What to Know
- Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a spokesman says
- Thousands of students planned to stage walkouts to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Florida
- Two producers of Netflix's royal family drama "The Crown" admitted Matt Smith was paid more than Claire Foy, who played the lead character
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Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies at 76, Spokesman Says
Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a University of Cambridge spokesman told NBC News. He was 76 years old. Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, England. The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, "A Brief History of Time," became an international best seller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein. Even though his body was attacked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, when Hawking was 21, he stunned doctors by living with the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years. A severe attack of pneumonia in 1985 left him breathing through a tube, forcing him to communicate through an electronic voice synthesizer that gave him his distinctive robotic monotone. But he continued his scientific work, appeared on television and married for a second time. Hawking married Jane Wilde in 1965 and they had three children, Robert, Lucy and Timothy.
Students to Put Pencils Down, Walk Out in Gun Protests
From Maine to Hawaii, thousands of students planned to stage walkouts to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida. Organizers say nearly 3,000 walkouts are set in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Students from the elementary to college level are taking up the call in a variety of ways. Some planned roadside rallies to honor shooting victims and protest violence. Others were to hold demonstrations in school gyms or on football fields. In Massachusetts and Ohio, students said they'll head to the statehouse to lobby for new gun regulations. The coordinated walkout was organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought thousands to Washington, D.C., last year. The group urged students to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes — one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting. It's one of several protests planned for coming weeks.
Democrat Is Apparent Winner in Pa. Special Election
Local
Democrat Conor Lamb is the apparent winner in the closely watched special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, NBC News projected. A surprisingly strong bid by the first-time candidate has severely tested Donald Trump's sway in a GOP stronghold. There are only 200 outstanding votes, all absentee ballots in Greene County and the provisional ballots that the district will count within the next 7 days. Even with those added to the count, it does not appear that Republican Rick Saccone will be able to catch up. Lamb, who declared victory early Wednesday morning, was leading by 641 votes. Saccone has not conceded and his campaign is in touch with legal counsel. Lamb, a Marine veteran, told his crowd that voters had directed him to "do your job" in Washington. "Mission accepted," he declared. Earlier, Saccone told his own supporters, "It's not over yet, we're going to fight all the way, all the way to the end, we'll never give up."
Claire Foy Was Paid Less Than Matt Smith, Producers Admit
Two producers of Netflix's royal family drama "The Crown" admitted Matt Smith, the actor who plays Prince Philip, was paid more than Claire Foy, the actress who plays the lead character: Queen Elizabeth II. Suzanne Mackie, the creative director of the production company behind "The Crown," said Smith received a larger paycheck due to his fame as former lead of the long-running sci-fi series "Doctor Who." But "going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen," Mackie said at a panel discussion at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem, according to Variety. The revelation comes as Hollywood faces fierce criticism over pay inequities and struggles to find its footing in treating women fairly.
