It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
‘Makes No Sense’: NATO Allies Bash Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Blockade as Oil Rises Above $100 a Barrel
“It’s one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we’ve been dragged,” said Spain’s foreign minister. A man looks at the front page of the Jam Jam newspaper on sale at a newsstand, featuring a cartoon of US President Donald Trump drowning in the Strait of Hormuz with the headline “Marine Bluff,” in Tehran on April 13, 2026. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Contrary to President Donald Trump’s claim that “other countries will be involved” in imposing a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire talks ended over the weekend without a deal with Iran, North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries on Monday made clear they did not plan to join Trump’s effort as the news of the blockade sent global oil prices skyrocketing once again.
“We are not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC Monday before the closure began at 10:00 am Eastern time. “It is in my view vital that we get the strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put all of our efforts in the last few weeks, and we’ll continue to do so.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened through diplomatic means, while Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told Al Jazeera that Trump’s decision to block ships “entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas” in the strait “makes no sense.”
“It’s one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we’ve been dragged,” said Robles, who along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has vehemently condemned the US and Israel’s decision to go to war with Iran and has refused to involve Spain’s military assets in the conflict.
Starmer called the closure of the strait “deeply damaging” and said that this week the UK and France will convene a summit “to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends.”
US Central Command said Monday that US forces “will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” appearing to step back from Trump’s original Sunday statement, which he reiterated Monday on Fox News, that he would impose a “complete blockade” on the key trade waterway.
The news of the blockade came after Iranian negotiators accused Vice President JD Vance of acting in bad faith in the high-level ceasefire talks and Vance claimed Iran would not comply with US demands regarding nuclear development.
The two-week ceasefire deal that was announced last Tuesday—just before a deadline Trump had imposed, saying the US would obliterate Iran’s “whole civilization” unless the government struck a deal—sent oil and gas prices tumbling blow $100 per barrel, but prices rose again after Trump’s new threat of a blockade.
Brent crude prices were at $102.52 per barrel on Monday, a 7.7% increase, while US crude also rose nearly 8% to $104.02. The UK’s wholesale gas contract for the month of May rose by 11.7%.
About 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz before Iran effectively closed the waterway after the US and Israel began the war, as well as major shipments of fertilizer.
Priyanka Sachdeva, a senior market analyst at the broker Phillip Nova, told The Guardian that “the market reaction” to Trump’s threat “underscores a simple but powerful reality: Hormuz risk is not theoretical; it is structural, and it is real.”
“In today’s environment, every barrel of risk added to oil markets carries an inflation price tag for the global economy,” Sachdeva said.
Trump’s threat of a blockade included any ship that has paid Iran a toll to pass through the strait since the Middle Eastern country began its blockade, with the president accusing Iran of “extortion.”
At Responsible Statecraft, Kelley Beaucar Vlahos wrote on Sunday that under Trump’s threat, the US is now planning to block “major allies.”
“The Philippines is a treaty ally and gets 98% of its energy resources through the strait,” Vlahos wrote. “A Japanese vessel carrying liquefied natural gas reportedly passed through the strait two weeks ago.”
Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said the US blockade “is another step toward a might-makes-right world.”
“Illegalities are being heaped on top of illegalities. The attack on Iran that started this war was compounded by Tehran’s seizure of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington’s blockade of the strait has further upped the ante,” said Shidore.
An adviser to Iranian Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that Iran has “large, untouched levels” to fight back against a US blockade, while Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said that Americans will soon “be nostaligic for $4-$5 gas.”
At The Conversation, international law professor Donald Rothwell of Australian National University wrote that Trump’s blockade would “certainly” imperil the fragile temporary ceasefire while roiling international markets.
“In purely legal terms, if the US imposes a blockade then the ceasefire is over and hostilities have resumed,” wrote Rothwell.
Trump's naval blockade crumbles after Iran-linked vessels breach barricade: report
A map showing the Strait of Hormuz and a 3D-printed miniature model depicting U.S. President Donald Trump are seen in this illustration taken March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
A U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz went into effect Monday at 10 a.m. EST at the direction of President Donald Trump, but in a matter of hours, the blockade was breached without incident by at least four Iran-linked vessels, BBC reported Tuesday.
On Monday, Trump said that he had instructed the U.S. Navy to “seek and interdict every vessel in international waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” and the U.S. military later said that the “blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas.”
However, ship tracking data analyzed by BBC Verify revealed that at least four Iran-linked vessels “crossed the Strait of Hormuz” without incident; two on Monday, and two overnight.
“The Rich Starry, a tanker that is sanctioned by the United States under a different name, sailed through the strait overnight Monday,” CBS News reported, with the outlet having also analyzed ship tracking data. “The Elpis, another sanctioned tanker, sailed through the strait after the blockade began, having apparently come from the Iranian port of Bushehr, according to tracking data.”
The Rich Starry is a U.S.-sanctioned Chinese oil tanker, and was the first vessel to breach the blockade since its implementation Monday morning. The Chinese government called the United States’ blockade "dangerous and irresponsible,” with Chinese President Xi Jinping warning that the world must not be allowed to “revert to the law of the jungle,” NBC News reported.
