SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6.

Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that's become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">ended constitutional protections for abortion</a>&nbsp;last year. It's stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-legislature-idaho-birth-control-bd238c572da10d812ef5ba93f1860fc5">some states enacting abortion bans</a>&nbsp;and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-charlie-baker-massachusetts-67ae91877315527cb5f5166cf2b91d8a">enshrining protections</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-abortion-pills-stockpile-1c1c7c107882f7a25a181af79a1f6790">expanding access to birth control</a>, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available.

There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-oklahoma-supreme-court-medical-emergency-74841ced6cc1f247dc9bcf00d5d2403a">is largely banned</a>.

Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is legal in all 50 states.

The 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade “is putting people’s lives at stake, so it makes pregnancy prevention all the more urgent,” said Kelly Cleland, the ASEC's executive director. “If you live in a state where you cannot get an abortion and you can’t get an abortion anywhere near you, the stakes are so much higher than they’ve ever been before.”

Washington this year became first U.S. state to set aside money — $200,000 to fund $10,000 grants that colleges can obtain next year through an application process — to expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emergency-contraception">access to emergency contraceptives</a>&nbsp;at public universities and technical colleges through the automatic dispensers.

The University of Washington's machine was installed after a student-led campaign. It offers boxes of generic Plan B for $12.60, about a quarter of what the name-brand versions sell for in stores, and more than 640 have been sold.

The drug is even cheaper in some machines than it is in UW’s, as low as $7 per box. That’s because it is sold at just above wholesale cost, compared with pharmacy retail prices that might go up to $50.

In Illinois and New York, lawmakers are developing legislation that would require at least one vending machine selling emergency contraceptives on state college campuses.

In Connecticut, Yale had to drop plans to install an emergency contraceptive vending machine in 2019 after learning it would violate state law.

But this year the state approved a measure allowing Plan B and other over-the-counter medications to be sold from vending machines on campuses and other locations.

The machines can't be placed in K-12 schools or exposed to the elements, and they must have temperature and humidity controls and include plans for power outages and expired items.

“This just enables people to have better access and easier access,” said Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, one of several Republicans in Connecticut's Democratic-controlled General Assembly who supported the measure. “You may need Plan B, as we all know, in the middle of the night, and you won’t have access to a pharmacy until the morning.”

Although the morning-after pill has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale, many stores and pharmacies keep it behind the counter or locked up, require identification for purchase and make the experience of purchasing it intimidating.

“There is a stigma associated with getting access to these medications,” said Zoe Amaris, a University of Washington pharmacy student and board member of UW Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health. “Having a vending machine is so easy. You don’t need to go to a pharmacy. You don’t need to go through your health care provider.”

Plan B is more effective the sooner it is taken, and vending machine access could be particularly crucial for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-birth-control-emergency-contraception-bd43c175ff60b83eef43ba146c0bf3f3">victims of rape</a>&nbsp;when pharmacies are closed. The anonymity the machines afford may also be important to some assault victims.

“When you have a vending machine, it takes away a lot of those barriers," Cleland said. “Students can go on their own terms to get it when they need it.”

SEATTLE (AP) — Need Plan B? Tap your credit card and enter B6.Since last November, a library at the University of Washington has featured a different kind of vending machine, one that's become more popular on campuses around the country since the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">ended constitutional protections for abortion</a>&nbsp;last year. It's stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Reproductive health care products, including Plan B, are available from a new vending machine located in the Odegaard Library cafe (first floor). The machine is a partnership with UW&#39;s Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health RSO and the Kelley-Ross Foundation. <a href="https://t.co/smyWSoDdJ7">pic.twitter.com/smyWSoDdJ7</a>&mdash; UW Student Life (@uwstudentlife) <a href="https://twitter.com/uwstudentlife/status/1628119834977517569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-legislature-idaho-birth-control-bd238c572da10d812ef5ba93f1860fc5">some states enacting abortion bans</a>&nbsp;and others&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-charlie-baker-massachusetts-67ae91877315527cb5f5166cf2b91d8a">enshrining protections</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-abortion-pills-stockpile-1c1c7c107882f7a25a181af79a1f6790">expanding access to birth control</a>, the machines are part of a push on college campuses to ensure emergency contraceptives are cheap, discreet and widely available.There are now 39 universities in 17 states with emergency contraceptive vending machines, and at least 20 more considering them, according to the American Society for Emergency Contraception. Some, such as the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, are in states where abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-oklahoma-supreme-court-medical-emergency-74841ced6cc1f247dc9bcf00d5d2403a">is largely banned</a>.Over-the-counter purchase of Plan B and generic forms is legal in all 50 states.The 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade “is putting people’s lives at stake, so it makes pregnancy prevention all the more urgent,” said Kelly Cleland, the ASEC's executive director. “If you live in a state where you cannot get an abortion and you can’t get an abortion anywhere near you, the stakes are so much higher than they’ve ever been before.”Washington this year became first U.S. state to set aside money — $200,000 to fund $10,000 grants that colleges can obtain next year through an application process — to expand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emergency-contraception">access to emergency contraceptives</a>&nbsp;at public universities and technical colleges through the automatic dispensers.The University of Washington's machine was installed after a student-led campaign. It offers boxes of generic Plan B for $12.60, about a quarter of what the name-brand versions sell for in stores, and more than 640 have been sold.The drug is even cheaper in some machines than it is in UW’s, as low as $7 per box. That’s because it is sold at just above wholesale cost, compared with pharmacy retail prices that might go up to $50.In Illinois and New York, lawmakers are developing legislation that would require at least one vending machine selling emergency contraceptives on state college campuses.In Connecticut, Yale had to drop plans to install an emergency contraceptive vending machine in 2019 after learning it would violate state law.But this year the state approved a measure allowing Plan B and other over-the-counter medications to be sold from vending machines on campuses and other locations.The machines can't be placed in K-12 schools or exposed to the elements, and they must have temperature and humidity controls and include plans for power outages and expired items.“This just enables people to have better access and easier access,” said Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, one of several Republicans in Connecticut's Democratic-controlled General Assembly who supported the measure. “You may need Plan B, as we all know, in the middle of the night, and you won’t have access to a pharmacy until the morning.”Although the morning-after pill has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale, many stores and pharmacies keep it behind the counter or locked up, require identification for purchase and make the experience of purchasing it intimidating.“There is a stigma associated with getting access to these medications,” said Zoe Amaris, a University of Washington pharmacy student and board member of UW Pharmacists for Reproductive Education and Sexual Health. “Having a vending machine is so easy. You don’t need to go to a pharmacy. You don’t need to go through your health care provider.”Plan B is more effective the sooner it is taken, and vending machine access could be particularly crucial for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-birth-control-emergency-contraception-bd43c175ff60b83eef43ba146c0bf3f3">victims of rape</a>&nbsp;when pharmacies are closed. The anonymity the machines afford may also be important to some assault victims.“When you have a vending machine, it takes away a lot of those barriers," Cleland said. “Students can go on their own terms to get it when they need it.”

