On Thursday, the French National Assembly descended into chaos as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne attempted to be heard over chants from lawmakers protesting President Emmanuel Macron's decision to invoke a special constitutional power to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Macron argued the reform is necessary to prevent the pension system from falling into deficit, but the government does not have enough support to pass the bill in the lower house. This has sparked major strikes and protests across the country, and the National Assembly was due to vote on the bill Thursday afternoon to determine the future of the pension system in France.
News Mash
A special grand jury in Georgia has revealed that former President Donald Trump called then-Georgia House Speaker David Ralston after the 2020 elections to try to overturn Joe Biden's victory. Five jurors listened to a recording of the call, during which Ralston "basically cut the president off". Sen. Lindsey Graham also testified, saying that Trump would have believed "if somebody had told Trump that aliens came down and stole Trump ballots". The investigation is ongoing, but the jurors' revelations provide insight into Trump's state of mind after the election.
Ke Huy Quan, the second Asian to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, reflected on his family's journey to flee Vietnam in the 1970s. He, his father, and five siblings escaped in a boat and were granted political asylum after a year in a refugee camp. Quan's win is a testament to the resilience of his family and the power of the human spirit, and serves as a reminder of the struggles of refugees around the world.
Scientists have discovered a shocking new form of pollution on Brazil's Trindade Island: "plastiglomerates", rocks made from plastic debris. Fernanda Avelar Santos and her team ran chemical tests to find out what kind of plastics are in the rocks, and the results showed a mixture of sedimentary granules and other debris held together. This discovery is a sign of the increasing amount of plastic pollution in the environment, and the researchers are now working to understand the implications and look into ways to reduce plastic pollution.
Joshua Isaac Nichols, son of Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols, has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and armed robbery in Las Vegas, avoiding a trial and resulting in a minimum of five years in prison. Hundreds of people gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the bombing, which killed 168 people. Joshua and his co-defendant, George William Moya III, face a maximum of life in prison when they are sentenced on April 16 and 19 respectively.
The CDC has released preliminary data showing that the number of maternal deaths in the United States has dropped significantly from a six-decade high in 2021. Though the final number is likely to be higher, the maternal death rate is on track to get close to pre-pandemic levels. The CDC is urging pregnant women to take extra precautions to protect themselves and their babies during the pandemic, and is committed to providing the latest information and guidance to help protect them.
Two Iowa residents, Megan K. Staude, 25, and her father Rodney A. Staude, 64, have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a newborn baby. The baby was found in a ditch near Norwalk on March 1st, and an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death. If convicted, the Staudes could face life in prison, and the case has sparked a conversation about the importance of providing resources for pregnant women and new mothers.
The U.S. military has released footage of a mid-air encounter between a Russian fighter jet and a US drone that ended with the drone crashing into the Black Sea, raising tensions between the two countries. The U.S. has called on Russia to investigate the incident and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future, while a senior Russian official has said Moscow would try to recover the wreckage of the drone. U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley has said the unmanned aerial vehicle had likely broken during the crash and whatever debris was left likely sank to a depth of thousands of feet in the Black Sea.