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August 4: Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll and Senate Funding Vote
In science
Researchers at the University of Michigan say a memory-centric chip design could dramatically reduce the computing power needed aboard a future space telescope. Simulations for NASA’s proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory cut demand from roughly 3,000 watts to 51, potentially shedding about 2,000 pounds of supporting power and cooling equipment. The chiplets still need to be manufactured and tested, which is the point where simulated space hardware meets its less theoretical obligations.
In schools
A group of teenagers has made a film about misogyny experienced by girls at school, including the circulation of so-called rape lists. It comes ahead of planned curriculum changes, with the students putting firsthand accounts into a debate that has often been handled at a safer distance by adults.
In U.S. government
The Senate voted 89 to 4 to advance a stopgap funding bill intended to avert a government shutdown ahead of the fall midterm elections. The vote clears an initial procedural hurdle and signals broad bipartisan backing for keeping federal agencies funded, though final passage is still required.
In immigration enforcement
A federal judge has temporarily blocked New York from enforcing its ban on public mask-wearing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The ruling prevents local police from arresting federal immigration agents who cover their faces, while restrictions on local police wearing masks remain in place.
In Venezuela
Venezuela’s National Assembly president, Jorge Rodríguez, says the earthquake death toll has risen to 6,125. Scrutiny of the government response is increasing as the scale of the disaster becomes clearer.
In UK justice
Lissie Harper, whose husband PC Andrew Harper was killed in 2019, has condemned prison early-release reforms that could make his killers eligible for release sooner. The government has excluded rape and child sexual offences from the scheme, alongside existing exclusions for life prisoners and those deemed most dangerous, but Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg said the outcome remains deeply disappointing.
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