Despite news organizations having analyzed tracking data, the outlets could not confirm whether or not the Iran-linked vessels had broadcasted false location reports using a tactic called "spoofing," which CBS News describes as a method to conceal a vessel's true location.
Trump’s decision to respond to Iran’s partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz with another blockade has baffled experts, including Karen Young, a senior scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, who toldCNN on Sunday that Trump’s blockade would only exacerbate the increasing scarcity of oil.
Stephen Miller's Dem blackmail theory backfires: 'Every accusation is a confession'
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser in the Trump administration, sparked online backlash Tuesday night when he told Fox News the Democratic Party "controls its members through blackmail."
Miller joined Jesse Watters on his eponymous show to discuss the fallout of the resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who were both accused of sexual misconduct with staffers.
"Couldn't have happened to a better person," Miller quipped over Swalwell's "bad week."
Miller then lobbed a wild theory.
"The most important part about this story — and look, Swalwell is a scumbag, he is a terrible person, the worst of the worst, the lowest of the low, the most dishonest of the most dishonest — but the real story here," Miller said, pointing a finger, "is how the Democrat party controls its members through blackmail."
"It's got a blackmail file on all of its politicians and it uses them to leverage and control them until it's time to release it," Miller declared. "That is how sick and twisted the Democrat Party is."
The bizarre theory echoes similar conspiracies that have followed the Epstein case.
And the internet predictably had thoughts about the comments.
Stephen Miller's aggressive immigration policy has led to disastrous outcomes and criticism, forcing him to change course, an analyst explained on Tuesday.
The White House deputy chief of staff has had to develop a new strategy for the Trump administration's immigration policy, according to a new New York Times report and video featuring White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs.
Miller's different approach involves zeroing in on social services fraud and placing less emphasis on deportation raids. He recently joined Vice President JD Vance at a White House event on the anti-fraud task force centered on the administration's crackdown on immigrants who were abusing benefits and allegedly committing fraud, Kanno-Youngs reported.
"The people at this table are all united in absolute determination to stop this plague of fraud, criminality and abuse," Miller said at the event.
This move has been on Miller's mind all along, Kanno-Youngs explained.
"Miller has long tried to establish a link between immigrants and fraud, but there was a legitimate case of fraud in Minnesota that presented an ideal opportunity to ramp up these attacks," Kanno-Youngs said.
"However, the anti-fraud task force is also just one piece of a much broader effort that Stephen Miller is pursuing to make the lives of immigrants without legal status so uncomfortable that they end up leaving the country voluntarily," Kanno-Youngs explained. "This shift is largely the result of the political backlash that the administration faced after the deportation raids in Minneapolis. Stephen Miller is now focused on advancing policies that can target how immigrants access public housing."
Miller has also started questioning how immigrants use credit cards and has started working with different state officials, including Tennessee, to try and limit how immigrants access hospitals and social service agencies. In Texas, he's been asking how children of immigrants access public schools.
"These less visible policies are incredibly impactful," Kanno-Youngs added.
America is better than Trump and his chief bigot
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Trump’s chief bigot, Stephen Miller, said on Fox News that immigrants to the United States bring problems that extend through generations.
“Not only is the first generation unsuccessful,” Miller claimed. “You see persistent issues in every subsequent generation. So you see consistent high rates of welfare use, consistent high rates of criminal activity, consistent failures to assimilate.”
Bullshit. The children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of most immigrants are models of upward mobility in America.
In a recent paper, researchers found that immigrants today are no slower to move into the middle class than immigrants were a century ago. In fact, no matter when their parents came to the U.S. or what country they came from, children of immigrants have higher rates of upward mobility than their U.S.-born peers.
Stephen Miller’s great-great-grandfather was born in a dirt-floor shack in the village of Antopol, a shtetl in what is now Belarus. He came to America in 1903 with $8 in his pocket and spoke no English. Three generations later, little Stephen was born in 1985 to American parents but somehow developed a visceral hatred for immigrants.
Miller and Trump have been dealing with immigrants the same way Pete Hegseth and Trump have been dealing with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz — inflicting pain on both them and the United States, in the hope their pain will be worse than the pain we endure.
Today’s Tax Day was supposed to be a big PR boon for Trump, in which he touts his “no taxes on tips” and other ersatz tax “cuts” for average working Americans (while hiding that his Big Ugly bill actually gave most of its benefits to the wealthy and big corporations, and paid for them by taking money from Medicaid and food stamps and other programs the working class and poor rely on).
But the war in Iran has made everything — even Stephen Miller’s war on immigrants — feel like the Strait of Hormuz.
Consider that before Miller ordered the Internal Revenue Service to give ICE officials the addresses of people subject to deportation, undocumented immigrants had been paying roughly $60 billion annually in federal taxes, much of it going into Social Security and Medicare — programs from which they don’t benefit.
Now, tax experts fear many immigrants won’t file returns, and those who formerly had their taxes withheld in every paycheck will shift into under-the-table jobs. The Yale Budget Lab, a nonpartisan research center, projected lost tax revenue of about $300 billion over a decade.
