10 things you need to know today: April 23, 2023

(Image credit: Natalie Behring/Getty Images)

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1. U.S. embassy staff evacuated from Sudan as fighting continues
2. Biden to enact new rules for carbon capture in power plants, sources say
3. Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy
4. DeSantis to seek federal aid following Fort Lauderdale flooding
5. Bud Light executive takes leave of absence following conservative backlash
6. Indian police arrest Sikh separatist leader following manhunt
7. NAACP sues Mississippi governor over law enforcement control in Jackson
8. Ken Potts, one of the last 2 survivors from USS Arizona, dies at 102
9. Meghan Markle pushes back against U.K. media for coronation controversy
10. Soccer club owned by Ryan Reynolds promoted to professional league

published 23 April 2023

1. U.S. embassy staff evacuated from Sudan as fighting continues

American staff at the U.S. embassy in Sudan's capital Khartoum have been evacuated as heavy warfare continues throughout the country, President Biden said Saturday. In a statement, Biden said that the embassy staff had been extracted from Khartoum by the U.S. military on his orders, adding that he was "proud of the extraordinary commitment of our embassy staff, who performed their duties with courage and professionalism and embodied America's friendship and connection with the people of Sudan." Military forces in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia assisted with the extraction. The move comes as Sudan continues to see widespread fighting between warring factions of its military, and Biden called for a swift end to the violence.

President Biden's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is slated to announce measures requiring gas-fired power plants to capture carbon from their smokestacks, sources within the administration said Saturday. If implemented, the EPA's new regulations would be the first time that the federal government has placed restrictions on carbon dioxide levels being emitted from power plants. Currently, less than 20 of the United States' 3,400 coal and gas-burning plants use carbon capture technology, but the Biden administration is reportedly hoping that these new guidelines will be able to decarbonize the energy sector within the next 12 years. These new regulations will replace previous energy plans from both former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.

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Bed Bath & Beyond, America's retail giant of the 1990s and 2000s, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday after a series of last-ditch efforts to keep the company above water failed. The company said that it would liquidate all its assets before going out of business. "We deeply appreciate our associates, customers, partners, and the communities we serve, and we remain steadfastly determined to serve them throughout this process," Sue Gove, president & CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond said in a press release. The company's bankruptcy comes as the retailer has teetered on the edge of financial fallout for years, and it was reported this past January that they were seriously considering filing for bankruptcy.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Saturday that he would ask the Biden administration to send federal aid to Broward County after torrential flooding earlier this month. If approved by the White House, the disaster declaration would allow county residents to access a wide range of government assistance programs and loans. DeSantis' announcement comes more than a week after two feet of rain fell in some parts of the Broward County and Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area, severely damaging around 1,000 homes and leaving some areas drenched in more than three feet of water. While DeSantis and Biden are often at odds with each other, the pair have consistently worked together following natural disasters.

A senior marketing executive at Bud Light is taking a leave of absence after backlash following the brand's partnership with a transgender influencer, it was reported Saturday. Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light's vice president of marketing, is being replaced by Todd Allen, who was most recently Budweiser's global vice president. While not directly confirmed by Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, the organization said it would move to streamline its marketing efforts. Heinerscheid's exit comes after Bud Light's partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social media influencer, garnered backlash and calls for boycotts from conservatives and far-right figures. While Anheuser-Busch's U.S. stock has fallen 1.8 percent since Mulvaney's ad campaign, it is still up 9.1 percent for the year.

Indian police announced Sunday that they had arrested Amritpal Singh, a leader of the Sikh separatist movement, after Singh went on the run for more than a month. Singh had previously evaded arrest in Punjab on March 18 after being accused of attempted murder and attacking police officials. Singh and his followers first became prominent this past February, when hundreds of his supporters attacked a police station in Ajnala armed with batons, swords, and guns. Singh's movement is an offshoot of a Sikh separatism push that first began in the 1980s, India cracked down on efforts to create a Sikh state in Punjab. More than 3,000 people were killed before the insurgency cooled off in the 1990s.

The NAACP sued Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) after he signed legislation granted additional powers to law enforcement in the state capital of Jackson, it was reported Saturday. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, accuses Reeves and other state officials of signaling out the predominantly Black city of Jackson with unfair policing practices. Reeves' bill creates a temporary court system that is controlled not by Jackson officials, but by state-appointed judges working in tandem with the state-backed Capitol Police. The NAACP also claimed that the bill strips Jackson residents of their voting rights by sidestepping the normal process of publicly elected judges.

Ken Potts, one of two remaining survivors from the USS Arizona battleship which sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor, has died at the age of 102. Potts passed away this past Friday at his home in Provo, Utah, according to Randy Stratton, whose late father Donald Stratton was a shipmate of Potts and a close friend. Stratton said that Potts "had all his marbles" but had lately been having difficulties getting out of bed. Potts was working as a crane operator on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, resulting in the infamous sinking of the USS Arizona that killed more than 1,100 sailors. The last remaining survivor, 101-year-old Lou Conter, lives in California.

Meghan Markle is pushing back against allegations in British tabloids that a years-old letter played a part in her choosing not to attend the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. A previous report in the Daily Telegraph said that Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, had exchanged letters with then-Prince Charles in 2021 discussing alleged racism with the British Royal Family, and this was thought to be one of the reasons behind Markle bowing out of the upcoming coronation. However, in a statement released via her biographer, Omid Scobie, Markle said she was "going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago...any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous."

Wrexham AFC, the soccer club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, won promotion to the English Football League (EFL) for the first time in 15 years on Saturday. Wrexham, which was purchased by the Hollywood stars in 2021 through a supporter-backed trust, beat Boreham Wood 3-1 to earn a spot in the EFL 15 years to the day since they were relegated. Wrexham's win cemented them as their league champions and created a storybook ending for a team that has been bogged down by losing seasons for over a decade. While they will play next season in the lowest tier of the EFL, Wrexham will look to continue their winning ways and keep moving up the ladder.

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.