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| There's a chance you watched college basketball today, everyone is Googling 'Florida man' and I'm stocking up on lottery tickets. It's Ashley with the most interesting news of the day. |
| But first: The Powerball jackpot is at an estimated $625 million right now. If you win, you'll have two options: Take a lump-sum payment or annual payments. But which one is better financially? |
Trapped and trafficked: One town's dark secret |
| There's a dark secret in Portsmouth, Ohio, a small town that's been hard hit by unemployment and opioid addiction. In the troubled town, a criminal defense attorney operates a legal practice that serves those ensnared by drugs. But current and former prostitutes say the former city councilman is more pimp than lawyer: They say he kept them addicted so he could traffic them around the country. A sealed DEA affidavit – obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer – backs up the accusations, casting the public servant as a central figure in a drug and sex trafficking ring operating throughout the Midwest. |
 | | Downtown Portsmouth, Ohio looking west. The rural city was founded in 1803. Michael Mearan, prominent Portsmouth attorney, is part of an 80-page affidavit created by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2015 to obtain permission to wiretap several phones, including Mearan's. | | Liz Dufour/The Enquirer | |
The Mueller investigation. Heard of it? |
| After a year and 10 months of suspense, special counsel Robert Mueller is apparently nearing the end of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It's been a long time coming. Even President Donald Trump, like all of us, seems eager to see "the Mueller report." So far, thirty-four people have been indicted since Mueller opened his review in May 2017, including some of Trump's closest advisers as well as Russian intelligence operatives. But what his final report will look like remains a mystery. So what's in Robert Mueller's report and what will happen once it's released? Here's your guide. |
'The easy availability of these weapons must end. And today, they will' |
| New Zealand is banning all assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and military-style semiautomatic rifles in response to the nation's deadliest massacre in history, the country's prime minister announced Thursday. In the wake of a gunman's rampage at two mosques that left 50 dead, Jacinda Ardern said the ban goes into effect immediately, and New Zealand's citizens should make arrangements to turn in weapons. Thousands are expected to join the nation's mosques during Friday prayers this week in solidarity, while street gangs and motorcycle clubs – and even Hells Angels – have said they will stand sentry at many of the mosques. |
 | | Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugs a mosque-goer at the Kilbirnie Mosque on March 17, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand. | | Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images | |
Real quick |
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May the (March Madness) odds be ever in your favor |
| Is your bracket busted? Don't say we didn't warn you. But fear not: March Madness is just getting started. You can follow all of Thursday's NCAA tournament action here, even if you're not familiar with the sport's vernacular and special TV catchphrases. And while you're at it, make sure to stay productive while watching the games at work . |
 | | Auburn Tigers guard Bryce Brown (2) reacts as the ball goes loose with New Mexico State Aggies forward Ivan Aurrecoechea (15) and guard Trevelin Queen (20). | | Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports | |
You should probably change your Facebook password |
| Facebook, yet again, has me looking at my computer screen like this: 😬. The company has had another security lapse — this time, with passwords. Hundreds of millions of Facebook users have apparently had their account passwords stored in plain text that could be searched by more than 20,000 Facebook employees . Though the passwords were never visible to anyone outside of Facebook, the company said, the issues potentially affected both Facebook and Instagram users. |
A K-9 ranger resigned with a paw print |
| An Oklahoma sheriff and nearly all of her staff resigned this week to protest what she says are dangerous jail conditions . Sheriff Terry Sue Barnett announced her resignation Monday, saying Nowata County Judge Carl Gibson "tried to bribe" her to support the unsafe jail. Judge Gibson said he has an "obligation to live within a budget." Twelve members of the sheriff's staff, including all deputies, the head dispatcher and most of the jail staff, also resigned. The office's K-9 ranger even quit, signing paperwork with a paw print. Earlier this month, an auditor deemed the jail unsafe, citing exposed wires, mold, unusable toilets and sinks and no cameras. According to Barnett, a carbon monoxide leak last month also sent four to the emergency room. |
| Charles Ventura chipped in on this is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want The Short List straight to your inbox? Sign up, and tell your friends. |
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