The Pacific Ocean is looking pretty roomy…

Happening in the World: Japan’s government announced that treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant would be released into the Pacific Ocean in two years, citing a lack of storage for the accumulated 1.25 million tons of wastewater. The local fishing community, environmental groups, and South Korean officials have all protested the decision because even though the water has been treated, it is still contaminated with radioactive tritium. (NPR)

Happening in the US: The CDC and FDA are recommending a pause in the distribution of Johnson & Johnson vaccines after six cases of severe blood clotting were detected out of the 6.8 million doses given. Johnson & Johnson released a statement urging vaccine recipients to see a doctor if they have developed severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination. (BBC)

Happening in NYC: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that 51,000 more NYC public school students have opted in for in-person learning, and will be joining the 315,000 students already doing so on April 26th. De Blasio elaborated that whenever possible, students would maintain six-feet social distancing, though some classrooms may reduce this to three feet based on new CDC guidelines. (Gothamist)

Happening in the Columbia Community: Tonight at 6:30 pm, the Ira A. Lipman Center at Columbia Journalism School will be hosting “Race in America: Covering Far-Right Extremism,” a forum discussing the challenges reporters face in reporting on far-right extremism with regard to the US’s history of upholding white supremacy. The forum will be moderated by Lipman Center Director Jelani Cobb and will feature historian Kathleen Belew and Journalism Professor Nina Berman. (event)

Poem: Ever since I saw her read at Columbia last winter, I have been so intruiged by Rosebud Ben-Oni’s work surrounding queerness, relationships, and the magic of science, among other things. Here is a poem of hers with possibly the best title ever, Axolotls Do It Better So Now I Am an Axolotl.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station via Flickr