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If you missed the northern lights, or aurora borealis, over the past weekend, you’re in luckyou may have a second chance tonight, Monday, June 2, when they may be visible for a second night in a row in some U.S. states across the country. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts that the next possibility for viewing the northern lights is Monday night into early Tuesday, with the most intense activity across Canada and Alaska and the northern U.S. states. This aurora borealis is the result of a geomagnetic storm that occurs when a coronal mass ejection (CME), an eruption of solar material, reaches Earth and causes swaths of blue, green, and purple in the sky. This years increased solar activity is likely the result of an 11-year sun cycle peaking through October. Where and when will the northern lights be visible tonight? While NOAA predicts Alaska is the best U.S. state to potentially view the aurora tonight, the agency says: “The other states that are best positioned are the northern Midwest states, from Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan,” Alex Gianninas, an astronomy professor at Connecticut College told Newsweek. Residents of northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine may also be able to witness the light show in the night sky, Gianninas added. The aurora borealis is best observed just after sunset or just before sunrise. Dont worry if you aren’t able to see the northern lights tonightNOAA predicts activity will remain high through 2025 and 2026. You can track the aurora on NOAAs page, where the agency is providing updates.
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E-Commerce
President Donald Trumps administration on Monday renewed its request for the Supreme Court to clear the way for plans to downsize the federal workforce while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds. The high court filing came after an appeals court refused to freeze a California-based judges order halting the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nations food-safety system and health care for veterans. In her ruling last month, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that Trumps administration lacked congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. The administration initially asked the justices to step in last month, but withdrew its appeal for technical, legal reasons. The latest filing is one in a series of emergency appeals arguing federal judges had overstepped their authority. Illston’s order rests on the indefensible premise that the president needs explicit statutory authorization from Congress to exercise his core Article II authority to superintend the internal personnel decisions of the executive branch,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the new appeal. Trump has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate to remake the federal government, and he tapped billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead the charge through DOGE. Musk left his role last week. Tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, have left their jobs via deferred resignation programs, or have been placed on leave. There is no official figure for the job cuts, but at least 75,000 federal employees took deferred resignation, and thousands of probationary workers have already been let go. Illstons order directs numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the presidents workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management. Illston was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton. Among the agencies affected by the order are the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, the Interior, State, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Association, Social Security Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency. The Supreme Court set a deadline of next Monday for a response from the unions and cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, and San Francisco. Some of the labor unions and nonprofit groups are also plaintiffs in another lawsuit before a San Francisco judge challenging the mass firings of probationary workers. In that case, Judge William Alsup ordered the government in March to reinstate those workers, but the U.S. Supreme Court later blocked his order. By Mark Sherman, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) announced its plans last week to transition to Universal Open Access chargers for electric vehicles as soon as June 6. In preparation for the transition, the NJTA asked Tesla to remove 64 existing Tesla Superchargers from the highly trafficked thoroughfare. Applegreen Electric will provide the new third-party chargers, which will be compatible with all makes and models of EVs, the NJTA said. “The universal chargers will be available as of June 6 at the Vince Lombardi, Woodrow Wilson, Richard Stockton, James Fenimore Cooper, Joyce Kilmer, and Walt Whitman Service Areas,” the authority said in a statement. “The Turnpike Authority is working diligently with Applegreen to get the universal chargers online soon at three other Turnpike locations.” According to the NJTA, the universal chargers are expected to be operational at the Molly Pitcher Service Area next month and the Clara Barton and John Fenwick service areas this fall. The transition is part of a larger agreement The NJTA had previously reached an agreement with Applegreen Electric to operate service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. An amendment to the agreement was authorized in 2023 to include the installation of EV chargers. As part of the amended agreement, Applegreen Electric will install and operate 80 EV charging ports by the end of this year and a total of 240 EV charging ports by April 2033. Blackstone-backed Applegreen Electric says it has more than 600 locations across Ireland, the U.K., and the United States. In the U.S., its chargers are concentrated in the Northeast. Tesla and Tesla users are not happy Tesla confirmed the news in a statement on X: “The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“NJTA”) has chosen a sole third-party charging provider to serve the New Jersey Turnpike and is not allowing us to co-locate. As a result, NJTA requested 64 existing Supercharger stalls on the New Jersey Turnpike to not be renewed and be decommissioned.” The automotive company explained that it had spent the last three years building 116 stalls off the New Jersey Turnpike in preparation for this outcome. Tesla said it remains hopeful that NJTA or New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will reverse the decision. In response to a tweet that shared the news, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote: “Sounds like corruption.” Paul Kanitra, a Republican member of the New Jersey General Assembly, expressed outrage over the decision. “I agree that these decisions by the NJTA are absolutely absurd and will be asking that it gets looked into immediately,” he posted on X. Fast Company contacted Murphy’s office for comment and will update if we receive a response. Some EV drivers prefer Superchargers The reaction to the news has been mixed. In a recent article for InsideEVs, writer Suvrat Kothari discussed the news and shared his experiences using different EV charging stations along the New Jersey Turnpike. Kothari explained he has had trouble when using non-Tesla chargers. [W]atching Tesla drivers pull in, charge, and drive off effortlessly is undeniably enviable,” Kothari said. The news has also generated robust debate on the Electricvehicles subreddit, with more than 660 comments as of Monday afternoon.
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E-Commerce
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