Month: June 2023

Prigozhin Has Already Started Work on Brand New ‘Threat’

Daily Beast

Prigozhin Has Already Started Work on Brand New ‘Threat’

Shannon Vavra – June 26, 2023

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Field camps were under construction in Belarus on Monday for Wagner mercenaries fighting under Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was just exiled to the country following his attempted mutiny in Russia, according to independent Russian news outlet Verstka.

“We are working, we are already working today. Tomorrow, before lunch, the task is to [build],” one source told Vertska.

One relative of a Wagner fighter told the outlet they were told they would be sent to Belarus. The camps under design are reportedly preparing for 8,000 beds, will stretch 24,000 square meters (258,334 square feet), and will be about 120 miles from Belarus’ border with Ukraine.

In a recorded address to the nation late on Monday night in Russia, President Vladimir Putin confirmed that any Wagner fighters who did not “shed blood” could sign a contract to join the Russian military or go to Belarus.

Prigozhin Just Got Double-Crossed by Duplicitous Putin

Prigozhin ordered his troops to march on Moscow over the weekend, threatening to remove Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the way Shoigu has handled the war in Ukraine. And although Prigozhin called off the rebellion after negotiating with Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to broker a deal that dropped criminal charges against Prigozhin and left him exiled to Belarus, the fate of Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary group remains uncertain.

The Daily Beast has not been able to verify the reports of the construction in Belarus. But the report of new field camps comes days after the Kremlin hinted that Wagner could be dissolved moving forward, and could provide some clues as to the future of Prigozhin’s mercenary fighters.

Prigozhin had announced he had called his troops back to the field camps in Ukraine, where they have been working to stage attacks against Ukrainians. It was not immediately clear if all of the troops headed for Ukraine, however.

And with possible field camps in Belarus, Prigozhin may be able to continue operating Wagner after all, just days after they staged the largest challenge to Putin’s decades-long hold on power in Russia.

Belarus has been providing Russia a staging ground for their war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion last year. Lukashenko, whose leadership of Belarus has devolved into serving as a puppet of Putin in recent years, has vowed to continue to allow Russia to use Belarusian territory.

Just how much of a threat Wagner and Prigozhin, a former close ally of Putin, will be able to pose to Putin’s grip on power remains to be seen. It’s not clear if potential Wagner camps in Belarus would be a threat to Russia.

Given the nature of Lukashenko’s relationship with Putin, it’s unlikely that Lukashenko will sanction Prigozhin-led activities in Belarus without Putin knowing about them, and approving of them, Kenneth Yalowitz, a former U.S. ambassador to Belarus, told The Daily Beast.

“Putin might have dictated the terms to Lukashanko. I kind of doubt that Lukashenko could have committed Putin to all these things… without Putin’s assent,” Yalowitz said.

Why Did Putin Let Prigozhin Walk Away?

Questions had already begun to bubble up over whether Prigozhin will be able to stage attacks from Belarus; Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland is boosting defensive preparations on its borders with Belarus and “anticipating attacks.” It’s also unclear if Prigozhin will be able to stage attacks against Ukraine as well.

But with 25,000 Wagner troops, much of Prigozhin’s future still hangs in the balance.

Prigozhin at this point is a “wild card,” Yalowitz said, and could potentially pose a problem for Lukashenko too.

“If they’ve evacuated into Belarus, what’s their purpose? I mean, you know, they could be a threat to Lukashenko as well,” he said. “For Lukashenko, you would have, in effect, almost like Russian troops occupying Belarus, and that will not go down very well with his public.”

Some Wagner troops might be headed to work for the Russian Ministry of Defense. As part of the agreement that has exiled Prigozhin, Wagner troops that didn’t back the rebellion are to be offered contracts with the conventional Russian military.

It’s a stipulation that echoes earlier efforts by Russia’s Ministry of Defense to force Wagner fighters into the conventional military—efforts that Prigozhin himself had rebuffed and could have contributed to his motivation to stage the mutiny.

In the meantime, there are indications that Putin is still working to dampen Prigozhin and Wagner’s power. Russia is cracking down on private military companies (PMCs) like Wagner, according to Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee. Kartapolov said Monday he is working on drafting a bill that will regulate PMCs more.

But he predicted nothing would change before the autumn, according to state-owned media outlet TASS.

Authorities shut down Prigozhin’s social media page on Vkontakte, and several recruiting sites were shuttered as well, according to TASS.

African Officials Panic Following Prigozhin’s Mutiny

For now, Wagner is recruiting in Novosibirsk, according to TASS. And a Wagner staff member confirmed the group is working to operate normally, according to Fontanka SPB Online.

“Everything remains unchanged for us,” the staffer said. “We are working as usual.”

Recruits are being offered 240,000 rubles, or around $2,800, plus a bonus if they make it to Ukraine, according to Fontanka SPB Online.

Meanwhile, although Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had dropped charges against Prigozhin for starting the mutiny, a criminal probe is ongoing, TASS reported. The FSB continues to investigate Prigozhin, according to Kommersant and other Russian outlets.

Signs emerged Monday that Prigozhin may be working to spin his mutiny as an act of defense, rather than a rebellion. In an audio recording, he claimed he staged the rebellion following an attack on his troops, to prevent Wagner from getting shut down.

“We started our march because of an injustice,” he said, according to an AP translation.

The goal was “not toppling the Russian authorities,” he said, according to the War Translated project.

And although the Kremlin said Prigozhin’s personal security is a “guarantee” of Putin’s, Prigozhin is not necessarily safe from Putin’s hitmen moving forward.

“There are just questions everywhere. Is Prigozhin a man who is going to be hunted down in Belarus?” Yalowitz said. “With 10,000 troops at his disposal, he’s not going to be a very easy target to take down.”

It’s unlikely Prigozhin will go belly-up for Lukashenko at this stage, Yalowitz predicted.

“Would he be loyal to Lukashanko? No. He’s not going to be loyal. He’ll be loyal to himself,” he said.

Prigozhin’s whereabouts were uncertain as of Monday. He was seen leaving Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia on Saturday after announcing he was calling off the rebellion. Unconfirmed reports circulated Monday suggesting he had been spotted in Minsk, the Belarussian capital.

Lukashenko’s press service said Monday it did not know if Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus.

