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☆ Trump blames Megan Rapinoe and wokeness for US Women’s World Cup exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

While the soccer star was not the only US player to do so, she has a contentious history with the former president. In a speech introducing the star soccer player, the president praised Rapinoe’s role in securing equal pay for the US women’s soccer team and her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. “For nearly 40 years, the US Women’s National Soccer Team has epitomized what it means to be a champion. Biden and his wife have also repeatedly championed this Women’s World Cup team and were among several big names who helped announce the lineup back in June. As the World Cup got underway, the Bidens placed a billboard on the White House North Lawn cheering on the team.

Persons: Donald Trump, Megan Rapinoe, “, Joe Biden, ” Trump, Crooked Joe Biden, Megan, MAGA, ”, “ I’m, Megyn Kelly, Kelly, Rapinoe, it’s, Trump, ” Rapinoe, Colin Kaepernick’s, Sue Bird, Biden, Rapinoe’s, Jill Biden Organizations: Sydney CNN —, US women’s, U.S, Women’s Soccer Team, Fox News, CNN, WIN, ESPN, US, National Soccer Team, ”, White, Lawn Locations: Sweden, America, USA, United States

☆ A mother-daughter duo will join an 80-year-old Olympian on Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight on Thursday. Here's how to watch live.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first space tourist flight on Thursday. These are the first commercial passengers to fly aboard Virgin Galactic's first private commercial spaceflight, due to take off Thursday. Keisha Schahaff won her tickets through a raffle while on a Virgin flight from Antigua to London in 2021. "The whole team just swarmed into my house saying 'You're the winner, you're going to space,'" Schahaff told the BBC. This is Virgin Galactic's second commercial flight and the first to carry paying customers.

Persons: Richard Branson's Virgin, Sir Richard, Jon Goodwin, Keisha Schahaff, Virgin Galactic's, Virgin Galactic Goodwin, Goodwin, Schahaff, Anastatia Mayers, Beth Moses, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, OceanGate Organizations: Virgin, Service, New Mexico's, Sky News, Virgin Galactic, BBC, University of Aberdeen, Italian Air Force, National Research Council of Italy, VSS Unity, Galactic's, Galactic Locations: Wall, Silicon, New, America, Munich, nought, Antigua, London, Caribbean, Scotland, New Mexico

☆ Virgin Galactic banks $2 million in quarterly revenue after first commercial spaceflight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Virgin Galactic flew two spaceflights during the second quarter: Its final test spaceflight and its first commercial spaceflight, the latter a long-awaited step to bring its service to market. It expects to fly its second commercial spaceflight on Aug. 10. Virgin Galactic stock slipped about 3% in after-hours trading from its close at $4.14 a share. Virgin Galactic had cash and securities totaling $980 million at the end of the quarter, up from about $874 million at the end of the first quarter. That increase came as Virgin Galactic brought in funds through "at the market" sales of common stock.

Persons: Michael Colglazier Organizations: Virgin Galactic, America, VSS Unity, Galactic Locations: New Mexico, U.S

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years of fraught by development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe, Branson, Burt Rutan, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Virgin, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, VSS Unity, America, Galactic, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, . Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years fraught by development setbacks. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

☆ Live updates: Virgin Galactic completes first commercial spaceflight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People react as the passenger rocket plane operated by Virgin Galactic takes off, during the company's first commercial flight to the edge of space, at the Spaceport America facility, in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, U.S., June 29, 2023. Space tourism company Virgin Galactic , founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2004, completed its long-awaited first commercial spaceflight, called "Galactic 01," on Thursday. The three paying passengers are members of the Italian Air Force. Virgin Galactic's start to commercial service comes after years of delays and setbacks. Virgin Galactic has a backlog of about 800 passengers.

Persons: Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's Organizations: Virgin Galactic, America, Space, Italian Air Force, Virgin, VSS Unity Locations: New Mexico, U.S

The flight marks a decisive moment for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2004, as it inaugurates commercial service following several years fraught with development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. Virgin Galactic has said it has already booked a backlog of some 800 customers, charging from $250,000 to $450,000 per seat, and envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate 400 flights annually. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Italy, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, VSS Unity, International Space, Air Force, America, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Italy, British, Italian, Los Angeles

The flight, dubbed Galactic 01, comes two years after Branson himself rode along with five other Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N) personnel for the company's first fully crewed test spaceflight of its rocket plane, VSS Unity. Back then, Virgin Galactic officials said they expected to begin regular commercial operations in 2022 following additional test flights. Virgin Galactic had projected booking its first 1,000 paying customers, charging about $250,000 per seat, by the time commercial service opened. An earlier prototype of Virgin Galactic's rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another. Billionaire rival Jeff Bezos, whose astro-tourist venture Blue Origin has already flown several commercial passenger flights, has disparaged Virgin Galactic as falling short of a true spaceflight experience.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe Skipper, Branson, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson's, Jeff Bezos, Virgin, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin, Unity, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc, VSS, Galactic, SpaceX, Origin, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, . Air Force, America, Corporate, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Branson, Bezos, Los Angeles

☆ Virgin Galactic launches high-stakes flight carrying passengers to the edge of space
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The space plane is designed to then detach from the mothership, fire its rocket engine and swoop straight up with its two pilots at the controls. Virgin Galactic confirmed just before 12:30 p.m. The space plane then coasted back to a landing back at New Mexico’s Spaceport America. The SpaceShipOne technology was parlayed into a larger space plane design, called SpaceShipTwo, which Virgin Galactic still flies today. Virgin Orbit, a sister company to Virgin Galactic that is focused on launching satellites to space on a small rocket, filed for bankruptcy in April.

