Fullness of time There are some things the Crew-8 astronauts arent ready to talk about "I did not say I was uncomfortable talking about it. I said we're not going to talk about it." Stephen Clark Nov 11, 2024 6:35 pm | 20 NASA astronaut Michael Barratt works with a spacesuit inside the Quest airlock of the International Space Station on May 31. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Michael Barratt works with a spacesuit inside the Quest airlock of the International Space Station on May 31. Credit: NASA Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe astronauts who came home from the International Space Station last month experienced some drama on the high frontier, and some of it accompanied them back to Earth.In orbit, the astronauts aborted two spacewalks, both under unusual circumstances. Then, on October 25, one of the astronauts was hospitalized due to what NASA called an unspecified "medical issue" after splashdown aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that concluded the 235-day mission. After an overnight stay in a hospital in Florida, NASA said the astronaut was released "in good health" and returned to their home base in Houston to resume normal post-flight activities.The space agency did not identify the astronaut or any details about their condition, citing medical privacy concerns. The three NASA astronauts on the Dragon spacecraft included commander Matthew Dominick, pilot Michael Barratt, and mission specialist Jeanette Epps. Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin accompanied the three NASA crew members. Russia's space agency confirmed he was not hospitalized after returning to Earth.Dominick, Barratt, and Epps answered media questions in a post-flight press conference Friday, but they did not offer more information on the medical issue or say who experienced it. NASA initially sent all four crew members to the hospital in Pensacola, Florida, for evaluation, but Grebenkin and two of the NASA astronauts were quickly released and cleared to return to Houston. One astronaut remained behind until the next day."Spaceflight is still something we don't fully understand," said Barratt, a medical doctor and flight surgeon. "We're finding things that we don't expect sometimes. This was one of those times, and we're still piecing things together on this, and so to maintain medical privacy and to let our processes go forward in an orderly manner, this is all we're going to say about that event at this time."NASA typically makes astronaut health data available to outside researchers, who regularly publish papers while withholding identifying information about crew members. NASA officials often tout gaining knowledge about the human body's response to spaceflight as one of the main purposes of the International Space Station. The agency is subject to federal laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, restricting the release of private medical information."I did not say I was uncomfortable talking about it," Barratt said. "I said we're not going to talk about it. I'm a medical doctor. Space medicine is my passion ... and how we adapt, how we experience human spaceflight is something that we all take very seriously."Maybe some dayBarratt said NASA will release more information about the astronaut's post-flight medical issue "in the fullness of time." This was Barratt's third trip to space and the first spaceflight for Dominick and Epps.One of the most famous incidents involving hospitalized astronauts was in 1975, before the passage of the HIPAA medical privacy law, when NASA astronauts Thomas Stafford, Deke Slayton, and Vance Brand stayed at a military hospital in Hawaii nearly two weeks after inhaling toxic propellant fumes that accidentally entered their spacecraft's internal cabin as it descended under parachutes. They were returning to Earth at the end of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, in which they docked their Apollo command module to a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in orbit.NASA's viewand perhaps the public's, tooof medical privacy has changed in the nearly 50 years since. On that occasion, NASA disclosed that the astronauts suffered from lung irritation, and officials said Brand briefly passed out from the fumes after splashdown, remaining unconscious until his crewmates fitted an oxygen mask tightly over his face. NASA and the military also made doctors available to answer media questions about their condition.The medical concern after splashdown last month was not the only part of the Crew-8 mission that remains shrouded in mystery. Dominick and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson were supposed to go outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk June 13, but NASA called off the excursion, citing a "spacesuit discomfort issue." NASA replaced Dominick with Barratt and rescheduled the spacewalk for June 24 to retrieve a faulty electronics box and collect microbial samples from the exterior of the space station. But that excursion ended after just 31 minutes, when Dyson reported a water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit of her spacesuit.While Barratt discussed the water leak in some detail Friday, Dominick declined to answer a question from Ars regarding the suit discomfort issue. "We're still reviewing and trying to figure all the details," he said.Aging suitsRegarding the water leak, Barratt said he and Dyson noticed her suit had a "spewing umbilical, which was quite dramatic, actually." The decision to abandon the spacewalk was a "no-brainer," he said."It was not a trivial leak, and we've got footage," Barratt said. "Anybody who was