Today's Headlines: Lawsuits Lay Bare Sackler Family’s Role in Opioid Crisis

‘Breaches Everywhere’: Flooding Bursts Midwest Levees, and Tough Questions Follow View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | Subscribe: [Digital /]( [Home Delivery]( [My Account]( [The New York Times]( Monday, April 1, 2019 IN THIS EMAIL: [Top News](#0) | [Editors' Picks](#2) | [World](#3) | [U.S.](#4) | [Politics](#5) | [Business](#6) | [Technology](#7) | [Sports](#8) | [Arts](#9) | [New York](#10) | [Obituaries](#11) | [Op-Ed](#12) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( [] Top News [Lawsuits Lay Bare Sackler Family’s Role in Opioid Crisis]( [Lawsuits Lay Bare Sackler Family’s Role in Opioid Crisis]( By DANNY HAKIM, RONI CARYN RABIN and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Three generations of the Sackler family were deeply involved in running Purdue Pharma and knew of opioid abuse risks, according to lawsuits. [‘Breaches Everywhere’: Flooding Bursts Midwest Levees, and Tough Questions Follow]( [‘Breaches Everywhere’: Flooding Bursts Midwest Levees, and Tough Questions Follow]( By MITCH SMITH, JOHN SCHWARTZ and TIM GRUBER Hundreds of miles of levees in the Midwest have been overwhelmed by the floods, leaving “Swiss cheese” infrastructure and reigniting a flood control debate. [Joe Biden Scrambles to Stem Crisis After Lucy Flores’s Allegation]( [Joe Biden Scrambles to Stem Crisis After Lucy Flores’s Allegation]( By SYDNEY EMBER and JONATHAN MARTIN The former vice president’s attempt to rebut her story without dismissing it — or her — illustrated the #MeToo-era challenges that await a 76-year-old known his close physical contact with women. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT [Get New York Today in Your Inbox]( [Get New York Today in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day in New York, including news, weather, free events and a look at the lighter side of life. [Sign up »]( [] Editors' Picks [Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa]( World [Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa]( By ERIC SCHMITT In an influence campaign that is worrying the Pentagon, Russia’s weapons sales, military training programs and security agreements are growing across Africa. [How Blackface Feeds White Supremacy]( Opinion | Editorial Observer [How Blackface Feeds White Supremacy]( By BRENT STAPLES A racist caricature from 19th-century minstrel theater still haunts America. [] World [Italian Minister Pans Hit Song by an Immigrant’s Son]( [Italian Minister Pans Hit Song by an Immigrant’s Son]( By JASON HOROWITZ Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the anti-immigrant League party was not a fan of the Italian-language rap tune with a Middle Eastern flavor that won a song contest. [No Joke: Ukraine TV Comedian Wins Election’s First Round]( [No Joke: Ukraine TV Comedian Wins Election’s First Round]( By IULIIA MENDEL and NEIL MacFARQUHAR Voters crowded into polling stations in a presidential race in which a leading candidate was a 41-year-old who plays a president on television. [The ‘Blue Prince of Montmartre,’ at 87, Still Rules Parisian Demimonde]( Paris Dispatch [The ‘Blue Prince of Montmartre,’ at 87, Still Rules Parisian Demimonde]( By LIZ ALDERMAN Dressed habitually in blue, the silver-haired French icon Michou, the owner of Paris’s best-known cross-dressing cabaret, is a showman from a bygone era who still attracts adoring crowds. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( [] U.S. [Michael Avenatti’s Biggest Case Yet: His Own]( [Michael Avenatti’s Biggest Case Yet: His Own]( By REBECCA R. RUIZ, NELLIE BOWLES and KEVIN DRAPER The celebrity lawyer and Trump foil faces federal extortion and financial fraud charges. He seems to be trying the case in the court of public opinion. [Teenager Fatally Shot After Knocking on Wrong Apartment Door in Atlanta, Police Say]( [Teenager Fatally Shot After Knocking on Wrong Apartment Door in Atlanta, Police Say]( By SANDRA E. GARCIA and JULIA JACOBS Omarian Banks, 19, thought he was outside an apartment he shared with his girlfriend, but a man inside confronted him and opened fire, the police said. [Rapper Nipsey Hussle Is Fatally Shot in Los Angeles, Officials Say]( [Rapper Nipsey Hussle Is Fatally Shot in Los Angeles, Officials Say]( By MIHIR ZAVERI and JOE COSCARELLI Two others were injured in the shooting, which occurred in the Hyde Park neighborhood. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Who Is Lucy Flores, the Woman Accusing Joe Biden of Kissing Her?]( [Who Is Lucy Flores, the Woman Accusing Joe Biden of Kissing Her?]( By MATT STEVENS and SYDNEY EMBER Ms. Flores, 39, is a former Nevada state assemblywoman who lost campaigns to become the state’s lieutenant governor and to represent the Fourth District in Congress. [Political Handlers With Trump Ties Take Their Election Playbooks to Africa]( [Political Handlers With Trump Ties Take Their Election Playbooks to Africa]( By DIONNE SEARCEY American campaign consultants, including one mentored by Paul Manafort, are increasingly being hired by African candidates to help them win at the polls in still fragile democracies. [Elizabeth Warren Loses Finance Director as She Struggles in Early Fund-raising]( [Elizabeth Warren Loses Finance Director as She Struggles in Early Fund-raising]( By ASTEAD W. HERNDON and JONATHAN MARTIN Money is a problem for the Democratic senator, who is likely to be substantially out-raised in the first quarter. And she’s not the fresh candidate anymore. But much time remains. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Business [JPMorgan’s Role in Nigerian Oil Deal Has Come Back to Haunt It]( [JPMorgan’s Role in Nigerian Oil Deal Has Come Back to Haunt It]( By EMILY FLITTER A JPMorgan Chase account in London was used to send roughly $900 million to government officials involved in a scheme to profit from an offshore oil field. [One of Brexit’s Rare Winners: Big British Law Firms]( [One of Brexit’s Rare Winners: Big British Law Firms]( By DAVID SEGAL Britain’s complicated exit from the European Union has rattled corporations around the world. And that means lawyers are pulling in clients and profit. [Ripped-Off Riffs? Rise in Plagiarism Claims Unnerves Pop Songwriters]( [Ripped-Off Riffs? Rise in Plagiarism Claims Unnerves Pop Songwriters]( By BEN SISARIO “I shouldn’t be thinking about legal precedent when I am trying to write a chorus,” a Beyoncé songwriter says, long after “Blurred Lines” changed the rules. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [These Silicon Valley Investors’ Bets May Pay Off]( [These Silicon Valley Investors’ Bets May Pay Off]( By ERIN GRIFFITH A herd of technology public offerings this year and next year is set to anoint venture capital winners. Here are some of them. [Countries Want to Ban ‘Weaponized’ Social Media. What Would That Look Like?]( News Analysis [Countries Want to Ban ‘Weaponized’ Social Media. What Would That Look Like?]( By DAMIEN CAVE No established democracies have ever come as close to applying such sweeping restrictions as Australia and New Zealand are considering in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings. [Twitter Network Uses Fake Accounts to Promote Netanyahu, Watchdog Finds]( [Twitter Network Uses Fake Accounts to Promote Netanyahu, Watchdog Finds]( By RONEN BERGMAN A network of hundreds of social media accounts, many of them fake, was used to smear opponents of the Israeli prime minister, investigators found. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Michigan State Heads to Final Four After Banding Together to Shock Duke]( Michigan State 68, Duke 67 [Michigan State Heads to Final Four After Banding Together to Shock Duke]( By MARC TRACY Coach Tom Izzo improved to 2-11 in games against Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and the Spartans will advance to a national semifinal against Texas Tech. [The Races Are Virtual but the Running Is Real]( [The Races Are Virtual but the Running Is Real]( By JEN A. MILLER Participants in virtual races run whenever they can, wherever they can, and say they still have some of the sense of being part of a crowd, even if they’re running alone. [Roger Federer Outruns Time (and John Isner) Once Again to Win Miami Open]( On Tennis [Roger Federer Outruns Time (and John Isner) Once Again to Win Miami Open]( By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY The win gave Federer his 101st singles title, and it left Isner limping with what he fears may be a stress fracture in his foot. