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First private SpaceX polar mission splashes down near California

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First private SpaceX polar mission splashes down near California

A SpaceX capsule carrying four private astronauts who orbited the north and south poles landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Friday.

It was the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above the poles and the first Pacific splashdown for a space crew in 50 years, SpaceX said. 

The “Fram2” mission, which was charted for an undisclosed price by Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, began Monday night when the quartet blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The crew returned to Earth at around 9 a.m. local time on Friday. 

“All four @framonauts [Fram2 astronauts] have safely exited Dragon unassisted,” SpaceX posted on X.

The SpaceX Fram2 crew after splashing down on Friday. (SpaceX via X)

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NASA ASTRONAUT TAKES PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR BOEING MISSION THAT LEFT HIM IN SPACE FOR EXTENDED STAY

Their capsule was outfitted with a domed window that provided stunning 360-degree views of the poles from 270 miles up.

“It is so epic, because it is another kind of desert, so it just goes on and on and on all the way,” Rogge said in a video posted by Wang on X while gazing down from orbit.

Wang invited along a Norwegian filmmaker, a German robotics researcher and an Australian polar guide. 

During their multi-day mission, Dragon and the crew conducted 22 research studies designed to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and the understanding of human health in space. 

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A SpaceX Dragon capsule about to touch down with parachutes engaged.

A Dragon capsule carrying four space tourists prepares to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, April 4, 2025.  (SpaceX via AP)

NASA ASTRONAUTS BUTCH WILMORE, SUNI WILLIAMS GIVE FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RETURN TO EARTH IN FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The crew took the first X-ray in space, performed exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass and grew mushrooms in microgravity, the company said. 

After the crew exits the Dragon spacecraft, they will not be given additional medical and operational assistance to help researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space. The Fram2 astronauts spent over eight months training, which included numerous simulations and emergency preparedness, among other activities, according to Fram2.

It was the first human spaceflight for Wang, as well as vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips.

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They named their trip Fram2 after the Norwegian sailing ship that carried explorers to the poles more than a century ago. A bit of the original ship’s wooden deck accompanied the crew to space.

The last people to return from space to the Pacific were the three NASA astronauts assigned to the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission.

Domed window of the Dragon capsule

This photo provided by SpaceX shows the domed window of the Dragon capsule with a polar region of the Earth in the background on April 1, 2025.  (SpaceX via AP)

SpaceX, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said the decision to splashdown off California was based on safety and practicality factors, the company said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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West

Progressive journalist says Newsom must take 'accountability' for how he 'destroyed' California

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Progressive journalist says Newsom must take 'accountability' for how he 'destroyed' California

Ana Kasparian of “The Young Turks” declared she will never take Gov. Gavin Newsom seriously as a potential Democratic presidential candidate until he takes responsibility for California’s decline. 

On “Her Take,” a new Valuetainment Studios podcast, co-hosts spoke about the current crop of Democratic leaders who may be vying to lead the party in the 2028 election. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s historic victory in 2024, the Democratic Party has been deeply divided over not just who should take the reins, but whether they need a fundamental shift in policy. 

Co-host Jillian Michaels, a former Californian, brought up how Newsom is a potential frontrunner for the upcoming election, drawing an immediate wave of dismay from her co-hosts.

“This guy has tried,” Michaels said, noting that the governor is changing his tactics. “He’s taken notes, he’s tried to be somewhat critical of his own party, he’s tried to reach out to the other side. He’s tried to be antithetical to, you know, ‘everything exists in our silo, and we don’t reach across the aisle.’ He’s tried to show himself.”

Kasparian, a left-wing commentator who frequently shreds California’s far-left policies, replied, “I will never take that piece of crap seriously, and yes, I’m calling Gavin Newsom, my governor unfortunately, a piece of crap until he does some accountability for how he destroyed the state of California.”

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Ana Kasparian scorched Gov. Newsom for his leadership of California, particularly for trying to scapegoat Donald Trump. (“Her Take/Valuetainment Studios)

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Rather than take a broad look at the Democratic Party, Kasparian recommended that Newsom “look inward and take a good hard look at the policies that you championed in our state that have completely destroyed the state.”

“He’s trying to blame Donald Trump for the loss of jobs in California,” she added. “Are you kidding me? The loss of jobs started well before Trump won the election, and it was the result of his policies, cumbersome regulations, that have now led to oil companies, for instance, deciding, ‘We’re not doing this anymore, we’re going to leave.’” 

Kasparian also argued that crime has exploded under his watch.

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“You have rampant crime that Democrats want to deny exists, but it obviously does when businesses close up shop and move to other states because the cost of doing business is so expensive,” she said. “Insuring businesses in California is astronomical because of the issues with crime.”

Her Take podcast panel speaks

Multiple members of the panel had grievances to share about Gov. Newsom’s leadership of California. (“Her Take”/Valuetainment Studios)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Kasparian went on to condemn the governor, claiming, “in an effort to save California money, he preemptively shut down four state prisons. There is no room to put any of these inmates in.”

