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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
1. Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son.
A judge in South Carolina handed down two consecutive life sentences, without the possibility of parole, to Murdaugh, a once-prominent lawyer who was convicted last night for the double murder.
The sentence capped a spectacular downfall: Murdaugh had long avoided legal consequences for lying and stealing — which he admitted to on the witness stand while tearfully denying the murders — as he led a life of privilege in the clubby legal world of South Carolina.
The prosecutors decided months before the trial that they would not seek the death penalty. Legal experts said that may have been because there was no direct physical evidence, witness or confession, which could have made a jury reluctant to recommend a death sentence.
It took the jury less than three hours of deliberation to convict Murdaugh of the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, 52, and son, Paul, 22, on the family’s hunting estate. Murdaugh’s defense lawyers said they believed they had “very solid grounds” for an appeal.
2. President Biden met with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, amid worries over how to end the war in Ukraine.
With little fanfare, Scholz held talks with Biden at the White House, leading some within Berlin’s foreign policy circles to wonder whether the leaders were seeking to quietly begin work on a new road map for ending the conflict in Ukraine.
The two leaders have spoken frequently in recent months as concern grows over China possibly moving to supply arms to Russia. The U.S. separately announced that it would rush more precision-guided rockets and additional ammunition to Ukraine as part of a new $400 million weapons package.
In Ukraine, fighting has intensified in the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, but Ukraine’s military said its forces were still hanging on.
In other news from the region, two Russians and one Ukrainian were arrested after entering an abandoned rifle factory in Albania. Were they Instagrammers or spies?
3. Tennessee banned drag shows on public property.
Bill Lee, the Republican governor, signed a bill banning the performances also in places where they could be watched by minors, making Tennessee the first state to sharply restrict drag performances. The new law, which takes effect later this year, limits “adult cabaret” performances that feature “topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators.”
The new law came amid efforts by several Republican leaders to regulate the lives of transgender Americans. Yesterday, Lee also signed a separate bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
4. U.S. News hit back at law schools in a dispute over rankings.
Several elite law schools, including Yale and Harvard, said last fall that they would no longer submit data to the publication’s rankings, which are popular with families but criticized by many universities.
Now, U.S. News has fired back. In a public-relations campaign, it accused the schools of trying to avoid accountability on admissions and outcomes for students. The publication’s C.E.O. also suggested that the schools were looking for ways to “sidestep” a looming Supreme Court decision that could end affirmative action.
For more: Here are the ways U.S. News has committed to changing its rankings in response to criticism that it overvalues high-paying private-sector jobs.
5. President Biden is on the verge of choosing a new top military commander.
Officials say the list of candidates to replace Gen. Mark Milley as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is down to two names.
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a fighter pilot, is the leading candidate. Brown — known widely as C.Q. — is the Air Force chief of staff and was the first African American to rise to that position. Gen. David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, is thought to be the underdog. Milley’s term ends this fall.
In other news from Washington, President Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest during his physical last month, the president’s doctor said. He said no further treatment was needed.
6. Chernobyl’s dogs offer clues about surviving an environmental catastrophe.
After the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986, when residents were forced to evacuate, pet dogs were left behind. Today, hundreds of dogs live in the area around the site of the disaster. Now researchers are trying to better understand how the dogs adapted.
In the first deep dive into the animals’ D.N.A., scientists found that the dogs of Chernobyl are genetically distinct, different from purebred canines as well as free-breeding dogs. It’s too soon to say whether, or how, radiation contributed to their unique genetic profiles, but the study will be a good starting point for further investigation.
In other animal news, impostor queens lurk in ant colonies, a new study found.
7. Tyre Nichols’s photography will soar above the California desert.
Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died in January after a brutal beating by Memphis police officers, once wrote that his photos were meant to “bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing.” They revealed parts of Memphis that some residents said they had forgotten.
This weekend, six of his photographs will be featured on billboards across the Palm Springs area, as part of the Desert X biennial. Nichols’s pictures will include a serene scene of the Hernando de Soto Bridge lit up at night and a warmly colored sunset panorama.
Here’s a look at those photos and more of his work.
8. With a redesigned car, Mercedes hopes to once again be a Formula 1 champion.
After eight consecutive world championships, Mercedes struggled to adapt to last year’s rule changes and fell out of contention for the top prize. Now the team and its star driver, Lewis Hamilton, are hoping a retooled car, featuring a new paint scheme to reduce weight, can bring them back atop the rankings.
The new season begins on Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where many drivers and executives will be representing new teams. Three rookies will be getting their first chance.
9. What to do this weekend.
Watch: “Creed III,” the latest entry in the “Rocky” saga, arrived in theaters today.
Bake: This sweet braided loaf is commonly baked for Easter in Romania.
Listen: De La Soul’s music is finally on streaming services after years of absence.
Secure: These are the best password managers.
Read: Our critics and editors recommend nine new books.
Stream: For a meaty drama that is not too long, check out “The Hour.”
Improve: These recipes will make you a better cook.
10. And finally, just breathe (but not too fast).
We inhale and exhale roughly 25,000 times per day. Yet most of us are doing it wrong, breathing too rapidly and too shallowly, according to experts. Controlling your breathing pattern, they say, can provide benefits to your health and well-being.
Test yourself, and see how to improve your breathing technique.
At rest, our breathing should be slow and steady, between 12 and 20 breaths per minute. Consciously slowing that even further, to between five and seven breaths per minute, can help reduce blood pressure, bolster energy levels and lift mood.
Have a mindful weekend.
Brent Lewis compiled photos for this briefing.
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