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With a majority of her caucus now supporting impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vowed Friday that the president would be “held accountable.” But she stopped short of heeding her colleagues’ call to initiate official proceedings.

“The Mueller report and his testimony last week confirmed that the president’s campaign welcomed Russian interference in the election, and laid out 10 instances of the president’s obstruction of justice,” Pelosi said in a statement. “The president’s more recent attempts to prevent us from finding the facts is further evidence of obstruction of justice.”

The release appeared to be an attempt to assure House Democrats that she would continue to “legislate, investigate and litigate” the Russia inquiry. Listing a series of efforts her committee chairs have undertaken to probe the president’s actions, she indicated that the House was inching closer to — or at least preparing for — impeachment.

“In America, no one is above the law.  The president will be held accountable,” the release concluded.

Although Pelosi touted a request by Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., for information that could support an impeachment inquiry, she refrained from calling for the start of such a process.

Her statement seemed to be the latest attempt to appease her caucus after the release of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report in April. That report prompted a slew of Democrats in both chambers to call for Trump’s impeachment — calls that only intensified after Mueller testified before two congressional committees at the end of July.

With fresh support for the inquiry from California Rep. Salud Carbajal, the number of House Democrats in favor reached 118 on Friday. That’s more than half of the 235 House Democrats.

“Our nation has seen and heard things from this president that have no place in our democracy. I believe it is time to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump,” Carbajal tweeted.

Apparently worried about political fallout before the 2020 election, Pelosi has consistently resisted calls for impeachment. She has gone so far as to warn that those proceedings would end with the Senate rejecting an attempt to remove Trump from office, ultimately damaging Democrats’ attempts to pursue prosecution after his presidency ends.

In the meantime, her caucus has approved expanded powers for committee chairs allowing them to pursue blocked subpoenas in court.

“Our litigation has been strengthened by the months of work from our six committees which are engaged in the investigations. Fifty-four percent of House Democrats serve on these committees engaged in hearings and investigations, and I am very proud of their work,” her office said in the release.

Her office also reiterated the party’s criticism of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for refusing to take up legislation to strengthen election security. “We will continue to lead a drumbeat across the country demanding the GOP Senate act,” her office said.

Pelosi added that “the assault on our elections and our Constitution is a grave national security issue.  We owe it to our founders to sustain our system of checks and balances and our democracy.”

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats-impeachment-donald-trump

NASA has revealed details of its vision for the Artemis Moon Lander that will return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024.

In a notice posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, NASA seeks “proposals from industry for the development of integrated human lunar landers and execution of crewed flight demonstrations to the lunar surface by 2024.”

The Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustainable human presence on Earth’s natural satellite. Artemis will also make history by landing the first woman on the Moon.

Speaking at Kennedy Space Center on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing on July 20, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the Orion capsule that will take American astronauts back to the Moon is ready.

In the documents posted on the FBO website, NASA explains that astronauts will be flown in an Orion spacecraft to the ‘Gateway,’ a space station orbiting the Moon. The Gateway vessel will be used to support the transfer of crew and supplies into the Moon lander.

“The Gateway will be our home base in lunar orbit – it is our command and service module for missions to the surface of the Moon. Using it as a port for the human landing system, its orbit around the Moon will give us access to the entire lunar surface, and a place to refurbish and refuel the landing system,” explains NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, in a statement. “This is no small feat, and building a 21st century landing system takes the best of our government and private-sector teams.”

Initial mission capability for 2024 involves landing two astronauts on the Moon’s South Pole. Astronauts will live and work out of the lander for 6.5 days, according to NASA.

Longer-term, the Lander will need to transport four people to the lunar South Pole.

“For the initial missions, two crew will descend to the surface, and two will remain at Gateway/Orion,” said NASA, in its notice. “For sustainable phase missions, we expect up to four crew members on the surface.”

While the initial moon landing capability for 2024 does not require a reusable vehicle, this will change. “Vehicle reuse will be a requirement,” explains the space agency.

NASA anticipates that a three-stage landing system will be used to take astronauts to and from the lunar surface. The three-stage concept includes a transfer element for the journey from the lunar Gateway to low-lunar orbit, a descent element to carry the crew to the surface, and an ascent element to return them to the Gateway,” it explains, in a statement. “From there, they would board Orion for the 250,000-mile trip back to Earth.”

The space agency, however, says that it is also interested in alternative approaches “that can accomplish the same long-term goals of global lunar access and a reusable landing system.”

After Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969, only 10 more men, all Americans, walked on the lunar surface. The last NASA astronaut to set foot on the Moon was Apollo 17 Mission Commander Gene Cernan on Dec. 14, 1972.

The Moon looms large for many countries’ space programs. Earlier this week, for example, India launched its unmanned Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft on a mission to the lunar surface.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/science/nasa-artemis-moon-lander

During the annual White House “Made in America” showcase, President Trump said Monday his administration will require American products to use more American components if they are to be used by the government.

American-made products used for government projects currently can contain 50 percent foreign components and still be considered American, Trump said.

He signed an executive order boosting the percentage of American components to 75 percent.

The president signed the order alongside manufacturers from all 50 states.

Trump said that his administration is “heeding the wisdom” of the nation’s founders by “restoring our economic independence and reawakening our industrial might.”

A White House proclamation explained why buying American matters: “Products made in America are the world standard for quality and showcase the craftsmanship of the most innovative, diverse, highly skilled, and dedicated workforce in the world. When we buy American-made products, we support the American workers who build them and we invigorate the American economy, driving job growth, spurring innovation, and bolstering the middle class.”

Trump also said that his administration is taking steps to boost the U.S. manufacturing industry.

The trade deficit last year widened to a decade-long high of $621 billion.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-made-america-showcase-goods-order