Good morning. It's Friday, April 2, and we're covering a global rise in COVID-19 cases, college basketball, and more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

The Race to Vaccinate

Health officials in many of the world's leading economies are warning of a fourth wave of the coronavirus, despite a global sprint toward vaccination. 

Worldwide, the seven-day rolling average of new cases has risen to nearly 580,000 per day, up roughly 35% since March 1. Daily deaths have risen by about 15% over the past three weeks, averaging around 10,250 per day. Officials say the drivers are relaxed mitigation measures combined with new, more transmissible variants.  

The European Union, which has seen a sluggish vaccine rollout, and South America are currently the world's hot spots. France implemented a three-week lockdown yesterday, while Brazil is on track to break the US daily death tolls seen over the winter. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, which has inoculated almost half its population, continues to see a steady decline in cases and deaths. 

New cases in the US have risen by 17% over the past week, now averaging almost 66,000 per day, with daily deaths hovering around 1,000. Caseloads increased in 25 states over the past week (see map). 

At the same time, the country leads the world in total vaccine doses administered. More than 153 million doses have been administered, with nearly 100 million people receiving at least one dose (38% of the adult population). That figure is almost double the next closest country (India, 53 million with at least one shot).  

A fourth wave is likely to look different than the preceding surges—roughly three-quarters of Americans 65 and older, the most vulnerable demographic, have received at least one vaccine dose. 

Final Fours

College basketball is ready to crown its champions, with the final two rounds in both the men's and women's NCAA tournaments being held over the next four days. 

The women kick things off today, with a pair of No. 1 seeds in South Carolina and Stanford facing off (6 pm ET, ESPN), followed by No. 1 UConn taking on No. 3 Arizona (9:30 pm ET, ESPN). While Arizona is the Cinderella in the party—the first team below a two-seed to make the Final Four since 2016—UConn is the favorite not just to advance, but to win the title. UConn is led by phenom Paige Bueckers, who became the first freshman named AP Women's Player of the Year. The women's title game is set for Sunday (6 pm ET, ESPN). 

The men's Final Four will be held Saturday, with No. 2 Houston taking on No. 1 Baylor (5:14 pm ET, CBS) and No. 11 UCLA attempting to take down No. 1 Gonzaga. Undefeated Gonzaga—whose namesake is coincidentally the patron saint of plague victims—is favored to win. The men's tournament wraps Monday (9 pm ET, CBS). 

In non-tournament news, Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams retired yesterday from North Carolina, opening a spot at one of the nation's most prestigious men's programs. 

Water Wars

The state of Georgia secured a major victory yesterday, as the US Supreme Court ruled 9-0 to dismiss a water rights challenge brought by Florida. The long-running dispute focuses on the use of interstate water systems, fed by the Apalachicola River basin, which begin in Georgia and empty at Florida's panhandle.

An estimated 70% of metro Atlanta—the fourth fastest-growing metro area over the past decade—rely on the basin's major rivers for water. Surface and groundwaters are also used to irrigate farms in southern Georgia. Florida officials say lower water levels have harmed its seafood industry, particularly oyster harvesting in the Apalachicola Bay, where large volumes of fresh water are needed to balance Gulf salt water. Dwindling oyster populations forced the state to suspend harvesting in the bay through 2025. 

Justices said Florida did not sufficiently prove the oyster population decline was linked to overconsumption upstream (read opinion). 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Picky Bars

> Opening day: Washington Nationals, New York Mets game postponed due to COVID-19 (More) | Full scores from day one here (More)

> “Godzilla vs. Kong” brings in $9.6M at the US box office, the most in a single day since the pandemic began (More) | Barry Jenkins, Oscar-winning director of “Moonlight,” signs two-year TV deal with HBO (More)

> Nike wins restraining order against the maker of rapper Lil Nas X's "Satan Shoes," blocking sale of the modified Nike sneakers (More)

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Science & Technology

> Scientists use laser to slow down antihydrogen, the simplest atom made out of pure antimatter, allowing their study with unprecedented precision (More) | The mystery of antimatter (More)

>  Breakthrough study in mice reveals the neural circuits involved in hallucinations; results open up the possibility of using mice to study the biology of psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia (More)

> Astronomers discover X-rays emanating from Uranus; specific source remains unknown, possibilities include charged particles interacting with the planet's upper atmosphere or rings (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +1.2%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.8%) as S&P 500 closes above 4,000 for first time in history; S&P 500 index hit a pandemic low of 2,192 last March (More)

> An estimated 719,000 Americans filed initial unemployment claims last week, up nearly 61,000 claims from the previous week; figure back above prepandemic record of 695,000 claims set in 1982 (More)

> US Supreme Court allows Federal Communications Commission to soften restrictions around local media ownership; move could lead to more consolidation in media industry (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Officials identify suspect involved in California office shooting that killed four, including a 9-year-old boy; police say suspect, who was taken into custody, knew the victims (More)

> At least 48 dead and 66 people injured after train in Taiwan collides with a runaway truck (More) | Seven pro-democracy activists, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, found guilty of unlawful assembly in Hong Kong (More)

> Myanmar cuts wireless internet as protests over Feb. 1 military coup continue; more than 540 people reportedly killed and 2,500 arrested over the past two months (More)

IN-DEPTH

Chokepoints

GPF | George Friedman. The closure of one of the globe's busiest trade lanes by a single sideways ship should force a rethinking about the world's dependence on geographical chokepoints. (Read)

My Father, the Killer

BBC | Valeria Perasso. Children confront the legacy of parents who worked under Argentina's brutal military junta decades ago, carrying out murders, kidnapping, and torture. (Read)

Why Animals Don't Get Lost

New Yorker | Kathryn Schulz. It's a lesson about the birds and the bees—and how they navigate better than humans, despite not having GPS. (Read, $$)

The Truth About Lying

Knowable | Jessica Seigel. You actually can't spot a liar by looking at them—but psychologists are zeroing in on some methods that may work. (Read)

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ETCETERA—THE BEST OF MARCH

Editor's note: More than 1 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in March. Enjoy!

(3/31/21) Dad bods are back in style.

(3/17/21) St. Patrick's true story is better than the myth.

(3/24/21) This Milky Way photo took 12 years to shoot.