“After a lengthy review, the federal agency agreed to allow SpaceX to substantially increase the number of annual launches from its Starbase launch site in South Texas. Previously, the company was limited to five launches, but now it will be able to conduct up to 25 Starship launches and landings during a calendar year.”
From Ars Technica.
Breastcancer.org | Noncommunicable Disease
“On May 1, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vepdegestrant (brand name: Veppanu) to treat estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced stage or metastatic breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation that grew after being treated with hormonal therapy.
The approval was based on results from the VERITAC-2 trial, which compared vepdegestrant to Faslodex (chemical name: fulvestrant). The results showed that vepdegestrant was more effective for people with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with an ESR1 mutation that grew while being treated with hormonal therapy and a CDK4/6 inhibitor. The people in the study who took vepdegestrant lived three months longer without the cancer growing than those who received Faslodex. And more of the cancers responded to vepdegestrant than Faslodex — 19% vs. 4%.
Vepdegestrant is a new type of oral selective estrogen receptor downregulator or degrader (SERD) called a PROTAC (proteolosys-targeting chimera). Like other SERDs, vepdegestrant works by blocking estrogen from attaching to cancer cells in the breast. It also destroys the estrogen receptors on the cancer cells and changes the shape of the receptors so they don’t work as well. Because it is a PROTAC, it breaks down the estrogen receptors in a different way than other SERDs.”
From Breastcancer.org.
“U.S. grid operator PJM Interconnection said on Wednesday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved its proposed expedited interconnection track, a temporary process to advance projects of significant size to address the urgent need for more capacity resources.
According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. power consumption, which hit its second straight annual record high in 2025, will rise further in 2026 and 2027, driven by AI-hungry data centers and electrification.
The approval comes as PJM and states across its footprint seek to bring new power generation online more quickly to meet rising electricity demand and maintain grid reliability.
PJM said it would consider 10 interconnection requests per calendar year under the EIT plan for large new or uprated capacity resources that, among other criteria, have a commitment from a relevant state authority to help expedite siting.”
From Reuters.
“Georgia citizens with criminal records will see expanded opportunities to find employment and rejoin productive society thanks to a new bill signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 12.
Senate Bill (SB) 207 makes some significant reforms to the state’s occupational licensing laws and will require, among other things, that officials prove a direct relationship between a person’s criminal history and the line of work they’re pursuing before they can deny them a license.
An occupational license is a government-issued state credential that many workers must obtain before they can legally work in fields ranging from cosmetology to contracting. In Georgia, more than one in five jobs requires an occupational license, including one in four of the state’s high-demand jobs. Georgia already has a shortage of workers in licensed fields like healthcare and childcare, with 65,000 licensed positions sitting unfilled today and projections showing that number could triple as the current workforce retires.
At the same time, these jobs are going unfilled, and some Georgia citizens are getting rejected from opportunities to get these occupational licenses due to criminal backgrounds that do not necessarily correlate with any actual risks of misconduct on the job.”
From Reason.
” For the first time in 20 years, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new sunscreen ingredient — bemotrizinol, or BEMT — that experts say is a safer option than many chemical ingredients currently in use in the United States.
‘Bemotrizinol has been used safely in Europe for decades, and FDA’s action will increase competition and consumer confidence in sunscreen products,’ US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy said in a statement announcing the change.
Adding BEMT is welcome news to many because there are few choices on US store shelves that are both safe and effective, according to an annual report by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a nonprofit health and environmental advocacy organization.”
From CNN.
