10 things you need to know today: June 22, 2023

1. Search intensifies as Titanic tourist submersible air runs low

More ships on Wednesday joined the massive search operation to find a deep-diving submersible that went missing Sunday en route to the wreck of the Titanic nearly 13,000 feet under the North Atlantic with five people aboard. Sonar devices heard banging for a second day. The search narrowed to the area where the sounds were first heard on Tuesday, first every 30 minutes and then pausing before being heard again four hours later. "I can't tell you what the noises are," U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick said. The operation was still "a search and rescue mission, 100%," he said. But the next phase is crucial as the submersible, the Titan, was believed to have just hours of breathable air left on Thursday.

CNN

2. Trump supporter who jolted officer with stun gun sentenced to 12.5 years

A judge on Wednesday sentenced Daniel "D.J." Rodriguez, a California supporter of former President Donald Trump, to 12 and a half years in prison for attacking a D.C. police officer with a stun gun during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Rodriguez shouted "Trump won" after he was sentenced, NBC News reported, citing several people who were in the courtroom. Rodriguez traveled to Washington, D.C., with other members of a Telegram group called the "PATRIOTS 45 MAGA Gang." After going to the Capitol's lower west tunnel, the scene of some of the worst violence, Rodriguez attacked officer Michael Fanone, later bragging about the incident on Telegram. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in February.

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NBC News

3. West Bank violence intensifies after deadly Hamas strike

Israeli extremists attacked Palestinian towns on Wednesday in retaliation after two Hamas gunmen, who were later killed, fatally shot four Israelis near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. Attackers set fires in Palestinian communities near the scene of the shooting, killing at least one Palestinian and injuring a dozen others. Israeli security forces hit Palestinian militants with a rare drone strike, killing three. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the settler attacks to stop, but also issued a warning to Palestinian militants. "Our answer to terrorism is to strike at it forcefully," he said. Israel also plans to build 1,000 new homes in Eli, the settlement near the scene of the attack.

The New York Times Reuters

4. Report: Alito didn't disclose Alaska private jet trip from GOP billionaire

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in 2008 flew on the private jet of hedge fund billionaire and Republican megadonor Paul Singer to a luxury $1,000-a-night lodge in Alaska owned by a second GOP donor who did not charge him for his stay, ProPublica reported. Alito did not report his flight on Singer's private jet on his financial disclosure forms, ProPublica said. He also did not recuse himself when the Singer fund NML Capital got a hearing before the Supreme Court in 2012. Alito joined the 7-1 majority for the fund and against Argentina. Alito did not respond to ProPublica directly, but wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed saying he wasn't required to report the trip under the "personal hospitality" exception to federal ethics rules.

ProPublica The Wall Street Journal

5. Biden, Modi discuss deepening ties as human rights concerns loom

President Biden met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Wednesday at the start of two days of official events during Modi's U.S. visit. The two leaders are expected to work on deepening defense and technology cooperation between their countries. Biden's fellow Democrats have pressured him to raise concerns about human rights backsliding in India under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden would raise human rights concerns, but, "We do so in a way where we don't seek to lecture or assert that we don't have challenges ourselves." Modi has made five U.S. visits since becoming India's prime minister in 2014, but this is his first official state visit.

Reuters

6. House Republicans censure Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations

House Republicans on Wednesday voted to censure Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for comments he made when the House, which was then controlled by Democrats, was investigating then-President Trump's ties to Russia. The resolution says Schiff (D-Calif.) "abused this trust by saying there was evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia." Twenty Republicans who voted with Democrats in opposing the measure decided to change their votes after the measure's sponsor, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), removed a $16 million fine that was to be imposed if the House Ethics Committee found Schiff lied. Schiff was defiant, saying, "I will not yield," and saying he would wear a rebuke from Republicans as a "badge of honor."

The Associated Press

7. Report: Huawei and ZTE workers tracked at China spy facilities in Cuba

Workers from China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE were tracked at suspected Chinese spy facilities in Cuba during the Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The intelligence fueled suspicions that the Chinese technology companies might be involved in helping China enhance its spying capabilities on the communist-run Caribbean island, 100 miles south of Florida. Huawei and ZTE specialize in technology that could be used in such an operation, but both denied participating in such a project. Huawei called the accusations "groundless," saying it was "committed to full compliance with the applicable laws and regulations where we operate." ZTE said the Journal's reporting was "baseless."

The Wall Street Journal

8. Gas explosion kills 31 in China barbecue restaurant

A gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant killed at least 31 people in the city of Yinchuan in China's northwest Ningxia region on Wednesday, CNN reported. Seven other people were injured, one critically. The cause of the blast was a leak from a liquified gas tank inside the restaurant. Photos posted online showed firefighters climbing a ladder to reach the second floor of the building, and carrying people out on stretchers. The outer walls of the building were blackened, and debris littered the street. Police and firefighters investigating the disaster said two restaurant workers smelled gas an hour before the explosion, according to a city government statement posted online Thursday.

CNN

9. FTC accuses Amazon of tricking people into Prime subscriptions

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday filed a lawsuit accusing Amazon of enrolling customers in its Prime program without their consent. The complaint said Amazon "knowingly" used "dark patterns" to sign up new Prime members, then made it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. The FTC said Amazon gave shoppers several options to subscribe to Prime during checkout, but made it confusing for those simply wishing to buy their items without subscribing. "Amazon tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. Amazon spokesperson Heather Layman said the allegations were false. "The truth is that customers love Prime," she said.

The Verge

10. Report: DeSantis received golf simulator and flights from donors

Wealthy donors lent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a golf simulator worth tens of thousands of dollars that was installed at the Governor's Mansion, and provided him with private flights to fundraisers and other political events, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing records it obtained. The golf simulator was provided by home-builder Mori Hosseini, chair of the University of Florida's Board of Trustees. DeSantis is an avid golfer who has touted his "blue-collar" roots as he launches a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said the simulator was "accepted and coordinated by staff and approved by legal counsel," like donations to the governor's residence "received over many administrations."

The Washington Post