watching NASA TV at the time could see there was basically a snowstorm, a blizzard, spewing from the airlock because we already had the hatch open. So we were seeing flakes of ice in the airlock, and Tracy was seeing a lot of them on her helmet, on her gloves, and whatnot. Dramatic is the right word, to be real honest."Dyson, who came back to Earth in September on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, reconnected the leaking umbilical with her gloves and helmet covered with ice, with restricted vision. "Tracy's actions were nowhere short of heroic," Barratt said.Once the leak stabilized, the astronauts closed the hatch and began repressurizing the airlock."Getting the airlock closed was kind of me grabbing her legs and using her as an end effector to lever that thing closed, and she just made it happen," Barratt said. "So, yeah, there was this drama. Everything worked out fine. Again, normal processes and procedures saved our bacon."Barratt said the leak wasn't caused by any procedural error as the astronauts prepared their suits for the spacewalk."It was definitely a hardware issue," he said. "There was a little poppet valve on the interface that didn't quite seat, so really, the question became why didn't that seat? We solved that problem by changing out the whole umbilical."By then, NASA's attention on the space station had turned to other tasks, such as experiments, the arrival of a new cargo ship, and testing of Boeing's Starliner crew capsule docked at the complex, before it ultimately departed and left its crew behind. The spacewalk wasn't urgent, so it had to wait. NASA now plans to attempt the spacewalk again as soon as January with a different set of astronauts.Barratt thinks the spacesuits on the space station are good to go for the next spacewalk. However, the suits are decades old, and their original designs date back more than 40 years, when NASA developed the units for use on the space shuttle. Efforts to develop a replacement suit for use in low-Earth orbit have stalled. In June, Collins Aerospace dropped out of a NASA contract to build new spacesuits for servicing the International Space Station and future orbiting research outposts."None of our spacesuits are spring chickens, so we will expect to see some hardware issues with repeated use and not really upgrading," Barratt said.Stephen ClarkSpace ReporterStephen ClarkSpace Reporter Stephen Clark is a space reporter at Ars Technica, covering private space companies and the worlds space agencies. Stephen writes about the nexus of technology, science, policy, and business on and off the planet. 20 Comments Prev story

Bankruptcy court FTX sues Binance for $1.76B in battle of crypto exchanges founded by convicts Lawsuit seeks "at least $1.76 billion that was fraudulently transferred" by SBF. Jon Brodkin Nov 11, 2024 2:14 pm | 63 Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle for sentencing on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Credit: Getty Images | Changpeng Zhao Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle for sentencing on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Credit: Getty Images | Changpeng Zhao Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe bankruptcy estate of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX has sued the company's former rival Binance in an attempt to recover $1.76 billion or more. The lawsuit seeks "at least $1.76 billion that was fraudulently transferred to Binance and its executives at the FTX creditors' expense, as well as compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial."The complaint filed yesterday in US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware names Binance and co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao among the defendants. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sold 20 percent of his crypto exchange to Binance in November 2019, but Binance exited that investment in 2021, the lawsuit said."As Zhao would later remark, he decided to exit his position in FTX because of personal grievances he had against Bankman-Fried," the lawsuit said. "In July 2021, the parties negotiated a deal whereby FTX bought back Binance's and its executives' entire stakes in both FTX Trading and [parent company] WRS. Pursuant to that deal, FTX's Alameda Research division directly funded the share repurchase with a combination of FTT (FTX's exchange token), BNB (Binance's exchange token), and BUSD (Binance's dollar-pegged stablecoin). In the aggregate, those tokens had a fair market value of at least $1.76 billion."Because FTX and Alameda were balance-sheet insolvent by early 2021, the $1.76 billion transfer "was a constructive fraudulent transfer based on a straightforward application" of bankruptcy law, and an intentional fraudulent transfer "because the transfer was made in furtherance of Bankman-Fried's scheme," the lawsuit said.Alameda could not fund the transaction because of its insolvency, the lawsuit said. "Indeed, as Bankman-Fried's second-in-command, Caroline Ellison, would later testify, she contemporaneously told Bankman-Fried 'we don't really have the money for this, we'll have to borrow from FTX to do it,'" the lawsuit said.The complaint alleges that after the 2021 divestment, Zhao "set out to destroy" FTX, and accuses Binance and Zhao of fraud, injurious falsehood, intentional misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.Binance is far from the only entity being sued by FTX. The firm filed 23 lawsuits in the bankruptcy court on Friday "as part of a broader effort to claw back money for creditors of the bankrupt company," Bloomberg reported. Defendants in other suits include Anthony