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A Gaza tragedy, new IVF policy and
the immigration economy

 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Gaza's deadly food convoy tragedy

What happened?
At least 112 Palestinians were killed and more than 700 wounded Thursday when a hungry crowd near Gaza City rushed a convoy of aid trucks and Israeli troops opened fire.

Who said what?
"We didn't open fire on those seeking aid, contrary to the accusations," said Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Adm. Daniel Hagari. Israeli tanks "cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots," but violent looters caused most of the casualties. "Undeniable" evidence proves IDF's "direct firing at citizens, including headshots aimed at immediate killing," Hamas said. Journalist Khader Al Za'anoun, echoing other witnesses, told CNN most of those killed "were rammed by the aid trucks during the chaos and while trying to escape the Israeli gunfire."

The commentary
With Israel limiting aid deliveries, and starvation and disorder spreading, humanitarian groups have spent months warning that "Gazan society was nearing collapse," The Washington Post said. After Thursday's tragedy "their warnings seemed prophetic." The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza reached 30,000 even before Thursday's "stampede," Dahlia Scheindlin said at Haaretz. "Social media can battle out which side killed how many, but I know the truth: the war killed all of them. It has to stop."

What next?
President Joe Biden said the U.S. is investigating the "two competing versions of what happened." He said he's "hopeful" Hamas and Israel will agree to a cease-fire, but "probably not by Monday" and "I know it will" be harder after Thursday's deaths.

 
 
Today's NATIONAL story

Alabama lawmakers rush to shield IVF

What happened?
Alabama's House and Senate passed similar bills Thursday to legally shield doctors, clinics and hospitals offering in vitro fertilization treatment, after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the same rights as children. The ruling effectively halted IVF treatment in the state.

Who said what?
Republicans are rushing through a "quick fix" for the "unintended consequences" of legally declaring that life begins at conception, said state Sen. Bobby Singleton (D). This legislation will at least "get the clinics open for the families" going through IVF, said state Rep. Terri Collins (R).

The commentary?
Republicans are stomping on their "own party's triumph," Carmel Richardson said at The American Conservative. Alabama and "divine law" correctly hold that "if you make legal persons, you have to treat them as legal persons in all cases, not just when it is convenient" politically. "Providing legal rights to the unborn at any age of gestation is always going to be a legal mess," said Robin Marty at West Alabama Women's Center.

What next?
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is expected to sign the final legislation.

 
 
Today's Business Story

Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers

What happened?
The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter, the sixth straight quarter of growth. "When you poke your head up and look around the world, that's pretty good," Marketplace said. And one "big reason" the U.S. surpassed expectations and its economic peers is a "rebound in immigration," The New York Times said.

Who said what?
America's "absolutely astronomical" immigration has been "instrumental" in its best-in-class post-pandemic rebound, said Pia Orrenius, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. "You can't grow like this with just the native workforce. It's not possible." At the same time, "the biggest pull for migrants is the strength of the labor market," said University of California Merced economist Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes. "More than any immigration policy."

What next?
The Congressional Budget Office projects that net immigration gains over the next decade will add $7 trillion to the economy. Immigration "remains an intensely polarizing issue in American politics," The Washington Post said, but "whoever wins the [2024] election will take the helm of an economy that immigrant workers are supporting tremendously — and likely will keep powering for years to come."

 
 

It's not all bad

Dozens of people born on Feb. 29, otherwise known as leaplings, celebrated their proper birthday together this week on a cruise in the Bahamas. The revelers became friends through a Facebook group for leaplings and organized a birthday cruise in 2020. It was "absolutely phenomenal," participant Jason Bohn said to The Washington Post, and they decided to do it again in 2024. Bohn turned 44 (11 in leap years) on Thursday and said it felt great to be with "my people."

 
 
Under the radar

While Instagram does not allow children under 13 to have accounts, parents often run their kids' pages, hoping to help them become influencers or models. And kidfluencers can make up to six figures monthly.

But a recent investigation by The New York Times exposes the dark side of influencers on Meta's platforms. What begins as a parent's best effort to jump-start their kid's career can "descend into a dark underworld dominated by adult men, many of whom openly admit on other platforms to being sexually attracted to children." 

The Times discovered parents sell pictures, exclusive chat sessions, and even their "girls' worn leotards" to male followers. An audience demographic firm found 32 million adult male followers among the 5,000 child influencer accounts the Times examined. Another analysis indicated that suggestive images are most likely to garner "likes" and comments, and sometimes men "flatter, bully and blackmail" girls and their parents to elicit racy pictures. 

Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Instagram’s parent company, Meta, said that parents are responsible for the content on their Instagram accounts, pointing to a feature that allows parents to ban comments with certain words. Still, there is evidence that Meta ignored growing concerns. The company found 500,000 child Instagram accounts with "inappropriate" interactions daily, according to an internal 2020 study quoted in legal proceedings. 

 
 
On this day

March 1, 1961

President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. The independent government agency was created to help low-income countries with all aspects of their development. The corps was officially authorized by Congress in September 1961 and has deployed Americans to more than 140 countries since its inception.

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

Friday's front pages headline the dueling visits to the U.S.-Mexico border by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Their trips put a "spotlight on migrants," The Wall Street Journal says. The two candidates took the opportunity to "trade barbs," The Washington Post says, and "aim for gains," The New York Times adds. The Dallas Morning News simply reports "blame at the border."

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Bitter chocolate

A "Willy Wonka"–themed event in Glasgow shut down after angry parents called police to complain about the "disorganized" and "lackluster" setup. Willy's Chocolate Experience was billed as an "enchanting" day of "magical surprises," but instead attendees received one jelly bean and a tiny cup of lemonade and were greeted by a "terrifying chrome-masked character that scared many of the kids to tears," The Independent said. Tickets for the event were $45 per person — enough to buy a chocolate fountain.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Catherine Garcia, Justin Klawans, Theara Coleman, Harold Maass and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: AFP via Getty Images; Jay L. Clendenin / for The Washington Post via Getty Images; Javier Alvarez / Bloomberg via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images