🌎 Implosion

US Coast Guard releases new details about OceanGate submersible implosion

If you watched the Netflix doc, this won’t be a huge surprise. After a two-year investigation, the US Coast Guard finally released a 335-page report on the 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan submersible, which killed all five people on board, including the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush.

An inevitable implosion

The Coast Guard concluded that the Titan sub implosion was entirely preventable and stemmed from a series of extensive safety failures by OceanGate.

• The report noted that so many protocols were ignored that, had Stockton Rush survived, he would likely have been subject to a criminal investigation.

So what exactly did OceanGate do wrong? From the beginning, the Titan submersible was built with a flawed design, and mismanagement contributed to repeated safety failures. Some of those failures are:

• Bypassed regulations: The Titan submersible was never registered or certified, and OceanGate knowingly exploited loopholes by marketing the dive as scientific research to sidestep passenger-safety regulations.

• Toxic culture: Employees who raised safety concerns were typically fired, and leadership used intimidation to force compliance, including by filing a SLAPP lawsuit against a whistleblower.

• Cost-cutting: The Titan was stored outdoors during harsh Canadian winters and secured its forward dome with just four bolts, far fewer than the 18 required. See the sub’s design overview here.

• Sketchy practices: OceanGate attempted to train pilots in a single day and reclassified passengers as “mission specialists” to evade maritime regulations.

Looking ahead: The Coast Guard urged for stricter rules for subs, tech oversight, and whistleblower safety, along with 15 other recommendations. The National Transportation Safety Board is also expected to release its findings from a separate investigation later this year.

Texas lawmakers continue standoff over redistricting plan

Politics can too often resemble fights between siblings. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott filed an emergency petition to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to remove Rep. Gene Wu, further escalating the stakes in the redistricting standoff.

What’s going on?

Most of the Texas House’s 62 Democrats staged a mass walkout on Sunday to block a redistricting plan that would add five Republican seats ahead of the 2026 elections. See a history of the political tactic’s use in Texas here.

Their absence denied the chamber the two-thirds quorum required to advance the bill, leaving Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pretty unhappy:

• Gov. Abbott said the absent lawmakers had forfeited their positions and warned he would pursue their removal if they failed to return.

• Shortly after, Abbott issued civil arrest warrants for the lawmakers who fled the state, though the warrants can only be enforced in Texas.

Meanwhile, democratic lawmakers—who are now in states like Illinois and New York—insist their actions reflect constitutional duty, and claim the proposed map diminishes minority voting power.

Not long after their departure, some of the legislators were evacuated from their hotel on Wednesday after a bomb threat, although a bomb squad found no device, and all guests were later cleared to return.

Looking ahead: Abbott's next steps include FBI involvement and an investigation into potential bribery tied to travel funding for the absent lawmakers.

Scientists identify bacteria that killed over 5 billion starfish

The great starfish die-off has officially been solved. Researchers have identified the bacteria behind the largest marine epidemic on record, which has killed more than 5 billion Pacific starfish over the past decade.

Just how bad is it?

The bacteria, called Vibrio pectenicida, cause sea star wasting syndrome, leading to lesions, tissue breakdown, and eventual death in infected starfish. Ultimately, it has affected over 20 starfish species, wiping out more than 90% of sunflower sea stars in less than 10 years.

But the effects of the bacteria didn’t stop there:

• The collapse of sea star populations triggered a 10,000% increase in sea urchins, which prey on kelp, along California’s North Coast.

• As a result, around 96% of the region’s kelp forests—vital ecosystems that support marine biodiversity, lessen carbon, and filter pollutants—disappeared.

This decade-long plague has brought a staggering ecological toll, but now that the pathogen behind it has been found, scientists are moving toward restoring sea star populations and the fragile ecosystems they support.

Looking ahead: With the culprit identified, researchers hope to determine how exactly Vibrio pectenicida causes sea star wasting syndrome to help prevent future outbreaks.

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BP makes largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years off Brazil’s coast

In a shocking turn of events, an oil company has discovered… more oil. BP announced its most significant hydrocarbon discovery in a quarter-century, a major boost to the oil giant that’s increasingly shifting toward fossil fuels.

Black gold

Earlier this week, BP reported it found a massive deposit of hydrocarbon (see overview) in the Bumerangue block, an oil and gas exploration block in the Santos Basin, around 250 miles from Rio de Janeiro.

• The discovery includes a 500-meter-thick column of oil and gas located in a high-quality reservoir, though BP wouldn’t say exactly how much yet.

• The oil giant said the recent boon could be its largest energy discovery since finding the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea in 1999.

As the company shifts away from clean energy and returns its focus to oil and gas, BP hopes to develop the block (which it owns 100% of) into a major production hub that powers its business for decades.

However, there’s a catch: While analysts suggest the find may extend BP’s output well into the 2030s, the oil in the area has high levels of carbon dioxide, which could make it harder and more expensive to extract and use.

The New York Post expands to the West Coast

You know there’s something up when the right go left. The New York Post has announced plans to launch a new daily newspaper, The California Post, early next year.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the publication will feature a daily print version, alongside a website, video, audio, and social media content, including news, entertainment, gossip, sports, and opinion.

Switching sides

While a newspaper might not seem like the most relevant thing these days, with local newsrooms shrinking, there’s a ripe market The Post can thrive in:

• Several major Los Angeles news organizations have downsized in recent years, including the Los Angeles Times, LAist, and LA Weekly.

• The Times cut its staff by 20% in early 2024, with owner Patrick Soon-Shiong revealing the outlet was losing $30 million to $40 million a year.

These changes could create space for The Post to get a foothold, and, not to mention, it already has an advantage:

• The Post claims to have maintained profitability over the past three years, a notable exception in a struggling media landscape.

• Plus, Los Angeles is already The Post’s second-largest audience, giving an easy entry into the market.

News Corp. CEO, Robert Thompson, said after the announcement, “We are at a pivotal moment for the city and the state, and there is no doubt that The Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers.”

Looking ahead: With local elections coming up next year, The Post says it has the perfect opportunity to provide punny, commonsense journalism and engage Californians during key events.

FAST FACTS
Catch up on this week’s weird news

Sports Center: Starting next year, ESPN will become the exclusive home for WWE's live events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble, through a five‑year agreement worth roughly $1.6 billion.

Crime Crunch: New FBI data shows crime declined across the board in the US last year. Most notably, violent crime dropped by 4.5%, with murder and manslaughter falling 15%.

Savory Smoothie: Heinz and Smoothie King launched a limited-edition “Tomato Ketchup Smoothie,” blending Heinz Ketchup with açai sorbet, raspberries, strawberries, and apple juice. I guess tomatoes are technically a fruit.

Tardy Trains: Germany’s long-celebrated railway system is facing an identity crisis, with only 56% of trains arriving on time, a steep drop from 85% in the 1990s.

Robot Ban: Illinois has become the first US state to ban AI from providing therapy or making clinical decisions.