Short Takes – 2-7-25

Speaker Johnson: House lawmakers to work through weekend amid Trump agenda stalemate. TheHill.com article. Does not sound like the Pull quote: ““There’s going to be real, dramatic growth in the economy for individual families, more money in somebody’s paycheck, and ultimately that will be quantified. But CBO’s method of coming up with dynamic scoring on that is going to be different than OMB [the Office of Management and Budget] and other people. So we’re going to be looking at the most accurate models,” Scalise said.”

Politico publishes note ‘to set the record straight’ on government subscription outrage. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false. Let’s set the record straight,” the outlet wrote as part of a memo published on its website. “POLITICO is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding — no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Not one dime, ever, in 18 years.””

Europe has the worst imaginable idea to counter SpaceX’s launch dominance. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “It is difficult to see Airbus and some of the other large, institutional space companies in Europe banding together and becoming nimble and more efficient operators in spaceflight. That would require enormous changes in companies that have decades of ossified culture, with layers of management that are difficult to cut through.” Same could have been said about Boeing, ULA, and NASA five years ago, then SpaceX et al changed the environment, maybe Europe needs a European entrepreneurial startup.

German company Atmos launching 1st cargo-return capsule on upcoming SpaceX mission. Space.com article. Pull quote: “The initial version of the capsule can carry up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of goods down to Earth, but future iterations will be able to handle several tons — meaning they could transport objects as large as rocket stages, according to Atmos.”

Revisions to Maritime Security (MARSEC) Directive 104-6; Guidelines for U.S. Vessels Operating in High Risk Waters. Federal Register Coast Guard notice. Summary: “The Coast Guard announces the availability of Revision 9 to Maritime Security (MARSEC) Directive 104-6, which provides guidelines for U.S. vessels operating in high-risk waters (HRW) where acts of terrorism, piracy, and armed robbery against ships are prevalent. The directive contains security-sensitive information and, therefore, cannot be made available to the general public. U.S. vessel owners and operators who have needed to take action under previous versions of MARSEC Directive 104-6, should immediately contact their local Coast Guard Captain of the Port or District Commander for a copy of Revision 9. This revision contains important updates to HRW locations and organizational responsibilities regarding addressing security risks in those waters.” Effective date: January 10^th, 2025.

EO 14193 - Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border. Federal Register.

EO 14194 - Imposing Duties to Address the Situation at Our Southern Border. Federal Register.

EO 14195 - Imposing Duties to Address the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People's Republic of China. Federal Register.