Space Weapons, Treasury Yields, and a Trapped Raccoon

Good morning, it's Wednesday, Sept. 16. The US has launched weapons into space. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: Treasury yields climb to 2007 levels (Need To Know), dinosaur remains in Europe (Sci. & Tech.), a thwarted ISIS attack (Pol. & World Affairs), a raccoon in a pickle jar (Etc.), and much more. 

Don’t keep us a secret: Share the email with friends or share via SMS/social.

 Need To Know 

The Space Arms Race

The US has deployed weapons in orbit, officials revealed Monday, marking the first public acknowledgment of US space-based weapons. Officials offered few details, describing them as "on-orbit space control weapons" designed to protect against hostile action.

The disclosure comes amid growing space-military competition, with the US saying that China and Russia are developing capabilities that could threaten US satellites. In 2025, the US announced plans to develop Golden Dome, a missile defense network that would include space-based interceptors to destroy missiles in flight. One Congressional Budget Office model estimated a system could require 7,800 orbital interceptors and cost $1.2T over 20 years. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but does not ban conventional weapons. Meanwhile, a Pentagon watchdog found the Iran war has strained US interceptor inventories, with operations costing over $42B (see real-time cost tracker).

See how many space-based interceptors circling Earth it could take to defend against a missile attack.

Treasury Yields Soar

The 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields yesterday climbed to their highest levels since 2007, the year before the global financial crisis. Investors now see a more than 92% chance the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by 0.25% today.

Treasury yields are the annual returns the federal government pays to investors who buy bonds (get 101). The 10-year yield hit 5.04%, and the 30-year hit 5.36% yesterday, in part due to inflation fears as the Iran war sends oil prices above $106 per barrel. The 10-year yield is often used as a benchmark for borrowing costs, so its rise may drive up mortgage rates. Higher-yielding bonds could also spur investors to shift money from stocks to bonds, pushing the stock market down. US stock markets closed down on the news (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.8%).

Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump's economic record before Congress, including a $5.2B bond buyback last week aimed at driving yields down. See takeaways here.

Kennedy Center Closes

The Kennedy Center’s board, led by President Donald Trump, voted yesterday to close the landmark DC venue, citing urgent financial and structural issues. The board’s decision came soon after a federal judge ruled Trump’s name could not be readded to the building.

The board cited a partial ceiling collapse in the venue’s main lobby on Sept. 4 after an evening of heavy rain in its decision (scroll for video). However, the board said it will not begin a planned two-year, $257M renovation project funded by Congress until Trump’s name can be inscribed, an effort to honor his plan to raise an additional $100M in funding. A federal judge has ruled such inscriptions illegal, citing federal law that no memorials or plaques be added to the Kennedy Center without congressional approval.

Trump is the first current or former US president to serve as chair of the Kennedy Center, which has historically had a bipartisan governance structure. See previous write-up for more on the center’s history.

Discover more: 

> Watch archival footage of then-7-year-old cellist Yo-Yo Ma raising funds for the center. (via YouTube)

> See the preliminary, UFO-like design for the building.

> The first performance was Leonard Bernstein's "Mass," and six other facts.

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> SpaceX to perform 14th test flight of its fully reusable Starship mega-rocket next week, attempting to bring the upper stage into Earth's orbit for the first time (More) 

> Paleontologists identify Diplodocus remains in Spain, suggesting the dinosaur crossed a land bridge from what is now the western US to Europe during the Late Jurassic period (More, w/image) 

> African wild dogs travel over 2,560 miles in eight months, longest recorded trek by an African mammal (More) | Wild dogs versus domesticated dogs: What's the difference? (More, w/video)

Business & Markets

> Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calls for more data centers, investment in airports at first Canada Investment Summit (More) | ... and confirms he will discuss possibility of visa-free travel for Canadians in this week's EU talks (More)

> Bitcoin falls 4% after Senate blocks cryptocurrency bill aimed at establishing new regulatory framework for digital assets in 49-50 vote (More) | Bitcoin 101 (More)

> AI marketing platform Profound achieves unicorn valuation at $1.8B after raising $180M in Series D funding (More) | Women's health startup Evvy raises $40M Series B round to scale its vaginal microbiome diagnostics platform (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> FBI thwarts an "imminent" mass casualty attack planned by 21-year-old Pennsylvania man who pledged allegiance to ISIS, Justice Department says (More)

> The US reports its fourth measles death in a year for the first time since 1992; Pennsylvania confirms two deaths Tuesday from unvaccinated people in the state (More) | See 101 on one of the world's most contagious diseases (More)

> NATO jets shoot down drone over Lithuania as Denmark accuses Russian warship of firing flares at a Danish military helicopter (More) | Netherlands blames major railway outage on sabotage; has not identified suspect or motive (More)

In-Depth

> Who's Tony?

The Sunday Long Read | Taleen Mardirossian. The author's grandmother forgot how to walk, eat, and use the bathroom as her Alzheimer's progressed, but she never stopped asking for a mysterious man named Tony. (More) 

> Medieval Mental Health

Aeon | Katherine Harvey. Saffron was believed to spark joy, and ostrich liver to cure sadness. But medieval doctors also prescribed more familiar remedies, like taking walks and listening to music. Were they onto something? (More) 

How much a house cost the year you were born. (Share)

See photos from New York Fashion Week.

The most popular cereal in every state. 

Did you make more than last year's median US income?

For the first time, over 100,000 people in Japan are 100 or older.

How horseshoe crab blood is critical for public health.

Why do dogs’ legs twitch when you pet them? 

Former NFL cheerleader now leads one of DC’s top restaurants.

Sleep like a Pokémon in this Japanese hotel. (w/video) 

In partnership: After tomorrow night, $5.48/share will be officially gone for this robotics first mover.*

Clickbait: This raccoon is in quite a pickle.

Historybook: Pilgrims depart from England on the Mayflower (1620); Actress Lauren Bacall born (1924); American musician BB King born (1925); Historian and author Henry Louis Gates Jr. born (1950); Golfer Bryson DeChambeau born (1993). 

*Please support our sponsors.