Good morning. It's Thursday, March 4, and we're covering the crackdown in Myanmar, a conviction in a high-profile attack in Toronto, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Deadly Day in Myanmar

At least 38 people were killed yesterday as government forces in Myanmar (Burma) escalated their crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. It was the deadliest day of a standoff that began following a Feb. 1 military coup that ousted hundreds of lawmakers and officials, including popular leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The bloodshed came after a reported 18 deaths during Sunday demonstrations.

The coup followed November elections in which Suu Kyi's ruling party claimed more than 80% of the seats in parliament (see our previous write-up). The military—which governed the country for more than five decades before a fragile democratic transition began 2011 (see history)—claimed widespread voter fraud, but the civilian government resisted holding new elections. Coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing, who played a key role in the 2017 Rohingya massacre, has shown little interest in outside calls for negotiations.

See photos of the protests here.

Conviction in Toronto 

A Canadian court found 28-year-old Alek Minassian guilty yesterday for a Toronto vehicular attack that killed 10 people and injured 16 others. The presiding judge rejected the defense's argument that he was not criminally responsible due to a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Yet to be sentenced, Minassian is likely to face life imprisonment.

The April 2018 rampage is considered the deadliest vehicular attack in the country's history, with witnesses saying Minassian reached speeds of 30 mph while traveling down sidewalks in Toronto's central business district. It was also recognized as one of the highest-profile attacks carried out by self-described "incels"—an obscure subculture that has flourished online, harboring extreme misogynistic views.

Watch stitched-together video of the attack and arrest here (warning: may contain sensitive content).

Rocket Attacks in Iraq

At least 10 rockets struck a coalition air base in western Iraq yesterday, causing the death of an American contractor. The rocket fire comes less than a week after President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes along the Iraq-Syria border, where Iranian-backed militias are believed to coordinate attacks. 

The Ain al-Asad air base (see map) is the same base that suffered a February 2020 attack from Iranian ballistic missiles, leaving almost 100 service members with head injuries—a retaliatory measure for the US killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Yesterday's assault has ignited fears that the US and Iran are in danger of repeating an escalating series of tit-for-tat attacks.  

Notably, the assault comes two days before a high-profile visit from Pope Francis, who will become the first pontiff to ever visit Iraq. The four-day trip has sparked security concerns, with the pope scheduled to travel from Baghdad to Mosul, among other stops. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Dine-in movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse files for bankruptcy, will close three of its 37 national locations (More) | Sinclair Broadcasting Group, operators of 130 local TV stations, to lay off roughly 5% of its workforce due to pandemic (More)

> Kellen Winslow II, former NFL Pro Bowler, sentenced to 14 years in prison for multiple rapes and other sexual offenses (More) | The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, postponed until July 2021, likely to be held without foreign spectators (More)

> Kings of Leon to become first band to release an album as a non-fungible token (More) | What are the crypto collectibles known as NFTs? (More)

Science & Technology

> SpaceX's Starship prototype lands for the first time in three tries, but explodes moments after touchdown; flight's main objective was to test the craft's aerodynamic flaps that steer final descent (More, w/video)

> Soft aquatic robot explores the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth; design was inspired by snailfish, whose malleable bodies are capable of withstanding crushing pressure (More, w/video)

> Researchers demonstrate the fastest-ever random number generator by exploiting tiny fluctuations in the intensity of a laser beam; has applications in data and communications encryption (More)

Business & Markets

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> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -1.3%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -2.7%) as tech stocks slide on bond yield fears (More)

> Google to stop selling advertisements based on user browsing history (More) | Facebook to lift temporary advertising ban on political ads starting today (More)

> Las Vegas Sands to sell the Venetian property and its Expo and Convention Center for $6.25B, will focus on Asia properties (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Police uncover possible plot by a militia group to attack the US Capitol today; no indication the group is traveling to Washington, DC (More) | House changes schedule over threat (More) | Live pipe bomb found at Iowa polling station (More)

> New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) apologizes, says he will not resign amid mounting sexual harassment claims; Attorney General Letitia James (D) to oversee investigation into allegations by at least three women (More)

> Germany places its entire Alternative for Germany political party under surveillance ahead of national elections, calling the populist-nationalist group a threat to democracy; AfD is the country's largest opposition party in parliament (More)

IN-DEPTH

The Moment Everything Changed

ESPN | Bob Harig, Ramona Shelburne. Last week, a severe roll-over car crash left Tiger Woods alive, but with compound fractures in both legs. One of the greatest golfers to play the game, Woods says he has no memory of the accident, and no one knows what his future holds. (Read)

1,000 True Fans

The Technium | Kevin Kelly. This prescient essay, originally written by the founding editor of Wired in 2008, is making the rounds again as the creator economy appears primed for exponential growth. (Read)

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ETCETERA

This Deep Nostalgia craze has gone way too far. (via YouTube)

What the internet looked like 10 years ago today.

Mapping the world by favorite song.

Watch the formation of a new Antarctic mega-iceberg

Enchanting photos of fireflies dancing in a Japanese forest.

Polish teen launches fake cosmetics shop as a lifeline for domestic abuse victims.

The first space hotel is set to open in 2027.

The benefits of microdosing psychedelics may be all in your head.

Clickbait: Scientists attach a dead locust's ear to a robot—and it works.

Historybook: HB Antonio Vivaldi, violinist and composer (1678); Jeannette Rankin becomes first female member of US House of Representatives (1917); Frances Perkins becomes secretary of labor, first female member of US Cabinet (1933); RIP actor and comedian John Candy (1994); RIP actor Luke Perry (2019).

"You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go."

- Jeannette Rankin

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