Short Takes – 4-9-25

This Texas chemical plant could get its own nuclear reactors. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “A It could take up to two and a half years for the NRC to review the construction permit application for this site. The site will also need to receive an operating license before it can start up. Operations are expected to begin “early next decade,” according to Dow.”

Seeing the light: Cubesats share optical data. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Aerospace announced Feb. 27 that its cubesats relied on commercial-off-the-shelf parts paired with a custom-built optical terminal to communicate. At a distance of 560 kilometers, the cubesats transferred data in both directions to achieve a data rate of 312.5 megabits per second uncorrected, and error-free transmission of 25 megabits per second.”

Kennedy’s moves on measles don’t quell criticism. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Kennedy said the CDC has redeployed a team to assist state and local officials with the outbreak, which has sickened more than 500 people in Texas alone. It has also spread to a daycare facility in Lubbock, where at least 6 children have tested positive for measles.”

Trump fails to sway many House GOP holdouts as his ‘big’ bill of tax breaks and spending cuts stalls. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Republicans, in control of the White House and Congress, are trying to muscle Trump’s signature domestic policy bill closer to passage, ensuring some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks approved during his first term don’t expire at year’s end. But House Republicans are demanding as much as $2 trillion in budget cuts over the decade, to help offset the costs of the tax breaks, while Senate Republicans, who stayed up late to pass their package early Saturday morning, are hesitant to go that far.” Morning news before the Rule Committee hearing on the bill.

Johnson scraps vote on Trump budget blueprint in face of conservative opposition. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The Speaker said it is his “intention” to adopt the budget resolution before the chamber breaks for a two-week recess on Thursday in observance of Passover, which begins at sundown on Saturday, and Easter. If that does not happen, however, he would forgo weekend work because of the holiday and reconvene next week, despite the planned recess.” After the vote on the Senate Amendment to H Con Res 14 was postponed on the House floor today.

A new biosensor can detect bird flu in five minutes. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “The new device samples the air in real time, running the samples past a specialized biosensor every five minutes. The sensor has strands of genetic material called aptamers that were used to bind specifically to the virus. When that happens, it creates a detectable electrical change. The research, published in ACS Sensors in February, may help farmers contain future outbreaks.”

EO 14258 - Extending the TikTok Enforcement Delay. Federal Register.