By Avni Trivedi, CNN

(CNN) — After a more than three-month meteor shower drought, you can finally look to the skies again for a cosmic display.

The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak, or reach its maximum activity, on Wednesday around 4 p.m. ET, during daylight hours for much of North America, according to the American Meteor Society.

The early-setting, waxing crescent moon will provide a perfectly dark sky in the evening. Onlookers in the Northern Hemisphere will get the best chance to view the celestial show from Tuesday night until dawn Wednesday morning, according to EarthSky.

“Toward dawn the source of the meteors near the constellation Lyra will be overhead for the Northern Hemisphere, whereas below the equator it is very low in the northern sky so a lot of their meteors will be blocked by the horizon,” said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator with the American Meteor Society.

Lyrid meteors radiate from the star Vega in the constellation Lyra, from which this shower gets its name. It’s easy to spot Vega, even with city lights, as it’s one of the brightest stars in the sky.

Considered a medium strength shower, the Lyrids lack the brightness and abundance that other showers provide. It isn’t known for producing fireballs, and Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, said the meteors are going to be moderately fast and faint.

With favorable conditions, Cooke and Lunsford say sky-gazers might see 10 to 20 flashing meteors per hour.

“Your best bet is to hope for drier, transparent air which will allow you to see fainter meteors, which make up this particular shower,” Lunsford said.

The Lyrids can sometimes produce surges of up to 100 meteors per hour, but Lunsford says with about a 60-year period between these particularly active outbursts the next one isn’t expected until 2040.

“It’s possible you’ll go outside and the Lyrids will behave as normal, but it’s also possible you go outside and you’ll see a lot more meteors than expected,” Cooke said.

To set up the optimal viewing experience, Cooke recommends you find the darkest area you can, away from light pollution like city or street lights. He says to lie down on your back, stare straight up and take in as much of the sky as you can. After about 45 minutes, your eyes should adjust, and you’ll start to see meteors.

“Don’t expect to step out of a brightly lit house and expect see anything right away because it does take time for your eyes to dilate and to see the faint meteors,” Lunsford noted.

Most importantly, Cooke says to not look at your phone because the bright screen “destroys your night vision.”

What are the Lyrids?

The oldest meteor shower, the Lyrids originated from the comet C/1861 G1, known as Thatcher. The peak of a shower occurs when Earth passes closest to the comet that produces the meteors.

The first recorded sighting of the Lyrid meteor shower dates back to 687 BC, in China, and has been observed for 2,700 years, according to NASA.

The Lyrids will hang around until April 30, crossing paths with the next meteor shower, Eta Aquariids, which is set to peak on May 5 and 6.

Upcoming meteor showers

Don’t worry if you miss the Lyrids, there are plenty more opportunities to catch a cosmic show this year.

Here are the peak dates for the meteor showers in 2026, according to the American Meteor Society.

Eta Aquariids: May 5-6

Southern Delta Aquariids: July

Por Paula Reid y Casey Gannon, CNN

El secretario interino de Justicia de EE.UU. Todd Blanche viajó a Florida el lunes, donde se reunió con el nuevo fiscal designado para encargarse de uno de los casos más importantes para el presidente Donald Trump: la investigación sobre el exdirector de la CIA y crítico de Trump, John Brennan.

La reunión se produce en un momento en que Blanche lucha por demostrar que es el hombre idóneo para cumplir con la mayor prioridad de Trump: enjuiciar a los adversarios políticos del presidente.

A menos de dos semanas de haber asumido el cargo, Blanche ha tomado medidas públicas para cumplir con la agenda de Trump.

Ha realizado cambios en el equipo que investiga a Brennan, publicó un informe muy esperado sobre las protestas antiaborto y supervisó un esfuerzo para anular las condenas de miembros de los Proud Boys y los Oath Keepers involucrados en el ataque del 6 de enero de 2021 contra el Capitolio de Estados Unidos.

Hasta el momento, Trump ha elogiado el trabajo de Blanche como secretario de Justicia interino y, según funcionarios actuales y anteriores de la administración que hablaron con CNN, el puesto parece estar en sus manos.

Sin embargo, de acuerdo con las fuentes, Blanche aún debe lidiar con muchos de los obstáculos que aquejaron el mandato de la exsecretaria Pam Bondi antes de su reciente destitución.

Al igual que Bondi, debe hacer frente a la baja moral entre los fiscales y a la persistente controversia en torno a la publicación de los archivos de Jeffrey Epstein.

Los sonados procesos judiciales contra los adversarios políticos de Trump deben sobrevivir a los jueces y jurados investigadores que hasta ahora han rechazado muchos de los intentos.

