Thursday morning news: April 4, 2024

Taiwan earthquake » In Taiwan, many are surveying the damage and some are mourning the deaths of loved ones after a powerful earthquake struck the island on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

PIERRE: We certainly pray for all those who are affected, and the United States is standing by on the ready for any necessary assistance.

The 7.4 magnitude quake was the strongest to hit Taiwan in a quarter-century. It is blamed for at least nine deaths. And as of last night, at least 50 people were still missing.

The quake was centered in a rural area off the east coast. But it wreaked havoc about a hundred miles north in Taipei.

The owner of a pet shop recorded merchandise falling to the floor from rattling shelves.

SOUND: [Quake]

Tiles fell from older buildings, and some were even left listing at severe angles.

Gaza--Israel latest » President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were scheduled to speak by phone today.

It’s the first conversation between the two leaders since an Israeli airstrike killed seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza on Monday.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby:

KIRBY: We expect the Israelis to conduct a thorough, comprehensive, complete, and transparent investigation. We look forward to finding out the results of that investigation. And we’ll move on from there.

Netanyahu has promised that thorough investigation. Israel called it a tragic error and a case of mistaken identity.

SOUND: [Bodies transported]

The bodies of six of the aid workers killed in the incident were transported from Gaza to Egypt Wednesday.

Maryland shipping lanes » Commercial ships are once again sailing in and out of the Port of Baltimore after last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge cut off access to the port.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore:

MOORE: We have opened two temporary channels that can and are focusing on supporting commercial traffic.

And they hope to open a third channel soon.

The port is a critical hub for U.S. trade and the new channels will partially alleviate supply chain concerns. But it’s still unclear when traffic in and out of the port will return to normal.

NATO weighs Ukraine relief plan » NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance is weighing a plan aimed at providing Ukraine with long-term aid rather than depending on short-term measures.

STOLTENBERG: By doing that, we will give Ukraine what they need, and that is long-term, predictable, robust support. And that will also send a message to Moscow that they cannot wait us out.

Stoltenberg commenting there at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

The idea is to have NATO coordinate Western military aid rather than the U.S. European Command.

The alliance would commit to financially supporting the plan over several years.

Pro-life protestors convicted » Four more pro-life demonstrators have been found guilty of a federal crime over a peaceful protest in 2021. WORLD’s Christina Grube reports.

CHRISTINA GRUBE: The four took part in a demonstration in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. They were part of a group that sat in front of an abortion, sang hymns, and encouraged women on their way into the building … to reconsider their planned abortions.

The Justice Department prosecuted them under the so-called FACE Act which makes it a crime to obstruct the entrance of an abortion business.

They now face up to 6 months in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

Defense lawyers argued that prosecutors showed no evidence that the demonstrators physically obstructed anyone.

Six other defendants from the sit-in were found guilty in January. They could face up to a decade each in prison.

For WORLD, I’m Christina Grube.

Disney shareholder's meeting » It will be business as usual at Disney after CEO Bob Iger and the company’s board won a proxy battle at Wednesday’s annual shareholder meeting.

They staved off an effort by former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo and investor Nelson Peltz to join the board of directors. Peltz, though, did speak during the meeting.

PELTZ: All we want is for Disney to get back to making great content and delighting consumers.

And he has said that means, among other things no longer injecting social activism into children’s programming.

Other shareholders also got a voice at the meeting, including Scott Shepard with the National Center for Public Policy Research:

SHEPARD: A clever pre-teen could have told you that making Disney synonymous with force-feeding radical gender ideology to small school children would send Disney’s core audience flooding away.

Disney’s pro-LGBT activism culminated in a political battle with the state of Florida over a parental rights law.

Over the past couple of years, the company has suffered the biggest box office bombs in its history, a shrinking subscriber base for its Disney+ streaming service … and even disappointing attendance at its parks.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Cracking down on the fentanyl supply chain. Plus, preparing for a total eclipse.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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