☆ Virgin Galactic completes Unity 25 spaceflight in key final test before commercial service
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Virgin Galactic did not publicly livestream the flight unlike the previous one that carried founder Sir Richard Branson in July 2021. ET, carrying the company's VSS Unity spacecraft up to an altitude of about 40,000 feet. Virgin Galactic previously said it aims to fly its first commercial mission in "late June," assuming a successful test flight on Thursday. Virgin GalacticUnity 25 represents a crucial moment in the history of Virgin Galactic, which has suffered repeated setbacks and years of delays in developing its spaceflight system. Virgin Galactic has yet to generate meaningful revenue, and needs to be flying spaceflights regularly in order to do so.

☆ Virgin Galactic targets May 25 for first spaceflight since Richard Branson's trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Virgin Galactic is targeting as early as May 25 for the launch of its next spaceflight, which marks both its first in nearly two years since flying founder Sir Richard Branson and its planned last step before beginning commercial service. Called Unity 25, the mission represents the company's fifth spaceflight to date, launching out of Spaceport America in New Mexico. It is a "final assessment" flight, with six Virgin Galactic employees onboard for a short trip to the edge of space. In-house pilots Mike Masucci and CJ Sturckow will fly spacecraft VSS Unity, while Jameel Janjua and Nicola Pecile will fly carrier aircraft VMS Eve. Depending on the outcome and data gathered from Unity 25, the company aims to fly its first commercial mission in "late June."

☆ Virgin Galactic quarterly loss widens while company preps for spaceflight return
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Virgin Galactic is aiming to fly its first spaceflight in nearly two years later this month, but the company's first quarter loss widened dramatically as it funds its fleet growth. Virgin Galactic cited "increases in research and development expenses," in a press release. It paused launches for a lengthy refurbishment period of its vehicles, with Virgin Galactic aiming to fly its first commercial mission in "late June." The space tourism company reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $140 million, compared with a $77 million loss in the same period a year ago. Shares of Virgin Galactic stock slipped more than 1% in after-hours trading, from its close at $4.09 a share.

☆ Quotes: Fed plans broad revamp of bank oversight in wake of SVB collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The assertion in the introduction that the Fed should focus on large bank capital requirements is disconnected from the report's conclusions. AMERICAN BANK ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND CEO ROB NICOLS"We take any bank failure seriously, and we will review the findings and proposed policy changes in these reports carefully, including where the conclusions may differ. JONATHAN MONDILLO, HEAD OF NORTH AMERICAN FIXED INCOME AT ABRDN"We're likely to see higher capital requirements. What that means for the overall markets is that the devil is in the details: how stringent those capital requirements will be. A potential First Republic Bank failure could similarly present a risk to the long-term investment strategy of high net-worth individuals."

☆ Biden slams McCarthy, tells him to 'take default off the table' in debt ceiling fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden on Wednesday slammed House Republicans for flirting with defaulting on the national debt, saying America is not "a deadbeat nation." Biden called the gambit by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., "really dangerous." "Reagan said debt ceiling brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans' benefits. We meet our obligations, and I made it clear to Speaker McCarthy how we should proceed to settle our differences." Biden released his budget proposal last month and has asked House Republicans to do so as well.

☆ Banking crisis won’t hurt America’s credit rating unless stress intensifies, Moody’s says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —The banking crisis that caused US officials to launch emergency interventions is unlikely to have significant direct costs for the federal government, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The credit ratings firm said late Wednesday that at this stage, the biggest bank failures since 2008 are not expected to meaningfully hurt America’s credit profile. “In particular, we do not expect significant direct fiscal costs” from the current banking sector stress, Moody’s wrote in a report. However, Moody’s warned that an intensification of the banking crisis could be problematic. “A scenario of severe and prolonged stress, which is not our current baseline, could weaken economic and fiscal strength,” Moody’s said.

☆ Virgin Galactic completes lengthy upgrade process ahead of resuming spaceflights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of carrier aircraft VMS Eve, left, and spacecraft VSS Unity, at Spaceport America in New Mexico on Feb. 27, 2023. Virgin Galactic said on Tuesday it remains on track to resume spaceflights in the coming months after completing upgrades to its carrier aircraft and spacecraft. During that period Virgin Galactic conducted a variety of repairs and enhancements to its jet-powered mothership, called VMS Eve. Then Virgin Galactic will conduct glide tests, where VMS Eve carries the spacecraft and releases it, before a test spaceflight with a full company crew onboard. Shares of Virgin Galactic are up about 65% this year as of Tuesday's close of $5.74 per share.

