Disney cruise ship saves 4 boaters from sinking Catamaran
Four stranded boaters are safe thanks to a Disney cruise ship joining the U.S. Coast Guard on a rescue mission. It happened Sunday, Nov. 10, when the Catamaran started sinking about 265 miles off the coast of Bermuda.
The escape hatch blew a gasket causing the boat to take on water.
Coast Guard officials put out a call for help and the Disney Treasure was the closest ship.
“Once the cruise ship was within radio contact they worked directly with the sailing vessel and they were super helpful and super willing to do whatever they could to help these people,” Lt. Commander Michael Rauch told ABC News.
The crew on the ship launched a life boat to successfully rescue all four passengers on the Catamaran.
Captain Marco Nogara of the Disney Treasure said in a statement, “We are pleased that the Disney Treasure was able to provide aid to the boat passengers in peril. Our crew members worked together on the rescue, skillfully demonstrating their training and commitment to safety.”
The Treasure is sailing from the Netherlands to its new home in Port Canaveral, Florida.
Video shows improved security at Trumps Mar-a-Lago, including robot dog
Following multiple assassination attempts during his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump is now under extremely tight security as he prepares to assume office. New video from Reuters, taken Friday, Nov. 8, shows the Coast Guard patrolling outside Trump’s Mara-a-Lago estate, with the boat’s weapon extended, in Palm Beach County, Florida.
There also appears to be a sheriff’s deputy on a golf cart, next to a sheriff’s SUV, keeping watch on the grounds.
Furthermore, a Secret Service watch tower is visible, with a beacon seen flashing from the tower. Tech is even involved, with an autonomous robot dog roaming the perimeter, near the water.
Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a campaign rally in July. The Secret Service also thwarting what investigators believe was a second attempt on Trump’s life at one of his golf courses in September.
The suspect in the September incident is now in custody and facing various federal charges, including attempted assassination.
Fisherman found adrift, rescued after battling hurricane for 24 hours
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a fisherman on Thursday, Oct. 10, after he spent nearly 24 hours adrift off the coast of Florida, clinging to a cooler following Hurricane Milton’s devastation. Search teams found the man, who had been on fishing vessel Capt. Dave, approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key after the boat became disabled during the Category 3 hurricane. Milton brought winds of 120 miles per hour, heavy rain, and tornadoes.
The captain of the Capt. Dave initially contacted the Coast Guard on Monday, Oct. 7, reporting that his vessel had become disabled, leaving both him and a crew member stranded 20 miles off John’s Pass. The Coast Guard successfully rescued the two men that day, but the boat was left adrift.
Early Wednesday, Oct. 9, the captain returned to the vessel to attempt repairs, later notifying the Coast Guard that the boat’s rudder had become entangled. As weather conditions rapidly deteriorated, with winds reaching 30 mph and waves rising to 8 feet, the Coast Guard instructed him to don a life jacket and remain near the boat’s emergency locator beacon.
#Breaking An @USCG Air Station Miami 65 helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to a cooler approximately 30 mi. off Longboat Key.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital for medical care.
The Coast Guard lost communication with the captain around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton intensified, bringing waves of 20 to 25 feet and winds estimated between 75 and 90 mph. Search and rescue efforts began early Thursday, Oct. 10, and by 1:30 p.m., a Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted the man clinging to a cooler. He was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for treatment.
“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner,” Lieutenant Commander Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg’s command center chief, said. Grady credited the captain’s survival to his life jacket, emergency position indicating beacon and the cooler that kept him afloat in the stormy waters.
A two-week Coast Guard hearing into the Titan submersible implosion is nearing conclusion in South Carolina. The hearing has highlighted concerns over safety negligence and corporate greed with OceanGate.
Witnesses at the hearing provided critical testimony, with several pointing to OceanGate’s decision to prioritize profits over safety.
A former operations technician expressed alarm over the company’s choice to sever its partnership with the University of Washington and reduce the thickness of the submersible’s hull, which raised significant safety concerns.
Additionally, it was revealed that OceanGate allegedly sought to bypass U.S. regulations by lobbying members of Congress.
Reuters
Coast Guard officials also described the large-scale search-and-rescue operation that followed the implosion, mobilizing more than 70,000 pounds of equipment and experts. However, it was noted that OceanGate had no emergency backup plan in place.
The tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of five individuals during a deep-sea expedition to the Titanic wreckage, has prompted the victims’ families to pursue legal action against OceanGate, the company responsible for the submersible. One family is seeking over $50 million in damages, alleging gross negligence on the part of the company.
