An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Michigan’s primary results; Apple’s electric car project; why the moon mission is ending early; and more

Good morning. It's Wednesday, Feb. 28, and we're sad we missed the chance to visit this disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event. Now let's get to the news.

For the Republicans: Trump defeated former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley for the sixth time. Haley no longer seems to be arguing that she can win the nomination.
For the Democrats: Biden faced a notable challenge from more than 100,000 voters who selected "uncommitted" on their ballots to protest his handling of the Gaza war.
Next week: Eighteen states and territories will hold primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday. Haley has said she'll stick it out through then.

What's happening? A partial shutdown will begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if lawmakers don't pass new funding legislation. It would impact key services and thousands of federal workers.
The latest: Congressional leaders sounded optimistic about a deal yesterday. But lawmakers are struggling to agree on sending more aid to fund Ukraine's war with Russia.

What are they? Devices that modify semiautomatic rifles to fire hundreds of bullets per minute. Trump moved to ban them after a shooter killed dozens of people in Las Vegas in 2017.
Today: The court will hear arguments about whether federal officials correctly classified bump stocks as machine guns, which have been prohibited by federal law since 1986.

The details: The Smokehouse Creek Fire ignited Monday afternoon in the Texas panhandle. It has burned more than 300,000 acres, forcing residents to evacuate yesterday.
What's driving it? Abnormal temperatures hit the southern plains in the past week, with highs in the 80s and 90s. It's linked to a powerful storm system sweeping northern states.

Why? The Odysseus spacecraft, which last week became the first U.S. vehicle to land on the moon since 1972, is dying on its side after coming in sideways and too fast.
It's not all bad news: The mission was still a significant step in NASA's quest to send humans back to the moon. And Odysseus managed to send back some scientific data.

What to know: For years, Apple has poured resources into its effort to create an electric car with autonomous capabilities. It had recently ramped up testing of the vehicles.
What's new? Staff were told yesterday that "Project Titan" is winding down so they can focus on artificial intelligence efforts. It could end years of speculation about the cars.

What that means: The price of your burger or Frosty may go up or down during the day depending on demand. The fast-food chain said its experiment will begin in 2025.
Why? It could get more customers to come during off-peak hours. But anyone who has bought a plane or concert ticket recently will be wary of these shifting prices.