The Benefits of Regularly Eating Cherries

Very Well – Health

The Benefits of Regularly Eating Cherries

Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD – June 26, 2023

<p>Yulia Naumenko / Getty Images</p>
Yulia Naumenko / Getty Images

Medically reviewed by Roxana Ehsani, MS

Cherries are a beloved stone fruit of many plants in the Prunus genus. They are considered drupes, fruit with juicy outer flesh and a single pit inside, like peaches or olives. Cherries are delicious and contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

This article examines the many types of cherries, their nutritional profile, and the benefits of regularly incorporating cherries into your diet.

How Many Types of Cherries Are There?

There are over 20 types of cherries, but you have likely only seen a few varieties at your grocery store or local farmers market.

The two major categories of cherries are sweet and sour, each with many different varieties. In the United States, sour cherries predominantly grow in the Midwest and East Coast, whereas sweet cherries are plentiful on the West Coast. Varieties include:

  • Sweet cherries include dark red or black varieties, such as Bing, Lambert, Chelan, Sweetheart, and Tulare. These are slightly heart-shaped and juicy. They work well in salads and tarts. Rainier and Royal Ann are other popular sweet cherry varieties, which are pink and yellow and often served as part of a charcuterie board or cheese plate.
  • Sour cherries include varieties such as Montmorency and morello. These are bright red with a tart flavor, making them great for pies, cobblers, and other sweet desserts.

Cherries are a nutritious snack all on their own. There’s not one variety that’s significantly healthier than another, so try them all and decide which you like the best. All you have to do is wash them and be sure to remove them or eat around the pit inside.

Benefits: What Makes Cherries Healthy

Cherries are often regarded as superfoods, which suggests their powerful health benefits. What makes cherries so healthy is that they’re packed with nutrients.



Superfoods

“Superfoods” is a marketing term highlighting foods that prevent disease and support overall health. There is no standard, science-backed criterion to deem foods “super,” although most foods marketed as such contain antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.

Exercise Recovery

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in cherries may help you recover from intense exercise and resume exercising quicker. Tart cherries and tart cherry juice have been extensively studied for this.

Some research indicates that cherries can benefit your muscles by:

  • Reducing soreness
  • Promoting recovery
  • Reducing exercise-associated pain associated with exercise

One study among endurance runners found that those who consumed 480 milligrams (mg) of powdered tart cherries daily for 10 days before running a half marathon ran the race 13% faster than the placebo group who did not consume tart cherries. Additionally, the cherry group reportedly experienced less muscle soreness after the race, allowing them to recover more quickly than the placebo group.

Heart Health

Cherries contain many heart-healthy compounds. For example, they are a good source of fiber, an essential nutrient for maintaining normal cholesterol levels and other blood markers. They also contain potassium, a mineral that helps balance sodium and promotes healthy blood pressure.

Research shows that cherry juice can help reduce blood pressure in adults within two hours of consumption and can help lower high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (considered bad cholesterol), a risk factor for heart disease.

Joint Health

Many people experience joint pain from the buildup of uric acid crystals, which can lead to inflammation. Cherries have been studied for their unique ability to normalize uric acid levels. This is why many people with joint pain and related conditions like gout (inflammatory arthritis) may benefit from adding cherries to their diet.

One review of 29 studies on cherry intake and gout found that cherries were beneficial for reducing related joint pain within a matter of days. Another study found that cherry extract and fresh cherry consumption were associated with a 35% reduction in gout attacks as soon as two days after consumption.

Sleep

Cherries contain melatonin, a natural compound that regulates your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). As the day ends, your brain releases melatonin to help prepare you for sleep. Melatonin levels decrease as morning nears to help you wake up for the day.

As we get older, melatonin levels naturally begin to decline. One study using tart cherry juice found that it increased participants’ melatonin levels, improving their sleep quality and duration of sleep.

Most studies on cherries and sleep use tart cherry juice or cherry extract. Fresh cherries may not have the same effect.

Nutrition Profile of a Single Serving of Cherries

Eating cherries one by one from a bag is easy, but you may wonder about their nutritional benefits. The standard serving size of fresh fruit is one-half cup.



Nutrition Profile of Cherries

A one-half-cup serving of fresh sweet raw pitted cherries offers the following:

  • Calories: 50
  • Protein: 1 gram (g)
  • Total fat: 0 g
  • Fiber: 1.5 g
  • Total sugars: 10 g
  • Calcium: 10 mg
  • Vitamin C: 5 mg
  • Potassium: 170 mg
  • Magnesium: 8 mg

Like other fruits, cherries are fat-free, offer limited protein, and contain carbohydrates from natural sugars and fiber. They also have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Furthermore, cherries contain polyphenols and antioxidants, which are plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and protective properties for cellular health.

When Are Cherries Not as Healthy?

Cherries are a nutrient-rich fruit that fit into almost any diet pattern. Of course, people with a cherry allergy should not eat them, but are there other potential downsides to cherries?

When considering the health contributions of cherries, remember that you get the most benefits from fresh, raw cherries than those that have undergone heavy processing.

Products like canned and maraschino cherries contain significant added sugar, which can spike your blood sugar. And they don’t offer the benefits of fiber and other plant compounds found in raw cherries. Consuming fresh cherries vs. sugary cherry products is also better for people with diabetes.

A high added sugar intake increases the risk of numerous chronic diseases. Dried cherries may not have added sugar but do contain a more concentrated amount of natural sugars per serving than fresh cherries.

Eating many cherries in one sitting could lead to digestive symptoms if you’re not used to eating whole plant foods, fiber-filled fruits, and natural sugar. If you’re concerned about potential side effects, stick to a serving size of fresh or frozen cherries, which is one-half cup at a time.

Summary

If you’re a fan of cherries, you’re not alone. These juicy little fruits are very popular, especially in the summertime. Cherries are also a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other plant compounds responsible for various health benefits. Including cherries in your diet may benefit your heart, joint health, sleep, and exercise recovery.

Putin’s Beast That Would Now Devour Him

The New York Times

Putin’s Beast That Would Now Devour Him

Roger Cohen – June 25, 2023

FILE – Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, on April 8, 2023. On Friday, June 23, Prigozhin made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for his arrest. (AP Photo/File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)More

MOSCOW — Over the course of a month I spent in the Russian capital, the red-and-black billboards of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary group multiplied. “Join the team of victors!” they said, beneath an image of menacing mercenaries in balaclavas and masks, only their eyes visible.

