Axios PM: Derailment "preventable"

Plus: New Grinch chapter | Thursday, February 23, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Meta   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Feb 23, 2023 Happy Thursday afternoon. Today's PM — edited by Kate Nocera — is 561 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for the copy edit.     1 big thing: Derailment "preventable" Drone footage shows wreckage in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6 — three days after the derailment. Photo: NTSB via Reuters The Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was "100% preventable," National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said today as the agency released its initial findings. "I am so sorry for the traumatic event that you are going through," she said at a news conference, addressing residents of East Palestine (pronounced PAL-ə-STEEN). "It's devastating." "We call things accidents. There is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable," she said, adding that her goal is to "ensure this never happens again." The NTSB found: The train crew attempted to stop it after receiving a "critical" alert about an overheating wheel bearing just before the crash. As the train slowed, an automatic emergency brake activated, which may indicate the train experienced a separation during deceleration. Surveillance video from a local residence showed a wheel bearing on the first railcar that derailed "in the final stage of overheat failure." 🔮 What's next: The NTSB will investigate how Norfolk Southern uses alerts like the one that went off shortly before the derailment — and its maintenance and inspection procedures for railcars. Go deeper.     2. Fraud charges for Ozy CEO Carlos Watson. Photo: Kimberly White/Getty Images Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson was arrested today, marking another wild turn in the saga of the embattled company, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer reports. Court documents detail how Watson, ex-chief operating officer Samir Rao and other Ozy executives "engaged in a scheme to defraud" Ozy investors about their business. Watson was arrested after Rao pled guilty to fraud charges in federal court. The Wall Street Journal first reported Watson's arrest and Rao's guilty plea after a Journal reporter attended the secretive plea hearing, which was scheduled under a pseudonym. Lanny Breuer, Watson's lawyer, told The Journal: "We have been acting in good faith and believe we had a constructive dialogue with the government and are shocked by the actions this morning." Read the indictment ... Go deeper.     A message from Meta Field trips in the metaverse will take learning beyond the textbook     Students learning about prehistoric eras will use virtual reality to take field trips to the Ice Age and visit the woolly mammoths. What this means: Students will not only learn their history lessons — they'll experience them. Explore more possibilities with the metaverse.     3. Catch me up Alex Murdaugh takes the stand today at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. Photo: Joshua Boucher/The (Columbia) State via AP ⚖️ Alex Murdaugh, part of a long-powerful South Carolina legal family, took the stand in his own defense and denied killing his wife and son. But he admitted he lied about when he last saw them alive. Get the latest. 🌐 Ajay Banga, former president and CEO of Mastercard, is President Biden's nominee as president of the World Bank. Go deeper. 🎮 Video game makers are already trying to use advances in generative AI to build imaginary worlds faster, Axios Gaming author Stephen Totilo reports.     4. 🎄"Grinch" gets a sequel A page from the new book "How the Grinch Lost Christmas!" Photo: TM & © 2023 Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P., All rights reserved, via AP What happened after the Grinch stole Christmas? Fans of the 1957 Dr. Seuss classic are about to find out. The sequel, "How the Grinch Lost Christmas!" is set for release ahead of the 2023 holiday season, AP reports. The new book isn't a lost manuscript, but written by Alastair Heim and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz, both of whom previously worked on Dr. Seuss titles.     A message from Meta The metaverse will give doctors new tools to make decisions faster     In the ER, every second counts. Doctors will use the metaverse to visualize scans and make decisions faster — to help patients get the specialty care they need in a timely manner. The metaverse may be virtual, but the impact will be real. Explore more possibilities with the metaverse.   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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