Good morning, NBC News readers.
Easter Sunday was marred by extreme violence in Sri Lanka after a wave of coordinated bombings targeting Christians and foreigners killed and injured hundreds.
Here's more on that tragedy and what else we're watching today.
'We never expected it to be so big': Sri Lanka was warned about terrorist plot
Sri Lankan authorities were warned about a terrorist plot two weeks before a series of Easter Sunday blasts that killed at least 290 people, government officials confirmed Monday.
The near-simultaneous explosions hit three churches and three luxury hotels on Sunday, officials said. Police later reported two further explosions. About 500 people were injured and at least 27 foreign nationals were among the dead.
"We never expected it to be so big," Hemasiri Fernando, the chief of staff to Sri Lankan's president, told NBC News. "We never thought it would happen so soon."
Americans are among the victims of the attacks.
Dieter Kowalski, a 40-year-old from Denver who was in Sri Lanka for a business trip, was unaccounted for on Monday.
"And the fun begins," Kowalski posted on Facebook on Friday. "Love these work trips. 24 hours of flying. See you soon Sri Lanka!"
Beyond the Green New Deal: Another climate cause is dividing Democrats
Today is Earth Day. We take a look at how some 2020 presidential contenders are dealing with the issue of climate change.
Some Democrats are joining the "Keep it in the ground" movement to ban mining, drilling and fracking. Others say that's going too far.
Meantime, for some millennials, the climate change clock is ticking louder than the biological one.
"It’s like you are playing with two ticking time bombs — yours and the planet’s," Erika Lundahl, a Seattle 27-year-old, said.
Democrats say Trump impeachment proceedings 'possibly coming'
House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said he could foresee the possibility of bringing impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump on Sunday.
"I think [Mueller] basically said to us as a Congress, 'It's up to you to take this further with regard to obstruction and the other matters that might come up,'" Cummings said.
Meantime, Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, said during an interview on "Meet the Press" that Americans had the "right to know" the contents of Democratic emails hacked by Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“They shouldn’t have stolen it, but the American people were just given more information about how deceptive, how manipulative her campaign was,” Giuliani said.
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Plus
- 'Anything is possible': A comedian with no political experience won Ukraine's runoff presidential election.
- Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., is the latest Democrat to join the race for president. The decorated Marine veteran and Harvard grad hopes to stand out by focusing on national security and foreign policy.
- A California woman dragged under a train has sparked a state safety investigation.
THINK about it
Is the Mueller report really a road map for Trump's impeachment? Suzanne Garment, the author of "Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics," compares the special prosecutor's report to the Watergate "road map."
Science + Tech = MACH
Circling the Earth above the distortion of the atmosphere, the Hubble telescope is celebrating 29 years of mind-blowing space pictures.
Live BETTER
Looking for a new warm-weather sport? How about Pickleball. It's the fastest growing sport you've never heard of.
One hopeful thing
The destructive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral displaced its choir, but the singers say they are not without a home.
Other churches have welcomed the group and they celebrated Easter in a neighboring Paris church. Now they hope to travel and maybe even bring Notre Dame’s music to America.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
And thanks to my colleagues Patrick and Alex for filling in for me last week.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — drop me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com
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Thanks, Petra
