News
Ohio Senate primary stakes and Princess Kate spotted in new video: Morning Rundown
A heated Senate GOP primary in Ohio will be a referendum on Donald Trump. New research suggests an intermittent fasting diet could be risky. And Princess Kate is spotted out and about after weeks of online speculation about her health.
Here’s what to know today.
The Senate race that’s also a referendum on Trump
Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan are leading the pack in today’s Ohio Senate Republican primary, and while Gov. Mike DeWine says the race is only about who will represent the state, it is widely seen as a referendum on former President Donald Trump.
Moreno, a wealthy businessman, heads into today’s race with support from Trump and his allies, who warn a vote for Dolan is a vote against the MAGA movement. The days leading up to the race have been full of attacks as Trump, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio barnstormed the state to campaign for Moreno.
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Dolan, whose family owns the Major League Baseball franchise in Cleveland, enjoys the support of DeWine and has painted himself as a champion of Trump policies but with a much milder personality than the former president.
The primary sets up a face-off in November against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown that many see as a toss-up.
Reporters Henry J. Gomez and Emma Barnett recap the campaigns’ road to the primary. Read the full story here.
More 2024 elections coverage:
- Other elections today in Ohio and Illinois will set the stage for pivotal House battleground races this fall. Here are four dynamics to watch.
Supreme Court keeps blocking Texas immigration law
The Supreme Court extended a temporary block on a new Texas immigration law indefinitely, giving justices more time to determine the next steps to take. The Biden administration is challenging the law known as SB4, which would allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border from Mexico and impose criminal penalties. The law was originally due to go into effect this month, but Justice Samuel Alito has now stepped in three times to ensure a lower court ruling remains on hold.
On Monday, the Supreme Court also rejected a bid by former Trump adviser Peter Navarro to avoid reporting to prison (which he’s expected to do today) to serve a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena.
Justices also rejected an appeal by “Cowboys for Trump” co-founder Cody Griffin, who lost his job as a county commissioner in New Mexico over his role in the Jan. 6 riot. Griffin’s case concerned the same constitutional provision that Trump successfully argued in a separate case could not be used to throw him off the ballot in Colorado.
In Haiti, stranded Americans evacuated and power stations attacked
At least 13 people were evacuated from Haiti over the weekend as security concerns mount and the shutdown of the country’s primary airport leave foreigners stranded, Rep. Cory Mills of Florida confirmed yesterday. Among them was Miriam Cinotti, a missionary who had been in Haiti for 14 years. She said she spent the past three weeks stranded in a remote village and described the challenges of coordinating her own evacuation.
In Port-au-Prince, armed groups broke into four electrical substations and left them “completely dysfunctional” by taking electrical installations, batteries, computer and office equipment and important documents, the country’s power company said. Now, several areas in and around the city are without power, including the entrance to the U.S. embassy.
Research suggests perils of intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting, a diet that involves alternating between fasting and eating, might not be as good for heart health as previously thought, according to a new analysis. Research presented this week at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions found that people who restricted food consumption to less than eight hours per day had a 91% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over a period of eight years, relative to people who ate across 12 to 16 hours.
It’s too early to make specific recommendations about intermittent fasting based on this research alone, a co-author said, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal. Also, some experts said they found the analysis too narrow.
New video released as search for Riley Strain continues
Nashville police have released a new video showing Riley Strain on the night he disappeared, revealing new information about his movements as the search for the 22-year-old continues. The video shows Strain walking briskly past an officer on the night of March 8. The officer asks Strain how he’s doing, to which Strain replies, “I’m good, how are you?”
Meanwhile, Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, said yesterday that Strain had gone to two more bars on the same night before he was kicked out of a third. Whiteid also heard Strain and his mother FaceTiming that night and said Strain didn’t sound like he’d been drinking a lot.
Strain had been visiting Nashville with friends from his college fraternity and went missing after he was kicked out of a bar in the city’s downtown. His bank card was found last weekend, and police say no evidence of foul play has surfaced. Read the full story here.
Politics in Brief
Government funding: Congressional leaders struck a deal on funding for the Department of Homeland Security — the last big sticking point among negotiators— paving the way for lawmakers to avert a government shutdown this weekend, two sources familiar with the talks said.
Israel-Hamas war: President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, where more than a million people have taken refuge.