Morning-after pill vending machines gain popularity on college campuses post-Roe

ROME (AP) — Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish a tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-europe-science-health-coronavirus-629ccdd23325871f91d40a2fc566c592">the Colosseum in Rome</a>, a crime that resulted in hefty fines in the past.

<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0?feature=share">Click here to watch </a>the video

The message reading “Ivan+Haley 23” appeared on the Colosseum at a time when Romans already were complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season. A fellow tourist, Ryan Litz, of Orange, California., filmed the incident and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0">posted the video on YouTube</a>&nbsp;and Reddit.

The video received over 1,500 social media views and was picked up by Italian media. Litz told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was “dumbfounded” that someone would deface such an important monument.

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Ampitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.” He said he hoped the culprits would be found “and punished according to our laws.”

Italian news agency ANSA noted that the incident marked the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c519adca7ca74ef88196540976084104/Rome-with-a-view:-Colosseum-opens-its-top-levels-to-public">the Colosseum</a>. It said whoever was responsible for the latest episode risked $15,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.

Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.” Calling for respect for Italy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-ancient-temples-julius-caesar-726e7c504f4a173dbe6ba322fbfabc18">culture and history</a>, she vowed: “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.”

Litz, who is on a two-month backpacking trip through Europe, said he had just finished a guided tour of the Colosseum on Friday when he saw the person “blatantly carving his name" in the Colosseum wall. Litz told the AP he took out his phone to film the man because he was so shocked at what he was doing.

“And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’" Litz recalled. “And all he could do is like smile at me.”

Litz, a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, said he tried to get a guard to take action, but neither the guard nor his supervisor did anything, even after Litz identified the man and offered to share the video.

He said he decided to post the video online the following morning, after he had calmed down. While saying he appreciates graffiti and art, “carving your name seems like a pretty selfish act.” He said visitors to foreign countries cannot repay their hosts "with blatant disrespect like this.”

Outside the Colosseum on Tuesday, other visitors agreed.

"We have to preserve what we have," said Diego Cruz, an American student. “There is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past.

Güldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer visiting from Turkey, said his country also had difficulty protecting its monuments from disrespectful tourists.

"I really get angry with them, with this behavior,” Ozsema said.

Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.

In 2014,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/id-bd4780ece28d449aaca5a7ca97e1fcc3">a Russian tourist was fined</a>&nbsp;20,000 euros ($25,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum.

The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.

ROME (AP) — Italy’s culture and tourism ministers have vowed to find and punish a tourist who was filmed carving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend in the wall of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-europe-science-health-coronavirus-629ccdd23325871f91d40a2fc566c592">the Colosseum in Rome</a>, a crime that resulted in hefty fines in the past.<a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0?feature=share">Click here to watch </a>the videoThe message reading “Ivan+Haley 23” appeared on the Colosseum at a time when Romans already were complaining about hordes of tourists flooding the Eternal City in record numbers this season. A fellow tourist, Ryan Litz, of Orange, California., filmed the incident and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OGYe1Z4EbQ0">posted the video on YouTube</a>&nbsp;and Reddit.The video received over 1,500 social media views and was picked up by Italian media. Litz told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was “dumbfounded” that someone would deface such an important monument.Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the writing carved into the almost 2,000-year-old Flavian Ampitheater “serious, undignified and a sign of great incivility.” He said he hoped the culprits would be found “and punished according to our laws.”Italian news agency ANSA noted that the incident marked the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c519adca7ca74ef88196540976084104/Rome-with-a-view:-Colosseum-opens-its-top-levels-to-public">the Colosseum</a>. It said whoever was responsible for the latest episode risked $15,000 in fines and up to five years in prison.Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche said she hoped the tourist would be sanctioned “so that he understands the gravity of the gesture.” Calling for respect for Italy’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rome-ancient-temples-julius-caesar-726e7c504f4a173dbe6ba322fbfabc18">culture and history</a>, she vowed: “We cannot allow those who visit our nation to feel free to behave in this way.”Litz, who is on a two-month backpacking trip through Europe, said he had just finished a guided tour of the Colosseum on Friday when he saw the person “blatantly carving his name" in the Colosseum wall. Litz told the AP he took out his phone to film the man because he was so shocked at what he was doing.“And as you see in the video, I kind of approach him and ask him, dumbfounded at this point, ‘Are you serious? Are you really serious?’" Litz recalled. “And all he could do is like smile at me.”Litz, a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, said he tried to get a guard to take action, but neither the guard nor his supervisor did anything, even after Litz identified the man and offered to share the video.He said he decided to post the video online the following morning, after he had calmed down. While saying he appreciates graffiti and art, “carving your name seems like a pretty selfish act.” He said visitors to foreign countries cannot repay their hosts "with blatant disrespect like this.”Outside the Colosseum on Tuesday, other visitors agreed."We have to preserve what we have," said Diego Cruz, an American student. “There is a rich history here. It helps us learn from the past.Güldamla Ozsema, a computer engineer visiting from Turkey, said his country also had difficulty protecting its monuments from disrespectful tourists."I really get angry with them, with this behavior,” Ozsema said.Italian tourism lobby Federturismo, backed by statistics bureau ISTAT, has said 2023 is shaping up as a record for visitors to Italy, surpassing pre-pandemic levels that hit a high in 2019.In 2014,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/id-bd4780ece28d449aaca5a7ca97e1fcc3">a Russian tourist was fined</a>&nbsp;20,000 euros ($25,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence for engraving a big letter ‘K’ on a wall of the Colosseum.The following year, two American tourists were also cited for aggravated damage after they carved their names in the monument.

🎥Officials vow to find, punish tourist who vandalized Colosseum in Rome

Coast Guard: Debris field has been found in search for missing sub

HALIFAX (AP) —Teams racing to find the missing Titan submersible have detected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titan-titanic-submersible-sound-0a6cdf7fdd6d2b2ffff1f8b25f081faf">underwater noises</a>&nbsp;in the search area. But it won’t be easy to find the source of that sound in the “noisy” ocean.

