3.19.2018

All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below.
 

Upsets Dominate Men's March Madness.
The first rounds of the men's NCAA college basketball tournament is in the books, and a weekend that included a historic upset culminated last night with a number of top teams exiting the tournament early. Five top seeds went down yesterday, including #1 Xavier (lost to #9 Florida State), #2 North Carolina (lost to #7 Texas A&M), #3 Michigan State (lost to #11 Syracuse), and #4 Auburn (lost to #5 Clemson). #2 Cincinnati gave up a 22-point second-half lead as it was stunned by #7 Nevada, 75-73. The South bracket was hit particularly hard - #5 Kentucky is now the highest remaining seed (see updated bracket). The chaos came on the heels of top-ranked Virginia losing big to the #16-seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County - the first time in tournament history a #1 seed lost in the opening round. Villanova, Duke, and Kentucky are the Vegas favorites to win the championship as games resume this Thursday. 

Loyola-Chicago, this year's Cinderella, and their 98-year-old team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt beat #3 Tennessee to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. 

Trump Opioid Epidemic Proposal.
President Trump is set to announce a proposal combating the opioid epidemic today during a trip to New Hampshire. The plan, known as the Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse, will focus on reducing overall demand, cutting off supply of illegal drugs, and increasing treatment options. In particular the administration will set a goal of reducing the total amount of opioid prescriptions by one-third through a national database that flags patients requesting numerous prescriptions. The plan, which includes a mix of things the administration can do on its own and options for Congress, expands powers for law enforcement - including reportedly proposing the death penalty for high volume dealers. The plan will need to address both prescription opioids, like Oxycodone, and illegal street drugs - according to studies, most deaths come from street drugs like heroin and fentanyl, but 80% of users began by abusing prescription opioids.

About 5 people die from opioid overdose every hour across the country. 

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D, NY-25) Dies.
Louise Slaughter, the oldest serving member of Congress, passed away Friday at the age of 88. While a specific cause of death was not revealed, Slaughter, who represented the greater Rochester area in upstate New York, had been admitted to a DC-area hospital earlier in the week after sustaining a head injury in a fall at her Washington residence. Having served for 16 consecutive terms, Slaughter rose to become the first woman to chair the powerful House Rules Committee, which sets the agenda and amendment processes for debate on the House floor - Jim McGovern (D, MA-2) will become the acting ranking chair. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo can call a special election to fill Slaughter's seat by July, otherwise it will remain vacant until the general election. 
 

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There is such a thing as the favorite child. 

L'oreal's new AI-powered app will superimpose beauty products onto your face. 

Skiers bail from an out-of-control ski lift (w/ video).

Here's how much a wine and cigarette habit will cost you around the world.

...And over half a million children in India have a daily smoking habit. 

Close-up photos of a bright storm on Jupiter. 

Hear the first-ever recordings of volcanic thunder.

Clickbait: Customer arrested for making meth in a White Castle restaurant. 

Historybook: HBD Wyatt Earp (1848); HBD Bruce Willis (1955); Texas Western is first basketball team to win NCAA Championship with all-black starting lineup (1966); Iraq War begins (2003).
 

"All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing."
- Phillip Roth
 

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