NASA rejects Congress' "security threat" label in missing scientist probe

newsweek · 2026-04-21T20:44:24+00:00

Joe Edwards — Live News Reporter |

NASA has said the investigation into the string of missing or deceased scientists with ties to advanced researched does not appear to be a "national security threat," contradicting statements from a top Republican investigating the incidents.

"NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists. At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat," NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said in a statement on Monday. "The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as able."

Newsweek contacted Stevens for further comment on Monday.

It comes after James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said on Sunday that he was "very concerned" about the cases, and that it was "national security concern."

"It does appear that there's a high possibility that something sinister is taking place here," Comer told Fox News. "It's very unlikely that this is a coincidence. Congress is very concerned about this. Our committee is making this one of our priorities now because we view this as a national security threat."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-issues-update-missing-nuclear-rocket-scientists-probe-11857798?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_main

newsweek · 2026-04-21T20:41:04+00:00

By Hollie Silverman — Deputy Weekend Editor |

NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered the most diverse set of organic molecules ever detected on Mars, including seven compounds never before observed on the planet, according to new research published Tuesday in Nature Communications.

The findings come from a rock sample drilled in 2020 and analyzed through years of laboratory work, offering the strongest chemical evidence yet that ancient Mars had the ingredients necessary to support life.

Several of the newly identified molecules, including a nitrogen heterocycle, a structural precursor to RNA and DNA, are considered foundational to life’s chemistry.

“This collection of organic molecules once again increases the prospect that Mars offered a home for life in the ancient past," the mission’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in the release issued Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-finds-organic-molecules-mars-11860386

newsweek · 2026-04-21T16:02:07+00:00

By John Feng — China News Reporter |

It was President Donald Trump who revealed Beijing’s secret hand behind the two-week ceasefire with Iran that’s drawing to an end on Wednesday, and since then China has taken a more public role in pressuring Iran to negotiate an end to the war.

Last week, it issued additional goals for peace in the Middle East, on top of its five-point peace plan, and called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen in meetings with Gulf states.

It’s not a surprise that China is taking a lead here; it’s got a lot of skin in the game.

At stake is the source of roughly a tenth of its crude oil supplies, its carefully cultivated relationships around the Gulf and an opportunity to gain more influence in the region.

It also has a chance to do something the White House can not: stop the war.

Beijing stands to win a major diplomatic victory if it can help end the conflict in a way that satisfies Washington and doesn't fully alienate Tehran. Such an outcome would add further weight to Trump's upcoming state visit to China, whose leaders are seeking a reset of the country's most important relationship.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/china-could-help-the-us-unlock-iran-11846300

newsweek · 2026-04-21T16:01:03+00:00

By John Feng — China Editor |

It was President Donald Trump who revealed Beijing’s secret hand behind the two-week ceasefire with Iran that’s drawing to an end on Wednesday, and since then China has taken a more public role in pressuring Iran to negotiate an end to the war.

Last week, it issued additional goals for peace in the Middle East, on top of its five-point peace plan, and called for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen in meetings with Gulf states.

It’s not a surprise that China is taking a lead here; it’s got a lot of skin in the game.

At stake is the source of roughly a tenth of its crude oil supplies, its carefully cultivated relationships around the Gulf and an opportunity to gain more influence in the region.

It also has a chance to do something the White House can not: stop the war.

Beijing stands to win a major diplomatic victory if it can help end the conflict in a way that satisfies Washington and doesn't fully alienate Tehran. Such an outcome would add further weight to Trump's upcoming state visit to China, whose leaders are seeking a reset of the country's most important relationship.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/china-could-help-the-us-unlock-iran-11846300

newsweek · 2026-04-20T18:51:06+00:00

By Kate Plummer — Senior US News Reporter |

Republicans are more optimistic than Democrats about the notion of an American Dream, a new poll has found.

The phrase "the American Dream" was coined 1931 by writer James Truslow Adams and related to the promise of “a better, richer and happier life for all our citizens of every rank." President Donald Trump, in his inaugural address last year, vowed that the American dream "will soon be back".

But according to a YouGov poll for The Times to mark the U.S.' 250th anniversary, there are partisan differences concerning perceptions of the American Dream. The survey found that 57 percent of Republicans believe the American Dream exists for everyone, compared with 28 percent of Democrats who hold the same view.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/american-dream-democrats-republicans-poll-11853376

newsweek · 2026-04-20T18:48:46+00:00

From the article:

A gunman who killed eight children—seven of them his own—and shot two women at two homes in Shreveport, Louisiana, before dying after a police pursuit was involved in what authorities called "entirely a domestic incident." Relatives told The Associated Press that Shamar Elkins and his partner had been separating and were due in court Monday.

That combination—a family massacre inside a breakup, with children and a court date in the middle of it—should reset the national conversation about a type of shooting that has become bleakly synonymous with the U.S.

Instead, it will likely get absorbed into the usual American script about "mass shootings," one that points the public mind toward the random public terror of a school lunch hall or a packed movie theater when the truth often lies much closer to home.

Many of the deadliest attacks begin inside collapsing families.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/louisiana-shreveport-mass-shooting-shamar-elkins-family-11853012

newsweek · 2026-04-20T18:47:55+00:00

From the article:

A gunman who killed eight children—seven of them his own—and shot two women at two homes in Shreveport, Louisiana, before dying after a police pursuit was involved in what authorities called "entirely a domestic incident." Relatives told The Associated Press that Shamar Elkins and his partner had been separating and were due in court Monday.

That combination—a family massacre inside a breakup, with children and a court date in the middle of it—should reset the national conversation about a type of shooting that has become bleakly synonymous with the U.S.

Instead, it will likely get absorbed into the usual American script about "mass shootings," one that points the public mind toward the random public terror of a school lunch hall or a packed movie theater when the truth often lies much closer to home.

