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JIUQUAN, China (AP) — Under bright-blue morning skies, China launched its first crewed space mission in five years Thursday, sending three science-minded military pilots rocketing to a new orbiting station they're expected to reach around midafternoon.

Tune in for the latest test launch of Elon Musk's Starship 15. The launch happens in Boca Chica, TX, where SpaceX has been launching its Starship rockets for an eventual trip to the Moon and Mars.

:15 a.m. — Coverage of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s first flight 7:40 a.m. – ISS Expedition 65 In-Flight Event for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency with JAXA Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi (on the NASA TV Public-Education channel with English interpretation; on the NASA TV Media Channel in native language) 1 p.m. - Media telecon on the science of NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission. NASA Image Library album on Crew-2 science. 2 p.m. — Briefing following flight of Ingenuity Mars helicopter

ORLANDO, Fla., April 16 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX has won a $2.9 billion contract to develop the company's Starship rocket as a lunar lander to carry astronauts on Artemis moon missions, NASA announced Friday. In selecting only SpaceX for the lunar program, NASA ended consideration of Musk's rival, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin space company, and a third proposal by Huntsville, Ala.-based Dynetics.

Early Thursday evening, on a 84-56 vote, the Texas House gave initial approval to House Bill 1927, by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), an NRA-backed permitless carry proposal that would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun without a state-issued License To Carry (LTC). This is the first time a permitless carry bill has been debated by, and passed out of, one legislative chamber. Earlier today, the House gave final approval to HB 1927 and voted 87-58 to send the measure to the Texas Senate. Click on the links provided to see how your State Representatives voted on HB 1927. Be...

City officials have released videos and other material showing what happened the night police fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, 48, was charged with second-degree manslaughter Wednesday in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright. Wright, 20, was killed Sunday during a traffic stop. If convicted, Potter faces up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The news was broken by the Star Tribune, which is reporting that Potter will be represented by attorney Earl Gray. Potter was charged by the Washington County Attorney's Office after the case was handed over from Hennepin County in order to avoid any conflict of interest.

New York (AP) -- Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in a federal prison early Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Madoff died at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently from natural causes, the person said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

President Biden will withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan over the coming months, people familiar with the plans said, completing the military exit by the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that first drew the United States into its longest war. The decision, which Biden is expected to announce on Wednesday, will keep thousands of U.S. forces in the country beyond the May 1 exit deadline that the Trump administration negotiated last year with the Taliban, according to one person familiar with the matter, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to describe plans that are not...

Well I got a big shock. My stepmom asked my dad for a divorce and it looks to be moving fast. He's 72. I never liked her, and my mean mother busted out laughing at the news. I'm hit kinda hard. I didn't really depend on my dad much, and we have our beefs, but it's hard hearing your elderly father nearly breaking down and crying. Sorry for the vanity, I hope I put it in the right place.

Knoxville, Tennessee, police officers are responding to Austin-East Magnet High School after it was reported that "multiple" people had been wounded during a shooting. The Knoxville Police Department confirmed on Twitter that they received reports there were multiple gunshot victims at Austin-East Magnet High School. One of those victims is a police officer and the investigation is still ongoing. For the time being, the police department is asking that people avoid the area.

Boeing Co. stock traded lower Friday after the aerospace and defense company late Thursday flagged a new problem with 737 Max jets, with at least one Wall Street analyst saying that a fix would be easy and cause “minimal disruption” for Boeing customers.

Rapper DMX died Friday after suffering a heart attack last weekend, his family confirmed Friday. “We are deeply saddened to announce today that our loved one, DMX, birth name of Earl Simmons, passed away at 50 years old at White Plains Hospital with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days," his family said in a statement. "Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end. He loved his family with all of his heart and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the...

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of people who live in Austin are without water Thursday, and there has been no word from the City of Austin when the water might return. KXAN reached out to Austin Water multiple times ahead of the city’s planned 2 p.m. news conference looking for answers but still has not heard back. Austin Water tweeted about the issue around 9:30 a.m. but still has not said when it might be able to resume water service to those areas affected.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced that Bezos will step down as CEO during the third quarter of 2021. Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy will replace Bezos, who will transition to executive chair of Amazon’s board. Photo via @NoelDavila

(CNN)Dustin Diamond, who played the role of Screech on the popular 1990s high school comedy "Saved by the Bell," died Monday after a recent cancer diagnosis, according to Diamond's manager, Roger Paul. He was 44. Diamond first shared news of his cancer diagnosis last month. At the time, his manager said his client's health was "serious" and that Diamond was undergoing further testing at a Florida hospital. He underwent his first round of chemotherapy days later. An actor and stand-up comedian, Diamond found fame playing Samuel "Screech" Powers for more than a decade on the "Saved by the Bell" franchise.