SpaceX’s Starship has exploded shortly after takeoff in the second launch failure this year for Elon Musk’s interplanetary exploration programme.
But Musk’s rocket company was able to successfully return its mammoth first-stage booster to the launchpad following Thursday’s test-flight, catching it in its giant mechanical “chopsticks” for the third time.
SpaceX’s livestream showed the Starship spacecraft spinning uncontrollably in space minutes after its liftoff from the company’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas.
“You can see we’ve lost several engines and we’ve lost attitude control for the vehicle”, SpaceX communications manager Dan Huot said during the livestream.
“Once you lose enough of those centre engines, you’re going to lose attitude control”, Huot added.
“And so, we did see the ship start to go into a spin, and at this point, we have lost contact with the ship”.
Footage posted on social media showed fiery debris streaking across the skies of south Florida and the Bahamas as the remnants of the craft reentered the earth’s atmosphere.
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights to four Florida airports, including Miami international airport, due to falling debris.
The aviation regulator , said it had also launched a “mishap investigation” to “determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again”.
The mixed outcome comes after SpaceX’s seventh test-flight in January ended with the mid-flight breakup of the Starship, forcing airlines to divert flights to avoid falling debris.
In a statement after Thursday’s botched launch, SpaceX said the space vehicle had “experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly” before contact was lost.
“Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses”, the company said on X.
“We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand]the] root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability”.
NASA has contracted SpaceX to develop its Starship for use in its Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the moon this decade.
Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff’s daughter was heard “screaming and crying” outside the home of her mother who shot herself Wednesday, neighbours said.
Hayley Bach-Hasselhoff, 32, was reportedly seen going in and out of her parents ‘ $2million Hollywood Hills home as she screamed and wept. Her 62-year-old mother, who was in Baywatch and Sirens, was found dead there with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Hiromi Osieck, a neighbour, said: “She was hysterical, yelling, screaming, crying on the street. She was crying, saying ‘ I just want to get my car’. A little later, she came out with police. I heard her crying and somebody was trying to comfort her”.
Ms Osieck, 65, said she saw paramedics arrive at around 9pm before the young woman – believed to have been Hayley – came out the house and was visibly upset.
Pamela was discovered dead on Wednesday (London Entertainment/REX/Shutterstock)
Pamela and David were married for nearly 20 years (Getty Images)
The neighbour, who recognised Hayley’s car on the driveway, added: “We couldn’t see what was going on in the house, but when she came out she was crying like crazy”.
Pamela and David were married from 1989 to 2006, and had lived together in the property before their split, it is thought. Ms Osieck last saw Pamela at the address on Monday when she was taking out the rubbish.
But Ms Osieck’s husband John, 70, said he and his wife kept their distance from Pamela, due to “drama” in the wealthy neighbourhood. He told Mail Online Pamela, who has two children including Hayley, had had rifts with other neighbours, including one about parking spaces.
“It’s shocking. She was chatty. She would talk to a lot of people when she walked her dogs. She didn’t seem like the type of person who would want to kill herself”, John continued.
An autopsy will be conducted later Thursday, according to the medical examiner’s office. Authorities said there was no suicide note left at her home, which is a stone’s throw from Universal Studios.
A representative for David told Mail Online: “Our family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Pamela Hasselhoff. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time but we kindly request privacy as we grieve and navigate through this challenging time”.
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United States President Donald Trump has signalled he intends to move forward with plans to dismantle the Department of Education, despite mixed signals from his administration.
“Well, I want to just do it. I mean, we’re starting the process”, Trump said at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Thursday.
A directive to wind down the Department of Education was expected to be among the orders Trump signed on Thursday.
But in the hours leading up to the Trump’s public appearance in the Oval Office, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denounced reports of an announcement as “more fake news”.
Still, Trump has made no secret of his intention to shutter the Department of Education, a point he revisited on Thursday. Reporters had asked if he had any “second thoughts” that would lead to a delay, something the president refuted.
“ We’re trying to get the schools back into the states. Let the states run the schools”, Trump said, misrepresenting the department’s functions.
The Department of Education is charged with distributing federal financial aid, conducting education research and ensuring school compliance with anti-discrimination and accessibility policies.
It does not set school curriculums, a decision left to state and local officials.
Still, Trump doubled down on the idea that the department was a barrier to the states ‘ control over their schools.
“If they run their own education, they’re going to do a lot better than somebody sitting in Washington, DC, that couldn’t care less about the pupils out in the Midwest”, he said.
When asked about what would happen to the department’s distribution of federal student loans and grants, Trump proposed assigning that responsibility to other agencies.
“That would be brought into either Treasury or Small Business Administration or Commerce”, Trump said, naming other departments.
