HOT POINT

Trump took aim at Moore even though a District of Columbia-based water authority and the federal government have jurisdiction over the busted pipe.

The 1960s-era pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, is part of DC Water, a utility based in Washington that's federally regulated and under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Still, Trump, while spending the holiday weekend at his home in Florida, took to social media to say he "cannot allow incompetent Local 'Leadership'" to turn the Potomac "into a Disaster Zone." He said he has ordered federal authorities to step in to coordinate the response.

"There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland," Trump added in his social media post.

But Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Moore, said EPA officials did not participate in a recent legislative hearing about the cleanup and said the Trump administration has been broadly "shirking its responsibility" on the repair and cleanup of what University of Maryland researchers say is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.

"The President has his facts wrong — again," Moussa said. He added, "Apparently the Trump administration hadn't gotten the memo that they're actually supposed to be in charge here."

DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis said in a statement Monday, "We have been coordinating with U.S. EPA since the Potomac Interceptor collapsed."

Who is responsible?

Asked why Trump was placing blame on Moore outside of Maryland's jurisdiction, a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Maryland was slow to coordinate with federal entities on the ruptured pipe and has not kept up with needed updates of the state's water and wastewater infrastructure.

Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will play a key role in coordinating the response, but noted the agency is being impacted by apause in fundingfor theDepartment of Homeland Security.

The partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and Trump's teamfailed to reach a dealon legislation to fund DHS through September. Theimpasse affectsagencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FEMA.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to the sewage spill on social media, posting, "Add this to the long list of reasons Democrats need to get serious and fund the Department of Homeland Security."

The spill was caused by a 72-inch (183-centimeter) diameter sewer pipe that collapsed last month, leading to millions of gallons of wastewater shooting out of the ground and into the river.

DC Water says fixing the pipe in the aftermath of the Jan. 19 rupture has been complicated.

A video inspection of the pipeline earlier this month revealed the blockage inside the collapsed sewer line is "far more significant" than originally thought. The agency said it discovered a large rock dam about 30 feet (9 meters) fromthe breach in the sewage line,which requires treatment before the current spill can be addressed.

The emergency repair is expected to take another four to six weeks. The work will address the immediate repairs to the damaged section of the pipe and several other issues, including environmental restoration.

Washington, D.C.'s Department of Energy and Environment says the drinking water remains safe, but has urged people to avoid unnecessary contact with water from the Potomac River, avoid fishing and keep pets away.

An ongoing fight between Trump and Moore

The president and Moore, a Democrat viewed as potential 2028 presidential contender, have frequently sparred since Trump's return to the White House last year.

Trump says he's excluding Moore and Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from a White House dinner for governors set for Saturday as state leaders gather in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting.

The president and aides have also criticized Moore and other Maryland officials for violence in the state's biggest city, Baltimore, with Trump threatening to send National Guard troops as he has elsewhere around the country.

Moore and other Democratic officials in Maryland pushed back that homicides in Baltimore have reachedhistoric lowswith sustained declinesstarting in 2023, and said the state did not need National Guard troops.

The Trump administration has also questioned Moore about "DEI contracting practices" and "ballooning project costs" for the rebuilding of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. The crucial bridge collapsed in March 2024 after a massive container ship crashed into it.

The president told reporters that his dissatisfaction with Moore's handling of reconstruction of the bridge and the sewage spill are why he's not including him in next weekend's White House dinner for governors.

"He can't fix anything," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida on Monday evening.

Moussa, the governor's spokesman, said Maryland stands ready to work with federal officials.

"The Potomac isn't a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment," Moussa said.

President Donald Trump downplayed acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez's recentcomment to NBC Newsthat Nicolás Maduro is still the legitimate leader of Venezuela, telling reporters Monday that the response was one of political necessity.

"I think she probably has to say that. I think politically, maybe she has to say that," Trump said during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington from Florida.

"The relationship with Venezuela, she's doing a very good job, and I fully understand that statement."

Rodríguez made the comments in an exclusive interview with NBC News last week with "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker in Caracas.

"I can tell you President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I will tell you this as a lawyer, that I am. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are both innocent," Rodríguez said.

TheU.S. captured the pairin a stunning surprise raid early last month. Maduro and his wife were indicted on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges andpleaded not guiltyin federal court in New York just days later.

Since Maduro's capture, Trump has praised Rodríguez's leadership and touted the potential benefits ofVenezuela's oil resourcesfor both countries.

In her interview with NBC News, Rodríguez also said she had been invited to come to America, while Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who had traveled to Venezuela to meet with the new leader,told reporters before his departurefrom the country that he and other Cabinet secretaries, and possibly Trump, would return.

The Board of Education for the Los Angeles Unified School District could authorize district officials to issue potential layoff notices and move to eliminate certain positions as part of wider efforts to shore up savings in the coming fiscal years amid "dangerously high deficit levels" that total over $1 billion.

The board is expected to discuss the extreme measures Tuesday, Feb. 17.

LAUSD employs more than 83,000 people, including teachers, administrators, certificated support personnel and substitutes, according to June 2025 data. The prospect of layoffs isn't the only moving part in the overall picture: Labor unions have been in negotiations with the district related to wage increases to class sizes, and members of the United Teachers Los Angeles authorized the union to strike in late January.

