An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Protests break out in Israel; Trump’s attacks on Biden; a book bound in human skin; and more

2024/04/01

The 7: Protests break out in Israel; Trump’s attacks on Biden; a book bound in human skin; and more

Read online

By Jamie Ross
with John Taylor

Listen to this briefing

Good morning. It's Monday, April 1, also known as April Fools' Day. So be careful about what you're reading today — but I promise you're in good hands here. Now let's catch up from the weekend.

Tens of thousands of protesters flooded Israel's streets this weekend.

Why? They're calling for immediate elections and for the government to urgently negotiate the release of about 100 hostages still held by Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack.
Why it matters: It could become the greatest threat yet to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under growing pressure over Israel's brutal war in Gaza.

Read this story

The effort to remove the ruins of Baltimore's collapsed bridge is underway.

Yesterday: Demolition crews cut parts of the north side of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed last week after it was hit by a cargo ship. The ship's crew remains on board.
What else to know: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, has been the target of racist attacks after the bridge collapse thrust him into the national spotlight.

Read this story

Donald Trump attacked President Biden for noting Transgender Day of Visibility.

Why? The event, which falls on March 31 each year, happened to coincide with Easter Sunday this year. The former president cast the coincidence as an attack on Easter.
In other Trump news: He shared an image Friday of Biden with his hands and feet tied — the latest example of the increasingly violent messaging of his presidential campaign.

Read this story

A major storm is sweeping the country.

A model simulation of storms today and tomorrow. (WeatherBell)

This weekend: It brought thunderstorms and mountain snow to California. Part of Highway 1 collapsed and tumbled into the ocean near Big Sur, stranding travelers.
Today and tomorrow: The storm will move through Central and Eastern states, bringing the threat of snowstorms, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Read this story

Data from 73 million AT&T accounts appears to have been leaked.

The breach: Data, including Social Security numbers and addresses linked to current and former AT&T accounts, was leaked onto the dark web, the company said Saturday.
If you're affected: Look out for unusual activity on your accounts. AT&T said it reset the passcodes of 7.6 million current customers.

Read this story

The men's NCAA basketball Final Four is set.

Who's in? No. 1 seeds Connecticut and Purdue, and Alabama and N.C. State, which upset Duke yesterday for its ninth consecutive win. The Final Four games are Saturday in Arizona.
In the women's bracket: South Carolina and N.C. State clinched Final Four spots. N.C. State upset Texas yesterday on a court with different-length three-point lines on each side.
Tonight: It's a national title game rematch with a Final Four spot on the line. Coach Kim Mulkey and LSU face Iowa and leading scorer Caitlin Clark (7:15 p.m. Eastern on ESPN).

Read this story

Harvard removed human skin from the binding of a 19th-century book.

Its grisly history: In the 1880s, the book was gifted to a doctor, who bound it in skin he acquired as a medical student. Over the years, it inspired hazing rituals at the university.
The latest: The binding was removed over ethical concerns, Harvard said last week. It's figuring out what to do with the skin, which came from a female psychiatric patient.

Read this story