An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Nikki Haley to drop out; bitcoin’s record high; the man who got 217 coronavirus shots; and more

2024/03/06

Good morning. It's Wednesday, March 6, and we hope you were able to cope during the big Facebook and Instagram outage. Now let's get to the news.

Why? Donald Trump won primaries in more than a dozen states on Super Tuesday. Haley notched a victory in Vermont, but is set to announce the end of her run this morning.
What it means: Trump has no major challengers for the nomination. That sets up a November rematch with President Biden, who won almost every Democratic contest yesterday. (Full results here.)
What else to know: Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey advanced in the Senate race to replace the late Dianne Feinstein in California.

Why? The independent, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, faced an uphill battle to keep her seat. Her decision could help determine which party controls the Senate next year.
In other Senate news: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and his wife were charged with extortion and obstruction of justice yesterday, adding to his foreign bribery case.

The plan: The White House wanted Olena Zelenska to sit near Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, at Biden's address in Congress tomorrow.
Why did she reject it? Her office blamed schedule conflicts. But Navalny has a complicated legacy in Ukraine for saying that Crimea, annexed in 2014, belonged to Russia.

The latest: Talks to pause fighting in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan are underway in Egypt. A deadly incident at an aid convoy last week added urgency to the talks.
What else to know: Starbucks stores, which are facing boycotts linked to the ongoing war in Gaza, are laying off 2,000 workers in the Middle East and North Africa.

How high? The cryptocurrency's price passed $69,000 yesterday. Its previous peak of about $64,000 in November 2021 was fueled by a pandemic-era trading boom.
Why it's spiking: In January, federal regulators allowed bitcoin to be traded in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. That made it more mainstream — and easier to trade.

What to know: The 62-year-old "hypervaccinated" man in Germany did not harm his immune system, a new study found. Instead, he had more immune cells and antibodies.
Why'd he do it? For "private reasons," the man said. He was investigated for fraud but won't face charges. And the researchers said they "do not endorse" his strategy.

Colin Firth as Fitzwilliam Darcy. (Courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions)

What you're looking at: Colin Firth wearing a white linen shirt, clinging to his body after he emerges from a lake, in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice."
It could have been yours: The (now dry) costume, which launched Firth to heartthrob status, fetched more than $25,000 at an auction for charity in London yesterday.

And finally … test your news knowledge with The Post's daily quiz, On the Record. Click here to play. Or try our word game, Keyword.

You're all caught up. See you tomorrow.