Good morning! Today is International Waffle Day. Which is an excellent time both to eat some waffles and to bring up the Waffle House Index. FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency — knows how severe a hurricane’s damage was based on whether the 24/7 Southern diner chain is still open and if they’re serving a full or limited menu.

WORLD

👑 My kingdom for a moose

The woman who will someday become queen of Papua New Guinea has cancer. Catherine, Princess of Wales, put the rumors of bad haircuts, affairs, death, and more to rest by releasing a video explaining that she’s in the early stages of chemotherapy.

• Criticisms for Kate’s months-long disappearance immediately turned into outpourings of support.

• But the family drama still reigns supreme. Prince Harry found out about his sister-in-law’s cancer diagnosis the way all estranged relatives do: on TV.

King of Jamaica: That Papua New Guinea line wasn’t a joke. The British monarch holds the throne in far more than just the United Kingdom. He’s in charge of fifteen countries. That’s right. King Charles III of Canada and Belize.

• Here’s the full list: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, the United Kingdom, and Tuvalu.

All that power: The reigning monarch is viewed as a figurehead today. But, depending on whom you ask, Charles technically has just as much power today as British kings did hundreds of years ago. He just doesn’t wield it.

• He’s the head of state of the aforementioned countries, as President Biden is America’s.

• He appoints prime ministers and meets with them weekly.

• Laws are passed in his name. Oaths are taken in his name.

• He’s literally above the law. He cannot be prosecuted or sued. After all, laws are passed in his name.

• He doesn’t need a driver’s license. Why would he need a license? He issues them. No need to give himself permission to drive.

The monarch is also the head of the Church of England (part of his title is literally "Defender of the Faith"). This is why Catholic members of the royal family aren’t in the line of succession (the list of possible kings/queens if tragedy strikes). Can’t rule a club you’re not a member of.

Future: Kate's diagnosis comes weeks after King Charles III made public his own battle with cancer. The British (or Australian, if you prefer) royals are mum on specifics, but say King and Kate are doing well. So don’t expect a King William V anytime soon.

POLITICS

🔴 Donald Trump may soon be $3 billion richer. He has until today to pony up a $454 million civil lawsuit payment before the State of New York starts seizing his property (like Trump Tower). Most of Trump’s wealth is in real estate rather than cash. So he couldn’t pay. But on Friday, his media company (that runs Truth Social, his Twitter knockoff) was approved to sell public shares on the stock exchange. His 69% stake in the company could be worth billions. Right at the buzzer, Trump may have found a much-needed financial lifeline.

🔵 Oops! Rep. Dave Trone used a (rare-ish) racial slur in a Congressional hearing. “So this Republican jigaboo that it’s the tax rate that’s stopping investment,” is the line he used. Trone claims, perhaps genuinely, that he meant to say “bugaboo,” which does fit the context. But still. This is not only offensive to many, it's a major unforced political error. He’s running for Senate in Maryland this year. And his Democratic primary opponent is Black.

🔴 House Speaker drama is back on the menu. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) filed a motion to vacate -- that is, fire House Speaker Mike Johnson (R). Johnson got the top job last fall after a previous motion successfully ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R). Greene called her motion a "warning" due to Johnson's budget bill and implied she didn't plan to push for a vote on it. But the wheels are turning.

🔵 Caddo Parish, Louisiana (they call their counties parishes) held a second election for sheriff on Saturday. The first one didn’t take. Henry Whitehorn (D) won it by a single vote out of 43,000 cast. A review showed 11 overall votes were cast illegally — more than the 1-vote margin. This time around, Whitehorn (D) received a much clearer 53%.

🔴 It’s happening again. Another Republican is resigning his House seat. Rep. Mike Gallagher, chair of the House’s China Committee and chief anti-TikToker, is quitting on April 19. Due to the date of his coming resignation, there won’t be a special election to replace him. His seat will remain vacant for the rest of the year. His office staff will stay on to work cases his constituents have open with the federal government. They’ll be managed by the Clerk of the House.

🔵 The Biden/Harris campaign rolled out a new nickname for Donald Trump — “Broke Don.” Our rating: aggressively mid. Particularly now that his liquidity issue is likely taken care of. Plus, trying to out-Trump Trump on the nickname game he created is a fool’s errand.

🔵 New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy (D) dropped her Senate campaign. This leaves her former opponent, Rep. Andy Kim (D), the likely next U.S. senator from strongly Democratic New Jersey.

TRIVIA

Every U.S. state legislature is bicameral, meaning they have two chambers (like a House and a Senate). Well, every state but one. One state uses a unicameral system. There’s no House. Or Senate. Just “the Legislature.” Which state has a unicameral legislature?

Hint: This state typically supports Republicans. And it’s ranked #38 in population.

WORLD

🇺🇸 United States: Congress passed the final 2024 budget bill at 2 a.m. Saturday. President Biden signed it later that day. The $1.2 trillion package was the last piece of the budget puzzle to fully fund the government through the end of the fiscal year (which began 6 months ago — they’re laaate). Most of this was national security-related funding for Defense and Homeland Security.

🇷🇺 Russia: The death toll in Saturday's terrorist attack near Moscow, Russia has passed 130. Four men from neighboring Tajikistan were arrested. And, based on their appearance in court, severely beaten (one was barely conscious). The Islamic State's Afghanistan branch claimed responsibility. The United States backs that claim and called Russia's assertion of Ukrainian involvement baseless. Earlier this month, the U.S. warned Russian authorities of an expected attack.

🇮🇱 Israel: Israel will settle three square miles of land in the West Bank (in "Judea and Samaria"). This is the core of the territory claimed by Palestine. But Israel views it as Israeli land. Despite being illegal in the eyes of the international community, settlements like this are common. Nearly 500,000 Israelis already live in similar settlements.

BRIEFS

• The U.S. threatens consequences as Israel vows to invade Rafah in southern Gaza "even if the entire world" opposes the move

• The U.S. will restructure its military presence in Japan and Hawaii to make coordination with Japanese forces easier

• The British believe Chinese-made electric vehicles pose a security threat and could be controlled or bricked remotely by Beijing

• Simon Harris, 37, will become Ireland's youngest-ever prime minister when he takes office early next month

• Germany arrested two men from Afghanistan who are suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Sweden's parliament

• The United Steelworkers union wants the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate China’s recent dominance of global shipbuilding

• California Senate candidate Steve Garvey (R) owes $350,000+ in back taxes, which is more common with politicians than you’d think

• Expelled former New York Rep. George Santos (R) says he's leaving the Republican Party to run again as an independent

QUOTE

SNACKS

🍿 Movies: Better (25 years) late than never. “Happy Gilmore 2” is in the works, according to the guy who played Shooter McGavin in the original film. He says Adam Sandler showed him a draft of the script two weeks ago.

🍿 More movies: In 1968, Shirley Chisolm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. In 1972, she became the first major party Black candidate for president of the United States. She didn't win the Democratic nomination. But, 52 years later, she did get a Netflix movie made about her! So that’s something. It's got good reviews, too. Check it out if you're interested.

🐞 Bugs: As if Australian bugs weren’t quite horrifying enough. An Australian entomologist discovered a new "fluffy" species of beetle with long white hair. Scientists estimate only 20% of insect species worldwide have been recorded.

ANSWER

The one state with a weird unicameral legislature is Nebraska. The Nebraska Legislature is also the only non-partisan one. There are officially no parties, but everyone pretty much knows who’s an R or a D.