WASHINGTON (AP) — Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick received a new award from the American Civil Liberties Union recognizing contributions to American thought and culture.
Kaepernick and rock star Bruce Springsteen were honored Friday night with the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science and Sports. The honor comes a decade after Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in protest against police violence and racial inequality.
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Bruce Springsteen performs on stage after recieving the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Bruce Springsteen performs on stage after recieving the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick, left, is presented with the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports by Deborah Archer at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick speaks at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference, Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick speaks at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference, Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
“We know our civil liberties are under attack, we know humanity is under attack, education is under attack. They are trying to encroach on our rights, encroach on our dignity, encroach on the future that we want to build together,” Kaepernick said in his acceptance speech. “When we look back at this moment, it will not be the speeches that change the direction of history. It's going to be whether we decided: Are we going to build the schools or not? Are we going to defend the rights of others, or are we going to watch? Are we going to build community together, or are we going to stand in isolation?
“The consequences of these decisions are going to be the reality that the future generations inherit.”
Kaepernick was joined in protest by teammate Eric Reid and others, but he also drew criticism from politicians, team owners and other players. Kaepernick and Reid filed collusion grievances against the NFL in 2017, saying they were blacklisted. They reached a settlement in 2019.
“He demonstrated in real time the price America too often exacts from those who challenge racial injustice," said Deborah Archer, the ACLU's president. “His peaceful protest was met with extraordinary personal sacrifice. He lost the career he spent his life building. He became the target of criticism, hostility and relentless public attack, and yet he never retreated.”
Springsteen — who closed the event with a solo rendition of “Streets of Minneapolis” — and Kaepernick were honored as part of an awards ceremony hosted by actress Laverne Cox.
“It's important for us to recognize all of the people who are contributing to the fight to protect civil rights and civil liberties,” Archer said. “Those folks — actors, athletes — these folks have all shown up in incredibly powerful ways.”
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Bruce Springsteen performs on stage after recieving the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Bruce Springsteen performs on stage after recieving the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick, left, is presented with the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports by Deborah Archer at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference,Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick speaks at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference, Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Colin Kaepernick speaks at the ACLU's 2026 Biennial Leadership Conference, Friday, July 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time releasing 20 of the most advanced Starlinks.
Towering 407 feet (124 meters), Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas. NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.
The hourlong journey ended with a splashdown so soft that the spacecraft remained afloat in the Indian Ocean as the SpaceX webcast drew to a close, drawing cheers from employees back at the launch site.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX had replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after some of them failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort. The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return.
This time, all of the engines fired at liftoff, but not enough of them lit back up for the booster's return, causing it to descend too fast and slam into the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft continued soaring eastward, popping out the Starlinks one by one 124 miles (200 kilometers) up before reentering.
It was the 13th flight of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket, and the second this year of the new version dubbed V3. Like the previous demo, neither the booster nor spacecraft was meant to be saved, instead plunging into the sea.
The stainless steel, retro-looking spacecraft hovered upright over the Indian Ocean before lowering into the water, more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from where the flight began.
It was the best reentry yet, according to SpaceX, with the intact booster floating amid just a few flames. Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair.
“We're really pumped about this,” said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice, calling it “lucky flight 13.”
The Starlinks accomplished all their jobs before reentering over the Indian Ocean.
After being ejected from the Starship’s Pez-like dispenser, the Starlinks had just 20 minutes to communicate via lasers and radio before reentering. SpaceX said its engineers made contact and even downloaded data from each one. With more than 10,000 Starlinks currently providing internet, SpaceX boasts the world’s largest satellite constellation.
Six of the newly launched Starlinks carried cameras that photographed Starship’s heat shield at flight's end, beaming back amazingly crisp shots even as the spacecraft bobbed in the ocean. The heat shield was also equipped with sensors to measure the extreme pressure placed on the spacecraft during launch. Most of the heat shield’s thermal tiles were black, but some were deliberately painted white to simulate missing tiles, part of an experiment to test the shield’s robustness.
"We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!" Musk said on X.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman offered congratulations. “Excited for what will be learned from this mission,” Isaacman noted on X.
SpaceX wants to make sure Starship’s heat shield can withstand the heat of entry before trying to return it to the Starbase launch pad near the Texas-Mexico border. The company already has used a pair of giant mechanical arms at the pad to capture a Starship booster. The company plans to do the same with the actual spacecraft, which is designed to be totally reusable.
NASA needs Starship to wrap up testing and reach orbit soon so the Artemis III astronauts — three Americans and one Italian — can practice docking their capsule with it next year.
Starship is also the vehicle with which Musk intends to build a city on Mars. He's already booking tourist trips to Mars, as well as the moon.
The latest test flight was delayed first by the July 16 launch abort, then again on Thursday by thick clouds from Tropical Storm Bertha.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's Starship rocket lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The sun rises behind SpaceX's mega rocket Starship as it is prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A seagull takes flight as SpaceX's Starship rocket is prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is prepared for a test flight in Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The sun rises behind SpaceX's mega rocket Starship as it is prepared for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A man jogs past SpaceX's mega rocket Starship as it is prepared for a test flight in Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
