Best of the eclipse coverage

Plus, some interesting political developments.

View in Browser 04.08.24     Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up  here. Questions? Comments? what.matters@cnn.com   by Zachary B. Wolf : The eclipse Did you hear about the eclipse? You had to be living on another planet to not know there was an eclipse coming Monday. The shared event did not disappoint for those in the path of totality, where the moon completely obstructed the sun and a weird darkness descended for a short time.   CNN's reporters beamed in from watch parties that ranged from the beach in Mexico to a ski slope in Stowe, Vermont. There was a tornado watch issued in Texas in the path of totality. There was an alert about potentially counterfeit eclipse glasses in Kentucky. A bunch of people got married in the afternoon dark in Arkansas. A visible comet was a sideshow.   See some of the better pictures.   A highlight of the TV coverage was space correspondent Kristin Fisher watching with many thousands of people at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher's father, a former astronaut, howled at the moon. Watch:        CNN's Ed Lavandera, reporting from the Dallas Zoo, witnessed weird behavior from zebras and giraffes.    Poor Harry Enten joined people watching at Niagara Falls, but overcast weather obstructed their view of the sun and moon.   There won't be another eclipse over the US until 2044. Sponsor Content by FinanceBuzz Ten things to do if you're barely scraping by financially Food. Bills. Rent. Gas. They dry up every bit of your take-home pay. But, with a few smart moves, you could supplement your income — without doing much extra "work"! : Meanwhile, back on Earth Trump's new abortion plan. While former President Donald Trump wants credit for appointing a third of the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, he very much does not want a new national abortion policy. Conservatives have pushed for the GOP to rally around a national ban of some sort. Instead, Trump announced Monday that abortion policy should be determined by individual states. He's had a variety of positions on abortion during his political career. This latest one will not make anti-abortion rights activists very happy. More.   Karl Rove has advice for Democrats. The architect of George W. Bush's two presidential campaigns argues that Trump made a mistake by loudly promising to pardon people convicted for storming the Capitol in 2021. They're "thugs," not patriots, Rove told an audience. He said Democrats should seize on this point in particular. Watch.   Will Johnson lose his job? Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson may need help from Democrats to beat back a right-wing revolt. He plans to allow a vote on additional aid to Ukraine, which has the support to pass but is vehemently opposed by the GOP fringe. If Johnson is to keep the top job, he may need Democrats to break ranks and vote for him. Developing.   Ukraine "will lose the war" without aid. President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning that Ukraine is desperately low on ammunition and supplies, and without help from the US, will not last in the fight against Russia. "If Ukraine loses this war, other countries will be attacked. This is a fact," he said. More. : What did you think of today's newsletter? Send your feedback to what.matters@cnn.com.   You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for What Matters. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or sign up to manage your CNN account   Learn more about the CNN app |  Get CNN web alerts  |  Sign up for a free CNN account   ® © 2024 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. 1050 Techwood Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30318