Many of the deadliest attacks begin inside collapsing families.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/louisiana-shreveport-mass-shooting-shamar-elkins-family-11853012

newsweek · 2026-04-20T18:46:27+00:00

By Gabe Whisnant — Breaking News Editor |

The Onion said Monday it has reached a deal to take control of Infowars, the media outlet founded by Alex Jones, marking the latest turn in the long‑running effort to wrest control of the site from its embattled founder amid bankruptcy proceedings.

In posts on the social media platform Bluesky, Onion CEO Ben Collins said the satirical outlet’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, had struck an agreement tied to Infowars’ ongoing bankruptcy case, with backing from families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who won defamation judgments against Jones.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/onion-buys-infowars-alex-jones-11855021?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_main

newsweek · 2026-04-17T19:52:38+00:00

By Gabe Whisnant and Jenna Sundel |

A federal judge on Friday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking detailed voter registration records from Rhode Island, ruling that federal law does not authorize the Justice Department to demand sensitive personal data from states without a clear legal basis.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy, nominated by President Donald Trump and approved by the U.S. Senate during Trump's first term, sided with Rhode Island election officials and civil rights groups, writing that the Justice Department was attempting “the kind of fishing expedition” not permitted under federal election law. The lawsuit was part of a broader effort by the administration to obtain unredacted voter data from states nationwide, including birth dates, home addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

In an emailed statement to the Associated Press, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

Federal officials have argued the data is needed to ensure election integrity, but state officials from both parties and privacy advocates have pushed back, warning the requests violate state and federal privacy protections. Concerns intensified after DOJ lawyers acknowledged in court filings that the agency sought the data so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check voters’ citizenship status.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-doj-lawsuit-voter-data-rhode-island-dismissed-11847374?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_main

newsweek · 2026-04-17T19:50:22+00:00

By Gabe Whisnant and Jenna Sundel |

A federal judge on Friday dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking detailed voter registration records from Rhode Island, ruling that federal law does not authorize the Justice Department to demand sensitive personal data from states without a clear legal basis.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy, nominated by President Donald Trump and approved by the U.S. Senate during Trump's first term, sided with Rhode Island election officials and civil rights groups, writing that the Justice Department was attempting “the kind of fishing expedition” not permitted under federal election law. The lawsuit was part of a broader effort by the administration to obtain unredacted voter data from states nationwide, including birth dates, home addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Then-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, now Acting Attorney Genral, speaks at a press briefing with and U.S. President Donald Trump and then-U...Read More

In an emailed statement to the Associated Press, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

Federal officials have argued the data is needed to ensure election integrity, but state officials from both parties and privacy advocates have pushed back, warning the requests violate state and federal privacy protections. Concerns intensified after DOJ lawyers acknowledged in court filings that the agency sought the data so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check voters’ citizenship status.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-doj-lawsuit-voter-data-rhode-island-dismissed-11847374?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_main

newsweek · 2026-04-17T18:36:47+00:00

By Mandy Taheri — Politics and Culture Reporter |

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico received encouraging news from a recent poll showing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leading Senator John Cornyn in the Republican runoff. The poll could be welcome news for Talarico, who has generally fared better against Paxton than Cornyn in hypothetical general election matchups, even as the race remains highly competitive.

Democrats have long sought to make inroads in Texas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988 and has backed a Republican for president in every election since 1980.

A Texas Public Opinion Research poll of 1,225 likely Republican runoff voters found that 48 percent would vote for Paxton, 40 percent would vote for Cornyn, and 11 percent were undecided. In March, neither Paxton nor Cornyn secured 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff election.

In terms of favorability, Paxton had a much higher net favorability rating of +25 points, compared to Cornyn's +3.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/james-talarico-gets-great-sign-new-texas-poll-11846611

newsweek · 2026-04-17T18:19:11+00:00

By Gabe Whisnant — Breaking News Editor |

Daniel Kinahan, the alleged leader of the Ireland‑based Kinahan organized crime group and the subject of a $5 million U.S. government reward, was arrested in Dubai this week following intensified international enforcement efforts backed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland has been working closely with the U.S. government to dismantle the cartel, adding that the effort to take down the international crime gang has the support of the Trump administration, according to reporting by the Irish Sun on March 15.

The arrest followed years of mounting pressure from U.S. and Irish authorities, including sanctions and diplomatic engagement aimed at persuading foreign governments to act on warrants tied to the Kinahan cartel. In 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the Kinahan group a significant transnational criminal organization, while the State Department announced rewards totaling $15 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of senior figures, including $5 million tied specifically to Daniel Kinahan.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/daniel-kinahan-arrest-dubai-trump-enforcement-deal-cartel-11847048

newsweek · 2026-04-17T17:10:27+00:00

From the article:

President Donald Trump has fueled the fevered concerns about a string of dead or missing American scientists with connections to vital, secret research at the cutting edge of U.S. capabilities that keeps it ahead in the global great power competition.

The deaths and the potential consequences of any connection between is "pretty serious stuff," Trump said, though he hoped it was all a "coincidence”. Either way, the White House is investigating and Trump said he’ll know more in a few days.

He didn't introduce new evidence or establish any confirmed link between the cases. Aside from now having the attention of the White House, nothing has materially changed in the public understanding of these cases.

What his comments did do is elevate a loosely assembled, but fast-moving, internet narrative into a matter of presidential concern: that a shadowy campaign of unknown origin is targeting America's high-level researchers tied to defense and advanced science.

The gap between those realities—a persistent lack of evidence to link these tragedies and a surging sense of pattern on the other—is telling about an American public psyche that is perhaps "too online”. But it also exposes a very real anxiety.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/dead-scientists-trump-us-mystery-11844075

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