Coast Guard saves man and dog 25 miles out to sea during Hurricane Helene
The Coast Guard saved a man and his dog after their sailboat became disabled and blew out to sea during Hurricane Helene. The rescue was captured on video from the point of view of the rescue swimmer. Everyone appears to be okay.
It all happened Thursday, Sept. 26, when the 36-foot vessel became disabled and started taking on water 25 miles off Sanibel Island. The Coast Guard arrived by helicopter and lowered the rescue swimmer into the water with a winch.
The swimmer approached the boat, helped the dog and man into the water, loaded them into the basket and hoisted them up. Once inside the helicopter, the group celebrated and shook hands.
The Coast Guard took them back to Southwest Florida International Airport to meet with EMS. They were reportedly in good medical condition.
The vessel was left behind, adrift and disabled. Hurricane Helene has reportedly killed 30 people in four states since making landfall.
Speaker Johnson unveils stopgap funding bill to avoid government shutdown
With just days to spare until a government shutdown, congressional leaders have agreed on a short-term funding bill. And the manhunt continues for suspects in a weekend shooting in Birmingham, Alabama that left four killed and more than a dozen injured. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Speaker Johnson unveils stopgap government spending bill to avoid shutdown
With just about a week to spare, Congress has reached a deal to avoid a government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday, Sept. 22, the House will vote this week on a three-month stopgap funding bill that would keep the federal government open until Dec. 20.
In a letter to house members, Johnson said the bill is “bare bones” and only includes “the extensions that are absolutely necessary.” Unlike a previous version, this bill does not include legislation concerning proof of citizenship to register to vote, but it does include an additional $230 million for Secret Service funding.
The Rules Committee is set to review the spending bill Monday afternoon, Sept. 23. House GOP leaders say lawmakers will likely vote on it on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
If this bill does not pass, government funding is slated to run out next Monday, Sept. 30.
Race tightens with 43 days to go until Election Day
With 43 days to go until Election Day, a new poll is showing just how close the race is between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. A CBS News poll released Sunday, Sept. 22, found Harris leading Trump 52% to 48% among likely voters.
This comes as former President Trump says this run for the presidency will be his last. He revealed that information Sunday during an interview on “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkinson.”
Also over the weekend, the vice president said she has agreed to another debate with the former president. Harris said she would debate Trump on CNN on Oct. 23. In response, Trump told supporters at a North Carolina rally it’s too late for another debate as early voting has already begun in some states.
Looking ahead, Trump will be campaigning in Indiana Monday while Harris is expected to release more on her economic plan this week.
No suspects in custody after 4 killed, 17 hurt in Alabama shooting
They believe it was a paid “hit” on one specific person, with everyone else caught in the crossfire. Witnesses say multiple suspects pulled up in a car, got out and fired dozens of gunshots, then quickly took off.
Birmingham’s mayor said this is not the first time this year the city has seen gun violence like this. During a news conference Sunday, he called it a “solvable problem.”
“We don’t have any interest in this whole debate about second amendment rights,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin. “We don’t have any interest in people who want to protect their homes, militia or whatever else you want to say. There’s a certain element in this city, there’s a certain element in this community who are too comfortable running around with semi-automatic weapons, automatic weapons, conversion switches and everything else, whose only intent, hell bent intent, is to harm people, shoot people, kill people.”
Investigators say they do believe the person who was targeted is among the people who died.
Israel warns residents to leave areas in Lebanon near Hezbollah targets
The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed and six injured in the latest attacks across the southern and eastern portions of the country. These latest strikes come after last week’s explosions targeting walkie-talkies and pagers, and Friday’s, Sept. 20, attack on Beirut which killed 45 people, including a senior Hezbollah commander.
When asked if the latest assaults indicate an imminent ground invasion, an IDF spokesperson said right now, Israel is focused on its aerial campaign.
Embattled Secret Service faces big test at U.N. General Assembly
The agency is already facing heavy criticism after two separate assassination attempts on former President Trump. Now it’s tasked with protecting more than 140 world leaders, including those from Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine.
The U.S. General Assembly is considered the biggest event that the Secret Service is charged with protecting each year — bigger than the Super Bowl, which is also considered a major national security event.
The agency is working with multiple others, from the NYPD to the Coast Guard, to keep everyone safe, and maintains it is confident they will do just that.
