Elon Musk's galactic AI rocket-social media company faces two big tests this week: reporting its first financials as a public company and potentially coping with a flood of unlocked stock.
Why it matters: Investors aren't exactly eager to scoop up shares. Judging by the SpaceX stock price, Musk's power to drive investor excitement is already fading.
America has been napping or distracted by trivialities while China is racing toward the future, in part by taking advantage of President Trump's trade, immigration and budget policies.
That's the eye-opening reality that Evan Osnos unfurls in a 12-page piece for The New Yorker, "The Future, Made in China."
Why it matters: China could beat the U.S. to the future on a host of fronts, including engineering a cure for cancer.
Climate adaptation is increasingly moving from planning to real-world action as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods and hurricanes test communities across the U.S.
Why it matters: Even if greenhouse gas emissions decline, many communities are already facing more frequent or intense climate extremes, prompting officials to invest in infrastructure designed to reduce future damage.
Wildfires in Washington and Oregon have forced evacuations, caused power outages, and burned hundreds of thousands of acres as firefighters battle dozens of massive fires across the Pacific Northwest.
Why it matters: The blazes are among 99 active large fires burning across the U.S. as this year's wildfire season exceeds the 10-year average for both the number of fires and the acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