Y no está garantizada la colaboración de los fiscales de carrera encargados de las investigaciones.

“Hay muchos fiscales que se oponen a la agenda del presidente y no están interesados ​​en llevar los casos que son importantes para la Casa Blanca”, declaró recientemente a CNN Harmeet Dhillon, jefa de la División de Derechos Civiles.

Blanche tendrá que afrontar estos desafíos mientras otros altos funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia intentan demostrar su capacidad para llevar a cabo la agenda de Trump si él no puede.

Mientras se encontraba en Florida para participar en un evento legal el lunes, Blanche se reunió con Jason Reding Quiñones, fiscal federal del distrito sur de Florida; el funcionario de justicia Christopher-James DeLorenz; y el recién nombrado asesor del secretario de Justicia, Joseph diGenova, según un funcionario del Departamento de Justicia.

Aún no se ha informado sobre la reunión.

DiGenova trabajará ahora en la investigación sobre Brennan, que se centra en una de las quejas políticas más antiguas del presidente: la evaluación de inteligencia de 2017 que concluyó que Rusia interfirió en las elecciones presidenciales de 2016 para ayudarlo.

Para Trump, los procesos judiciales como el de Brennan —y la insistencia en las acusaciones desacreditadas de un supuesto fraude electoral en 2020— son su máxima prioridad.

Anteriormente, se quejó directamente ante funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia de que no estaba satisfecho con la lentitud del proceso.

Algunos procesos judiciales que avanzaron rápidamente se desmoronaron. En noviembre, un juez federal desestimó los cargos contra la fiscal general de Nueva York, Letitia James, y el exdirector del FBI, James Comey.

El Departamento de Justicia intentó en repetidas ocasiones volver a acusar a James, pero no logró convencer a un jurado investigador para que presentara cargos.

En febrero, otro jurado investigador d

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — As the world marks ten years since Prince’s untimely death in the spring of 2016, Minneapolis, the city that birthed him, wants to mark the significance of the moment.

“I think fans are going to be very surprised this year, because usually Prince’s work and catalogs have been focused on distinct projects and periods,” L. Londell McMillan, Prince’s longtime attorney and business partner, recently told CNN.

“For the 10th year, what they’re going to get is a true celebration of his life.”

While celebrations for Prince in the area are an annual occurrence, this year’s event — dubbed the “10th Anniversary Celebration of Life” — is meant to be huge.

Paisley Park — once Prince’s Chanhassen, Minnesota home and studio, now a sprawling museum dedicated to him — will host the celebration of the artist’s life and work, with a series of events designed to do justice to his unparalleled legacy.

The multi-day itinerary will launch on June 3 and culminate on June 7, on what would have been his 68th birthday.

The day before, McMillan in Minneapolis along with the city’s Mayor Jacob Frey recently announced a community sing-along as part of the planned celebration.

The two-hour interactive event will be a free, all-ages outdoor event near the downtown Prince mural in the city the singer loved.

“In Minneapolis, we don’t just remember Prince—we feel him in the streets, in the music, in who we are,” Frey said in a statement.

McMillan told CNN prior to the announcement that attendees of the multi-day celebration will witness “a cross section of his artistic and brilliance and his human spirit across his lifespan.”

“Hopefully we can move from a place of just being sad that he’s not here to wishing he was here, but feeling grateful that he was here during our time, and we got a chance to witness his talents and his magic,” he said.

The singing legend was found dead at his Paisely Park home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016 after an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was 57.

Prince was an intensely private artist who could play dozens of instruments and revolutionized stage performance. A 7-time Grammy winner during his lifetime, he was also responsible for writing dozens of hit songs for others, including Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” The Bangles’ “Manic Monday,” and “I Feel for You” as sung by Chaka Khan.

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By Alexandra Banner, CNN

Fresh concerns about aviation safety are surfacing this week after another close call in the skies. Two Southwest Airlines jets recently had to take evasive action at Nashville International Airport after collision alarms sounded in the cockpit.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Ceasefire deadline

President Donald Trump pushed the expiration of the truce with Iran to Wednesday evening ET, saying it’s “highly unlikely” he will extend it further if no deal is reached. This gives negotiators an extra 24 hours of talks before Trump must decide whether to follow through on his threat to blow up Iranian bridges and power plants — a possible war crime. Read more.

2⃣ Summer travel

On top of higher airfares and added fees driven by the war with Iran, airlines in Europe and Asia are now facing a potential jet fuel shortage. This raises the odds of flight cancellations and schedule cuts, spelling trouble for the summer travel season. Read more.

