Your Friday briefing

No survivors after ‘catastrophic implosion’ of submarine

The five people aboard a submarine that went missing on Sunday were presumed dead after an international search found pieces of the ship, including the tail cone, near the Titanic’s wreckage. The debris was “consistent with a catastrophic ship implosion,” a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

Days earlier, secret US military acoustic sensors had picked up indications of a possible implosion near the submarine around the time communications with it were lost, a Navy official said. The search for the ship, dubbed the Titan, had continued because there was no immediate confirmation that it had met a disastrous end, another Navy official said.

Officials said they would continue to investigate and document the crime scene, but could not answer questions about the prospect of recovering the victims’ bodies. “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor,” Admiral John Mauger said.

Years of care: Leaders in the underwater craft industry have long warned of potential “catastrophic” problems with the vehicle’s design. They were also concerned that OceanGate Expeditions, which operated the Titan, had not followed standard certification procedures.

Victims: Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO, piloted the ship. The four passengers were a British businessman and explorer, Hamish Harding; a British-Pakistani businessman, Shahzada Dawood, and his teenage son, Suleman; and a French maritime expert, Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Bridge to Russian-occupied Crimea damaged

A Ukrainian missile hit the Chonhar Bridge that connects the rest of Ukraine to occupied Crimea, according to Kremlin-installed officials. There were no reported casualties. The Crimean peninsula, which lies far behind the front lines, has become vital to Moscow’s war effort and is increasingly being targeted by attacks.

Videos and photos show damage to the bridge’s two spans, which cross Chonhar Strait between Crimea and the Kherson region. An impassable Chonhar Bridge could hinder the supply and logistics of Russian troops, but would not completely cut them off, as other crossings are available and the bridge can be repaired.

Ukraine typically maintains a policy of not explicitly claiming responsibility for attacks on the peninsula, but it did acknowledge an attack on an oil depot there in April as part of what it said were preparations for a counter-offensive. Cutting the “land bridge,” the Ukrainian territory that Russia occupies between its border and Crimea, is a major goal of that campaign.

Context: Thursday’s attack, just days after an attack on a Russian munitions depot in the Kherson region, appears to be part of a broader Ukrainian strategy aimed at hindering supplies to Russian units fighting the Kiev counter-offensive in the south. from Ukraine.

Other news from the war:

Modi visits Biden in DC

During a lavish state visit to Washington, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Biden emphasized common ground in hopes of strengthening economic and geopolitical ties, publicly sidestepping points of friction over Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Indian government’s crackdown on human rights .

At a joint press conference, Modi answered reporters’ questions for the first time in his nearly decade-long tenure as prime minister. Challenged by his record on human rights and religious freedom, he insisted that democracy was “in India’s DNA” and denied that his government had harbored prejudice in serving its people.

The state visit was the final move on the geopolitical chessboard as Biden seeks more allies against increasingly aggressive governments in Moscow and Beijing. India, staunchly unaligned during the Cold War, has refused to join the American-led coalition aiding Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces and has continued to buy Russian oil.

Related: Modi and other top Indian officials are single, which contributes to the perception that they are less corrupt as they don’t have to steal for their families.

THE LAST NEWS

Around the world

Yeonmi Park’s account of the horrors of her native North Korea made her a human rights celebrity. She now claims America is on the same path — and it’s made her a right-wing media star.

“So many people in America think America is somehow immune to tyranny, and somehow a dictatorship like North Korea begins,” she told an audience at a conservative event. “It didn’t start there. It started with astonishing promises of equity. They promised us a socialist paradise.”

Lives lived

Teresa Taylor, a drummer for the acid punk band Butthole Surfers who starred in Richard Linklater’s 1990 film “Slacker,” has died at age 60.

SPORTS NEWS FROM ATHLETICS

Eredivisie season tickets: Top clubs have imposed large price increases and removed many concessions, according to a study by The Athletic.

Why Romeo Beckham joined Brentford B permanently: Beckham had a good teacher when it came to crosses and set pieces. Can he follow his father, David Beckham, to the Premier League?

From the time: The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama, the French basketball star, No. 1 overall in yesterday’s NBA draft.

ART AND IDEAS

Celebrating queer literature

T Magazine asked six high-profile queer writers to compile a list of the 25 most influential works of post-war queer literature. Here are some of their picks.

“Stone Butch Blues” by Leslie Feinberg, 1993. “I read ‘Stone Butch Blues’ when I was 17, and it was the first time I saw anything resembling a butch identity. As a girl from Omaha – where I just didn’t see anything strange – I just thought, ‘Wow.’” — Roxane Gay

“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin, 1956. “’Giovanni’s Room’ was a very daring book for a black American exile to write. It is in some ways the first of its kind and it has that historical value that makes it important.” — Neel Mukherjee

“Nevada” by Imogen Binnie, 2013. “I think every trans writer working today has read that book and been touched by it.” — Thomas Page McBee

That’s it for today’s briefing. Have a fantastic weekend. — Natasha

PS June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. We’re asking for suggestions from readers of songs that embody the spirit of Pride.

“The Daily” is about experts’ long-standing fears about the submarine Titan.

You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.