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Monday, March 25, 2024

3/25 WAKE-UP CALL: Russian Terror Toll Reaches 137


Russia held a national day of mourning on Sunday after the terrorist attack that killed at least 137 people in Moscow, as officials continue to suggest a Ukrainian role in the massacre claimed by Islamic State. The investigation of the crime scene continues, the state investigation committee said on Telegram. So far 62 bodies have been identified. BRussians lined up to donate blood, and many added flowers and candles to a makeshift shrine outside the Crocus City Hall on the edge of Moscow. President Vladimir Putin lit a candle for the victims in a church at his state residence west of the capital, according to the Kremlin.

Amid heightened security at major airports and railway stations, people gathered in memory of the victims across the country. TV channels canceled entertainment programming in a mark of respect.BPutin said in a televised address on Saturday that security services had captured four suspects who he said were trying to flee to Ukraine. While he didn’t directly accuse Ukrainian authorities of involvement in the attack, Putin said a “window” had been prepared for the men to cross the border, without offering evidence.

A 15-year-old boy is being credited with saving over 100 people he led away from the terrorist massacre at a Moscow concert hall on Friday. The teen, Islam Khalilov, works as a cloakroom attendant at the Crocus City Hall, where the shooting took place. His familiarity with the building allowed him to act quickly to guide terrified concertgoers to safety, preventing further deaths in Friday's massacre. "At first we heard some strange sounds on the first floor. We thought maybe some noisy group had come," he explained later in an interview, according to the Daily Mail. "I understood that if I didn't react, I would lose my life and the lives of many people," he added "Honestly, it was very scary."

➤HOUSE SPEAKER NEEDS DEMOCRATS: Speaker Mike Johnson can’t run the House without the Democrats. The House has been functioning more like an informal coalition government than a GOP-run chamber, with Johnson buffeted by warring factions within his own party and dependent on Democrats to pass major legislation—which has already led to a threat to his leadership. The state of play has broad implications for Congress, both in limiting what kinds of legislation can be passed and putting Republicans’ agenda at the mercy of their political opponents. The coalition could be called into action again soon with the chamber expected to take on long-stalled legislation funding Ukraine and Israel.

➤GAZA FACES ENDLESS WAR:  Israeli forces are fighting in a growing number of places in the strip that they previously took and withdrew from. Israel’s war effort in Gaza has been hampered by the lack of a plan for how to stabilize the enclave after suppressing Hamas’s fighters. Without a civil authority to restore order, security and basic services, swaths of Gaza have descended into anarchy. This is impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid, contributing to a growing hunger crisis. With no end to the war in sight, the pattern of repeatedly raiding Gazan hospitals and neighborhoods is turning into an endless ordeal for civilians and a source of growing diplomatic tensions between Israel and its allies. 

📺MSNBC HAS NO PLANS TO RONNA McDANIEL: President Rashida Jones told employees there were no plans to have the former Republican National Committee chairwoman on the cable network, seeking to address internal backlash in the wake of an internal Friday announcement by NBC News regarding McDaniel’s hiring as an on-air contributor. 


MSNBC is part of the NBC News division. A number of MSNBC anchors and producers have voiced concern internally about McDaniel’s ties to former President Donald Trump and the RNC’s role in his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. 

➤SCOTUS CONSIDERS ABORTION PILL RESTRICTIONS: The Supreme Court considers restrictions on an abortion pill. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will take up a case that could roll back access to the abortion pill known as mifepristone, as women increasingly rely on medication to end unwanted pregnancies. At issue in this case is whether the Food and Drug Administration acted reasonably in adopting rules that have made it easier to obtain the drug since 2016. The ruling, expected by July, could affect abortion access for a great number of women. It will also land in the middle of the election season and has the potential to shake up races.

