List of All Articles with Tag 'sons'

Three senators who serve on the Committee on Armed Forces have reportedly sent a letter to the Department of Defence (DoD) expressing concern over allegations that Elon Musk controlled Ukrainian soldiers’ ability to access satellite communications via Starlink. Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth have asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide clarification over an incident from last year in a letter sent on Friday according to NBC News. The incident, laid out in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Mr Musk, claims that the billionaire tech entrepreneur stopped the Ukrainian armed forces from accessing satellite communications via Starlink near the Crimean Peninsula thus thwarting a potential assault on Russian ships. Mr Musk clarified on X that he did not discontinue Starlink connectivity but refused a request by Ukraine to provide it there out of fear of escalating war. The three senators said the “confusion over what actually happened” demands answers and expressed great concern about Mr Musk’s role in the incident. “The reports raise serious concerns about whether Mr Musk has personally intervened to undermine a key US partner at a critical juncture,” a portion of the reported letter said. Several officials, including the three senators, have shared similar worries that commercial satellite companies similar to Starlink could cause issues by intervening on significant decisions like this one. Senator Jack Reed who serves as the chairman of the Committee on Armed Forces, said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg, that the situation with Mr Musk raised concerns about national security. “Neither Elon Musk, nor any private citizen, can have the last word when it comes to US national security,” Mr Reed said. “We’ve got to look at the broader satellite markets and the role of government outsourcing, the outsized role Mr Musk and his company have taken on here, and the Pentagon’s actions and contractual arrangements,” Mr Reed added. At the time of the incident, Starlink had no contract with the Pentagon and therefore no directive from US officials. Mr Musk said had he received an order from President Joe Biden to extend services to Ukrainians in Crimea he would have done so. In June, the Pentagon and Starlink signed a contract in which the DoD agreed to buy its services for Ukraine. Now, the three senators are imploring leaders to consider the implications of Mr Musk’s actions and look to prevent situations like this from arising in the future. “We are deeply concerned with the ability and willingness of SpaceX to interrupt their service at Mr Musk’s whim and for the purpose of handcuffing a sovereign country’s self-defense, effectively defending Russian interests,” the letter said according to NBC News. The senators requested Mr Austin provide answers by the end of October. The Independent has reached out to the offices of Ms Duckworth, Ms Shaheen and Ms Warren for comment. Read More Putin praises Musk as ‘outstanding person’ days after report Tesla boss stopped Ukrainian attack Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon Elon Musk ignores reporter after claims he stopped Ukrainian attack on Russia

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's political fate is now in the hands of the state Senate, which began private deliberations in Paxton's impeachment trial just before noon Central time Friday after House impeachment managers and the attorney general's defense attorneys delivered their closing arguments.

The fastest Premier League players before the first international break are revealed, with Adama Traore, Rasmus Hojlund and Anthony Gordon among the top five.

90min looks at the ten players who have covered the most distance during the 2023/24 Premier League season so far including Declan Rice, Rodri and Dominik Szoboszlai.

The defending champion Springboks have pushed rugby’s boundaries a little again with a left-field team selection to play Romania at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday

A range of US economic reports are set to be delayed in an impending shutdown of the federal

Pep Guardiola responds to Gareth Southgate's comments about Phil Foden's ability to play in a central midfield role.

Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland manages to honor the original Haunted Mansion ride while respecting cultural sensitivities at the same time.

Nicolás Maduro is allowing some of his regime’s darkest moments to be aired on cinema screens across Venezuela,

Jalen Milroe's performance against Texas may have gotten him benched with rumors of a shocking Alabama quarterback change going into the game against USF.

The soreness Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard felt Monday morning provided a sense of relief

Nasa has named its new head of research into unexplained phenomena spotted in the sky – after initially saying that it would not. The space agency said that its new head of research into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAPs, would be kept secret in an attempt to keep them from being abused. Many of the publicly identified members its research panel have been subject to threats and harassment, the space agency has said. Previously, members of the panel said that abuse had kept them from properly examining the phenomena. The announcement of a new head of research came soon during the discussion of the panel’s first report into UFOs. That report said that it needed more scientific research to make firm conclusions – and less stigma and abuse of those doing it. During a panel discussion of that report, Nasa associate administrator Nicola Fox said that the space agency had appointed a new official to oversee the research and work with other federal agencies. But she told reporters that “we will not give his name out” for fear of reprisals. Later on Thursday, however, Nasa released a new blog post in which it identified the new director as Mark McInerney. “McInerney previously served as NASA’s liaison to the Department of Defense covering limited UAP activities for the agency,” it wrote. “In the director role, he will centralize communications, resources, and data analytical capabilities to establish a robust database for the evaluation of future UAP. “He also will leverage NASA’s expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and space-based observation tools to support and enhance the broader government initiative on UAP.” The report did not give any indication of why the space agency had changed its mind on naming the new appointment. It only noted that it had made the decision to update it to “include details about the UAP research director”. In the 33-page report published earlier on Thursday, an independent team commissioned by NASA cautioned that the negative perception surrounding UFOs poses an obstacle to collecting data. But officials said NASA‘s involvement should help reduce the stigma around what it calls UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.“We want to shift the conversation about UAPs from sensationalism to science,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. He promised an open and transparent approach. Officials stressed the panel found no evidence that UAPs had extraterrestrial origin. But Nelson acknowledged with billions of stars in billions of galaxies out there, another Earth could exist. “If you ask me, do I believe there’s life in a universe that is so vast that it’s hard for me to comprehend how big it is, my personal answer is yes,” Nelson said at a news conference. His own scientists put the likelihood of life on another Earth-like planet at “at least a trillion.” When pressed by reporters on whether the U.S. or other governments are hiding aliens or otherworldly spaceships, Nelson said: “Show me the evidence.” NASA has said it doesn’t actively search for unexplained sightings. But it operates a fleet of Earth-circling spacecraft that can help determine, for example, whether weather is behind a strange event. The 16-member panel noted that artificial intelligence and machine learning are essential for identifying rare occurrences, including UFOs. No top-secret files were accessed by the panel’s scientists, aviation and artificial intelligence experts, and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space. Instead, the group relied on unclassified data in an attempt to better understand unexplained sightings in the sky. Officials said there are so few high-quality observations that no scientific conclusions can be drawn. Most events can be attributed to planes, drones, balloons or weather conditions, said panel chairman David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, a scientific research group. The government refers to unexplained sightings as UAPs versus UFOs. NASA defines them as observations in the sky or elsewhere that cannot be readily identified or scientifically explained. The study was launched a year ago and cost under $100,000. Additional reporting by agencies Read More We cannot yet explain mysterious sightings in the sky, Nasa panel says Nasa boss says he believes in aliens during UFO hearings Watch as Nasa announces findings of long-awaited UFO study Nasa’s UFO study team reveals first ever report: as it happened Scientists might have seen a ‘life’ molecule on another planet SpaceX crew streak across sky before splashing down off Florida coast