Meanwhile, Miller’s vast, sadistic crackdown on undocumented workers is causing significant pain for the U.S. economy. There aren’t enough workers in construction, hospitality, and agriculture to keep these sectors going. Another Strait of Hormuz situation.
Let’s be clear. Apart from Native Americans, we are all immigrants — all descended from “foreigners.” Some of our ancestors came here eagerly; some came because they were no longer safe in their homelands; some came enslaved.
As Ronald Reagan put it in a 1988 speech, You can go to Japan to live, but you cannot become Japanese. You can go to France to live and not become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, and you won’t become a German or a Turk. But … anybody from any corner of the world can come to America to live and become an American. A person becomes an American by adopting America’s principles, especially those principles summarized in the “self-evident truths” of the Declaration of Independence, such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Reagan understood that America is a set of aspirations and ideals more than it is a nationality.
Miller and Trump, on the other hand, want to fuel bigotry. Their entire project depends on hate. Like dictators before him, Trump’s road to tyranny is paved with stones hurled at “them” — whether “they” are immigrants, Iranians, or anyone else who doesn’t fit the white Christian nationalist mold.
America is better than Trump and his chief bigot.
Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.
Trump's 'grim reaper' gets tongue-lashing from WSJ editors for obstructing cancer research
President Donald Trump thinks his diet soda habit prevents cancer because pouring diet soda on grass causes it to die.
President Donald Trump's administration got another tongue-lashing by the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board, as yet another Health and Human Services official moves to obstruct groundbreaking cancer research.
"Food and Drug Administration biologics chief Vinay Prasad is stepping down at the end of this month after torpedoing breakthrough rare disease treatments," wrote the board, referencing a controversial figure who has been responsible for shutting down a number of promising therapies. "The grim reaper can’t leave soon enough, but he’s not leaving without kicking patients with late-stage melanoma on his way out."
Specifically, the board wrote, he and FDA commissioner Marty Makary rejected an experimental melanoma immunotherapy for a second time — cutting off a potential treatment avenue for people suffering from a lethal form of skin cancer.
"Some 8,500 Americans die every year of melanoma, many of whom could be saved by Replimune’s RP1. But Dr. Prasad and Commissioner Marty Makary have decided that for whatever reason they aren’t worth saving," wrote the board. "RP1 is an oncolytic virus therapy that turbo-charges the immune response in people resistant to other immunotherapies. A modified herpes virus is injected into tumors, which causes cancer cells to burst and release flares that activate and train the immune system to attack cancer cells throughout the body."
Nearly all patients responded to this treatment, and a third went into remission — a massive deal for a particularly dangerous form of cancer that typically kills patients who stop responding to other immunotherapies within a year. However, Prasad and Makary rejected approval because there was no control group — even though control groups are never used in trials for this type of deadly disease because leaving some patients with zero treatment whatsoever is considered unethical.
"Drs. Makary and Prasad may not care if they kill a company, but what about the patients who will die as a result?" wrote the board. "The rejection will have a chilling effect on drug development by signaling that the FDA is slamming the door on accelerated approvals and requiring a level of evidence of efficacy that fewer cancer drugs could meet."
This comes after Medicare and Medicaid administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed that President Donald Trump thinks his diet soda habit prevents cancer because pouring diet soda on grass causes it to die.
US Postal workers hit back at Trump with national TV ad over attacks on mail-in voting
A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier makes a delivery in Fullerton, Calif. in August 2020 (Shutterstock/Matt Gush)
The American Postal Workers Union swung back at President Donald Trump this week with a new national television advertisement blasting his attacks on mail-in voting and describing why it's so important to Americans, The Hill reported.
In the spot, "America Needs Vote by Mail," the campaign features everyday Americans — a flight attendant, college student and farmer — identifying why they rely on absentee ballots. The 30-second commercial is sponsored by the 200,000 member union and starts airing in Ohio this week, where the first mail-in ballots were cast in 1864 by Union Army soldiers, according to The Associated Press. After that the campaign moves to other states.
The message of the advertisement is clear: "Vote by mail. Keep it. Protect it. Expand it."
The union's counteroffensive comes as Trump ratchets up his assault on voting access ahead of the midterms. Late last month, he signed an executive order to restrict mail-in ballots, demanding states create voter eligibility lists and limiting absentee voting to names on those lists.
Trump doubled down on his debunked claims about widespread mail-voting "cheating," despite zero evidence supporting the allegation.
Democrats then filed a lawsuit to block Trump's executive order.
"Our Constitution’s Framers anticipated this kind of desire for absolute power," Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias said in the complaint. "They recognized the menace it would pose to ordered liberty and the ways in which it would corrode self-government like an acid."
"And so, to preserve the People’s own sovereignty, they crafted a system of government to resist that threat," Elias added.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
SPACE/COSMOS
How satellites are driving cooperation beyond the Central Asian region
More than 500 delegates from 32 countries met at the Space Technology Conference 2026, highlighting how satellite technologies are applied to agriculture, water management and environmental monitoring.
More than 500 delegates from 32 countries gathered at a space technology conference in Uzbekistan this week, highlighting how satellite technologies are being applied to agriculture, water management and environmental monitoring across Central Eurasia.
