Month: June 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing Canadian research submersible that disappeared after it went to explore the wreck of the Titanic. According to the Coast Guard, the 21-foot submersible and its five-person crew, from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince, started a dive on Sunday morning, however; Prince lost contact with the vessel after an hour and 45 minutes.

The missing submersible was part of an OceanGate Expeditions tour exploring the Titanic wreckage, located 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The private company charters trips to explore the wreckage with its research teams. The commander of the Coast Guard district leading the search, Rear Admiral John Mauger, said they received a call for help after the crew lost contact and the submersible missed its return time. He said the Coast Guard immediately launched a surface and aerial search to find or recover the submersible and any survivors; and added that the Coast Guard has brought in technical experts, dropped sonar buoys to listen for underwater noise, and reached out to other government agencies and private contractors for aid and “to really better understand what an undersea search and rescue effort would look like.”

The company said it was working with numerous government agencies to aid in the rescue of the crew on its submersible. OceanGate said in a statement: “Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families, we are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible.”  

Coast Guard officials said in a press conference on Monday afternoon that they have deployed two C-130 aircraft for an aerial search, and that the sonar buoys can listen to a depth of 13,000 feet. The New York National Guard is providing a third C-130, and the Canadian Coast Guard provided a C-130 as well as a P8 Poseidon aircraft that has underwater detection capabilities.

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A U.S. judge in Florida ruled on Monday that defense lawyers for former President Donald Trump could not release evidence in the classified documents case to the media or the public.

According to a court filing, the protective order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart puts strict conditions on Trump’s access to the materials, and limits what Trump can discuss about the case with others, including through social media. If he shares information with people not directly involved in the case without a judge’s permission, he could face criminal contempt charges.

The order — at the request of the Justice Department — states: “The Discovery materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court.” It also specified that Trump shall not retain copies, and that he may only review case materials “under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff.”. The order also prohibits Trump’s aide and co-defendant Walter Nauta from disseminating restricted information about the case.

Last week, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information. The Justice Department alleges that Trump unlawfully kept classified intelligence documents and did not comply with government requests to return them. The documents include intelligence briefings related to various foreign countries, foreign military capabilities and nuclear capabilities. There also are documents relating to communications with a leader of a foreign country and information about military attacks by a foreign country.

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At least 22 people were injured and one person was killed by gunfire overnight in Illinois at a peaceful celebration in honor of Juneteenth.

The shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. in a parking lot in Willowbrook, about 21 miles west of Chicago. A large group of people gathered for the celebration from around 6 p.m. on Saturday, and , the sheriff’s office said that police were already at the site to monitor the event.

According to a statement from the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, multiple suspects fired multiple rounds from multiple weapons into the large crowd of people gathered to celebrate the holiday. DuPage County Deputy Sheriff Eric Swanson told reporters Sunday that several were injured as people attempted to flee the area; victims are being treated at hospitals in the area.  Ten patients were transported to four hospitals with injuries ranging from graze wounds to more serious gunshot wounds.

The motive behind the shooting is unclear and it is still an active investigation, Swanson said. No suspects are in custody.

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Two people were killed and three others injured after police said a shooter began firing “randomly” into a crowd at a Washington state campground that was hosting people attending the Beyond Wonderland Festival, an electronic dance festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington. The suspect was among those injured after being shot in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Kyle Foreman, public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. said during a press conference that authorities received the first report of the shooting shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the camping area a few hundred yards from the Gorge Amphitheater, where thousands of people were attending the festival. The Gorge is near the small city of George, about 150 miles east of Seattle. After the initial shots were fired, the suspect started moving through the campground and “continued to shoot randomly into the crowd” until he was eventually confronted by police and taken into custody, Foreman said. A public alert had advised people that there was an active shooter in the area, but Foreman said there was no effort to evacuate the festival.

The festival continued following the shooting and did not end until early Sunday morning. Organizers of the Beyond Wonderland electronic music festival said on social media that Sunday’s events at the Gorge were canceled. The music festival made the announcement on social media: “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the local authorities and staff who acted quickly to manage the situation. “Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic event.”

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