U.S. sends more weapons to Israel as calls for cease-fire grow
The U.S. is sending a fresh round of bombs to Israel, two senior administration officials told NBC News, undermining the Biden administration’s public frustration with how the Israeli government is handling the war.
U.S. officials said Israel has provided Washington with assurances that it is using American-supplied weapons within the laws of war, but there’s growing international scrutiny of Israel’s tactics in Gaza and a mounting civilian death toll.
Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks loaded with food and medical aid have been sitting idle on the roads heading into Gaza, as a senior humanitarian official accused the Israeli government of blocking lifesaving supplies from reaching the devastated enclave.
Members of an NBC News team at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt saw hundreds of vehicles on the road, as well as some in a parking area and more at a tunnel crossing in Ismailia, roughly three hours and 125 miles from the border crossing.
Bridge collapse poses the first major challenge for a Democratic rising star
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a political newcomer elected in 2022, has been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, with his name already floated as a possible future presidential contender.
After the bridge collapse in Baltimore killed six people and shut down an international port, he faces a major test in the national spotlight.
Moore allies and Democratic strategists argue that the governor is uniquely positioned to address a complex crisis. “Nobody ever wants to be a crisis governor,” one strategist told NBC News. “But it’s part of the job.”
The governor has repeatedly said reopening the port is one of the main priorities, as thousands of workers linked to the critical shipping hub face an uncertain future.
King Charles makes first major public appearance since cancer diagnosis
King Charles III attended an Easter Sunday service at the chapel in Windsor Castle on Sunday — his first major event since he was diagnosed with cancer in February.
Charles, 75, was accompanied by Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family at the Gothic-style St. George’s Chapel for the traditional annual engagement.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, was not in attendance. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby mentioned both Kate’s and the king’s cancer diagnoses at the top of his Easter sermon.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis appeared healthy and in good spirits as he waved at crowds gathered for Easter services in Vatican City, after battling frequent bouts of bronchitis, cold and flu for the past few months.
They came for Florida’s sun and sand. They got soaring costs and a culture war.
Hundreds of thousands of new residents have flocked to Florida with the promise of beautiful weather and no income tax.
But nearly 500,000 left in 2022, according to the most recent census data. Why have so many people left the Sunshine State?
More than a dozen recent transplants and longtime residents said soaring insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather contributed to their move.
“You’ve got to take your vacation goggles off,” said Barb Carter, who left Florida after a year. “It was very falsely promoted. Once living there, I thought, you know, this isn’t all you guys have cracked this up to be, at all.”
Meet the Press
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said on “Meet the Press” Sunday it’s possible Rep. Mike Johnson could lose the speakership if he moves to pass Ukraine aid in the House.
Bacon favors some support for Ukraine and highlighted his partnership with Democrats on an aid bill.
“We have one or two people that are not team players. They’d rather enjoy the limelight, the social media,” he told Kristen Welker, though he did not name any members.
Bacon also suggested that Democrats could join several Republicans in helping to save Johnson’s speakership.
You can watch the full interview here.
Politics in brief
- Israel-Hamas war: Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said this week that the conflict in Gaza should be over quickly “like Nagasaki and Hiroshima.”
- Easter controversy: Several conservative outlets accused the White House of banning religious themes from the children’s egg decorating contest — even though that guidance predates the Biden administration, according to the first lady’s office.
- Afghanistan claims: Former President Donald Trump has said many Americans are still in Afghanistan “probably as hostages.” U.S. officials say they’re trying to free two U.S. citizens jailed there.
An NBC News report helped a lung cancer patient get a lifesaving transplant
As a pulmonologist, Dr. Gary Gibbon never expected to be diagnosed with lung disease himself. After months of aggressive treatment with chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy, the cancer shrunk, but his lungs were sustaining irreversible damage. His doctors determined that Gibbon had exhausted his treatment options.
That’s when he remembered an NBC News report on a groundbreaking treatment for late-stage lung cancer patients: the first-ever double lung transplants, which were successfully performed on two patients.
His health was failing when he asked his doctors to refer him to Northwestern Medicine’s DREAM Program, featured in the report — and the surgical team agreed to admit him.
Six months after undergoing a double lung and liver transplant, Gibbon is now cancer-free.
Some ‘buy now, pay later’ users are warning others away
“Buy now, pay later” services can be convenient, but many users have turned away in alarm after racking up thousands of dollars in debt.
One mother was so reliant on it she spent $800 for a day trip to the beach with her son. “I was just seeing my paycheck continually eaten up, and I was like, ‘Where’s my money going?’” she said.
As BNPL usage soars, financial experts and researchers have raised alarms about risky spending on the platforms, even though they can often be used responsibly.
“I’m sure there are people who use it well, but on average, we feel it kind of replaces the credit card,” one accounting professor said. “People are consuming extra. There’s just no way around it.”
Trans people share how their lives have changed
Sunday is Transgender Day of Visibility, and NBC News asked transgender people from across the country to share how their life satisfaction has changed after transition.
Out of two dozen respondents, all but one said they feel more joy in their lives.
“I was so broken and uncertain, and now I have a profound sense of relief, empowerment and alignment with how I feel and being the best human possible,” said Criss Smith, a substitute teacher for the New York City Department of Education.
Christina Angelica Piña, a consultant living in California, said being trans can be difficult, but that “underneath this pain, this is an unfettered joy, power and beauty.”
In case you missed it
- Seven children, all between the ages of 12 and 17, were injured in a shooting outside a mall in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday night, police said.
- A Missouri teenager who was brutally beaten near a high school is out of the intensive care unit, but has limited speech and trouble walking on her own, an attorney for the family said.
- A 26-year-old Black, pregnant mother of four was found dead near a Kansas City, Missouri, park last month. Her family wants to know why the police investigation has stalled.
- The Merrie Monarch Festival in Hawaii, a weeklong cultural event that includes a hula competition, will include a tribute to the Lahaina wildfire victims.
- AT&T is investigating a leak earlier this month that dumped customer data for millions on the dark web, including personal information such as Social Security numbers.
- A hormonal condition that affects millions of women is difficult for doctors to diagnose and treat. Here’s why.
- Even as some parts of the world invest in greener infrastructure and move away from cars, the U.S. is continuing to fund and expand highways.
- The upcoming solar eclipse presents a rare opportunity for astrophysicists to study the sun using probes and high-altitude planes.
- The Powerball jackpot is now almost at $1 billion for Monday night’s drawing.