6 presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse and Lara Trump interview: Morning Rundown

Recovery efforts continue for the six people presumed dead in the Baltimore bridge collapse. Lara Trump talks about her goals as the Republican National Committee’s new co-chair. And seven American kids who were sent to a school for troubled teens are stuck in Jamaica.

Here’s what to know today.

Last-minute mayday preceded Baltimore bridge collapse

When the Dali cargo ship lost power at around 1:24 a.m. early Tuesday, it became effectively rudderless and at the mercy of the currents. The Francis Scott Key Bridge would crumple into the harbor just four minutes later. 

Video of the ship, emergency radio transmissions and analysis from maritime veterans paint a picture of a disastrous scenario. It is rare for ships of the Dali’s size to lose power and even rarer still for it to happen in a narrow channel near the pillars of a major bridge. 

Still, a last-minute mayday and quick actions on the ground most likely averted a much higher casualty count. 

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“In a narrow channel at night, with a bridge in front of you, I couldn’t think of a worse situation to deal with, said Henry Lipian, a retired Coast Guard lieutenant and founder of an accident reconstruction firm. He suspects that fuel or an issue with the fuel system might have caused the ship’s power to go out.

Six construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge are presumed dead. Yesterday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard transitioned its search to a recovery mission, saying the water temperature and amount of time that had passed since the collapse made it unlikely that those missing were still alive.

Investigators are now working to piece together what happened.

Read the full story here, and follow our live blog for the latest developments.

More coverage of the bridge collapse: 

• Engineering experts explain why the bridge stood little chance against a fully loaded cargo ship.
• Co-workers worry about their missing colleagues.
• Nearby residents in disbelief went to see the wreckage for themselves.
• Customers from the East Coast and Midwest could see significant cost increases.
• Unfounded conspiracy theories blaming “cyberattacks” and Covid-era lockdowns circulated online.

Lara Trump says 2020 election is ‘in the past’

Newly minted Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said that she believes the party is “past” litigating the 2020 election, comments that come as her father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, prepares to face two juries on charges alleging that he illegally tried to overturn the election results. 

In an interview with NBC News, Lara Trump said that she instead wants to help the party to start encouraging early voting and mail-in voting, which Donald Trump has also repeatedly criticized. That contrast — between Lara Trump efforts to look ahead and Donald Trump’s continued re-litigation of the last presidential election — illustrates a key dynamic in the Republican Party in 2024. Read more highlights from Lara Trump’s interview.

More coverage of the 2024 election: 

• Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named his vice presidential pick: tech lawyer and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan. 
• President Joe Biden’s case for re-election is strengthening, but he still enters the general election in a weaker position than he did in 2020. Democrats have a few theories as to why.

How the lawsuit against Apple could affect digital payments

If the Justice Department gets its way, how you pay for everyday things from coffee to clothes could be affected. The nearly 90-page landmark lawsuit filed against Apple last week claims that the company’s alleged monopoly over the smartphone market also extends to its handling of digital payments, especially as tap-to-pay options become more common. (Apple has denied that’s the case.)

If prosecutors get everything they want, consumers could eventually have multiple options for wallet apps. The goal would be to have apps that work on both Apple’s iOS platform and rival ones like Android. Prosecutors also called out Apple’s practice of charging banks 15% for credit card transactions on Apple Pay, arguing that the fees impact lenders’ ability to invest in improving the mobile banking experience.

Business and economy reporter J.J. McCorvey explains the changing digital payment landscape and Apple’s effect on the technology.

A test to protect against fatal chemo overdoses is rarely used

A common type of chemotherapy called fluorouracil, also known as 5-FU, is no picnic for anyone who uses it — but for some patients who are deficient in an enzyme that metabolizes the drugs, they can be torturous or deadly. That’s what happened to Carol Rosen, a 70-year-old retired schoolteacher whose final weeks were wracked with excruciating pain. The drug that was meant to prolong her life had caused her death. “Your body burns from the inside out,” Rosen’s daughter, Lindsay Murray, said.

Hundreds of people are killed annually by 5-FU or a nearly identical drug in pill form called capecitabine. A test for the enzyme deficiency that could potentially save lives exists, but because it’s not required by the FDA nor recommended by the most widely followed U.S. cancer treatment guidelines, it’s seldom used. Heartbroken family members are advocating for change. 

7 American kids from school for troubled teens held in Jamaica

Seven American boys are being held in the custody of Jamaican child welfare authorities, more than six weeks after they were pulled from a school for troubled teens because of sexual abuse allegations. The boys were attending Atlantis Leadership Academy in Treasure Beach, which advertises itself as a faith-based school serving teens who are struggling with substance abuse, anxiety disorders and defiant behavior.

When Jamaican authorities received information that children at the program “were being mistreated,” the students were removed. They’re currently being held in Jamaican group homes.

Tarah Fleischman — who sent her son, Cody, to the school last year — said she’s “frustrated with the system” and by the long wait to bring Cody home to Wisconsin. “Unfortunately, I was a desperate mother who got preyed upon,” she said. Read the full story here.

Politics in Brief 

Alabama politics: Democratic candidate Marilyn Lands won a special election for a state House seat in Alabama. Her campaign’s emphasis on in vitro fertilization and abortion rights was seen as an early test for IVF as a campaign issue.

Trump trials: Donald Trump was slapped with a partial gag order in the New York hush money case that bars him from talking about witnesses and court staffers in the case.

Abortion rights: The Supreme Court appeared likely to reject a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, with a number of justices questioning whether the plaintiffs — seven named doctors and associated anti-abortion groups — had legal standing to bring the lawsuit. The rejection of the case could hinge on how the justices assess “conscience objections.” Here’s what that means.

Israel-Hamas war: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, a day after the U.S. abstained in a U.N. Security Council vote calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. At the top of the agenda was Israel’s plans to launch an offensive in Rafah.

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Staff Pick: An unusual emotional distress lawsuit

After her son told her he had been sexually abused by his babysitter, a New York mom set about warning other parents, including through unsolicited Facebook messages. Those alerts have gotten her sued by the sitter, who denies the abuse. Reporter Janelle Griffith delved deep into this unusual court case — the suit is for emotional distress, not defamation — that will go to trial in New York next month.

“Because of this ridiculous lawsuit, he’s being forced to confront some painful memories. It is so unfair,” the mom said. — Jaquetta White, news editor 

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