Matt

Artemis II: 400,000 Kilometers from Home — A Pale Blue Dot Adrift in the Cosmos From the window of the Orion spacecraft, racing through cislunar space on humanity’s first crewed lunar mission in over fifty years, the astronauts turned to look back at Earth. At a distance of 400,000 kilometers (about 250,000 miles)—once the defining span of the Apollo missions—our world fades into a single, luminous blue point against the vast darkness. No borders. No cities. Only a fragile sphere of swirling oceans and clouds, holding every human story, every dream, every life ever lived. A quiet, humbling reminder of our smallness… and the extraordinary value of the only home we’ve ever known. Captured during Artemis II’s sweeping journey around the Moon, this view echoes the spirit of the “Pale Blue Dot,” while signaling a bold new era in humanity’s return to deep space.

@DrewBotelle77 @Physicsastronmy What an incredible perspective!

@Physicsastronmy Now that's cool

While two astronauts carry on with their tasks aboard the station, a satellite lifts off from Earth below—creating a breathtaking view that’s hard to forget.

The Apollo 16 lunar module, named Orion, touched down on the Moon on this day in 1972. With the help of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, seen on the far side of Plum crater in this photo, John Young and Charlie Duke (shown here) drove 16.6 miles (26.7 km) in the Moon's Descartes Highlands and collected 211 lbs (96 kg) of lunar samples. To date, Duke is the youngest person to have walked on the lunar surface.

Wow: Carson Beck is going into the NFL draft while Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson are going into their fourth year in the NFL. All four were in the same recruiting class. 🤯🤯🤯

Fake AI-generated pro-Trump influencers emerge on social media ahead of midterm elections, posting about the “radical left” and “America First.” Trump has reposted content from at least one of the accounts

The next-gen version of Fox News is in alpha testing right now. Fake accounts like this will be everywhere on social media without laws and action from social media platforms.

The security footage of a man in a stuck elevator who forcefully pries open the jammed doors like a window, helping women and children exit first before leaving himself.

Japanese engineers developed a “Sword Tip Visualization System” for the Fencing World Championships, and it makes fencing look absolutely incredible to watch.

Singapore’s scientists have developed a breakthrough so simple, yet so powerful: a paint that cools buildings without using a single watt of power. This “smart paint” reflects up to 98% of solar heat, keeping surfaces up to 5°C cooler than ambient air. Made from ceramic nanoparticles and reflective polymers, it forms a passive cooling layer that can last for decades — cutting air-conditioning costs dramatically. In tropical cities, where energy use surges from heat, this could mean millions of tons of carbon emissions avoided every year. The paint works on concrete, metal, and glass, and it’s already being tested on skyscrapers, buses, and even aircraft hangars.

In Tokyo, there's a cleaning crew that does the impossible every 12 minutes. They're called TESSEI. They clean the Shinkansen bullet trains at Tokyo Station. When a train arrives, it stops for 12 minutes before departing again. Two minutes for passengers to exit. Three more for the next batch to board. That leaves seven. In those seven minutes, one person must: - Clean 100 seats - Wipe every tray table - Vacuum the floor - Rotate every seat to face the new direction of travel - Replace all headrest covers - Check the overhead bins - Bow to incoming passengers Seven. Minutes. They do this hundreds of times a day. Harvard Business School published a case study about them. The New York Times called it "the 7-minute miracle." Tourists now stand on the platform just to watch. Before they start, they bow to the train. When they finish, they line up and bow to the passengers. They're paid by the hour. Many are in their 50s and 60s. Japan didn't invent cleaning. They invented the dignity of doing small things perfectly.

It should be a much bigger story that JD Vance flew to Hungary, stood on a campaign stage, and told voters to return a head of government widely documented for human rights abuses and democratic backsliding. Then, after his candidate lost, Vance said what had happened during the Hungarian campaign was “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference that I’ve ever seen or ever even read about.” Was he describing himself? The Hungarian people rejected it all. Democracy held, despite America’s intervention, not because of American leadership. The United States has long argued that elections should be free from outside influence. That standard should apply to everyone, including us. nytimes.com/2026/04/07/wor…

The Trump budget is historic.   For the first time in recent history, the government would spend a larger share of its annual budget on defense than on domestic programs.   @Morning_Joe

Pete Hegseth quoted a fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction during a Pentagon sermon.

This American woman lost both of her parents and went through their Social Security records. They paid in for decades — nearly $1,000,000 combined. Her dad died before collecting a cent. Her mom only received about $32,000 a year, for four years. That’s not a safety net but a scam.

Disney: $8.3B in profits $0 paid in taxes CVS Health: $6.57B in profits $0 paid in taxes Tesla: $5.7B in profits $0 paid in taxes Citigroup: $4.45B in profits $0 paid in taxes United Airlines: $4.3B in profits $0 paid in taxes Coinbase: $1.62B in profits $0 paid in taxes Palantir: $1.58B in profits $0 paid in taxes PayPal: $1.43B in profits $0 paid in taxes Yum! Brands: $1B in profits $0 paid in taxes At least 88 companies reported $105B in profits last year, and paid $0 in taxes. But Republicans want you to think someone working 40 hours a week for poverty wages, relying on SNAP and Medicaid to survive, is the problem. itep.org/88-profitable-…

Farmers voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. The Farm Bureau reports today that farmers can't afford to buy the fertilizer needed for this year's crops.

The victory of the opposition in Hungary yesterday, like the Polish election in 2023, is a victory for democracy, not just in Europe but around the world. Most of all, it’s a testament to the resilience and determination of the Hungarian people – and a reminder to all of us to keep striving for fairness, equality and the rule of law.

Children in Lubbock, Texas were admitted to the hospital with liver damage. Not from measles. From vitamin A toxicity — because their parents followed RFK Jr.’s advice and gave them cod liver oil to treat measles. He is the sitting U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. This is not the first time this has happened. In 2019, RFK Jr. traveled to Samoa and ran the same anti-vaccine campaign. Vaccination rates dropped to 31%. Five months later: 5,700 cases. 83 dead. Most of them children under 4. He called it a “natural experiment.” The Senate confirmed him as HHS Secretary anyway. yahoo.com/news/after-rfk… 🧵1/3

GAME CHANGER: Montana just found the "exit ramp" to kill Citizens United. They aren't waiting for the Supreme Court—they’re going around them. 74% of voters are on board and corporate lawyers are PANICKING. This is how we win. 🏔️💸 dworkinsubstack.com/p/army-secreta…