
SpaceX’s third test flight of its massive Starship rocket, which NASA is counting on as part of its mission to return astronauts to the moon, ended the same as the first two, with the oversized vehicles breaking up before the flight was complete, but officials are celebrating the launch, calling it successful.
That might sound like a curious description to some people given the complete loss of the rocket, but, at this stage, success doesn’t have to mean a picture-perf

If President Joe Biden keeps his promise to sign a ban on TikTok over its ties to the Chinese government, the 81-year-old may rob his reelection campaign of a platform that he and fellow Democrats rely on to reach younger voters.
Biden’s campaign got thousands of “likes” on Tuesday for a TikTok video skewering Republican rival Donald Trump about cutting Social Security spending. But the comments were focused on another issue altogether: the proposed ban.

Yahoo is testing out a new creator program that will allow certain writers to publish and monetize stories under the Yahoo News brand, the company tells Fast Company.
The effort is meant to broaden the news platform’s lifestyle content—which it described as fitness, DIY, travel, home, and style stories—in a rapidly changing media landscape. So it won’t be available for people who want to write about things like politics or sports. The draw to creators, me

A California state senator is planning to soften a proposal that would have banned self-checkout lanes at large grocery stores and other establishments, Fast Company has learned.
The proposal, announced last month by state Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas of California’s 28th District, was part of a package of bills aimed at “empowering vulnerable populations,” including helping workers and promoting economic growth in underserved communities across the state. As i

House approves bill to ban TikTok: In a 356 to 52 vote on Wednesday, the House voted to approve a bill that could potentially ban TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, from U.S. app stores (or force a sale) in an effort to restrict China’s access to Americans’ data. TikTok has urged users to “tell Congress what TikTok means to you,” and argues the bill impedes on First Amendment rights. The bill will now head to the Senate; if it passes there, Presid

With one week until the January kickoff of Y Combinator’s winter 2024 startup batch, there’s a hush in the prestigious accelerator program’s cavernous new San Francisco headquarters.
The only sound, aside from steady rain streaking the windows, is the muffled labor of two YC partners in a makeshift subterranean kitchen, where they are practicing a chicken and dumplings recipe to serve to a group of incoming founders. Like thousands of hopefuls before them, these

SpaceX will attempt to launch its mega-rocket Starship on its third test flight from its spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas, today. The livestream is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET, with liftoff targeted for about 8 a.m. ET.
The flight plan for SpaceX’s third Starship test is different from its previous two attempts. The “Super Heavy” rocket booster will once again attempt a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. But the first stage, Starship, will ascend and then ta

Alphabet’s Waymo said on Wednesday it will begin offering free driverless robotaxi services to select members of the public in Los Angeles starting Thursday.
The company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier this month to start its ride-hailing program, Waymo One, in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco.
Waymo’s latest plans put it ahead of its General Motors-owned rival Cruise, which is currently facing sc

Two British surgeons say that they used Apple’s new $3,500 headset to carry out Britain’s first virtual-reality operation. The team at London’s Cromwell Hospital, led by orthopedic surgeons Fady Sedra and Syed Aftab, used the Vision Pro to repair a patient’s spine. Neither surgeon donned the ski goggle-esque device themselves, but instead entrusted it to a nurse working alongside them, the Daily Mail has reported.
Nurse Suvi Verho tells the paper tha

Former CNN host Don Lemon says Elon Musk has terminated a previous agreement to air his new program after the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter) was unhappy about an interview between the two.
“Elon Musk is mad at me,” said Lemon in a video posted to the social media network. “There’s a whole lot that went down and I’m going to tell you about it in the coming days.”
In a separate statement posted to X, Lemon said, “El