Blue Origin Pauses Space Tourism, Texas A&M Cancels DEI Programs, and More News
Several notable events unfolded on January 30, 2026, ranging from shifts in space tourism to changes in university programs and legal troubles for a media personality. Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, announced it was suspending its human space launches for at least two years to focus on assisting NASA's efforts to return humans to the moon, according to NPR News. Meanwhile, Texas A&M University revealed it was ending its programs in women's and gender studies as part of a broader effort to eliminate teaching related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), also reported by NPR News. In other news, Don Lemon was arrested, though his YouTube channel remained active with other creators and media figures contributing content, according to Variety.
Blue Origin's decision to pause space tourism flights impacts the New Shepard spacecraft, which had been taking paying customers on short trips to the edge of space since its first human launch in July 2021, NPR News reported. The company's shift in focus underscores the growing emphasis on lunar missions and the competition in the space exploration sector.
Texas A&M University's decision to eliminate its women's and gender studies programs came as the university modified hundreds of courses and canceled six to comply with a policy adopted last November. This policy prohibits teaching that "will advocate race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity" without approval from the campus president, according to NPR News.
In Ohio, a new study by University of Cincinnati economics professor David Brasington found that renewing city service taxes boosts commercial redevelopment. The study, published in Regional Science and Urban Economics, suggests that taxes are not necessarily too high, at least in the context of Ohio's city service taxes, according to Phys.org.
Despite Don Lemon's arrest, his YouTube channel, "The Don Lemon Show," continued to stream content with contributions from other prominent creators, influencers, and media figures, Variety reported. The channel's viewers, known as "Lemon Heads," were encouraged to support the journalist.
Also on January 30, 2026, the trailer for the documentary "Between Brothers" was released. The film's director discussed the "ethical traps" of following "A Family Affair" with another family documentary, according to Variety. The Dutch filmmaker turned the camera onto the dynamics of his own family more than a decade after opening IDFA with a portrait of his grandmother.
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