3⃣ Redistricting

Voters in Virginia will head to the polls today to decide whether to accept or reject a Democratic plan that could dramatically redraw the state’s congressional maps and help shape the midterm elections. Nearly 1.4 million Virginians have already cast early ballots, a sign of unusually high interest for an April special election. Read more.

4⃣ Apple

John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become the company’s CEO on September 1. This comes after Tim Cook announced Monday that he will step down following more than a decade spent transforming the company into a $4 trillion behemoth. Read more.

5⃣ Mexico’s pyramids

An eyewitness captured the moment a gunman opened fire on a crowd of tourists visiting Mexico’s historic Teotihuacán pyramids on Monday. Authorities say the suspect shot and killed a Canadian woman and injured at least 13 others. Read more.

Breakfast browse

Boston Marathon winners

John Korir, the defending champion, shattered the competition Monday with the fifth-fastest marathon ever. Sharon Lokedi also repeated as champion, winning the women’s race for a second straight year.

Video: Katy Perry dips credit card in Trevi fountain

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A rare chimpanzee ‘civil war’ is happening

A once large and peaceful group of chimpanzees in Uganda has now split into two, causing a rare “civil war” among the primates.

The Onion reaches new deal to take over Alex Jones’ Infowarse

The satirical news site said it has reached an agreement to take over conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars company.

‘Big tech

By Griffin Shea, CNN

Kampala (CNN) — Walking through the compound that houses the Kasubi Tombs, the main path leads to what should be an entrance. But it ends at one of the layers of thatch covering the 25-foot structure known as Muzibu Azala Mpanga. It looks like a giant basket turned upside down. If it weren’t for the rows of shoes laid neatly outside, you’d never know there was a way in.

Brush aside the long-dried spear grass, and you’re in another world. Uganda’s equatorial heat is left outside; inside, a double-layered ceiling of woven reeds and grass regulates the temperature, keeping the air cool and still. Women sit on grass mats on either side of the entrance — “widows” of the dead kings, descendants of the royal family who serve one-month shifts to welcome pilgrims and tend to the spirits of the kings behind the curtain.

Pilgrims kneel in front of four photographs, one for each king buried here. Behind them hangs a floor-to-ceiling curtain of rust-brown bark cloth, the distinctive Ugandan textile made from pounding the bark of a local fig tree.

The curtain looks like a wall. But for people from the Buganda kingdom, it marks a portal to a sacred, invisible forest. They believe kings never die; they enter the forest and continue to communicate with the living through spirit mediums.

The Kasubi Tombs, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Uganda’s capital Kampala, are the spiritual heart of the Buganda kingdom.

But for 16 years, that portal was closed.

A fire tore through the site in 2010, destroying the main structure. First built in 1882 and spanning more than 100 feet, the building stood little chance: it was constructed almost entirely from plant materials. Wooden columns supported a vast thatched roof, each wrapped in bark cloth. Some surrounding buildings survived, but the central tomb was reduced to ash.

Painstaking process

The cause of the fire has never been made public, but the blaze sparked an outpouring of grief and outrage that escalated into deadly riots.

Now, the tombs are finally back open to the public, through a painstaking process that involved more than construction work. When architect Jonathan Nsubuga took on the project, he discovered that many of the traditional building skills used to create the original structure were at risk of dying out. New craftspeople had to be trained, and the spiritual elements that define the space carefully restored.

“In my research, and based on the cultural norms, we formulated a new saying of heritage recovery, not reconstruction. It’s recovery,” he says. “Because that’s what I’ve been doing for 15 years — recovering the heritage that was destroyed.”

Few cities in Africa preserve this kind of traditional architecture and sacred ground at the heart of a modern capital. When British missionaries — and later colonizers — arrived in the late 19th century, the hills of what is now Kampala were already the center of the Buganda kingdom.

Sacred space

Under Buganda tradition, when a king died, his palace became his burial site. The physical resting place is concealed behind the bark cloth curtain, accessible only to close family members. Each new monarch would build a new palace nearby, shifting the seat of power over time. As the British settlement expanded, it grew around this existing royal landscape.

At Kasubi, the original structure was built in 1882 by Kabaka Mutesa I. He died two years later, and the kingdom entered decades of upheaval through colonization and the struggle for independence. In total, four kings are buried here.

When the building burned, the loss was not only architectural. For many in Buganda, the tombs represent both a sacred space and a symbol of unity and resistance.

Inside, the vast roof is supported by massive wooden poles and 52 concentric rings woven from grass.