As the global space economy approaches a projected $1tn (€880bn) by 2030, countries across the region are increasingly using space not as a domain of competition but as a practical tool for cooperation.
Satellite technologies are already being applied to shared regional challenges, including food security, water management, environmental monitoring and digital connectivity, according to participants and companies involved in regional space programmes.
The findings reflect discussions at the fifth Central Eurasia Space Technology Conference (STC 2026) in Uzbekistan, which drew national space agencies, government representatives, satellite operators and private companies including Airbus, Eutelsat, SES, Capella Space, Planet Labs, Hydrosat and Axiom Space.
Central Eurasia Space Technology Conference 2026 Euronews
Technologies in Earth observation, satellite communications and geospatial systems were presented, alongside bilateral meetings focused on regional cooperation and commercial development.
From national ambitions to shared infrastructure
Uzbekistan is integrating satellite-based monitoring into agriculture, environmental protection and geology, according to UzCosmos.
"There was no such platform in our region before," said Muhiddin Ibragimov, deputy director of UzCosmos, adding that Uzbekistan has made significant progress in developing its space industry over the past five years.
Muhiddin Ibragimov, Deputy Director of UzCosmos. Euronews
Plans include hosting the International Astronautical Congress in 2028, launching the country's first astronaut into space and developing a national satellite constellation, alongside integrating space education into schools.
Kazakhstan is expanding its capabilities in Earth observation, satellite communications and scientific research through national institutions and international partnerships, including joint projects, data exchange and specialist training.
The country is also developing space situational awareness systems while leveraging infrastructure such as the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Azerbaijan, through Azercosmos, is positioning itself as a regional provider of satellite-based connectivity, offering telecommunications services beyond its borders and taking part in international initiatives on digital access and space-enabled economic development.
Officials from both countries said future growth depends not only on launching satellites but also on integrating space technologies into real-world sectors, from communications to environmental monitoring and data-driven services.
Education and long-term capacity
Christian Feichtinger, executive director of the International Astronautical Federation, said progress in Uzbekistan had been remarkable.
"Hosting one of the world's largest space gatherings in the coming years will put the country and the wider region firmly on the global map," he said.
"It will create new partnerships, drive innovation and deepen integration into the global space ecosystem."
Christian Feichtinger, Executive Director of the International Astronautical Federation Euronews
For Turkey's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, the standout development is the growing focus on education.
"I have visited several universities here, and it is inspiring to see how much focus is being placed on preparing young people," he said.
"These steps are essential if countries want to fully realise their potential in the space sector."
Private sector driving data and services
Alongside governments, private companies are increasingly shaping the space economy through data, infrastructure and commercial services.
Planet Labs operates one of the world's largest Earth observation constellations, providing daily imagery used by governments to monitor crops, manage water resources and respond to environmental risks.
Capella Space provides high-resolution radar imagery capable of capturing data regardless of weather conditions or time of day.
Satellite models of Turksat Euronews
Hydrosat uses thermal imaging to measure water stress in agriculture — an issue of growing importance across Central Asia.
Axiom Space, meanwhile, is developing commercial space stations aimed at expanding access to low-Earth orbit for private missions.
Officials and industry participants said cooperation is becoming a central feature of space activity in Central Eurasia, with joint projects, data exchange and cross-border services expanding.
Growth, they added, is increasingly linked to practical applications including communications, environmental monitoring and data services.
Artemis: NASA’s Ambitious Program To Return Humans To The Moon – Analysis
Artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface. Credits: NASA
April 14, 2026 By Rachel Lindbergh The Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed 12 American men on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth. Artemis, named for Apollo’s twin sister in ancient Greek mythology, is NASA’s program for a return to the Moon by American astronauts by 2028. Orion and the Space Launch System
The Artemis program has evolved from plans initiated in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-267). The act established a statutory goal of “expand[ing] permanent human presence beyond low-Earth orbit” and mandated the development of a crew capsule and a heavy-lift rocket to accomplish that goal. The capsule, now known as Orion, and the rocket, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), have been in development since that time.
Each Orion capsule consists of a crew module with room for four to six astronauts, as well as storage space and a docking port; a service module (contributed by the European Space Agency) to provide power and propulsion; and a launch abort system. The crew module is designed to be reusable and is the only portion intended to return to Earth at the end of a mission.
In February 2026, the NASA Administrator announced that, after Artemis II, NASA will use a single version of SLS in a “near Block 1 configuration,” rather than upgrading to the Block 1B and Block 2 variants for future missions, in order to reduce complexity and accelerate manufacturing. Rather than developing the Exploration Upper Stage, NASA selected the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur V Upper Stage in March 2026. The agency intends to award a sole-source contract, without competition, as NASA determined existing alternatives “fail to meet the performance requirements” or would require significant modifications or development.
Human Landing System
The Orion capsule is not designed to land on the Moon. Instead, astronauts are to transfer to a separate spacecraft, known as a Human Landing System (HLS), for lunar descent and ascent (see Figure 1). NASA selected two HLS providers: SpaceX, using a version of its Starship, and Blue Origin, using its Blue Moon lander. Both systems are still in development. Through committee reports and explanatory statements accompanying appropriations, Congress has repeatedly encouraged NASA to use more than one commercial provider in order to ensure redundancy and bolster competition.
