Supreme Court tosses judgment in blow to USS Cole survivors

The Supreme Court on Tuesday tossed a $314.7 million judgment against Sudan in favor of U.S. sailors injured in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, saying the Americans lodged the lawsuit incorrectly. The high court voted 8-1 against the plaintiffs in the suit, saying they should have sent a copy of the lawsuit to the Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead of the Sudan Embassy in Washington, D.C. The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 requires notifications of lawsuits between countries to go to foreign affairs departments. The only justice who dissented, Justice Clarence Thomas, said he believed the plaintiffs did comply with the law by notifying the embassy.

Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said foreign ministers must be notified of lawsuits where they regularly work, "not a far flung outpost that the minister may at most occasionally visit."

The 2000 suicide bombing on the USS Cole, a Navy guided-missile destroyer, in Yemen left 17 U.S. sailors dead and 39 injured. The lawsuit on behalf of the injured accused Sudan of providing support to the al-Qaida militant group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The Supreme Court said its judgment doesn't prevent a second lawsuit from going forward, but that the plaintiffs should send the court documents directly to the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs next time. A separate lawsuit by the families of the 17 dead sailors also must be refiled directly to the Sudanese government. An appeals court tossed that $34 million judgment because the families sent the paperwork to the Sudanese Embassy. "There are circumstances in which the rule of law demands adherence to strict requirements even when the equities of a particular case may seem to point in the opposite direction," Alito said.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/03/26/Supreme-Court-tosses-judgment-in-blow-to-USS-Cole-survivors/6231553623943/

OneWeb to mass-produce satellites in Florida

In the shiny white laboratory that is OneWeb Satellites' new Florida manufacturing plant, a historic first happened this week: The first few mass-produced satellites ever to be built in Florida started coming together. Workers in lab coats and hairnets pushed solar panels into cabinets where bright lights checked for fractures. Satellite frames covered in gold-colored film, about the size of a washing machine, neared the final radio-frequency test chambers. "There are about 40 people working here now, and we're hiring another 30 this month," said John Start, resident expert engineer at OneWeb Satellites plant near Kennedy Space Center.

Starting in August, the space firm intends to hire another 50 workers for a total of more than 120. The goal is to crank out two small satellites a day. Many will be launched from Florida; some will be carried on rockets made across the street by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. Hiring so many people to work in such advanced high-tech manufacturing for the space industry hasn't happened before in Florida. The state has aerospace companies like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, but they've mostly been focused on defense contracting. "Having once been just a launch site, it is deeply encouraging to see Florida now building capsules, rockets, commercial lunar landers, and today, as the home of the most advanced satellite production facilities on the planet," said Dale Ketcham, vice president of government and external relations for the state's space agency, Space Florida. "We are eager to see this endeavor succeed. Not just to perform, but to grow."

OneWeb is a communication startup backed by deep pockets: France's Airbus, Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and Japan's SoftBank, which owns Sprint. Its sister company, OneWeb Satellites, is a technically a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb. The startup plans to launch hundreds of satellites over the next few years to provide new high-speed Internet and wireless service around the globe. OneWeb launched its first six satellites Feb. 27 on a Russian-made Soyuz rocket from South America. The company says the small satellites are functioning as planned. Since that launch, OneWeb announced it raised another $1.25 billion for expansion.

Back in Florida, Start is handling hiring and setting up the manufacturing process. He's considered a black belt in the ultra-efficient manufacturing process known as Lean Six Sigma, which trains staff to eliminate waste and defects. Start said the plant in Florida only has inventory on hand for about two months' of production at any time. The framework for its satellites comes from another European-based company, RUAG Space, which has set up a new plant and is hiring just across the Indian River, about 10 miles away from OneWeb Satellites.

In the past, satellites and rockets were made elsewhere, such as Colorado or Washington, and shipped for launch at Cape Canaveral. OneWeb, RUAG and several other companies have formed the Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program to work jointly on developing a workforce, among other goals. The apprenticeships are focused on skilled labor positions – mechanics and technicians to operate or repair high-tech equipment like computer network controls tools. In the first year, 19 apprenticeships will be offered. They start with a paid two-week summer orientation trial in June. Students will receive part-time paid jobs while they attend a two-year degree program at Eastern Florida State College for degrees in engineering and aerospace.

Once that's done, they could be offered a full-time position at OneWeb Satellites, RUAG Space, Knight's Armament, Matrix Composites, Rocket Crafters, Discovery Aviation or Precision Shapes. To kick things off, the group will hosting a town hall meeting and tour of OneWeb Satellites' high-tech facility this week from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday starting at Space Florida's headquarters, 505 Odyssey Way, Merritt Island. It's in in Exploration Park near the space center. Registering on EventBrite is required.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/03/19/OneWeb-to-mass-produce-satellites-in-Florida/6221553010025/

>>5907882

Clarence Thomas the true patriot, he always has been.

>>5907959

Some articles put links in brackets..look for that and remove it and you should be fine.

Trump orders historic plan to thwart EMP, warns attack would be ‘debilitating’

In the first step of its kind, President Trump has signed an executive order calling for a government wide war on EMP, the types of electromagnetic pulses that can wipe out every computer, electric grid, and jet. In joining the voices of those warning of EMP attacks, Trump called on his government to quickly generate a plan to detect EMP, protect critical infrastructure like water and electric sources, and also to recover if a hit lands.

“It is the policy of the United States to prepare for the effects of EMPs through targeted approaches that coordinate whole-of-government activities and encourage private-sector engagement,” said the executive order released by the White House. “The federal government must provide warning of an impending EMP; protect against, respond to, and recover from the effects of an EMP through public and private engagement, planning, and investment; and prevent adversarial events through deterrence, defense, and nuclear nonproliferation efforts. To achieve these goals, the federal government shall engage in risk-informed planning, prioritize research and development (R&D) to address the needs of critical infrastructure stakeholders, and, for adversarial threats, consult Intelligence Community assessments,” it added

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, “President Trump will always do what it takes to keep Americans safe. Today’s Executive Order — the first ever to establish a comprehensive policy to improve resilience to EMPs — is one more example of how the administration is keeping its promise to always be vigilant against present dangers and future threats.” Officials have warned for years that the electric grid is not safe from an EMP attack — either one from a solar flare or a nuclear attack from countries with EMP weapons, including Iran, North Korea, China and Russia. A congressional report warned that an EMP attack on the East Coast would kill 90 percent of those in the area over a year due to the lack of food, money, fuel, electricity, and medical care.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/trump-orders-historic-plan-to-thwart-emp-warns-attack-would-be-debilitating

>>5908080

DS has been trying to keep this under wraps for years..another delay tactic.