A possible implication was that the Russian forces on the other mushrooming Moscow billboards — regular soldiers recruited by the Ministry of Defense pictured above slogans like “Real Work!” or “Be a hero!” — were the losers of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reckless gamble in Ukraine.

As heedless Muscovites headed for their offices and gyms, their Italian or Japanese restaurants, their bars and nightclubs, this military recruitment drive on two fronts offered the sole image in the capital of the Russian scramble to contain the fallout, and hide the full impact, of the invasion that began 16 months ago. Easier to order a latte than dwell on lost lives in Mariupol, Ukraine.

Now, with his blunt depiction of that invasion as a “racket” that “wasn’t needed to demilitarize or denazify Ukraine,” and his apparently short-lived armed uprising, Prigozhin has played on one of Putin’s worst fears: division and rebellion, with tanks on the streets, as in the mayhem of the 1990s from which Putin, a former KGB officer, abruptly emerged as the inscrutable president and Mr. Stability.

Since then, over 23 years, Putin has steadily consolidated his power, using his wars that began in Chechnya to cement nationalist sentiment, terrorizing the opposition to the point that dissent has become a crime, and shaping a wildly unequal economy around a coterie of hand-picked oligarchs. He has reverted Russia to type as an autocratic police state under an all-powerful latter-day czar after its brief but heady post-Communist flirtation with a freer society.

“The system Putin built is very stable,” a Western ambassador in Moscow told me this month. “But if I woke up one morning and saw tanks on the street, I would not be totally astonished.”

This surprising disclosure, uttered under customary diplomatic anonymity, is indicative of the close-knit secrecy of Putin’s inner circle that has made Kremlinology during the war in Ukraine as arduous as at the height of the Cold War. There are very few tea leaves to read. Russia, smothered in propaganda and fear, is opaque.

At the same time, even as the government has gone to great lengths, and expense, to maintain an illusion of business as usual, the placid surface Russia has until now presented during the war masks unease.

In muttered expressions across the country of bewilderment and anger, and not least in Prigozhin’s foul-mouthed diatribes against what he sees as the craven incompetence and half-measures of Russia’s generals, lay the seeds of those tanks in the ambassador’s prescient imaginings.

Russia tends not to evolve; it lurches, as in 1917 or 1991, and it circles about. Putin has perpetuated old habits in deploying double-think. He prefers to “forget whatever it was necessary to forget,” and then restore “memory again at the moment when it was needed,” as George Orwell put it.

Hence Putin’s invocation of 1917 in his brief speech Saturday, a time when internal fracture led to the nascent Soviet republic losing significant population and vast swaths of agricultural land in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk the next year. Therefore, Putin vowed, he would resist the current “deadly threat” of “mutiny” through “brutal” actions.

Suddenly the glorious Soviet victory over Nazis and Fascists of “The Great Patriotic War” of 1941 to 1945, which has been the drumbeat of the quixotic Ukrainian assault, was set aside by Putin in favor of a crushing historical defeat.

He wields the past to his ends, even as he has very little to say about the future.

Nobody, for example, knows what Putin would define as victory in his “special military operation” in Ukraine. Other mysteries abound. The question, for many months now, has been how Prigozhin, a former convict who started in hot dogs in St. Petersburg and went on to provide catering for the Kremlin, has survived.

If the family of a Russian child drawing a picture of a Ukrainian flag risks prison in Putin’s Russia, how could this loudmouth in battle fatigues get away with suggesting that Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, has enabled genocide, among a torrent of other accusations and insults?

I heard many answers across Russia. But perhaps the most fundamental lay in the recently dug grave of Boris Batsev, aged 42, a railroad worker who was killed six months ago near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, leaving a wife and two children.

Brightly colored plastic roses and carnations were piled high around his gravestone, beneath the red-and-gold Wagner flag, in Siberia, near the town of Talofka, thousands of miles from the Ukrainian front.

“Blood, honor, motherland, bravery,” a Wagner inscription said. A mild breeze blew across the Troetskoe cemetery as agents of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, looked on from a vehicle that had abruptly appeared nearby.

With Russian forces often bereft of essential equipment and sometimes operating as a human wave, Putin has needed flesh for the meat grinder. Prigozhin, recruiting in Russian prisons with offers of amnesty and big payouts, could provide that, from as far away as Siberia. He has been too effective and useful to toss aside.

In the long battle for the charred ruins of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut alone, Prigozhin has said Wagner lost 20,000 troops.

The use of Prigozhin, others suggested, was the apotheosis of Putin’s modus operandi of dividing his subordinates, shifting influence in recent years from Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, to Shoigu as the militarization of Russian society proceeded, only to undermine the defense minister through Prigozhin.

“Putin likes competition, he has liked putting pressure on Shoigu, and enjoyed the theater,” Dmitri Muratov, the Nobel Prize-winning editor of the shuttered independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told me in an interview. “Meanwhile, the elite around Putin don’t give a damn for their country, they’re just afraid for their lives.”

Prigozhin has been useful in other ways for Putin. Through Wagner, he has helped project a ruthless and lawless form of Russian power across several African countries, including Mali and the Central African Republic. He was also a way, in the midst of an utterly misjudged war, for the Russian leader to play the moderate, to suggest that if it was not for him, things could be even worse and become as unstable as Prigozhin’s temper.

Finally, Prigozhin became an increasingly popular mouthpiece for the widespread resentment of moneyed Russian elites, oblivious to the cost and suffering of the war in Ukraine. This was cathartic, given accumulated Russian frustrations, and perhaps useful to Putin in that sense.

But the paramilitary leader also developed, through adept use of social media and compelling rhetoric over the past nine months, into a true national figure, with a notoriety that has made him the object of much debate and speculation about a possible political future.

Putin has now awakened to this danger, even as Prigozhin may have overplayed his hand.

The Russian president has spoken of an “armed rebellion,” and a former commander of Russian troops in Ukraine has spoken of a “military coup,” but Prigozhin’s description of his actions as a “march for justice” will have resonated with some, perhaps many, Russians.