In February 2026, the NASA Administrator announced that the Artemis III mission, to occur in mid-2027, will demonstrate one or both HLSs in low Earth orbit. Next, Artemis IV is to be the first human landing on the Moon since 1972 and is planned to occur by 2028.
In a March 2026 report, the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that both HLS providers have faced schedule delays and technical challenges that “have the potential to further impact lander costs and delivery schedules,” particularly for a 2028 lunar landing. NASA is considering proposals from both providers to accelerate development in support of a 2028 lunar landing.
Other Elements
In addition to Orion, SLS, and HLS, NASA procures commercial space transportation services for small robotic missions through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program; the purpose of these missions is to demonstrate new technologies, explore potential landing sites, and conduct research. Other efforts include commercial procurement of spacesuits and development of lunar surface systems such as rovers.
Lunar Base
In December 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14369, “Ensuring American Space Superiority.” The priorities outlined in E.O. 14369 include “establishing initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030,” as well as developing a nuclear reactor for use on the lunar surface.
In March 2026, the NASA Administrator released the agency’s plan to fulfill E.O. 14369. To establish a lunar base, the agency intends to use a phased approach. Initially, an increased cadence of CLPS missions would deliver initial elements and support research and technology development. In the next phases, the agency intends to progress from recurring lunar astronaut operations to continuous human presence.
As part of this shift, the agency intends to pause development of the Gateway, a modular platform designed to operate in a permanent orbit around the Moon. Gateway was intended to serve as a depot for storing supplies, a platform for science experiments, a location where subsystems launched separately could be assembled and integrated, and a rendezvous point where astronauts could transfer between Orion and HLS. The space agencies of countries such as Canada and Japan had planned to contribute components. In its shift from Gateway to a lunar base, NASA intends to “repurpose applicable equipment and leverage international partner commitments.”
Issues for Congress
As Congress oversees the progress of the Artemis program and acts on NASA authorization and appropriations legislation, it may consider issues such as the architecture of the program, the planned schedule for a 2028 Moon landing, cost concerns for the program as a whole, and the role of the commercial space sector. Congress may consider the potential effects of recently announced changes. Budget
For FY2027, NASA requested $8.5 billion for Artemis systems, an increase of $731 million compared with FY2026 appropriations. In addition to regular appropriations, Congress provided $6.7 billion for Orion, Gateway, and SLS through the FY2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21), available through FY2032.
Congress may continue to consider the budget of (1) the overall Artemis program, (2) the individual Artemis missions, and (3) the various projects and components within the program. For example, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated in a 2025 report that cost overruns for three major Artemis projects total $6.8 billion. GAO further noted that “growing complexity and scope of future Artemis projects” could negatively impact the agency’s future cost performance, particularly as these projects are interdependent and complex. Thus, Congress may contemplate whether adjustments to the provided funding levels may be necessary (e.g., shift funds from Gateway to the proposed lunar base) or whether to keep funding levels as they are.
Moon to Mars Architecture
Per the NASA Authorization Acts of 2022 and 2017 (P.L. 117-167, Title VII; P.L. 115-10), the Artemis program is a stepping stone for future Mars missions. P.L. 117-167directed the agency to establish a Moon to Mars Office to oversee that approach. Policymakers continue to discuss NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture. Topics of debate include whether the United States should pursue a sustained presence on the Moon; whether future Artemis missions should use SLS and Orion or whether the private sector could provide an alternative; the viability of the agency’s various Artemis components, particularly HLS and SLS; and NASA’s overarching Moon to Mars strategy and its implementation. Congress may also assess the Trump Administration’s announced changes to this architecture.
During the 119th Congress, both the House and Senate have considered NASA authorization bills with differing perspectives on the Artemis architecture. In the House, H.R. 7273, as ordered to be reported, would direct the agency to continue developing major Artemis components and would reemphasize existing statutory requirements. (The markup of H.R. 7273 predated the Administrator’s February 2026 announcement.) In the Senate, S. 933, as ordered to be reported, would permit the Administrator greater flexibility in changing the Artemis architecture. Role of the Commercial Space Sector
In recent years, NASA has placed growing emphasis on procuring services from the commercial space industry. HLS, CLPS, and other Artemis elements are to be provided as a commercial service. The Trump Administration has supported expanding such efforts in future missions, such as by replacing SLS with commercial transportation services after Artemis V, as proposed in the President’s FY2027 budget request.
In its continued oversight, Congress may assess NASA’s acquisition approaches and the status of these commercial programs, particularly for HLS, which is a key component for future lunar landings. In its 2025 annual report, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP)—an independent panel that reports to NASA and Congress on the agency’s safety and management—expressed concern that HLS’s complexity and delays “cast doubt” on the timeline and feasibility of the Artemis crewed lunar landing mission.
