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Good morning,

The men’s NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 is here.

We watched a couple upsets over the weekend, with No. 13 Yale and No. 14 Oakland both pulling off surprise wins in the first round, before going down over the weekend. One ‘cinderella’ team we are still watching are the No. 11 NC State Wolfpack, the only double-digit seed left in the tournament.

Notably, all eight No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams have made it to the Sweet 16—that is only the fourth time that has happened in the last 40 years. The next round of games take place Thursday and Friday.

The Women’s Sweet 16 will be decided today.

Stay tuned 🏀!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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🇷🇺 RUSSIA HIT WITH WORST TERROR ATTACK IN DECADES

Russia experienced its worst terrorist attack in 20 years Friday, as Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists stormed a packed concert hall, opening fire and starting a massive fire which led to the roof’s collapse. As of late Sunday, more than 130 people were confirmed dead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the attack 19 hours later, saying a number of suspects were detained. And, even though ISIS claimed responsibility, Putin insisted the suspects had links to Ukraine. The US and others say there is no evidence of Ukrainian involvement.

THE ATTACK
Gunmen with automatic weapons burst into the Crocus City Music Hall— which had as many as 6,200 people inside— killing and wounding hundreds with gunfire and explosives. Using those explosives and flammable liquids, they set the building on fire, causing chaos as people began to run.

• THE VICTIMS: Most of those identified so far appeared to be in their 40s, and many had traveled from other parts of the country to see the Russian rock band, Piknik.

• THE SUSPECTS: Russian authorities detained at least 11 people, including four they say were directly involved. Those four were charged with terrorism. At least one is a citizen of Tajikistan—a former Soviet Republic that borders Afghanistan.

  • The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and it’s thought that their Afghanistan and Pakistan branch, known as Islamic State-Khorasan or ISIS-K, carried out Friday’s attack.

    • Earlier in March, Russian officials said they stopped an ISIS-K attack at a Moscow synagogue.

• Who are ISIS’s enemies? Just about everyone. Countries across Europe to Iran to Russia to the US, and other terrorist groups like Hamas and al Qaeda. And then there is the Taliban, who they have been fighting in Afghanistan for years. ISIS-K actually split off from al Qaeda and the Taliban a decade ago, to follow an even more extreme, violent interpretation of Islam.

• Putin keeps focus on Ukraine: Putin has been laying the groundwork to blame Ukraine for the attack, claiming that “the Ukrainian side” had “prepared a window” for the attackers to cross the border from Russia into Ukraine.

WHY RUSSIA?
Russia is an ally to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, fighting alongside him to eradicate ISIS. And then there is ISIS’ rival, the Taliban, which has gotten closer to Russia in recent months.

• On March 7, US intelligence officials warned Russia about “reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts,” and urged Americans to stay away from large gatherings.

• A number of foreign fighters have joined ISIS from former Soviet Republics over the last decade.

📺 FORMER NICKELODEON CHILD STARS DETAIL ABUSE AND TOXIC CULTURE

An explosive new documentary, ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,’ reveals a culture of abuse and cycle of silence at Nickelodeon, at the height of the network’s popularity.

THE OPEN SECRET
The four-part docu-series chronicles accusations of misogyny, racism, sexual and psychological abuse at the children’s channel throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Featuring interviews from former cast and crew members, they speak of a volatile, dysfunctional and sometimes sexualized environment. The show also reveals that several sex offenders were employed at the network, and worked with children.

For the first time: Drake Bell’s story is an integral part of the series. He came forward after 20 years as the anonymous sex abuse survivor of Nickelodeon’s former dialogue coach Brian Peck’s. Peck pleaded no contest, spent 16 months in prison and registered as a sex offender in 2004 over charges of sexual assault and lewd conduct with a minor. Remarkably, we learn that he was able to briefly get a job with the Disney Channel after his prison term.

NICKELODEON’S RESPONSE:
Nickelodeon responded with a statement, “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.”

• Drake Bell isn’t having it: “I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows… And I have to pay for my own therapy, I have to figure out what — I mean if there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”

WHAT ELSE IS IN THE DOCUMENTARY
The documentary also focused on ex-Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider, who was behind hits like "The Amanda Show," "Victorious," "Drake & Josh," and “iCarly”. He’s now speaking out after stars accused him of inappropriate behavior.

• Amanda Bynes, Jamie Lynn Spears, Ariana Grande and Drake Bell’s careers were launched through shows on the network. And Schneider was instrumental to their success.

• Schneider is accused of making women working on the crew give him frequent massages; inserting adult and sexual innuendo into show dialogue and plots; and creating an environment of fear by possible retaliation.

  • HIS RESPONSE: In a 20-minute video with BooG!e, who played T-Bo in “iCarly,” Schneider is apologizing: “Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret — and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.” Here is his full interview.

🍼 OZEMPIC BABIES: WOMEN ON BIRTH CONTROL GETTING 🤰 WHILE TAKING MEDS

The miracle diabetes drug is bringing miracle babies into the world. Despite being on birth control, or even dealing with fertility issues, some women are unintentionally getting pregnant while on weight-loss GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy.

WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY
Medical professionals are pointing to two reasons for the fertility boost: -

• Weight loss can lead to more consistent menstrual cycles and ovulation.

  • Dr. Iman Saleh, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said, “Our fat cells produce estrogen and estrogen can have a negative effect on our ovaries in terms of decreased or dysfunction of ovulation… Even if it's a 5, 10 pound weight loss, this can actually have patients resume ovulation and be able to get pregnant.”

• AND the medicine may reduce the effectiveness of birth control. That is leading some health care providers to recommend two forms of contraception (such as birth control pills and condoms).

It’s recommended to stop the drugs two to three months before trying to get pregnant. Doctors also warn that the drugs should not intentionally be used to increase your chance at conceiving—noting potential birth defects and other complications.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Former Supreme Court Justice Breyer supports age/term limits for the court (AXIOS)

📌 Border Patrol ramps up patrols after recent migrant surges at US border fence (FOX NEWS)

📌 Chuck Todd blasts NBC News on-air over former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel hire (VARIETY) How US corporate media is learning to live with Trump (SEMAFOR)

📌 Trump could learn today how New York will collect $457 million bond, which could include taking over properties (THE HILL)

📌 'There's going to be a problem': House Republicans ramp up talk of removing Speaker Johnson after budget saga (CNBC)

📌 Man who survived mountain lion attack that killed his brother in California expected to survive (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 The Prince and Princess of Wales are "enormously touched by the kind messages" they have received following Catherine's cancer diagnosis (BBC)

📌 Nigeria school abduction: Over 130 children are freed after two weeks in captivity (AP)

📌 Pope Francis skips homily at Palm Sunday Mass in rare move (CNN)

📌 Haiti gang wars push hunger to worst levels on record (NBC NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Elon Musk is not the only person taking drugs at work (BUSINESS INSIDER)

📌 FAA considers temporary action against United following series of flight mishaps, sources say (CBS NEWS)

📌 Allergy season arrived early in US. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring (AP)

📌 Chick-fil-A announces that it will no longer serve antibiotic-free chicken (NY POST)

📌 Cosmic explosion will be visible to the naked eye in once-in-a-lifetime stargazing event (MO NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots now a combined $1.9 billion. Drawings tonight and tomorrow (KTLA)

📌 Gisele Bundchen confirms new romance amid rumors she's dating jiu-jitsu pro Joaquim Valente (DAILY MAIL)

📌 Blake Lively apologizes for Kate Middleton joke (BUZZFEED)

📌 Adam Sandler is working on ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ according to Christopher McDonald (CNN)

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

🗓 ON THIS DAY: MARCH 25

• 1306: Robert the Bruce is crowned the Scottish King. He would help free Scotland from English rule within a decade.

• 1965: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. arrived at Alabama’s capitol in Montgomery after a five-day march from Selma, two weeks after Bloody Sunday. “No tide of racism can stop us,” he declared.

• 1960: Ray Charles recorded “Georgia on My Mind” for his “The Genius Hits the Road” album in New York.

• 2002: ‘The Bachelor’ premiered on ABC with Alex Michel, a 31-year-old consultant, as the first ‘Bachelor.’