Miss. senator to resign April 1

JACKSON, Miss. — Longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi said Monday he will resign because of health problems — triggering what could be a chaotic special election to fill the seat he has held for a generation.

Mr. Cochran said his resignation is effective April 1, allowing Republican Gov. Phil Bryant to appoint a temporary replacement to fill the seat until a special election Nov. 6. The winner would serve until the end of Mr. Cochran’s term in January 2021.

Mr. Cochran’s departure sets off a scramble within a state Republican Party already struggling to manage a disaffected conservative faction.

Washington net neutrality

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington became the first state Monday to set up its own net-neutrality requirements after U.S. regulators repealed Obama-era rules that banned internet providers from blocking content or interfering with online traffic.

The FCC voted in December to gut U.S. rules that meant to prevent broadband companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the internet. The regulations also prohibited providers from favoring some sites and apps over others.

Puerto Rico tax plan

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor pledged Monday to reduce taxes, raise pay for police officers and implement work requirements for those on welfare to help the U.S. territory recover from Hurricane Maria amid the island’s 11-year-old economic crisis.

The annual address by Gov. Ricardo Rossello lasted more than an hour and focused on crime, housing, labor, health and energy as anger and frustration grows across the island of 3.3 million people over an increase in crime and what many believe are slow hurricane-recovery efforts. More than 15 percent of power customers remain in the dark nearly six months after the Category 4 storm, and the Atlantic hurricane season begins in less than three months.