Midday Roundup: Windy weather blows Orion launch back a day

Postponed. High winds and glitches forced NASA to cancel today’s test flight of the Orion spacecraft, the next-generation rocket ship designed to replace the space shuttle. Since the cancellation of the space shuttle program in 2011, the United States has relied on Russia to transport American astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The Orion is designed to carry humans beyond the low-Earth orbit of the ISS—eventually to the moon or Mars. Today’s flight would have been a 4 ½-hour, unmanned trip to orbit and back, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the Baja coast. NASA plans to try the test flight again tomorrow. The first manned mission aboard Orion will happen no sooner than 2021.

As real as the mall Santa. A viral video of a Black Friday shopper in a military uniform could contain evidence of a federal crime. Shopper Sean Yetman claimed to be an Army Ranger as he walked through a Pennsylvania mall, but a real-life veteran stopped him and questioned him on camera. Apparently Yetman’s uniform did not meet regulations, nor could he answer basic military questions. Reporters investigating him found no evidence he served in the military. If Yetman received discounts because of his military service, he might have violated the Stolen Valor Act of 2013, which makes it a federal crime to impersonate a soldier to receive benefits. Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., has asked a U.S. attorney to look into the matter.

Caught on tape. Police in the United Arab Emirates have arrested a woman suspected of murdering an American kindergarten teacher in a mall bathroom. Security footage showed a person in a black veil stabbing Ibolya Ryan, 47, a mother of two. Officials say they used the country’s extensive network of security cameras to find and detain the suspect, who also tried to plant a bomb near the home of an American resident.

Copycats. Al-Qaeda in Yemen is threatening to execute an American hostage. Luke Somers, a 33-year-old photojournalist, was kidnapped a little more than a year ago. Somers appeared in a video that mimicked those of hostages held by ISIS in Iraq. In the video, a terrorist tells U.S. officials they have three days to meet unspecified demands, or else. A Yemeni official said domestic and U.S. forces led a raid last week to rescue hostages held by al-Qaeda, but they were not able to free Somers.

Congressional moves. The House of Representatives has voted to extend $45 billion dollars in tax cuts. The package provides tax deductions and credits to businesses and individuals retroactively in 2014. Under the bill, households can deduct their sales tax in states that do not have a state income tax. The bill must still pass the Senate and be signed into law before the end of the year to affect 2014 taxes. Meanwhile, House conservatives are pushing for a temporary measure that would fund the government but defundthe president’s executive order on immigration, risking a government shutdown. Such a move lacks support from more moderate Republicans. Under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, the House is expected to pass legislation funding immigration only through March, when the issue can be taken up again with a Republican-controlled Senate.