There are many other potential sources of sound underwater, including from fish, other animals and of course human-made instruments, according to Matt Dzieciuch, an ocean acoustics expert at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

While the Coast Guard said search teams heard banging noises at 30-minute intervals, it’s still unclear whether the banging noises were a true signal of life.

Usually, an underwater vehicle will have a device called a pinger that can correspond with the surface and make it easier to locate, Dzieciuch said. But it’s unclear whether the Titan submersible was using one.

The search team is facing additional challenges because sound gets bent as it travels underwater, due to how pressure and temperature change at different depths, Dzieciuch said. That can create echo-like effects and make it hard to locate the source of a particular sound.

HALIFAX (AP) —Underwater mountains and valleys. Deep-sea water pressure. Weather conditions. And a search area twice the size of Connecticut – in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep – with few clues about the Titan’s location.

The crews tasked with finding the Titan, which was reported overdue Sunday night, are facing all those challenges and more to locate the submersible amid the North Atlantic waters.

While undersea search efforts are nothing new –&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-world-war-ii-international-news-japan-us-news-95f892b78ec44fbd8b4de02c4ad71792">a 2019 expedition found two lost Japanese aircraft carriers</a>&nbsp;that went down in World War II’s historic Battle of Midway around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – looking for the 22-foot-long (6.7-meter) carbon-fiber vessel amid the vast ocean is far more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

Those Japanese aircraft carriers were exponentially larger than the Titan – and still they were lost for decades after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hi-state-wire-us-news-ap-top-news-world-war-ii-international-news-f026d20d928143ddadfc3df0f3d36f77">June 1942 air and sea battle.</a>

“I’ve seen large vessels hiding within extreme geology so searching for smaller objects requires more detailed scrutiny as opposed to searching for a sunken (cruiser) or aircraft carrier,” wrote Robert Kraft, a deep-sea explorer who was part of the 2019 expedition, in an email to The Associated Press from aboard his latest voyage.

HALIFAX (AP) —Remote-operated robots that are typically used for undersea exploration will instead be critical to any hope of finding the Titan.

There were two such remotely operated vehicles — or ROVs – in North Atlantic waters on Wednesday, with more on the way.

Designed to scan the sea floor in real time, the ROVs are outfitted with cameras and travel to depths many other vessels cannot.

ROVs have been used for undersea exploration since at least the mid-1980s, according to deep-sea explorer Katy Croff Bell, who is president of Ocean Discovery League.

The vessels are expensive to use and their method of data collection can be slow and painstaking, which is partly why scientists know so little about the ocean floor even after years of exploration.

But the ROVs might be the only way to find the Titan after the submersible vanished Sunday on a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.

“ROVs are essential to the search and rescue mission,” Bell said. “Really the only way you’re going to be able to recover anything from the deep sea floor in real time.”

HALIFAX (AP) —The daunting search and rescue effort for the Titan is rushing experts and specialized underwater equipment together by land, by air and by sea to find the submersible before its oxygen runs out.

A remotely operated vehicle that can scan the sea floor, known as an ROV, was flown to Canada on Tuesday and is expected to arrive at the Titanic site on Thursday morning.

“The equipment that is onsite and coming is the most sophisticated in the world and certainly capable of reaching those depths,” said Sean Leet, chief executive of Canadian Horizon Maritime company.

The company and the Mi’kmaq band co-own the Polar Prince, which is the research vessel that launched the Titan.

“We are praying for our friends onboard the Titan submersible,” said Miawpukek First Nation Chief Mi’sel Joe. “We want them to come home safely. We ask everyone across Canada and the world to pray with us that we can find and rescue the Titan.”

HALIFAX (AP) —A Canadian surveillance vessel has detected underwater noises in the area where rescuers are searching for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-62fadef7a55af0022e3dc75df862a5c1">submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic</a>&nbsp;while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-missing-submersible-passengers-7eb1e80c03a47062fb8ff82f6251a33e">bringing five people down</a>&nbsp;to the wreck of the Titanic, authorities said Wednesday.

Coast Guard officials were bringing in more ships and other vessels to search the more narrowly defined area, though the exact location and source of the sounds has not yet been determined. The full scope of the search was twice the size of Connecticut in waters 2 1/2 miles deep, said Captain Jamie Frederick of the First Coast Guard District.

“This is a search and rescue mission, 100%,” Frederick said. “When you’re in the middle of a search and rescue case, you always have hope.”

But even those who expressed some optimism warned that many obstacles remain: from pinpointing the vessel's location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming it's still intact — before the passengers' oxygen supply runs out.

The area of the North Atlantic where the Titan submersible went missing on Sunday is prone to fog and stormy conditions, making it an extremely challenging environment to conduct a search-and-rescue mission, said Donald Murphy, an oceanographer who served as chief scientist of the Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol.

After a Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area, a robotic vessel was sent to scour the region but had so far “yielded negative results,” the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter.

The Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be. The vessel is estimated to have as little as a day's worth of oxygen left if it is still functioning.

Three search vessels arrived on-scene Wednesday morning, including one that has side-scanning sonar capabilities. Authorities pushed to get salvage equipment to the scene in case the submersible is found.

The Coast Guard statement about detecting sounds underwater came after Rolling Stone reported that search teams heard “banging sounds in the area every 30 minutes.”

The report was encouraging to some experts because submarine crews unable to communicate with the surface are taught to bang on their submersible’s hull to be detected by sonar.

“It sends a message that you’re probably using military techniques to find me and this is how I’m saying it," said Frank Owen, a submarine search and rescue expert. "So, that’s really encouraging if that’s the case.”

Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the president of The Explorers Club, wrote an open letter to his club’s adventurers, saying he had “much greater confidence” about the search after speaking to officials in Congress, the U.S. military and the White House.

However, no official has publicly suggested they know the source of the underwater noises.

Meanwhile, questions remain about how teams could reach the lost submersible, which could be as deep as about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface near the watery tomb of the historic ocean liner. Newly uncovered allegations also suggest there had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0e5fc9a0313938fdf408b1459538d9ef">significant warnings made about vessel safety</a>&nbsp;during its development.

Lost aboard the vessel are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two members of a Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.

Authorities&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-62fadef7a55af0022e3dc75df862a5c1">reported the 22-foot carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night</a>, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s.

The submersible had a four-day oxygen supply when it put to sea around 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.

Owen said the estimated 96-hour oxygen supply is a useful “target” for searchers, but is only based on a “nominal amount of consumption the average human might consume in doing certain things.” Owen said the diver on board the Titan would likely be advising passengers to “do anything to reduce your metabolic levels so that you can actually extend this 96 hours.”

