1 month ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Residents of Boca Chica Village voted to incorporate the SpaceX launch site as an official city, now called Starbase, Texas.
👥 Who’s Involved: Elon Musk, SpaceX employees, and Boca Chica Village residents.
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📍 Where & When: Starbase, Texas; vote held recently.
💬 Key Quote: Elon Musk stated, “Starbase, Texas, is now a real city!”
⚠️ Impact: The incorporation supports SpaceX’s operations and underscores the influence of America’s private sector in space exploration.
IN FULL:
Residents of Boca Chica Village have overwhelmingly voted to incorporate the SpaceX launch site as an official city, now named Starbase, Texas. The vote, which ended with a tally of 212 to six in favor, marks a significant milestone for Elon Musk‘s vision of expanding SpaceX’s footprint and influence in the Lone Star State.
The new city, Starbase, spans approximately 1.5 square miles and includes parts of the unincorporated Boca Chica Village. “Becoming a city will help us continue building the best community possible for the men and women building the future of humanity’s place in space,” the new city of Starbase wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Becoming a city will help us continue building the best community possible for the men and women building the future of humanity’s place in space 🚀💫
— StarbaseTX (@StarbaseTX) May 4, 2025
SpaceX owner Elon Musk celebrated the formation of the new city, writing on his X (formerly Twitter) platform, “Starbase, Texas, is now a real city!” The incorporation is expected to streamline processes for building necessary amenities, making it a world-class community centered around the space industry.
Currently, about 260 SpaceX employees reside in the area, with their families bringing the total to around 500. An additional 3,100 employees live in nearby Brownsville, 34 miles away. Musk first proposed Starbase in 2021, following the county’s rejection of SpaceX’s attempt to construct townhouses for its workers.
In December, SpaceX outlined its intentions to incorporate the area around the launch facility in a letter to southern Texas officials. The move aims to create a thriving economic ecosystem, reminiscent of towns built around manufacturing facilities in the 19th and 20th centuries.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Nearly half of Britons surveyed say they would refuse to fight for their country “under any circumstances.”
👥 Who’s Involved: Ipsos survey respondents, Richard Gill, a former British Army officer.
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📍 Where & When: United Kingdom, ahead of Victory in Europe (VE) Day commemorations on May 5.
💬 Key Quote: “We’ve stopped teaching pride in our country, its history, and its values… A nation unsure of itself cannot expect its people to defend it. That must change.” — Richard Gill.
⚠️ Impact: The findings highlight a decline in patriotic sentiment, with significant gender and political divides.
IN FULL:
A recent Ipsos survey reveals a significant decline in patriotic sentiment among Britons, with nearly half of those surveyed expressing an unwillingness to fight for their country “under any circumstances.”
The survey, which queried over 1,000 adults, found that only 35 percent of respondents would be willing to take up arms in a time of war, while a notable 48 percent stated there were no conditions under which they would go to war for Britain. An additional 17 percent said they were unsure of their stance.
The survey results emerge as the United Kingdom prepares for Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) commemorations, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, with celebrations including a military procession through central London on May 5.
Richard Gill, a former British Army officer with service in Iraq and Afghanistan, commented on the survey’s implications, suggesting a “deeper national malaise” as the root cause. He warned, “We’ve stopped teaching pride in our country, its history, and its values. A nation unsure of itself cannot expect its people to defend it. That must change.”
The survey also uncovered notable gender and age disparities. While nearly half of the men surveyed (49 percent) expressed a willingness to fight, only 21 percent of women shared the same sentiment. Among younger respondents aged 18 to 34, 42 percent indicated they would volunteer, whereas willingness significantly decreased to 28 percent among those aged 35 to 54, with over half of this group asserting they would never take up arms.
Political affiliations also played a role in respondents’ willingness to fight. Supporters of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party were the most inclined to defend their country—despite the establishment media and political parties attempting to paint them as Russian stooges—contrasting sharply with supporters of the fanatically pro-European Union (EU) Liberal Democrats, who were the least likely to do so.
Mass migration has also likely been a contributing factor in the strength of feeling towards the nation, with many first and second generation migrants more likely to fight for the nation from which they came, rather than the one in which they reside.
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English (US) ·