Here's a roundup of news trending across the nation and world today.
What to know now:
1. Another attacker: Authorities say they believe the same Islamic State cell that was behind the attacks in Paris is the one that hit Brussels Tuesday. On Thursday, investigators said they are looking for another person they believe took part in the attacks. Salah Abdeslam, the suspect in the November attacks in Paris who was arrested in Brussels last week, will be in court today on charges he participated in terror activities.
2. Taking Mosul back: Iraqi military officials on Thursday said it has started the operation to recapture the city of Mosul from the Islamic State. Iraq's second-largest city was captured by ISIS forces in June 2014.
3. Governor's affair: The governor of Alabama has been accused of having an affair with his top political adviser and firing his top cop when he said he wouldn't lie about it. According to Spencer Collier, the former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Gov. Robert Bentley had an affair with his political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason two years ago. Collier said at a press conference he was fired from his job at ALEA because he refused to cover up the affair. After Collier made his claim, Bentley called a press conference during which he admitted that "two years ago I made a mistake. I have dealt with that and I have moved on."
4. Howard dies: Actor Ken Howard, who starred in the 1970s TV drama "The White Shadow," died Wednesday. Howard, who was serving as president of actor's union SAG-AFTRA, was 71. No cause of death was given.
5. March Madness, for sure: On Thursday the Men's College Basketball Tournament – or as we know it, March Madness – resumes, albeit not with the teams most expected to see. "March Sadness," as it is being dubbed this year, tips off again Thursday at 7 p.m. with the remaining 16 teams fighting for a spot in the "elite eight."
And one more
A team of archaeologists say they believe that at some point, someone stole the skull of William Shakespeare from its final resting place in England. According to the group looking into the claims that trophy hunters took the playwright's head in 1794, x-rays of the coffin show a "disturbance" with the body around the area of the head. "We came across this very odd, strange thing at the head end," lead archaeologist Kevin Colls, told The Guardian.
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