1. OBAMA CRACKS JOKES AT CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER
President Obama joked Saturday night at the White House Correspondents Association dinner about his plans for a radical second-term evolution from "strapping young socialist" to retiree golfer. The dinner was hosted by Conan O'Brien. Before showing a montage of photos of him sporting bangs styled like First Lady Michelle's, Obama joked about how re-election would allow him to unleash a radical agenda. But then he showed a picture of himself golfing on a mock magazine cover of Senior Leisure. Obama closed by noting the nation's recent tragedies in Massachusetts and Texas, praising Americans of all stripes, from first responders to local journalists, for serving the public good. [Huffington Post]
………………………………………………………………………………
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. OWNER OF COLLAPSED BANGLADESH BUILDING IS ARRESTED
The owner of Rana Plaza, the building that collapsed last week near Dhaka, Bangladesh, was arrested on Sunday at a border crossing with India. After the owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, was arrested, an announcement was made by loudspeaker at the site of the collapsed building, where people cheered and clapped. At least 362 people have died as a result of the Wednesday collapse of the eight-story building that housed garment factories. It is already the deadliest tragedy to hit Bangladesh's garment industry, surpassing another deadly tragedy in November. [New York Times]
………………………………………………………………………………
3. FURLOUGH ENDS, FAA RETURNS TO REGULAR STAFFING
Less than a week after furloughs began that idled air traffic controllers and delayed flights, the FAA will return to normal staffing levels by Sunday evening. The move comes after Congress voted to let the FAA move money around in its budget — a quick response that came after several days of travel delays that were either caused by or worsened by the furloughs. The FAA is taking action despite the fact that the legislation has not yet been signed by President Obama. A typo — a missing "s" — exists in the Senate version of the bill, but not the House version. The Senate is expected to correct the error Tuesday. [NPR]
………………………………………………………………………………
4. ANOTHER RICIN SUSPECT IS ARRESTED IN MISSISSIPPI
FBI agents arrested J. Everett Dutschke, a Mississippi man, Saturday in connection with sending ricin-laced letters to government officials. Dutschke, of Tupelo, Miss., was charged with possessing a toxin for use as a weapon, among other charges, the U.S. attorney's office said. The arrest follows a tumultuous week in which the man initially charged, Paul Kevin Curtis, an Elvis impersonator who had quarreled with Dutschke, was released. Dutschke is a martial-arts instructor, rock musician and failed political candidate. [Wall Street Journal]
………………………………………………………………………………
5. TWO SHOT OUTSIDE ITALIAN PM'S OFFICE
Two Italian police officers were wounded Sunday when a gunman shot at officers outside the prime minister's office in Rome. The gunman, a 49-year-old man from Calabria, Italy, fired five shots at police before being taken into custody. The officers didn't suffer life-threatening wounds, and the shooter was also hospitalized, though unwounded. Enrico Letta was being sworn in as prime minister at the time at the president's palace a short distance away. Police said the man's motive was unclear. [CNN]
………………………………………………………………………………
6. CHERTOFF DESCRIBES TRICKY SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPON SITUATION
Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged Sunday that President Obama is in a difficult situation when it comes to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons on Syrian rebels. "Putting aside the question of exactly what we do, once we announce there's a red line, if we don't take it seriously, then we are discrediting ourselves not only in Syria, but in Iran, North Korea, and all around the world," Chertoff said on CNN's State of the Union. Former Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns agreed and said the need for concrete evidence is necessary to avoid another situation like U.S. involvement in Iraq. [Politico]
………………………………………………………………………………
7. JAPANESE AIRLINE RESUMES BOEING FLIGHTS
ANA, the Japanese launch customer for Boeing's 787, flew its first Dreamliner in more than three months on Sunday to test reinforced batteries installed by Boeing. The successful flight was the second by an airline since aviation regulators on Friday gave permission for 787 operations to restart after batteries on two of them overheated in mid-January. On Saturday, Ethiopian Airlines became the world's first carrier to resume flying Dreamliner jets since the global fleet was grounded. [Reuters]
………………………………………………………………………………
8. BLACK VOTER TURNOUT HIT HIGH IN 2012 ELECTION
America's blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and, by most measures, surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported Barack Obama while many whites stayed home. Had people voted last November at the same rates they did in 2004, when black turnout was below its current historic levels, Mitt Romney would have won narrowly, according to an analysis conducted for The Associated Press. [Washington Post]
………………………………………………………………………………
9. WWII IWO JIMA FLAG PROVIDER DIES
Alan Wood, a World War II veteran credited with providing the flag in the famous flag-raising on Iwo Jima, has died at the age of 90. Wood died April 18 of natural causes at his Sierra Madre home, his son Steven Wood said Saturday. Wood was a 22-year-old Navy officer when five Marines and a Navy Corpsman raised his flag in a stirring moment captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. [USA Today]
………………………………………………………………………………
10. ZACH BRAFF RAISES $2 MILLION FOR NEW MOVIE
Another day, another celebrity-backed movie fundraiser on Kickstarter. Just three days after Zach Braff posted his Garden State follow-up on Kickstarter, Wish I Was Here has already hit its $2 million fundraising goal. One particularly deep-pocketed Braff supporter made a $10,000 donation, earning the most prized reward: Being a cast member in Wish I Was Here, which involves speaking a line of dialogue written by Braff. [Entertainment Weekly]
