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| Good morning. It’s Tuesday, March 31, and our columnist broke up with his Kindle for an e-reader that treats him better — here’s why. Now let’s get to the news. | |
 | The U.S. and Iran are giving very different accounts about war negotiations. | - The latest: President Donald Trump said yesterday that the U.S. is talking directly with Iranian leaders about how to end the war. They’re making “great progress,” he added.
- What Iranian officials say: They have denied virtually all of Trump’s assertions, saying there are no direct talks. Meanwhile, both sides are targeting critical energy facilities.
- This morning: Gas prices at U.S. pumps spiked above $4 a gallon.
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 | Trump showed off new designs for his White House ballroom. | | | The new renderings showed that stairs on the south side of the ballroom have been removed. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) | - Aboard Air Force One: Trump held up renderings that revealed changes to the plans following a New York Times article about the design that appeared to irk Trump.
- Another project: Trump also shared a first look at his planned presidential library in Miami. The images showed a skyscraper with at least two gold statues of Trump.
- Seat of power: A golden toilet statue mocking Trump appeared in D.C. — take a look.
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 | The Army is reviewing why attack helicopters flew near Kid Rock’s home. | | | An Apache helicopter’s path around Nashville on March 28. Source: ADS-B Exchange. (Andrew Tran/The Washington Post) | - On Saturday: The musician posted videos showing himself saluting as an Apache helicopter hovered off the pool area of his Tennessee mansion. Watch the footage here.
- Why did that happen? The Army is looking into it, saying action will be taken if regulations were broken. It is also probing why helicopters flew near No Kings protests.
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 | The Trump administration is suing over a women’s networking event. | - In 2024: About 250 female employees of a Coca-Cola distributor gathered for a day of speakers and team-building exercises. In a new lawsuit, officials argue it was illegal.
- Why? The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges that the event unlawfully discriminated against male employees. Many more such cases could be imminent.
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 | A new report revealed which advanced degrees yield the best returns. | - Coming out on top: Graduate degrees in medicine, law and pharmacy generally have the highest return on investment. Researchers tried to calculate potential lifetime earnings.
- On the other hand: Degrees in fields such as social work, psychology, and curriculum and instruction may have a negative financial return after factoring in their full cost.
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 | Tiny changes to your daily habits might lengthen your life. | - In a study involving tens of thousands of people: Scientists found these three small tweaks to behavior could have an outsize influence on how long and well we live.
- What are they? Adding five minutes of sleep, two minutes of exercise and half a serving of vegetables a day. The changes could add a year or more to lifespans, the study found.
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 | Celine Dion announced a set of comeback shows. | | | The Eiffel Tower lit up to mark the announcement of Celine Dion’s concert dates. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters) | |
Hannah Jewell and 
