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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Tue Apr 2 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Gamecocks, Hawkeyes, Huskies and the Wolfpack

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark cuts the net after defeating the LSU Lady Tigers in the finals of the Albany Regional in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024.

The women's March Madness Final Four is set.

It might not be March anymore, but college basketball madness continued when Iowa defeated defending champions LSU on Monday night in the women's NCAA tournament. Also in the news: Next month, abortion care in Florida will be banned after six weeks. NGO Central World Kitchen says seven aid workers were killed in Gaza.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Being a cat lady is now cool, meow.

Here is the news to know this Tuesday.

Iowa, UConn, South Carolina and NC State in NCAA women's Final Four

After the Iowa-LSU rematch Monday night delivered must-see TV, Connecticut knocked out No. 1 seed Southern California. Now the Hawkeyes and Huskies will join South Carolina and NC State in Cleveland for the Final Four on Friday.

What this means for each team: The South Carolina Gamecocks are trying to win a third national title, while the NC State Wolfpack has not won an NCAA championship before. Iowa and Caitlin Clark have made back-to-back trips to the Final Four, and the UConn Huskies are back in the Final Four after they missed the Elite Eight for the first time in 16 seasons last year.

•	This weekend is a big deal for UConn and NC State, which both had their men's and women's basketball teams reach the Final Four. It's the first time that two schools were able to accomplish the milestone in the same season.
•	In the most anticipated college basketball game of the season, men's or women's, Clark delivered against rival LSU in last night's Elite Eight rematch, scoring a game-high 41 points and 12 assists while regularly electrifying the crowd.
•	The massive attention to the LSU-Iowa rematch is yet another sign it's the women's tournament generating the buzz around March Madness this year.

Keep reading: LSU's Angel Reese tearfully addressed critics postgame.

Ncaa Womens Basketball Ncaa Tournament Albany Regional Lsu Vs Iowa

LSU forward Angel Reese (10) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Monday night.

Winslow Townson, Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

A six week abortion ban in Florida — for now

Abortion will officially be on the ballot in Florida this fall, after the state's Supreme Court on Monday issued a ruling approving a ballot measure that could expand access to the procedure. If passed, the ballot measure would guarantee abortion access through viability, often 24 weeks of pregnancy. With this, Floridians have the chance to essentially vote on whether to reinstate what was once the federal standard set by Roe v. Wade. While getting a ballot measure is a win for abortion rights advocates, the court also made another decision which allows another state law, backed by Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to go into effect in 30 days and drop the limit on abortion from 15 to six weeks, significantly curbing access to abortion care. Read more

•	Here's what Florida voters are saying about the abortion amendment.
•	Here's why abortion on the ballot poses a serious problem for Trump.
•	Arizonans are collecting signatures ahead of a July deadline to get a ballot measure that would enshrine access to abortion in the state constitution.

More news to know now

•	Here's what to know about elections today in Arkansas, Mississippi and Wisconsin.
•	Powerful thunderstorms threaten central and eastern U.S. with floods, hail and tornadoes.
•	Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
•	A Bucknell University student found dead was unrelated to an active shooter alert.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, a new report says Russia is behind "Havana Syndrome" attacks on US spies and diplomats. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in Gaza

Colleagues, family and friends are mourning slain aid workers from Australia, Britain and Poland on Tuesday who were among seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Monday. The Israeli military said on Tuesday that an independent, professional expert body would investigate the "tragic" deaths. WCK was set up by Michelin-starred celebrity chef Jose Andres provides emergency food aid to survivors and was involved in the first shipment of aid to Gaza via a sea corridor from Cyprus in March. A second WCK maritime aid shipment carrying 332 tons of food was due to arrive in Gaza early this week. Read more of the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war from USA TODAY.

•	The terror group that hit a Moscow nightclub has sights set on the U.S.

Relatives and friends mourn by the body of Saif Abu Taha, a staff member of the US-based aid group World Central Kitchen who was killed as Israeli strikes hit a convoy of the NGO delivering food aid in Gaza a day earlier, during his funeral in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 2, 2024.

SAID KHATIB, AFP via Getty Images

Crews scramble to build temporary channel for 'essential' ships at Baltimore port

One week after a container ship's catastrophic crash into a Baltimore bridge, authorities are preparing to establish a temporary alternate channel to allow "commercially essential" ships to navigate through one of the nation's busiest ports. A 2,000-yard safety zone remains in effect around the Francis Scott Key Bridge site to protect salvage workers, ships and the marine environment, officials said. The 11-foot-deep temporary route will be marked with lights and represents part of a phased approach to opening the main channel. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	SpaceX launched a rocket over Southern California. Here are the best pictures.
•	Here's why Florida had more book challenges last year than any other state.
•	At one point, Valerie Bertinelli stopped cooking.
•	Rare cicadas are coming this summer.
•	People with disabilities can experience the eclipse.
•	Who survived and who was eliminated in the "biggest cut" of "American Idol" history?
•	The 2024 Easter "EGGucation" Roll transformed the White House's South Lawn and Ellipse.

Donald Trump posts $175 million bond

Former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants in a New York civil fraud case posted a $175 million bond Monday after an appeals court ruled they didn't have to come up with $454 million in order to block New York Attorney General Letitia James from seizing their assets. The $454 million judgment, which includes interest, was imposed after concluding Trump got better loan and insurance terms by fraudulently inflating the value of his assets over several years. Read more

Photo of the day: Beyoncé stuns in all black Western wear

The "Cowboy Carter" craze keeps getting better. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter arrived at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday wearing black head to toe, from her cowboy hat, to her leather jacket and pants, to her towering heels to receive one of the night's top honors, the Innovator Award. Read more

Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 2024.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.