'Anora' Director Makes Oscars History

Good Monday morning. Here is a look at over 100 women who changed the world. Have a great start to your week!

In Today’s Brief

• Arizona: Fatal wreck

• Pope Francis: Health update

• Cuomo: Mayoral bid

• Prada: Acquisition talks

• Pete Rose: Pardon coming

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Starry night

Sean Baker accomplished a feat never before seen at the 97th Academy Awards.

• The news: Baker won four Oscars -- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay -- for Anora. He is the first person to win four awards for the same film. Walt Disney also won a quartet of Oscars in 1952, but the accolades came from four films. 

• Big winners: Mikey Madison won Best Actress for Anora while Adrien Brody captured his second career Best Actor award for The Brutalist. Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) and Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez) won Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

• Other notes: Conan O'Brien was well-received as the program's first-time host. The late Gene Hackman was honored during the ceremony. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake hit Los Angeles after the show's conclusion.

2) Southern blazes

Almost 200 wildfires have broken out across North and South Carolina.

• The news: Firefighters in both states were fighting over 175 active blazes that had burned about 4.2K combined acres. Dry and windy conditions were exacerbating the issue, Many fires were reportedly contained, but a major one near Myrtle Beach with zero containment as of last night.

• More details: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency and a statewide burning ban. Evacuation orders were in place in both states as blazes began to threaten communities and homes.

• Big picture: Parts of Georgia were also at risk for wildfire conditions. Similar weather was expected in several southwestern states today as southern California is still reeling from its recent wildfire disaster.

3) Salvage operation

Europe is trying to clean up last week's Oval Office debacle.

• Catch up: A White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a public shouting match last Friday. The kerfuffle ended with the Ukrainian president asked to leave, a planned natural resources deal between the U.S. and Ukraine going unsigned and significant doubts about the future of American support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

• Stepping up: Zelensky received a warmer welcome at a summit of European leaders in London over the weekend. France and the United Kingdom have taken charge, rolling out a proposal for a one-month truce and reiterating willingness to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine post-war.

• Big picture: Zelenskyy has expressed hope he can salvage a deal with Trump while Republican leaders like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham have called for his resignation. Trump has also signaled a willingness to deal, albeit while taking a sterner public stance toward Zelensky than Russian President Vladimir Putin. And UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said any European peace deal still needs U.S. support.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A multi-vehicle crash involving several tractor-trailers killed at least four people in Arizona. At least eight others were injured, two critically, in the wreck; traffic was closed for hours about an hour outside of Phoenix (More)

• Luigi Mangione's attorneys are contesting his Pennsylvania arrest last year. They claim the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was not properly read his Miranda rights when he was apprehended at a McDonald's in Altoona (More)

• The Pentagon will send 3K more active-duty troops to the southern border with Mexico. The new deployment will increase the military presence combating illegal migration to roughly 9K soldiers (More)

World News

• Pope Francis remains hospitalized, but the Vatican said he has made some progress. He was removed from mechanical ventilation after a coughing spell last Friday sparked concerns of a new respiratory infection (More)

• Guyana alleged Venezuela's coast guard breached its territorial waters in the latest dustup between the South American neighbors. The nations have a long-running dispute over an oil-rich Guyanese region that Caracas claims was stolen from it over a century ago (More)

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with King Charles in London. Canadian sovereignty will be discussed; the monarch and titular head of state has not commented on President Trump's "51st state" rhetoric (More)

Political News

• Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will officially run for mayor of New York City, four years after resigning amid sexual harassment allegations. His entrance into the race was anticipated for months; Cuomo has led recent Democratic primary polls (More)

• Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he would consider a 2028 presidential run. The former Democratic vice presidential candidate told The New Yorker that "if I feel like I can serve, I will" but added he understands if the party is not interested after the 2024 loss (More)

• Elon Musk called Social Security "a ponzi scheme" during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Democrats blasted the comments by the billionaire adviser to President Trump (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher on Friday. The Dow Jones jumped 600 points while the Nasdaq was up 300 (Dow+1.39%, Nasdaq +1.63%, S&P 500 +1.59%).

• Prada is in talks to buy Versace for $1.6B and create a new tie-up of Italian luxury brands. Microsoft will shut down video-calling service Skype in May and direct users to use its Office platform (More | More)

• President Trump said the U.S. will create a strategic cryptocurrency reserve. Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, Ripple and Solana will be included in the fund; there will be a crypto summit at the White House on Friday (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• President Trump said he will posthumously pardon Pete Rose. The all-time Major League hits leader was convicted of federal tax evasion charges in 1990 after being banned from baseball for betting on games; MLB is reportedly considering a reinstatement petition (More | More)

• Nottingham Forest and Ipswich will play for the last FA Cup quarterfinal round berth. Preston is the lone non-Premier League club still alive in the annual national tournament for English professional soccer teams (More)

• New York Dolls frontman and Scrooged actor David Johansen died at 75 after years of poor health. Hip-hop and R&B singer Angie Stone, 63, was killed in a car crash in Alabama (More | More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A British woman celebrated her 105th birthday in style last week. She held a rave at her nursing home -- complete with a DJ and glow sticks -- and got a card from King Charles.

• Picture It: Ukraine's rare earth mineral deposits and other natural resources are a topic of global discussion. Check out this map to better understand what is in play.

• Go Deep: Americans don't move around as much as they used to. A new book argues this shift has resulted in significant economic, individual and political consequences inside the country.

• New Trend: Prebiotic sodas have exploded in popularity. Here is an explanation of what they are and how they compare to traditional soda and other fizzy drinks.

• Life Hack: Don't let your brain play tricks on you. Here are some tips to silence your inner critic, move past feelings of doubt and be more confident.

Watch This

People were obsessed with the concept of hovercars in the 1950s. But they never advanced beyond dreams.

Links

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Looking Ahead …

Geese save energy by flying in close formation. Could airplanes do the same to conserve fuel? Some commercial airlines plan to give it a try soon.

Question of the Day

Friday’s results:

Trivia: Where was the 1972 Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky chess match held?

Reykjavik, Iceland.