These sentiments will not disappear overnight, even if, according to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, Prigozhin has now ceased moving military convoys toward Moscow and agreed to go to Belarus in exchange for charges being dropped against him and his fighters.

To what degree the whole back-and-forth was orchestrated theater, and to what degree a genuine confrontation, seems unlikely to be clarified soon, if ever.

What is clear is that Putin has deep reserves of support. “The West told Russia that all it has the right to do is yield,” Petr Tolstoy, the deputy chair of the Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, said in an interview. “Putin said ‘Enough!’ and that ensures him of popular backing.”

The president’s control of the country’s military, security and intelligence apparatus is such that the biggest direct challenge to his rule in more than two decades appears to have been repulsed in short order, even if Putin has suffered the acute embarrassment of allowing a man he called a traitor to get off scot free the day he made that accusation.

It had been a long time since Putin blinked in this way.

There will be reverberations. Very little since the Ukraine invasion on Feb. 24 of last year has gone according to plan for Putin. Hiding a war that has taken 100,000 Russian lives, according to U.S. diplomats in Moscow, has a cost. The exercise of not leveling with the Russian people contributed to Prigozhin’s fury, as was made clear in his repeated statements that the defense establishment was lying.

Prigozhin has styled himself as the man who delivers the hard truth. In the Belgorod region on Russia’s border with Ukraine, which I visited earlier this month, he was infuriated that Putin and his state media would prefer to forget the devastation through cross-border Ukrainian shelling of Shebekino, a Russian town of 40,000 people.

In the city of Belgorod, in a vast improvised dormitory for the displaced at an indoor cycle track, I met Aleksandr Petrianko, 62, half-paralyzed by a stroke.

“Could Mr. Prigozhin have saved Shebekino?” I asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said in a trembling voice. “I hope he is not killed before his time.”

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Kremlin reportedly threatened Wagner families as soldiers marched to Moscow

Yahoo! News

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Kremlin reportedly threatened Wagner families as soldiers marched to Moscow


Niamh Cavanagh, Reporter – June 26, 2023

The leader of the Kremlin’s shadowy private army, the Wagner Group, rebelled against top military officials over the weekend after a Russian rocket attack killed dozens of his soldiers.

In a dramatic show of force against his own government, Yevgeny Prigozhin led his soldiers toward Moscow on a “march for justice” to remove what he labeled as Russia’s incompetent and corrupt senior military leadership.

Servicemen in a tank with a flag of the Wagner Group military company in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
Servicemen in a tank with a flag of the Wagner mercenary group in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Prigozhin’s “armed mutiny,” accusing him of “treason.” Hours later Prigozhin, just 125 miles from the capital, announced he was going to turn around. “Russian blood will be spilled on one side, we are turning our convoy around and going back to our base camps, according to the plan,” he declared in an apparent deal to end the insurrection.

Here are the latest developments.

Russian intelligence threatened Wagner families, say U.K. security forces
A view of the Kremlin from behind a gate.
Security measures were taken in Moscow amid escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the Wagner Group on June 24. (Boris Alekseev/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

British security forces told the Telegraph on Monday that Russian intelligence services had threatened harm to the families of Wagner leaders who were participating in the mutiny. This new information could be a potential explanation as to why Prigozhin called off the march to Moscow.

Insights from British intelligence also claim that Putin is now looking to absorb Wagner soldiers into the country’s military and dismiss all top Wagner commanders. The report cited a British intelligence assessment that about 8,500 Wagner fighters were involved in the mutiny, contradicting public reports that the number was closer to 25,000.

Sergei Shoigu makes 1st public appearance since Wagner mutiny
A photo released on Monday shows Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at an advanced control post of Russian troops involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at an advanced control post of Russian troops involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, was seen for the first time since the weekend insurrection. The appearance is notable, as a key plank of Prigozhin’s uprising was the removal of Shoigu, the Associated Press reported.

The video, published to the Telegram social media platform, shows the military chief inspecting soldiers in Ukraine — clearly meant to suggest that Russia had moved past the Wagner conflict.

Following Shoigu’s public appearance, Prigozhin released a statement where he defended his 24-hour-long uprising. In the 11-minute long audio clip, the Wagner chief claimed the march was due to an “injustice” that was carried out – referring to Friday’s attack on a Wagner camp killing an estimated 30 soldiers.

Prigozhin to move to Belarus under deal to end mutiny
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
A screengrab from a video of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin speaking in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24. (Wagner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

According to Reuters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Prigozhin is to move to Belarus after its president, Alexander Lukashenko, brokered a deal between Putin and the mercenary chief. Lukashenko had offered to mediate the deal, with Putin’s approval, as he has known Prigozhin personally for two decades.

Peskov added that Prigozhin would receive amnesty despite orchestrating the armed mutiny and that the soldiers who had taken part would also not face any criminal action.

Russia’s political situation past ‘tipping point,’ says Chinese commentator in deleted tweet
Hu Xijin, former editor in chief of Global Times.
Hu Xijin, former editor in chief of Global Times, commented on the Russian mutiny in a now-deleted tweet. (Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg)

A well-known Chinese journalist stated that Russia would not be able to return to what it was before the armed mutiny, the Telegraph reported.

Hu Xijin, the former editor in chief of the Chinese-government-affiliated Global Times, had been commentating on Prigozhin’s insurrection and Russia’s political situation. In the now-deleted tweet, Hu wrote: “[Prigozhin’s] armed rebellion has made the Russian political situation cross the tipping point. Regardless of his outcome, Russia cannot return to the country it was before the rebellion anymore.”

Hu’s comments were a stark contrast to the Chinese government’s neutral stance on Russian politics. In what appeared to be a backtrack, Hu later posted: “Prigozhin quickly stopped and the rebellion was stopped without bloodshed, which obviously narrowed the impact on Putin’s authority, although not to zero.”

HELOCs are back. Cash-strapped borrowers are tapping into a $33 trillion pile of home equity.

MarketWatch – In One Chart

HELOCs are back. Cash-strapped borrowers are tapping into a $33 trillion pile of home equity.

Joy Wiltermuth – June 26, 2023

Banks hold most HELOCs
Borrowers are increasingly tapping into a pile of home equity for liquidity. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES

Goodbye pandemic refi cash-outs. Hello HELOCs?