Chris Brown, a British adventurer who paid a deposit to go on the Titan voyage but later withdrew because of what he called safety concerns, said word that the searchers have heard sounds is both good news and bad news.

“If the sounds are coming from below the water indicator then that indicates that they may be alive in the water, but now we’ve got time pressures in getting them up to the surface,” Brown told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Wednesday.

The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon.

Aaron Newman, who has been a passenger on the Titan, told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that if the submersible is below a couple hundred meters and without power, the passengers are in complete darkness and it's cold.

“It was cold when we were at the bottom,” he said. “You had layered up. You had wool hats on and were doing everything to stay warm at the bottom.”

Jeff Karson, a professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, said the temperature is just above freezing, and the vessel is too deep for human divers to get to it. The best chance to reach the submersible could be to use a remotely operated robot on a fiber optic cable, he said.

“I am sure it is horrible down there,” Karson said. “It is like being in a snow cave and hypothermia is a real danger.”

Meanwhile, documents show that OceanGate had been warned there might be catastrophic safety problems posed by the way the experimental vessel was developed.

David Lochridge, OceanGate’s director of marine operations, said in a 2018 lawsuit that the company’s testing and certification was insufficient and would “subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible.”

The company insisted that Lochridge was “not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan.” The firm also says the vessel under development was a prototype, not the now-missing Titan.

The Marine Technology Society, which describes itself as “a professional group of ocean engineers, technologists, policy-makers, and educators,” also expressed concern that year in a letter to Rush, OceanGate’s chief executive. The society said it was critical that the company submit its prototype to tests overseen by an expert third party before launching in order to safeguard passengers. The New York Times first reported on those documents.

The search for the missing vessel has drawn international attention. In Dubai, where the missing British adventurer Hamish Harding lives, Crown Prince Hamadan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum wrote: “Dubai and its people pray for their safety and hopeful return home.”

Others aboard include Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, whose eponymous firm invests across the country. In Pakistan's port city of Karachi, employees at his firms said they prayed for the two's safe return, as did government officials. French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet also was on the vessel.

Retired Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, who is now deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University, said the disappearance of the submersible underscores the dangers associated with operating in deep water and the recreational exploration of the sea and space, "two environments where in recent past we’ve seen people operate in hazardous, potentially lethal environments,” Murrett said.

“I think some people believe that because modern technology is so good, that you can do things like this and not have accidents, but that’s just not the case," he said.

HALIFAX (AP) —Underwater noises detected by a surveillance aircraft provided a measure of hope Wednesday as search vessels working against long odds scoured the North Atlantic for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">a submersible</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-9f0e66fc1df5d9f1e8d262dc7ce0135e">vanished while bringing five people down</a>&nbsp;to the wreck of the Titanic.

But even those who expressed some optimism warned that many obstacles remain: from pinpointing the vessel's location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface — assuming its still intact — before the passengers' oxygen supply runs out.

After a Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area, an robotic vessel was sent to scour the region but had so far “yielded negative results,” the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter.

The U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be. The vessel is estimated to have as little as a day's worth of oxygen left if it is still functioning.

Three search vessels arrived on-scene Wednesday morning, including one that has side-scanning sonar capabilities.

Authorities pushed on Wednesday to get salvage equipment to the scene in case the sub is found.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-missing-submersible-passengers-7eb1e80c03a47062fb8ff82f6251a33e">Lost aboard the vessel</a>&nbsp;are pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company leading the expedition. His passengers are a British adventurer, two members of a Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.

Jeff Karson, a professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, said the temperature is just above freezing, and the vessel is too deep for human divers to get to it. The best chance to reach the submersible could be to use a remotely operated robot on a fiber optic cable.

“I am sure it is horrible down there,” he said. “It is like being in a snow cave and hypothermia is a real danger.”

HALIFAX (AP) —A Canadian military surveillance aircraft detected underwater noises as a massive operation searched early Wednesday in a remote part of the North Atlantic for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">a submersible</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-9f0e66fc1df5d9f1e8d262dc7ce0135e">vanished while taking five people down</a>&nbsp;to the wreck of the Titanic.

A statement from the U.S. Coast Guard did not elaborate on what rescuers believed the noises could be, though it offered a glimmer of hope for those lost aboard the Titan as estimates suggest as little as a day's worth of oxygen could be left if the vessel is still functioning.

The Coast Guard wrote on Twitter that a Canadian P-3 Orion had “detected underwater noises in the search area.” Searchers then moved an underwater robot to that area to search. However, those searches “have yielded negative results but continue.”

Sound may help, or hinder, search for missing Titanic sub

HALIFIX (AP) —Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time Tuesday to find&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">a missing submersible</a>&nbsp;before the oxygen supply runs out for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">five people</a>&nbsp;who were on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic.

Despite an international rescue effort, U.S. Coast Guard officials said the search covering 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) had turned up no signs of the lost sub known as the Titan, but they planned to continue looking.

Authorities&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-62fadef7a55af0022e3dc75df862a5c1">reported the carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night</a>, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Aboard were a pilot, renowned British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.

The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it put to sea at roughly 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.

That means the oxygen supply could run out Thursday morning.

CBS News journalist David Pogue, who traveled to Titanic aboard the Titan last year, said the vehicle uses two communication systems: text messages that go back and forth to a surface ship and safety pings that are emitted every 15 minutes to indicate that the sub is still working.

Both of those systems stopped about an hour and 45 minutes after the Titan submerged.

"There are only two things that could mean. Either they lost all power or the ship developed a hull breach and it imploded instantly. Both of those are devastatingly hopeless,” Pogue told CBC on Tuesday.

The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon. One system is designed to work even if everyone aboard is unconscious, Pogue said.

Experts said the rescuers face steep challenges.

Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, said submersibles typically have a drop weight, which is “a mass they can release in the case of an emergency to bring them up to the surface using buoyancy.”

“If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found,” Greig said.

Another scenario is a leak in the pressure hull, in which case the prognosis is not good, he said.

“If it has gone down to the seabed and can’t get back up under its own power, options are very limited,” Greig said. “While the submersible might still be intact, if it is beyond the continental shelf, there are very few vessels that can get that deep, and certainly not divers.”

Even if they could go that deep, he doubts rescuers could attach to the submersible.

By Tuesday morning, an area totaling 10,000 square miles had been searched, the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted.

The Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, which was supporting the Titan, was to continue conducting surface searches with help from a Canadian Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, the Coast Guard said on Twitter. Two U.S. Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft also conducted overflights.