“And we’ve actually had that discussion today. I don’t think the Education should be handling the loans. That’s not their business. I think it will be brought into Small Business maybe”.
The US Department of Education building is seen in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2024]Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo]
Rumours of an executive order
Trump has been on a campaign to downsize the federal government, moving to close entire agencies and lay off thousands of workers.
“ We’re cutting it down”, Trump said of the government’s size on Thursday. ” You can’t have that kind of fat. It’s bloat like nobody’s ever seen before”.
The Republican leader has already gutted bureaus like the US Agency for International Development (USAID), closing its headquarters and reducing its staff to a skeleton crew of essential employees.
But no president in recent history has attempted to close a federal department, something that would require congressional approval.
News outlets including The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal obtained drafts of an executive order that offered insight into how Trump would approach such a feat.
The drafts called upon Education Secretary Linda McMahon, a Trump appointee, to take “all necessary steps” to wind down the department to “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law”.
Trump has previously faced criticism for overstepping the boundaries of his executive authority, including by withholding congressionally mandated funds and undermining other entities Congress established, like USAID.
Democrats immediately pounced on the news that the department’s demise was imminent.
At a news conference on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued the department’s closure would irreparably harm access to education, particularly for low-income Americans and students with disabilities.
“ The blast radius of this order will harm nearly every child, every teacher, every family and every community”, Schumer said.
“Taking a chainsaw to the Department of Education and undermining its mission to educate our next generation would be horrible for our schools, our families, the children Secretary McMahon is supposed to serve”.
What are the criticisms?
As with many of the agencies that Trump has sought to dismantle, the Department of Education has long been a target of conservative ire.
In his campaign for a second term last year, Trump echoed right-wing criticisms that the education system had become too “woke” — too influenced by social justice priorities.
In the 2024 Republican Party platform, for instance, Trump and his allies said they would “ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling”.
Part of their strategy has been to close the Department of Education, which enforces policies like Title IX, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex.
It also ensures school compliance with federal laws that guarantee equal access to education for students with disabilities.
In addition, the department plays a financial role in the country’s education system, providing approximately 8 percent of the funds for public elementary and secondary schools.
It also distributes federal research grants and funds to cover student financial assistance at colleges and universities. Overall, the Department of Education wields approximately $102bn, representing 0.9 percent of the overall federal budget for 2025.
But Trump has outlined a vision where the Department of Education’s responsibilities are reassigned to individual states.
“We want to move education back to the states, where it belongs”, Trump said at the first cabinet meeting of his second term on February 26. “Iowa should have education. Indiana should run their own education”.
But politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont warned that redistributing the department’s tasks would simply increase the tax burden on individual states — particularly rural ones with fewer resources to draw from.
“Do we need to make the Department of Education more efficient? I believe we do. Do we need to destroy it and wreak havoc for working-class families across this country? Absolutely not”, Sanders said in a news conference on Thursday.
ABC News reported that the Trump administration scuttled its planned executive order on Thursday over questions about potential public backlash.
The legality of Trump’s order
The Department of Education has roots going back to the 19th century, under President Andrew Jackson — one of Trump’s presidential idols.
But the modern-day entity started to take shape in the 20th century, as the federal government started to take a more assertive role in public education, in part due to civil rights issues.
In 1979, then-President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education as it is known today, in order to unite various federal programmes under the same umbrella. Its leader has been a cabinet-level post ever since.
But for just as long, there has been conservative pushback towards the department, as a potential hindrance to states ‘ rights.
In addition to pushing for the department’s closure, Trump has also sought to reshape US education in other ways.
He and Secretary McMahon are vocal supporters of “school choice” policies that would allow parents to use taxpayer funds — ordinarily earmarked for public education — to pay for private schools.
Trump has also said his administration is working to roll back what he believes are ideologically driven ideas around racial and gender equality in education.
But Trump himself has not been shy about conditioning federal support on adherence to his political priorities.
On Tuesday, for example, Trump wrote on social media that universities must crack down on students who participate in “illegal protests” or face consequences, including a halt in federal funding.
Love Island star Olivia Hawkins was in tears as she revealed the truth over the “leaked messages” saga on the latest All Stars series.
As Olivia returned to the South African villa to help with an eviction, she caused chaos by claiming Grace Jackson may not have had true intentions on the show. In the night before this year’s final, Olivia claimed to have read texts from Grace which said she was willing to do anything to win this time around.
Grace vehemently denied that was the case and moved quickly to shut down the accusations as she stood alongside partner Luca Bish. The blonde star hit back: “That is absolutely not true. I do not care about winning the show”, before Olivia told her: “I’ve seen the screenshots”.
Olivia caused chaos in the villa
Olivia opened up on the moment (Instagram)
Grace encouraged her to send the apparent “receipts”, saying: “I would love to see them” saying they must have been “forged” by someone. “I’ve said what I said. You know me, I’m very straight talking”, Olivia reiterated. “I’m just straight to the point. But I honestly wish them the best”.
