Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Start the morning with these reads:
Nicole Fallert here. Just did some pilates. Thursday’s news includes an update on the Artemis II mission, takeaways from a presidential address last night and one mother’s journey to have her symptoms be acknowledged.
NASA’s Artemis II mission is on the way to the moon Thursday, when crew will be in a high Earth orbit and conduct systems checks, such as testing the Orion capsule’s life support, propulsion, navigation and communications systems to ensure the spacecraft is ready to travel deeper into space. And yes, they’ll make sure the space toilets work.
It’s a historic moment: The Artemis II mission comes more than 50 years after humanity last left Earth’s orbit. The four astronauts won’t land on the moon, but they’ll complete essential steps for moonwalks to come.
“We are going for all humanity,” astronaut Jeremy Hansen said seconds before lifting off on at 6:35 p.m. ET on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
For my fellow space nerds: Check out Artemis II’s cute mascot and follow the mission with online Artemis II tracker.
Supreme Court
Demonstrators rallied outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices debated a lower court’s rejection of Trump’s argument that children of parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily are not entitled to citizenship. While not issuing a quick rejection, key conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments for its legality.
Health & Wellness
In 2018, pregnant with her third child, Kate Ames was exhausted. Her OB/GYN told it was normal mom fatigue and suggested therapy. Years later, when doctors and air quality experts found her symptoms were caused by undiscovered mold in her home, her relief turned to anger. Why hadn’t they listened to her in the first place?
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.