Chicago White Sox lose 120th game to tie modern-day MLB record
Since 1900, only the 1962 New York Mets have lost so many games in a season. The White Sox already surpassed the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the most losses by an American League team.
With six games to go in the regular season, it’s looking like Chicago is going to set another record. The White Sox’s next game is Tuesday, Sept. 24, against the Los Angeles Angels in Chicago.
‘All good’: Final text messages from doomed Titan submersible revealed
Tuesday, Sept. 17, is day two of the Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that killed all five people on board. Monday, Sept. 16, we learned one of the last messages sent from the doomed vessel, indicated there were no concerns.
That text message sent from the Titan to its support ship, the Polar Prince, was shown during a recreation of the submersible’s trip to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023.
It came at 10:15 a.m. on June 18, 2023, not long before the watercraft imploded, leaving all five people on board dead, including Stockton Rush — the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
The final text message was received at 10:47 a.m., with the Titan crew reporting they “dropped two wts (weights).”
Former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen, the lead engineer for the vessel, testified at Monday’s hearing saying he felt pressured by Rush to get it ready for the trip.
Nissen said he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019, telling Rush it was “not working like we thought it would.” Nissen was fired that year.
OceanGate’s co-founder, former operations director, and former scientific director are also supposed to testify in the hearing, which is expected to last about two weeks.
Suspect in Trump apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
New details emerge on the suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including how long he went undetected near the former president’s golf club. And Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been arrested on federal charges. We have the latest on what’s ahead for the hip hop mogul. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours
Authorities said the suspect in this past weekend’s apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump went undetected near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida for 12 hours before being noticed by a Secret Service agent. The suspect was caught pointing a rifle through the bushes.
The agent fired at the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who fled the scene only to be taken into custody a short time later. A local sheriff’s office released body camera video showing his arrest.
Routh was charged Monday, Sept. 16, with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He did not enter a plea during an appearance in a federal courtroom.
In a Monday afternoon press conference, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe, Jr. said Routh did not fire any shots at the agent and never had Trump in his line of sight.
Rowe and the FBI agent in charge, Jeffrey Veltri, said so far, there is no evidence showing the suspect knew Trump would be golfing that day. Veltri went into detail about the suspect’s criminal past.
“In 2002, as the United States attorney mentioned, the subject was charged and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” Veltri said. “Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010, the subject had numerous felony charges for stolen goods. I can also share with you that he was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm.”
Veltri said the FBI passed along that information to authorities in Hawaii, where Routh lived. Rowe told reporters Trump’s plans to play golf on Sunday were “off-the-record” – meaning it was not part of the former president’s official schedule.
As new questions emerge about the Secret Service’s effectiveness following the second assassination attempt in just over two months, Rowe defended his agents, saying they were “rising for this moment.”
“Yesterday afternoon, this country was reminded of the heightened and dynamic threat environment that the United States Secret Service and its protectees face on a daily basis,” Rowe said. “Immediately following the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13th, the Secret Service moved to increase assets to an already enhanced security posture for the former president.”
Rowe said the “highest levels of protection” were in place for the former president – as directed by President Joe Biden – including “counter-sniper team elements.”
Speaking to reporters on his way to an event in Philadelphia Monday, Biden said the Secret Service “needs more help.” A White House official said President Biden spoke to Trump on the phone Monday, conveying his relief that the former president was safe.
During an appearance on the social media site X Monday night, Trump spoke about hearing the gunshots fired by the Secret Service. He said the agent did a “fantastic job” and joked that he “would have liked to have sank that last putt.”
Routh’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 23 for a pre-detention hearing. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30. Routh remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested on federal charges in New York
Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on federal charges on Monday night. Sources close to the matter tell media outlets Diddy was not expecting the arrest.
Homeland Security took him into custody at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan.
It’s not yet clear what federal charges he’s facing. The indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday, Sept. 17, at his arraignment.
Combs is facing multiple sexual assault lawsuits and has been the subject of a federal human trafficking probe in the last year, which is why Homeland Security is involved. His lawyers said he has been cooperating with investigators.
Former lead engineer felt pressure to get ‘Titan’ ready
Tuesday is day two of the Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that killed all five people on board.
Monday, we learned one of the last messages sent from the doomed vessel, indicated there were no concerns. It read “all good here.” That text message was shown during a recreation of the submersible’s trip to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023.
It came not long before the watercraft imploded, leaving all five people on board dead, including Stockton Rush — the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.
