Ackman Refutes Harvard's Assertion About Funding Cuts
Pershing Square Capital Management founder Bill Ackman refutes Harvard University's claim that government funding cuts hurts scientific research. He speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former OceanGate employees slam Titan sub disaster company CEO in new doc: ‘Borderline clinical psychopath'
A damning new documentary condemns Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate, the defunct company whose Titan submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean June 2023. Former employees allege in 'Titan: The OceanGate Disaster' on Netflix that their boss' self-absorption and consistent willful negligence tragically led to the death of the five passengers, including Rush — a news story that captured the entire world's attention for days. 'I worked for somebody that is probably [a] borderline clinical psychopath,' said former OceanGate engineer Tony Nissen. 'He wanted to be a Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk,' said Bonnie Carl, director of finance and administration, in the doc. 'He referred to those guys as 'big swingin' dicks,' and he loved that term and used it all the time.' Engineering project manager Emily Hammermeister added that repeatedly expressed safety concerns by workers with years of expertise fell on deaf ears and Rush's tunnel vision. 'Stockton was just so set on getting to the Titanic that nothing that anybody said made much of a difference,' she said. Rush was a wealthy California-born engineer who loved 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek.' He co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with the goal of bringing deep sea exploration to the public — especially dives to the Titanic. In pursuit of his pipe dream, he decided to create the first submersible made from carbon fiber, a strong and cheap material consisting of many small strands. 'It's not like metal,' said Wired journalist Mark Harris, who profiled Rush. 'You know, titanium is extremely well-understood. Carbon fiber is far more idiosyncratic in that the little fibers inside there can snap.' Knowing the risks, OceanGate engineers built sensors into the hull — a series of small microphones — to alert people in the sub if there were breaches to the carbon fiber so they could quickly surface. In theory. 'The monitoring system for the hull was something that was dreamt up by OceanGate to try and give some comfort to people who were asking too many questions,' said submersible operations expert Rob McCallum. The film terrifyingly shows years of pressure tests conducted on the sub in which the hull cracked and the vehicle imploded. 'Pop' noises of breaks are loud and frequent — portending the loss of life that was to come. 'I just can't believe it,' Rush angrily reacted during a trial five years before their first dive. 'We couldn't even get past f – – king 4,300 PSI.' Eventually, Titan successfully reached the Titanic — in spite of persistent safety issues. 'It was a mathematical certainty that it would fail,' said McCallum. 'So, having a dive or two or 10 to the Titanic is not a measure of success. And personally I will never understand how it survived the first test dives.' Lochridge emailed Rush and others a safety report in 2018, and was called into a contentious meeting the next day. Rush recorded the interaction. 'I don't want anybody in this company who is uncomfortable with what we're doing,' said an irate Rush. 'We're doing weird s – – t here, and I am definitely out of the mold. There's no question. I'm doing things that are completely non-standard. And I'm sure the industry thinks I'm a f – – king idiot. That's fine. They've been doing that for eight years. And I'm going to continue on the way I'm doing, but I'm not going to force people to join my religion if they don't want to.' Reacting to Lochridge's report, an angry Rush told Nissen, his engineer, that 'it would be nothing for him to spend $50,000 to ruin somebody's life.' 'That changed my life in that company,' said Nissen. 'I had to make sure nobody spoke up.' Nissen, Lochridge, Hammermeister and Carl went on to all leave the troubling company. Carl was pushed over the edge when Rush brazenly suggested she assume the role of lead pilot. 'Are you nuts? I'm an accountant,' she remembered thinking. On June 18, 2023, one hour and 33 minutes into a dive, the Titan lost communication with the surface. A four-day search ensued and voracious news outlets displayed countdown clocks of when the sub would run out of oxygen. Debris was finally discovered on June 22. The Titan had actually imploded the same day it ceased pinging. The passengers — Rush, Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Suleman Dawood and Shahzada Dawood — all died. Hammermeister still feels shaken up by her association with OceanGate. 'I've reflected a lot on my time there,' she said. 'And my time there was not normal. I mean, I think back to the times where I was part of dives that happened. And thinking back how uncomfortable I felt bolting people into the sub. And so when that initial news article popped up and it said 'Tourist sub lost in the Atlantic,' I knew right away it was OceanGate.' Lochridge said the tragedy was a result of Rush's narcissism. 'He wanted fame,' he said. 'First and foremost to fuel his ego, fame. That was what he wanted. And he's got it.'
