What to Know
- Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack on a major air base in central Syria
- With opening statements in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial set for Monday, prosecutors have lined up a parade of accusers to make a case
- Jimmy Kimmel is trying to de-escalate a feud with Sean Hannity that began over a joke about first lady Melania Trump's accent
Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.
Israel Blamed for Missile Strike in Syria; 14 Reported Dead
Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack on a major air base in central Syria, saying Israeli fighter jets launched the missiles from Lebanon's air space. A war-monitoring group said the airstrikes killed 14 people, including Iranians active in Syria. Russia's Defense Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the T4 air base in Homs province, firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the western part of the base. Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli F-15 warplanes fired several missiles at T4. It gave no further details. Israel's foreign ministry had no comment when asked about the accusations. Since 2012, Israel has struck inside Syria more than 100 times, mostly targeting suspected weapons' convoys destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting alongside Syrian government forces. Most recently, Israel hit the same T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base.
Facebook to Send Cambridge Analytica Data-Use Notices Monday
Get ready to find out if your Facebook data has been swept up in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Starting Monday, the 87 million users who might have had their data shared with Cambridge Analytica will get a detailed message on their news feeds. Facebook says most of the affected users (more than 70 million) are in the U.S., though there are over a million each in the Philippines, Indonesia and the U.K. In addition, all 2.2 billion Facebook users will receive a notice titled "Protecting Your Information" with a link to see what apps they use and what information they have shared with those apps. If they want, they can shut off apps individually or turn off third-party access to their apps completely. Reeling from its worst privacy crisis in history — allegations that this Trump-affiliated data mining firm may have used ill-gotten user data to try to influence elections — Facebook is in full damage-control mode. CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that he made a "huge mistake" in failing to take a broad enough view of what Facebook's responsibility is in the world. He's set to testify before Congress next week.
North Korea Tells US Kim Jong Un Ready to Discuss Nukes
Local
North Korea's government has communicated with the United States to say leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with President Trump, officials said, increasing the likelihood that the unprecedented summit will actually occur. The confirmation from Pyongyang directly, rather than from third countries like South Korea, has created more confidence within Trump's administration about the wisdom of holding such a meeting, as U.S. officials make secretive preparations. The Trump administration has long said if the North Koreans weren't ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations. Trump took his own administration and other countries by surprise last month when he accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. The North had conveyed the invitation to a visiting delegation from South Korea, which in turn traveled to Washington and relayed the message to Trump. The president said yes to the meeting on the spot, even though the U.S. had not yet heard directly from North Korea about Kim's intentions. The U.S. later heard from other countries including China, where Kim paid a rare visit, that the North was serious about the offer.
Bill Cosby's Sex-Assault Retrial Begins
With opening statements in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial set, prosecutors have lined up a parade of accusers to make the case that the man revered as "America's Dad" lived a double life as one of Hollywood's biggest predators. Cosby's retrial likely won't be anything like his first one. He's fighting back with a new, high-profile lawyer and an aggressive strategy: attacking Andrea Constand as a greedy liar and casting the other women testifying as bandwagon accusers looking for a share of the spotlight. Cosby's first trial last spring ended in a cliffhanger, with jurors unable to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of tense deliberations on charges that the man who made millions of viewers laugh as wise and understanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" drugged and molested Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. The 80-year-old comedian, who has said the sexual contact was consensual, faces three counts of aggravated indecent assault, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His retrial is taking place in a radically changed and potentially more hostile environment. The #MeToo movement caught fire four months after the first trial, raising awareness of sexual misconduct as it toppled Harvey Weinstein, Sen. Al Franken, Matt Lauer and other powerful men.
Jimmy Kimmel Tries to Tone Down Feud With Sean Hannity
Jimmy Kimmel is trying to de-escalate a feud with Sean Hannity that began over a joke about first lady Melania Trump's accent. Kimmel said in a Twitter post that his exchanges with Hannity were fun but he didn't want to add to the "vitriol" of their spat, which included Hannity calling Kimmel a "sick, twisted, creepy, perverted weirdo" during his show. Kimmel said such animosity is "harmful to our country" and he wanted to apologize "to those who took offense." He also said President Trump's wife had enough to worry about "without being used as a prop to increase TV ratings." Last week, Kimmel prodded the first lady's reading of a children's book at the White House Easter egg hunt. He mocked the accent of the first lady, who was born in Slovenia. Hannity and Kimmel exchanged barbs through the week.
Cardi B Is Pregnant, Expecting First Child With Fiance Offset
Cardi B is a mom-to-be. The "Bodak Yellow" rapper is pregnant. In Beyonce style, Cardi B revealed her pregnant belly while performing in a body-con white gown during her appearance as a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live." Earlier in the show, Cardi B, who is engaged to Migos' Offset, hid her bump under a voluminous feathered frock, which concealed her bump during her first performance. In recent weeks, she has been wearing increasingly slick ensembles in order to keep her growing bump under wraps. Just last night she was outfitted in a very roomy pink metallic dress, which many speculated was hiding her bump. The cause for celebration marks Cardi's first child with fiance Offset, who she got engaged to last October. Offset, who is a member of hip-hop group Migos, has three kids from previous relationships.
