International

American astronauts vote from the International Space Station (ISS)

The four American astronauts of the International Space Station (EES), Don Pettit, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, vote in the face-to-face US elections this Tuesday 400 kilometers from the earth’s surface.

In September, Wilmore communicated at a press conference from the EEI that he sent his request for the ballot and stressed that “it is a very important role that we all play as citizens, to be included in those elections, and NASA makes it very easy for us.”

“It is a duty as citizens and we are looking forward to voting from space, which is very good,” Williams added while floating in zero gravity.

The vote that travels through space

NASA allows this exceptional mail-in vote through the Space Navigation and Communication Program (SCaN), so that astronauts fulfill their civic duty from orbit.

Astronauts can vote in these general elections, like any other US citizen, thanks to absenteeism or early voting in coordination with the office of the county secretary where they live, according to NASA.

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When the electronic ballot is completed from the station, it goes to the satellite system of tracking and data retransmission until finally reaching Earth, specifically to the ‘White Sands’ test facilities of the Las Cruces agency, New Mexico.

From there, the ballot is transferred to the Johnson Mission Control Center so that the responsible county secretary can finally cast the vote.

According to NASA, the ballot is encrypted and only the astronaut and the secretary can access it, in order to preserve the integrity of the vote.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.