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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

 
Biden seeks new chapter in troubled Middle...
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will try to reaffirm and recalibrate U.S. relationships in the Middle East during his first trip to the region since taking office, but it won’t be easy in a corner of the world that’s asking fresh questions about the future of American influence. Biden departs late Tuesday bound for Israel, where chaotic politics have left a caretaker government in charge until elections later this year, limiting the opportunity for durable dealmaking. It’s unlikely...

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Rookie Jones drives in 4 as Guardians...
CLEVELAND (AP) — Following his memorable home debut, Nolan Jones introduced himself to the Guardians’ clubhouse staff. He wanted to make sure he knew all their names. This rookie’s going to be around for a while. Jones drove in four runs in his first game at Progressive Field, leading Cleveland to an 8-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series between the AL Central rivals. A 24-year-old outfielder with a...

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No-confidence vote embodies divided French parliament
PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers on Monday were debating a no-confidence motion that was requested by a leftist coalition to symbolically mark their opposition to the government and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies. The leftist coalition, known as Nupes, formally requested a no-confidence motion in the wake of Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne’s first major speech to the National Assembly after the recent parliamentary election. The motion is unlikely to be adopted by lawmakers since a no-confidence vote must get...

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Biden to reveal first image from NASA’s...
President Joe Biden on Monday will reveal the first image from NASA’s new space telescope — the deepest view of the cosmos ever captured. The first image from the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is going to show the farthest humanity has ever seen in both time and distance, closer to the dawn of the universe and the edge of the cosmos. That image will be followed Tuesday by the release of four more galactic beauty shots from...

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Red Sox score 9 straight, rally past...
BOSTON (AP) — Jeter Downs’ bases-loaded blooper against Aroldis Chapman dropped in off DJ LeMahieu’s glove to break a sixth-inning tie, and the Boston Red Sox scored nine unanswered runs to rally past the New York Yankees 11-6 on Sunday night. After losing the first two games of the series and falling 16 behind the first-place Yankees in the AL East, the Red Sox won the last two to manage a split. And they did it with a pair...

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Ohtani a 2-way All-Star again; 6 Yankees,...
NEW YORK (AP) — In a city of stars, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw will be in the spotlight July 19 at Dodger Stadium. “I think it’s been a couple of years since I got to compete in an All-Star Game, and something about Dodger Stadium, too, is special,” Kershaw said after pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday. “I don’t take that for granted. Like I said before, I hope I didn’t take anybody’s spot...

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Crypto plunge is cautionary tale for public...
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund bought $25 million in cryptocurrencies, with the fund’s chief investment officer touting their potential, retired fire Capt. Russell Harris was concerned. Harris, 62, has attended the funerals of 34 firefighters killed in the line of duty. He was already worried about his pension after an overhaul by state and city officials cut payments as they grappled with the ability to pay out benefits. He didn’t see crypto, unproven...

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Israeli PM calls for Saudi relations ahead...
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister expressed hope Sunday that his country will establish formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, days before President Joe Biden visits the two countries as part of a regional trip. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have official diplomatic relations, but have shared clandestine security ties over a mutual enmity of regional arch-rival Iran. The kingdom is widely believed to be among a handful of Arab states weighing open ties with Israel. “Israel extends...

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Gov. Youngkin hails opening of new rocket...
This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. State and local officials, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to kick-off the opening of a 20,000-square-foot office and manufacturing facility in Fauquier County that specializes in developing advanced, state-of-the-art tactical missiles. More Virginia News The business behind construction of the $2.5 million facility, SPARC Research, was founded in 2017 by aerospace engineer and CEO Patrick Hewitt, who envisioned...

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Lillard signs extension, looks forward to re-tooled...
Damian Lillard’s new contract with the Trail Blazers is a point of pride for the six-time All Star who has spent his entire career in Portland. “I don’t think that you earn something like this just by going out there and scoring a bunch of points,” he said. “Something that’s missing in our league is character, and the fight and the passion and pride about, you know, not just the name on the back, but the name on the...

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Abe’s death raises security questions as Japan...
TOKYO (AP) — A top police official on Saturday acknowledged possible security lapses that allowed an assassin to fire his gun into former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while he was addressing a campaign rally, raising questions how could the attacker get so close behind him. Abe was shot in the western city of Nara on Friday and airlifted to a hospital but died of blood loss. Police arrested the attacker, a former member of Japan’s navy, at the...

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Sri Lankan PM agrees to quit amid...
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime minister agreed to resign on Saturday after party leaders in Parliament demanded both he and the embattled president step down on the day protesters stormed the president’s residence and office in a fury over a worsening economic crisis. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a voice statement that he will resign when all parties have agreed on a new government. “Today in this country we have a fuel crisis, a food...

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Blake, Carranza’s hat trick help Union beat...
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Julian Carranza scored three goals, Andre Blake had three saves and Philadelphia tied the MLS record for largest margin of victory in the Union’s 7-0 win over D.C. United on Friday night. Philadelphia set the franchise record for single-game goals and its seven goals were one shy of the MLS record set by the LA Galaxy in 1998. Carranza, a 22-year-old Argentine striker acquired from Inter Miami in December, started his hat trick for the...

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Blackhawks begin dismantling, trade DeBrincat and Dach
The long-anticipated dismantling of the Chicago Blackhawks’ roster begun Thursday with the team trading Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens. In completing a third trade to acquire goalie Petr Mrazek from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blackhawks went from having no first-round picks in the NHL draft in Montreal to making three picks through the evening. Chicago acquired the seventh and 39th picks in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in 2024...

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The next frontier for drones: Letting them...
REMINGTON, Va. (AP) — For years, there’s been a cardinal rule for flying civilian drones: Keep them within your line of sight. Not just because it’s a good idea — it’s also the law. But some drones have recently gotten permission to soar out of their pilots’ sight. They can now inspect high-voltage power lines across the forested Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. They’re tracking endangered sea turtles off Florida’s coast and monitoring seaports in the Netherlands and railroads...

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