What's Happening

International

Israel and Hezbollah Exchange Heavy Fire

What's going on: Early Sunday, Israel and Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah traded some of the most intense cross-border airstrikes in months. Israel said 100 of its fighter jets struck dozens of Hezbollah targets to preemptively thwart what Israel called a “large-scale” attack by the militia group. As for Hezbollah, it said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones toward Israel as a response to the assassination of a top commander last month, completing its attack “as planned” but leaving the door open for another. Israel reported minimal damage, stating its Iron Dome successfully intercepted all the incoming attacks. At least three people in Lebanon and an Israeli naval officer were killed. Both sides appeared to claim success.

What it means: Yesterday’s cross-border fire is a reminder of how delicate the situation in the Middle East remains as the Israel-Hamas war nears its eleventh month. Diplomats are struggling to bring Israel and Hamas any closer to reaching a cease-fire, with talks ongoing in Egypt. Hezbollah has repeatedly said it will continue to launch attacks from southern Lebanon toward Israel until the war ends. The militia said it plans to assess the impact of yesterday’s strikes and has the right to respond later. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “this is not the end of the story.” Meanwhile, many in the region continue to wait to see if Iran will respond to the assassination of Hamas’ top political leader in Tehran last month, but those plans might be on hold.

Related: How Israel Is Trying to Find The Mastermind of Hamas (NYT Gift Link)

Science

What In the NASA Is Happening Right Now With Boeing?

What's going on:  Boeing’s space woes just got worse. NASA decided it’s too risky to use the company’s glitch-prone capsule to bring two astronauts back to Earth. The astronauts were meant to be on a quick weeklong test flight, but will now have an eight month stay at the International Space Station and return home on a rival SpaceX capsule in February. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to return home with the Boeing Starliner, but a series of issues, including thruster failures and helium leaks have left them in space limbo since June. The empty Starliner is set to detach from the space station in early September and will attempt an automated landing in the New Mexico desert. But if you think this means the astronauts will miss all of the 2024 election fun, think again.

What it means: The situation is certainly not ideal for the two astronauts left in the lurch in space — no one wants to be stuck on a trip that much longer without packing for it. This also deals a major blow to Boeing, which hoped this mission could put the Starliner program back on track after years of delays and costs. But now, it also faces the embarrassment of having the two astronauts return to Earth in the capsule of its rival SpaceX. With this latest misfire, Boeing’s troubles continue to stack up. The company was already reeling from the deadly 737 Max crashes and the recent midair blowout of a panel on a plane. NASA’s decision to go with SpaceX shows Boeing is still struggling to get its act together, no matter the altitude.

Related: These Travelers Are Specifically Avoiding Boeing 737 Max Planes (CNN)

Climate

Can You Have Your Burger And Protect The Planet, Too? 

What's going on: Scientists are exploring how to genetically engineer cows’ stomachs to knock out their greenhouse gas emissions, starting with a young calf named Sushi. The lore behind his name can tell you a lot about the project — scientists have discovered that when cows eat seaweed, it can significantly reduce the methane they produce when they burp during digestion. But since it’s a tall order to totally change the diets of the 1.5 billion cows on the planet, this team of gene editors is working to develop a probiotic pill that cows could take at birth to transform their gut microbiomes for the rest of their lives. The multiyear experiment will cost $30 million and comes to us from a Nobel-prize-winning chemist who pioneered gene editing, the University of California at Davis, and the Innovative Genomics Institute. 

What it means: Methane is responsible for around 30% of the current rise in global temperatures (with cows specifically causing 4%), which is linked to an increase in extreme weather like flooding and severe storms. In other words, the “steaks” are high. Meanwhile, despite recent pushes from climate activists for people to go vegetarian or vegan, cattle are still some of the most-consumed animals on Earth. Experts say this could be a huge step forward in changing the trajectory of our warming planet, but there’s still a long way to go to make it happen. As one of the researchers put it: “The microbial world is a brutal, Mad Max wasteland.” 

Related: The Great Salt Lake Is Warming The Earth (NPR)