Good morning, NBC News readers.
It's official: Beto O'Rourke has announced he's running for president.
Here’s what else we’re watching today.
Emergency order: FAA grounds some Boeing jets
After days of growing pressure, President Donald Trump announced that the Federal Aviation Administration was grounding Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 jets in the wake of two recent crashes that together killed 346 people.
The FAA said it decided to ground the jets after it received new information and physical evidence that showed similarities between Sunday's deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash and one off the coast of Indonesia in October.
Some passengers were taken off planes and even stranded at airports after the emergency order was issued.
Boeing said it supported the FAA's call "out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft's safety."
But the company's stock is weathering its own turbulence. After three tumultuous days, it ended the day higher on Wednesday.
Beto O'Rourke announces he's in for 2020
The Texas Democrat, who drew national attention and broke fundraising records with his losing campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz last year, announced on Thursday that he is running for president.
The 46-year-old former congressman from El Paso has captivated some in the party with his skateboarding, adventurous road trips shared on social media, and crossover appeal to both moderates and progressives.
"The only way for us to live up to the promise of America is to give it our all and to give it for all of us," he said in a video announcing his decision to enter an already crowded primary field.
Manafort gets 7.5 years in prison — and new charges
If Paul Manafort's lawyers thought they were in for a break after his second sentencing, they were mistaken.
Shortly after the president's former campaign chairman was sentenced to an additional 43 months in prison on conspiracy charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller, he was indicted on new fraud charges by Manhattan prosecutors.
The 69-year-old was indicted on 16 counts tied to residential mortgage fraud and conspiracy, according to the indictment unsealed Wednesday.
The charges could ensure that Manafort spends time behind bars — even if he were to receive a presidential pardon. The president has the authority to grant pardons on federal crimes but not state crimes.
'I'm profoundly sorry,' says Harvard alum who played a part in college cheating scandal
A 36-year-old Harvard graduate who was paid to secretly take college board tests for children of wealthy parents apologized.
Mark Riddell, a former star tennis player at the Ivy League school, was paid $10,000 per test and took SAT and ACT exams for students between 2012 and this past February, according to a criminal complaint.
"I understand how my actions contributed to a loss of trust in the college admissions process," he said.
Meantime, actress Lori Loughlin was released on a $1 million bond Wednesday after appearing in federal court in Los Angeles in connection with her alleged role in the scandal.
So what was Loughlin’s big mistake? If you’re going to bribe a college, there are plenty of ways to do it legally. The scandal has lifted the hood on the long-standing culture of corruption in America’s college admissions process, one of our columnists writes.
Others are asking: How much does it really matter where you go to college?
Plus
- Brexit might be delayed later today. Or not. Here's what could happen next.
- Mark Zuckerberg's vision for the future may mean more Facebook in more parts of your life.
- New evidence of racial bias is found in 100 million police traffic stops, according to a Stanford University study.
- Millions are in the path of a bomb cyclone as a major winter storm slams the central U.S.
THINK about it
Live BETTER
If you have running a race on your spring bucket list, you’re not alone: In 2017 more than 18 million people in the U.S. registered for road races. (I've got a half-marathon on my horizon in May). Here are the five top running mistakes — and how to avoid them.
One fun thing
It's Pi Day! Here are seven interesting facts about the most famous number in mathematics.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — drop me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com
If you would like to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox Monday to Friday, please sign-up here.
Thanks, Petra
