Dispatches

April 2

Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed Garissa University College in northern Kenya before dawn, killing at least 148 people and injuring 79. Witnesses said the gunmen asked the students whether they were Muslims or Christians, then killed the Christians. By dusk, Kenyan forces had killed four of the terrorists, while the fifth attacker detonated his suicide bomb. Following the attack, Kenyans criticized the government for its slow response and security lapses. The Somalia-based al-Shabaab targets Kenya for its involvement in the African Union Mission in Somalia—but at least one of the gunmen was a Kenyan national.

Clinton jumps in

April 12

In a YouTube video, Hillary Clinton announced what others knew for years: She’s running for president in 2016. While Clinton is the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, how she’ll fare in the general election is a wider mystery, as she’ll need to answer questions concerning her tenure as secretary of state. In the GOP field, “libertarian conservative” Rand Paul threw his hat in the race at a rally in Louisville, Ky., promising to scale back foreign involvement and balance the budget. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, also announced his run and his vision of restoring the American Dream.

Camp seized

April 7

ISIS seized Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp on the southern edge of Damascus, a terrifying new development for a camp that has faced bombings by Syrian forces for the past two years. ISIS entered and slaughtered Palestinian fighters, and the 18,000 refugees are now stuck between ISIS and the Syrian army. The fighting has halted food aid from the United Nations, and shelling destroyed the one hospital in the area. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the camp “the deepest circle of hell.” Taking over the camp, which began in 1957, puts Islamic State fighters only five miles from the heart of the capital of Damascus.

Tornado hits Illinois

April 10

A powerful tornado ripped through northern Illinois, killing at least two and injuring 20. Winds whipped up to 200 miles per hour, destroying dozens of businesses and houses across four counties. It was the strongest of eight tornados to hit Illinois, classified as EF-4, the second-highest intensity. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner declared DeKalb and Ogle counties state disaster areas.

Appomattox remembered

April 9

At the red brick McLean House in Appomattox, Va., Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee met 150 years ago, bringing an end to the Civil War. Union forces had pursued Lee and his troops from the Confederate capital of Richmond, cutting off their retreat at Appomattox. Lee’s surrender largely ended the four-year conflict that cost 620,000 lives—and meant freedom for slaves across the South, including 4,600 at Appomattox. Thousands of visitors arrived there on the sesquicentennial to watch Civil War re-enactors depict Lee’s last confrontation with Grant’s troops and his surrender.

Marathon justice

April 15

Two years after the Boston Marathon bombings, Bostonians took a citywide moment of silence to remember the three people killed and more than 260 wounded in the attacks. A week earlier, a jury had found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty of all 30 counts against him. Beyond the marathon bombing, Tsarnaev is also charged with killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer while fleeing. Tamerlan, Dzhokhar’s brother and partner in the bombing, was killed in a shoot-out with police. The second phase of the trial begins April 21, after the 2015 Boston Marathon, to determine whether Tsarnaev will receive the death penalty.

Iran deal

April 2

The United States, Iran, and five world powers agreed on a nuclear deal framework, which will be finalized on June 30. The agreement would require Iran to slow down its nuclear production in exchange for eased economic sanctions. While many question the reliability of Iran in upholding its end of the bargain, Iran is accusing the United States of releasing incorrect information about what the framework entailed. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has opposed the deal, and the U.S. Senate on April 14 passed a bill to allow Congress to review it. Forty-seven GOP senators sent a letter to Iran saying the deal may not hold after President Obama leaves office.