Guests collect their smartphones at the end of a weekly phone-free gathering at the home of organizer Dan Fox in Brooklyn. Photo: Heather Khalifa/AP
Weather: Day 86°, Night 67°, Mostly Sunny
The Lede: Good morning. Two decades after Steve Jobs premiered the iPhone, a small but passionate movement in Brooklyn — with offshoots in several countries — is rebelling against the omnipresent screen.
The Rundown
BP Reynoso to deliver 2026 State of the Borough Address tonight: At the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will be announcing new initiatives and appointments, providing updates to ongoing efforts, and highlighting major accomplishments over his first term.
A small but growing movement wants you to put down your phone. But first read this: More than a dozen millennials gathered in a brownstone apartment in Brooklyn and placed their phones in a metal colander before two hours of reading, drawing and conversation — anything but staring at screens.
Historical ecologist will tell what Brooklyn’s waterways looked like in 1600s: Ecologist Eric Sanderson will take the audience back to when Coney Island was a sandy archipelago and Red Hook was just a salt marsh, highlighting places where Brooklyn was built on water and are now at increased risk of flooding due to climate change.
Getaway driver in fatal shooting of 7-month-old arraigned, pleads not guilty: Matthew Rodriguez, 18, faces counts of murder, attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, hindering prosecution and witness tampering.
NYT: NJ Transit may charge $100-plus for return tickets during FIFA World Cup: The usual fee is $12.90. The price hike was attributed to FIFA’s security requirements. Sen. Chuck Schumer accused FIFA of a “shakedown” of U.S. host cities, according to The New York Times.
Brooklyn Flea Record Fair shifts to Williamsburg’s BQ Flea for spring edition: The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair’s spring edition moves to a new venue and day of the week on April 26, setting up as part of BQ Flea beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, organizers announced.
AI can design and run thousands of lab experiments without human hands. Humanity isn’t ready for the new risks this brings to biology: Artificial intelligence is rapidly learning to autonomously design and run biological experiments, but the systems intended to govern those capabilities are struggling to keep pace. (The Conversation)
Our world in photos: Water, wailes, walks and more.
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Our World in Photos
THAILAND — People participate in the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year in Prachinburi. Photo: Wason Wanichakorn/AP
More Brooklyn News
"Man beaten by police in bloody caught-on-video incident in Brooklyn" (PIX11)
"Immersive Silent Disco Ballet 'The Circuit,' Inspired by 'La Ronde,' Sets Brooklyn Premiere" (Playbill)
"Union & Apprenticeship Fair at Brooklyn Navy Yard gives access to skilled trades jobs" (New York Amsterdam News)
Staff Picks
READ: "The Absolute Hell of Watching a Movie at the Alamo Drafthouse in 2026" (IndieWire)
EAT: Brooklyn outshines Manhattan with five restaurants added to the Michelin Guide directory. (Eater)
CARTOON: Filling out a 1040. (Brooklyn Eagle)
LIVE: "How a Geologist Lives on $200,000 in Bushwick" (NYT)
The Wrap
⌛ ON THIS DAY
In 1896, the Eagle reported, "Today is another hot weather record breaker. It is the warmest April 16 of which the weather bureau has any record, and that covers a period of 26 years. … At 10:30 o’clock this morning the temperature had reached the 77 degree mark and was still rising." Click here to see what else happened on this day in history.
📔 IMPRINT
German-American actor Zazie Beetz lounges in a chair for FASHION Magazine.
👑 ROYAL WATCH
"Harry and Meghan’s Australia tour shows what the Royal family is missing" (The Telegraph)
🏀 SPORTS
Nets’ rebuild continues into offseason (Brooklyn Eagle)
Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick
U.S. poet laureate (2017-19) and former Brooklynite Tracy K. Smith
“Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink
“The Queen’s Gambit” star Anya Taylor-Joy
“Bad Boys” star Martin Lawrence
Click here to see a full list of birthdays!
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Brooklyn Today’s editor is Scott Enman. Contact him at [email protected].