More broadly, Congress may assess NASA’s use of commercial programs. NASA posits that the use of commercial services will encourage innovation, support the U.S. space industry, and reduce costs for the agency, assuming that commercial providers are able to attract non-NASA investment and customers. Other stakeholders have contended that limited or uncertain markets may hinder the effectiveness of such programs or of certain acquisition approaches. For instance, in its 2024 assessment of CLPS, the NASA OIG found that the agency relied on “overly optimistic” market assessments in selecting contracting approaches and schedules, leading to “cost increases and schedule delays” due to technical difficulties and “continuing market uncertainty.”
About the author: Rachel Lindbergh, Analyst in Science and Technology Policy
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for nearly a century.
Shooting for the Moon: What's next for NASA after Artemis II's lunar fly-by?
Artemis II brought humans the farthest they have ever gone around the Moon, but NASA is already looking ahead to future missions.
With the Orion capsule barely out of the Pacific, NASA is already planning the next chapter of its Artemis programme.
Artemis II delivered never-before-seen views of the Moon's far side, a solar eclipse viewed from lunar orbit and a new record distance for humans in space.
The mission is the latest in a series NASA plans that will eventually put humans back on the Moon and establish a permanent base there.
"The next mission's right around the corner," entry flight director Rick Henfling said following the crew's splashdown on Friday.
Last month, NASA announced a phased plan to build a permanent base on the Moon, with the Artemis III and IV missions playing a key role.
Initially, Artemis III was supposed to be the Moon landing mission, but in March NASA announced it would become a demonstration mission to test landers from Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
The new Artemis III, planned for next year, will see astronauts dock their Orion capsule with a lunar lander in low Earth orbit to certify the vehicles ahead of a crewed landing.
SpaceX and Blue Origin are racing to have their landers ready first. Blue Origin is targeting an uncrewed test launch of its Blue Moon lander later this year, while SpaceX's Starship-based lander has faced delays, with key milestones still outstanding.
After Artemis III, NASA said it plans to send one mission to the Moon every year. Artemis IV, set for early 2028, will see astronauts transfer from Orion to a commercial lunar lander that will bring them to the surface.
'Plans for a Moon base'
In its Moon base plans, NASA said initial missions will send rovers, instruments, and technology to the lunar surface to study how power can be generated, how communications could work and how to navigate the terrain.
The next phase will be to build partially livable structures and establish regular supply runs, including a collaboration with Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which is developing a pressurised rover for crewed surface exploration.
The final phase will see larger equipment transfers and eventually a continuous human presence, moving away from short visits to a permanent base.
NASA has already signed partnerships with Italy and Canada and plans to add further contributions covering habitation, surface mobility, and logistics.
The agency announced the changes to align its work with the US National Space Policy, released last December, which directed NASA to return astronauts to the Moon, reform the country's role in commercial space operations, and lead the world in space exploration.
From bone loss to blurred vision: How space travel impacts the human body
As human spaceflight continues to pushes boundaries, scientists try to understand — and minimise — the physical and psychological impact of space travel on the human body.
The crew of the space mission Artemis II have returned to Earth after travelling 406,771 kilometres to the far side of the moon, the furthest any human has ventured into space so far.
Experts are working to understand the impact of such trips on the human body, as space missions become more frequent and longer — and the health risks involved go far beyond anything faced on Earth.
NASA has identified five hazards of spaceflight, including radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity or the lack of it, and closed or hostile environments.
How does the body change in space?
The human body, it turns out, was not built for space.
Changes in gravity or the prolonged absence of it can erode bone density, redistribute brain fluid and impair heart function.
Even shifts between different gravity levels can trigger motion sickness and leave astronauts struggling to orient themselves.
According to recent NASA briefings, finding ways to improve human performance when dealing with these issues is a key priority for missions to the Moon and Mars.
Low gravity can also alter the heart and blood vessels, and the severity of it depends on the duration of the trip, increasing for longer missions.
Alterations to the cardiovascular system can lead to blood clots, heart arrhythmias and low blood pressure.
According to NASA, bones lose between 1% and 1.5% of their density each month during a four-to-six-month mission.
Meanwhile, long-term weightlessness can also cause shifts in the body fluids that may affect vision and intracranial pressure, known as spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome.
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Changes in habits and schedules
In space, time and schedules do not function as they do down on Earth. Astronauts experience irregular light-dark cycles that can affect their sleep and circadian rhythms.
Those aboard the International Space Station, for instance, witness 16 sunrises and sunsets per day, which affects their sleep patterns.
Other changes to their daily routine relate to meals and the type of food available during a space mission.
Astronauts do not require the same amount or type of nutrients as they would need on Earth. Research from previous space missions has recorded instances in which crew members had an inadequate intake of energy, fluids, calcium and sodium.
Space nutrition therefore serves a dual role: providing astronauts with sufficient energy, while supplying the nutrients needed to counteract all the adverse effects of spaceflight.
NASA scientists work to ensure meals are acceptable, safe, nutritious, long-lasting, easy to prepare and varied enough to avoid menu fatigue.
A mental health challenge
Besides its physical toll, spaceflight also affects an astronaut's mood and mental health.
Isolation, confinement, distance from Earth and high stress can all increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and low morale.
