A driver working with NBC News in Syria was killed Saturday after a device exploded in the vicinity of a group of the network's journalists, NBC News’ president said. "We are thankful that NBC employees escaped unharmed, however one of the local drivers working with them was tragically killed," NBC News President Noah Oppenheim said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones." Get More at NBC News

A majority of Americans favor stricter gun laws, and most believe places of worship and schools have become less safe over the last two decades, according to a new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey was conducted both before and after this month's mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand. It found that 67 percent of Americans support making US gun laws stricter, while 22 percent say they should be left as they are and 10 percent think they should be made less strict. The New Zealand shooting on March 15 did not appear to have an impact on Americans' support for new gun laws; support for tighter gun laws was the same in interview conduct before and after the shooting. Get More

American Airlines is extending cancellations of flights through April 24 due to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, as federal regulators continue to investigate two deadly crashes involving the plane model. American has 24 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet, and said Sunday that it will be canceling about 90 flights a day. Not every flight that was previously scheduled to be on a Max aircraft will be canceled, and some flights scheduled to fly on other aircraft types may ultimately be canceled. The airline said it will contact affected fliers directly. Get More

U.S.-backed Syrian fighters cleared explosives in the last area retaken from the Islamic State group on Sunday and arrested a number of militants hiding in tunnels, a day after declaring military victory and the end of the extremists' self-styled caliphate. The U.S.-led coalition said the clearing operations will continue until the area is secure. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who goes by the nom de guerre Mervan The Brave, said Baghouz village where the militants made their final stand is "full of all kinds of explosives." He said SDF forces have detonated land mines and suicide belts left behind by the militants. Get More

A Southern California company is voluntarily recalling whole avocados over possible listeria contamination. Henry Avocado, a grower and distributor based near San Diego, said Saturday that the recall covers conventional and organic avocados grown and packed in California. The company says they were sold in bulk across California, Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, North Carolina and New Hampshire. There have been no reports of any illnesses associated with the avocados. Get More

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla began their first full day in Cuba Monday with a visit to Old Havana, touring churches, shops and cafes in the narrow cobblestoned streets of the historic center before other events around the capital city. The heir to the British throne arrived in Cuba Sunday with an agenda including visits to historic sites, a solar park, organic farm, bio-medical research center, a meeting with entrepreneurs, a cultural gala and a dinner with President Miguel Diaz-Canel. Get More

A second survivor of the Parkland school shooting has died in what police are calling an apparent suicide, officials said Sunday. The identity of the student has not been released but Coral Springs Police Department Public Information Officer Tyler Reik said the deceased was a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, NBC News reported. News of the teenager's death comes days after 19-year-old Sydney Aiello was laid to rest. Aiello – a graduate of the school who also survived the shooting – died by suicide last weekend. Get More

The way Felix Sater tells it, his life is a screenplay just waiting to be written, with tales of drunken brawling, Wall Street rip-offs, international spying and a behind-the-scenes role in Donald Trump's effort to build a skyscraper in Russia. Sater, a Soviet emigre who befriended Trump in the 2000s and helped push the Trump Tower Moscow project during the 2016 presidential campaign, hasn't shied away from his past on both the right and wrong sides of the law, even as he has become a key figure in the House Democrats' investigations into Trump's ties to Russia. Get More

Cyclone Idai's death toll has risen above 750 in the three southern African countries hit 10 days ago by the storm, as workers restore electricity, water and try to prevent outbreak of cholera, authorities said Sunday. In Mozambique the number of dead has risen to 446 while there are 259 dead in Zimbabwe and at least 56 dead in Malawi for a three-nation total of 761. All numbers for deaths are still preliminary, warned Mozambique's Environment Minister Celso Correia. As flood waters recede and more bodies are discovered, the final death toll in Mozambique alone could be above the early estimate of 1,000 made by the country's president a few days after the cyclone hit, said aid workers. Get More

Local and federal law enforcement launched an investigation into an alleged arson attack at an Escondido, California, mosque early Sunday morning, where the suspect left behind a note referencing the terrorist attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50 worshippers. The fire broke out at 3:15 a.m. at Dar-ul-Arqam in what authorities are investigating as arson and a hate crime. "If its an arson, it’s possibly a hate crime as well," Escondido Police Department (EPD) Lt. Chris Lick said. Get More

A military-backed party has taken the lead in Thailand's first election since a 2014 coup, preliminary results showed, suggesting junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha could stay in power, helped by an electoral system tilted in the military's favor. With 93 percent of votes counted late Sunday, the Palang Pracharat party was first with nearly 7.6 million votes, according to the Election Commission. Its vote total falls short of the numbers needed for an outright majority in parliament. Pheu Thai, which was the governing party ousted by the coup, was next with 7.1 million votes. The country likely faces several weeks of bargaining among political parties before a potentially unstable coalition government is formed in May or June. Thais voted for a 500-member parliament, which along with a 250-member junta-appointed Senate will decide the next prime minister. Get More

A battle over funding for Puerto Rico is complicating the path forward for a long-delayed disaster aid bill that's a top political priority for some of President Donald Trump's Republican allies as it heads to the Senate floor this week. At stake is $13.5 billion emergency relief legislation to help southern farmers, rebuild hurricane-damaged military bases, repair water systems, and assist victims of last year's California wildfires, among other purposes. The measure has wide backing from both Democrats and Republicans and is perhaps most ardently backed by Trump loyalists such as David Perdue, R-Ga., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who face potentially difficult re-election fights next year. Get More

The Pentagon has identified two U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan while involved in combat operations Friday in Kunduz Province. The men were identified Saturday as Spc. Joseph P. Collette, 29, of Lancaster, Ohio, and Sgt. 1st Class Will D. Lindsay, 33, of Cortez, Colorado. Collette was assigned to the 242nd Ordnance Battalion, 71st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, and Lindsay was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Both were based at Fort Carson, Colorado. Get More

Viking Sky cruise ship passenger Rodney Horgen can pinpoint the moment when he thought he was facing the end: when a huge wave crashed through the ship's glass doors and swept his wife 30 feet across the floor. Horgen, 62, of Minnesota, was visiting Norway on a dream pilgrimage to his ancestral homeland when the luxury cruise trip quickly turned into a nightmare. The Viking Sky was carrying 1,373 passengers and crew, going from Norway's Arctic north to the southern city of Stavanger when it had engine trouble along Norway's rough, frigid western coast. Struggling in heavy seas to avoid being dashed on the rocky coast, the ship issued mayday call Saturday afternoon. Get More

Embattled Prime Minister Theresa May was scrambling Sunday to win over adversaries to her Brexit withdrawal plan as key Cabinet ministers denied media reports that they were plotting to oust her. May spent the afternoon ensconced in a crisis meeting at her country residence Chequers with fellow Conservatives and outspoken Brexit advocates like Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and others who would prefer to leave the European Union without a divorce deal rather than delay Britain's departure from the bloc further. Her office released a statement afterward giving no hint about whether she had gained any new backing. It said only that they discussed "whether there is sufficient support" to bring her Brexit divorce plan back to Parliament for a third vote. Get More