Thursday, August 8, 2024
It is Thursday, August 8. Here are today’s top stories.
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Titan submersible lawsuit
In June 2023, five people died in the Titan submersible implosion. The wreckage and their remains were recovered on the ocean floor not far from the sunken wreckage of the Titanic. The family of one of the victims, a French explorer and Titanic expert named Paul-Henri Nargeolet, recently filed a $50 million lawsuit against the sub operator, OceanGate Expeditions, which is based in Washington state. The lawsuit accused OceanGate of failing to disclose that the submersible had serious issues about its durability. The lawsuit revealed that those inside the submersible last year likely knew that they were going to die because it dropped weights after about 90 minutes, which indicated the team tried to abort the dive. The lawsuit said the submersible likely lost power and the five may have heard the submersible’s hull crackling as it descended before its implosion. AP News explained that OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush, who died in the implosion, refused to have the submersible checked by independent experts to make sure it was safe for operation in deep waters with extreme pressures. The U.S. Coast Guard has been investigating the incident and there will be a public hearing in September.
ASL story based on this article: https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655
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Astronauts stuck on ISS
Two astronauts who went up to the International Space Station (ISS) during the first crewed test of Boeing’s Starliner in June have been stuck in the ISS for over two months and may have to stay there until next year due to problems with the Starliner spacecraft. The astronauts were only supposed to be on the ISS for a week.
The two astronauts are doing fine on the ISS, where they are interacting with a crew that is already on the ISS, but NASA said there is a limited amount of supplies that was only meant for the ISS crew.
NASA is considering sending SpaceX spacecraft to the ISS to bring the two astronauts home. SpaceX is a rival of Boeing and this situation is making Boeing look bad. Boeing said they are working hard on finding a solution.
ASL story based on these articles: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-boeings-starliner-astronauts-home-spacecraft/story
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Tropical Storm Debby makes second landfall
Tropical Storm Debby, which hit Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, made its second landfall this morning in South Carolina as a tropical storm. It spawned a tornado in North Carolina that caused damage in Wilson County and killed a man whose home collapsed. Debby has spawned at least 10 other tornadoes. The storm has brought heavy rainfall that has caused flooding across its path.
ASL story based on this article: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/08/weather/tropical-storm-debby-landfall-forecast-thursday/index.html
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Nine family members killed in car crash
In tragic news, nine family members were killed in a SUV crash in Florida on Tuesday. The family traveled from Connecticut and Virginia to Florida to celebrate the family’s 80-year-old matriarch’s birthday. The driver was a 56-year-old daughter who was driving a SUV with 9 passengers, including five young children and a teenager. The SUV was traveling down a rural road with a canal on one side and it may have failed to negotiate a sharp turn before it went off the road and crashed into a canal. A news report said none of the passengers were wearing seat belts. Only one person survived, a 26-year-old man. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
ASL story based on this article: https://nypost.com/2024/08/08/us-news/florida-suv-crash-that-killed-nine-comes-after-matriarchs-birthday/
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Taylor Swift concerts canceled due to terrorist threats
Three Taylor Swift concerts that were supposed to take place in Austria this week were canceled after authorities arrested two suspects for allegedly planning terrorist attacks. Authorities said one of the suspects is a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who pledged allegiance to ISIS. Bomb-making materials were found in his home. He confessed to planning to kill as many people as possible outside the concert using knives and homemade explosives. The second suspect is a 17-year-old Austrian citizen who also allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS. The organizers of the concerts said they had no choice but to cancel the concerts for everyone’s safety and would refund all tickets.
ASL story based on this article: https://abcnews.go.com/International/2-arrested-planning-terror-plot-taylor-swift-show/story
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.