The Canadian military dropped sonar buoys to listen for any possible sounds from the Titan.

Concannon, who said he was supposed to be on the dive but could not go, said officials were also working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can dive to a depth of 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) to the site as soon as possible.

OceanGate’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arts-and-entertainment-environment-and-nature-science-f73cc9d0dbced13398bc04bf388e6eba">expeditions to the Titanic wreck site</a>&nbsp;include archaeologists and marine biologists. The company also brings people who pay to come along, known as “mission specialists.” They take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the submersible.

The Coast Guard said Monday that the Titan carried a pilot and four “mission specialists." However, OceanGate's website suggests that the fifth person may be a so-called “content expert” who guides the paying customers.

Authorities have yet to formally identify those on board, though some names have been confirmed, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who, according to the company, was serving as a member of the crew.

Rush told The Associated Press in June 2021 that the Titan’s technology was “very cutting edge” and was developed with the help of NASA and aerospace manufacturers.

“This is the only submersible – crewed submersible – that’s made of carbon fiber and titanium,” Rush said, calling it the “largest carbon fiber structure that we know of,” with 5-inch-thick carbon fiber and 3.25-inch-thick titanium.

Harding, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company where Harding serves as chairman.

Harding is a billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness world records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo descended to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to a family statement. The Dawoods belong to one of Pakistan's most prominent families. Their eponymous firm invests across the country in agriculture, industries and the health sector.

Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.

French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet was also aboard, according to David Gallo, a senior adviser for strategic initiatives and special projects at RMS Titanic. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN.

Greg Stone, a longtime ocean scientist based in California and a friend of Rush, called the lost submersible “a fundamentally new submarine design” that showed great promise for future research. Unlike its predecessors, the Titan was not spherical in shape.

“Stockton was a risk taker. He was smart ... he had a vision. He wanted to push things forward," Stone said.

The expedition was OceanGate’s third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew. Since the wreckage’s discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria.

OceanGate’s website described the “mission support fee” for the 2023 expedition as $250,000 a person.

Recalling his own trip aboard the Titan, Pogue said the vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic.

“There’s no GPS underwater, so the surface ship is supposed to guide the sub to the shipwreck by sending text messages,” Pogue said in a segment aired on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “But on this dive, communications somehow broke down. The sub never found the wreck.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687279790385.png" alt="Photo courtesy Oceangate Expeditions" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Oceangate Expeditions</figcaption>
 </figure>HALIFIX (AP) —Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time Tuesday to find&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">a missing submersible</a>&nbsp;before the oxygen supply runs out for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-shipwreck-titan-submersible-search-deepsea-atlantic-a89dbd2f6d3edd7e4a52566e451a5e6d">five people</a>&nbsp;who were on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/JmH8e47zuI">pic.twitter.com/JmH8e47zuI</a>&mdash; OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) <a href="https://twitter.com/OceanGateExped/status/1670876600152526848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Despite an international rescue effort, U.S. Coast Guard officials said the search covering 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) had turned up no signs of the lost sub known as the Titan, but they planned to continue looking.Authorities&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/titanic-wreckage-missing-submersible-62fadef7a55af0022e3dc75df862a5c1">reported the carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night</a>, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Aboard were a pilot, renowned British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it put to sea at roughly 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.That means the oxygen supply could run out Thursday morning.CBS News journalist David Pogue, who traveled to Titanic aboard the Titan last year, said the vehicle uses two communication systems: text messages that go back and forth to a surface ship and safety pings that are emitted every 15 minutes to indicate that the sub is still working.Both of those systems stopped about an hour and 45 minutes after the Titan submerged."There are only two things that could mean. Either they lost all power or the ship developed a hull breach and it imploded instantly. Both of those are devastatingly hopeless,” Pogue told CBC on Tuesday.The submersible had seven backup systems to return to the surface, including sandbags and lead pipes that drop off and an inflatable balloon. One system is designed to work even if everyone aboard is unconscious, Pogue said.Experts said the rescuers face steep challenges.Alistair Greig, a professor of marine engineering at University College London, said submersibles typically have a drop weight, which is “a mass they can release in the case of an emergency to bring them up to the surface using buoyancy.”“If there was a power failure and/or communication failure, this might have happened, and the submersible would then be bobbing about on the surface waiting to be found,” Greig said.Another scenario is a leak in the pressure hull, in which case the prognosis is not good, he said.“If it has gone down to the seabed and can’t get back up under its own power, options are very limited,” Greig said. “While the submersible might still be intact, if it is beyond the continental shelf, there are very few vessels that can get that deep, and certainly not divers.”Even if they could go that deep, he doubts rescuers could attach to the submersible.By Tuesday morning, an area totaling 10,000 square miles had been searched, the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted.The Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, which was supporting the Titan, was to continue conducting surface searches with help from a Canadian Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, the Coast Guard said on Twitter. Two U.S. Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft also conducted overflights.The Canadian military dropped sonar buoys to listen for any possible sounds from the Titan.Concannon, who said he was supposed to be on the dive but could not go, said officials were also working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can dive to a depth of 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) to the site as soon as possible.OceanGate’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arts-and-entertainment-environment-and-nature-science-f73cc9d0dbced13398bc04bf388e6eba">expeditions to the Titanic wreck site</a>&nbsp;include archaeologists and marine biologists. The company also brings people who pay to come along, known as “mission specialists.” They take turns operating sonar equipment and performing other tasks in the submersible.The Coast Guard said Monday that the Titan carried a pilot and four “mission specialists." However, OceanGate's website suggests that the fifth person may be a so-called “content expert” who guides the paying customers.Authorities have yet to formally identify those on board, though some names have been confirmed, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who, according to the company, was serving as a member of the crew.Rush told The Associated Press in June 2021 that the Titan’s technology was “very cutting edge” and was developed with the help of NASA and aerospace manufacturers.“This is the only submersible – crewed submersible – that’s made of carbon fiber and titanium,” Rush said, calling it the “largest carbon fiber structure that we know of,” with 5-inch-thick carbon fiber and 3.25-inch-thick titanium.Harding, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was one of the mission specialists, according to Action Aviation, a company where Harding serves as chairman.Harding is a billionaire adventurer who holds three Guinness world records, including the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel. In March 2021, he and ocean explorer Victor Vescovo descended to the lowest depth of the Mariana Trench. In June 2022, he went into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.Also on board were Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, according to a family statement. The Dawoods belong to one of Pakistan's most prominent families. Their eponymous firm invests across the country in agriculture, industries and the health sector.Shahzada Dawood also is on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet was also aboard, according to David Gallo, a senior adviser for strategic initiatives and special projects at RMS Titanic. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN.Greg Stone, a longtime ocean scientist based in California and a friend of Rush, called the lost submersible “a fundamentally new submarine design” that showed great promise for future research. Unlike its predecessors, the Titan was not spherical in shape.“Stockton was a risk taker. He was smart ... he had a vision. He wanted to push things forward," Stone said.The expedition was OceanGate’s third annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew. Since the wreckage’s discovery in 1985, it has been slowly succumbing to metal-eating bacteria.OceanGate’s website described the “mission support fee” for the 2023 expedition as $250,000 a person.Recalling his own trip aboard the Titan, Pogue said the vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic.“There’s no GPS underwater, so the surface ship is supposed to guide the sub to the shipwreck by sending text messages,” Pogue said in a segment aired on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “But on this dive, communications somehow broke down. The sub never found the wreck.”___

