"Raiding lawyers' offices isn't unheard of—but is generally used for lawyers who work with alleged members of organized crime, or for lawyers who are involved themselves in elaborate criminal schemes." The Daily Beast on the highly unusual and largely unexpected FBI raid on Michael Cohen that has everyone in Washington talking (and at least one, Tweeting).

+ Rod Rosenstein personally signed off on the raid. Here's the NYT on what the agents were looking for.

+ The president argued once again that this is all part of a "witch hunt." The fact that the feds greenlit a raid on a personal lawyer suggests exactly the opposite: "Whatever evidence federal prosecutors have collected concerning Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime attorney, it is most likely extraordinarily strong." The Atlantic: Michael Cohen Has a Big Problem.

+ The president also tweeted that "Attorney-client privilege is dead!" The truth is that it may not apply here. "If a client is using a lawyer's services for the purpose of engaging in crime or fraud, there is no privilege."

+ Surround by military leaders and with his armed crossed, the president explained that the raid on Cohen is "an attack on our country, in a true sense. It's an attack on what we all stand for." David Graham on Trump's assault on the rule of law.

+ WaPo: Trump's tirade after the Michael Cohen raid, annotated.

Today, Mark Zuckerberg will get his much anticipated privacy-related tongue lashing from Congress. But while online privacy is a big deal, it's the not the real technology problem. When you go out to dinner with a group of friends and the subject of the internet comes up, the focus isn't on social media's invasion of privacy. No one is getting a little buzzed and saying, "My profile is being unethically shared to target me with ads that purport to know what I want. Now give me another drink." The truth is, Facebook could go away tomorrow and it wouldn't change a thing. From the recesses of my wheelhouse, I report on The Real Technology Problem.

+ We know there will be a lot of responsibility-taking and apology-faking. The big question is whether or not Mr. Zuckerberg's trip to Washington will lead to any regulation-making.

+ Buzzfeed: Facebook has had lots of scandals. See if you can guess when its CEO actually apologized.

Chemical weapons are a bad thing. But it always seems a little strange that killing 70 people with a chemical crosses a line that killing thousands of people by more traditional means does not. It turns out that it even matters which specific chemicals were used. "If the US finds that a nerve agent such as sarin was used instead of chlorine, or if nerve agents were mixed in with chlorine, retaliatory attacks against Assad regime targets may be bigger and more severe."

+ Deciding to remain in the White House to plan a response to the Syrian chemical attack, Trump has canceled his first trip to Latin America as president.

"The authors note that opioids, alcoholism, suicide, and kidney disease—which can be brought on by diabetes and alcoholism—were the main factors leading to the increases in early deaths." Olga Khazan on the states where people die young.

+ On the flipside, Miami's Fisher Island tops the list of America's richest zip codes.

"If someone breaks into your home, you're going to immediately call police. You're not going to let someone break in 10 times. But with domestic violence, it's unique in that way, that the call could represent something that's been percolating over time." That reality leads us to a stat that might surprise you. "In 2017, more officers were shot responding to domestic violence than any other type of firearm-related fatality." A special report from USA Today: Domestic abusers: Dangerous for women — and lethal for cops.

"In the last quarter of the 20th century, a delicate array of natural forces indisputably tipped – were tipped, more accurately – to transform Lyme disease from an organism that lingered quietly in the environment for millennia to what it is today: the substance of painful stories shared between mothers; a quandary for doctors who lack good diagnostic tests and clear direction; the object of rancour over studies that discount enduring infection while acknowledging persisting pain." From moose to humans, ticks are taking a higher toll on those they bite. And the reason for their rise is all too familiar. Mary Beth Pfeiffer in Aeon: In a warming world, ticks thrive in more places than ever before, making Lyme disease the first epidemic of climate change.

"Accidents are the No. 1 killer of American children, and car accidents are the most common kind of lethal accidents. It makes sense that health officials focus on making car accidents less common and less dangerous." They might want to start by taking a road trip to Sweden. NYT Upshot: Better Car Seats Are Just the Start: Road Safety Lessons From Sweden.

Running for office means risking your career, your reputation, and your pride. But in Mexico, it also means risking your life. "It's an average of one murder of a candidate every four or five days. We are very worried." LA Times: Widespread killings of candidates cast shadow over Mexican elections.

They've been silly and pretty worthless for a long time. And "as of later in April, four of the biggest credit card networks (AmEx, Discover, Mastercard and Visa) will no longer require" them. Engadget: You won't have to sign for credit card purchases much longer. Now if I could just universally opt out of getting a paper receipt...

"LAX officials are teaming up with two technology companies — Infax and Tooshlights — to install lights and digital gadgets that keep track of how often bathrooms are cleaned and let travelers know when a stall is in use or vacant." (And Zuck is the one getting grilled about privacy?) LAX to launch bathroom technology that lets you know when you can go.

+ "Carolina Reaper appears to have narrowed the arteries in the competitive eater's brain, causing a series of thunderclap headaches." Chili pepper eating contests might not be a great idea.

+ Scheduling note: Me and fam will be on the road for Spring Break between April 12-20. During this time, I'll try to get a couple editions out, but delivery will be quite sporadic.