William Shatner set for blast off, U.S. land borders to open and Netflix's Chappelle dilemma

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     William Shatner is set to boldly go to the edge of space this morning. The U.S. is finally going to open its land borders to fully vaccinated travelers. Plus, did Saudi Arabia's crown prince just spend $400 million on a soccer team in an attempt to rehabilitate his international reputation?    Here's what we're watching this Wednesday morning.     Capt. Kirk will blast off to space this morning, setting age record Star Trek actor William Shatner is scheduled to launch Wednesday aboard a rocket and capsule developed by Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. If successful, the joyride will make the 90-year-old actor  the oldest person to reach space.   "I'm going to see the vastness of space and the extraordinary miracle of our Earth and how fragile it is compared to the forces at work in the universe — that's really what I'm looking for," Shatner said during an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show last week.   Shatner and three other crew members will ride Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and capsule to the edge of space. Liftoff is scheduled to occur at 10 a.m. ET and the flight is expected to last roughly 10 minutes.   Watch live streaming coverage of the liftoff here. Wednesday's Top Stories U.S. to open Mexico and Canada land borders to fully vaccinated people Travelers who provide proof of vaccination will be allowed to enter the U.S. via land borders next month, ending a ban on "nonessential" travel across the Canadian and Mexican borders that has been in place since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.  READ MORE Biden's approval rating has fallen. Pollsters say there's one way to bounce back. Democratic pollsters say Biden needs Congress to pass his agenda for his falling approval numbers to recover. "Voters are looking for a return on what they were promised," said one Democratic pollster.  READ MORE The world just got a new richest sports team sports team — and another 'sportswashing' scandal Fans of English soccer club Newcastle United have reason to cheer: Saudi Arabia's $400 billion sovereign wealth fund has bought their long-suffering soccer team, making it the world's richest club. But what about accusations that the move is just an attempt by Saudi's MBS to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation? READ MORE OPINION Climate change poses a hard question for Gen Z: Should we have kids? In the midst of yet another disaster like the one in my home state of California, it feels selfish — even irresponsible — to have children, editorial assistant for NBC News THINK Erin Neil writes in an opinion piece.   READ MORE Also in the News House passes short-term debt limit hike, pushing high-stakes deadline to December  White House to announce Walmart, FedEx, UPS will increase services to help supply chain Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner has died, just two days after taking medical leave A record 4.3 million workers walked off the job in August Gabby Petito's cause of death was strangulation, coroner determines Supreme Court considers reimposing death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber   Irish writer Sally Rooney won't sell translation rights to Israeli publisher, reigniting boycott debate   Editor's Pick NEWS ANALYSIS Chappelle furor highlights dilemma for Netflix The streaming giant believes in the firebrand comedian's creative freedom. It's also linked to high-profile liberals and progressive causes. The paradox has left the media company embroiled in a knotty political, artistic and ethical quandary that might be unique to Netflix, NBC News' Daniel Arkin writes.  READ MORE One Fun Thing Ancient winery capable of making half-a-million gallons of wine a year discovered in Israel A massive and ancient wine factory capable of making around half-a-million gallons of wine a year has been uncovered in Israel, an indication of a near-industrial operation that existed in the region 1,500 years ago.   The discovery makes it the largest complex of wine presses known from the Byzantine period, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.   "This was a semi-chance discovery," said Jon Seligman, who directed the excavation. "We didn't set out to find winepresses, but that was what was in the area when we were doing the excavations."   Read the full story here and watch a video about it here.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? SIGN UP HERE Check out all of NBC Newsletters here.     Get the NBC News Mobile App   30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 View in browser | Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription | Contact | Privacy