Coast Guard: Extensive search has yielded no sign of missing sub

NEW YORK (AP) — Check fraud is back in a big way, fueled by a rise in organized crime that is forcing small businesses and individuals to take additional safety measures or to avoid sending checks through the mail altogether.

Banks issued roughly 680,000 reports of check fraud to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, also known as FinCEN, last year. That’s up from 350,000 reports in 2021. Meanwhile the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported roughly 300,000 complaints of mail theft in 2021, more than double the prior year's total.

Early in the pandemic, government relief checks became an attractive target for criminals. The problem has only gotten worse and postal authorities and bank officials are warning Americans to avoid mailing checks if possible, or at least to use a secure mail drop such as inside the post office. Meanwhile, as the cases of fraud increase, victims are waiting longer to recover their stolen money.

Check usage has been in decline for decades as Americans have largely switched to paying for their services with credit and debit cards. Americans wrote roughly 3.4 billion checks in 2022, down from nearly 19 billion checks in 1990, according to the Federal Reserve. However, the average size of the checks Americans write rose from $673 in 1990 — or $1,602 in today's dollars — to $2,652 last year.

“Despite the declining use of checks in the United States, criminals have been increasingly targeting the U.S. Mail since the COVID-19 pandemic to commit check fraud,” FinCEN wrote in an alert sent out in February.

Checks are still frequently used by small businesses. Eric Fischgrund, who runs FischTank PR, a 30-person public relations firm in New York, had about 15 checks that were being mailed to him from clients stolen after they all went through the same Postal Service distribution center. Ten of them were successfully cashed by criminals.

The checks were stolen in March and Fischgrund became aware of the problem in April, when several of his clients who were never late missed payments. The Postal Service investigated and Fischgrund has recovered about 70% of the revenue, but some of the cases haven’t yet been resolved.

According to the investigator on the case, the perpetrators used technology that melted ink in the “to” field of the checks so they could write in fake names. FischTank instructed all its clients to change their paper format because it was dealing with a check fraud issue.

Fischgrund said he’d never previously had an issue with check fraud in the nearly 10 years he has run his own business. Now he has a clause in invoices and new client contracts that asks for electronic payments only.

“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to asking for checks as an option,” he said.

Today’s check fraud criminals are not small operations, or lone individuals like the Leonardo DiCaprio character in the 2002 movie “Catch Me If You Can,” counterfeiting checks from his hotel room and apartment. They are sophisticated criminal operations, with participants infiltrating post office distribution centers, setting up fake businesses or creating fake IDs to deposit the checks. “Walkers,” or people who actually walk in to cash these checks, receive training in how to appear even more legitimate.

In one case in Southern California last year, nearly sixty people were arrested on charges of committing more than $5 million in check fraud against 750 people.

Criminals are getting the checks or identification information by fishing mail out of U.S. postal boxes, looking for envelopes that appear to be either bill payments or checks being mailed.

The most common type of check fraud is what’s known as check washing, where a criminal steals the check from the mail and proceeds to change the payee’s name on the check and, additionally, the amount of money.

Some criminals are going further and using the information found on a check to gather sensitive personal data on a potential victim. There have been reports of criminals creating fake entities out of personal data obtained from a check, or even opening new lines of credit or businesses with that data as well. This allows fraudsters to create new checks using old account data.

That’s why check fraud experts are saying Americans should avoid sending checks in the mail or at least take additional safety steps to avoid becoming a victim.

“If you need to mail a check, do not put a check in your residential mailbox and raise the flag to notify the postman. Drop off checks inside a post office if you have to,” said Todd Robertson with Argo Data, a financial data provider.

Banks, keenly aware of the problem, are increasingly watching for signs of fraud at branches and through mobile check deposit services, including large check deposits. They’re training branch employees to take steps such as looking at check numbers, because checks are typically written in order, or noticing when a check is being written for a much larger amount than the customer’s previous history would indicate. Banks also now deploy software at their branches that can tell how risky a check might be.

But those systems become moot if criminals are able to persuade tellers — often at the front lines for check acceptance — to look past any red flags.

“These fraudsters are much more aggressive than they were in the past, and they are pressuring tellers to override internal systems that might flag a potentially suspicious transaction,” Paul Brenda, a senior vice president at the American Bankers Association.

Banks generally reimburse customers if they are victims of check fraud within days. However, due to the growing number of fraud cases, refunds have slowed down in recent months. In March, a trio of Democratic Senators asked the banking industry to be more prompt in reimbursing victims of check fraud whenever possible.

Another safety tip for businesses is to opt in to a bank’s “positive pay” services with a business checking account. Positive pay means you pre-authorize checks for a certain amount as well as the check number, cutting down criminals’ ability to wash the check and withdraw money for an amount that isn’t pre-authorized.

