| | | | Did you know that today is National Hug a Newsperson Day? We didn't either. Lucky us! Here are the 5 things you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. | | 1. Supreme Court nomination | | | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is probably going to push the button on the "nuclear option" this week to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court. The Dems have enough votes to filibuster Gorsuch, but McConnell and the GOP have vowed to get rid of that option -- meaning Gorsuch would be able to get confirmed with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of 60. If it happens now, it could end up being the rule for future Supremes nominees as well. And if this does happen, CNN's Chris Cillizza says, the Senate would be less like the world's greatest deliberative body and more like, well, the House. | | | A suspect has been ID'd in the bombing of a train in St. Petersburg. His name is Akbarjon Djalilov, and he's a Kyrgyzstan national. The attack killed 14 people and injured dozens. It happened between two stations that have since reopened. A second device was found and defused at another station. Russian's anti-terror agency is investigating. Possible suspects include Chechen separatists and ISIS -- or a combination of the two. Russia had seen a drop in terror attacks recently after enduring several over many years. | | | Attorney General Jeff Sessions is ordering a review of consent decrees and other police reforms. During the Obama years, consent decrees were used to address problems such as racial discrimination and excessive force at big-city police departments, including in Baltimore and Chicago. But Sessions says he wants to make sure the court-ordered changes and other reforms don't get in the way of the Trump administration's stated goal of working with law enforcement to ensure public safety. The move is no surprise. Sessions expressed skepticism about consent decrees during his Senate confirmation in January. | | | Your web-browsing history could be up for sale -- without your permission -- now that President Trump has signed a law that repeals protections forcing internet service providers to get your OK before collecting and sharing data. The rules were approved during the last days of the Obama administration but hadn't yet gone into effect. In addition to your browsing history, service providers have data on your app usage and geo-location. Proponents of the repeal, including the GOP-led Congress, said the Obama-era rules were unfair because they forced internet service providers to get permission for your data while web behemoths like Facebook and Google didn't have to. | | | A storm that killed five people in the South is expected to bring rain today to DC, New York and Boston. The storm produced a tornado with 100-mile-per-hour winds in Louisiana that killed a woman and her young child when their mobile home was blown over. People also were killed in South Carolina and Mississippi. The deadly system comes as the spring tornado season is revving up; it usually starts in the South, where it's warmer, and peaks in May or June. Check in with the CNN Weather Center for updates in your area. | | | People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. | | We are the champions
Nothing could be finer than being in North Carolina, where Tar Heels fans are celebrating their sixth college basketball championship. | | Name game
Good-bye, Yahoo and AOL. Hello ... Oath? Yeah, two of the most iconic names in tech might combine to produce the most bland name in history. | | Red redo
Smartphones mean we really don't use those iconic red telephone boxes in the UK for calls anymore. But don't toss 'em out -- just give 'em a makeover | | Two smart girls
The cashier asked the little white girl if she really wanted to buy that black doll. Her answer gives us all a lesson on the importance of looking past color. | | Word up
Next time your stuck-up grammar-nerd friend says "hangry" isn't a word, just send her to Dictionary.com, which added that and 300 other ones. | | $65,000
The cost of a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis for a year. The drug maker was recently given the OK to sell it at that price, drawing both praise and criticism. | | | | | | | |
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