The Bulletin
World in Brief
Welcome to the Bulletin,
Biden leading Trump with GOP pollsters: A new poll suggests Joe Biden is narrowly ahead of Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. The survey was by Echelon Insights, which former Republican strategist Patrick Ruffini and pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson co-founded. Find out the margin of Biden's lead.
- Military assistance: The State Department told reporters that Washington's relationship with Ukraine is "entirely different" than its partnership with Israel amid questions over the United States' involvement in both nations' conflicts. Here's what that means for military support for the two conflicts.
- Kavanaugh's questioning sparks fury: Justice Brett Kavanaugh's questioning of the obstruction charges brought against a January 6 defendant has sparked anger on social media. Here's why.
- Iowa tornado: More than 4 million people across the Midwest were under threat of severe weather through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Some of the devastation in Iowa was caught on tape. Watch it here.
- In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces took out one of Russia's "Strela-10" Arrow air defense systems in a drone attack on Sunday, according to Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
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Trump Jurors May Be 'Outed' and Endangered, Ex-Prosecutor Warns
Former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori warns of risks to jurors' safety in Donald Trump's New York trial, where he faces 34 felony charges related to 2016 campaign hush money payments.
Why it matters: Details about the jurors remain largely vague to protect their identities, though some specific information released could potentially expose them. For example, an initial report by the Washington Post mentioned the name of a bookstore where a potential juror worked, which was later retracted to prevent identification. Concerns persist that jurors, expected to remain anonymous, might still be exposed to threats, harassment and intimidation from angry Trump supporters. "Responsibility to guard all of the very specific information that we're learning resides with the D.A.'s office and with the judge," Khardori said.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump's First 7 Jurors Selected: Everything We Know
Donald Trump Lawyers Expose Potential Jurors' Social Media Posts
Alina Habba Responds to Claim Donald Trump Fell Asleep in Court
Three Moments From Donald Trump's Trial That He'll Love
TL/DR: "I do not think this jury is gonna remain anonymous," former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori said. "I'm worried about their safety."
What happens now? The Manhattan District Attorney's Office requested a hearing to have Trump held in contempt scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET on April 23, according to reports. Day two of the trial will resume today at 9:30 a.m. ET, where more than 500 New Yorkers are expected to fill out questionnaires about their political beliefs before 12 are chosen, along with six alternate jurors.
Deeper reading Trump Jurors May Be 'Outed' and Endangered, Ex-Prosecutor Warns
How Men and Women Are Dividing on Politics
The gender divide in American politics is growing, according to an exclusive poll for Newsweek that found men are increasingly embracing a more conservative ideology while women lean towards a liberal one.
Why it matters: 57 percent of Americans shifted political views in the past five years, with 26 percent of men becoming more conservative while 18 percent of women becoming more liberal. The past six years have seen a leftward shift among women, influenced by events like Trump's inauguration and the #MeToo movement, while some young men who feel traditional masculinity have been put under heightened scrutiny in recent years have moved right politically.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Is America More United than You Think? What Readers Told Us
Americans Deeply Dissatisfied with Government and Both Parties: Study
Donald Trump Voters Are Becoming More Conservative—and It Could Cost Him
TL/DR: The gender gap in U.S. politics, which narrowed in the 1970s and closed in the 1980s, is again widening.
What happens now? The head of Israel's military Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday vowed Iran's military display would be "met with a response—a step Iran's hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has warned will be met "with a stronger response bringing the enemy's regret."
Deeper reading How Men and Women Are Dividing on Politics
Crimea Videos Show Huge Explosions as Russian Air Base Attacked
New videos appear to show a fire raging in northern Crimea after reports of explosions around a military airfield overnight. Footage widely circulated on social media early today shows bright flashes of light and explosions, with sirens wailing in the background.
