French Elections, Mars Simulation, and America's Wealthiest Suburbs

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France's Left Prevails

France's leftist New Popular Front alliance was projected to win the most seats in yesterday's final round of legislative elections. The news came as an upset to the nationalist-populist National Rally, which ranked first in last week's preliminary round but fell to third place yesterday behind President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition.

The New Popular Front—led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon—is a collection of leftist parties including socialist and communist groups committed to reversing Macron's pension reforms (see overview). With voter turnout estimated at 67%—France's highest rate in 40 years—the bloc was projected to win a plurality of seats but fall short of the majority needed to secure the prime minister role.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal pledged to resign today following the vote, with negotiations for his replacement expected to last weeks. While Macron had called for this month's snap parliamentary elections (see previous write-up), he has committed to retaining the presidency until the end of his second term in 2027.

Mars Simulation Concludes

Four NASA astronauts emerged from a yearlong Earth-based mission over the weekend, having been sequestered in a habitat simulating life inside a base on Mars. The effort is designed to uncover potential unforeseen challenges involved in an eventual crewed voyage to the red planet.

Taking place inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed installation at Houston's Johnson Space Center (see inside), the group spent time growing self-sustainable crops, simulating walks on the Martian surface, and more. The effect of the relative isolation on the crew was also studied. 

At an average of 140 million miles from Earth, a one-way trip to Mars could take around nine months each way. The transit time depends on how much fuel is used to accelerate the spacecraft, among many other challenges.

NASA does not have a firm target for a crewed Martian mission—potential timelines point to the late 2030s. However, the current Artemis program includes building a lunar orbital station as a steppingstone by 2031. 

Beryl Turns to Texas

Beryl was on track to make landfall on the southern coast of Texas as a Category 1 hurricane this morning, the first storm of the 2024 Atlantic season to make landfall in the US.

The storm last week killed at least 11 people across the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Now, over 120 Texas counties are under disaster declaration as thousands of people have evacuated. Beryl is anticipated to bring heavy rains, winds, and possibly a storm surge (see 101).

The news comes as more than 132 million people across the US are under a heat wave warning, with temperatures breaking daily records across both coasts. Parts of the West—including Arizona, California, and Nevada—have seen record daily temperatures while California battles 21 wildfires, including the Lake Fire, stretching over 16,000 acres and 0% contained as of this writing. The East Coast has witnessed temperatures above 100 degrees, with North Carolina seeing a daily record of 106.

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