Morning Report

TODAY’S INTERNATIONAL story

Israel approves death penalty for Palestinians

What happened
Israel’s parliament yesterday gave final approval to legislation that makes death by hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The Knesset approved the bill 62-48 amid condemnation from human rights groups, Palestinians and several European governments.

Who said what
“From today, every terrorist will know, and the whole world will know, that whoever takes a life, the State of Israel will take their life,” far-right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir (pictured above), the driving force behind the bill, told lawmakers. Capital punishment was already legal in Israel, but only two people have been executed in 78 years, most recently Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962.

“In theory, Jewish Israelis could also be executed under the law,” the BBC said, but the law’s language precludes that in practice. “The intent is clearly for the law to apply to Palestinians and not to Jewish terrorism at all,” Yoav Sapir, the former head of Israel’s public defender’s office, told The New York Times.

What next?
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has already asked the Supreme Court to annul the law. The court will likely strike it down over its discriminatory provisions, Sapir told the Times.

TODAY’S POLITICS Story

Florida renames Palm Beach airport after Trump

What happened
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) yesterday signed legislation renaming Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport. Florida Republicans — who recently named the road leading to the airport President Donald J. Trump Blvd. — said they were honoring the first president to claim Florida as his residence.

Who said what
DeSantis “signed the law in private, with little fanfare — an unusual move for the governor,” The New York Times said. But other “Florida Republicans were quick to celebrate” the “massive — and costly — rebranding,” Politico said. Florida Democrats pointed to the estimated $5 million cost to rename the airport, saying Florida taxpayer money was “being misused to celebrate the man who caused gas prices to rise to over $4 a gallon.”

The Palm Beach airport is the “latest in a series of buildings, institutions, government programs, warships and money” affixed with Trump’s name, Reuters said. The Trump Organization filed a trademark application in February for “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” but later said it wouldn’t claim any money from the rebrand.

What next?
The airport name change goes into effect July 1, subject to administrative changes from the Federal Aviation Administration.

It’s not all bad

Punch, the monkey that gained millions of fans through a viral video of him cuddling a stuffed orangutan, has traded in his stuffed animal for a real friend. The 7-month-old macaque was lonely after being rejected by his mother and the rest of his troop at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo. But in recent weeks, Punch has become more confident and befriended a female macaque named Moe, and the pair have been observed playing together and hugging.

Under the radar

The radioactive time bomb in the Pacific Ocean

In 1977, a concrete dome was built on Runit Island, part of the Marshall Islands, to contain the radioactive fallout from nuclear tests conducted in previous decades. But now the Runit Dome, also called The Tomb, is deteriorating. And with rising sea levels, the radioactive waste could contaminate the Pacific Ocean and displace hundreds of people.

A 1958 U.S. military nuclear test on the island left behind a crater nearly 33 feet deep, and that pit became a dumping ground for the debris from myriad other tests conducted in the 1940s and ’50s. Now, the dome contains more than 120,000 tons of contaminated material, including lethal quantities of plutonium.

“Groundwater has penetrated the otherwise-unlined crater,” said Science Alert. The water in the dome is “soaking the radioactive waste with the daily rise and fall of the tide,” said ZME Science. And the Tomb’s outer shell contains cracks, “allowing contaminated waste to wash into the surrounding lagoon,” said the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Runit Dome is about 20 miles from a human population that regularly uses the lagoon. But the U.S. Department of Energy claims it’s “not in imminent danger of collapse,” said ABC.

Residents “fear nuclear contamination,” said The Cool Down. “Legacies of nuclear testing and military land requisitions by a foreign power have displaced hundreds of Marshallese for generations,” U.N. Special Rapporteur Paula Gaviria Betancur said in 2024, and the “adverse effects of climate change threaten to displace thousands more.”

On this day

March 31, 1889

The Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in Paris, opening to the public six weeks later. The iron structure, designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World’s Fair, has become an iconic symbol of France and one of the world’s most recognizable buildings. It was also the world’s tallest structure until New York’s Chrysler Building overtook it in 1930.

TODAY’S newspaperS

‘Waltzes and war’

Review shows new “U.S. missile untested in war left 21 dead” at Iran “school site” and nearby civilian locales, The New York Times says on Tuesday’s front page. “Between threats, Trump says Iran talks are ‘serious,’” the Los Angeles Times says. “Trump looks to exit with Strait still closed,” The Wall Street Journal says. “For some, war can’t end quickly enough,” says USA Today. “As gas prices near $4 a gallon, Americans rethink vacations,” The Minnesota Star Tribune says. “Waltzes and war” as Trump shows plans for “‘bulletproof, drone-proof’ White House ballroom,” the New York Daily News says. “Protests, cancellations mar White House’s plans for America 250 tour,” The Washington Post says. “Appeal to end birthright citizenship cites white supremacists,” The Philadelphia Inquirer says. “Bishops oppose birthright abolition,” says The Oklahoman.

► See the newspaper front pages

Tall tale

Sore winner

A Finnish circus performer named The Baron used his body piercings to break the Guinness World Record for heaviest vehicle pulled by the nipples. He lugged a 2,184-pound carriage across a stage, topping the previous record of 2,179.27 pounds set by Sage Werbock, The Great Nippulini. This is The Baron’s second nipple-related feat; in 2013, he broke the world record for heaviest weight lifted by the nipples by lifting 71.87 pounds and holding it for more than 8 seconds.

Morning Report was written and edited by Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Rafi Schwartz, Peter Weber and Kari Wilkin, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.