10 things you need to know today: March 25, 2019

Attorney General Barr says Mueller report reveals no collusion by Trump.

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1. Trump says full release of Mueller report 'wouldn't bother me at all'
2. Trump calls Mueller report 'complete and total exoneration'
3. Democrats call for full release of Mueller report
4. 2nd Parkland survivor dies of apparent suicide
5. Netanyahu cuts short U.S. visit after rocket attack near Tel Aviv
6. Uber poised to buy overseas rival Careem
7. Battered cruise ship reaches Norway port
8. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announces retirement
9. Top-seeded Duke narrowly survives UCF upset bid
10. Jordan Peele's Us has a blockbuster opening weekend

published 25 March 2019

1. Trump says full release of Mueller report 'wouldn't bother me at all'

President Trump on Monday said it "wouldn't bother me at all" if Attorney General William Barr were to release Special Counsel Robert Mueller's full report. Mueller and his team did not find evidence that Trump or his associates conspired or coordinated with Russia on Moscow's 2016 election meddling, "despite multiple offers from Russia-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign," Barr said in a summary of Mueller's report made public on Sunday. Barr said that Mueller did not draw conclusions on whether Trump tried to obstruct justice by hindering the investigation. Whether the full report comes out is up to Barr, Trump said Monday, adding that he agrees Mueller acted honorably during his investigation.

President Trump on Sunday said Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report "was a complete and total exoneration." Mueller concluded his investigation of Russian election interference without finding evidence that Trump or his associates colluded with Moscow, although he said he had not exonerated Trump on the question of obstruction of justice. "It is a shame our country had to go through this," Trump said as he boarded Air Force One to return from Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington. "It is a shame your president had to go through this — before I even got elected, it began, and it began illegally." Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) echoed the reaction of fellow Trump supporters, saying "the cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed."

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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that the Department of Justice must release all of the information cited in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference, because holding anything back would be "equivalent to a cover-up." Nadler told Fox News Sunday that generally the Justice Department is right to avoid making evidence public when an individual won't be charged, but that since the administration has said that a sitting president can't be indicted the policy should not apply to information about President Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that the summary on Mueller's report that Attorney General William Barr sent to Congress "raises as many questions as it answers."

A second Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivor has died of an apparent suicide in a week. Coral Springs police said Sunday that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School sophomore died Saturday night. The second student's name and age were not immediately released. Last week, 19-year-old Sydney Aiello reportedly took her own life after struggling with survivor's guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder, her mother told CBS Miami. Aiello was a senior at the school when a gunman killed 17 students and staff, including her friend Meadow Pollack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Monday that he would cut short his U.S. trip after a rocket attack near Tel Aviv wounded seven people. Netanyahu arrived Sunday for what was supposed to be a four-day visit, but now plans to fly home immediately after a scheduled meeting with President Trump at the White House later Monday. "In light of the security events I decided to cut short my visit to the U.S.," Netanyahu said. He called the rocket attack "heinous." Israel's foreign ministry said the rocket came from Gaza, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Netanyahu, who faces a bribery investigation, is vying for a fifth term as Israel heads into April 9 elections.

Uber plans to buy Dubai-based rival Careem in a deal that could be signed as early as Monday, Bloomberg News and the Financial Times reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. The U.S. ride-hailing powerhouse reportedly will pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in notes convertible into Uber shares at $55 per share. Neither company's spokespeople offered comment to Bloomberg. Careem was valued at $2 billion last year. It operates in 15 countries, with more than 30 million users in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

The luxury cruise ship Viking Sky reached Norway on Sunday after its engines failed in a storm with 1,373 passengers and crew on board. The 745-foot ship sent out a distress signal on Saturday as it drifted within 100 yards of land in rough seas. Rescuers airlifted 479 people one at a time using helicopters before the seas calmed enough for an effort to tow the ship to safety. "It was very nearly a disaster," police chief Hans Vik, who heads the Joint Rescue Coordination Center for southern Norway, told TV2. "If they had run aground we would have faced a major disaster." About 20 injured passengers were taken to hospitals.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL Sunday on Instagram, saying he's "so grateful" for the time he spent on the team. Gronkowski, 29, played nine seasons with the Patriots, and thanked his teammates, fans, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Coach Bill Belichick for their support. Quarterback Tom Brady praised Gronkowski on Instagram, saying it was an "honor and privilege" to play with him. Gronkowski played 115 regular season games, with 521 receptions for 17,861 yards, a record for a tight end.

Duke survived a near upset by No. 9 seed UCF in the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Sunday. The Blue Devils were down by one when its superstar, Zion Williamson, drove straight at UCF's 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, sinking a layup with 14 seconds left, and drawing a foul. He missed the free throw, but R.J. Barrett got the offensive rebound and scored, putting Duke up by one with 11 seconds left. UCF, with a chance to win, missed a jump shot; the Knights' Aubrey Dawkins' tip-in attempt bounced off the rim just before time ran out. Dawkins had a stellar game, matching Williamson with 32 points. Duke, the overall No. 1 seed, now advances to the Sweet 16.

Us, filmmaker Jordan Peele's follow-up to Get Out, smashed expectations and brought in $70.3 million to dominate the box office in its debut weekend. Us' haul was the third biggest debut ever for a horror film, behind It ($123.4 million) and last year's Halloween sequel ($76.2 million). Lupita Nyong'o stars as Adelaide Wilson, an African-American woman who returns to her childhood home with her two children and her husband, played by Winston Duke (Black Panther). The family comes up against their own doppelgangers. The critically acclaimed film hit theaters just over two years after Peele made his directorial debut with Get Out. Captain Marvel fell to No. 2 at the box office with $35 million after holding the top spot in its first two weeks.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.