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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon Mar 3 2025

Jane Onyanga-Omara | Audience Editor

Sunday's Oscars delivered plenty of memorable moments, including "Anora" winning five of the six awards for which it was nominated. Thousands of acres have been scorched by wildfires raging across North and South Carolina. Figure skaters at Capital One Arena honored the victims of the deadly crash between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter.

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Here are the best and worst musical moments from cinema's biggest night.

'Anora' cleans up at the Oscars

Leave it to the Oscars to dish up memorable moments that sometimes are on par with the indelible scenes from the movies they honor.

The stars wowed in their most opulent fashions on the red carpet, and host Conan O'Brien dished out jokes from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre at the 97th Academy Awards.

•	"Anora" walked away with five Oscars – the most of the evening – including honors for best actress for Mikey Madison, best director for Sean Baker and the night's biggest prize of best picture.
•	Adrien Brody took home best actor for "The Brutalist," Zoe Saldaña, won best supporting actress for "Emilia Pérez" and Kieran Culkin was named best supporting actor for "A Real Pain."
•	The musical "Emilia Pérez" took home two wins. "The Brutalist" and "Wicked" left with three and two wins, respectively.

Mikey Madison poses with her best actress Oscar for "Anora" at the 97th Academy Awards.

Dan MacMedan/USA TODAY

South Carolina governor issues state of emergency as wildfires burn

Dozens of wildfires raged across North and South Carolina on Sunday, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders and open emergency shelters. In South Carolina, 175 wildfires burned across the state, scorching over 4,200 acres of land and straining firefighting resources. The largest of the brush fires erupted Saturday in Carolina Forest, a community west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Gov. Henry McMaster issued a state of emergency to unlock funds and resources for the ongoing response effort. A statewide ban on outdoor fires remains in effect, he said. Read more

More news to know now

•	Israel blocks aid into Gaza as ceasefire standoff escalates.
•	Rent is rising sharply in the most affordable areas, stressing low, middle-income tenants.
•	Tough guy, everyman. Gene Hackman pursued anonymity and a private artist's life in Santa Fe.
•	Everyone's vacationing in Puerto Rico. Can the island handle it?

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

Education Department offers employees $25K to quit by Monday

Quit by Monday and get $25,000. Maybe. That was the message of a Friday afternoon email from the U.S. Department of Education's top human resources official, Jacqueline Clay, who made the "one-time offer" to all staffers ahead of what she called a "very significant" impending workforce reduction. Staffers have until Monday at 11:59 p.m. to accept. Their resignations would take effect on March 31, according to the email. The memo is the latest sign of tumult at the federal Education Department, which has already experienced serious turnover since President Donald Trump took office. Read more

UK, France and Ukraine will present a peace deal to Trump

Britain and France will work on a peace deal with Ukraine and present it to President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday. Starmer, hosting Western leaders in London in a bid to revive a peace deal, said he hoped a European "coalition of the willing" would come together to support Kyiv, but that any ceasefire had to be underpinned by the United States. Starmer spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump on Saturday after he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street, a day after Trump and Zelenskyy clashed in an extraordinary meeting at the White House. Read more

Today's talkers

•	Monday marks the national anthem's birthday.
•	Here are the Women's March Madness bracket predictions.
•	Alabama QB Jalen Milroe is the biggest boom or bust candidate of the NFL draft.
•	Watch the moment a stolen labrador was returned to its owners − 8 years later.

Figure skating icons honor victims of D.C. plane crash at 'Legacy on Ice' tribute

When American Airlines 5342 collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, the first feelings that rippled throughout the U.S. figure skating community were shock and grief − mourning for the skaters, coaches and parents who were lost. Then, it was: What can we do to honor them? "As skaters," 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi explained, "we learn to express our emotions through artistry." They took to the ice at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Sunday for "Legacy on Ice," a tribute show to honor the 67 victims and raise money for the families and first responders. Read more

Madison Chock and Evan Bates perform during "Legacy on Ice."

Geoff Burke, Imagn Images

Photo of the day: See every look on the Oscars red carpet

The hottest names in Hollywood brought glamour and sparkle to Sunday's 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. See every look they showcased on the red carpet.