Daily Briefing: 'Oppenheimer's' big night

The 96th Academy Awards is a wrap. U.S. personnel have been airlifted out of Haiti. Palestinians are marking Ramadan amid hunger and war. Where's Princess Kate? Conspiracies abound after photo agencies pulled an image of the royal on the U.K.'s Mother's Day.

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Now, here's Monday's news.

A big night for 'Oppenheimer' at the Oscars

The 96th Academy Awards were full of songs, emotional speeches and surprises. Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb biopic "Oppenheimer" garnered the most awards, including best picture and best actor win for Cillian Murphy.

Dark comedy "Poor Things" had 11 nods and four wins, including Emma Stone's best actress award. Martin Scorsese's crime epic "Killers of the Flower Moon" had 10 nominations, but no wins.

Here are more of the best (and worst) moments from Sunday's Oscars:

• Who would have predicted a Ken doll would get a standing ovation? "Barbie" star (and supporting actor nominee) Ryan Gosling whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a rollicking rendition of "I'm Just Ken."

• Host Jimmy Kimmel managed to keep the show moving without incident, although early in the evening, he seemed to irk best supporting actor winner Robert Downey Jr. when he made a joke at the expense of the actor's drug-addled past.

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph wept as she headed to the stage to accept her best supporting actress award. Although she'd already collected a bushelful of awards for her performance in "The Holdovers," the singer-turned-actress was undone by her Oscar moment.

American personnel airlifted out of Haiti

U.S. military personnel airlifted some Americans out of the country's embassy in Haiti as the island nation spirals into violence. U.S. Southern Command said in a statement to USA TODAY Sunday that no Haitians were evacuated on the aircraft used to remove Port-au-Prince embassy personnel. It was not immediately clear how many non-essential employees were evacuated overnight or how many were brought into the embassy. Haiti has recently seen mass prison escapes and gunfire at its main airport, central bank and a national soccer stadium. Gangs in the country have led a series of coordinated attacks in an effort to overthrow authorities. Read more

More news to know now

• "A stunning turnabout": Voters and lawmakers across U.S. move to reverse criminal justice reform.

• Free COVID tests: Why you can no longer order through government program via USPS delivery.

• Dems want answers: Why did the GOP use Russia's Alexander Smirnov in the Biden impeachment probe?

• Did the pope encourage Ukraine to surrender? Francis rankles many with "white flag'" comment.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, as Donald Trump support merges with Christian nationalism, experts warn of extremist threats. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Palestinians in Gaza begin Ramadan amid hunger, no end in sight to war

Palestinians began fasting for Ramadan on Monday as the Muslim holy month arrived with cease-fire talks at a standstill, hunger worsening across the Gaza Strip and no end in sight to the five-month-old war between Israel and Hamas. Prayers were held outside amid the rubble of demolished buildings late Sunday. Some people hung fairy lights and decorations in packed tent camps. But there was little to celebrate after five months of war that has killed over 30,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins. Families would ordinarily break the daily fast with holiday feasts, but even where food is available, there is little beyond canned goods and the prices are too high for many. Read more

Behind the high-stakes battle to ban menthol cigarettes

On his Brooklyn stoop, Marcel Bichotte, an accomplished musician, could hold notes on his saxophone for what felt like hours. In the 1960s, he moved from Haiti to the U.S., where he started smoking menthol cigarettes. His daughter, New York Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, said he smoked a pack a day. The long notes ended after her father became addicted to menthols, developed debilitating respiratory problems and died at age 73 from lung and throat cancer. Bichotte Hermelyn sees her father's death as a targeted strike on a Black man in a community targeted for years by the makers of menthol cigarettes. Read more

Keep scrolling

• In the '80s her grandmother brought Black women together to travel. Now she carries on the legacy.

• Sly Stallone, Megan Fox and "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" score 2024 Razzie Awards.

• Reporter's notebook: At the Olympics for dogs, there's nothing but "applaws."

• Daylight saving time: How "springing forward" can affect your mood and body.

• British soccer's oldest striker is still banging in goals at age 90.

Princess Kate says sorry for manipulated family photo

Kate, the Princess of Wales, has apologized for “confusion” caused by her editing of a family photo released by the palace. In a post on social media, Kate said that “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing ... I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.” The Associated Press and other news agencies withdrew the photo of Kate and children George, Charlotte and Louis, which was issued by Kensington Palace on Sunday to mark Mother’s Day in Britain. It appeared to have been manipulated, in violation of AP photo guidelines. Read more

Photo of the day: Stars dazzle on the Oscars red carpet

We came for the fashion, the jokes and a performance from Ken − and to see all the winners. Hollywood’s biggest stars brought their best fashion game to the red carpet at Sunday's 96th Oscars in Los Angeles. Read USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler's review of the show here and click here to see the stars in all their finery.

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Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars, Gaza, menthol cigarettes, Princess Kate: Daily Briefing