Scaramucci and his hedge fund SkyBridge Capital, Crypto.com, and the Mark Zuckerberg-founded FWD.US.Lawsuit cites SBFs false statementsEllison, who was sentenced to two years in prison, testified that Alameda funded the repurchase with about $1 billion of FTX Trading capital received from depositors, the lawsuit said. It continued:Ellison further testified that Bankman-Fried dismissed her concerns about financial resources, telling her that, notwithstanding the need to use customer deposits, the repurchase was "really important, we have to get it done." Indeed, as discussed below, one of the reasons Bankman-Fried viewed the transaction as "really important" was precisely because of his desire to conceal his companies' insolvency and send a false signal of strength to the market. In connection with the share repurchase, Bankman-Fried was asked directly by a reporter whether Alameda funded the entire repurchase using its own assets, expressing surprise that Alameda could have done so given the purchase price and what was publicly known regarding Alameda's financial resources. In response, Bankman-Fried falsely stated: "The purchase was entirely from Alameda. Yeah, it had a good last year :P" (i.e., an emoji for a tongue sticking out).The transaction contributed to FTX's downfall, according to the lawsuit. It "left the platform in an even greater imbalance, which Bankman-Fried attempted to cover up in a pervasive fraud that infected virtually all aspects of FTX's business," FTX's complaint said. Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year prison sentence.Because FTX trading was insolvent in July 2021 when the Binance share repurchase was completed, "the FTX Trading shares acquired through the share repurchase were actually worthless based on a proper accounting of FTX Trading's assets and liabilities," the lawsuit said.Zhao allegedly set out to destroyFTX claims that once Zhao divested himself of the equity stake in FTX, "Zhao then set out to destroy his now-unaffiliated competitor" because FTX was "a clear threat to Binance's market dominance." Zhao resigned from Binance last year after agreeing to plead guilty to money laundering violations and was sentenced to four months in prison. He was released in September.FTX's lawsuit alleges that "Zhao's succeed-at-all-costs business ethos was not limited to facilitating money laundering. Beginning on November 6, 2022, Zhao sent a series of false, misleading, and fraudulent tweets that were maliciously calculated to destroy his rival FTX, with reckless disregard to the harm that FTX's customers and creditors would suffer. As set forth herein in more detail, Zhao's false tweets triggered a predictable avalanche of withdrawals at FTXthe proverbial run on the bank that Zhao knew would cause FTX to collapse."Zhao's tweet thread said Binance liquidated its remaining FTT "due to recent revelations." The lawsuit alleges that "contrary to Zhao's denial, Binance's highly publicized apparent liquidation of its FTT was indeed a 'move against a competitor' and was not, as Zhao indicated, 'due to recent revelations.'""As Ellison testified, 'if [Zhao] really wanted to sell his FTT, he wouldn't preannounce to the market that he was going to sell it. He would just sell it [] his real aim in that tweet, as I saw it, was not to sell his FTT, but to hurt FTX and Alameda,'" the lawsuit said.The lawsuit further claims that while FTX was "in freefall, Zhao sent additional false tweets calculated, in part, to prevent FTX from seeking and obtaining alternative financing to cauterize the run on the institution by customers deceived by the tweets. Collectively and individually, these false public statements destroyed value that would have otherwise been recoverable by FTX's stakeholders."Binance calls lawsuit meritlessOn November 8, 2022, Bankman-Fried and Zhao agreed to a deal in which "Binance would acquire FTX Trading and inject capital sufficient to address FTX's liquidity issues," the lawsuit said. But the next day, Binance published tweets saying it was backing out of the deal "as a result of corporate due diligence."When Zhao agreed to the deal on November 8, he had "already been made aware of the 'mishandled' customer funds during his conversation with Bankman-Fried," the lawsuit said. "This is contrary to Binance's representation in the November 9 Tweets that he learned that fact after entering into the Letter of Intent. In addition, Zhao was also aware that the Debtors were insolvent when he entered into the Letter of Intent."In the 24 hours between the November 8 agreement and the November 9 tweets, "no new material information was provided to Zhao and Binance in the diligence process that would have revealed new issues" causing Binance to exit the deal, according to the lawsuit.Binance said it will fight FTX's lawsuit. "The claims are meritless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves," a Binance spokesperson said in a statement provided to Ars.The defendants also included "Does 1-1,000," people who allegedly received fraudulent transfers in 2021 and "whose true names, identities and capacities are presently unknown to the Plaintiffs." FTX is seeking recovery of fraudulent transfers from all defendants. FTX also asked the court to award punitive damages and find that Binance and Zhao committed fraud, injurious falsehood, intentional misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.Jon BrodkinSenior IT ReporterJon BrodkinSenior IT Reporter Jon is a Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica. He covers the telecom industry, Federal Communications Commission rulemakings, broadband consumer affairs, court cases, and government regulation of the tech industry. 63 Comments Prev story

The northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) brings unexpected ecosystem benefitsAll Canada Photos/AlamyTwo years after Mount St Helens erupted in 1980, a team of researchers helicoptered in a gopher to the ash-covered landscape. Decades later, the activity of that single gopher burrowing for a single day may have helped the decimated ecosystem regrow by boosting the diversity of soil fungi.Theres something to be said about learning lessons from the gophers, says Mia Maltz at the University of Connecticut, who has used the eruption to understand how forests might recover from other stresses including wildfires and

Bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice were used to estimate past temperaturesaldiami/Andreas Alexander/AlamyHumans have already caused approximately 1.5C of warming since the start of the industrial revolution, according to new estimates based on temperature data gleaned from bubbles of air trapped in ice.Measurements of human-caused global warming generally use the period from 1850 to 1900 as the pre-industrial baseline, since this is when temperature records began. 2024 is almost certain to be the first year where average temperatures rose more than 1.5C above this baseline. This data for a single year is influenced by naturally occurring factors such as a strong El Nio event, which pushed up global temperatures. AdvertisementOnce this natural variability is removed, scientists think humanity alone has caused 1.31C of warming since the industrial revolution. But by 1850, the industrial revolution was already well under way, with fossil fuel-powered engines in use around the world.Andrew Jarvis at Lancaster University and Piers Forster at the University of Leeds, both in the UK, set out to establish a new pre-industrial baseline using data from Antarctic ice core samples. The duo analysed the composition of air bubbles trapped in ice cores to establish the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere during the period from AD 13 to 1700, before humans had any meaningful impact on atmospheric temperatures. They then used this CO2 data to establish global mean temperatures during the same period, assuming a linear relationship between CO2 and temperature increase.Using this new pre-1700 baseline, humanity had caused 1.49C of warming by 2023, meaning the 1.5C level has now in effect been reached, the team write in a paper reporting the findings. We have provided a new, scientifically defensible way of coming up with a pre-industrial baseline against which we are measuring the warming, Jarvis told reporters in a press briefing. Get a dose of climate optimism delivered straight to your inbox every month.Sign up to newsletterJarvis says the new method can also help reduce uncertainty around temperature estimates based on the current 1850-1900 baseline, which is used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Using ice core data to establish the 1850-1900 baseline, the team says humans have caused 1.31C of warming. That is in line with existing central estimates, but with a vastly reduced uncertainty range, the team points out.The problem with just looking at surface temperature observations is that the further back in time you go, they become more uncertain, says Forster. We can be far more certain than before that we are currently at about 1.3C.Jarvis and Forster hope their new method will be adopted by scientists and policy-makers as the main way of judging humanitys progress against global climate goals. I do think there is still scope for the policy community and the science community to rethink the pre-industrial baseline, said Jarvis. We know that there is warming baked into the 1850-1900 estimate, simply because that is not the beginning of the industrial revolution. We are offering a way out there, to a much more scientifically secure baseline to operate from.However, the new method may not be future-proof. The linear relationship between CO2 concentrations and global temperatures may falter as climate change advances, for example if we trigger so-called tipping points in Earth systemsthat cause a cascade of warming events.The new method also doesnt change the climate change effects being felt on the ground, says Forster. The impacts today we are experiencing of people being killed in Spain and by these hurricanes the impacts are exactly the same if you call that 1.3C above pre-industrial levels or if you call that 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The impacts are the impacts.Richard Betts at the Met Office, the UKs weather service, says the new method provides a clear and simple way to give up-to-date estimates of the current level of human-induced global warming. That is, in part, because it is able to produce a real time estimate for human-driven warming rather than relying on a rolling 10-year average like current estimates.He says the method will be useful to provide a more up-to-date picture of the current level of warming for policy-makers, but warned that changing the baseline used in assessments could be seen as moving the goalposts for climate action. Even without changing the baseline, its clear that current warming is much closer to 1.5C than expected from using an out-of-date, 10-year average, he says.Journal referenceNature Geoscience DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01580-5Topics:

Nature, Published online: 11 November 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03706-6Nations gather to discuss who should pay to prevent the worst effects of climate change. But Donald Trumps US election win might dampen commitments.

