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Good morning,

A scary sight on one of the most iconic roads in the nation…

Part of California’s scenic Highway 1 collapsed into the Pacific Ocean near Big Sur over the weekend — luckily, no one was injured.

• The chunk —about 14 miles south of Monterey—collapsed after heavy rains, stranding around 1,600 people overnight in the tiny coastal community.

Officials are leading convoys a couple times a day for cars that need to travel in either direction. Engineers will now focus on stabilizing and rebuilding the roadway. It is not clear when it will be open to full traffic again.

Hope you have an easier commute!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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🐓 BIRD FLU WORRIES INCREASE AS VIRUS SPREADS TO COWS & ONE HUMAN

A person in Texas is being treated for bird flu after being exposed to dairy cattle that health officials suspect are infected with the highly contagious virus. This is only the second ever case of human infection in the US — the first was in 2022. Human infection is uncommon and does not spread easily between people.

Bird flu has killed millions of birds and impacted sea mammals around the world. It’s also the first time the virus has been seen in cattle.

BIRD FLU HISTORY
The virus, known as H5N1, was first identified in 1996 in geese in China, then in people in Hong Kong in 1997.

• In 2020, a new and highly contagious variant of the bird flu emerged.

• Outbreaks: In the US, since 2022, over 82 million birds have been infected. It’s been spreading to mammals like dairy cows and goats.

  • Last year 14 countries reported outbreaks to the World Health Organization.

• Few human cases: Only 11 infections resulting from the currently circulating strain have been reported globally since 2021, and most of those come from people who work with poultry or livestock.

  • The person infected in the US in 2022 worked with poultry and recovered.

  • CURRENT BIRD FLU PATIENT: The person in the US with bird flu is being treated with antiviral medications for conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.

COWS ARE HOLDING UP
So far, cattle herds in Texas, Kansas and Michigan have been sickened by the virus, while additional herds in New Mexico and Idaho are showing signs of infection. It’s not completely clear how they got sick, but experts suggest infected wild birds contaminated the cows’ food or water.

• The virus is often fatal in birds, and also has been linked to killing a polar bear, tens of thousands of seals and sea lions, and even some dolphins. So far, the cows seem to have relatively mild symptoms.

• FOOD SUPPLY: The bird flu has impacted the US’s supply of eggs, leading to recent price increases.

• Texas officials said infected cows’ milk was often “thick and discolored.” But farms with sick cows have to toss that milk.

• If a cow has an unknown infection, the virus will be killed during pasteurization. The virus HAS been found in unpasteurized samples… so skip that.

  • For now, the USDA said that milk loss from sick cows "is too limited to have a major impact on supply.”

🇸🇩 FAMINE & GENOCIDE LOOMS IN SUDAN AFTER A YEAR OF CIVIL WAR

Human rights groups fear another genocide is taking place in Sudan amid a year-long civil war between the country's two most powerful generals. It is being perpetrated by mostly Arab fighters against Darfur's Black communities.

The violence is a continuation of what some have called the first genocide of the 21st century when about 300,000 people in Darfur — a region in Sudan — lost their lives between 2003 and 2008. That conflict garnered an outpouring of international outrage. This time around, diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and other global powers have been focused on ending the fighting in Ukraine and Gaza. Forbes has called it the war that “no one is talking about.”

HOW WE GOT HERE
The conflict is between the country's two most powerful generals: Sudan’s armed forces Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces’ Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

• The generals worked together to overthrow a civilian-led government in 2021, but now they’re in their own power struggle.

• Fighting is mainly between Arab militias and Darfur's poorly-armed Black indigenous communities.

• UN officials and international monitors say tens of thousands of Darfuris have been killed, and around 3 million have been displaced.

• Sudan is Africa’s third largest country. The UN says over 7 million people have been forced out of their homes, with more than 1.5 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

WIDESPREAD HARM
Sudan is now home to the largest child displacement crisis in the world. Aid agencies have struggled to raise funds to support those in and around Darfur, while trucks that attempt to deliver goods have been blocked, hijacked, attacked, looted and detained. Millions of people are now sitting on the edge of famine.

🧰 GEN Z LOOKS TO PLUMBING, CARPENTRY AND ELECTRICAL WORK

Cue Mike Rowe. Some of the youngest US workers are turning away from four-year college and saying hello to trades. Enrollment in trade programs has jumped in the past few years as the appeal of lower tuition and higher starting pay has attracted Gen Z.

THE NUMBERS
From 2022 to 2023, vocational-focused community college enrollment jumped 16% — the highest level since tracking began in 2018 — with the biggest rise coming from the construction trade route.

• Last year, a new hire’s construction salary was $48,089 a year, up 5.1% from the year before. New hires in professional services — like IT or HR — earned a median income of $39,520, a 2.7% rise from 2022.

• In the past decade, the average age of carpenters and electricians in the US has fallen by a couple of years, and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been added, according to federal data.

• As a generation of electricians, plumbers, and welders retire, the cost for labor is rising, and younger workers stepping into the roles are able to get paid more.

  • Plus, the cost of college continues to climb, and about half of college graduates find jobs that don’t need bachelor's degrees, according to a new study by labor analytics firm Burning Glass Institute.

THE DOWNSIDE
If construction work is slow, some new workers have struggled with landing a job. The work can also take a toll on the body.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Florida Supreme Court allows 6-week abortion ban to take effect, but voters will have the final say with vote in November (NBC NEWS)

📌 What to know about Havana Syndrome — illness impacting US officials — after investigation links to Russia (AXIOS)

📌 Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for stealing from clients and his law firm (CBS NEWS)

📌 A channel has opened for vessels clearing wreckage at the Baltimore bridge collapse site (AP)

📌 RFK Jr’s sister, other siblings, condemn his presidential run (ABC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Germany becomes biggest E.U. country to legalize marijuana possession (CNN)

📌 Iran says Israel bombed its consulate in Syria, killing several top militar leaders (REUTERS)

📌 Peru’s president accused of amassing $500k in jewelry on $50k salary (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 ‘It’s a siege, it’s a war’: Haiti’s gangs tighten violent grip in lethal insurrection (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 United asks pilots to take unpaid time off, citing Boeing’s delayed aircraft (CNBC)

📌 Israeli parliament passes law paving the way for temporary Al Jazeera closure (GUARDIAN)

📌 Trump’s net worth plunges by $1 billion as his media stock tumbles (CNN)

📌 Cicadas are nature’s weirdos — they pee stronger than us and an STD can turn them into zombies — and are about to come out (AP)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Caitlin Clark and Iowa advance to the Final 4 with a win over defending champs, LSU (CNN)

📌 Shakira says ‘Barbie’ movie was “emasculating”and her son “hated it” (DEADLINE)

📌 Sean 'Diddy' Combs returns to Instagram following home raids, lawsuits (FOX NEWS)

📌 JK Rowling challenges Scotland's new hate crime law - inviting police to arrest her (BBC)

📌 Actor Michael Stuhlbarg hit in back of the neck with rock while in Central Park, chased his alleged attacker (CNN)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: APRIL 2

• 1513: Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León came ashore on the Florida coast near present-day St. Augustine as he looked for a ‘fountain of youth.’ He gave Florida its name, which means “full of flowers.”

• 1800: A 29 year old Ludwig van Beethoven premieres his first symphony in Vienna.

• 1968: Stanley Kubricks’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ premieres.

• 2001: Alicia Keys released her song ‘Fallin.’