Things you should know today: 3/6/19

March 6, 2019

697

Elon Musk firm pitched to build transit system in Las Vegas

This undated conceptual drawing provided by The Boring Company shows a high-occupancy Autonomous Electric Vehicle (AEV) that would run in a tunnel between exhibition halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center proposed for Las Vegas. Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s dream of a tunnel transit system may finally become a reality in Las Vegas. Tourism officials in Sin City announced Wednesday, March 6, they might soon grant him a contract to build and operate a mile-and-a-quarter-long project with autonomous electric vehicles to move people around a mega convention center. (The Boring Company via AP)

Las Vegas’ tourism agency announced their support of Elon Musk’s latest passion project: an express tunnel transit system. Musk’s proposed system would be around a mile in length and would cost between $35 and $55 million.

FDA allows treatment of depression with club drug’s cousin

This photo provided by Janssen Global Services shows Spravato nasal spray. Spravato, a mind-altering medication related to the club drug Special K, won U.S. approval Tuesday, March 5, for patients with hard-to-treat depression, the first in a series of long-overlooked substances being reconsidered for severe forms of mental illness. (Janssen Global Services via AP)

The FDA approved a nasal spray containing a form of the mind-altering drug Ketamine for depression treatment in patients with difficult-to-treat depression on March 5. Ketamine has been used as an anesthetic but was used in the 1990s as a psychedelic by party-goers, more recently some doctors have been using the drug to treat depression even before FDA approval.

Omar’s Israel remarks expose Democrats’ simmering divisions

In this Feb. 5, photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., arrives for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. Omar’s latest remarks about Israel are prompting House Democrats to draft a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota divided the democratic party recently with her comments against for United States support of Israel, which some, such as Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have interpreted as anti-semitic. Other officials expressed support for Omar with the hashtag “#StandWithIlhan” and released a statement in her favor stating “We call on Democrats to stand with Ilhan against Republican efforts to pit Jews and Muslims against each other.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asserts its preferred terminology with website name changes

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently made changes in various program names to emphasize the name of Jesus Christ. The Church has made adjustments to its policies, style guides and now websites in order to encourage people to address them by the full name of the church in an effort to emphasize their connection to Jesus Christ. As of March 5 LDS.org redirects to ChurchofJesusChrist.org, MormonNewsroom.org redirects to Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and Mormon.org redirects to ComeuntoChrist.org.

Viral content of the day

The creators of “Free Solo,” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin share behind the scene details of creating the Oscar-winning documentary in an interview with Vanity Fair. The film follows rock climber Alex Honnold’s groundbreaking free solo climb of El Capitan and his preparation leading up to the climb.