The lead engineer for the vessel testified at Monday’s hearing saying he felt pressured by Rush to get it ready for the trip.
Former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen testified he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019, telling Rush it was “not working like we thought it would.” Nissen was fired that year.
OceanGate’s co-founder, former operations director, and former scientific director are also supposed to testify in the hearing, which is expected to last about two weeks.
Meta bans Russian state media over ‘foreign interference activity’
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has banned Russian state media broadcaster RT, along with several other Kremlin-controlled outlets. Meta accuses them of using deceptive tactics to covertly influence operations online.
Before it was banned on Monday, RT had 7.2 followers on Facebook and one million on Instagram.
Meta’s move comes days after the Justice Department announced charges against two RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million into a U.S. company to create and promote content aligning with Russian interests.
Amazon ending remote work starting next year
Almost five years after the COVID-19 pandemic swept and ravaged the nation, as well as the world, and led to many people working from their homes, Amazon is ending remote work. Starting next year, corporate employees will be required to be back in the office five days a week.
This is the latest update to Amazon’s rules regarding remote work. Last year, the company changed its policy to mandate employees come back to the office at least three days a week.
Amazon has supposedly been marred by an inability to get things done with lots of meetings and layers of approval. CEO Andy Jassy called out that culture in a note to workers saying there are “pre-meetings for the pre-meetings for the decision meetings, a longer line of managers feeling like they need to review a topic before it moves forward.”
Jordan Chiles files appeal after being stripped of bronze medal
Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal was rescinded after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her coach filed an inquiry during the floor exercises, which propelled Chiles to third place. But it was a few seconds too late.
Chiles has now appealed her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee supports Chiles and said they are determined to see she gets the recognition she deserves.
Mar-a-Lago vendor expressed security concerns at fundraiser Trump attended
In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Straight Arrow News obtained information from a Mar-a-Lago vendor about what he described as lax security at the Republican presidential nominee’s residence. SAN granted the vendor anonymity to protect future employment opportunities.
The vendor said there were noticeable differences in security between a fundraiser in May, when Trump was the presumptive nominee, and an event in 2020, when Trump was president.
In May, the vendor said he and his team were allowed to enter through the south gate and nobody checked their IDs.
“This post was manned by uniformed [U.S. Secret Service] officers,” he said, recalling the event in 2020. “There, our credentials were checked, we were briefly interviewed, and our vehicles were given an initial ‘review.’ If I recall correctly there was a canine unit there. Some of our party had to remove gear from their vehicles. One of our party had a multi-tool in his car and that was confiscated by [U.S. Secret Service].”
After they got through the gate, they had to load their gear into the building.
In May, he said, “We loaded gear in from two vehicles. There was no [U.S. Secret Service] inspection of any of our equipment and we had no interaction with [U.S. Secret Service] at all, only [Mar-a-Lago] staff.”
Here’s what he said happened when Trump was president: “A [U.S. Secret Service] agent remained with our vehicle at all times. As we unloaded, the [U.S. Secret Service] agent scanned various items with the handheld magnetometer. Equipment boxes were opened as requested and scanned. In short, [U.S. Secret Service] made certain that none of our equipment constituted a possible threat.”
SAN asked the Secret Service about the difference in security posture and did not receive a response. However, it is Secret Service policy to not comment on means and methods used in protective operations.
However, there is some known insight into how the area around the compound is protected.
Mar-a-Lago means “sea to lake” in Spanish, so the operation includes personnel from the Secret Service, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department and the United States Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard protects both the ocean and intracoastal waterway, and the area is split into three sections: East, Center and West.
Boaters in the East and West zones are required to keep moving at a steady speed and cannot slow down or stop. No boats or persons can enter the Center zone without permission from the Coast Guard.
There are also road closures.
South Ocean Boulevard, which is part of Florida’s A1A highway, is closed to through traffic from the circle right next to the compound’s south gate to the block around the corner.
Despite the second attempt on his life, Trump is maintaining a busy campaign schedule. He’s expected to be in Michigan, New York, Washington and North Carolina for rallies this week.
The company was behind the experimental submersible that imploded while on its way to the wreckage of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023, killing all five people on board.
On Friday, Sept. 13, the Coast Guard released a statement saying the hearing “aims to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
The hearing will take place in Charleston County, South Carolina and is expected to last about two weeks. Witnesses scheduled to appear include one of OceanGate’s co-founders and the company’s former engineering, operations, and scientific directors.
