Good Morning! Today’s edition is 965 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Hero Aussie boy saves his family

• Goodbye Bahama Breeze

• How much daily protein do you need?

First-time reader? Sign up here!

*Editor’s note: Today’s third feature isn’t traditional news, but what a story! I hope you all enjoy the positive break from regular programming. -Adam

Big Stories

California’s New Congressional Map

• The Supreme Court allowed California to use a new congressional map on Wednesday, delivering a major victory for Democrats ahead of this year's midterm elections. The one-sentence order provided no explanation or dissent. The map, approved by voters through Proposition 50 last November, could give Democrats up to five House seats as they seek to win a majority.

• Republicans and Trump's Justice Department sued to block the map, alleging racial gerrymandering. A federal district court ruled the lines were drawn on a partisan, not racial, basis. Governor Gavin Newsom championed the redistricting as retaliation for a Texas map enacted last summer at Trump's urging that could similarly net Republicans five seats. The Supreme Court allowed the Texas map in December.

• The decision came ahead of California's March 6 candidate filing deadline and June 2 primary. Trump's Texas map sparked an unusual mid-decade redistricting cycle. States typically only redistrict after each decade's census.

WAPO Lays OFF One-Third of Its Staff

• The Washington Post is laying off one-third of its staff across the newsroom and other departments, executive editor Matt Murray announced Wednesday. The Post is eliminating its sports department, closing its books department, suspending its Post Reports podcast, and reducing overseas bureaus.

• Staff members received emails announcing whether their roles were eliminated. Murray acknowledged the cuts would be "a shock to the system" but said the goal is creating a Post that "can grow and thrive again." The Post has approximately 2 million subscribers.

• The cuts come as the newspaper has bled subscribers following owner Jeff Bezos' decision to pull back from endorsing Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election and his push for a more conservative turn on opinion pages. The Post's struggles contrast with The New York Times, which has doubled its staff over the past decade through investments in products like its Games site and Wirecutter.

Aussie Legend

• A 13-year-old Australian boy swam four hours through dangerous ocean waters to save his family after they were swept out to sea on inflatable paddleboards and a kayak off Western Australia's coast on Friday. Joanne Appelbee said sending her son Austin to swim for help was "one of the hardest decisions" she ever made.

• Austin had previously found swimming 350 meters during lessons tiring, but swam 2.5 miles to shore, then sprinted 1.2 miles to reach a phone. "I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family's out at sea," he told dispatchers before passing out from exhaustion. Meanwhile, his mother and siblings, Beau, 12, and Grace, 8, drifted nearly 9 miles offshore in dark, freezing water.

• When rescuers arrived, a large wave had just flipped the children off the paddleboard. Joanne heard Grace screaming but couldn't hear Beau until rescuers turned off the boat's engine and located him. All were treated for minor injuries and are doing fine.

Quick Stories

US News

• New York became the 14th state to legalize medical aid in dying, letting terminally ill patients with under six months to live request life-ending medication. (More)

• The Trump administration is withdrawing 700 immigration agents from Minnesota, though border czar Tom Homan says mass deportations will continue nationwide. (More)

• Ryan Routh received life in prison for trying to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course, months after he tried stabbing himself when jurors convicted him. (More)

World

• US-Iran nuclear talks are back on Friday in Oman after nine Middle Eastern countries urged Trump not to cancel, fearing he would pivot to military action against Iran instead. (More)

• Former Prince Andrew left his Windsor home early after new Epstein documents alleged he had sex with a trafficked woman there in 2010, prompting a police investigation. (More)

• Israeli strikes killed 19 Palestinians, including a 10-day-old baby, as the death toll since October's ceasefire hit 530. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P -0.51%, Nasdaq -1.51%, Dow +0.53%). Further sell-off of technology stocks knocked the S&P and Nasdaq down. (More)

• Darden Restaurants is closing all 28 remaining Bahama Breeze locations, with half converting to other Darden chains like Olive Garden or LongHorn Steakhouse over the next year. (More)

• Eli Lilly expects 25% revenue growth this year despite Trump price cuts, while rival Novo Nordisk sees sales dropping 13%. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• Pitcher Framber Valdez landed a three-year, $115 million deal with Detroit. (More)

• Gavin McKenna, Penn State's 18-year-old star and projected top NHL draft pick, faces felony assault charges carrying 20 years in prison after an incident on the team's big outdoor game day. (More)

• The Wizards acquired Anthony Davis to pair with Trae Young, while Dallas unloads the injury-prone star who played just 31 games since the disastrous Luka Doncic trade. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• A new study found 37.8% of 2022's cancer cases—7.1 million—were linked to preventable factors like tobacco, alcohol, infections, and obesity. (More)

• NASA launched a probe to map the sun's protective bubble around our solar system, to help forecast space weather and understand how solar activity affects satellites and astronauts. (More)

• Spotify added three lyric features worldwide: translations in your device's language, quick previews under album art, and offline lyrics for Premium subscribers who download songs. (More)

Extra Credit

Why you rarely see trash cans in Japan.

It’s probably not a good idea to list olive oil as an interest on your resume.

How much protein do you actually need every day?

Does Antarctica take the blue sky crown?