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In Today’s Brief
Deportations: Judge responds
Gaza: Ceasefire collapses
Trump: Pardon claim
Forever 21: Bankruptcy filing
West Virginia: Bracket outrage
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Fond farewell
The last-known surviving pilot from the Battle of Britain has passed away.
The news: John “Paddy” Hemingway died yesterday at 105, according to the Royal Air Force. He was the last-known living member of "The Few," as the pilots who defended Great Britain from Nazi bombing campaigns during World War II were known.
Look back: The Battle of Britain was the first major battle in history fought entirely in the air. The German Luftwaffe bombarded London and other parts of the United Kingdom in 1940 in an effort to force Great Britain to capitulate. But the UK weathered the air raids and denied the Nazis the ability to establish air superiority and attempt a land invasion.
In remembrance: Hemingway, an Irishman, was 19 when his No. 85 Squadron shot down 90 enemy aircraft over an 11-day period in May 1940. He also flew missions elsewhere, including surviving a bailout inside enemy territory in Italy. He received the UK's Distinguished Flying Cross.
Big picture: The Department of Veterans Affairs estimated there are only 66K living Americans who fought in World War II at the start of the year. A similar number is believed to still be living in the UK.
2) Big reveal
The John F. Kennedy assassination files are set to be released today.
The news: President Donald Trump made the announcement yesterday. He said about 80K pages of documents will be made public and he did not believe there will be any redactions. "People have been waiting decades for this," he said.
What to expect: The National Archives said in 2022 that over 97% of records related to the late president's 1963 killing were already public. A 1992 law passed by Congress mandated all documents be released by 2017, but Presidents Trump and Joe Biden previously held some back for national security reasons. The FBI recently said it found about 2.4K JFK documents that were previously unrecognized.
Big picture: Trump said there would be no executive summary. JFK's assassination has sparked decades of conspiracy theories, but most experts are skeptical the document releases will include major new revelations (and the Trump Administration has already had its much ballyhooed release of documents regarding late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein underwhelm). Trump has also vowed to eventually release all documents regarding the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
3) Steel possible
A controversial merger may proceed after all.
What happened: The Trump Administration has requested deadline extensions in a lawsuit filed by U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel against a national security panel. A filing indicates the delays are sought to wrap up merger talks with the companies.
Catch up: Nippon Steel made a $15B takeover bid for U.S. Steel in late 2023. The Japanese steelmaker's proposal to acquire the iconic, but struggling firm met fierce bipartisan and labor resistance. Both Biden and Trump came out against the deal and Biden blocked it on national security grounds prior to leaving office. But Trump has since appeared to warm to the possibility.
Big picture: Nippon Steel has made considerable concessions and pledges in an effort to secure approval. U.S. Steel has argued the deal is vastly superior to any package its domestic rivals can put together. Trump suggested weeks ago he would allow Nippon Steel to invest, but not take control, so the makeup of a deal remains unclear.
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Quick Tips
U.S. News
A federal judge pushed back on Trump Administration claims it did not defy his order to halt deportation flights. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has demanded more information by today; border czar Tom Homan said he doesn't care what judges think (More | More)
A Texas midwife is accused of providing illegal abortions. The Houston-area woman is believed to face the first charges under the state's near-total abortion ban law; a man was also charged in connection to her case (More)
The family of a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing on spring break asked the Dominican Republic to declare her dead. A Minnesota college student, believed to be the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive, alleged he is being unlawfully detained in the country (More | More)
World News
Israel launched significant air strikes against Hamas, restarting the Gaza war. The military operation came after talks to extend a ceasefire deal stalled; the terrorist group claimed about 200 people were killed (More)
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak by phone today to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire proposal. Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit the U.S. in the coming weeks (More | More)
Rwanda severed diplomatic ties with Belgium. Brussels has called for European Union sanctions against the African nation, which is backing a rebel group in its armed conflict against the Democratic Republic of Congo (More)
Political News
President Trump claimed pre-emptive pardons issued to members of the House's Jan. 6 committee were invalid. He alleged the clemency was "void" because former President Biden used an autopen to sign the documents; the White House has since walked back the comments (More | More)
Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford was nominated to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency faces growing scrutiny amid a rash of crashes and safety incidents; Trump also appointed Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman as the central bank's top supervisor (More | More)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer postponed a book tour for security reasons. The New York lawmaker is under fire from fellow Democrats for voting with Republicans to avoid a government shutdown (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday, posting a second consecutive winning session. The Dow Jones was up over 350 points (Dow +0.85%, Nasdaq +0.31%, S&P 500 +0.65%).
Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy. The fast-fashion chain will keep its U.S. locations open while seeking a buyer but will hold liquidation sales; it cited struggles to compete with foreign budget retailers like Shein and Temu, who capitalized on de minimis tariff rules (More)
PepsiCo will pay $1.95B to acquire Poppi, a prebiotic soda brand. The acquisition comes after rival Coca-Cola launched a line of soft drinks with added fiber (More)
Entertainment & Sports
West Virginia's governor ordered a state investigation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee. Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Attorney General JB McCuskey railed against the WVU Mountaineers missing the March Madness field in a press conference (More)
Conan O'Brien will return as Academy Awards host next year. The former The Tonight Show star hosted the Oscars for the first time earlier this month, earning positive reviews (More)
Colin Farrell is reportedly in talks to star in a Sgt. Rock film. Various attempts by Hollywood to bring the World War II comic book character to the big screen have sputtered for decades (More)
Quick Hitters
Fun Stuff: The housing market is crazy these days. So this couple turned a shed they bought at Home Depot into their dream home.
Chow Down: Breakfast can be a controversial subject. But if you do eat it, your timing is important for your health.
Go Deep: Many Americans will spend the next few days filling out March Madness brackets. The origins of the practice remain up for debate.
Take Note: Elon Musk recently claimed his SpaceX firm could send a man to Mars by the end of the decade. But a former NASA astronaut said humanity is still quite far off from making the trip.
Life Hack: Here is a rundown of several smart cleaning tips. Among them: Buy a good umbrella when you don't need one, because it will be way too late when you do.
Watch This
How to stop the next pandemic.
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Looking Ahead …
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will likely feature boxing. The sport was scheduled to be dropped from competition, but a reprieve should be finalized by the International Olympic Committee this weekend.