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [Review: A ‘Twilight Zone’ Trying to Find Its Dimension]( [Review: A ‘Twilight Zone’ Trying to Find Its Dimension]( By JAMES PONIEWOZIK reworking of the spooky classic is sleek and well-made, but it’s still looking for its voice. [Agnès Varda: The Filmmaker as Rigorous Friend]( Critic’s Notebook [Agnès Varda: The Filmmaker as Rigorous Friend]( By A.O. SCOTT Putting herself onscreen, the director, who died Friday at 90, suggested that making movies could be a communal act of looking and feeling. [Review: Can a Play Make the Constitution Great Again?]( Critic’s Pick [Review: Can a Play Make the Constitution Great Again?]( By JESSE GREEN “What the Constitution Means to Me,” the best new play of the Broadway season so far, rivetingly combines personal history and civic engagement. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [New York State Budget Deal Brings Congestion Pricing, Plastic Bag Ban and Mansion Tax]( [New York State Budget Deal Brings Congestion Pricing, Plastic Bag Ban and Mansion Tax]( By JESSE McKINLEY and VIVIAN WANG The budget agreement, announced early Sunday, includes a new tax on high-end homes and a fee to drive into Manhattan’s busiest areas. [‘Race-Biased Dragnet’: DNA From 360 Black Men Was Collected to Solve Vetrano Murder, Defense Lawyers Say]( [‘Race-Biased Dragnet’: DNA From 360 Black Men Was Collected to Solve Vetrano Murder, Defense Lawyers Say]( By JAN RANSOM and ASHLEY SOUTHALL Lawyers for the man on trial for killing Karina Vetrano say prosecutors withheld details about DNA testing that might have been useful to the defense. [A Jewish Councilman Said ‘Palestine Does Not Exist.’ Now He May Be Punished.]( [A Jewish Councilman Said ‘Palestine Does Not Exist.’ Now He May Be Punished.]( By JEFFERY C. MAYS Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York City councilman, Kalman Yeger, should lose his committee seat if he does not apologize. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Obituaries [Kenneth Gibson, 86, Dies; Newark Mayor Broke Race Barrier in Northeast]( [Kenneth Gibson, 86, Dies; Newark Mayor Broke Race Barrier in Northeast]( By JOSEPH P. FRIED He pledged to make Newark a model city, saying, “If we solve the urban problem here, we can export our solution to other areas.” [Tejshree Thapa, Defender of Human Rights in South Asia, Dies at 52]( [Tejshree Thapa, Defender of Human Rights in South Asia, Dies at 52]( By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE Her investigations sought to establish mass rape and sexual enslavement as crimes against humanity. She also spent time in the field with survivors. [David White, Hitmaker With Danny and the Juniors, Dies at 79]( [David White, Hitmaker With Danny and the Juniors, Dies at 79]( By RICHARD SANDOMIR He co-wrote the No. 1 hit “At the Hop” and wrote its follow-up, “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay.” He later helped write hits for Lesley Gore and others. For more Obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Op-Ed [Why Courtrooms Are Kryptonite for Alex Jones]( [Why Courtrooms Are Kryptonite for Alex Jones]( By CHARLIE WARZEL Shock jocks lose their power when forced to tell the truth, the whole truth. [Who Should Be Embarrassed?]( [Who Should Be Embarrassed?]( By CHARLES M. BLOW If Jussie Smollett’s racists were imaginary, then conservatives can argue the racists we all see are imaginary. [A C.E.O. Who’s Scared for America]( [A C.E.O. Who’s Scared for America]( By DAVID LEONHARDT Capitalism, he says, is slowly committing suicide. [The Real Roots of ‘Black Capitalism’]( [The Real Roots of ‘Black Capitalism’]( By MEHRSA BARADARAN Nixon’s solution for racial ghettos was tax breaks and incentives, not economic justice. 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