5 things to know for June 22: Missing sub, Schiff, Modi, Supreme Court, FTC v. Amazon
Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
- Missing sub
The search for a missing submersible with five people on board continues as the amount of remaining oxygen becomes a vital issue, experts say. The sub, known as Titan, begins each trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic with an estimated 96 hours of life support and has been missing since Sunday morning — making this morning a crucial target for finding the vessel and those on board. Banging noises detected on Tuesday and Wednesday from beneath the sea’s surface in the massive search area have provided hope for survivors – but it’s like finding a needle in a haystack and time is running out, experts say. Inside the 21-foot submersible, with rudimentary controls and no room for its passengers to stretch out, the crew would have had “limited rations” of food and water, officials have said.
- Adam Schiff
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to censure Rep. Adam Schiff, a key lawmaker in Democrats’ congressional investigations into former President Donald Trump. The resolution accuses Schiff of misleading the American people while pursuing the congressional investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign as the then-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and for actions Schiff took leading up to the former president’s first impeachment. Schiff, who is running for a US Senate seat in California, has dismissed the allegations as “false and defamatory.”
- Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of the world’s most populous nation, will meet with President Joe Biden today during a state visit to Washington as part of a trip that is expected to further boost defense, trade and technology ties and celebrate “the warm bonds of family and friendship” that link the two countries. Modi was in New York City on Wednesday, where he led celebrations for the International Day of Yoga at United Nations headquarters. Later today he will address Congress — an honor reserved for close US allies — and attend a lavish state dinner hosted by Biden in a clear indication of how much of a strategic partner Modi has become.
- Supreme Court
The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a bill on Supreme Court ethics following a ProPublica report that Justice Samuel Alito did not disclose a luxury 2008 trip in which a hedge fund billionaire flew him on a private jet — even though the businessman later repeatedly asked the Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf. Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said Wednesday his committee will mark up a bill after lawmakers return from their July 4 recess. The new report adds to the growing list of ethics questions surrounding the court, which have become a key focus of congressional Democrats. In a highly unusual move, Alito preemptively disputed the ProPublica report before it was published Tuesday night, authoring an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which he acknowledged knowing billionaire Paul Singer but downplayed their relationship.
- FTC v. Amazon
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon, alleging the company tricked millions of consumers into signing up for its Prime subscription service through deceptive user interface designs. The complaint also takes aim at the e-commerce giant for allegedly trying to keep users subscribed who wished to cancel their memberships. The lawsuit marks the FTC’s most significant step yet against business practices the agency says harm consumers by luring them into and keeping them trapped in subscriptions using psychological gimmicks.
It represents the culmination of a monthslong investigation into Amazon’s Prime practices that involved testimony from company founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Andy Jassy. In a statement Wednesday, Amazon called the FTC’s claims “false on the facts and the law” and said it did not receive notice before the complaint was filed.