Ongoing research about how crews can maintain psychological health is essential for the success and safety of future missions, NASA noted.
Measures that space agencies encourage to support mental health in space include keeping a journal, exercising daily, listening to music and writing to loved ones.
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What happens if an astronaut falls ill in space?
Considering all these health risks, how does the crew manage sickness during a space mission?
NASA maintains that, regardless of mission length or objectives, all human spaceflight requires some degree of in-mission medical support.
However, to reduce the need for medical care during the mission, the agency focuses on preventive measures such as vitamin supplementation, full-body check-ups and a 14-day quarantine before the launch.
Based on the most commonly anticipated conditions, NASA tailors in-flight medical resources to ensure that the most likely or serious medical events can be managed effectively.
Most conditions can be treated similarly to Earth. However, treatment limitations mean that priority is given to medications that can serve multiple purposes and carry minimal side effects.
Starquakes and the archaeology of stellar magnetism
ISTA team presents theoretical evidence for ‘fossilized’ magnetism in stars
How the evolution of a star changes the shape of a magnetic field. Rather than being centered at one point, the ISTA team’s simulations suggest that magnetic fields can form shell‑like structures (pink field lines).
New theoretical models, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, connect, for the first time, the magnetism at the surface of long-dead stellar remnants (white dwarfs) with recent evidence of magnetism at the cores of their dying progenitors (red giants). The team, led by astrophysicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), argues that these magnetic fields might originate early in the stars’ lives, and survive their entire evolution, emerging as ‘fossil fields’ at the surfaces of older remnants. A better understanding of these processes can also help to better understand our own Sun’s future.
For thousands of years, human civilizations have looked to the stars with a blend of curiosity and reverence. From a human perspective, these twinkling dots in the sky seem to shine eternally. However, while stars live for billions of years, their evolution is also marked by major events. While some die in a spectacular display of cosmic fireworks called supernovae, others retreat and cool down quietly, leaving behind a dead remnant called a white dwarf.
Using a theoretical model, an international team—led by PhD student Lukas Einramhof and Assistant Professor Lisa Bugnet at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)—links independent observations collected at different stages of stellar evolution. For the first time, they connect the evidence of magnetic fields reaching the surface of older white dwarfs to recent findings of magnetism in the cores of red giants—the dying progenitors of those remnants. Central to their model is the idea that magnetic fields formed early in a star’s life can persist through all later stages, emerging at the surfaces of white dwarfs as “fossil fields” billions of years later. By incorporating recent asteroseismic data—measurements of stellar oscillations or “starquakes”—the team revisits the fossil field theory as a possible explanation for stellar magnetism.
Long-dead, and suddenly magnetic?
Magnetic fields at the surface of white dwarfs provide astrophysicists with valuable information about the remnants’ past. “The magnetic field in a star is important for how the star works on the inside and how long it lives and evolves. Generally, more of the older white dwarfs tend to be more magnetic than younger white dwarfs,” says Einramhof. Therefore, to explain where the magnetic fields at the surface of older white dwarfs—dead several million years earlier—come from, scientists must dig deeper into the remnants’ past lives.
So far, several teams of researchers have been examining the magnetic fields of stars at different points of their stellar evolution. The ISTA team now seeks to connect these dots to clarify the processes underlying the evolution of the stars and their remnants. “As a theoretical astrophysics group, we develop theories to explain observations,” Bugnet underlines.
Starquakes uncover buried magnetic fields
With asteroseismology—the study of starquakes—astronomers have only recently been able to probe the depths of red giants, the progenitors of white dwarfs. Similar to earthquakes, starquakes are natural phenomena that allow scientists to obtain measurements of the insides of stars.
The observations, carried out independently by different groups, show contrasting pictures. On the one hand, magnetic fields have been detected at the surface of older white dwarfs, suggesting that these might eventually reach the surface from within as the remnant evolves. On the other hand, observations on the ‘dying’ red giants using asteroseismology have provided evidence of the presence of magnetic fields at the cores of these progenitors of white dwarfs, several million years earlier in a star’s evolutionary path. Using these observations to constrain their theoretical model, the ISTA team demonstrates that these two time points in a star’s lifetime can be connected using a theory that had fallen out of fashion over the past decade in the white dwarf community: the fossil field scenario.
Einramhof explains, “Because a white dwarf is the exposed core of a red giant that has shed its outer layers, these different observations essentially examine the same region of a star’s interior at different evolutionary stages.” Therefore, after a red giant sheds its outer layers, its white dwarf remnant will display distinctive properties at its surface.
He adds, “If the magnetic field observed during the red giant phase is the same as the one that evolves to be observed at the surface of the white dwarf, then the fossil field theory can explain and connect the observations.” However, the team argues that this magnetic field must originate even earlier, before the red giant phase.
Magneto-archaeology: digging into the stars’ past
By revisiting the fossil field scenario with new insights, the team made several key findings about the archaeology of magnetism in stars. First, they showed that the extent of magnetism within the core of the red giant progenitor is key. “To connect the magnetic fields observed at the surface of older white dwarfs with the ones found at the core of their red giant progenitors, a larger fraction of the star must be magnetized,” says Einramhof. “However, this doesn’t mean the stars are more strongly magnetized, only that the magnetic fields must already reach a larger portion of their core.”