Home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs) and second-lien mortgages have been staging a notable comeback as U.S. homeowners look for liquidity and ways to monetize the pandemic surge in home prices, according to BofA Global.

It used to be that borrowers sitting on an estimated $33 trillion pile of equity built up in their homes could simply refinance and pull out cash, until the Federal Reserve’s rapid rate hikes began squelching the option.

Now, with mortgage rates above 6%, and the Fed penciling in two more rate hikes in 2023, cash-strapped homeowners have been seeking out alternatives to extract cash from their properties.

While cash-out refinances tumbled 83% in the fourth quarter of 2022 from a year before, HELOCs rose 7% and home-equity loans grew 31%, according to the latest TransUnion data.

“Borrower demand remains high, particularly given household budgets have been pressured by rising food and energy costs,” a BofA Global credit strategy team led by Pratik Gupta’s, wrote in a weekly client note.

Risky loans to subprime borrowers and home equity products helped precipitate the 2007-2008 global financial crisis and the era’s wave of devastating home foreclosures.

At the time, households had more than $1.2 trillion of home equity revolving and available credit (see chart), whereas the figure was closer to $900 billion in the first quarter of this year.

Home equity products are making a big comeback as households seek liquidity BOFA GLOBAL, NEW YORK FED CONSUMER CREDIT PANEL/EQUIFAX

The pandemic saw home prices surge, giving a big boost to home equity levels. The Urban Institute pegged home equity in the U.S. at $33 trillion as of May, up from a post-2008 peak of about $15 trillion.

BofA analysts argued this time home equity products look different, with roughly $17 trillion of tappable equity across 117 million U.S. homeowners, and most borrowers having high credit scores and low rates.

“The vast majority of that — $14 trillion — is from the cohort of homeowners who own their homes free & clear,” Gupta’s team wrote.

Another $1.6 trillion of equity could be available from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae borrowers, according to his team, which pegged an estimated 94% of all outstanding U.S. first-lien home mortgages now below 4% rates.

Major banks own the bulk of home equity balances (see chart), led by Bank of America Corp. BAC, +1.23%, PNC Bank PNC, +0.57%, Wells Fargo, WFC, -0.05%, JPMorgan Chase JPM, +0.24% and Citizens CFG, +0.35%, according to the team, which notes several other major banks appear to have hit pause on their programs.

A smaller portion of HELOCs and second-lien mortgages have been securitized, or packaged up and sold as bond deals, while nonbank lenders have been offering the products as well.

Related: The economy was supposed to cave in by now. It hasn’t — and GDP is set to rise again.

Russian mercenary group revolt against Moscow fizzles but exposes vulnerabilities

Associated Press

Russian mercenary group revolt against Moscow fizzles but exposes vulnerabilities

The Associated Press – June 24, 2023

The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat.

The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia’s capital.

Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped.

The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Prigozhin ordered his troops back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers.

Putin had vowed earlier to punish those behind the armed uprising led by his onetime protege. In a televised speech to the nation, he called the rebellion a “betrayal” and “treason.”

In allowing Prigozhin and his forces to go free, Peskov said, Putin’s “highest goal” was “to avoid bloodshed and internal confrontation with unpredictable results.”

Some observers said Putin’s strongman image has taken a hit.

“Putin has been diminished for all time by this affair,” former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said on CNN.

Moscow had braced for the arrival of the Wagner forces by erecting checkpoints with armored vehicles and troops on the city’s southern edge. About 3,000 Chechen soldiers were pulled from fighting in Ukraine and rushed there early Saturday, state television in Chechnya reported. Russian troops armed with machine guns put up checkpoints on Moscow’s southern outskirts. Crews dug up sections of highways to slow the march.

Wagner troops advanced to just 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Moscow, according to Prigozhin. But after the deal was struck, Prigozhin announced that he had decided to retreat to avoid “shedding Russian blood.”

Prigozhin had demanded the ouster of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whom Prigohzhin has long criticized in withering terms for his conduct of the 16-month-long war in Ukraine. On Friday, he accused forces under Shoigu’s command of attacking Wagner camps and killing “a huge number of our comrades.”

If Putin were to agree to Shoigu’s ouster, it could be politically damaging for the president after he branded Prigozhin a backstabbing traitor.

The U.S. had intelligence that Prigozhin had been building up his forces near the border with Russia for some time. That conflicts with Prigozhin’s claim that his rebellion was a response to an attack on his camps in Ukraine on Friday by the Russian military.

In announcing the rebellion, Prigozhin accused Russian forces of attacking the Wagner camps in Ukraine with rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery. He alleged that Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff, ordered the attacks following a meeting with Shoigu in which they decided to destroy the military contractor.

The Defense Ministry denied attacking the camps.

Congressional leaders were briefed on the Wagner buildup earlier last week, a person familiar with the matter said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. intelligence briefing was first reported by CNN.

Early Saturday, Prigozhin’s private army appeared to control the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city 660 miles (over 1,000 kilometers) south of Moscow, which runs Russian operations in Ukraine, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said.

Russian media reported that several helicopters and a military communications plane were downed by Wagner troops. Russia’s Defense Ministry has not commented.

After the agreement de-escalated tensions, video from Rostov-on-Don posted on Russian messaging app channels showed people cheering Wagner troops as they departed. Prigozhin was riding in an SUV followed by a large truck, and people greeted him and some ran to shake his hand. The regional governor later said that all of the troops had left the city.

Wagner troops and equipment also were in Lipetsk province, about 360 kilometers (225 miles) south of Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin declared Monday a non-working day for most residents as part of the heightened security, a measure that remained in effect even after the retreat.

Ukrainians hoped the Russian infighting would create opportunities for their army to take back territory seized by Russian forces.

“These events will have been of great comfort to the Ukrainian government and the military,” said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said that even with a deal, Putin’s position has probably been weakened.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday, shortly before Prigozhin announced his retreat, that the march exposed weakness in the Kremlin and “showed all Russian bandits, mercenaries, oligarchs” that it is easy to capture Russian cities “and, probably, arsenals.”

Wagner troops have played a crucial role in the Ukraine war, capturing the eastern city of Bakhmut, an area where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized the military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of munitions.