NEW YORK (AP) — Check fraud is back in a big way, fueled by a rise in organized crime that is forcing small businesses and individuals to take additional safety measures or to avoid sending checks through the mail altogether.Banks issued roughly 680,000 reports of check fraud to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, also known as FinCEN, last year. That’s up from 350,000 reports in 2021. Meanwhile the U.S. Postal Inspection Service reported roughly 300,000 complaints of mail theft in 2021, more than double the prior year's total.Early in the pandemic, government relief checks became an attractive target for criminals. The problem has only gotten worse and postal authorities and bank officials are warning Americans to avoid mailing checks if possible, or at least to use a secure mail drop such as inside the post office. Meanwhile, as the cases of fraud increase, victims are waiting longer to recover their stolen money.Check usage has been in decline for decades as Americans have largely switched to paying for their services with credit and debit cards. Americans wrote roughly 3.4 billion checks in 2022, down from nearly 19 billion checks in 1990, according to the Federal Reserve. However, the average size of the checks Americans write rose from $673 in 1990 — or $1,602 in today's dollars — to $2,652 last year.“Despite the declining use of checks in the United States, criminals have been increasingly targeting the U.S. Mail since the COVID-19 pandemic to commit check fraud,” FinCEN wrote in an alert sent out in February.Checks are still frequently used by small businesses. Eric Fischgrund, who runs FischTank PR, a 30-person public relations firm in New York, had about 15 checks that were being mailed to him from clients stolen after they all went through the same Postal Service distribution center. Ten of them were successfully cashed by criminals.The checks were stolen in March and Fischgrund became aware of the problem in April, when several of his clients who were never late missed payments. The Postal Service investigated and Fischgrund has recovered about 70% of the revenue, but some of the cases haven’t yet been resolved.According to the investigator on the case, the perpetrators used technology that melted ink in the “to” field of the checks so they could write in fake names. FischTank instructed all its clients to change their paper format because it was dealing with a check fraud issue.Fischgrund said he’d never previously had an issue with check fraud in the nearly 10 years he has run his own business. Now he has a clause in invoices and new client contracts that asks for electronic payments only.“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to asking for checks as an option,” he said.Today’s check fraud criminals are not small operations, or lone individuals like the Leonardo DiCaprio character in the 2002 movie “Catch Me If You Can,” counterfeiting checks from his hotel room and apartment. They are sophisticated criminal operations, with participants infiltrating post office distribution centers, setting up fake businesses or creating fake IDs to deposit the checks. “Walkers,” or people who actually walk in to cash these checks, receive training in how to appear even more legitimate.In one case in Southern California last year, nearly sixty people were arrested on charges of committing more than $5 million in check fraud against 750 people.Criminals are getting the checks or identification information by fishing mail out of U.S. postal boxes, looking for envelopes that appear to be either bill payments or checks being mailed.The most common type of check fraud is what’s known as check washing, where a criminal steals the check from the mail and proceeds to change the payee’s name on the check and, additionally, the amount of money.Some criminals are going further and using the information found on a check to gather sensitive personal data on a potential victim. There have been reports of criminals creating fake entities out of personal data obtained from a check, or even opening new lines of credit or businesses with that data as well. This allows fraudsters to create new checks using old account data.That’s why check fraud experts are saying Americans should avoid sending checks in the mail or at least take additional safety steps to avoid becoming a victim.“If you need to mail a check, do not put a check in your residential mailbox and raise the flag to notify the postman. Drop off checks inside a post office if you have to,” said Todd Robertson with Argo Data, a financial data provider.Banks, keenly aware of the problem, are increasingly watching for signs of fraud at branches and through mobile check deposit services, including large check deposits. They’re training branch employees to take steps such as looking at check numbers, because checks are typically written in order, or noticing when a check is being written for a much larger amount than the customer’s previous history would indicate. Banks also now deploy software at their branches that can tell how risky a check might be.But those systems become moot if criminals are able to persuade tellers — often at the front lines for check acceptance — to look past any red flags.“These fraudsters are much more aggressive than they were in the past, and they are pressuring tellers to override internal systems that might flag a potentially suspicious transaction,” Paul Brenda, a senior vice president at the American Bankers Association.Banks generally reimburse customers if they are victims of check fraud within days. However, due to the growing number of fraud cases, refunds have slowed down in recent months. In March, a trio of Democratic Senators asked the banking industry to be more prompt in reimbursing victims of check fraud whenever possible.Another safety tip for businesses is to opt in to a bank’s “positive pay” services with a business checking account. Positive pay means you pre-authorize checks for a certain amount as well as the check number, cutting down criminals’ ability to wash the check and withdraw money for an amount that isn’t pre-authorized.____

Americans warned not to mail checks; check fraud has spiked dramatically

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it won't review North Carolina's decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.

As is typical, the court did not comment in declining to hear the case, which challenged the state's decision. The dispute was one of many the court said Monday it would not hear. It was similar to a case originating in Texas that the court heard in 2015, when it ruled the license plates are state property.

The current dispute stems from North Carolina's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-wilmington-1d605f11ae3b49ea67159202d42b61c0">2021 decision</a>&nbsp;to stop issuing specialty license plates bearing the insignia of the North Carolina chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The chapter sued, claiming that the state's decision violated state and federal law. A lower court dismissed the case, and a federal appeals court agreed with that decision.

North Carolina offers three standard license plates and more than 200 specialty plates. Civic clubs including the Sons of Confederate Veterans can create specialty plates by meeting specific requirements.

In 2021, however, the state Department of Transportation sent the group a letter saying it would "no longer issue or renew specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag or any variation of that flag" because the plates "have the potential to offend those who view them."

The state said it would consider alternate artwork for the plates' design if it does not contain the Confederate flag.

The organization unsuccessfully argued that the state's decision violated its free speech rights under the Constitution's First Amendment and state law governing specialty license plates.

In 2015, the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ Texas chapter claimed Texas was wrong not to issue a specialty license plate with the group's insignia. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f6922e307dd846fc8bffffa16cff654e">Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that Texas could limit the content of license plates because they are state property.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday it won't review North Carolina's decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.As is typical, the court did not comment in declining to hear the case, which challenged the state's decision. The dispute was one of many the court said Monday it would not hear. It was similar to a case originating in Texas that the court heard in 2015, when it ruled the license plates are state property.The current dispute stems from North Carolina's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-wilmington-1d605f11ae3b49ea67159202d42b61c0">2021 decision</a>&nbsp;to stop issuing specialty license plates bearing the insignia of the North Carolina chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The chapter sued, claiming that the state's decision violated state and federal law. A lower court dismissed the case, and a federal appeals court agreed with that decision.North Carolina offers three standard license plates and more than 200 specialty plates. Civic clubs including the Sons of Confederate Veterans can create specialty plates by meeting specific requirements.In 2021, however, the state Department of Transportation sent the group a letter saying it would "no longer issue or renew specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag or any variation of that flag" because the plates "have the potential to offend those who view them."The state said it would consider alternate artwork for the plates' design if it does not contain the Confederate flag.The organization unsuccessfully argued that the state's decision violated its free speech rights under the Constitution's First Amendment and state law governing specialty license plates.In 2015, the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ Texas chapter claimed Texas was wrong not to issue a specialty license plate with the group's insignia. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f6922e307dd846fc8bffffa16cff654e">Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;5-4 that Texas could limit the content of license plates because they are state property.