Furthermore, their methodology allowed them to uncover how the evolution of a star changes the shape of a magnetic field. Rather than being centered at one point, their simulations suggest that magnetic fields can form shell‑like structures—resembling the surface of a basketball—where the field is strongest near the shell rather than at the core.
Blind at the core: what if the Sun’s core is also magnetic?
Ultimately, the team’s goal is to better understand how the Sun will evolve. As a 4.6-billion-year-old main-sequence star, the Sun is midway through its expected lifetime in this phase before evolving into a red giant and likely engulfing Earth. “We still don’t know whether the Sun’s core is magnetic. Even though it’s our own star, we’re practically blind to what happens at its center,” says Einramhof. “Current predictions assume that the Sun’s core is not magnetic. But if it turns out to be, this information would change everything we know and all the models we’ve based our work on.”
During their longest-lived phase, called the main sequence, stars remain stable until they run out of core hydrogen ‘fuel’ and can no longer sustain the fusion process. When this internal mechanism fails, they puff up and evolve into red giants. “If the Sun can somehow bring hydrogen from its outer layers into its core, it would be able to live longer. One way to do this would be through strong magnetic fields,” says Einramhof. However, the magnetic fields might also lead to a very different outcome. “We know that magnetic fields can significantly affect a star’s evolution. But we still don’t know exactly how they influence stellar evolution or how strong their effects are.”
The ISTA team’s findings help reestablish the fossil field theory as a plausible mechanism for the evolution of stellar magnetic fields. However, other questions remain unanswered. “Given how little we know at this stage, our work suggests that stars are most likely all magnetic. But we can’t always detect this magnetism,” Einramhof concludes.
Mercury is a small, rocky planet about which researchers know relatively little. Two missions, taking readings as they passed over the planet, have revealed that Mercury is covered by an iron-poor and sulfur-rich crust. It is also reduced, a chemical state in which the substances have gained electrons. In fact, it’s the most reduced planet in the solar system.
“Mercury’s surface looks completely different than Earth’s,” said Rajdeep Dasgupta, the Maurice Ewing Professor in Earth Systems Science and director of the Rice Space Institute Center for Planetary Origins to Habitability. “We couldn’t study its magmatic evolution using assumptions built off our understanding of Earth, and missions data are difficult to interpret. We had to find ways to bring the planet closer to our lab — specifically, through the meteorite Indarch.”
Indarch, a meteorite that landed in Azerbaijan in 1891, looks very similar to the chemical makeup of Mercury. The researchers realized they could use Indarch to study how Mercury’s unique chemical makeup had shaped the planet, sharing their results in a recent publication.
“Indarch chemically is as reduced as rocks on Mercury,” said Yishen Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher in Dasgupta’s lab and first author on the paper. “It is believed to be a possible building block of the planet,”
Zhang used a model melt composition of Indarch to cook his own Mercury rocks in a high-pressure, high-temperature facility. The process was fairly simple: mix Indarch’s chemical ingredients together in a small glass vial, change the settings in the facility to match the conditions on Mercury, add in the chemicals and cook.
“This process of cooking a rock can show us what happened chemically inside of Mercury,” Zhang said. “By using the temperature, pressure and chemical constraints derived from spacecraft observations and models, we recreate Mercurylike conditions to understand how magmas form and evolve there — even without direct samples from the planet.”
What Zhang found is that sulfur lowers the temperature at which these reduced melted rocks begin to crystallize. That means sulfur-rich magmas on Mercury may stay molten at lower temperatures than similar magmas on Earth. The reason for this significantly decreased crystallization temperature, Zhang found, is because of Mercury’s unique chemical composition: low iron, high sulfur and the chemically reduced state.
Sulfur is a promiscuous element — it likes to be bound to other elements, usually iron. Iron-rich planets like Mars and Earth have most of their sulfur bound to iron. Mercury’s low iron content, however, meant that its sulfur was looking for new binding partners. Specifically, it could bind to major rock-forming elements like magnesium and calcium.
On Earth, these rock-forming elements would typically bind to oxygen, resulting in a stable structure called a silicate network made up of silicon, oxygen and rock-forming elements. When sulfur replaces oxygen, however, that network becomes weaker and crystalizes at a lower temperature.
“As Indarch may represent Mercury’s proto-planet state,” Zhang said, “these experiments show that Mercury likely formed with sulfur occupying a structural position that on Earth belongs to oxygen. This fundamentally changes how the planet’s mantle solidified.”
“This is a fascinating glimpse of how Mercury may have evolved as a planet to its unique current-day surface chemistry,” Dasgupta said. “More importantly, it provides a way for us to think about planets not based on how Earth was formed, but based on their own unique chemistry and magmatic processes under vastly different conditions. What water or carbon does to magmatic evolution of Earth, sulfur does on Mercury.”
This work was supported by NASA grants (80NSSC18K0828 and 80NSSC24K0988) and by the Rice Space Institute Center for Planetary Origins to Habitability.
The chemical mixture cooked to create Mercury rocks
