Summary: <p></p> <p>Five months into the Israel-Hamas war, the United Nations is warning of “imminent famine” in northern Gaza. Guest host Samantha Fields discusses the challenge of getting food aid delivered to the region. Plus, the nation’s largest employer is considering pay transparency laws. Then, we’ll smile about cherry blossoms and the upcoming solar eclipse.</p> <p>Here’s everything we talked about today:</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“UN says famine is ‘imminent’ in northern Gaza as Israel launches another raid on main hospital”</a> from The Associated Press</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-15-2024-d4e2f9ed525914233e4cf16c217f5248" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“The first ship to use a new sea route delivers aid to Gaza, Israeli military says”</a> from The Associated Press</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Gaza_Strip_Acute_Food_Insecurity_Feb_July2024_Special_Brief.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data on Gaza Strip Acute Food Insecurity</a> from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/us/politics/democrats-biden-israel-letter.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Senators Urge Biden to Stop Arming Israel, Citing Violation of U.S. Aid Law”</a> from The New York Times</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAR-2023-0021-0001" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Acquisition Regulation: Pay Equity and Transparency in Federal Contracting</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.gao.gov/blog/snapshot-government-wide-contracting-fy-2021-interactive-dashboard" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Snapshot of Government-wide Contracting for FY 2021</a> from the U.S. Government Accountability Office</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://fiscalnote-marketing.s3.amazonaws.com/FS-Report-Constituent-Mail.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“What Constituent Correspondence Reveals About Voter Sentiment”</a> from FiscalNote</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li><a href="https://nationaleclipse.com/maps.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2024 National Eclipse Maps</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/eclipse-texas-economy-state-spend-stimulate-19023155.php?fbclid=IwAR0LLC8maS_N4rh6kgTmRhacw6t1j-w0ZL8qOl2wMX3H4NI5OR26dGw_DYw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Commentary: Eclipsenomics: April’s solar eclipse will be the most profitable 22 minutes in Texas history”</a> from San Antonio Express-News</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomcam.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">#BloomCam</a> from the Trust for the National Mall</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf7o_Icfi2k" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Live: Iconic cherry trees begin to blossom in Washington D.C.</a> from The Associated Press</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>We love to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.</p> <p></p>
