Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

Austin, Facebook, Nor'Easter | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, March 21, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Wednesday Evening Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND DAVID SCULL Good evening. Here’s the latest. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman 1. He blew himself up as the police closed in. Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, a suspect in the series of bombings that have terrorized the city of Austin, Tex., [died early this morning by detonating an explosive]( in the red vehicle above. Officials said Mr. Conditt’s motive was not immediately clear, but a picture of his life was beginning to emerge. He described himself on a blog as “not that politically inclined” but expressed conservative views on issues like gay marriage and the death penalty. Friends and neighbors described him as a loner. [Here’s what we know about him.]( ____ Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press 2. “We also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.” Facebook’s chief executive, [Mark Zuckerberg, above, responded publicly]( (via Facebook) to the growing crisis over reports that outside companies harvested data from 50 million accounts. He said the company would crack down on outside apps and bolster privacy. Facebook has lost about $50 billion in market value since the reports were published, and a growing numbers of users [are considering deleting]( their accounts. [On “The Daily,”]( we talk to one of our reporters who broke the story, and discuss how a key data scientist at Cambridge Analytica became a whistle-blower. ____ Ramsay de Give for The New York Times 3. A rare spring snowstorm [is sweeping through the Northeast](. It’s the fourth nor’easter of the month. At least a foot of snow is expected around Philadelphia; New York City, above; coastal Connecticut and Long Island. Washington and Boston are also expecting significant snowfall. More than 4,000 flights were canceled, and New York City schools were closed. But Broadway theaters were open. As they say, the show must go on. ____ Al Drago/The New York Times 4. John Brennan, above, the former director of the C.I.A., speculated on live TV [that Russia “may have something” on President Trump](. The comments came after Mr. Trump again criticized the special counsel’s Russia investigation. And on Capitol Hill, members of the [Senate Intelligence Committee pressed]( the secretary of homeland security to ramp up election security ahead of the midterms. Russia was in the sights of Boris Johnson, Britain’s top diplomat. He said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, would [use the World Cup this summer as a propaganda tool, much as Hitler did]( with the 1936 Olympic Games. ____ Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press 5. The Fed [raised interest rates]( for the sixth time since 2015, signaling confidence in the economy. It was the first move by the new chairman, Jerome Powell, above. The rates went up by a quarter of a percentage point, and the Fed signaled that the central bank is on track to raise rates two more times this year. Officials also increased their expectations for economic growth in the U.S. this year, declaring that “the economic outlook has strengthened in recent months.” ____ Joe Klamar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 6. The chief American envoy to the Iran nuclear talks is trying to save [what President Trump has called “the worst deal ever.”]( Diplomats were in Vienna this month, above, to discuss the deal, which must be recertified in May. Brian Hook, the only aide close to former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who survived the recent State Department purge, led the American delegation. “We are taking things one week at a time,” he told reporters. ____ Shah Marai/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 7. Celebrations in the Afghan capital for Nowruz, the Persian new year, [were marred by a suicide bombing]( that left 31 dead. Above, people’s belongings scattered amid the wreckage. The bomber was apparently stopped before reaching a Shiite shrine, and struck instead outside a hospital. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. At the scene, a mother was beside herself as she mourned her 12-year-old son. “Mustafa, why have you left me alone?” she said to the boy’s body. “You were so happy to celebrate Nowruz, you so wanted to go.” ____ Babale Abubakar 8. In Nigeria, dozens of schoolgirls who were kidnapped more than a month ago [by the militant group Boko Haram]( were released. Above, the militants drove the girls back to their town. The government faced heavy criticism for failing to prevent the attack, which came almost four years after a similar kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in nearby Chibok. The country paid ransoms and freed high-level Boko Haram figures in exchange for the release of some of the Chibok girls. The president said on Twitter that it had not paid any ransom in the latest case. ____ The New York Times 9. Take a look at [David Bowie’s elaborate costumes](. (Any device will allow you to see them, but for the full augmented-reality experience, you need a newish iPhone or iPad. [We have more detailed instructions here.]( Our critic says the costumes, on display at the Brooklyn Museum, are “equal parts Kabuki and titillation, elegance and glitter.” She also talked to some superfans who’ve devoured the exhibit (including Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Beth Ditto of Gossip). ____ Carolyn Caster/Associated Press 10. Finally, Marlon Bundo, the Instagram star and real-life pet of the vice president’s family, is the subject of [dueling children’s books](. One, written by Mr. Pence’s daughter Charlotte and illustrated by his wife, Karen, focuses on the bunny’s observations of the vice president. The second is a gay bunny romance. The brainchild of the HBO comedy host John Oliver, it’s become one of the top-selling books on Amazon, just in time for Easter. [In our late-night comedy roundup]( Jimmy Fallon took on the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. “Facebook had a massive data breach that was connected to Russia. When users heard, they were concerned — but not as concerned as they were when their parents joined Facebook.” Have a great night. ____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. Want to catch up on past briefings? [You can browse them here](. 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