|
Extreme Climate II: Record-Breaking March Heatwave, Intensified by Climate Change, Continues to Shatter Records Across the US (Climate Central)
Hundreds of high-temperature records across the western half of the United States were broken last week as an early-season heatwave, driven by human-caused climate change, brought July-like heat to millions of people across the western US.
The impacts are not over — expect to see this early burst of warmth have lasting impacts into the summer months, Climate Central writes.
Cuba Lifeline: Russian Oil Shipment Buys US and Cuba Time as Crisis Festers (Bloomberg)
Russia’s delivery of crude to fuel-starved Cuba temporarily staves off a full-blown humanitarian crisis, with other countries trying to parse Donald Trump’s decision to allow the shipment to reach the island.
Diplomatic Reset: US Reopens Embassy in Venezuela After Seven Years (Politico)
The United States is resuming operations at its embassy in Caracas after a seven-year hiatus, citing a “new chapter” in diplomatic ties with Venezuela, the State Department said Monday.
Temporary Travel Relief: Long Airport Waits Ease After TSA Workers Receive Backpay (Bloomberg)
Airport wait times in Houston and Atlanta have eased after Transportation Security Administration officers received most of their missed pay.
However, the stalemate isn’t over. Congress recessed for a two-week break on Friday after failing to reconcile differences between separate House and Senate bills to fund DHS. The Senate proposal would fund most of the department, excluding the immigration agencies at the center of the debate over their aggressive tactics, while the House version would fund all of the department, but only through May 22.
Asia Routes Reopen: China Resumes Direct Flights to North Korea after 6 Years (Associated Press)
China’s flag carrier resumed direct flights between Beijing and North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang on Monday not long after the restoration of passenger train
services between the capitals. Flights and passenger trains to North Korea had been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Tech Dealquake: SpaceX's Monster IPO is Unlike Anything We've Seen (Axios)
SpaceX is preparing to launch the largest IPO of all time — with expectations that it could raise more than all US listings in 2024 and 2025.
The Elon Musk-led rocket and satellite company reportedly wants to raise around $75 billion at a $1.75 trillion valuation. Wall Street is understandably giddy, Axios writes. But what it's about to pitch investors is unprecedented, and could impact how (or if) OpenAI and Anthropic go public later this year.
Tomorrow in Space: What Is Artemis II? The NASA Mission to Fly Astronauts Around the Moon (Wall Street Journal)
It’s go time for the highest-stakes mission at NASA in more than 50 years.
On April 1, the agency is set to launch four astronauts around the moon, the deepest human spaceflight since the final Apollo lunar landing in 1972. The launch window for Artemis II, as the mission is called, opens at 6:24 p.m. ET.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration teams have been preparing the vehicles to depart from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on the planned roughly 10-day trip. Crew members have trained for years for this moment.
This Week in US College Basketball: Final Four Matchups Are Set in Men’s and Women’s Tournaments, Title Chases Enter Final Stretch (New York Times - The Athletic)
The road to the title is down to its final turns, with the men’s and women’s Final Four fields now coming into focus ahead of this weekend’s semifinals.
On the men’s side, Illinois, UConn, Arizona and Michigan are headed to Indianapolis, where Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will meet Arizona. On the women’s side, the road to Phoenix will include South Carolina vs. UConn and Texas vs. UCLA.
And off the court, Bloomberg’s Brackets for a Cause competition adds another layer of stakes to March Madness.
For the eleventh year, leaders from the worlds of business and finance are taking their best shot at the perfect bracket, with more than $1.2 million in charitable giving on the line through an initiative started by former Bloomberg chairman Peter Grauer.
Half of the total pot will go to the charities backed by the top three men’s brackets, and the other half to the top three on the women’s side, as the race tracks toward the Final Fours in Indianapolis and Phoenix.
A look at the current leaderboard: the men’s top five are Jeffrey Talpins of Element Capital Management, Connor Teskey of Brookfield Asset Management, Jeff Smith of Starboard Value, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, and George Walker of Neuberger Berman. On the women’s side, the top five are Bill Ford of General Atlantic, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Debra Cafaro of Ventas, Peter Grauer, and Jeff Perlman of Warburg Pincus.
|
