Good morning. Israel and Iran traded strikes early this morning, a day after President Trump said he was “considering blowing everything up” if Iran does not end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump threatened in an expletive-laden post on social media. There’s more below. First, though, we’re going to answer some more of your questions.
Asked and answeredLast week we took a bunch of your questions about the news and gave them to our expert reporters to answer. That led readers to send us hundreds more questions — about politics, tech, culture and more. So we’re back with answers. Keep those questions coming! I’ve read that Trump can declare a state of emergency and cancel the midterm elections. Is that true? | Carmen Rodriguez-Visek | Las Vegas, Nevada Nick Corasaniti, who covers voting and elections, writes: Stop doomscrolling, dear readers! No, the president has zero authority to cancel elections. Federal law dictates Election Day, and elections are run by individual states. In fact, the Constitution grants the president no explicit authority over any facet of elections. So if the president muses about canceling elections, or even makes a declaration attempting to do so, it is effectively meaningless (though it would certainly cause chaos and confusion). Remember, federal elections have occurred on the current timeline for more than 150 years, including during two world wars, events that probably qualify as national emergencies. What is going on in Venezuela? After Nicolás Maduro was captured, Trump started the Iran war and Venezuela vanished from the headlines. | Lynn Hartfield | Denver, Colorado Anatoly Kurmanaev, who covers Venezuela, writes: It’s hard for Venezuela to compete for attention these days. The Middle East upheaval has made the shock-and-awe operation to snatch Venezuela’s president in January look almost quaint in retrospect. Since then, Venezuela’s new rulers, under Trump’s tutelage, have barreled ahead with opening up the country’s immense natural wealth to Western investment. But the uptake has been rather tepid. Venezuela, after all, remains under American sanctions, and investors are wary that Trump’s Venezuela policies will come under scrutiny if Republicans lose in the midterms. Meanwhile, life remains hard for most Venezuelans. The country now sells more oil for higher prices, but the proceeds are going to a clique of local banks and corporations. Little is trickling down. Is classical music a dying art? In the age of digital streaming, are the world’s best orchestras struggling to sell tickets? | Max Holland | Libertyville, Illinois Adam Nagourney, who covers classical music and dance, writes: Classical music is certainly struggling, as you say — grappling with declining audiences, a reflection of changing tastes, the high cost of a night out and competition from streaming platforms. But dying? I don’t think so. Check out Gustavo Dudamel, the high-energy incoming music director at the New York Philharmonic. Or look at what Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, is doing, championing populist operas like “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” and recruiting the next-generation director Yuval Sharon to present a new “Tristan und Isolde” this year. Will it work? Over these past few months of attending performances on both coasts — at Walt Disney Hall, David Geffen Hall and the Metropolitan Opera — I didn’t spot an empty seat in the house.
What, exactly, do data centers actually do? | Rose M. Solomon | Columbus, Ohio Karen Weise, who covers technology and A.I., writes: Data centers are like massive remote computers that process much of the digital world we interact with every day. They store and serve up the data needed for online banking, streaming movies, tracking an Amazon delivery, hailing an Uber, you name it. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the size, complexity and cost of data centers have increased dramatically. Tech companies use far more computer chips, packed closely together, to run the trillions of calculations needed to develop and deploy A.I. systems. That means the A.I. data centers being built around the country now consume more electricity, and take up more space, than the facilities that powered the last internet era. GLP-1 drugs are often in the news for their positive health benefits. What are the negative effects of short- and long-term use? | Gail Johansen | Fairbanks, Alaska Dani Blum, who covers weight loss drugs like Ozempic, writes: These drugs come with side effects, most commonly gastrointestinal ones that can be particularly intense as people are titrating up their dose. People commonly feel nauseous, tired, constipated or have diarrhea. People also can shed muscle mass when they lose a large amount of weight. And if they eat too little, they run the risk of becoming malnourished. There are some rarer side effects, too, like gallbladder and kidney problems, pancreatitis and stomach paralysis. The long-term question, though, is thornier. People are supposed to stay on these drugs for their whole lives, and since some of these compounds are fairly new, we simply do not know what will happen after, say, 50 years of use.
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The last time German Lopez visited San Francisco, parts of the city looked like open-air drug dens, he writes. It doesn’t look like that anymore — a sign that the new mayor is helping turn the city around. Democrats should drop cronyism and nepotism in selecting candidates to win back voters’ trust, writes Michelle Cottle. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
Easter parade: New Yorkers strolled down Fifth Avenue to show off their best spring looks. See more photos. Surviving: A pregnant mom. A musician entering the prime of his career. A couple setting down roots. All of their lives were upended by a cancer diagnosis in their 20s or 30s. Read their stories. Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about the impact of Trump’s tax cuts on everyday Americans.
21— That is the number of cast-iron radiators Bat-Ami Rivlin zip-tied together for his conceptual sculpture at the Management gallery in New York. Check it out.
Women’s college basketball: U.C.L.A. claimed its first national championship with a 79-51 victory over South Carolina. N.H.L.: The New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy after four straight losses. Peter DeBoer, a former Dallas Stars coach, will replace him. M.L.B.: Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell robbed the Seattle Mariners of three home runs to secure a 1-0 win.
Sometimes I like to greet the first work night of the week with a meal that evokes the pleasures of a Saturday lunch: meatball subs. Ali Slagle’s recipe is simple and satisfying. The only tricky part is finding a good hoagie roll. Eat with your hands.
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya sat down with our Anna Martin of “Modern Love” to talk about the anxieties they explore in their new film, “The Drama.” Watch. More on culture
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