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Let’s jump into today’s storylines.

In today’s digest:

• The International Space Station is getting retired

• Headline Hustle: Bolivia military tries to take over the government, Fed says all major banks pass severe hypothetical stress test, Supreme Court will allow temporary abortion in Idaho based on leaked documents

• The New York Times launches another game that’s a smash hit

• Pulse Points: What’s Trending

SPACE

NASA enlists SpaceX to crash the ISS in a stellar send-off

If space stations had retirement parties, this one would be a real cosmic blowout. NASA has tapped Elon Musk’s SpaceX to guide the International Space Station (ISS) to its fiery demise later this decade. The $843 million contract for the so-called “U.S. Deorbit Vehicle” was announced on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the end for the iconic space station.

The end of an era

The SpaceX-built vehicle will play the role of pushing the football-field-sized ISS into a controlled re-entry, ensuring it burns up safely in Earth's atmosphere. “It is crucial to prepare for the safe and responsible deorbit of the International Space Station in a controlled manner,” NASA stated, highlighting the need to avoid any risk to populated areas.

The ISS, a symbol of international cooperation since 2000, has hosted over 3,300 experiments in microgravity, including groundbreaking research in medical sciences and technology. But age is catching up with the space station, plagued by persistent microscopic leaks that NASA and its main partner, Roscosmos, can’t seem to fix.

While NASA didn’t specify whether SpaceX’s deorbit vehicle will be based on existing spacecraft like the Dragon capsules, the mission underscores the space agency’s reliance on private companies for future space endeavors.

• The ISS has been an expensive project, costing around $150 billion to develop and $4 billion annually to operate.

• NASA plans to transition to private space stations through its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program, aiming for a more cost-effective approach to orbital research and habitation.

Looking ahead…as NASA and its international partners prepare for the ISS’s grand finale, the legacy of this space station will be remembered as a hub of innovation and collaboration. The coming years will see a shift toward private enterprises taking the helm in low Earth orbit, paving the way for a new era of space exploration.

IN THE KNOW

Headline Hustle

🇧🇴 Bolivian military try to take over the government but fail to take control. An attempted coup in Bolivia saw armored vehicles storm the government palace, but President Luis Arce swiftly regained control, naming a new army commander. The rebellion, led by General Juan José Zúñiga, lacked significant support, and Zúñiga was arrested. Arce, supported by regional leaders and Bolivian citizens, vowed to defend democracy as the incident highlighted ongoing political tensions and economic struggles, with Bolivians concerned about future stability.

🏦 Fed says all major banks in annual stress test withstood severe hypothetical downturn. The Federal Reserve's stress test confirmed that the 31 largest U.S. banks can withstand a severe recession while maintaining lending capabilities. Despite a hypothetical $685 billion loss scenario, banks retained more than the minimum required capital. This year’s test, assuming a 10% unemployment rate and major drops in real estate and housing prices, showed banks’ resilience but highlighted risks such as increased consumer credit card loans and downgraded corporate bonds.

👀 Supreme Court appears poised to temporarily allow abortions in Idaho, according to leaked document. The Supreme Court is expected to temporarily allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho. An inadvertently posted document shows three conservative justices siding with three liberals to block Idaho's strict abortion ban in certain emergencies. This follows a significant premature release of an abortion decision. The decision supports the Biden administration's stance, providing relief for Idaho women, but leaves unresolved whether federal law protects abortion access in emergencies. The case continues in lower courts amid ongoing political and legal battles.

GAMES

New York Times scores again with new game, Strands

If the New York Times' Games section were a band, it’d be the Beatles, cranking out hit after hit. Following the smashing success of Wordle and Connections, their latest chart-topper, Strands, is set to join the lineup this Friday.

After a low-key four-month testing phase where it quietly amassed millions of players, Strands will now be featured prominently in the Times’ Games app, joining beloved classics like the Crossword, Spelling Bee, and Sudoku.

So, what is Strands?

It’s a word search game that spices up the classic format with a unique twist. Players must find words in a 6-by-8 grid of letters, all related to a given category, and also discover the “spanagram” that ties the words together. With hints available if players guess three words outside the theme, the solve rate is an impressive 81%.

But the introduction of Strands comes as part of the Times' broader strategy to grow revenue beyond traditional advertising.

• With games contributing significantly to digital subscriptions, the Times saw revenue from these subscriptions surpass $1 billion in 2023.

• The Games app alone has been downloaded 21 million times globally and continues to drive significant engagement.

Big picture: The introduction of Strands comes as part of the Times' broader strategy to grow revenue beyond traditional advertising. With games contributing significantly to digital subscriptions (the Games app has downloaded 21 million times globally), the company saw revenue from these subscriptions surpass $1 billion in 2023.

SNIPPETS

Pulse Points

• Amazon plans to launch a new site section for low-priced fashion and lifestyle items, allowing Chinese sellers to ship directly to U.S. consumers, in its most aggressive move yet to counter e-commerce competitors Temu and Shein.

• Rabbit and its R1 AI gadget are facing serious criticism after a group of developers and researchers, called Rabbitude, discovered hardcoded API keys in the company's codebase, potentially exposing sensitive information.

• The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit claiming Biden administration officials unlawfully pressured social-media platforms to remove flagged disinformation.

• The family of fugitive financier Jho Low will hand over a Paris luxury apartment and Andy Warhol and Claude Monet paintings to U.S. authorities, as part of ongoing settlements related to Low's alleged role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB fraud.

• Tech entrepreneur Rishi Shah was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday for his role in a billion-dollar fraud scheme involving video advertisements in doctors' offices.

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