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Good morning,

Mo’ money, mo’ miles. A new survey says the higher an American’s salary, on average, the further they live from work.

• 🚗 Across the board, the average distance Americans live from their office jumped from 10 miles in 2019 to 27 miles at the end of 2023.

• MEAN, MEDIAN, MODE: The chart only tells part of the story. Most of the increase is seen isolated for the mean distance (the sum of all distances divided by the individuals surveyed), while a sharp rise is not seen for the median nor the mode distance. Translation: A relatively small number of people who live super far from work can end up skewing the mean distance for everybody.

• Why? A big jump was seen in the 500-mile away from work bloc—with the biggest change in the $250,000 income group.

We can guess what caused the spike from 2019 to now 💻

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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🇳🇬 NIGERIAN CHILDREN TARGETED IN RECENT MASS ABDUCTIONS

Nigerian authorities are searching for hundreds of women, children, and students who have been kidnapped in just over a week amid a surge of attacks in the northern part of the country.

SCHOOL KIDS AS TARGETS
It’s been a decade since Islamic militant group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the Borno state in 2014. Remember #BringBackOurGirls? Humanitarian groups say the government is still not prioritizing women and children. About 100 of the girls kidnapped a decade ago remain in captivity, many being forced into marriage. Since then, there have been 17 mass kidnappings, with most of the victims being women and girls.

• The Latest: 280 students were abducted in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state by armed men on Thursday. Then, 15 children were taken from a school in Sokoto on Saturday.

• What the gangs want: Money. The groups are seeking ransom payments from the Nigerian government or families for the students’ safe return. They then use the money to buy weapons and expand their terror.

  • Nigerian officials passed legislation to penalize ransom payments, but kidnappers, known for their brutality, force many families to pay. Additionally, the groups are believed to be using some abductees as human shields to prevent the government from bombing them amid an ongoing conflict.

• A massive problem: In the past year, over 3,500 people have been abducted across Nigeria.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
On Friday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he was “confident the victims will be rescued," but citizens are losing hope. Tinubu campaigned on promises of restoring security before winning last year’s election.

• “The latest mass abductions clearly show President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen,” said Isa Sanusi, Director Amnesty International Nigeria.

• The country’s military and police are said to be searching for the lost students, along with the longstanding battle they’ve fought against armed gangs in the northwest and a 14-year Islamic insurgency that has killed 40,000 people and displaced over two million residents.

🇺🇸 🇮🇱 BIDEN-NETANYAHU DIVIDE DEEPENS

A major divide between President Biden and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only appears to be growing. Over the weekend, Biden said Netanyahu’s disregard for “innocent lives” in Gaza is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel.” Netanyahu responded saying Biden was "wrong on both counts."

It comes as there are reports the White House is considering putting conditions on future aid to Israel if the country moves ahead with an invasion of the southern city of Rafah.

RAFAH OFFENSIVE
An estimated 1.5 million people are sheltering in Rafah. That’s more than half of Gaza’s population. Hamas leadership also appears to be hiding there, and holding the remaining Israeli hostages. For Israel, taking Rafah is seen as a necessary move to win the war against Hamas. For the US and other countries, an Israeli invasion of the area is a “red line,” given the humanitarian concerns.

• Netanyahu is so far undeterred, with Hamas pledges to conduct more October 7-like attacks. He said the entire war should be over in 4-6 weeks.

  • Netanyahu: "We'll go there. We're not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again."

• Over the past few week’s US officials have been part of negotiations for a 6-week cease-fire. The deal fell through last week with Hamas walking away after their demands for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal was not met. Gaza-based Hamas leaders also believe that a prolonged war and additional Palestinian casualties create more global sympathy and help their negotiating position.

WHAT’S NEXT
Remember, Biden is facing major pushback from the leftwing of his party during an election year over his support for Israel. He has also grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s lack of gratitude in recent months. At the same time, he says he is committed to support Israel’s right to self defense and will never cut off all weapons. Pulling off the delicate exercise of breaking with Netanyahu but continuing to support Israel will be a challenge.

🇬🇧 PRINCESS KATE’S ROYAL PHOTO EDITING WHOOPS

An attempt to quell rumors surrounding Princess Kate after her recent surgery by releasing a family photo has backfired. The Princess of Wales apologized yesterday for causing any “confusion” over the heavily-edited photo that was released on Sunday for UK’s Mother’s Day. Hours after the royals posted the photo on their Instagram, major news outlets took down the photo because of concerns that it had been significantly manipulated prior to release.

Here are the editing errors outlets spotted, including a sleeve and a zipper that doesn’t line up, as well as artificial patterns.

• The problem: Editing photos is a common practice, but photo agencies that distribute pictures to news outlets have strict guidelines on edits and typically only allow very minor tweaks.

• In issuing a rare “kill notice,” the Associated Press said that “at closer inspection it appears that the source has manipulated the image.”

• Notably missing from Kate: An explanation of what aspects of the picture were edited, whether the image released was from multiple shots, and why she thought the edits were necessary.

WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON?
The royals have been hush-hush about what exactly has been happening with Princess Kate’s health since January. The 42-year-old is recovering from abdominal surgery (unclear for what) and likely won’t return to public duties until Easter.

• The conspiracy theories: The vague information around Kate’s health and Prince William missing his godfather’s memorial service without explanation late last month has caused some to wonder: what’s going on?! The internet has filled in the information gap with users’ own ideas, from plastic surgery to trouble at home.

• The royal family’s long-held mantra has been “never complain, never explain,” but Prof. Laura Clancy, who studies the monarchy and media, said the palace’s communications strategy around Kate’s surgery “would have worked fifty years ago, but now, when news is so immediate and moves on so quickly, I don’t think that model works anymore.”

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Republicans push ahead with TikTok ban despite Trump’s opposition (AP)

📌 Biden’s $7.3 trillion budget for 2025 calls for taxing the rich and corporations to pay for Social Security, Medicare; Budget has not chance of passing (CNBC)

📌 Trump floats 'cutting' retirement spending, drawing quick pushback from Biden (NBC NEWS)

📌 Special counsel Robert Hur set to testify on Biden classified documents case today (AP)

📌 Resolution for Florida teachers regarding ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law (NY TIMES)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Breaking Overnight: Haitian prime minister resigns amid escalating gang violence (CNN)

📌 Trump will not give a penny to Ukraine, Hungarian leader says after Mar A Lago meeting(BBC)

📌 US and Caribbean leaders meet in Jamaica to debate how best to quell Haiti's violent crisis (ABC NEWS)

📌 India moves to implement controversial bill that excludes Muslims (CNN)

📌 IDF airs footage of strike on Hamas’s No. 3, but says still unclear if he was killed (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Airbnb bans all indoor security cameras (NPR)

📌 Trader Joe's $2.99 mini tote bags now sell for $500 on eBay (CBS NEWS)

📌 Teens say it is their parents who need to spend less time on their smartphones (NBC)

📌 At least 50 hurt as LATAM's Boeing 787 to Auckland 'just dropped' mid-flight (REUTERS)

📌 Watch SpaceX's Crew-7 astronaut mission for NASA return to Earth today in livestream (SPACE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Singer Eric Carmen, who sang “Hungry Eyes” and “All By Myself” dies (BILLBOARD)

📌 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter North West, 10, announces debut album “Elementary School Dropout” (PEOPLE)

📌 Jimmy Kimmel says he was told not to read Trump’s post during Oscars, but did anyway (DEADLINE)

📌 Kirk Cousins to Atlanta, Saquon Barkley to Philadelphia among NFL's blockbuster signing (NBC SPORTS)

📌 Oscar winners mix, dine on In-N-Out and dance the night away— an inside look into the Vanity Fair party (CNN)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: MARCH 12

• 1987: “Les Miserables” opened on Broadway.

• 1994: ‘The Sign’ by Ace of Base reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• 2001: The National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America awarded Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” the greatest song of the 20th century.

• 2003: Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted from her bedroom at 14-year-old, was found alive after nine months in a Salt Lake City suburb. Her two kidnappers were convicted and sent to prison.

• 2009: Bernie Madoff, the American hedge-fund investment manager who organized one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history, pled guilty. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison and died in prison 12 years later from kidney disease.