💸MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT SOARS PAST $1B: With no big winners so far this year, the Mega Millions jackpot soared past the $1 billion mark ahead of Tuesday’s drawing. Not a single lotto participant nabbed a ticket with all six numbers pulled Friday night: 3, 8, 31, 35, 44 and Mega Ball 16. It marked the 30th consecutive drawing without a big winner, stretching all the way back to Dec. 8, when a prize of $394 million was claimed by a pair of players in California. Friday’s drawing did however yield “2,564,114 winning tickets across all prize tiers,” five of which matched five winning numbers for a $1 million prize, Mega Millions said. Another player in Virginia also snagged a $3 million pot by activating the Megaplier. Should someone successfully match all six numbers pulled Tuesday, they’ll claim a $1.1 billion jackpot, which comes with a lump-sum cash option estimated to be worth $525.8 million. It would be the fifth largest prize in the history of the game, according to the lottery.



🏀MARCH MADNESS: The 2024 NCAA Tournament began with 68 teams last week, and the bracket has now been reduced to the Sweet 16. With regional semifinal matchups set as the second round has concluded, scouting work has already begun for the teams that are just two wins away from reaching the Final Four in Phoenix.UConn, North Carolina, Gonzaga and Duke are back in the Sweet 16 as familiar faces, while NC State, Marquette and Illinois are making their long-awaited return to the second weekend of the tournament. Illinois last reached the Sweet 16 in 2005 -- the same year the program appeared in the national title game. 


The theme of Saturday in the second round was lower seeds taking care of business. Gonzaga was the only upset from a seeding perspective on Saturday; the Bulldogs were actually the betting favorite against a shorthanded Kansas team. Sunday of second-round action saw similar results. Clemson defeated Baylor 72-64 in the lone upset of the day from a seeding standpoint. Purdue, Duke and UConn cruised to double-digit victories to set up intriguing showdowns for the second weekend.

🏀CAITLIN THE COMPLAINER: Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes got the job done on Saturday, advancing to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. But for much of the first half, the Iowa Hawkeyes All-American star was not happy with the officiating. Clark complained several times during the game. At one point, her dad had to yell at her to stop. The moment went viral.


⚾OHTANI TO BREAK SILENCE: As reporters huddled around Ohtani’s new locker in the Dodgers home clubhouse Sunday, the two-time MVP emerged briefly before the team’s Freeway Series game against the Angels and said he would address reporters Monday. A Dodgers public relations official later confirmed the plan, which would mark Ohtani’s first public comments since The LA Times first reported Thursday that he was allegedly the victim of a “massive theft” by his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

⚾MLB PROBING OHTANI: As the gambling scandal surrounding his friend and interpreter swirled around baseball on Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani stayed silent. He exited Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, without addressing the reporters clamoring to better understand the circumstances behind his representatives alleging that Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s closest companion since arriving in Major League Baseball in 2018, had committed “massive theft” and stolen a reported sum of at least $4.5 million to pay off debts to an alleged illegal bookmaker. The cone of silence creates a void that has been filled by rumor, innuendo and conjecture. The coming days may fill the void, as the Dodgers return to the United States and federal authorities continue to examine the operation of Mathew Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker in Southern California who took the bets placed by Mizuhara and accepted wire-transfer payments from Ohtani, according to ESPN.

Kim Mulkey
🏀LSU HOOPS COACH THREATENS TO SUE WAPO: Kim Mulkey, the head coach of LSU women’s basketball, has publicly threatened legal action against The Washington Post. She expressed her frustration over the paper’s alleged pursuit of a “hit piece” about her. According to Mulkey, The Washington Post has spent two years working on this profile, and recently, they presented her with a tight deadline for answering their questions—right before her team was set to compete in the women’s NCAA Tournament. She didn’t mince words, saying, “I’m fed up, and I’m not going to let The Washington Post attack this university, this awesome team of young women I have, or me without a fight.” Mulkey has even hired a top defamation law firm and vowed to sue if the paper publishes a false story about her.

⚾ORIOLES OWNER DEAD AT 94: Peter Angelos, the longtime owner of the Baltimore Orioles, died on Saturday after a lengthy illness. In the weeks before Angelos’ death, his family carried out one of his last wishes: to sell the team. 


➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP:




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