Sales said, "We have to keep our eye on the ball ... to prevent any ISIS remnants from reconstituting, to prevent them from continuing attacks."

Virgin Galactic announces deal with NASA to help train private astronauts

© Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE Sir Richard Branson stands outside the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the Virgin Galactic (SPCE) IPO in New York, Oct. 28, 2019.

Private space exploration company Virgin Galactic announced it scored a deal with NASA to train private astronauts for spaceflight.

Under the Space Act Agreement signed with NASA's Johnson Space Center, Virgin Galactic will develop a new private orbital astronaut readiness program, the company announced Monday.

MORE: Virgin Galactic to resume selling tickets to space, reports skyrocketing demand

Goals for the new deal include identifying people interested in purchasing private astronaut missions to the International Space Station, procuring transportation to the space station and helping create astronaut training packages for private space travelers.

In a statement, NASA described the agreement with Virgin Galactic as "a program to identify candidates interested in purchasing private astronaut missions to the station then procures the transportation, on-orbit resources, and ground resources for private astronaut missions."© Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE Sir Richard Branson stands outside the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the Virgin Galactic (SPCE) IPO in New York, Oct. 28, 2019.

"We are excited to partner with NASA on this private orbital spaceflight program, which will not only allow us to use our spaceflight platform but also offer our space training infrastructure to NASA and other agencies," George Whitesides, the CEO of Virgin Galactic said in a statement.

"Based on the unsurpassed levels of spaceflight customer commitments we have secured to date, we are proud to share that insight in helping to grow another market for the new space economy," he added. "We want to bring the planetary perspective to many thousands of people."

MORE: Dragon soars in successful NASA-SpaceX launch

Stock for Virgin Galactic soared over 15% on news of the NASA deal Monday.

The Sir Richard Branson-spearheaded space tourism company announced earlier this year that it is preparing to sell tickets to space again, and that it has already taken more than 600 reservations from "Future Astronaut customers" in 60 countries.

In May, the Elon Musk-founded SpaceX became the first private space exploration company to launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, ushering in a new era of private spaceflight. The successful SpaceX-NASA launch also marked the first time in nearly a decade that the U.S. sent American astronauts from American soil into space.

Tesla ranks dead last in latest auto quality survey
Paul A. Eisenstein

Dodge became the first U.S. brand to nab the number one spot in the latest annual quality survey from J.D. Power — with Tesla ranking dead last.

The California-based automaker scored worst out of all 32 brands covered by the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, which measures the problems motorists face during the first 90 days of ownership. With an average 250 problems per 100 vehicles — or 250 PP100, as Power terms it — its owners reported nearly twice as many issues as did those buying Dodge models.

That poor showing echoes widespread concern about quality problems that have long nagged Tesla, and comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed it is investigating a problem that can cause the touchscreens on 63,000 Model S sedans to fail. Those screens are used to operate a variety of vehicle functions, including climate control.

Elon Musk reopens Tesla facility, defying local county orders

The electric vehicle maker’s newest product line, the Model Y SUV, has come under particularly harsh criticism, with reports on Tesla owner forums and in EV websites pointing to a long list of problems including defective paint, misfitting exterior trim and faulty rear seats that may not fold, as expected, and, in some cases, which have not even been bolted into place.

Website Elektrek earlier this month reported that some Tesla customers, including a couple in Maryland, declined to take delivery of one of the Model Y SUVs because of readily apparent and “significant defects.”

Paint problems have been an issue from the automaker since it began producing the Model S, its first mass-market EV, said independent auto Anton Wahlman. “It’s no surprise that since they’re using the same paint shop as the Models S, X and 3 that there’d be continuing paint problems” with the Model Y.

For his part, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged quality issues on a number of occasions. He warned of “production hell” as the company began ramping up its Fremont, California, assembly line to handle the Model 3 sedan in 2018. And he acknowledged the need to make “rectifications” to problems with the new Model Y earlier this year. That has translated into extensive repair work for many vehicles after they come off the Fremont line.

Meanwhile, Tesla recently announced it would make its “All Weather Protection Kit” available for free to owners of several different product in cold climates where paint problems have been more severe.

For its part, J.D. Power put an asterisk on the 2020 results for Tesla. The automaker has long resisted cooperating with outside quality arbiters.

“Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla doesn’t grant us permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it is required,” said Doug Betts, president of the automotive division at J.D. Power. “However, we were able to collect a large enough sample of surveys from owners in the other 35 states and, from that base, we calculated Tesla’s score.”

Tesla has not responded to several requests for comment on the results of the 2020 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

While the EV automaker might have anchored the bottom of the new quality report, the picture was quite different for traditional Detroit automakers.

In a stunning turnaround, the Dodge brand, long a quality laggard, surged to take the top spot, tying with Kia, while toppling traditional benchmarks including South Korea’s Genesis, Japan’s Lexus and Germany’s Porsche.

It was the first time a Detroit automaker led the IQS in its 34 years, noted Power, adding that domestic brands are, on the whole, now ranking above industry average.

“Collectively, this is the best-ever performance by the Detroit automakers in the history of the study,” Power said.

On the other hand, premium brands fared surprisingly poorly. While Genesis and Lexus came in above industry average, the lowest ranked brands, in descending order, were Jaguar, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Audi, Land Rover and Tesla.

The way of the dragon: Lost lizard found after 10-day, 4-km hike through Winnipeg

Ian Froese

© Ian Froese/CBC

 William Hill holds his two-year-old bearded dragon for the first time Tuesday night, after he went missing for 10 days. He was discovered four kilometres from his home.
An Elmwood man who spent 10 days searching for his lost dragon is breathing easier today.

William Hill's bearded dragon is finally back under his care, after his beloved foot-long reptile named Groot set off on an improbable four-kilometre adventure to St. Boniface.

And as fate would have it, Groot was taken in by Cara Velnes, who just happened to have a tank for a bearded dragon gathering dust in storage.

"I was just tickled pink," the 23-year-old roofer said after being reunited with his pet dragon at Velnes' home.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I was telling my sisters and my dad; my dad couldn't believe it either."

It's not only peculiar how far the reptile scuttled away from his Elmwood home, after escaping while lounging outside with Hill's father, but how the creature survived. Bearded dragons, which are native to Australia, are kept in tanks to replicate a hot, desert-like environment.

© Ian Froese/CBC 

Cara Velnes pets the bearded dragon she took care of Tuesday night, after it was discovered outside her front door.

Hill doesn't know exactly where his bearded dragon was, but Groot has likely been roaming the city since June 13.

"They're supposed to have constant supply of heat, I'm really surprised that he survived those cold nights," Hill said.

Few people were perhaps more prepared to shelter the displaced lizard than Velnes.

That's because Velnes bought a tank specifically for a bearded dragon last year. Her kids wanted one for Christmas, but then their wish list changed and the tank was stowed away.

Until Tuesday night, that is.

Velnes heard a commotion outside her door as some neighbour kids found the reptile underneath a truck.

She decided to take in the pet since she already had the pet's room and board covered.

"I ended up pulling [the tank] out and I had to explain to my kids why I have a giant tank for a lizard," Velnes said.

"Of course, the kids wanted to keep it, but that's not my situation — we can't do that."

She flagged the discovery on a St. Boniface Facebook group, and someone else connected the dots to a social media post on a Winnipeg lost dogs page regarding a lost lizard from Elmwood.

Within two hours, Hill and his sister, Chantalle Gauthier, were at Velnes' door.

Since Groot went missing, Hill has been scouring his neighbourhood and handing out flyers.

He was starting to run out of hope when he received a text message on Tuesday.

"I just can't wait to get him home, put him in his cage, get him all warmed up, try feeding him a couple of worms, see how he is, and then I'll take him to the vet tomorrow," Hill said.

Velnes said she's happy to have facilitated the reunion, and it may not be the last bearded dragon her family will have.

"There is a birthday in two weeks, so we'll see," she said, laughing.

5.8 magnitude earthquake shakes California

© USGS A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was measured 17km from Lone Pine, Calif.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit California around 10:45 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The epicenter was near Cartago, about 180 miles north of Los Angeles.

People at several businesses near Lone Pine and Bishop told ABC News the while the shaking was "intense," they didn't see any damage.

Several rockslides were reported in Inyo County.

© USGS A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was measured 17km from Lone Pine, Calif.

Some shaking was felt in LA.

This comes a day after a 7.4 magnitude quake hit Mexico, near the resort of Huatulco, killing at least six people and damaging hundreds of homes, according to The Associated Press. At least six others were hurt, including two people in Mexico City, more than 300 miles from the epicenter.