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Big Stories

NPR breaks up with Twitter

National Public Radio quit Twitter on Tuesday after the social media platform branded NPR’s account with labels that imply its reporting is influenced by government agendas. Elon Musk has been on a rampage against news organizations ever since he bought the social media company last October.

What happened:
Last week, Twitter labeled NPR’s account as “state funded media”, which lumps it in with news organizations that are controlled by authoritarian governments such as China or Russia. Later, Musk downgraded the label to “government funded media”, but NPR still feels the title is misleading because they only rely on a fraction of funding from the government.

Moving forward:
NPR hasn’t tweeted since April 4, and PBS has also stated they will not be using their main account to send updates anymore. Another news company, BBC, argued with Musk over their “state funded label” and were able to get theirs changed to “publicly funded.” However, NPR and PBS haven’t received the same accommodations. In response to NPR’s threat to quit, Musk Tweeted “Defund NPR.”

Toxic mega-fire burns in Indiana

A giant industrial fire in eastern Indian shot pillars of toxic smoke into the air on Tuesday, forcing local authorities to evacuate over 2,000 residents. The blaze began in a semi-truck filled with plastic before it engulfed the adjacent recycling plant.

The thick black smoke spewing from the site is “definitely toxic,” according to the Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones. He also said the fire will likely burn for days. City officials were aware the site was a potential fire hazard, but obviously nothing was done about it.

No one was hurt in the inferno, and the EPA’s standard initial tests show that the air quality is fine to breathe. However, plastics create many undetectable chemicals when burned and there’s no way to ensure that harmful carcinogens aren’t in the air. Officials are stressing the importance of avoiding exposure.

Little Stories

Business & Economy

*Grocery prices were down 0.2% in March compared to February, which marks the first drop since 2020. However, we still have a ways to go before you can add more than one egg to your omelette and not feel guilty. The cost of groceries is still up 8.4% compared to March 2022. Hang in there.

*Biden is proposing a plan to require two-thirds of vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2032.

World

*A ballistic missile launched by North Korea triggered a false ‘take cover’ alarm in northern Japan on Thursday. The rocket didn’t reach Japanese airspace and officials said the alarm was a systems error. North Korea has stepped up its weapons testing recently after joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.

*Francisco Garduño, Mexico’s top immigration official, will face criminal charges in connection with the fire that killed 40 immigrants in a government run immigration facility in Juarez ,Mexico.

Politics

*The second expelled lawmaker, Justin Pearson, will return to the Tennessee House after being reinstated by a Memphis-based commission. Pearson was part of the trio that lead a protest on the chamber floor in the state capitol.

*Politicians are getting booted left and right. On Wednesday, Republican Liz Harris was expelled from the Arizona house for inviting a witness to present false charges about other lawmakers and state officials. Then she lied about her involvement, according to an ethics committee report.

Sports

*The Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 109-105 and will play Miami for the 8th seed in the NBA playoffs.

*Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. They are now one step closer to retaining their title.

One Liners

*One of Pablo Escobar’s ‘Cocaine Hippos” was hit and killed by a SUV on a highway in Colombia.

*Mapped: Minimum wages around the world.

*Planning a trip to Mexico city? These are the best times to go.