Now, with the saga still not put to bad, Olivia has moved to clear up the situation. Speaking to SnatchedByWill podcast, she revealed that the situation has continued to take its toll on her. As she became emotional, she tried to defend her actions. Tearful, she explained how producers had encouraged her to share what she had looked at.
The interview, which was partly-shared on Instagram, saw Olivia say: “I said this piece of information to producers, and they wanted me to, you know, say what I’ve seen. What I will say is, do people really think I would go on national television and lie about something so serious as that”?
Grace and Luca in the Love Island villa
She admitted she didn’t want Grace to feel the heat over her comments. “That wasn’t my intention”, she claimed. “It was a show”. She then confessed she had to remove herself from the firing line, insisting she had needed “a moment to myself”.
Last month, Kaz Crossley also weighed in on the text scandal. Shortly after the final, Kaz told her followers: “I just want to say I haven’t seen these messages, and I had no involvement in this situation. So yeah, you lot need to stop asking me. Because boy I have no idea because that was crazy”.
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Sam Baldoni, father of actor and director Justin Baldoni, has made a pointed remark on social media amid the ongoing legal dispute with Blake Lively.
Sam shared a post on Instagram featuring a video of a bulletin board, which displayed a message reading: “In a world full of Blakes and Ryans, be a Justin”. The video featured a series of images of Justin, presented like a show reel, showcasing both his acting roles and playful moments.
The post stirred attention given the timing of the ongoing legal issues. Blake, 37, previously claimed that Justin had “weaponised a digital army” against her as part of a smear campaign. Justin later filed a lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion related to the film It Ends With Us. The lawsuit claims that Lively and her team spread false information to damage Justin’s reputation and take control of the film.
Sam Baldoni, father of actor and director Justin Baldoni, made a pointed social media remark amid the ongoing legal dispute with Blake Lively (Getty Images North America)
Blake previously claimed Justin ‘ weaponised a digital army ‘ against her as part of a smear campaign (Getty Images)
More recently, Taylor Swift sparked rumours that she has “distanced” herself from actress BFF Lively after the singer failed to publicly support the It Ends With Us star amid her sexual harassment claims against co-star Justin Baldoni. A source told the Daily Mail that the 35-year-old megastar’s silence could be used by Justin Baldoni’s team to shed doubt on Lively’s claims that she was sexually harassed by the actor on the set of their film, It Ends With Us. Blake, 37, accused Justin, 41, of sexual harassment. He countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for £321 million, accusing them of trying to destroy his reputation and career.
Taylor Swift was dragged into the bitter feud after Justin published a string of alleged messages from Blake in which (using a Game of Thrones reference) described her as one of her “dragons”.
Baldoni and Lively’s legal dispute began after they starred together in the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us (GC Images)
In his filing, Justin claims that Blake brought Taylor to a meeting about script changes. He claims that she used her “mega-celebrity friend” to intimidate him, and the “subtext” of Taylor’s presence at the meeting was that he “needed to comply with Blake’s direction for the script”.
The source said: “Taylor is a sexual assault victim and spent more than a year of her life fighting for a case that she knew she would win. She has donated money to sexual assault victims ‘ funds. If Taylor truly supported Blake, would she not want to publicly back her? Some people feel]Taylor] should be offering comfort and using her platform to rally Swifties in support of what is right.
” Instead, Taylor appears to have gone silent and is staying out of the public eye. This will likely play a role in Justin’s defense. If Taylor does not believe Blake, she will be the smoking gun in this case. “Representatives for Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been approached for comment.
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-5 W Clark (US), -3 S Lowry (Ire), K Bradley (US), C Conners (Can), C Bezuidenhout (SA)
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy navigated tricky conditions to put themselves in contention after the first round of Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida.
Ireland’s Lowry carded a three-under par 69 to sit in a tie for second alongside Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
World number two McIlroy, finished with a 70, three shots adrift of American leader Wyndham Clark, who knocked in three birdies in the final six holes to sign for a five-under 67.
However, Lowry and Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, both dropped a shot on the 18th on a day when high winds restricted scoring and only 14 players broke par.
American Wyndham Clark navigated the challenge posed by the strong winds the best, knocking in three birdies in the final six holes to establish a two-shot lead at five under.
England’s Justin Rose had briefly led on the front nine but ended up on two under along with McIlroy after pushing his tee shot out of bounds on the ninth where he carded a double bogey.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who won this tournament 12 months ago posted a 71 and is alongside Justin Thomas, who recovered from the nightmare start of two double bogeys in his opening four holes.
However, others to struggle included former US open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, who ran up a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-four 11th hole as he shot a 78.
