America in Brief

Artemis II Completes Historic Mission

Artemis II splashed down to Earth on April 10 after its historic 10-day trip around the dark side of the moon, marking the first time humanity had reached the moon in more than 50 years, having journeyed the furthest distance from Earth in history.

The three NASA astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET after nine days, one hour, 31 minutes, 31 seconds in space.

NASA mission commentator Rob Navias noted, “From the pages of Jules Verne to a modern-day mission to the moon, a new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbor is complete.”

Virginia Bans Ghost Guns

Virginia put a bill into action on April 10 banning “ghost guns,”—privately made, untraceable firearms that lack serial numbers for tracking purposes.

Ghost guns, typically a new name for home-made firearms, which have been legal and mostly unregulated throughout history, have come under scrutiny in recent years, with large numbers reported as being connected with crimes, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

“We are taking concrete steps to make sure Virginia’s law enforcement has the support they need to keep our communities safe,” said Gov. Abigail Spanberger in a press release.

US issues Warning on Iran-Linked Hackers Targetting Critical Infrastructure

Several U.S. authorities issued a warning on April 7 about Iran-linked hackers targeting critical infrastructure inside the United States.

In a joint cybersecurity advisory, several federal agencies—the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE), and Cyber National Mission Force under U.S. Cyber Command—warned that the hackers have been targeting gas, oil, and water companies causing disruptions to internet access and causing some financial loss.

One of the targets was Rockwell’s 5000 Logix Designer, a major program used to control industrial systems.

US Government Reverses Gender Identity Policies in Education

The U.S. Education Department has reversed a policy on sex discrimination, removing a recent adaptation that would include gender identity.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was originally passed to prevent educational institutions from treating people unfairly due to their sex, but was updated in 2024 during the Biden administration to enforce discrimination on “gender identity.”

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey described the enforcement as a “radical transgender agenda” in a statement on April 6.

“Today is yet another demonstration of the Trump Administration’s commitment to uphold the law, protect our students, and restore common sense.”

Texas Probes Islamic Group for Imposing Sharia Law

Texas’s top prosecutor is probing a Dallas-based Islamic mediation group, accusing it of illegally running as a court and imposing “sharia law” in the state.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is demanding documents from the Islamic Tribunal, which has been accused of replacing the federal and state legal system with Islamic law.

“Anyone or any entity that seeks to subvert the codified state and federal laws of this country will be stopped dead in their tracks,” Paxton said in a statement on April 6.

​“This is America, and we will not be governed by sharia law.”

Paxton has targeted various Islamic groups running in the state over the past year, accusing them of supporting foreign terrorist entities or attempting to enforce sharia law.

US Justice Department Settles Censorship Lawsuit With Biden Administration

Trump’s Department of Justice settled a lawsuit with the previous Biden administration, accusing it of censoring American citizens and violating their First Amendment rights.

Through the now-closed “Global Engagement Center,” aimed at countering foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation, the Biden administration used social media to downgrade and demonetize citizens and journalists online who didn’t align with its agenda, according to the department.

“The weaponization of the Biden Administration against the American people who they disfavored is over,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a April 6 statement.

“This settlement is righting the historic wrong that they perpetrated against Americans, and today we say ‘never again’ will we tolerate these injustices.”

Supreme Court Clears Way for Dismissal of Contempt Case Against Steve Bannon

The United States’ highest court has cleared the way for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to have his criminal contempt case dismissed, although he has already served four months in prison.

Bannon served as White House chief strategist and senior counselor to the president during the first seven months of President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.

He was convicted by a federal court on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to provide documents or testimony to a Democratic-led House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, a charge he claims is politically motivated.

Both Bannon and Trump are expecting the case to be dropped.