DL Open Thread: Saturday, November 18, 2023

Musk Promises ‘Thermonuclear Lawsuit’ Against Media Matters.  For, you know, reporting the truth:

Elon Musk said on Saturday that he will file a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against non-profit watchdog Media Matters and others, as companies including Disney, Apple and IBM reportedly have paused advertising on X amid an antisemitism storm around the social media platform.

Media Matters, a U.S. group that describes itself as “a progressive research and information center” that monitors “media outlets for conservative misinformation,” published earlier this week research showing that X has posted ads appearing next to pro-Nazi posts.

Make no mistake:  This is about silencing a free press.  In other words, it’s dangerous.

Speaking Of Musk–Looks Like Second Rocket Has Met The Same Fate As The First.  Too bad there were no plutocrats on board:

SpaceX attempted a second launch of its fully assembled Starship rocket and spacecraft on Saturday from its facility in South Texas. The first test flight in April ended with the rocket tumbling and exploding when an onboard detonation system destroyed the vehicle as it veered off course.

Since then, SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration have been investigating the mishap. The FAA has cleared the company for a second flight after it made upgrades to the rocket and the launchpad and resolved concerns with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the environmental impacts of the first launch.

The flight made it to separation of the booster from its second stage and appeared to reach space, achieving an altitude of about 90 miles. But shortly after that occurred, SpaceX lost contact with the craft. Engineers believe the self-destruct mechanism was triggered.