Thursday morning news: March 28, 2024

DISPATCH: C-13, Dispatch! The whole bridge just fell down! Start – start whoever! Everybody! The whole bridge just collapsed!

Bridge collapse update » Calls to dispatchers released by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police capture the moment when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on Tuesday.

Investigators are scouring a cargo ship that is still surrounded by the twisted remains of the bridge. They’re also inspecting the ship’s maintenance logs.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath:

GILREATH: As far as the engine goes, we were not informed of any problems with the vessel. We were informed that they were going to conduct routine engine maintenance on it while it was in the port.

But that’s all they were told before the ship lost power and slammed into a bridge support.

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, explained that the half-century-old structure was what’s known as a fracture critical bridge. That means if any single support is taken out …

HOMENDY: That would likely cause a portion of or the entire bridge to collapse. There is no redundancy. The preferred method for building bridges today is that there is redundancy built in.

The accident has cut off access to a critical trade Port of Baltimore, which may trigger supply chain problems nationwide.

The port could reopen in a matter of months. But reconstructing the bridge will take years.

U.S.-Israel latest » State Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller says the United States has not given up on trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

MILLER: We are going to continue to try to bridge those differences, because we think a cease-fire that secures the release of hostages would be in the interest of the United States, in the interest of Israel, and in the broader region.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Biden administration just dealt a severe blow to any hopes of a new cease-fire when it chose not to block a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

The resolution called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages, but it did not make that a condition of the cease-fire.

Netanyahu said Wednesday …

NETANYAHU: The bad thing about the United States’ decision at the United Nations Security Council was that it encouraged Hamas to take a hard line.

He said the resolution led Hamas to believe that international pressure will force Israel to lay down arms without Hamas freeing Israeli captives.

After the resolution passed, Hamas almost immediately rejected the latest cease-fire proposal.

Sen. Graham on Raffah offensive » The prime minister is also pushing back on the White House’s objections to Israel’s planned ground operation in the city of Rafah.

NETANYAHU: Now we are told, you can’t do this. If you go into Rafah, you’re going to have a humanitarian catastrophe. You’re going to have, I don’t know —30,000 civilians dead. That’s not true. That is simply not true.

In a recent interview, Vice President Kamala Harris was asked if there would be consequences for Israel if it moves forward with the Rafah offensive.

HARRIS: Well we’re going to take it one step at a time, but we’ve been very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not that should happen.

But Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham came to Israel’s defense on the issue.

GRAHAM: The four battalions that still reside in the Rafah region must be destroyed. That is non-negotiable.

Graham added that if those battalions and Hamas commanders in Rafah are allowed to survive everything Israel has achieved “will be lost over time.”

Texas law barred again » A federal appeals court has once again ordered Texas officials to stop enforcing a state immigration law for now as the legal battle plays out. It was the latest in a dizzying series of temporary orders over the law which would allow state authorities arrest and deport illegal migrants. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott:

ABBOTT: I declared our authority under article one, section ten of the United States Constitution. Texas has a right to defend ourselves, and we will use that authority to declare an invasion and fight back against that invasion.

But an appeals court panel sided with the Biden administration is halting the law for the time being.

The Appeals Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the law’s constitutionality next week.

Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of tax charges » Attorneys for Hunter Biden are asking a judge to toss out criminal tax charges against him. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: President Biden’s son is accused of a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million dollars in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle.

He has pleaded not guilty to the nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses.

His attorneys argue the prosecution is politically motivated and was tainted by leaks from IRS agents.

Prosecutors called those claims far-fetched during a hearing on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi appeared skeptical of arguments from Biden’s legal team.

He will likely rule on motions to dismiss by mid-April.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Joe Lieberman obit » Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has died. The Connecticut lawmaker served 24 years in the U.S. Senate.

He nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the 2000 election.

LIEBERMAN: Your choice is clear. Al Gore and I are the guys who are ready to do the job!

And the Democrat-turned-independent nearly became Republican John McCain's running mate eight years later.

Lieberman died in New York City due to complications from a fall. He was 82 years old.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Stories of harmful chemical abortions outside the Supreme Court. Plus, the hymn How Great Thou Art.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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