The 62-year-old Prigozhin, a former convict, has longstanding ties to Putin and won lucrative Kremlin catering contracts that earned him the nickname “Putin’s chef.”

He and a dozen other Russian nationals were charged in the United States with operating a covert social media campaign aimed at fomenting discord ahead of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory. Wagner has sent military contractors to Libya, Syria, several African countries and eventually Ukraine.

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, and Nomaan Merchant in Washington, contributed.

This is How Much Water People 50 and Older Should Drink Each Day, According to a Urologist

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This is How Much Water People 50 and Older Should Drink Each Day, According to a Urologist

Emily Laurence – June 23, 2023

When do you reach for a glass of water? If it’s only when you’re thirsty, hot, or with a meal, then you likely aren’t drinking enough. It’s important to drink water throughout the day—even if you aren’t thirsty—and your hydration needs may change as you get older.

Here, urinary health specialists explain how much water people 50 and older should actually be drinking every day. Plus, their expert tips on making sure you’re getting enough.

Related: Summer is Here! Learn the 10 Key Signs of Dehydration (and How to Fight It)

How Hydration Needs Change as We Age

Dr. David Shusterman, MD, a urologist and the founder of New York Urology, explains that as we age, there are several reasons why the risk for dehydration can increase. “As we age, our kidneys become less efficient at conserving water, and our body’s ability to regulate fluid and electrolyte balance may also decline,” Dr. Shusterman explains.- ADVERTISEMENT -https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-11-1/html/r-sf-flx.html

He adds that older adults may also have medical conditions or take medications that can increase the risk of dehydration. “For example, diuretics, laxatives and some blood pressure medications can increase urine output and cause dehydration,” he says. Aleece Fosnight, MSPAS, PA-C, CSC-S, CSE, NCMP, IF, a medical advisor at Aeroflow Urology, adds that diabetes medications can also increase the risk of dehydration. “These medications work on the kidneys to release more sugar into the urine and water follows sugar,” she says.

For all these reasons, it’s important to be extra mindful of staying hydrated as you age.

Related: 11 Tasty Low-Calorie Drinks To Keep You Hydrated If Water’s Just Not Your Thing 

How Much Water Should People 50 and Older Drink Every Day?

No matter how old you are, Dr. Shusterman says to aim for drinking between 1.5 and 3.5 liters (or 52 and 118 ounces) of water every day. That’s the equivalent of between 6.5 and 15 glasses of water every day—even if you aren’t thirsty.

Both experts say that there are signs that you’re not drinking enough water to be aware of. The main indicator is the color of your urine. Both experts say that urine should be yellow or clear. If it’s dark yellow or amber, that’s a sign that you need to drink more water. It’s also important to know the physical signs of dehydration. “Symptoms of dehydration can include thirst, dry mouth, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and dark urine,” Dr. Shusterman says. He says that in severe cases, dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion, heatstroke and even death.

Both experts have several tips for making sure you’re staying hydrated. First, be sure to drink water before, during and after physical activity. Dr. Shusterman even recommends having a water bottle with you at all times, even if you aren’t engaging in physical activity. That way, you can stay hydrated all day, including while you’re in the car, at appointments or running errands.

Fosnight’s favorite hydration tip is to download a water app for your phone. “It will let you know when you need to drink water or remind you to drink water,” she says, adding that she typically encourages people to drink four to six ounces of water every hour to stay hydrated throughout the day. Some water apps to consider include Waterllama, Water Time Drink Tracker & Reminder, and WaterMinder. There are also smart water bottles, such as HidrateSpark Pro ($79.99), Icewater ($15.99), and Waterh ($59.99), that light up as a reminder to take a drink.

Besides drinking enough water, Dr. Shusterman says that filling up on hydrating foods can also be beneficial. Fruits and vegetables, in particular, have high water content. He adds that it’s also important to avoid consuming foods or drinks that are dehydrating. The big ones to be aware of are alcohol and caffeine. “Alcohol and caffeine can increase urine [output] and cause dehydration,” Dr. Shusterman says. If you do consume caffeine or alcohol, be sure to drink water alongside it so you stay hydrated.

Related: Eat Your Water! 7 Fruits and Vegetables That Will Keep You Hydrated

Dr. Shusterman says that foods high in sodium can also increase the risk for hydration. “The American Heart Association recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day,” he says. As with water, if you are consuming high-sodium foods, be sure to up your water intake.

The body can’t function properly when it’s not well-hydrated—and you’ll definitely notice a difference in how you feel if you aren’t drinking enough water. Follow these hydration rules and you’ll be giving your body what it needs more than anything: water.

Next up, find out if it’s possible to drink too much water and how to know if you’re overdoing it.

A Neurologist’s Tips to Protect Your Memory

A new book by a renowned brain expert says there are a few simple things we can do to prevent memory decline as we age.

By Hope Reese – Published July 6, 2022 – Updated June 22, 2023

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As we age, our memory declines. This is an ingrained assumption for many of us; however, according to neuroscientist Dr. Richard Restak, a neurologist and clinical professor at George Washington Hospital University School of Medicine and Health, decline is not inevitable.

The author of more than 20 books on the mind, Dr. Restak has decades’ worth of experience in guiding patients with memory problems. “The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind,” Dr. Restak’s latest book, includes tools such as mental exercises, sleep habits and diet that can help boost memory.

Yet Dr. Restak ventures beyond this familiar territory, considering every facet of memory — how memory is connected to creative thinking, technology’s impact on memory, how memory shapes identity. “The point of the book is to overcome the everyday problems of memory,” Dr. Restak said.

Especially working memory, which falls between immediate recall and long-term memory, and is tied to intelligence, concentration and achievement. According to Dr. Restak, this is the most critical type of memory, and exercises to strengthen it should be practiced daily. But bolstering all memory skills, he added, is key to warding off later memory issues.

Memory decline is not inevitable with aging, Dr. Restak argues in the book. Instead, he points to 10 “sins,” or “stumbling blocks that can lead to lost or distorted memories.” Seven were first described by the psychologist and memory specialist Daniel Lawrence Schacter — “sins of omission,” such as absent-mindedness, and “sins of commission,” such as distorted memories. To those Dr. Restak added three of his own: technological distortion, technological distraction and depression.

