While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Earth 'firmly on track toward an unlivable world,' UN warns
Temperatures on Earth will shoot past a key danger point unless greenhouse gas emissions fall faster than countries have committed, the world's top body of climate scientists said Monday, warning of the consequences of inaction but also noting hopeful signs of progress.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change revealed "a litany of broken climate promises" by governments and corporations, accusing them of stoking global warming by clinging to harmful fossil fuels.
Emissions in 2019 were about 12% higher than they were in 2010 and 54% higher than in 1990, said James Skea of Imperial College London.
2. Gov. DeSantis to draw new congressional map after legislature gives up
The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature is throwing in the towel after a public fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis over his desire to draw a new congressional map that would carve up two largely Black districts.
DeSantis vetoed the maps lawmakers sent him. DeSantis previously submitted a map that would dismantle the districts of two Black U.S. House members — Reps. Al Lawson and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
The nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project said DeSantis' map was gerrymandered to achieve significant partisan advantage for Republicans, compared with previous maps advanced by the state Legislature that offered a "slight" GOP advantage.
3. Special legislative session on property insurance reaches polling threshold
Lawmakers will likely soon vote on an early return to the state Capitol to address what some consider a "property insurance crisis." It comes after a state senator put out the call for action late last week, and the governor said he backs it.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, tweeted Monday afternoon he had the support needed to trigger a poll of the Legislature, formally asking lawmakers if they want a special session to address skyrocketing property insurance costs.
A 60% majority is needed to make it happen and Brandes is hopeful, believing the upcoming election will spur action.
4. Parkland families attend White House event on 'ghost guns'
Several Parkland parents were at the White House on Monday as President Joe Biden took aim at "ghost guns," privately made firearms without serial numbers.
Among the crowd at the Rose Garden event were Fred Guttenberg and Manuel Oliver, who both lost children during the Feb. 14, 2018, attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The president's action now makes all ghost guns be classified as firearms, requiring serial numbers and background checks for anyone buying them.
5. Veterinarian shortage could leave 75M pets without medical care
According to Mars Veterinary Health, with pet ownership on the rise, pet healthcare service spending is anticipated to grow 33% over the next decade. That means the industry needs to add roughly 41,000 veterinarians to the force by 2030 to meet the demand.
However, projected graduation numbers for veterinarians show that the industry will likely fall short. This is due in part to how few veterinary programs there are available and factors that limit some people from being exposed to the profession.
Veterinary programs require four years of schooling following the completion of an undergraduate degree. The total cost of tuition can exceed $200,000.
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On This Day In History
The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861.
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