Southern Border ‘Breaking Point’; Medicaid Ruling; Wow Air’s Surprise Ending

Plus, the 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island accident. [NPR] by Jill Hudson First Up [A Border Patrol agent checks the names and documents of families who crossed the nearby U.S.-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. Immigration authorities say they expect the continuing surge of Central American families crossing the border to multiply in the coming months.]( Eric Gay/AP Here’s what we’re following today. Homeland Security says the southern border is at a breaking point. Agents have stopped more migrants than they’ve seen in years, and that number could soon reach up to 150,000 people per month. [How can authorities respond]( A federal judge yesterday blocked the Trump administration’s efforts in Arkansas and Kentucky to require people on Medicaid to meet certain work requirements. For the second time, Judge James Boasberg struck down the requirements in Kentucky, where [upward of 400,000 people would be affected](. Wow Air surprised its passengers by abruptly going out of business Thursday. The Icelandic budget carrier’s [announcement left travelers scrambling]( to book other tickets — and wondering whether they would be able to get a refund. Republican lawmakers are bracing for the impact of President Trump’s renewed desire to repeal Obamacare. The Trump administration's decision to [fight for total repeal of the Affordable Care Act]( in court sent shockwaves across Congress, whose members will face a reckoning from voters if efforts to overturn the law succeed this time around. Beginning next week, Facebook will ban content that glorifies white nationalism and separatism. [The social network received widespread criticism]( after the live broadcast of the deadly mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand less than two weeks ago. But the company says it's been working on the changes for months. More than 100 migrants were picked up from a sinking boat in the Mediterranean. When they realized the ship was returning to Libya, [they hijacked the vessel and demanded to be taken to Europe](. Maltese armed forces boarded the ship early Thursday morning, taking the group into custody. The House of Commons late Wednesday officially approved the EU’s new April 12 Brexit deadline — so Brexit will no longer have to happen this Friday per British law. What the Commons didn’t manage to do: find a majority for any course of action in a series of 11th-hour votes on Brexit options. A jury in San Francisco that found the weedkiller Roundup caused a California man’s cancer has awarded him $80 million in damages. It’s [the second multimillion-dollar damage award]( in a case linking the herbicide to cancer. The man who kidnapped teenager Jayme Closs after killing her parents has pleaded guilty. Jake Thomas Patterson, 21, faces the possibility of life in prison. He held the Wisconsin girl captive for 88 days before [she escaped and led police back to him](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Podcast Of The Day The Phoebus cartel Al Barry/Three Lions/Getty Images Have you ever wondered why your smartphone or toaster oven doesn't seem to last very long, even though technology is becoming better and better? This week, in a special collaboration with Planet Money, the hosts of the Throughline podcast uncover the history of planned obsolescence — [the idea that products are designed to break](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper Forty years ago: The accident at Three Mile Island. [A view of the Three Mile Island power plant near Harrisburg, Pa., site of the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history. In 1979, a reactor at the plant experienced a partial meltdown, but radioactive material never escaped containment.]( Bradley Bower/AP Photo Today marks the 40th anniversary of the worst nuclear power plant accident in U.S. history. A series of mistakes and errors caused [a reactor at Three Mile Island to suffer a partial meltdown]( causing confusion and panic after the accident at the plant near Harrisburg, Pa. The story sparked a backlash against the nuclear power industry and halted its growth in the U.S. for decades. Today, the remaining working reactor at Three Mile Island, Unit 1, is slated to close because of cheaper competition from natural gas. But mounting concerns about climate change, and the need for zero-carbon power, are also driving a new push to keep Three Mile Island and other nuclear reactors open. It's a turnaround few would have foreseen in the chaotic days after the accident. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen Why pedestrian deaths are at a 30-year high. [A woman speaks on her phone while driving. Both drivers and walkers use cell data 4,000 percent more than they did in 2008, which means they aren't watching the roads.]( Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images More than 6,227 pedestrians died in traffic accidents across the U.S. in 2018, the highest number in nearly 30 years. Experts say the real increase comes from larger trends: drivers and pedestrians distracted by their phones and a growth of larger vehicles on the road. (Listening time, 3:55) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Just a 10 percent shift in the salt concentration of your blood would make you very sick. To keep that from happening, the body has developed a finely tuned physiological circuit that includes information about that and a beverage's saltiness, to know when to signal thirst.]( Nodar Chernishev/Getty Images - Brain science can explain [why you’re not thirsty for salt water](. - The European Parliament has voted to [discontinue daylight saving time](. - [The Weather Channel is being sued]( for $125 million over a National Weather Service storm watcher’s death in a car collision. - Pediatricians are calling for [a soda tax]( to curb kids' sugary drink habits. --------------------------------------------------------------- We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! 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