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SpaceX called off a Wednesday launch attempt for a Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral because of downrange weather for the booster recovery while the Polaris Dawn mission from Kennedy Space Center remains on hold also because of weather concerns for its eventual landing site.

The Starlink launch, though, has another shot to fly on Thursday, when a Falcon 9 with 21 Starlink satellites could lift off from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a four-hour window that runs from 8:35 a.m.-12:35 p.m.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a 70% chance for good launch conditions Thursday.

The first-stage booster for the flight is making its 15th trip to space with a targeted landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship Just Read The Instructions.

It marks the 62nd flight from the Space Coast in 2024 with all but four coming from SpaceX.

Awaiting the green light to fly still is SpaceX’s next crewed mission, Polaris Dawn, aiming to fly billionaire Jared Isaacman and three crewmates riding in the Crew Dragon Resilience on a five-day orbital mission launching from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A. read more

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris plans to propose on Wednesday a tenfold increase in federal tax incentives for small business startup expenses, from $5,000 to $50,000, hoping to help spur a record 25 million new small business applications over her four-year term should she win the presidency in November.

She’s set to unveil the plan during a campaign stop in the Portsmouth area of New Hampshire — marking a rare deviation from the Midwestern and Sunbelt battlegrounds the Democrat has focused on in her race against former Republican President Donald Trump.

A Harris campaign official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a policy plan that hadn’t been released publicly, said Tuesday the change would cover the $40,000 it costs on average to start a business. The proposal would let new businesses wait to claim that deduction until they first turn a profit, to better maximize its impact lowering their taxes.

Such changes would likely require congressional approval. But a series of tax cuts approved during the Trump administration are set to expire at the end of next year, setting up a scenario where lawmakers may be ready to consider new tax policies. The proposal can help Harris show her support for entrepreneurs even as she’s called for higher corporate tax rates. read more

BY MELISSA GOLDIN, Associated Press

After a nationwide suspension of billionaire Elon Musk’s X platform in Brazil, social media users — including former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — are misrepresenting a years-old video of Vice President Kamala Harris to falsely claim that the Democratic presidential nominee has threatened to censor both X and Musk.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: A video clip portrays Harris as saying that she will shut down X if she wins the 2024 presidential election and that Musk has “lost his privileges.”

THE FACTS: That’s false. Harris was referring to Trump long before Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it as X.

The clip is from 2019 and shows Harris speaking with CNN host Jake Tapper after a Democratic primary debate, discussing whether then-President Donald Trump’s profile should be removed from the platform, called Twitter at the time, and how there needs to be increased accountability for social media companies. read more

San Diego’s Dexcom began sales this week of Stelo, the industry’s first FDA-approved continuous glucose monitor that doesn’t require a prescription. With a two-pack of the biosensor costing just under $100 per month, the local company aims to tap a new market of users and increase access to this technology.

Now, people without health insurance coverage for such devices have the option to buy Stelo directly from Dexcom’s website. The device is geared toward adults 18 years and older with type 2 diabetes who are not taking insulin and who do not have problematic hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. The device can be worn for up to 15 days before needing to be replaced.

A one-off purchase of a single pack with two sensors — which lasts 30 days — costs $99. There’s also a monthly subscription option, which costs $89 for two sensors to be delivered every 30 days. The device is eligible to be purchased using funds from a Flexible Spending Account or a Health Savings Account.

Stelo — which was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use in March — is a wearable device that fits in the palm of your hand. It is worn on the back of the user’s upper arm to track blood glucose levels — no finger prick required. Stelo connects to a smartphone application as it constantly measures, records and analyzes the user’s glucose levels and then presents those results in the app every 15 minutes. read more

By Elizabeth Renter | NerdWallet

Home prices may have come down from their 2022 high, but they remained out of reach for the typical would-be first-time buyer in the second quarter, especially in the nation’s most populous areas.

Buying a home in this market can be particularly hard for people who haven’t done it before. First-time buyers traditionally have lower incomes and less established credit than repeat home buyers. Further, they generally make smaller down payments — 8%, on average, according to the most recent Profile of Buyers & Sellers from the National Association of Realtors, compared with 19% for repeat buyers. Buying a first home has arguably never been easy, but it’s gotten extremely difficult under current conditions.

With a down payment of 8%, housing payments on a typically priced home in the second quarter of 2024 would equate to almost half of the median gross monthly income for Americans of first-time buyer age.

Making a larger down payment or choosing a less desirable home could make this initial purchase easier, but not all homebuying hopefuls will find those options possible. read more