Trump cases: New York state Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump’s bid to keep his former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels from testifying in the former president’s criminal trial related to a 2016 hush money payment. Also, Trump’s lawyers said in a new court filing that he has not been able to get a bond to secure the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him and his co-defendants. And in Georgia, lawyers for Trump and seven of his co-defendants in the election interference case are seeking a review of the decision not to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Biden impeachment inquiry: Devon Archer, a key witness in the Republican impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and a former business associate of Hunter Biden, declined an invitation to appear this week at a public hearing.
Social Security and Medicare: Donald Trump hasn’t said how he would address looming shortfalls over two major retirement programs. So what are his plans for Social Security and Medicare? An NBC News examination found his views have zigzagged over the years.
2024 election: Deep-pocketed centrist group No Labels is still working to find its dream third-party presidential ticket for 2024, but it has been spurned by at least a dozen prominent figures, including Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and former Rep. Liz Cheney.
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Staff Pick: In the room with a victorious Putin
Putin’s election win was anything but surprising – but our team’s account of their experience in the room with the victorious president and across a celebratory Moscow reveals some unusual details, including a woman who says she repurposed a diamond Chanel brooch into a symbol of support for the war in Ukraine.
— Annie Hill, platforms editor
In Case You Missed It
- Princess Kate was reportedly seen shopping over the weekend following weeks of rampant speculation online about her health.
- This year’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award gala was canceled after objections from the late justice’s family over this year’s winners, which include Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch.
- James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, said in jailhouse phone calls that he wanted to destroy the prosecutor in case against him.
- Medication abortions rose in the year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new study, accounting for about 63% of abortions in 2023.
- Chicago has begun evicting some migrants from its shelters.
- The father of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was killed while jogging, said in an exclusive interview that he fears her death is being exploited as a “political wedge.”
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Flat irons don’t just smooth your hair. You can also use them to create curls, which minimizes your need for extra hair tools, especially if you’re traveling. Here are the 14 best flat irons.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.
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News
Manhattan Building’s Columns Buckled Beneath New Addition, Images Show
At least two structural columns buckled and failed in a 37-story office tower in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, prompting evacuations of nearby streets and buildings. While city officials asserted that the tower was in no danger of collapsing completely, outside engineers said further failures in the structure could not be ruled out.
A pair of columns that failed completely were part of the tower’s existing structure. A New York Times review of images and videos from inside the building has found that several floors were added atop these columns.
City officials said in a news conference on Tuesday that the building was continuing to move, while they simultaneously assured the city that the building would not suffer “total collapse.” “The way this building is constructed, it’s a steel-frame building,” John Esposito, a chief in the Fire Department in New York, said at the afternoon news conference. “So, it would not be a total collapse. It would be more of a localized collapse.” Still, he said, “that remains our concern, that it’s moved.”
Engineers said that the movement itself was cause for concern. In a properly designed steel building, they said, loads should redistribute quickly to surviving structural supports if columns failed.
Joe DiPompeo, a former president of the Structural Engineering Institute at the American Society of Civil Engineers, said that if the structure had been overloaded, he would expect any movement “to happen very quickly,” rather than gradually.
“Generally when a column buckles, it’s a sudden failure,” Mr. DiPompeo said. He said that a full collapse remained unlikely given the redundancies built into the building codes.
Engineers often refer to the most dangerous possibility as a progressive collapse, a process in which structures near the initial failure become overstressed and also fail, potentially bringing down the building if the sequence continues. While unlikely, it cannot be ruled out, Mr. DiPompeo said.
Footage recorded from inside the building shows at least two structural columns appear to have failed completely, Mr. DiPompeo said. Other nonstructural, interior walls — or at least the metal “studs” that were in place to hold them up — also appear to have deformed.
“The only way that really happens is if the floor above them dropped. It looks like the floor above could have dropped a foot or two, which is obviously not a good situation,” Mr. DiPompeo said.
The 37-story building is in the process of being converted from office space into residential units. Four new floors and a large vertical portion were added onto the existing building in recent months. The vertical portion consists of a stack of over a dozen new floors cantilevered out over the existing building below.
Engineers said that there was nothing inherently wrong with adding residential floors or the cantilevered section above the columns that failed, as long as the original structure and the modifications had properly accounted for the added weight and wind loads.
“The cantilever alone doesn’t change anything,” Mr. DiPompeo said, but it does put additional load on the columns underneath — a factor that should have been reflected in the design.
Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of MetroLoft, the developer overseeing the conversion, said on Tuesday that “this incident is nothing more than a typical construction mishap.”
