5 things for Monday, March 13: Preet Bharara, the Netherlands, Michael Brown

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1. Preet Bharara

On Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 US attorneys across the country (a fairly standard move for a new administration). BUT, at least one said no: Preet Bharara. The US attorney for the Southern District of New York refused to resign, and was promptly fired by President Trump (definitely not a standard move).

The social media-savvy Bharara, who was dubbed “the Sheriff of Wall Street” during his time on the bench, did not go quietly. He tweeted about his ousting and is framing himself as an adversary that political experts say may dog the White House for a while to come. 

2. Haiti

At least 38 people were killed and 13 others injured in northern Haiti after a bus plowed into a crowd before dawn yesterday. The victims were celebrating Rara, a popular festive season in Haiti that stretches from Mardi Gras until Easter Sunday. The driver fled the scene.

3. Turkey and the Netherlands

The diplomatic feud between the Netherlands and Turkey will likely continue — or escalate — this week. On Saturday, the Netherlands barred a plane carrying the Turkish Foreign Minister from entering the country, citing security concerns. Then, they also stopped Turkey’s family affairs minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likened the moves to Nazism, which caused the Dutch Prime Minister to take a possible meeting with Erdogan off the table. 

Both countries are going through a period of transition: The Netherlands will host an identity-defining general election this week that pits a hardline anti-Islam candidate against the incumbent prime minister. The Turkish president, meanwhile, is pushing an April referendum that will expand his power after a failed coup attempt last July. 

4. Michael Brown

New video from the Michael Brown case has sparked renewed unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, the city where Brown was shot and killed by police in 2014. The previously unreleased security footage was featured in a documentary at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin on Saturday. It shows Brown in the convenience store he allegedly tried to rob, eleven hours before the alleged robbery occurred.

The implication from the documentary’s director is that Brown did not try to rob the store at all, but was instead involved in some sort of drug deal there. The robbery accusation is what spurred the police activity that eventually led to the 18-year-old’s death. 

5. Ethiopia

A landslide killed at least 46 people at a sprawling landfill outside Addis Ababa yesterday. Security personnel and residents are working to uncover any people still trapped under the debris. “It’s a sad story because the government has been trying to resettle the people residing in the area,” the country’s communication minister said.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

There’s going to be a blizzard in the Northeast this week. Really.

Ah, it’s that “sometimes tank tops, sometimes snow boots” time of year. 

This Girl Scout cookie fact will kind of blow your mind 

Why are ‘Samoas’ and ‘Caramel Delites’ different, but the same? And where can we go to eat a whole stack of them in private? 

Joni Sledge, founding member of band Sister Sledge, dies 

She was 60 years old, and the cause of her death is unknown at the moment.

Was Jane Austen poisoned by arsenic? 

New evidence says maybe, but medical experts says it’s just fiction. 

NCAA basketball tournament bracket revealed 

Time to fill one out and pretend like you know what you’re doing! 

AND FINALLY …

Did you know some rays leap out of the water to find a mate? 

Whatever you do to try and get some lovin’, it doesn’t look half as silly as this. We hope. Action starts at 0:50. (Click to view.)