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Need To Know.
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2019 NFL Draft.
The 2019 NFL Draft kicks off tonight with the first round televised from the Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville, TN (7pm ET, ESPN). Oklahoma quarterback and 2018 Heisman winner Kyler Murray is projected to be the top pick, following in the footsteps of former Sooner QB and Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, who was selected first in the 2018 draft. The Arizona Cardinals have the top spot following an abysmal 3-13 campaign (full draft order), and must decide whether to trade the pick to a QB-needy team or take Murray despite having Josh Rosen - who was the 10th pick of last year’s draft and started 13 games for Arizona last year. Other top picks include defensive linemen Nick Bosa (Ohio State), Quinnen Williams (Alabama), and Ed Oliver (Houston), linebacker Devin White (LSU), and quarterback Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State). Rounds 2 and 3 will be held on Friday, and rounds 4-7 follow on Saturday.
In what will be a touching moment, the Baltimore Ravens will have 13-year-old blind fan Mo Gaba read their pick off a Braille card.
James Byrd Jr.
John William King, one of three men sentenced for the 1998 killing of James Byrd Jr., was put to death yesterday evening, after the Supreme Court denied a final-day appeal. The 44-year-old was the second man executed in the gruesome killing of Byrd - his accomplice, Lawrence Brewer, was put to death in 2011, while a third man, Shawn Berry, is serving a life sentence. The three men, who were white, were found to have killed Byrd, who was black, after kidnapping him and dragging him behind a truck for over one-and-a-half miles on a June night in the small Texas town of Jasper. King, an avowed racist and white supremacist, was allegedly the ringleader of the group. The gruesome murder helped drive the passage of hate crime laws in Texas and, along with the killing of Matthew Sheppard - a young gay man in Wyoming - was the inspiration for a federal hate crimes bill signed into law in 2009.
Endgame Begins.
One of the most highly-anticipated movie premieres kicks off tonight as Avengers: Endgame hits theaters for Thursday previews. It’s the fourth Avengers film since 2012 and the penultimate piece of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, a meta-franchise that has explored a shared storyline across 22 movies over the past decade. The nearly two dozen films - technically broken into three phases collectively known as the Infinity Saga - have collectively grossed a staggering $18.6B worldwide heading into Endgame (see list of ticket sales by film). Analysts think the newest entry may shatter a number of records, including the record-breaking opening weekend haul of $258M brought in by its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War. The Disney-owned Marvel Studios has no intention of abandoning the lucrative franchise, with plans to launch a new 5-year slate of films dubbed “Phase 4” beginning in 2020.
> Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declines rule change that would have made Oscar eligibility more difficult for streaming services (More) > Merriam-Webster adds 640 new words to its English dictionary; see full list of additions and updated words like snowflake, buzzy, and EGOT (More)
> Beyoncé's father announces plans for a Destiny's Child musical theater production to premiere in 2020; musical will tell the formation of the group that launched Beyoncé's career (More)
Living a healthy lifestyle should be effortless and accessible for you and your family. Grove is here to help (More) #Ad
Science & Technology.
> Listen to NASA’s InSight probe pick up the first-ever recorded quake on Mars (More)
> World Health Organization says no screen time for children under 1 year old, less than 1 hour per day for children under 5 years old (More)
> Neuroscientists develop speech-decoding device capable of translating brain signals into speech (More)
Business & Markets.
> Social media giant Facebook destroys Wall Street expectations, shares up 10%+ in after-hours trading (More) | Facebook also announces it expects a fine of up to $5B from Federal Trade Commission for potential privacy violations (More)
> Microsoft exceeds expectations on strong cloud computing, shares up 4% (More) | AT&T misses sales expectations as TV subscribers continue to "cut the cord" (More)
> Visa profits increase as credit and debit card spending increase (More) | Chipotle beats expectations as digital sales double in Q1 (More)
Politics & World Affairs.
> North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for first time, discuss nuclear weapon stalemate with US (More)
> Former Vice President Joe Biden set to enter 2020 presidential race today, will be his third try at the Democratic nomination; leads contenders in initial polls (More)
> US measles cases hit highest mark in 25 years at over 667 reported cases (More)
In Depth.
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Our Incel Problem.
Vox | Zack Beauchamp. The strange and twisted saga of how an internet forum created as a support group for lonely men became one of the internet's most dangerous communities, breeding hyper-misogynistic males that blame women for their romantic failures - and are increasingly looking to exact retribution in the real world. (Read)
How Chipotle Supersized the American Burrito.
Eater | Gustavo Arellano. Burritos didn't always make us feel terrible - at least they didn't before Chipotle. It's not just the outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, but the sheer size of the once-modest Mexican staple dish that is taking a toll on our lunches. (Read)
Historybook: Workers break ground on Suez Canal (1859); Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald born (1917); US declares war on Spain to begin Spanish-American War (1898); HBD Al Pacino (1940).
"It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts." - Ella Fitzgerald
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