Nature, Published online: 11 November 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03708-4The code underlying the Nobel-prize-winning tool for modelling protein structures can now be downloaded by academics.

Starbucks' ex-CEO, Howard Schultz, told Fortune he trusts successor Brian Niccol to revitalize the company.Niccol plans a back-to-basics strategy as the coffee chain faces low sales.Schultz, who served three stints as CEO, said there's no chance he'll reprise his role again. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Brian Niccol knew when he took over in September as the new CEO of Starbucks that the company was facing slumping sales, decreased traffic, and something of an identity crisis.But the recent rollout of his new back-to-basics strategy has earned the support of one man who knows something about steering the beloved coffeehouse brand to success: Howard Schultz.Schultz, the chairman emeritus and former CEO of Starbucks, told Fortune in an interview that he has total faith in Niccol taking the helm of the international coffee chain though he's always available to offer the new CEO advice or guidance.Niccol has big shoes to fill as he steps in for Schultz, who has been described as the "Ray Kroc of his generation" for his role in the coffee giant's rapid expansion. He first became Starbucks' CEO in 1986 before leaving in 2000. He returned to the role during the 2008 financial crisis, departing again in 2017. In 2022, he came out of retirement to serve as interim CEO of the company. During his on-again, off-again tenure, Schultz grew the chain from 11 stores to 35,000 locations worldwide.Niccol's first earnings call, held October 30 for the company's Q4 results, included numbers indicating that Starbucks continues struggling to get customers in the door with traffic declining across all distribution channelsDuring the Q4 call, Niccol laid out his plan to get Starbucks "back to our core identity and consistently deliver a great experience" so "our customers will come back." He said the company will bring back its condiment bar so customers can dress their own coffees, and return to the Sharpie era where baristas hand-wrote customer names on their iconic white and green cups.Though Schultz has twice before left and then returned as CEO of Starbucks, he told Fortune there's no chance he'll reprise his role again.Representatives for Starbucks and the Schultz Family Foundation, of which Howard Schultz is a cofounder, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Streaming video services are seeing more customers hitting "pause," The Wall Street Journal reports.This means people cancel their subscriptions, only to re-subscribe soon after.I admit to frequently quitting and rejoining Hulu and data shows I'm not alone. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. I have broken up with and gotten back together with Hulu so many times over the years that it would probably make the cast members of "Vanderpump Rules" say we were in a toxic relationship.Once a year or so, I look at all the various subscriptions I'm paying for and, in a fit of budget-consciousness, decide that I must cancel something. Hulu seems to keep ending up with the short stick but then a few months later, there's some show I'm dying to watch, and I keep crawling back.It appears I'm not alone: The Wall Street Journal reported Monday on the rise of the subscription pauser. The Journal examined subscription data from analytics firm Antenna to see the pattern of people quitting Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime Video, and others.Here's what it found:The monthly median percentage of premium streaming video subscribers who rejoined the same service they had canceled within the prior year was 34.2% in the first nine months of 2024, up from 29.8% in 2022.The habit of pausing and resuming service means that the industrywide rate of customer defections, which has risen over the past year, is less pronounced than it appears. The average rate of U.S. customer cancellations among premium streaming video services reached 5.2% in August, but after factoring in re-subscribers, the rate of defections was lower at 3.5%.Meanwhile, last month, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a "click to cancel" rule that is supposed to make it easier for customers to cancel online subscriptions. (The rule essentially says if you signed up online, you can't be required to cancel by phone or mail you have to be able to cancel online, too.)In my experience, streamers generally are already compliant with the FTC's rule. Because of that, I doubt it's going to have much effect on whether someone cancels. Instead, streamers might offer discounts, promotions, or bundling with other services to try to keep you for the long term and reduce what they call "churn."As for me, I'm back as a happy Hulu subscriber after I was lured by comedianBrian Jordan Alvarez's demented series of TikToks. In them, he's dancing shirtlessto an audio meme to promote his FX show, "English Teacher," which streams on Hulu. Consider me un-paused.

