Short Takes – 9-6-24

Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “These are some of the most extreme numbers in a month of extremes for the land down under, which has sweltered under a prolonged winter heat wave that threatens to break the country’s record for average winter temperatures — a record set just last year. In 2023, Australia’s average winter temperature was 1.53 degrees C above the long-term average of 14.96° C from 1961 to 1990, and the highest since recordkeeping began in 1910.”

Tiny asteroid on path to hit Earth burned up in atmosphere. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The small asteroid was only the ninth to be spotted before impact. It was found through a NASA-funded observatory near Tuscon, Ariz., that tracks and catalogs near-Earth objects.”

The Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. Federal Register FCC final rule. Summary: “In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) amends its regulations governing the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to add a new event code, MEP, to allow alert originators to issue an alert to the public about missing and endangered persons (MEP) whose circumstances do not meet the criteria of “America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” (AMBER) alerts.” Effective Date: September 8^th, 2024.

Commerce Control List Additions and Revisions; Implementation of Controls on Advanced Technologies Consistent With Controls Implemented by International Partners. Federal Register BIS interim final rule (IFR). Summary: The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is implementing export controls on several semiconductor, quantum, and additive manufacturing items for national security and foreign policy reasons. This rule adds new Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) to the Commerce Control List, revises existing ECCNs, adds a new license exception to authorize exports and reexports to and by countries that have implemented equivalent technical controls for these newly added items, and adds two new worldwide license requirements to the national security and regional stability controls in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). These controls are the product of extensive discussions with international partners.” Comments due November 5^th, 2024.

House GOP unveils stopgap plan to avert government shutdown. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “But critics of the idea, including those in GOP circles, have downplayed the impact such a strategy will have on funding talks. They also acknowledge the Democratic-controlled Senate is certain to reject the measure in its current form, due both to the timing and the addition of the SAVE Act.”