This has caused an issue for the state, she said, where now county jails that were already overflowing now have to release inmates “regardless of how much time they’ve served.”

“Even if they’ve been sentenced to decades behind bars, they’re being released after serving two, three years because there’s no room for them,” Kasparian said.

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Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom speaks after being elected governor of the state during an election night party in Los Angeles, California, on November 6, 2018.  (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

Michaels shared a story about a man who was released early from jail after he invaded her house with a video camera and duct tape.

 “Gavin Newsom is a wrecking ball to California. He is, as [Adam] Corolla says, a ‘policy disaster,’” she lamented.

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San Francisco, CA

49ers near deal to sell 6.2% stake in franchise to 3 Bay Area families

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49ers near deal to sell 6.2% stake in franchise to 3 Bay Area families


SANTA CLARA, Calif. — According to San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, interested parties have approached his family “probably on a weekly basis” to attempt to buy a piece of the 97% of the team the Yorks own.

This week, it seems, three of the parties who approached the York family came with the right offer. The 49ers are working to complete the sale of more than 6% of the team to three Bay Area families, according to a league source.

Sportico, which first reported the pending sale Thursday, said the sales will be done at a franchise valuation of more than $8.5 billion. If the deal is completed at that number, the valuation will be the largest ever for a sports franchise in a transaction.

The Khosla, Deeter and Griffith families are the prospective buyers, with the Khoslas purchasing 3.1%, the Deeters obtaining 2.1% and the Griffiths acquiring 1%, The Athletic reported Thursday afternoon.

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The NFL is expected to formally approve the transactions at the spring owners’ meetings in Minneapolis next week. The 49ers declined to comment on the proposed sales Thursday./p>

br/>The Niners have been receiving offers for the past few months, and York said in March at the annual league meeting that his family had been considering a sale of up to 10% of its ownership stake. At the time, he called it a “family asset allocation decision” based on the wants and needs of various family members.

“It’s just one of those things where if there’s an opportunity that makes sense, we would always explore that, but I’m not sure what we’re going to end up doing,” York said then. “And if we do, we would try to find the right people who would help bolster everything that we’re doing in and around the team, on the field, off the field, and just make sure that we had good partners that are with us.”

All three of the reported buyers have venture capital backgrounds. Vinod Khosla is co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures in Menlo Park, California. Byron Deeter is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners in Redwood City and San Francisco, and William Griffith is a partner at Iconiq Capital in San Francisco.

In other franchise-related news, theLos Angeles Chargersare requesting approval to sell an 8% stake in the team to a private investment firm, The Los Angeles Times reported, citing a person with knowledge of the approval request sent in a memo to NFL owners.

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The newspaper said Chargers owner Dean Spanos and siblings Michael Spanos and Alexis Spanos Ruhl will attempt to sell the stake to private investment firm Arctos at next week’s meetings.br/]

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Denver, CO

Mental Health Action Day energizes communities in Denver committed to emotional health

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Mental Health Action Day energizes communities in Denver committed to emotional health


It is Mental Health Action Day, a day where CBS colleagues around the country join together with MTV to champion all the ways people are taking action for mental health for themselves, their loved ones, and the community.

In Denver’s La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood, young people with Youth on Record spent the day doing a “Mental Health First Aid” training.

Among the topics discussed was the “A-S-K” method:   Acknowledge – Support –  and Keep in Touch. Research has shown that social connection is the strongest protective factor to prevent depression. The American Psychiatric Association found that people with high social support have a 63% lower risk of depression, compared to those with low social support.

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Thursday’s training was aimed at empowering young people to support their peers and neighbors.

Moses Graytower embodies the mission of Youth on Record. The organization provides studio space where young people can play, perform and record music.

The aim is to help creatives find their voice and value.

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Moses was quite young when he discovered his talent. He said, “If I could sing songs for people, I could probably make them feel good too. And I remember learning covers on youtube and singing them for my friends at recess every single day.”

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Now an integral part of this creative community, Moses says Youth on Record has made all the difference, “I never feel alone. You know, as an independent artist, it’s really easy to feel like it’s you versus everybody you know, you versus the institution, you versus the progress that you think you should be making. I come here, it’s, there’s people who have my back. You know, I have plenty of mentors who I owe truly my life to.”

Moses took part in Mental Health Action Day. Youth on Record’s Mental Health and Wellness Manager Gavrielle Reyes said, “How can we teach them some tools and tricks that’ll allow for them to better care for themselves? How can we empower them with language so that they can be reliable narrators for their own experiences?”

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Moses looks forward to having more tools to help others address emotions and challenges. He’s grateful to Youth on Record – and calls it a big family that wants to see you win.

“They were there for me in really hard times, and they let me know everything was gonna be okay, that I’m on my path, and I’m doing it exactly the way that it’s supposed to be done,” added Moses.

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CBS Colorado, together with our parent company Paramount and M-T-V, provided a grant to Youth on Record to make the day’s activities possible. CBS Colorado’s Karen Leigh spent the afternoon meeting participants and attending the concert culminating the Action Day.

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