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Dozens of U.S. Bridges Flagged For Collapse Risks

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
March 21, 2025

Good Friday morning. Well, not if you are at London's Heathrow Airport -- it will be closed all day after an electrical fire caused a significant power outage. We hope you have a great weekend. 

In Today’s Brief

  • DOJ: Tesla charges

  • Indonesia: Military law

  • DNC: Big bucks

  • Apple: Streaming woes

  • IOC: New president

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Check it out

A government agency is asking questions about the safety of almost 70 bridges nationwide.

  • The news: Sixty-eight bridges in 19 states should receive a "vulnerability assessment," the National Transportation Safety Board recommended. The reviews will determine the structure's collapse risks if struck by a vessel in an incident similar to last year's Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster in Maryland.

  • Partial list: The Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida are among the candidates for the assessment. Golden Gate officials said they have already done an internal assessment. The NTSB said it is not claiming these bridges are unsafe, but expressing the need to ensure safety.

  • Big picture: NTSB said the Key Bridge's collapse risk was "30 times" higher than standard before a shipping vessel lost power and crashed into it last March, causing a collapse that killed six workers. The Maryland Transportation Authority's failure to conduct an assessment prevented officials from identifying the bridge's vulnerabilities, officials said.

2) Pot of gold

One of the most storied teams in American sports will have new owners following a historic deal.

  • The news: A group helmed by private equity billionaire (and Massachusetts native) Bill Chisholm has agreed to buy the NBA's Boston Celtics. Current owner Wyc Grousbeck put the franchise on the market last year after the team won its league-record 18th championship.

  • The history: Chisholm and his partners will pay $6.1B for the Celtics, the biggest deal in professional sports history. The payout is just north of the $6.05B that businessman Josh Harris paid for the NFL's Washington Commanders in 2023. 

  • Big picture: The deal, if approved by the NBA's owners, will allow Grousbeck to maintain control of the Celtics through the 2027-28 season. The new owners reportedly believe the club could be worth over $7B by then. The sticker price will almost assuredly send the value of all professional sports teams even higher.

3) Small town drama

The creator of a popular food brand is now attempting a coup on Long Island.

  • What happened: Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate's Booty Snack, ran for mayor of Sea Cliff, New York. He received only 5% support at the polls and lost over 1K votes to the incumbent mayor after entering the race a week before Election Day; officials said he had never participated in any civic function prior to his write-in candidacy.

  • The news: Ehrlich is now claiming to be the town's rightful mayor, alleging the election results were rigged against him. Officials said he stormed town hall and verbally abused town personnel, demanding office space and declaring all employees to have been fired.

  • Big picture: Ehrlich claims an obscure state law allows him and other residents to dissolve Sea Cliff's government structure and establish a new one. But officials said he has not actually followed the process, even as he boasts about upcoming "executive orders."

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • Three people face federal charges for arson attacks at Tesla dealerships. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the rash of incidents against Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker "domestic terrorism," but no terror charges have been filed (More)

  • A Vermont boy brought a gun and ammunition to his elementary school. The student was removed without incident; other kids alerted teachers to related social media postings (More)

  • A federal judge blasted the Trump Administration as the fallout from its defiance of a court order continues. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg chided its "woefully insufficient" response for more information regarding deportation flights (More)

World News

  • Indonesia will allow military personnel to hold more civilian government positions. Critics allege a new law could allow the armed forces to gain significant sway over the country's democratic system; President Prabowo Subianto is a former general accused of past human rights violations (More) 

  • Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will trigger a snap election. The vote will happen in late April or early May; the ruling Liberal Party has gained considerable ground in polling against the Conservative Party in recent weeks (More)

  • The Taliban released a U.S. man held prisoner for over two years. Iran freed a French man it had held captive for almost two-and-a-half years; diplomats are working to spring two more French prisoners (More | More)

Political News

  • The Democratic National Committee garnered $9M in grassroots donations in February. The total was nearly double what the party made in February 2016 during President Trump's first term and one of its most successful months ever (More)

  • Tennessee Rep. John Rose will run for governor next year. He is the first major Republican to enter the race; he could face a primary battle with Sen. Marsha Blackburn to replace term-limited Gov. Bill Lee (More)

  • Trump adviser Elon Musk's political action committee is offering $100 to Wisconsin voters if they sign a petition against "activist judges." The race there for an open state Supreme Court seat has drawn national attention and heavy spending by both major parties (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed lower yesterday. The S&P 500 will try to snap a four-week losing streak today (Dow -0.03%, Nasdaq -0.33%, S&P 500 -0.22%).

  • Apple is reportedly losing $1B a year on its streaming service. The tech giant only spent about $500M on AppleTV+ content last year after spending $5B annually since the platform's 2019 launch (More)

  • General Motors and Hyundai Motor are reportedly close to a partnership. The deal would involve the automakers sharing electric vans and pickup trucks in the North American market; it could be the start of a broader collaboration between the companies (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Kirsty Coventry was elected president of the International Olympic Committee. She is the first woman to hold the position; she won gold medals in swimming for Zimbabwe at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Games and has been the nation's sport minister since 2018 (More)

  • Disney CEO Bob Iger said artificial intelligence may be the "most powerful technology" the company has ever seen. He vowed the entertainment giant will continue to value its human talent and protect its intellectual property (More)

  • Japan is the first non-host nation to qualify for the 2026 men's World Cup after clinching a top-2 Asian qualifier spot with a win over Bahrain. Canada, the U.S. and Mexico were automatically placed into the 48-team field (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: You can use pretty much anything to create art. Including tiny pebbles that add up to a lifelike cat portrait.

  • Work Out: Want to break a sweat this weekend and have fun while doing so? Here are some fun exercise routines to try out.

  • Go Deep: Oxygen has been detected in the most distant known galaxy. The discovery has thrown astronomers for a loop.

  • Take Note: Summer is almost here, and with it will come plenty of opportunities to have ice cream. Here is a look at what causes brain freeze.

  • Life Hack: Call this a hack to prevent a hacking. Using accented letters like the umlaut can greatly strengthen your digital passwords.

Saudi Arabia has big — and wild — plans for hosting the 2034 men’s World Cup.

Looking Ahead …

Former Vice President Kamala Harris faces pressure from fellow Democrats to make her 2026 California gubernatorial intentions known. She has reportedly told allies she will decide this summer whether to bid to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Question of the Day — Friday Trivia

London has four major airports: Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and ...

Take your guess

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Yesterday’s results:

Should the Education Department be shut down?

  • Yes, education is best handled by the states (61%)

  • No, federal oversight is needed (26%)

  • The department should be folded into another agency or reinvented (13%)