Short Takes – 7-9-25

Trump Wants to Kill a Chemical Safety Board. Chemical Makers Object. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: ““As many devastating chemical incidents amass hundreds of millions of dollars in property and economic damages, the prevention of one disaster would save multiples” of the board’s budget, a group of 26 House Democrats, led by Nellie Pou of New Jersey, wrote in a June 24 letter urging the White House to reverse its decision.” Interesting that author did not talk to anyone on either Appropriations Committee.

Mysterious Guided Rocket Launcher Disguised In A Shipping Container At Fort Bragg Identified. TWZ.com article. Pull quote: “This is “the Palletized Field Artillery Launcher or PFAL. These are prototype launcher platforms owned by SOCOM,” Darrell Ames, an Army spokesperson, told TWZ. “This is not MLRS and the platform in the picture is not fielded to the Army. The prototype does launch the current MLRS family of munitions [MFOM] with the exception of PrSM.””

Could NASA's Mars Sample Return be saved? Lockheed Martin proposes $3 billion plan to haul home Red Planet rocks. Space.com article. Pull quote: “"Our most recent commercial industry-led offer to NASA is to execute Mars Sample Return (MSR) as a firm-fixed price solution for under $3 billion," a June 26 statement from Lockheed Martin read.”

Tensions Flare Between Senators at Health Cybersecurity Hearing. MedPageToday.com article. Pull quote: “Although three of the five witnesses at the Wednesday hearing had a direct connection to the cybersecurity issue, at least one of the two others -- presumably chosen to appear by the committee Democrats -- did not.”