Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 6, and we're covering a corruption trial in Israel, a major copyright case, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Netanyahu Trial 

A corruption trial against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began in earnest yesterday, with a witness testifying the five-term official compelled a major news organization to cover his family in a flattering light while disparaging his political opponents. 

Netanyahu faces three charges: allegedly taking improper gifts from a number of business owners; pushing legislation that would weaken a competitor of Israel's largest paper, Yediot Aharonot, in exchange for favorable coverage; and taking bribes from Shaul Elovitz, who controls the country's biggest telecom company, in exchange for political favors. The third case is the most serious, with the regulatory benefits provided estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The highly anticipated trial comes as the country attempts to free itself from political paralysis, with a March 23 election—the fourth in two years—producing no clear winner. Talks to form a coalition government are ongoing. 

Google v. Oracle

Google notched a major legal victory yesterday, after the Supreme Court ruled in its favor in a long-running dispute against Oracle. The decision focused on the use of application programming interfaces—pieces of computer code that allow different programs to interact with each other (see 101). 

Google co-opted about 11,000 lines of Java—a computing language developed by Sun Microsystems, which was subsequently acquired by Oracle—for use in its Android operating system. The code allowed Android programs to interface with Java-based software. Oracle claimed copyright infringement and asked for nearly $9B; Google argued its use of the code was strictly for compatibility and therefore not covered under copyright law. See a breakdown of each side here.

The court side-stepped the issue of whether APIs are copyrightable, instead ruling 6-2 that Google's inclusion of the code fell within the bounds of fair use.  

Putin Power Grab

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law yesterday a change to the country's constitution that would allow him to potentially remain in power until 2036. Previously, Putin would've been legally required to step down in 2024, at the end of his second sequential presidential term. 

Critics called the proposal orchestrated—it took just three hours for the proposal to be debated and approved when it was introduced in July. The change was passed by voters in a national referendum, but was tacked onto a broader package with 200 other amendments, including a number of popular social welfare programs. 

Putin has effectively held power in the country for more than two decades, first as president (2000-08), then as prime minister (2008-12), then once more as president (2012-current). See a timeline of his governance here.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by CanvasPeople

> Baylor routs Gonzaga 86-70 to win 2021 NCAA Tournament and their first-ever men’s basketball national championship (More) | Watch “One Shining Moment” video recap of the entire tournament (More)

> Texas governor cancels plans to throw ceremonial first pitch at yesterday’s Texas Rangers home opener over MLB decision to move All-Star game from Georgia (More) | More than 38,000 fans attend Rangers game in first full-capacity sporting event in US since pandemic began (More)

> Harvey Weinstein files appeal to overturn 2020 rape conviction, alleging an unfair judge and a biased juror; Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence (More)

From our partners: Free large canvas?! Bring beautiful photos from the camera roll to the living room, with CanvasPeople. They print your favorite images onto high-quality canvases, and today they're giving 1440 readers one free 16x20 canvas print (over $120 in value). Just pay S&H; create yours today!

Science & Technology

> NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which accompanied the Mars Curiosity rover, spends first night on its own after being deployed (More) | See the copter's specs here (More)

> Researchers discover cell-to-cell signaling that can kick-start tumor regrowth following cancer treatment (More)

> Scientists demonstrate low-cost rechargeable batteries made from only aluminum and carbon as an alternative to widely used lithium-ion batteries; prototypes show up to 10,000 charging cycles without failure (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets surge (S&P 500 +1.4%, Dow +1.1%, Nasdaq +1.7%), while S&P 500 and Dow close at record highs (More) | Shares of “meme stock” video game retailer GameStop fall 2% after it files to sell 3.5 million shares (More)

> US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen argues for global minimum corporate tax rate, seeks to work with other G-20 countries to set a global minimum rate (More)

> China becomes first major economy to create a digital currency; digital yuan will be controlled by China’s central bank (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testifies former officer Derek Chauvin used excessive force, did not follow training when detaining George Floyd; said neck restraints are allowed when suspects are resisting (More) | Key moments from day six of the trial (More)

> Senate parliamentarian allows Senate Democrats to use budget reconciliation twice more this fiscal year, effectively paving the way for fiscal legislation to avoid the 60-vote threshold (More) | Who is Elizabeth MacDonough? (More)

> An estimated 4.1 million Americans received a vaccine dose Sunday, a record high; country now averaging 3 million doses per day, with more than 40% of adults having received at least one shot (More) | Average deaths fall below 800 per day for the first time since October; see data here (More)

IN-DEPTH

'We Found a Baby on the Subway'

BBC | Lucy Wallis. On the way to meet his partner for dinner, Danny Stewart noticed a small bundle sitting in the corner of a New York subway station. The discovery would change all of their lives. (Read)

Revenge of the Winklevii

Forbes | Staff. A profile of the twins, notable for their early legal battles with Facebook, who've now made a name for themselves as Bitcoin billionaires. (Read, $$)

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ETCETERA

America's most crowded cities.

Sub visits the deepest-known shipwreck.

Scientists demonstrate first wireless brain-computer interface.

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This Los Angeles restaurant sits 900 feet above the city. 

Texas firefighters rescue a squirrel from a tree.

Spot-on shadow paintings.

A stunning underwater shot of a lone penguin. 

Robot artist sells a piece for $688K.

Clickbait: Aaron Rodgers trolled while hosting "Jeopardy!". 

Historybook: Renaissance artist Raphael born and died (1483, 1520); First modern Olympics opens in Athens (1896); The US declares war on Germany in World War I (1917); RIP prolific science fiction author Isaac Asimov (1992); RIP country singer Tammy Wynette (1998).

"Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right."

- Isaac Asimov, "Foundation"

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