5 things to know for March 5: Super Tuesday, Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, Boeing

By CNN

Published March 4, 2024 3:00 am

CNN

By AJ Willingham, CNN

(CNN) — There’s cutting cable and then there’s literally cutting cable: Telecom cables running along the bottom of the Red Sea have been damaged, disrupting an estimated quarter of internet and communications between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Super Tuesday

It’s Super Tuesday, the day when 16 states across the US have their primary elections and the view of the 2024 presidential race gets a little clearer. Today’s results could reveal regional strengths and weaknesses for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who are all but guaranteed to clinch a 2020 election rematch.

For Trump, it’s also a day of relief. The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that Trump could not be removed from ballots in Colorado or any other state, brushing aside arguments that Trump constitutionally disqualified himself from the race with his actions around the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol. The high court’s bottom line? States do not have the power to remove a candidate for federal office — especially the presidency — from the ballot under the Constitution’s “insurrectionist ban.”

Meanwhile, there are some interesting down-ballot elections today that could set up game-changing contests later this year. The race to fill the California Senate seat held for decades by the late Dianne Feinstein will be cut down to a final pair of hopefuls, while a newly drawn district in Alabama, more friendly to Democrats (by court order), is expected to choose its new representative. And in North Carolina, the most hotly contested governor’s race of the year will formally lock in standard-bearers for both parties. Here’s what to watch for as people head to the polls.

2. Gaza

A United Nations team has found “clear and convincing” information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused, and the UN special envoy on sexual violence said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe such violence is ongoing. However, the UN team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence from Hamas’ October 7 attack, and most of the evidence was circumstantial. Pramila Patten, the UN special envoy, said a lack of survivors or witnesses made firsthand accounts difficult to collect. Meanwhile, The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has accused Israel of detaining and torturing some of its staffers, coercing them into making false confessions about its alleged ties to Hamas.

3. Ukraine

Ukrainian investigators are demanding answers after a Russian drone strike on the city of Odesa left 12 dead, including five children. Odesa, a strategic city in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea, is no stranger to Russian strikes, but the Saturday attack was particularly deadly. Now, investigators are trying to determine what type of drone was used. Given the damage, some speculate the drone might have been modified to cause a bigger impact.

4. Haiti

Haiti has been gripped by gang violence and its citizens are at a breaking point. Since last week, a wave of highly coordinated gang attacks has rocked the capital of Port-au-Prince, with armed groups burning down police stations and freeing prisoners in what one gang leader described as a direct challenge to Haiti’s unpopular Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Gangs control 80% of the capital, according to UN estimates, and are fighting to seize the rest. Frequent civilian protests reveal a populace deeply unhappy with the country’s leadership. Many Haitians blame Henry for rapidly ceding ground to the gangs and refusing to hold elections that could give the country a fresh start.

5. Boeing

The FAA has found multiple problems with Boeing’s production practices following a six-week audit triggered by the January 5 door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines’ 737 Max 9. In a news release, the FAA said it “identified non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control,” but did not provide additional detail. Boeing said it is prepared to do what is needed to improve quality. Several agencies are investigating the aftermath of the Alaska Airlines incident, including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Justice Department. When concluded, this FAA audit will likely be used in future congressional hearings involving the company.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Jeff Bezos dethrones Elon Musk to become the richest person on Earth again
Just wait a couple of months and they’ll switch again (and again, and again).

How to watch the 10 Oscar movies nominated for best picture
Heaven forbid you are unschooled for the post-Oscars discourse!

Even Cookie Monster is complaining about the US economy now
I did not have Cookie Monster saying “Me hate shrinkflation!” on my 2024 bingo card.

Taylor Swift is related to famed poet Emily Dickinson
Her forthcoming album “The Tortured Poets Department” suddenly makes sense.

Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce’s brother, announces his NFL retirement
There’s probably a Taylor Swift lyric out there for this.

The CNN podcast Chasing Life explores a much-asked question about menopause
What exactly is the connection between menopause and weight gain? And can anything be done to avoid it? In a new episode of Chasing Life, Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks to Dr. Monica Christmas, the director of the menopause program at the University of Chicago Medicine and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology. She explains effective strategies for tackling midlife weight gain and shares practical advice on navigating this transformative phase with grace. Listen here.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$1.3 billion
That’s how much money a new report suggests the Church of England should invest in a fund to address its historical ties to slavery. The report was drafted by an independent oversight group made up of mainly Black experts from various fields recruited to advise the church’s investment management group on the new fund. The fund was formed following revelations that the Church had profited from the South Sea Company, which was involved in the transatlantic slave trade.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“When we’re talking about a spectrum, there’s an infinite number of ways a person can be autistic, so there are also endless possibilities for how a person can be seen or portrayed.”

— André Felipe de Medeiros, a neurodivergent podcaster and journalist from São Paulo, Brazil, on the challenges of autism representation in media.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

Under pressure
What is it about watching things get crushed in a hydraulic press that’s sooo satisfying?! (Click here to view)

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