Plus: NASA's Artemis II Launch & The Best Online Pranks During April Fools Day

Good evening,

Here’s a pretty crazy story that got our attention: Everest guides are accused of poisoning climbers to trigger fake rescues. Why would they do this? Apparently, money. It’s a scheme that defrauded insurers out of nearly $20 million, affecting more than 4,700 tourists.

INSIDE THE SCAM: Investigators say guides faked medical emergencies by adding baking powder, raw chicken, or rat feces to hikers’ meals to create symptoms mimicking altitude sickness. Then, guides would call for a helicopter to get the sickened climbers.

So far, 32 people tied to mountain rescue companies in Nepal have been arrested and nine charged.
Sherpas are an ethnic group from Nepal known for their expertise at high altitudes, working as guides who carry gear, fix routes, and help climbers reach the summit of Everest. There are around 150,000 in Nepal.

ON THE MOUNTAIN: Each year, between 700-1,000 climbers attempt to summit Everest, with a success rate of roughly 60–70%.

About 40% of trekkers at Everest Base Camp experience symptoms of altitude sickness — nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, and dizziness. It occurs when the body struggles to adapt to lower oxygen levels at higher elevations and usually begins within 12 to 24 hours after ascending above roughly 2,500 meters (8,000 feet).
Everest Base Camp sits at 5,364 meters (17,598 feet). Everest itself is the world’s highest peak at about 8,848 meters (29,032 feet).

BIGGER PICTURE: Despite the Nepali government cracking down on insurance after a Kathmandu Post investigation, new reporting shows the scams have only grown more widespread in recent years.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Trump Fires Attorney General Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche To Step In

President Trump announced Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi is out, becoming the second cabinet secretary fired in just four weeks.

WHO’S IN: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense attorney, will become acting Attorney General in the next month or so. There are reports that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is a top candidate for the AG job, although nothing is confirmed.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT: Trump posted on Truth Social, calling Bondi “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend,” noting that she will be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector.” But, Trump has reportedly been weighing Bondi’s future for months, frustrated with her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and for not aggressively prosecuting Trump’s political opponents.

INSIDE THE SPLIT
Trump reportedly told Bondi she was being fired just before his primetime Iran address Wednesday night. It was just hours after the two were together at the Supreme Court for oral arguments on the birthright citizenship case.

BEHIND THE SCENES, frustration had been building. Trump allies say Bondi was not aggressive enough in pursuing investigations into political opponents, and her handling of the Epstein files became a major issue with both parties — and especially Trump’s base.
- TRUMP’S POLITICAL FOES: Bondi’s inability to successfully prosecute several of Trump’s political adversaries, despite multiple attempts, reportedly fueled his frustration. Efforts included one failed case against former FBI Director James Comey, three failed attempts targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, and a grand jury rejection of charges against six Democratic lawmakers.
- EPSTEIN: Last year, Bondi told Fox News that Epstein’s client list was "sitting on my desk right now” — only for the Justice Department to later say there was no such evidence. The delayed and incomplete rollout of the Epstein files led to bipartisan backlash. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bondi over the Epstein file release, and lawmakers say they will still push for her deposition— even if she is no longer Attorney General.
  - Her fiery congressional testimony in February, when she deflected Epstein file questions by touting Trump-era achievements and stock market gains, was seen as an effort to stay aligned with the president. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough.

She now becomes the second cabinet official out in the past month, following Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — signaling a broader reshuffling inside the administration. At the same time, Trump has been more restrained in firing top officials in his second term than in his first, which saw frequent abrupt dismissals.

🚨 ONE THING WE RELATE TO 📧

NASA Gives ‘Go’ For Final Engine Firing That Will Put Artemis II On Track For Moon Orbit

We are just a couple hours away from what could be a major milestone for the Artemis II mission. The translunar injection burn, or TLI, will be final major engine firing that would set Artemis II on its way to circumnavigate the moon.

If it’s a go, the mission could travel farther from Earth than any human ever has, breaking the Apollo program’s distance record.

🚀 IN OTHER ARTEMIS NEWS
Turns out astronauts also can have IT issues with Microsoft Office, even while traveling beyond Earth’s atmosphere. An Artemis II astronaut reported that their Microsoft 365 accounts were not working just seven hours after the lunar space mission launched.

“I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one is working,” Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman told Mission Control tech support in Houston, according to the livestream of launch communications.

TECH ISSUESThe Artemis II mission has faced multiple challenges leading up to the spacecraft’s launch, including issues within the abort launch system and helium flow problems.

Soon after takeoff, their toilet system malfunctioned, but it was fixed several hours later. 🪠🚽

LUNAR AMBITIONS
Artemis II is carrying four astronauts on a journey around the moon in a mission that will set the table for putting astronauts back on the lunar surface in 2028. This trip will be the first time astronauts have traveled to the moon in more than 50 years since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The space mission launched Wednesday night, just before sundown. A CNN reporter got an unexpected — and very honest — answer Wednesday while asking a young spectator about why he came out to attend NASA’s Artemis II launch: “We’re going back to the freakin’ moon, that’s why,” the kid said.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

Airports to travelers: stop arriving four hours early (MO NEWS)
Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide (AP)
GOP leaders move to shutdown-proof DHS funding as stalemate nears 50 days (FOX)
Trump’s ballroom gets the green light from loyalist-stacked commission (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

UK gathers more than 40 countries to press Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Four children stabbed dead at Uganda kindergarten (DW)
Three minors among four charged over foiled attack at Bank of America Paris branch (FRANCE24)
TikTok pulls Israeli ultranationalist’s account for breach of hate speech rules (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

Trump administration sets up to 100% tariffs on some imported drugs, with many companies exempt (CNBC)
EPA flags microplastics, pharmaceuticals as contaminants in drinking water (NPR)
AI is making college students change majors (AXIOS)
US mortgage rates climb for fifth-straight week, pushed up by Iran war worries (CNN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ soars to $68M+ in global first day, ahead of ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ – box office (DEADLINE)
Olivia Rodrigo announces new album ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ (VARIETY)
Josh Allen, Hailee Steinfeld announce birth of first child (ESPN)
Body cam footage shows Tiger Woods DUI arrest (MO NEWS)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… Jonathan, the world’s oldest known tortoise and land animal, is alive and well, despite news publications reporting that he had died. 🐢🫢

A REPTILIAN RUMOR: Publications including the BBC, Daily Mail, and USA Today falsely reported his death after an X account pretending to be Jonathan’s vet shared the news on Wednesday, April 1st.
- “Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world's oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on St. Helena,” wrote an account posing as Joe Hollins, Jonathan’s vet. “This gentle giant outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans.”
THE TRUTH PEAKS OUT: The real Joe Hollins cleared up the rumor. “There is a hoax - not even an April Fool - going around in X with American spelling but using my name, saying Jonathan the Tortoise, the oldest living land animal, is dead. IT IS NOT TRUE,” he wrote on Facebook Wednesday.
- The imposter was asking for cryptocurrency donations at the time of the false reporting.
  - Jonathan, who is believed to be 193 years old, is healthy and living on St. Helena in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He was recently found sleeping under a tree, according to the island’s governor.