Despite filing for bankruptcy a few months ago, Bed, Bath & Beyond will live on — sort of. The retailer’s name, intellectual property and digital assets were purchased by Overstock.com for $21.5 million, according to court documents. The physical stores, however, are still closing.
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1. Sub debris found
The Titanic-bound submersible that went missing on Sunday with five people on board suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” killing everyone inside, US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said Thursday. A remotely operated vehicle found identifiable pieces of the vessel, known as Titan, in a debris field about 1,600 feet away from the bow of the shipwreck, Mauger said. The Titan began its descent Sunday to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, located about 13,000 feet below sea level in the North Atlantic Ocean.
There does not appear to be a connection between the banging noises picked up by sonar buoys earlier this week, Mauger said. He added that devices set up during the search did not record any “significant broadband sound” caused by a catastrophic failure — an indication the submersible may have imploded during its initial descent.
2. Impeachment
The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to send a resolution offered by Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado to committee, effectively pausing a move to bring a motion to the floor that would have forced members to vote on whether to impeach President Joe Biden. The rule was passed along party lines. Boebert’s resolution had divided House Republicans, with many members expressing frustration with the conservative congresswoman’s push to force a long-shot vote on a politically contentious issue. Speaker Kevin McCarthy urged his GOP conference to vote against the resolution during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, arguing that Republicans should let committee investigations play out and warning that jumping to impeachment now could threaten their slim majority, multiple sources in the meeting told CNN.
3. Presidential race
Yet another Republican is joining the 2024 race for the White House. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd on Thursday launched a presidential campaign, joining a crowded field looking to challenge the current front-runner, former President Donald Trump. Hurd has been outspoken in his criticism of Trump following his indictment and arrest on federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and was a rare Republican critic of Trump during his time in Congress from 2015 to 2021. Hurd had been fueling speculation about a potential run by making recent trips to early-voting primary states. He is the 12th candidate to officially seek the 2024 Republican nomination.
4. Ukraine
Ukraine’s counteroffensive is having less success in its early phases while Russia’s forces are showing more competence than Western assessments expected, two Western officials and a senior US military official told CNN. In blunt terms, one official said the counteroffensive is “not meeting expectations on any front.” According to the assessments, Russian lines of defense have been proving well-fortified, making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to breach them. In addition, Russia has had success bogging down Ukrainian armor with missile attacks and mines, and has been deploying air power more effectively. The officials cautioned that the counteroffensive is still in its early stages — and that the US and its allies “remain optimistic” Ukrainian forces will be able to make territorial gains over time. The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, claimed today to have had “success in two areas of the southern front” while also holding back a Russian advance in the east.
5. 3M
3M said Thursday it’s reached an agreement to settle lawsuits that claimed toxic “forever chemicals” had contaminated water supplies in the US. The company — which makes Post-It notes, Scotch Tape, N95 masks and many other industrial products — said it would pay up to $10.3 billion over 13 years to fund public water suppliers in the US that have detected these chemicals in drinking water. Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” have been found in hundreds of household items, including makeup and carpeting, and are used to make coatings that repel water, grease and oil. 3M’s proposed settlement comes just weeks after three other companies, Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva, announced they would pay more than $1 billion to settle similar lawsuits.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Taylor Swift is an unlikely public transit icon
Public transit systems across the US are getting a much-needed, if temporary, boost from Taylor Swift fans flooding trains, buses and subways to her sold-out Eras Tour.
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg say they’re ready for a cage fight
Welcome to the latest episode of “Billionaires Behaving Badly.”
Furby, the ’90s toy phenomenon, has been revived — again
The bug-eyed, gibberish-talking bane of many a parent’s existence is back from the dead.
Stir-fried stones are China’s latest street food fad
And “stones” is not a euphemism here … we’re talking about actual flavored rocks.
Bud Light rolls out a new ad campaign
The struggling beer brand is trying to revive slumping sales with a new marketing campaign aimed at — appropriately — overcoming adversity.
QUIZ TIME
President Joe Biden welcomed which world leader to the White House for a state dinner this week?
A. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
B. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
C. Colombian President Gustavo Petro
D. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Take CNN’s weekly news quiz see if you’re correct!
TODAY’S NUMBER
80%
That’s the estimated share of women’s jobs that could be disrupted by artificial intelligence, according to a new study.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“Our existing democratic institutions are creaky, and we’re going to have to reform them.”
— Former President Barack Obama, in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour, on what the future holds for democratic institutions in the US and around the world.
TODAY’S WEATHER
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AND FINALLY …
Dogs riding in cars … in Paris
Watch as these chauffeur-driven canines take in the sights — and scents — of the City of Light. (Click here to view)