Ultimately, “we are what we can remember,” he said. Here are some of Dr. Restak’s tips for developing and maintaining a healthy memory.

Some memory lapses are actually attention problems, not memory problems. For instance, if you’ve forgotten the name of someone you met at a cocktail party, it could be because you were talking with several people at the time and you didn’t properly pay attention when you heard it.

“Inattention is the biggest cause for memory difficulties, ” Dr. Restak said. “It means you didn’t properly encode the memory.”

One way to pay attention when you learn new information, like a name, is to visualize the word. Having a picture associated with the word, Restak said, can improve recall. For instance, he recently had to memorize the name of a doctor, Dr. King, (an easy example, he acknowledged). So he pictured a male doctor “in a white coat with a crown on his head and a scepter instead of a stethoscope in his hand.”

There are many memory exercises that you can integrate into everyday life. Dr. Restak suggested composing a grocery list and memorizing it. When you get to the store, don’t automatically pull out your list (or your phone) — instead, pick up everything according to your memory.

“Try to see the items in your mind,” he said, and only consult the list at the end, if necessary. If you’re not going to the store, try memorizing a recipe. He added that frequent cooking is actually a great way to improve working memory.

Once in a while, get in the car without turning on your GPS, and try to navigate through the streets from memory. A small 2020 study suggested that people who used GPS more frequently over time showed a steeper cognitive decline in spatial memory three years later.

Games like bridge and chess are great for memory, but so is a simpler game, said Dr. Restak. For instance, Dr. Restak’s “favorite working memory game” is 20 Questions — in which a group (or a single person) thinks of a person, place or object, and the other person, the questioner, asks 20 questions with a yes-or-no answer. Because to succeed, he said, the questioner must hold all of the previous answers in memory in order to guess the correct answer.

Another of Restak’s tried-and-true memory exercises simply requires a pen and paper or audio recorder. First, recall all of the U.S. presidents, starting with President Biden and going back to, say, Franklin D. Roosevelt, writing or recording them. Then, do the same, from F.D.R. to Biden. Next, name only the Democratic presidents, and only the Republican ones. Last, name them in alphabetical order.

If you prefer, try it with players on your favorite sports team or your favorite authors. The point is to engage your working memory, “maintaining information and moving it around in your mind,” Restak wrote.

One early indicator of memory issues, according to Dr. Restak, is giving up on fiction. “People, when they begin to have memory difficulties, tend to switch to reading nonfiction,” he said.

Over his decades of treating patients, Dr. Restak has noticed that fiction requires active engagement with the text, starting at the beginning and working through to the end. “You have to remember what the character did on Page 3 by the time you get to Page 11,” he said.

Among Dr. Restak’s three new sins of memory, two are associated with technology.

First is what he calls “technological distortion.” Storing everything on your phone means that “you don’t know it,” Dr. Restak said, which can erode our own mental abilities. “Why bother to focus, concentrate and apply effort to visualize something when a cellphone camera can do all the work for you?” he wrote.

The second way our relationship with technology is detrimental for memory is because it often takes our focus away from the task at hand. “In our day, the greatest impediment of memory is distraction,” Dr. Restak wrote. As many of these tools have been designed with the aim of addicting the person using them, and, as a result, we are often distracted by them. People today can check their email while streaming Netflix, talking with a friend or walking down the street. All of this impedes our ability to focus on the present moment, which is critical for encoding memories.

Your mood plays a big role in what you do or do not remember.

Depression, for instance, can greatly decrease memory. Among “people who are referred to neurologists for memory issues, one of the biggest causes is depression,” Dr. Restak said.

Your emotional state affects the kind of memories you recall. The hippocampus (or “memory entry center,” according to Dr. Restak) and the amygdala (the part of the brain that manages emotions and emotional behavior) are linked — so “when you’re in a bad mood, or depressed, you tend to remember sad things,” Dr. Restak said. Treating depression — either chemically or via psychotherapy — also often restores memory.

Throughout his career, Dr. Restak has been asked by dozens of patients how they can improve their memory. But not all memory lapses are problematic. For instance, not remembering where you parked your car in a crowded lot is pretty normal. Forgetting how you arrived at the parking lot in the first place, however, indicates potential memory issues.

There is no simple solution to knowing what should be of concern, Dr. Restak said — much of it is context-dependent. For instance, it’s normal to forget the room number of your hotel, but not the address of your apartment. If you’re concerned, it’s best to consult with a medical expert.

Hope Reese is a journalist who writes for Vox, Shondaland, The Atlantic and other publications.

Audio produced by Adrienne Hurst.

Major Cuts to Social Security Are Back on the Table — What’s Being Proposed Now?

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Major Cuts to Social Security Are Back on the Table — What’s Being Proposed Now?

 
Vance Cariaga – June 22, 2023

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A group of Republican lawmakers aims to balance the federal budget and slash government spending by targeting programs like Social Security — and some seniors could see a major reduction in lifetime benefits if the plan makes it into law.

See: I Lost $400K of My Retirement Savings in a Roth 401(k) — If You’re Not Careful, You Could, Too
Find: 3 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Retirement

The proposal was unveiled June 14 by U.S. House conservatives, Bloomberg reported. One of its main features is to raise the full retirement age (FRA) at which seniors are entitled to the full benefits they are due.

The 176-member House Republican Study Committee (RSC) approved a fiscal blueprint that would gradually increase the FRA to 69 years old for seniors who turn 62 in 2033. The current full retirement age is 66 or 67, depending on your birth year. For all Americans born in 1960 or later, the FRA is 67.

As Bloomberg noted, workers expecting an earlier retirement benefit will see lifetime payouts reduced if the full retirement age is raised. Those payouts could be drastically reduced for seniors who claim benefits at age 62, when you are first eligible.

Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have been working to come up with a fix for Social Security before the program’s Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund runs out of money. That could happen within the next decade or so. When it does, Social Security will be solely reliant on payroll taxes for funding — and those taxes only cover about 77% of current benefits.

While most Democrats want to boost Social Security through higher payroll taxes or reductions to benefits for wealthy Americans, the GOP has largely focused on paring down or privatizing the program.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) recently told Fox News that this month’s debt limit bill was only “the first step” in a broader Republican agenda that includes further cuts.