High Court won't review decision to nix license plates with Confederate flag

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis went to the hospital Wednesday to undergo abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of a narrowing of the large intestine.

The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.

Francis' Fiat 500 car pulled out of the Vatican shortly after 11 a.m. with an escort, and arrived at the Gemelli some 20 minutes later.

The pope is undergoing what the Vatican said was a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” constriction of the intestine.

A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon both diagnose and treat issues. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, which is a hernia that formed over a previous scar.

"The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the statement said. An update was not expected until after the procedure.

Francis remains in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church, even while unconscious and in the hospital.

In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine. He had suffered what the Vatican said was a severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-retirement-papacy-dcca464e7c1fd910568d07d6bf4d9994">In an interview with The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery, had returned.

Francis had come out of the 2021 surgery saying he could eat whatever he wanted, but he lamented that he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthetic used in the longer-than-expected procedure. That reaction in part explained his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year.

The fact that he is going back for surgery suggests he had little choice but to treat the intestinal issue, especially given the rigorous upcoming travel schedule this summer.

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man. He also suffers from sciatica nerve pain. In late March, Francis spent three days at Gemelli for an acute case of bronchitis, during which he was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He emerged April 1 saying “Still alive!”

Francis initially went to the Gemelli on Tuesday for what the Vatican said were medical tests. It revealed no details at the time.

The 86-year-old had appeared in good form Wednesday morning at his audience in St. Peter’s Square, zipping around the square in his popemobile greeting the faithful. He also had two meetings beforehand, the Vatican said.

Francis has had a packed schedule of late, with multiple audiences each day. The Vatican has recently confirmed a travel-filled August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on vacation, with a four-day visit to Portugal the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia starting Aug. 31.

In a sign that the trips were very much on, the Vatican on Tuesday released the planned itinerary for Francis’ visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from Aug. 2-6. The itinerary confirms a typically busy schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit plus multiple events with young people and a day trip to the Marian shrine at Fatima.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603292366279.png" alt="The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.&nbsp;image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.&nbsp;image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — Pope Francis went to the hospital Wednesday to undergo abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal blockage, two years after he had 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his colon removed because of a narrowing of the large intestine.The Vatican said Francis, 86, would be put under general anesthesia for the procedure Wednesday afternoon and would be hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli hospital for several days.Francis' Fiat 500 car pulled out of the Vatican shortly after 11 a.m. with an escort, and arrived at the Gemelli some 20 minutes later.The pope is undergoing what the Vatican said was a “laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis” to treat a “recurrent, painful and worsening” constriction of the intestine.A laparotomy is open abdominal surgery. It can help a surgeon both diagnose and treat issues. The statement said Francis was suffering from a blocked laparocele, which is a hernia that formed over a previous scar."The stay at the health facility will last several days to allow for the normal post-operative course and full functional recovery,” the statement said. An update was not expected until after the procedure.Francis remains in charge of the Vatican and the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church, even while unconscious and in the hospital.In July 2021, Francis spent 10 days at Gemelli to remove 33 centimeters (13 inches) of his large intestine. He had suffered what the Vatican said was a severe inflammation and narrowing of the colon.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-retirement-papacy-dcca464e7c1fd910568d07d6bf4d9994">In an interview with The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;in January, Francis said the diverticulosis, or bulges in his intestinal wall, that had prompted the 2021 surgery, had returned.Francis had come out of the 2021 surgery saying he could eat whatever he wanted, but he lamented that he hadn’t responded well to the general anesthetic used in the longer-than-expected procedure. That reaction in part explained his refusal to have surgery to repair strained knee ligaments that have forced him to use a wheelchair and walker for over a year.The fact that he is going back for surgery suggests he had little choice but to treat the intestinal issue, especially given the rigorous upcoming travel schedule this summer.The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed when he was a young man. He also suffers from sciatica nerve pain. In late March, Francis spent three days at Gemelli for an acute case of bronchitis, during which he was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He emerged April 1 saying “Still alive!”Francis initially went to the Gemelli on Tuesday for what the Vatican said were medical tests. It revealed no details at the time.The 86-year-old had appeared in good form Wednesday morning at his audience in St. Peter’s Square, zipping around the square in his popemobile greeting the faithful. He also had two meetings beforehand, the Vatican said.Francis has had a packed schedule of late, with multiple audiences each day. The Vatican has recently confirmed a travel-filled August, when the Holy See and Italy are usually on vacation, with a four-day visit to Portugal the first week of August and a similarly long trip to Mongolia starting Aug. 31.In a sign that the trips were very much on, the Vatican on Tuesday released the planned itinerary for Francis’ visit to Portugal for World Youth Day events from Aug. 2-6. The itinerary confirms a typically busy schedule that includes all the protocol meetings of an official state visit plus multiple events with young people and a day trip to the Marian shrine at Fatima.

Pope Francis to undergo intestinal surgery

NEW YORK (AP) — Customers of Chase's online banking services were seeing double transactions, fees and/or payments in their accounts, with the situation not immediately being resolved as of early afternoon on Friday.

Numerous Chase customers were posting on social media that their rent or bill payments were taken out of their accounts twice and reporting hold times with customer service approaching more than an hour. The New York-based bank is one of the country’s largest financial institutions with millions of online customers.

Transactions over Zelle, the bank’s own peer-to-peer payment service, were also being impacted with Chase customers.

“We’re sorry that some customers are seeing duplicate transactions and fees on their checking account," a Chase spokesperson said. "We’re working to resolve the issue and will automatically reverse any duplicates and adjust any related fees."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1685732600807.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Customers of Chase's online banking services were seeing double transactions, fees and/or payments in their accounts, with the situation not immediately being resolved as of early afternoon on Friday.Numerous Chase customers were posting on social media that their rent or bill payments were taken out of their accounts twice and reporting hold times with customer service approaching more than an hour. The New York-based bank is one of the country’s largest financial institutions with millions of online customers.Transactions over Zelle, the bank’s own peer-to-peer payment service, were also being impacted with Chase customers.“We’re sorry that some customers are seeing duplicate transactions and fees on their checking account," a Chase spokesperson said. "We’re working to resolve the issue and will automatically reverse any duplicates and adjust any related fees."Online banking services, while usually reliable, sometimes spectacularly fail or have temporary outages that tend to spook their customers. Banks typically will resolve an error in their services within hours, and no customer is liable for any errors in their accounts that occur when these happen.

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