Tale of Two Rescue Attempts At Sea

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Good morning!

Let’s start this newsletter with one of our favorite topics: coffee.

And with that, some news you can use: Dunkin' is celebrating the start of summer by bringing back one of its most beloved drinks, Salted Caramel Cold Brew.

While we’re talking food— make sure to read to the end of the newsletter for a story about “lab grown chicken” coming to a restaurant near you.

Happy eating!

Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney

🗞 A TALE OF TWO TRAGEDIES AT SEA

We’ve been reporting on two major disasters at sea this week. One, the sub rescue attempt, you definitely heard about. The second, hundreds of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean, you may not have. They offer a compelling contrast and both are worth telling you about.

STATUS UPDATE: TITANIC TOURIST SUB
Let’s start with what we know about the massive search for the tourist submersible that went missing while heading to the wreck of the Titanic.

The vessel had just under 96 hours of oxygen when it disappeared on Sunday, which means the sub’s air supply is expected to run out at some point early today.

However, some maritime experts say that, if the passengers can remain calm and breath less deeply and frequently, they might eke out several more hours from the O2 supply today.

SONARS DETECTED NOISES
The Coast Guard says an aircraft with sonar buoys detected noise in the water while searching for Titan, but they still don’t know the source of the noise as of late Wednesday night. Audio experts are studying the sounds. They have since expanded the search area and are now looking for the sub in an area twice the size of Connecticut.

One of the key assets in the search are remotely operated vehicles or ROVs. They have the ability to attach cables to the sub, if it is located, and could help pull the vessel to the ocean surface.

REMINDER: WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
There are five people on board: a British adventurer, a French diver, a Pakistani father and son and the founder of OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operates the tour. Tickets cost $250,000 a piece.

OceanGate is continuing to receive criticism from others in the field. Unlike most deep-sea crafts, Titan has undergone no certification by a reputable marine group that does licensing work.

🚨 NOW TO ANOTHER TRAGEDY AT SEA
More than 700 migrants including men, women and children from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt may have drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece last week.

The ship took off last week from Libya and was headed to Italy. It was run by smugglers promising safe passage for migrants. Many of the migrants paid thousands of dollars as they looked for a better life for themselves and their families.

At this point, only 104 people are known to have survived (many were rescued by the nearby Mayan Queen IV superyacht). More than 80 bodies have been recovered and the search continues for about 500 others who are still missing.

ABYSMAL CONDITIONS
Survivors have started to tell stories of appalling conditions on board the ship— with passengers denied food and water, crammed into tight quarters below deck, and forced to stay in the hold of the ship. The smugglers also reportedly did not allow life jackets on the ship.

THE SUSPECTS
Nine Egyptian men suspected of running that migrant smuggling ship are in custody. They face charges in Greece that include participation in a criminal organization, manslaughter and causing a shipwreck.

RESCUE CONTROVERSY
The Greek Coast Guard is also facing scrutiny over why it didn’t intervene as the ship struggled off its coast. The UN has called for an investigation into Greece's handling of the boat.

Greek officials maintain those on board said they did not want help and insisted on heading to Italy, their final destination, adding that it would have been too dangerous to try and evacuate hundreds of unwilling people off an overcrowded ship. Greek officials also say passengers were not in danger until just before their boat sank.

CONFLICTING REPORTS
As the NY Times puts it: “Investigators are still seeking to understand what exactly happened as the trawler sank trying to reach Italy — whether smugglers refused assistance and panic on the ship caused it to capsize, as the Coast Guard claims, or whether a failed attempt to tow the ship caused it to sink, as some survivors contend.”

The Greek Coast Guard insists that neither its patrol boat that escorted the boat in its last hours nor any other vessel attached a tow rope.

BACKDROP: A number of European nations have become increasingly resistant to taking in more migrants, so there is belief the Greek Coast Guard wasn’t going out of its way to help people en route to Italy.

⏳ SPEED READ

📌 US House erupts in disorder after Republicans censure top Democrat, Adam Schiff (ABC NEWS)

📌 Amazon duped millions of consumers into enrolling in Prime, US government says (YAHOO FINANCE)

📌 Big July Deals: Walmart Plus Week to compete with Amazon Prime Days (CNET)

📌 The giant seaweed blob that has been piling up on beaches on the Florida coast — posing risks to sea life, human respiratory health and tourism — could carry an added threat: illness-inducing bacteria. (CNN)

📌 Orca attacks boat near Scotland in latest incident (USA TODAY)

📌 Speaker McCarthy urges Republicans to reject quick Biden impeachment vote (NBC NEWS)

📌 Geraldo Rivera says he is quitting the Fox News show, ‘The Five’ (AP)

📌 Justice Samuel Alito took private jet trip for Alaska fishing trip in new Supreme Court ethics revelation (USA TODAY)

📌 Palestinians shoot 4 Israelis, spurring West Bank revenge attacks by settlers (NBC NEWS)

📌 Fed chair expects more interest rate hikes ahead as inflation fight ‘has a long way to go’ (CNBC)

📌 Lab-grown chicken is getting closer to a restaurant plate near you (AXIOS)

📌 Ancient Maya city found in Mexican jungle (REUTERS)

📌 The pandemic class: Long Island's 2023 graduating seniors on how COVID-19 bookended their high school experience (NEWSDAY)

📌 Minneapolis will be renamed ‘Swiftieapolis’ as Taylor’s tour arrives this weekend (MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: JUNE 22

• 1940: The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois. A cone cost a nickel, and a sundae cost 8 cents. Blizzards wouldn’t hit stores until 1985.

• 1984: ‘The Karate Kid’ premiered in theaters. We meet Mr. Miyagi. Wax On. Wax Off.

• 1986: Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona scored his memorable “Hand of God” goal (the ball struck his hand, but the referee mistakenly thought it had hit his head) to help Argentina defeat England in a World Cup quarterfinal game. Argentina went on to win the tournament.

• 2001: The first “Fast and the Furious” film premiered in theaters. Altogether, the expanded Fast & Furious universe features 12 movies -- counting this summer’s Fast X -- two short films, and an animated series.