Syria conflict, NBA Playoffs and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: 5 things you need to know this weekend
World leaders react to airstrikes on Syrian regime
Details are still emerging Saturday just hours after the U.S., France and the United Kingdom coordinated missile airstrikes against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. President Trump said the strikes were intended to deter the use of chemical weapons like the attack on civilians in the Syrian town of Douma last week.Assad has repeatedly been accused of using chemical agents during the nation's devastating, seven-year civil war. Russia — a longtime Syrian ally — denounced the allied raids with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling the airstrikes an "act of aggression" that will make matters worse in the region. Want to know how the crisis in Syria unfolded? Here's a recap.
- Trump: U.S. striking Syria over its use of chemical weapons
- Syria conflict: What's next for U.S., Iran and Russia?
- Analysis: Trump's strike on Syria lacked element of surprise
- First images of Syria after strikes emerge
Scientists are back — and ready to march
Supporters of science around the world will rally Saturday to send public officials a message that evidence-based policy decisions are important — and science cannot be ignored. The main rally will take place in Washington, D.C., but marches will also be held in cities such as Houston, Philadelphia and Seattle, and as far as Kenya, Russia and India. The first march happened last year, one month after President Trump signed an executive order aimed at rolling back Obama-era climate change and environmental policies.
New members of rock royalty to be crowned
The 33rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place Saturday in Cleveland. Honored this year are rockers Bon Jovi, progressive-rock pioneers The Moody Blues, the late jazz icon Nina Simone, rock 'n' roll godmother Sister Rosetta Tharpe, new-wave group The Cars, and '80s hit-makers Dire Straits. Inductees were selected by the votes of more than 1,000 artists, historians and music-industry professionals, as well as a poll of fans. HBO will air the induction ceremony on May 5.
Cavs-Warriors ... again? NBA Playoffs get underway
The long road to the NBA Finals begins Saturday with the first game of the NBA Playoffs. The action starts as the Spurs take on the Warriors (3 p.m. ET, ABC), followed by Wizards-Raptors (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), Heat-76ers (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and finishes with Pelicans-Trail Blazers (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Sunday's action tips-off with Bucks-Celtics (1 p.m. ET, TNT), then goes to Pacers-Cavaliers (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), Jazz-Thunder (6:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and wraps with T'Wolves-Rockets (9:00 p.m. ET, TNT). Our experts made their predictions, and named a dark-horse team that may surprise fans. If your team didn't make the playoffs, make sure to check out our mock draft and start getting ready for next season.
No signature necessary: Checkout lanes should move more quickly
Major credit card companies Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover are eliminating the need for shoppers to sign receipts for credit and debit sales beginning April 14. That means most merchants in the U.S. or Canada can decide whether or not to gather signatures on sales using cards or mobile payments, but they aren't required to. Why? Security and fraud protection in the industry has advanced enough that signatures are merely slowing down the transaction process.
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