☆ Virgin Galactic finishes lengthy spacecraft upgrades, plans Q2 commercial service
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Joe SkipperWASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N) has completed a lengthy upgrade period for its centerpiece tourist spacecraft, with commercial service on track to begin in the second quarter of 2023, the company said on Tuesday. This month, VSS Unity's twin-fuselage carrier plane VMS Eve made its first flight since 2021. Virgin Galactic is targeting monthly commercial missions after the Italian Air Force flight, a long-awaited cadence to handle the company's some 800 customers in line to fly. The company in February re-opened ticket sales to the public for spacecraft flights, setting prices at $450,000 per person with an initial deposit of $150,000. Each flight in space, over 50 miles (80 km) above ground, lasts roughly 10 minutes in microgravity, with VSS Unity launching mid-air from the center of its VMS Eve carrier plane.

☆ How AI is detecting heart attack risk and aiming to outsmart America’s No. 1 killer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Kerima Greene | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Cleerly founder and CEO James Min, a cardiologist, started the company to find a better way to assess heart health, by applying AI to the problem. Heart disease is the nation's No. CNBC: What are indirect markers of heart disease? Min: Many emergency department visits for heart attacks are preventable if risk factors for heart disease are identified in advance. Using millions of annotated CCTA images, Cleerly algorithms quantify and characterize atherosclerosis and its features.

CNN —The US could be approaching a 2011-style debt ceiling market meltdown, but worried investors shouldn’t abandon ship, Wall Street analysts say. That means that if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling by then, the US could default on its debt. But lawmakers remain in a deadlock about whether to lift their self-imposed borrowing limit: Democrats want Congress to pass a debt ceiling increase without conditions but Republican leadership says that any debt limit increase should be accompanied by spending cuts. Wall Street’s response: A debt ceiling meltdown creates serious risk for investors. Even if the debt ceiling debates are resolved, it’s not a bad idea to have some money invested abroad just in case of upheaval.

☆ Black homeowners pushed out of one Baltimore block show how Wall Street banks failed to lend money they had promised, a Bloomberg investigation shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Banks promised to invest in Black communities after they were hit by the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The block stands as a glaring reminder of the broken promises made by some of Wall Street's biggest banks to support America's Black homeowners, a recent Bloomberg investigation shows. As of October 2021, according to the US Census Bureau, 45% of Black Americans owned homes, which is nearly 30 points below the rate of white Americans: 74.6%. On Walbrook Avenue, the absence of large lenders has left many locals without a lifeline. After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, several financial institutions made pledges to invest billions of dollars to support Black homeownership.

☆ America needs immigrants to solve its labor shortage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But If you’re wondering why America’s labor shortage persists nearly three years into the Covid pandemic, it’s in part because America doesn’t have enough immigrants. Immigrants are vital to the US economy and fill thousands of US jobs – jobs many Americas don’t want to do. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that in addition to an aging workforce there is a lack of foreign labor contributing to labor shortages. Those types of industries had higher rates of unfilled jobs last year – adding to existing labor shortages, according to UC Davis research. “The farm labor crisis is hindering production and contributing to food price inflation.

☆ Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gets green light for first orbital space launch from UK — and will use a repurposed Boeing 747 for the mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gained a license for the first orbital space launch from the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's space regulator, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Virgin Orbit was permitted to launch from Spaceport Cornwall in southern England. Issuing the final license to Virgin Orbit for the UK's first orbital satellite launch was another "major milestone," the CAA said in the statement. Virgin Orbit didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the new launch date. Virgin Orbit has named the mission "Start Me Up" after a song by The Rolling Stones.

☆ Biden weighs reviving Trump-era immigration restrictions, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since Biden took office in January 2021, his administration has struggled both operationally and politically with record numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Another U.S. official said the Biden administration is also considering other Trump-era deterrents that include having Border Patrol agents conduct accelerated asylum screenings. The policies under consideration, if adopted, would sharply backtrack on those pledges and have already drawn concern from immigration advocates. Similar Trump policies were challenged in court and overturned. Republicans, who take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January, have assailed Biden's handling of the border and threatened to impeach his top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow credit scores can both help and hurt AmericansCredit scores affect almost every aspect of an American's financial life. A recent study showed, for example, that 42% of Americans said their credit scores prevented them from accessing financial products like credit cards or loans. But some credit experts argue the current reporting and scoring systems have major issues. Others say that many of the criticisms are misguided. So, how do credit scores work in America and do they help or hurt consumers?

☆ Companies need to embrace an innovative path to create new employment opportunities
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-03 | by ( Ravi Kumar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This article is part of the "Financing a Sustainable Future" series exploring how companies take steps to set and fund sustainable goals. A LinkedIn survey found just one in 67 paid jobs in the US offered remote work in 2020, and that number this year grew to one in six. The labor shortage is compelling companies to boost pay. Low-complexity jobs will inevitably be automated, given the acute labor shortage, and the real opportunity will be in training people to take on higher-order responsibilities, which will allow enterprises to scale business purposefully. Remote work means more people otherwise limited by their circumstances — like caregiving adults, students, and people with disabilities or in rural areas — can now be included in the nontraditional American workforce and gig economy.

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