Why it matters: Dzhankoy is a major military hub, home to one of Russia's largest airfields in Crimea. It is a key location for supplying Russian troops up through Moscow-controlled southern Ukraine and the frontlines of fighting on the mainland. Russia annexed Crimea back in 2014. Earlier this month, pro-Ukrainian partisans operating in Crimea said they had detected a "build-up" of air defense systems on the peninsula, including at Dzhankoy. Kyiv has targeted Russian airbases in Crimea in the more than two years of all-out war.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Russian Troops 'Disappearing En Masse' in Kherson: Resistance Group
Crimea Satellite Images Show Most of Russian Black Sea Fleet Left Peninsula
Crimea Mystery As Ukraine Denies Role in Russian Helicopter Crash
TL/DR: Open-source intelligence accounts said that Russian forces used the airfield as a base for attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems.
What happens now? Students at Kent State University in Ohio are planning to protest Rittenhouse's final talk on their campus on Tuesday, Newsweek has learned.
Deeper reading Crimea Videos Show Huge Explosions as Russian Air Base Attacked
US, China Defense Chiefs Talk to Bridge Trust Gap
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Chinese opposite number for the first time in nearly 18 months as both countries continued a series of recent engagements to avoid conflict.
Why it matters: In a readout released on Tuesday, Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said, referring to the People's Republic of China, "Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of continuing to open lines of military-to-military communication between the United States and the PRC." Washington criticizes China's intercepts of US and allied vessels in international waters. The US Secretary reiterated adherence to international law. Beijing has countered the charge by accusing American surveillance assets of operating too close to Chinese shores.
Read more in-depth coverage:
US Firepower Reaches 'Historic' New Location Amid China Tensions
US Ally Reveals Threshold for Triggering Article 5 Against China
US Ally Detects China Spy Ship Near Coast
TL/DR: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds his first talks with his Chinese counterpart in nearly 18 months.
What happens now? There are pressing questions over how long Ukraine could hold out in and around Kharkiv if Kyiv remains starved of vital U.S. military assistance, and if Russia sets its sights on the major city, which had a pre-war population of nearly 2 million. Ukrainian officials have reiterated their calls for air-defense systems, which Colonel Andriy Zadubinnyi echoed.
Deeper reading US, China Defense Chiefs Talk to Bridge Trust Gap
These US Lawmakers Voted for TikTok Ban But Use It Themselves
A Newsweek investigation has found that House representatives who voted to potentially ban TikTok in the United States still have accounts on the Chinese social media platform that they continue to use. Here's a list of lawmakers who are on TikTok.
Why it matters: On March 13, the House voted 352-65 in favor of a bill that would force TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the company in six months or risk having the popular app banned in the United States. The app has sparked privacy concerns due to ByteDance's alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill, which is yet to receive Senate approval, would not ban TikTok outright upon its passage. Still, it is unclear if ByteDance would sell the entirety of TikTok or just its U.S. operation.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Fact Check: Will TikTok Ban Allow Government to Ban Any Website?
Congress Moves Cautiously Closer to TikTok Crackdown
American Billionaire Urges Chinese Divestment From TikTok
TL/DR: Newsweek has now found that 12 representatives who approved the bill still have verified accounts on TikTok, some of which continue to be used. Check out the list.
What happens now? For those anxious about flying, many airlines will show travelers what type of plane they'll be flying on if they book directly. Some third-party booking sites, such as Kayak, will even let travelers filter their itineraries based on aircraft type.
Deeper reading These US Lawmakers Voted for TikTok Ban But Use It Themselves
I Think of My Ancestor's Manhattan Murder As Time Ticks for Jews
"You dirty Jew!" Those were the last words my paternal great-grandfather would hear as he was shoved down an elevator shaft at Henington Hall on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan in the early 1900s, as told by my family.
My great-grandfather, Yehoshua Henig, and his relatives, had built Henington Hall as a catering facility and community center to serve the needs of Jewish immigrants who had settled in lower Manhattan at the turn of the century. I was told that one day, an employee who'd had too much to drink, began a quarrel with my great-grandfather, a devoutly religious man known for his soft demeanor.
A crowd of onlookers gathered, consisting of other employees and visitors at this large community space—they witnessed my great-grandfather plummet to this death. There was neither a prosecution nor an arrest. Emblematic of those times, murderers of Jews were rarely brought to justice, even in a country that prided itself on treating all citizens equitably under the laws.
