5 things to know for March 18: Spa killings, Covid-19, China, Amazon, storm danger

All 68 teams in the men’s NCAA college basketball tournament have been cleared to play ahead of today’s First Four games.

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1. Spa shootings

We now know the names of four victims in the metro Atlanta spa shootings. Six of the eight who were killed were Asian women, who are uniquely vulnerable to violence because of their race and gender. Investigators said it was too early to say whether the crime was racially motivated and instead pointed to the suspect’s claim of a potential sex addiction. Experts and activists say the disproportionate toll on Asian women was no coincidence and that the suspect’s remarks are rooted in a history of misogyny and stereotypes directed at Asian women. The attacks are heightening the fear many Asian Americans were already feeling over a rising tide of hate and violence. The suspect faces charges of murder and aggravated assault, and Atlanta’s mayor said a hate crime charge would be “appropriate.”

2. Coronavirus

Canada is expanding its use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to seniors, even as other countries pause their rollouts. Europe, meanwhile, is trying to calm the panic around that shot. A French hospitals official said the AstraZeneca vaccine is as effective as the Pfizer one, while Italy’s health minister said vaccines are the way to end this pandemic. The Biden administration is considering sending some stockpiled AstraZeneca doses that are waiting for official approval in the US to Canada and Mexico. Despite the promising progress on vaccinations, some experts worry the US could be headed for another surge. Meantime, Brazil reported its highest daily increase of infections since the pandemic began, a day after its daily Covid-19 death toll hit a new high.

3. China

Senior officials from the US and China are set to meet in Alaska today and tomorrow for the first time since President Biden took office. But Beijing does not have “high expectations,” China’s ambassador to the US said. US-China relations were tense under President Trump as the countries clashed on issues of trade, technology and human rights, and Biden’s administration has signaled it would likely continue that tough stance. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently accused China of using “coercion and aggression” to undermine human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang (where China faces accusations of genocide against the Uyghurs). China said it wouldn’t compromise on issues of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

4. Amazon

“Amazon brags it pays workers above the minimum wage. What they don’t tell you is what those jobs are really like.” That’s one of the searing lines delivered by an Amazon warehouse employee who testified yesterday before a Senate committee. She described intense 10-hour shifts with just two 30-minute breaks that she said weren’t enough to get adequate rest. Her testimony came as a milestone vote on whether Amazon workers in central Alabama should unionize is underway. The union efforts have garnered support from leaders including Biden and Stacey Abrams. Amazon, though, has waged an aggressive anti-union campaign leading up to the vote.

5. Winter weather

Tornadoes have hit at least five states in the Deep South as a line of storms moves through the region. The greatest damage so far appears to be in Alabama and Mississippi, where homes were damaged and roads blocked. The biggest storm threat now shifts east to Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. About 45 million are under threat for severe storms today and could see tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. In Jackson, Mississippi, where residents have been facing a water crisis for weeks after brutal winter storms, officials finally lifted all boil water advisories.

Check your local forecast here>>>

BREAKFAST BROWSE

The Tokyo Olympics’ creative head has resigned after making a derogatory comment about a female entertainer 

If you don’t have anything nice to say …

Super Nintendo World opens in Osaka, Japan

A real-life Mario Kart race through Bowser’s Kingdom? Sign us up.

Tide wants you to quit using warm water for laundry

We’d apparently be saving the planet — and maybe even some money.

NASA names 27 asteroids after African American, Hispanic and Native American astronauts

Imagine looking up at the sky and knowing a celestial body bears your name.

Billie Eilish’s green hair party is over

The 19-year-old Grammy winner has a totally new look.

A giant manta ray jumped out of the ocean and photobombed a surfer

Just take a look at this photo!

TODAY’S NUMBER

49

That’s how many US states and territories have hate crime laws, though they vary.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“While Amalgamated’s nearly 100-year-old legacy of social action is clearly demonstrated, we acknowledge that there is more for all of us to do to stem the tide of complacency and call for higher levels of justice for all people.”

Amalgamated Bank, the first major American bank to endorse HR 40, a bill in Congress that would create a commission to develop slavery reparations proposals for African Americans

AND FINALLY

It’s only Thursday, but it’s been a week

And we could all use a cookie or two. (Click here to view.)