News Wrap: Rare East Coast earthquake rattles U.S.

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: A relatively rare East Coast earthquake rattled much of the Northeastern U.S. It frayed nerves, but caused no casualties or major damage.

As the ground began to tremble in the New York area this morning, some reacted with fear.

Finn Dusenbery, New York City Resident:

The building shook, and I thought that the ceiling above me was going to collapse, actually.

Amna Nawaz:

Others with confusion.

Sandy Gluck, New York City Resident:

We felt the floor shake, and I said, what is that? We're not over the subway.

Amna Nawaz:

The U.S. Geological Survey says the 4.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, at 10:23 a.m., and may have been felt by some 42 million people in the region.

Woman:

Everyone's outside.

Amna Nawaz:

New Yorkers temporarily evacuated buildings.

Man:

This crack wasn't here.

Amna Nawaz:

Others documented some minor effects. There were no immediate reports of serious damage.

Leaders and officials quickly came out and told people not to worry.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY):

Here in the state of New York, we are masters of disasters. We know how to handle this.

Amna Nawaz:

While air and rail travel were temporarily disrupted, most people went back to their daily routines.

The last major East Coast earthquake came in 2011. It was felt from Georgia to Canada and damaged the Washington Monument.

The U.S. economy is still churning out jobs and surprising the experts. The Labor Department reports a net gain of 303,000 workers in March, at least 100,000 more than expected. The unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.8 percent, thanks to the strong pace of hiring.

In Iran today, the commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard vowed retribution against Israel for an airstrike in Damascus, Syria. It killed seven guard members, including two top generals. The threat came as thousands rallied in Tehran and called for Israel's destruction. And the leader of Lebanon-based Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, warned that Iran's response is coming.

Ukraine's military claims it carried out a major aerial assault inside Russia overnight, one of the biggest of the war. Officials say drones targeted an air base in the Rostov region, destroying at least six Russian warplanes and damaging eight others. Hours later, a barrage of Russian missiles forced Ukrainians in Zaporizhzhia to scramble for cover. The strike killed at least three people.

There's word that Austria is likely to become mostly ice-free in the next 45 years, as climate change melts the country's glaciers. The Austrian Alpine Club reports that its measurements found all but one of Austria's 93 glaciers receded from 2022 to 2023.

Gerhard Lieb, Austrian Alpine Club (through interpreter):

You can't save the Austrian glaciers anymore because the systems are too sluggish. That means their disappearance in the next decades is unstoppable.

To prevent it, snow reserves in the higher elevations would have to start forming, so that the glaciers could stabilize or maybe even grow. But it takes decades, and the time is already up.

Amna Nawaz:

The group says that the glaciers shrank nearly 80 feet on average last year compared to the year before.

Back in this country, cleanup is under way in New England after an early spring storm brought heavy snow and fierce winds. At least two people were killed. Some parts of Northern New England got as much as two feet of snow. Hundreds of thousands of customers across the region also lost power.

Social media giant Meta has announced an expansive new policy on posts generated by artificial intelligence. Starting next month, all such videos, images and audio on Facebook, Instagram and threads will be labeled — quote — "made with A.I." Digitally altered media may also be flagged if it's deemed especially deceptive.

And on Wall Street, the strong jobs report fueled a rally. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 307 points to close at 38904. The Nasdaq rose 199 points, and the S&P 500 was up 57.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": what the attack on the Moscow concert hall says about the U.S.-Russia relationship; Senator Chris Coons on U.S. military aid to Israel and President Biden's call for a cease-fire in Gaza; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines; and how Muslim Americans are observing Ramadan this year.