SPACE: With PRIMA, NASA will try to build a billion-dollar space telescope in record time.

PRIMA, which has a cost cap of $1.2 billion excluding launch costs, will not be as big and complex as Roman, so it’s natural to assume a shorter development cycle. NASA wants to launch PRIMA seven years from now, in 2033. The telescope will observe the Universe in faint, far-infrared light in a range of wavelengths between 24 and 235 micrometers, requiring its primary optics to be cooled to 4.5 Kelvin, or minus 451° Fahrenheit.

This would usually require a brand-new build of a sophisticated cryocooler. PRIMA will instead use a spare leftover from the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, modified to use helium-3 instead of helium-4 as the cooling fluid. The focal planes of PRIMA’s kinetic inductance detectors will be chilled even lower to 100 milliKelvin, putting the mission’s optics in contention for the coldest ever sent into space.

Nifty.

READER FAVORITE: Kismile Nugget Ice Maker Countertop, 35 lbs/Day, Stainless Steel. #CommissionEarned

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Flock’s Optional Gunshot Detection Feature Has Fourth Amendment Implications for Gun Owners. “Flock is just one of many suppliers in the global gunshot detection market, which has an estimated total value of $1.5 billion. But the company’s marketing material raises concerns about the technology’s capabilities, which go beyond simply detecting gunfire. In Flock’s own words, a confirmed gunshot’“can surface the vehicles seen entering or leaving the area around the time of the sound, using nearby Flock license plate reader cameras.’ That statement deserves scrutiny, since it describes a mechanism for turning suspected gunfire into a list of nearby vehicles.”

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Strength training shrinks fat cells before weight loss: Study.

BUSINESS CLASS? A flight attendant says this is the secret to staying comfortable on long flights.

BEWARE THE HALLUCINATIONS: Trump admin to launch new America.gov AI tool to streamline government access next week.

VITAMIN D UPDATE: Belly Fat and Low Vitamin D May Be a Concerning Combination After 50, New Study Finds.

JAW, JAW IS BETTER THAN WAR, WAR:

On Patriot missiles, Trump said he’s talked with Zelensky a lot and claimed Zelensky agrees and Putin agrees too. He said he wants them to make a deal soon, possibly before a harsh winter. pic.twitter.com/dKawyXBcTQ

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) September 26, 2026

THE MEMES HAVE ARRIVED. YOUR WEEKEND CAN START:  I’ve got Memes, if you have humor.

21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: The Problem with ‘Marrying Up:’ After 19 years as a professional matchmaker—including a hit Netflix show—I’ve learned that successful women aren’t struggling to find good men. They’re struggling to recognize what makes a man good.

LIGHTNING DEAL: HOSHANHO 7 Inch Nakiri Knife. #CommissionEarned

THE PREDICTIONS ARE LOUSY, BUT THE GRIFT IS SWEET: Al Gore’s Inconvenient Lies.

THAT WOULD BE NICE: Xi assured Trump he would cease aid to Iran, US ambassador to China claims.

But if Beijing said anything public to confirm it, I haven’t been able to find it

I’LL TAKE TWO:

JUST IN: Tesla is reportedly targeting production capacity of over 1,000 Optimus robots a week by year-end.

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) September 25, 2026

THE POWER LINE WEEK IN PICTURES: XI’s Gotta Have It! Edition.

THEY’RE UNDOING SOME OF THE GOODWILL BOUGHT BY BODYCAMS: As Police Misuse Flock Cameras, 2 Senators From Opposite Parties Demand More Oversight.

THIS DESERVES MORE VIEWS:

People keep calling U.S. healthcare a "free market failure." The truth is, it hasn't been a free market in 70 years.

Here’s how decades of central planning created a $5.3T crisis: 👇 pic.twitter.com/uEDOyIpVnN

— Foundation for Economic Education (@feeonline) September 26, 2026

That’s the teaser. Here’s the whole thing.

SURPRISED? This morning’s HillFaith reports the latest CNCT Capitol Pulse survey, which found that 55 percent of congressional aides give a passing grade to the 119th Congress, compared to 45 percent who slapped down a big fat F for it.

BE PREPARED: Small Pocket Multitool Knife for Men. #CommissionEarned

THE WAR ON MERIT: Harvard Turns to Biden, Obama Lawyers To Fend Off Race-Blind Admissions Enforcement. “At a Thursday, September 24 morning hearing before Judge Myong Joun, two lawyers sat alongside Harvard vice president and general counsel Jennifer O’Connor. The one who did all the talking was Stuart Delery, a former WilmerHale partner now at Gibson Dunn. Delery was White House counsel to President Biden from 2022 to 2023 and also served in a senior Justice Department role from 2014 to 2016, during the Obama administration. Also at Harvard’s table in the courtroom was Joshua Levy, a lawyer at Ropes and Gray who Biden twice nominated to be U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: UMinn plans to cut $225 million over next 2 years due to enrollment, rising costs. “Citing declining enrollment and rising costs, the University of Minnesota president announced plans Thursday to implement major budget cuts over the next two years.”

POOR THINGS: CNN Has Total Meltdown Over Trump Showing Xi the Autopen Photo.

SOME (ORBITAL) ASSEMBLY REQUIRED:

SpaceX plans to convert a Starship upper stage into a permanent, standalone orbital space station. New NASA documentation reveals that the company proposes using the massive interior volume of its stainless steel spacecraft to create a long-term habitat in low Earth orbit.… pic.twitter.com/cwhM5XXE1y

— Mike Netter (@nettermike) September 24, 2026

Even without converting the propellent tanks, a single Ship has about two-thirds the habitable space as the entire ISS. With conversion, a Single ship would have almost double the habitable space.

I’m not sure people understand just how big — and useful — Starship truly is.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: ANCEL AD310 Classic Enhanced Universal OBD II Scanner. #CommissionEarned

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: University of Maine plans for faculty layoffs amid $19 million deficit.