He said two columns near the northwest corner of the tower had bent under the weight of additions to the building above, most likely because those columns had not been properly reinforced, though he said an investigation would determine the cause. The rest of the columns, he said, “picked up the weight.” He estimated the affected floors above the failed columns had sagged by a maximum of four inches.
Mr. Berman said that he expected the problems to be fixed and the project to be completed with, at most, a slight delay.
On Tuesday evening, installation of temporary shoring was set to begin shortly, in order to help stabilize the 20th and 21st floors of the building.
News
DOJ warns of criminal charges for state election officials if noncitizens vote
The Justice Department sent letters warning election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that they could face criminal prosecution over noncitizen voting, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday.
The letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads up the department’s Civil Rights Division, give states five days to explain how they will comply with federal voter eligibility laws and how they will maintain “clean voter lists.”
“The Department sent these letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, asking for voluntary compliance in a timely manner with their obligations under federal law to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.
Noncitizen voting in federal elections is extremely rare, but Trump and his administration have falsely portrayed it as a widespread issue.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson are among those who said they received the letters from the Justice Department.
The letters say state election officers “could be criminally prosecuted for aiding and abetting” noncitizen voting. They further specify that any election officer who knowingly retains noncitizens on a statewide voting registration list or who facilitates noncitizens’ receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability.
“An intentional act that is aimed at diluting the votes of citizens could also constitute a violation” of federal law, the letters said.
Henderson wrote on social media that the threats constitute “truly bizarre behavior.”
“Got another love letter this morning from the DOJ sprinkled throughout with threats of criminal prosecution,” she wrote. “I’m sure I’m not the only chief election officer of a state who is being targeted for following state and federal laws by resisting DOJ’s demands for private voter data that have thus far been ruled illegal by at least a dozen courts.”
The letters are the latest move in the Justice Department’s campaign to assert more federal control over state elections.
While some states have complied with the administration’s demands that they hand over voter roll data, the Justice Department has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., for resisting. So far, 11 different federal courts have dismissed the Justice Department’s efforts to seize voter rolls.
News
Reigning champion Argentina escapes with remarkable World Cup victory over Egypt
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during their World Cup match against Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Elsa/Getty Images
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Elsa/Getty Images
They looked beaten. And out. Argentina, the defending World Cup champion and No. 1-ranked team, was down 2-0 late against Egypt.

Then, in a span of 13 remarkable minutes, Argentina scored not once, not twice, but three times, capping a comeback for the ages and leaving Egypt stunned and shellshocked.
For much of the game in Atlanta, Egypt was in control, hobbling Argentina early. The Egyptian attack began almost immediately with a stunning header goal delivered by Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute. After that, Egypt’s defense closed ranks, making it practically impossible for Argentina to equalize.
It was downhill from there for the Argentines: team captain Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty kick, and in the 67th minute, Egypt got a second goal from Mostafa Ziko (after an earlier Egyptian goal had been disallowed after a video review). It looked like Argentina was finished. On the brink of elimination.
But no one told the Argentine players that.
In the 79th minute, Lionel Messi began doing his thing. He fired a cross near the Egyptian goal, and Cristian Romero headed it in. Messi was not done. Four minutes later, he powered a shot past the Egyptian keeper. It was his eighth goal of this tournament, the most of any player. The score was 2-2.
Then, in stoppage time, yet another Argentina header and another goal, this time from Enzo Fernandez.
“This is the World Cup for you,” said Messi after the game. “It wasn’t easy to come back from two goals down. But as I always say, this group never gives up. We always try to fight until the end.”
French referee François Letexier speaks with Egypt forward Mohamed Salah during the World Cup Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
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Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Afterward, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan complained about the French referee and the officiating. “I am not convinced. I am not convinced with this outcome. I’m not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match,” said Hassan in a post-match news conference. “We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”
“We would have deserved to earn this win, but we are leaving with honor, with pride, regardless of this defeat,” said Hossan.
African soccer teams have been the stars of this World Cup. Morocco has yet to lose a game. Cape Verde qualified for the first time in its history and stymied Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Argentina barely beat them in a nail-biter of a match.
For Egypt, getting this far in the tournament is historic in itself: it’s the first time the team has made it this far. For Argentina, it was a terrifying yet relieving victory: several players, including Messi himself, cried after the game.
Next, they move to the quarterfinals and will play the winner of today’s Switzerland-Colombia match.
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