President-elect Donald Trump has begun naming members of his White House team, offering an early signal as to what direction hell take on issues, including foreign policy and immigration. Thus far, Trump has announced a handful of policy staffers, nominating House GOP Conference chair Elise Stefanik as Ambassador to the United Nations, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Hes also named former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Tom Homan as his choice for border czar and is set to announce longstanding policy adviser Stephen Miller as a deputy chief of staff. Stefanik has been a staunch supporter of Israel, and Zeldin has emphasized his desire to roll back environmental regulations. Homan and Miller, meanwhile, are known for their hard-line stances on immigration, including overseeing family separations during Trumps first administration.Many other nominations including for powerful Cabinet positions like Secretaries of State and Defense are still to come. Related:Trump described a range of priorities while on the campaign trail, including promises of mass deportations, expansive tariffs, and cuts to protections for LGBTQ people. It will be up to his secretaries and staff to execute these plans, with his picks thus far underscoring just how serious he is about pursuing many of these goals, particularly on immigration. During his first administration, many of Trumps Cabinet members oversaw significant changes to the executive branch including Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who were critical to curtailing worker protections and attempting massive cuts to education spending, respectively. Trump has indicated that he wants to go further and move faster this time around and that he wants to ensure hes surrounded by like-minded staff. Below is a rundown of the people Trump has named and the roles these appointees could play. MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JULY 16: House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his partys presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesHouse Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY) has been tapped for UN AmbassadorWho she is: Once a moderate, Stefanik currently part of Republican House leadership has become a vocal Trump loyalist in recent years as her New York district shifted right. Stefanik first burst onto the national stage as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, grilling witnesses as part of Trumps first impeachment proceeding in the lower chamber in 2019. More recently, she went viral for her questioning of college presidents during a hearing on antisemitism and their handling of student protests over Gaza. As a top House Republican, Stefanik has amplified Trumps 2020 election denials and hewed so close to the president-elect that she was once on the shortlist for the vice presidency. Stefanik is also known for her efforts to recruit and support more Republican women for House seats. Shes taken a pretty standard conservative stance on foreign policy: Stefanik has been a prominent supporter of aid to Israel while balking at continuing support for Ukraine. She backed early tranches of Ukraine aid but joined other Republicans in arguing that more recent aid could be better applied domestically. Stefanik has previously questioned aid to the United Nations, including to its Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been vital to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough and smart America First fighter, Trump said in a statement about the role. What we know about the role: The Ambassador to the UN serves as a vital envoy for US interests; given the countrys financial support for the body and its role on the UN Security Council, the ambassador has major influence regarding how the organization utilizes its resources and who serves in its leadership. In the last year, UN officials have been increasingly critical of Israels attacks on Gaza as thousands have died, health care systems have been assaulted, and famine has struck. As Ambassador, Stefanik could criticize these positions and call for defunding UN relief programs. This role requires Senate confirmation. What message this sends: The pick suggests that the Trump administration could once again ramp up its disagreements with the United Nations, after attempting to curb funding for certain UN initiatives in Trumps first term. At that time, the administration also pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council, citing its criticisms of Israel. Stefaniks naming could also underscore the president-elects skepticism of additional aid to Ukraine. WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 22: Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testifies before the House Homeland Security Committees Border and Marine Security subcommittee on Capitol Hill on May 22, 2018 in Washington, DC. Republican House members are calling for reform to asylum processes. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images) Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty ImagesFormer ICE Acting Director Tom Homan has been named border czar Who he is: Homan was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration and oversaw the implementation of the family separation policy during his tenure from 2017 to 2018. Hes also long backed Trumps desire to deport unauthorized immigrants, previously noting that if invited to join the administration, he intended to run the biggest deportation operation this countrys ever seen.Homan worked for ICE during former President Barack Obamas administration as well, and has also served as a police officer and Border Patrol agent. Hes been in lockstep with Trump on implementing punitive immigration policies and called for ICE to deport a wide range of unauthorized immigrants, including those who dont have criminal histories. Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. There is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders. What we know about the role: The border czar is not an official role that requires Senate confirmation; the Secretary of Homeland Security is the actual cabinet official overseeing the border. However, Homan appears poised to have a major say over policy and will weigh in on proposals at both the northern and southern borders, according to Trump. What message this sends: Homans efforts in the first Trump administration and his commitment to sweeping deportations this term indicate that the president-elect is fully focused on his promise to remove a large number of unauthorized immigrants from the US. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 08: Lee Zeldin, Former New York Senator and gubernatorial candidate visits Mornings With Maria with host Maria Bartiromo at Fox Business Network Studios on February 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) Roy Rochlin/Getty ImagesFormer Rep. Lee Zeldin tapped for administrator of the Environmental Protection AgencyWho he is: Zeldin is a former Republican House lawmaker who also ran a failed campaign for the New York governors seat in 2022. Zeldin did not previously sit on committees focused on environmental policy in the House, and focused on crime and inflation during his gubernatorial run. That year, he came within a notably close margin of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul as a Republican running in a traditionally blue state.Zeldin has said that some of his first priorities will be to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle, and to work on US energy dominance. What we know about the role: The EPA is responsible for crafting policies that protect clean water and air, and also plays a major role in approving regulations to combat climate change. The position of administrator is a Senate-confirmed role. What message this sends: Trump promised to take a very different approach to the environment than the Biden administration, including by exiting international climate agreements and focusing on expanding fossil fuel production. Zeldins nomination suggests those promises will be a priority, as will rescinding Biden-era environmental protections that curbed carbon emissions for businesses. Stephen Miller, former White House senior advisor for policy, speaks during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Atrium Health Amphitheater in Macon, Georgia, US, on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. A flurry of polls released Sunday show Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump remain poised for a photo finish in this weeks presidential election, with voters narrowly split both nationally and across the pivotal swing states that will decide the election. Photographer: Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesTrump policy aide Stephen Miller expected to be named deputy chief of staff and policy adviserWho he is: Miller is a staunch Trump loyalist and policy adviser who pushed many of the harshest immigration policies during the president-elects first term. He has advocated for a travel ban and family separations in the past, and hes a chief architect and booster for the idea of the mass deportations Trump has promised this term as well.They begin on Inauguration Day, as soon as he takes the oath of office, Miller has said of deportations. Trump has not yet formally announced the appointment, though Vice President-elect JD Vance has already posted his congratulations to Miller. What we know about the role: Another political appointment that doesnt require Senate confirmation, this position is set to focus heavily on providing policy guidance likely focused on immigration, given Millers expertise to the president-elect. What message this sends: Between this appointment and Homans, Trump has made clear that his promised mass deportations will be one of his top policy goals when he retakes office. West Palm Beach, FL - November 6 : Susie Wiles speaks with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump after he was declared the winner during an election night watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida in the early hours of Wednesday, Nov. 06, 2024. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty ImagesTrump campaign adviser Susie Wiles has been named chief of staffWho she is: A longtime Florida campaign operative, Wiles helped run Trumps 2016 campaign in the state and was a senior national adviser to him in 2024. Shes heavily credited for the success Trump had during the Republican primary in 2024 and had previously aided Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his gubernatorial run in 2018 prior to a falling out between the two. Wiles has also been a corporate lobbyist and worked with a spectrum of Republicans in the past, including former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Susie is tough, smart, innovative, universally admired and respected, Trump said in a statement. What we know about the role: The chief of staff is effectively a gatekeeper who helps shape the presidents priorities and offers policy counsel. The position is the most prominent political appointee in the White House and is not Senate confirmed. Notably, Trumps former chief of staff John Kelly has been a major critic of Trump, describing him as a fascist who favors a dictator approach.What message this sends: Wiles has been credited with professionalizing Trumps campaign operations and reining in some of the chaos that has marked his past operations. That said, his campaign was still rife with racist remarks that echoed authoritarians as well as frequent lies about former Vice President Kamala Harriss policies and identity. Kelly has said that he attempted to restrain the president during his first term, though it was still plagued by in-fighting and tumultuous policies on everything from climate to immigration. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

