Welcome to the daily briefing. Start your morning by reading the book below.
nicole farato here. I just did a little Pilates. Thursday’s news includes updates on the Artemis II mission, excerpts from last night’s presidential address, and one mother’s journey to get her condition recognized.
Astronauts depart for the moon!
NASA’s Artemis II mission heads to the moon on Thursday, where the crew will conduct system checks in high Earth orbit, including tests on the Orion capsule’s life support, propulsion, navigation and communications systems to ensure the spacecraft is ready to fly deeper into space. And yes, they make sure the space toilet works.
It’s a historic moment. The Artemis II mission comes more than 50 years after humans last left Earth’s orbit. Although the four astronauts will not land on the moon, they will complete the necessary steps for future moonwalks.
“We’re going for all of humanity,” astronaut Jeremy Hansen said at 6:35 p.m. ET on April 1, seconds before blasting off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For all you space geeks out there: Check out Artemis II’s cute mascot and track your missions with the online Artemis II tracker.
More news you need to know right now
supreme court
SCOTUS discusses President Trump’s birthright citizenship policy
Protesters rallied outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices debated a lower court’s rejection of President Trump’s argument that children of parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not entitled to citizenship. Although leading conservative justices did not immediately reject the case, they appeared skeptical of the administration’s claims of legality.
health and wellness
Doctors attributed her symptoms to motherhood. In fact, she was suffering from a fungal disease.
Kate Ames was pregnant with her third child in 2018 and was exhausted. Her gynecologist said this was normal maternal fatigue and suggested treatment. Years later, her relief turned to anger when doctors and air quality experts discovered that her symptoms were caused by undetected mold in her home. Why didn’t they listen to her in the first place?
before going
Have feedback about the daily briefing? Email Nicole at NFallert@usatoday.com.