“This isn’t the end,” McCarthy said. “This doesn’t solve all the problems. We only got to look at 11% of the budget to find these cuts. We have to look at the entire budget. … The majority driver of the budget is mandatory spending. It’s Medicare, Social Security, interest on the debt.”

As Bloomberg noted, Republicans argue that failing to change Social Security could lead to a 23% benefit cut once the trust fund is depleted. Raising the retirement age is a way to soften the immediate impact. The RSC said its proposal would balance the federal budget in seven years by cutting some $16 trillion in spending and $5 trillion in taxes.

“The RSC budget would implement common-sense policies to prevent the impending debt disaster, tame inflation, grow the economy, protect our national security, and defund [President Joe] Biden’s woke priorities,” U.S. Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), chairman of the group’s Budget and Spending Task Force, told Roll Call.

Democrats were quick to push back against the proposal.

“Budget Committee Democrats will make sure every American family knows that House Republicans want to force Americans to work longer for less, raise families’ costs, weaken our nation, and shrink our economy — all while wasting billions of dollars on more favors to special interests and handouts to the ultra-wealthy,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, (D-Pa.), the Budget Committee’s top Democrat, said in a statement.

Social Security: No Matter Your Age, Do Not Claim Benefits Until You Reach This Milestone
Retirement Savings: Here’s How Much Cash Baby Boomers Need To Retire in the Next 5 Years

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement saying the RSC budget “amounts to a devastating attack on Medicare, Social Security, and Americans’ access to health coverage and prescription drugs.”

Although the proposal might make it through the GOP-led House, it’s unlikely to become law – at least while Biden is still president. Even if a bill somehow got approved by the Democrat-controlled Senate, Biden would almost certainly veto it.

Titanic submersible: 5 passengers on missing sub likely dead following ‘catastrophic implosion’

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Titanic submersible: 5 passengers on missing sub likely dead following ‘catastrophic implosion’

Christopher Wilson – June 22, 2023

The Coast Guard announced Thursday that it believed the five passengers who disappeared while attempting to explore the Titanic shipwreck were likely lost due to a “catastrophic implosion” of their vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger announced at a press conference that on Thursday morning, five major pieces of debris had been found on the seafloor about 1,600 feet from the site of the Titanic, a finding “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.” Mauger said they then notified the families and offered their condolences.

Shortly before Mauger’s comments, the company running the expedition, OceanGate, announced that the five passengers “have sadly been lost.”

OceanGate's tourist submersible vessel.
OceanGate’s tourist submersible vessel. (OceanGate/Handout via Getty Images)

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” read the statement. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.”

The grim announcement came four days after a 21-foot tourist submersible named the Titan was reported missing approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, triggering a massive search to find the vessel before its occupants ran out of oxygen.

The Titan had been projected to run out of its 96-hour supply of breathable air on Thursday morning. And because the door was bolted from the outside, those inside would not have been able to open it on their own even if they were able to reach the surface. Asked about the possibility of recovering remains, Mauger called the conditions “unforgiving” and said there weren’t prospects for doing so at this time.

A missing sub and extensive search
The five occupants of the Titan and the Titan.
The five occupants of the Titan: Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Suleman Dawood, and the Titan. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters; Courtesy of Jannicke Mikkelsen via Reuters; Courtesy of Engro Corporation Limited via Reuters; J. Sagat/AFP via Getty Images; Courtesy of Engro Corporation Limited via Reuters; OceanGate/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)More

The Titan, operated by OceanGate, a private exploration company based in Everett, Wash., launched early Sunday morning to tour the Titanic wreckage with five passengers on board: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61; British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman; and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a 77-year-old French explorer.

The Polar Prince, a Canadian research vessel and support ship for the expedition, lost contact with the submersible about an hour and 45 minutes after launch. OceanGate reported the Titan missing on Sunday evening, triggering a massive international search effort led by the U.S. Coast Guard and assisted by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Air National Guard, Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard.

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A Canadian P-3 aircraft equipped with sonar listening equipment detected underwater “banging noises” on Tuesday and Wednesday, raising hopes that the Titan crew might be found alive. But Coast Guard officials cautioned at the time they were not sure what caused the noises even while remaining adamant that the search remain in the rescue phase.

“This is a search and rescue mission, 100%,” Frederick said Wednesday. “We are smack dab in the middle of search and rescue, and we’ll continue to put every available asset that we have in an effort to find the Titan and the crew members.”

Troubling signs
OceanGate's tourist submersible on the surface of the sea.
OceanGate’s tourist submersible on the surface of the sea. (OceanGate/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Founded in 2009, OceanGate charges up to $250,000 per person for a chance to visit the remnants of the Titanic, which sank in 1912 on its inaugural trip from England to New York. While Rush stated last year that the submersible had made it down to the wreckage a dozen times over the last two years, there had been a number of red flags about the operation. In 2018, more than three dozen oceanographers and deep-sea explorers wrote a letter to OceanGate warning that its “experimental” approach could lead to “catastrophic” consequences for its Titanic dives.

A 10-minute segment from CBS News Sunday Morning in November 2022 foreshadowed the tragedy. Journalist David Pogue discussed some of the paperwork he had to sign in an almost humorous tone, reading, “This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death,” before adding, “Where do I sign?”

In the 2022 piece, Pogue noted that while he was on the expedition the submersible never made it to the wreck site because of communications errors. He quoted one passenger as saying, “We were lost for two and a half hours.” Pogue’s own scheduled trip to the Titanic was canceled due to poor weather, and a back-up excursion to the trip to a Continental Shelf was called off due to technical difficulties after 37 feet of descent.

In a tweet Monday, Pogue said the craft was, in fact, lost for five hours and that adding an emergency locator beacon was discussed. Pogue added, “They could still send short texts to the sub, but did not know where it was. It was quiet and very tense, and they shut off the ship’s internet to prevent us from tweeting.” The company cited the need to keep “all channels open” as a reason for cutting off internet access, he said.

Another former passenger on the Titan told the BBC on Tuesday said he had to sign a “death waiver” that “lists one way after another that you could die on the trip,” including “[mentioning] death three times on page one, and so it’s never far from your mind.”