January 1, NOTRE DAME TOWERS SAFE; MOST ART, RELICS RESCUED

(AP) – A massive fire consumed Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday, gutting the roof of the Paris landmark and stunning France and the world, though firefighters saved the main bell towers and outer walls from collapse before bringing the blaze under control.

Flames that began in the early evening burst rapidly through the roof of the eight-centuries-old cathedral and engulfed the spire, which toppled, quickly followed by the entire roof.

In addition to battling to prevent one of the main bell towers from collapsing, firefighters tried to rescue religious relics and priceless artwork. One firefighter was seriously injured – the only reported casualty.

“The worst has been avoided,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the scene shortly before midnight.

French Fashion Magnate Pledges 100M Euro to Rebuild Notre Dame

A French billionaire has reportedly pledged to donate over $100 million to help rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral was ravaged by fire Monday.

Francois-Henri Pinault, who owns the French luxury group Kering, made the pledge to the AFP news agency.

Kering owns French luxury fashion brands including Gucci and Saint Laurent. Pinault is also president of the French holding company Groupe Artémis, which owns the fine arts auction house Christie’s.

Mueller Report to Be Released Thursday

(AP) – The Justice Department expects to make a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia investigation public Thursday morning, a spokeswoman said Monday.

The redacted report would be sent to Congress and also made available to the public, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said.

As Washington counted down until the release, President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks in an eleventh-hour effort to undermine the report’s findings.

Michelle Obama: Trump Like a ‘Divorced Dad’

Former First Lady Michelle Obama compared President Donald Trump to a “divorced dad” in a new interview.

Obama sat down with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert in London as part of her book tour to promote her memoir “Becoming.”

“We come from a broken family, we are a little unsettled,” Obama told the crowd, according to The Independent. “Sometimes you spend the weekend with a divorced dad. That feels like fun but then you get sick. That is what America is going through. We are living with divorced dad.”

Prosecutors: Man Accused of Throwing Boy at MALL Sought to Kill an Adult

The man accused of seriously injuring a 5-year-old boy by throwing him from a balcony at Minnesota’s Mall of America last week told investigators he had initially intended to kill an adult, but it did not “work out,” prosecutors said on Monday.

Emmanuel Aranda, who police said has a history of mental issues and arrests on relatively minor charges, went to the mall last Thursday and left without following through on his plan, the Hennepin County Attorney’s office said in a statement.

NASA PICKS Elon Musk’s SpaceX for Asteroid Intercept

Elon Musk’s SpaceX was awarded the contract to launch a future NASA mission designed to intercept an asteroid and deflect it away from the Earth to avoid a potentially catastrophic impact.

NASA confirmed SpaceX will provide launch services for the June 2021 Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission via one of its Falcon 9 rockets.

The mission is expected to cost $69 million.

Full ‘Pink Moon’ will light up the sky this week

(Daily Mail) – Stargazers around the world will be treated to a stunning astronomical display of a full Pink Moon on Good Friday.

The April full moon will be the fourth full moon of 2019 after millions around the world watched this year’s previous events, such as Monday’s Super blood wolf moon. 

Despite its name, the Pink Moon won’t actually be that color but instead derives the name because it coincides with the blooming of a pink wildflower.