President-elect Donald Trump is pushing for the next Senate majority leader to allow recess appointments, which would allow him to install some officials without Senate confirmation.Typically, the Senate must approve presidential nominations for high-level posts, including cabinet positions, ambassadorships, and inspector general jobs, in a process outlined in the US Constitution. This procedure is meant to be a check on presidential power a way of ensuring officials directly elected by citizens can guard against the appointment of unqualified or corrupt personnel.The Constitution, however, also allows for recess appointments, a provision that aims to prevent prolonged government vacancies by allowing the president to install officials without Senate approval while Congress is not in session. Using such recess appointments, Trump would be able to appoint whoever hed like without giving the Senate the opportunity to question or object to the pick. Critics of the practice note that it increases the risk of unqualified, corrupt, or ideological appointees filling government posts. It also significantly expands presidential power. Though recess appointments have been used in the past by presidents of both parties, in recent years, the Senate has avoided going to extended recesses, blocking presidents from making any appointments in senators absence.Reinstating recess appointments would essentially negate one of the Senates main roles in governance, which is to vet presidential nominations for high-level positions, Peverill Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, told Vox. It would, if the Republicans in the Senate were willing to go along with it, represent sort of an abdication; they would be simply giving up the power thats afforded them.Trump injected his demand into the fierce race to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell as the leader of the Senate, which will be under GOP control next session thanks to the results of last weeks election. Trump largely stayed out of that contest while on the campaign trail, but he waded into it on Sunday, writing on X, Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!)The three candidates for the position Sens. John Thune (South Dakota), John Cornyn (Texas), and Rick Scott (Florida) quickly expressed support for Trumps demand. Scott, the underdog in the race who is also the closest Trump ally of the three, was the most explicit in his endorsement of the plan, writing 100% agree. I will do whatever it takes to get your nominations through as quickly as possible, on X.Whats a recess appointment and how does it work?In ordinary circumstances, nominees to many government posts including cabinet secretaries, ambassadors, and federal judges must undergo a confirmation hearing, during which they are questioned by the Senate about their record, qualifications, and how they will perform their government duties. Confirmation in this process requires a simple majority voting to confirm. Recess appointments work differently, and they dont require a vote. The president simply appoints an official of their choice. The idea behind them was that there might arise times when the president needed to appoint someone to keep the government functioning, while Congress was out of session (in recess).At the time the Constitution was written, Congress met mainly nine out of 24 months, and there were long stretches where Congress wasnt in session, Squire told Vox. As such, the Constitution states the president has the Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. Congressional recesses arent as long as they once were. Now, recesses happen in between each congressional session and around holidays. Recess appointments still work the same way, however. And as the text notes, any appointment made during a recess isnt permanent: Presidential appointments made during a recess last to the end of that second session, meaning for a period of no more than two years. A president can renominate their pick after that, or reappoint them during another recess. How have they been used in the past?With the exception of Trump and President Joe Biden, recent presidents have made use of recess appointments; according to the Congressional Research Service, former President Barack Obama made 32 recess appointments, Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments, and George W. Bush made 171 recess appointments.Though recess appointments were meant to be used in emergencies or in times when Congress met less often, over the past few decades, theyve become seen as a way for presidents to get around congressional opposition. The process faced major scrutiny during the Obama administration, and was curtailed after a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that Obama had overstepped his power in utilizing recess nominations. (Thats why neither Trump nor Biden made any recess appointments.)In an effort to block recess appointments, the chamber often employs what are known as pro forma sessions. These short meetings, in which no real business is conducted, mean the Senate is never in recess for more than 10 days preventing the president from making any appointments without the bodys consent. A pro forma session can be as simple as one senator gavelling in, and then calling the session over.If recess appointments are reinstated, there is little Democrats could do to stop the process, Squire said. But they could slow down legislative processes, which wouldnt necessarily prevent [recess appointments] from happening, but there would be a penalty a cost attached to it. Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: