A lot has happened in the world over spring break. Let’s catch up on the major news headlines:
Tammy Murphy drops out of Senate race
Wife of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Tammy Murphy, announced Sunday that she is ending her campaign running for U.S. senator. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Murphy said, “I have been genuine and factual throughout [my campaign], but it is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve waging a very divisive and negative campaign.”
Murphy was seeking to take the place of Sen. Bob Menendez, who has been indicted on multiple corruption and bribery charges. “With Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our nation, I will not in good conscience waste resources tearing down a fellow Democrat,” she continued.
Without Murphy on the ballot, Rep. Andy Kim, a third-term congressman from New Jersey’s 3rd District, has become the favorite to win the race. In the most recent poll, Kim trailed Murphy by 12 percentage points.
NYC adds 800 officers to subway
In the midst of a week that has seen a spike in NYC subway crime, including a deadly shooting last week and a murder on Monday night, city officials announced they would be sending out an additional 800 police officers to be spread out across the system.
Additionally, the MTA is hoping the increased police presence will stop fare-evaders, as a majority of the officers will be used to watch over turnstyles. Police this year have already issued over 28,000 evasion tickets, and over 1,700 people have been arrested for turnstile-jumping. Mayor Eric Adams has suggested there could be a link between fare evasion and increased subway crime.
Overall, reported crime on the subway is down 15% to last year, and reported crime dropped by 3% from 2022 to 2023. This news comes just a few weeks after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state would be deploying the national guard to patrol the subway.
Kate Middleton announces cancer diagnosis
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, also known as Kate Middleton, announced Friday that she has been diagnosed with cancer. The news comes after months of speculation surrounding Middleton’s health, including a photograph of Middleton and her children that was killed by news organizations after closer examination revealed edits had been made.
Middleton had not been seen publicly since Christmas of 2023 and had undergone abdominal surgery in January. The news also comes one month following King Charles III’s announcement that he is undergoing his own treatment for cancer.
In a statement released to the official POTUS X account, President Joe Biden said “Jill [Biden] and I join millions around the world in praying for your full recovery.” As of now, Middleton has not announced what type of cancer she is being treated for.
Baltimore bridge collapses
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday night after a cargo ship lost power and collided with the bridge. Authorities immediately began searching for six bodies after the collision, but all six were presumed dead on Wednesday morning.
The six people who perished in the collapse were all working on filling potholes on the bridge at the time, and as of Wednesday evening, two of the bodies have been recovered. Police were able to prevent a greater catastrophe by stopping traffic on both sides of the bridge after authorities noticed the cargo ship moving at an alarming speed.
In an address on Tuesday, Biden said he will move “as quickly as [he] can” in rebuilding the bridge, and that he intends for the federal government to cover the entire cost of the project.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of NTSBgov, Wikipedia