CBS News
12 minutes ago
- CBS News
Denver police say their policies around protest management have evolved: "Some tools we have just taken offline"
Denver police now say officers arrested 18 people during protests near downtown on Tuesday over immigration enforcement. Things started peacefully at the Colorado State Capitol. At one point, protesters attempted to walk onto Interstate 25, and it was then that the arrests occurred. CBS Organizers spoke out against ongoing immigration raids across the country and in support of protests in Los Angeles. With additional protests expected in the coming days, law enforcement officials are urging calm while promising to listen. They say policies around protest management have evolved -- since 2020 -- but they want to continue to work on rebuilding trust with the public. What began as a peaceful demonstration quickly escalated Tuesday night. Protesters marched through downtown, temporarily blocking traffic and clashing with police. Video from a protester who goes by the name ABizzy shows the moment law enforcement launched pepper balls into the crowd. "There's always the ones that want to be extreme, but for the most part, I think people's hearts are here in peace," ABizzy said. "The smoke that people saw was just that -- it has no irritant at all. And that's the first thing that we do after issuing a number of warnings," Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. Denver police say they made several arrests, citing assault and disobedience to lawful orders. At one point, some demonstrators threw rocks at officers. One demonstrator even slashed a tire. But unlike the protests of 2020, the department says it is now more focused on de-escalation. "We're not indiscriminately using tear gas. ... Some tools we have just taken offline because they're not safe in those environments. I think we are much more tolerant of unplanned or unpermitted demonstrations," said Thomas. "A lot of the police here are kind of in an uncomfortable situation -- they're just responding to what they have to." Only a handful of protesters engaged in violent demonstrations. Community organizer Tim Hernández emphasized that the point of Tuesday's protest was to stand in solidarity with Los Angeles and reject the deployment of military law enforcement against immigrant communities. "I think the point of any protest is to be heard, and I think when folks are not heard by their leaders or policymakers, there are consequences to the way folks choose to handle that," said Hernández. Despite the tension, Denver's police chief says he understands why people want to exercise their First Amendment rights. "We don't think that what is going on in this country is right, and so we encourage people to protest -- and we will do all that we can to make sure it is safe," Thomas said. Raquel Lane-Arellano, communications manager from the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, shared a statement with CBS Colorado: "We organized this emergency protest to stand in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles and to reject the Trump administration's violent deployment of military and law enforcement against immigrant communities. This is about more than one city-this is about defending our families, our freedoms, and our future. When those in power spread lies about immigrants to justify fear and violence, we must rise together to protect the dignity and safety of all people. Colorado showed up because we believe in a country rooted in justice, not intimidation." On Saturday, June 14, the No Kings Rally in Denver will be part of a nationwide mass protest against President Donald Trump and his administration, with a handful of smaller protests planned across the state. Police say they are hoping for peaceful demonstrations but are prepared either way.
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Abbott puts Texas National Guard, DPS Troopers in place for planned protests: "We are not intimidated" No Kings group says
The First Amendment is where protesters and the government find common ground, and leaders from both sides are speaking out against violence and lawlessness. Liam Kent said Saturday's scheduled "No King" Mass protest is part day of action and part protest. "Basically, to tell people that we do not put up with a tyrant as president," Kent said. "And what's happening right now is Donald Trump is overstepping his authority as president of the United States and trying to become a king." Kent is the Chairman of the Blue Anchor Project, a Democrat grassroots action group that is a partner of "No Kings." The 26-year-old said they have 2,000 locations with millions of participants who believe President Trump is overstepping his authority and continues to create more power. City Hall in Dallas is one of the many places the group plans to demonstrate peacefully, Kent said. Dallas police said they dealt with an unpermitted protest earlier this week near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. One person was arrested. Trump is going to celebrate the United States Army's 250th birthday, which happens to also be his birthday. No Kings saw it as an opportunity to spread its message. Dallas PD said in a statement, "The Dallas Police Department will not interfere with a lawful and peaceful assembly of any individuals or groups expressing their First Amendment rights. At demonstrations like this, participants will see our patrols as they always do at large events. Our main priority remains the safety of the people who live, work, and visit the city of Dallas." Gov. Abbott deploys National Guard Gov. Greg Abbott added a layer of extra security that surprised city officials in San Antonio, as they stated that the Alamo City had never requested the Texas National Guard. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus directed media questions about the soldiers to the state. "The questions you're asking me about the National Guard, I would ask you to direct those questions to the individual who's responsible for deploying them," McManus said. Abbott said he's putting the National Guard and DPS in play to ensure Texans do not have to experience the explosive anti-ICE incidents in LA. "There is freedom of speech. However, if in your protest you damage somebody's property or you harm an individual, that's violating the law and you will be arrested for it," he said. Abbott and No Kings both found common ground against violence and lawlessness. The governor would not reveal where he's deployed the National Guard. "As it concerns the exact tactics and things like that, we don't disclose those publicly," he said. "You will see them arise in response to what we see on the ground." Protests will continue as planned, activist says Kent said the use of the military was an intimidation tactic, but protesters are not backing down. "Whether you're a governor or a president, that is insisting that you need to be able to have military on standby when it comes to trying to ensure that people who want to have their voices heard are safe," Kent said. "It's intimidation flat out, and we are not intimidated. That is why we are having peaceful protests across the country and the world on Saturday." The Euless Police Department said in a statement to CBS News Texas, "We've been asked to see whether the protestors who have an event in Euless on Saturday have a permit from the city or PD to hold their rally." Fort Worth Police said, "The Fort Worth Police Department is working closely with our community and our Intelligence Fusion Center to monitor all activity during any peaceful protests that may take place in the City of Fort Worth."
