A “catastrophic implosion” is believed to have taken the lives of all five on board the missing submersible as the search ends. A whistleblower accuses the Justice Department of meddling with the Hunter Biden investigation. And the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick is headed to San Antonio.
Here’s what to know today.
19-year-old ‘wasn’t very up for’ a trip to see Titanic wreckage
Before 19-year-old Suleman Dawood accompanied his father on the expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, he expressed hesitation about going, his aunt said.
In fact, Suleman was “terrified,” Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, told NBC News reporter Daniel Arkin.
But Suleman ended up going because the trip fell over Father’s Day weekend and he was eager to please his dad, who was passionate about the lore of the Titanic, Azmeh said.
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After days of searching for the Titan submersible, the U.S. Coast Guard said yesterday that all five people aboard, including Shahzada and Suleman, were believed to be dead. Debris discovered in the search area was consistent with a “catastrophic implosion,” the Coast Guard said. Additionally, a U.S. Navy analysis of acoustic data detected an “anomaly” consistent with an implosion near the vessel around the time it lost communications on Sunday, a senior Navy official said.
Before Thursday’s news, Azmeh said that waiting for updates about her nephew and brother was like being “caught in a really bad film.” It was so agonizing that she had trouble breathing, she said.
More about the Titan vessel
- Follow our live blog for the latest updates as focus turns to finding the cause of the implosion.
- Past passengers share chilling accounts of their experience with the Titan, from a “clumsy” launch to lost communications while on the ocean floor.
- Misinformation and misunderstandings are circulating on social media. One tech journalist pointed out what some people are getting wrong .
Whistleblower claims there was meddling in Hunter Biden case
U.S. Attorney David Weiss sought authority to charge Hunter Biden with more charges than the tax-related misdemeanors Biden agreed to in this week’s plea deal, a former IRS employee told the House Ways and Means Committee in May. Whistleblower Gary Shapley said Attorney General Merrick Garland did not tell Congress the truth when he asserted that Weiss had the authority to charge in other jurisdictions. The 212-page transcript of Shapley’s interview with the committee was released yesterday.
In his opening statement, Shapley alleged the Justice Department “provided preferential treatment, slow-walked the investigation, did nothing to avoid obvious conflicts of interest in this investigation.”
Victor Wembanyama takes his talents to San Antonio
The San Antonio Spurs chose French superstar Victor Wembanyama with their No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, heralding a new start for a player who has long been seen as basketball royalty in the making. Those who know Wembanyama best expect even greater things from him.
Vincent Collet, who coached the French national team, said he has never worked with a player with so much talent. Erwan Abautret, a French sports journalist who has covered the 7-foot-4 player since he was a youngster, said he’s the “complete package.”
Despite the hype, Wembanyama appeared humble when asked recently about his NBA future.
▼ Today’s Talker
Ye has ‘nothing to do’ with...
… the allegations three former teachers at Donda Academy made against the Southern California school. A lawyer for the rapper formerly known as Kanye West asked a judge to dismiss the teachers’ lawsuit, which alleges among other things, that the school lacked janitorial services or medical staff, that students were only fed sushi and paychecks were often short by as much as $2,700, among other allegations. Ye is “subject only to the inaccurate wage claims,” his lawyer said.
▼ Politics in Brief
NBC News poll: One year later, 61% of voters disapprove of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. That includes nearly 80% of female voters ages 18-49.
Modi’s speech: In an address to Congress, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ties between the U.S. and India represent a “defining partnership of this century.”
Grand jury appearance: The deputy director of Donald Trump’s 2020 Election Day operations appeared before a federal grand jury as part of the special counsel probe. Gary Michael Brown has been accused of being involved in the so-called fake electors scheme.
Santos latest: The GOP-led House ethics panel has issued over 30 subpoenas in its probe of Rep. George Santos. Meanwhile, Santos’ $500,000 bond after he was charged last month over a dozen federal counts was guaranteed by his father and aunt.
SCOTUS: The Supreme Court ruled against the Navajo Nation in its dispute over water rights. The 5-4 ruling means the Navajo Nation is blocked from pursuing a lawsuit that claims the federal government has a duty to assert the tribe’s water rights.
▼ Staff Pick
‘We locked eyes, and that was it’
Baby Zoey was placed into a Safe Haven Baby Box one night in January at a Florida fire station. The firefighter who found her and his wife had been trying for 10 years to have a baby — and when he saw Zoey “just chilling” in the box, he knew what he needed to do.
In a newsletter that sometimes feels like a compilation of sad stories, I’m happy to be able to share one article that made me smile. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
▼ In Case You Missed It
Discord CEO Jason Citron described reports of child exploitation on the popular chat platform as “horrifying” and said the social media company took the issue seriously. He was responding to questions about NBC News’ investigation, which you can read here.
A Georgia police department that used an image of a Black man as a target during a firearms safety class for civilians is under investigation.
The I-95 is set to reopen to traffic, less than two weeks after a deadly collapse in Philadelphia shut down a heavily traveled stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway.
The assistant women’s bowling coach at a Texas university — and husband to the program’s head coach — resigned after his affair with a student-athlete came to light.
The Vatican has sent the diary of a late Jesuit priest who allegedly confessed to abusing dozens of minors back to Bolivia, the latest development in a pedophilia scandal that has shaken the Andean country.
Parts of a Florida county are under quarantine after a giant African land snail was detected this month. Not only can the creatures devastate agriculture, they also pose a serious health risk to humans.
▼ Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Leaving leftover food on your grill won’t season it. But it may alter the taste of whatever you’re cooking — and not in a great way. Here’s how to clean different parts of your grill and nine highly rated products that will help get the job done.
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