Good morning. Here are some of the headlines we're following this morning:
1. Clinton, Trump Take Big Leads Ahead of Tuesday Primaries
Hillary Clinton maintains a sizable lead over Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination — 54 percent to 41 percent — while Donald Trump is a full 20 points ahead of any other Republican candidate. Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina head to the polls in both party's primaries on Tuesday. Read more in POLITICS.
2. Putin Orders Russian Military Pullout From Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared mission accomplished Monday and said he is withdrawing his troops from war-torn Syria now that peace talks are underway. Putin's declaration came as United Nations-led negotiations got underway in Geneva, Switzerland to end the brutal and bloody civil war that has left thousands dead and sent millions more into exile. Read more in NEWS.
3. NFL Acknowledges Link Between Football and Brain Disorders
For what's believed to be the first time ever, a senior NFL official acknowledged Monday that there's a direct link between playing football and developing degenerative brain disease — a significant shift in the discussion over head trauma caused by America's most popular sport. Read more in NEWS.
4. Palin's Husband in Intensive Care After Snowmobile Crash
Sarah Palin canceled a campaign stop for Donald Trump in Florida on Monday after her husband Todd was injured in a snowmobile crash in Alaska. A source told NBC News that Todd Palin was in "a very serious" crash Sunday night and is currently hospitalized in intensive care. Read more in NEWS.
5. Driver in Massacre Says Uber App Made Him a 'Puppet'
Jason Dalton, the Uber driver charged with killing six people and wounding two in Kalamazoo, Michigan, last month told detectives that the car service's mobile phone application turned him into "a puppet." According to police documents released Monday "Dalton said that he could only tell us that [the app] has the ability to take you over." Read more in NEWS.
6. Half of People Killed by Police are Mentally Disabled: Report
Almost half of the people who die at the hands of police have some kind of disability, according to a new report, as officers are often drawn into emergencies where urgent care may be more appropriate than lethal force, according to a report the report, published by the Ruderman Family Foundation, a disability organization. Read more in HEALTH.
7. 'Hamilton' Star Wows President With White House Performance
A video posted by the official White House Twitter account on Monday shows "Hamilton" star Lin-Manuel Miranda rapping to a live drum beat as President Obama prompts him with cue cards the performer says he hadn't glimpsed beforehand. The president was very impressed. "How good is that? You think that's going viral? That's going viral!" he says. Read more in POP CULTURE.
Nightly Spotlight: Meet the 6-Year-Old Basketball Phenom Taking the Internet by Storm
Jaliyah Manuel has been raising eyebrows with her very grown up basketball skills, and her videos have captivated people the world over — garnering over 60 million views.