The board had previously rescheduled Tuesday's meeting, a move that came off the heels of several unions, including UTLA, calling for the board not to vote on such a key matter in a meeting bloated by other agenda items. The unions instead suggested the board hold a meeting in early March so that officials would have a "more complete picture of Prop 98 funding" and so that people could have more time to understand the proposed cuts — cuts that labor unions said they hadn't been consulted about. Prop 98 guarantees a minimum level of funding for K-12 in the state.

Here's what to know about the job cuts for a district that serves hundreds of thousands of students in Southern California.

How many people could LAUSD lay off?

A board of education report reveals that "approximately 2,600 contract management employees and certificated administrators" could get a notice in mid-March. California requires that school districts alert such workers by March 15 that they may be laid off in the following school year, according to theCalifornia School Boards Association.

Also, 657 "central office and centrally-funded" positions have been identified for elimination, according to the report. That includes positions like 25 assistant area bus supervisors, 23 gardeners, over 200 IT-related positions, nearly 100 office technicians and more. In addition, several dozen positions are poised to see reduced hours.

However, just because an employee receives a notice doesn't mean they'll be laid off, and the report said these numbers aren't "representative of the final number of employees who will be laid off" in part due to changes in finances and staffing, including because of retirements, resignations and more.

The district must issue notices to a greater number of employees than the 657 positions identified to comply with education code requirements, the report said.

"In total this represents less than 1% of the total Los Angeles Unified workforce," according to the report.

LAUSD says job cuts need to be done at some point

LAUSD is up against a projected deficit of $877 million for fiscal year 2026-27 and $443 million for 2027-28, according to a December 2025 report. The board of education report said that, for a public education institution, it faces "dangerously high deficit levels" which suggest a "significant structural imbalance" as opposed to a "temporary dip."

A fiscal stabilization plan for LAUSD revealed in 2025 had included "central operations, non-school-based reductions" as part of multiple efforts intended to address its sizable deficit. Among the district's challenges: How it has previously offset deficit spending and revenue challenges in part due to declining enrollment and the loss of COVID-19 area funding, according to the report. Also in play is Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed budget, which won't be finalized until later this year, that shapes school districts' funding and in which several billions in funds could be unlocked, according to officials at a January board meeting.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said at the January meeting that a reduction in force is often about cutting positions, "not necessarily people." But he acknowledged that it wasn't certain that could be avoided entirely in this instance.

The district spends 90% of its revenue on staff, according to officials in January.

Saman Bravo-Karimi, chief financial officer, said in January that delaying the reduction in force in the present means it'll only increase the number of reductions later.

"The reduction in force — given the size of our financial outlook, given what most districts are facing in the state and given the vast majority of our resources are, as they should be, spend on staff — it will need to be done at some point," Bravo-Karimi said.

Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her atpbarraza@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Is LAUSD laying off staff? Breaking down proposed cuts

The Hawkeyes (18-7, 8-6 Big Ten) have lost two in a row, most recently falling 78-57 at home to Purdue on Saturday. Iowa's point total versus the Boilermakers was 20 fewer than its season average.

"They kicked our butt," Hawkeyes first-year coach Ben McCollum said. "It's a part of the process, but I don't like it, I haven't had that happen in a lot of years. It's humbling and it's sometimes good for the soul."

McCollum, who went 31-4 at Drake last season, already has surpassed Iowa's win total from last season. Five of its losses have come against ranked opponents, with the Hawkeyes losing their last 13 games against top-25 foes.

Nebraska (22-3, 11-3) is coming off a 68-49 home win over Northwestern, marking just its second win in the last five games after a 20-0 start. However, the 68 points scored were the second-lowest total this season for the Cornhuskers, who average 79.4 points per game.

"It's not always gonna go pretty on that end of the floor," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Obviously this is two games in a row where we had double-digits turnovers. I hope it's not becoming a problem with taking care of the ball, with 14 and 18 turnovers."

Junior Pryce Sandfort has led Nebraska's scoring from the 3-point line. He has made 88 three-pointers this season on 40.2% shooting, and with two more will break the school record set by Cary Cochran in 2001-02.

Iowa allows the fewest perimeter shots per game (6.4) in Big Ten play, while Purdue makes an average of 11 three-pointers per game.

The Hawkeyes are led by senior Bennett Stirtz, a 20.4-point scorer per game who came over from Drake with McCollum. Stirtz also shoots 40.3% from 3-point range and has three 30-point games in Big Ten competition.

Iowa's defense has slipped recently, with the last four opponents shooting at least 46% and scoring 70 or more points. The Hawkeyes remain third in Big Ten play by allowing 69.7 points per game, but that's largely due to their slow pace as they rank near the bottom of the league in shooting defense.

"I don't think our guards are guarding very well," McCollum said.

Rebounding will be crucial in this game since neither team is particularly strong at it. Both struggle on the offensive boards, and Iowa also has difficulty limiting second-chance opportunities.

It stands to reason Nebraska will focus on Stirtz, who averages 23.3 points and 37.3 minutes in Big Ten games, while Tavion Banks is the only other Hawkeye scoring in double figures in conference competition.

Nebraska has five players scoring at least 10 per night in league action, with guard Sam Hoiberg coming off a 14-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, four-steal performance against Northwestern.

--Field Level Media

The first All-Star broadcast on NBC since 2002 averaged 8.8 million viewers across broadcast and streaming, marking the event's biggest audience since 2011, according to preliminary Nielsen data and Adobe Analytics on Monday.

That number nearly doubled last year's total of 4.7 million viewers (up 87%), a surge tied to the new "USA vs. the World" format that gave Sunday night an actual hook beyond highlights and handshakes.

The audience topped out at 9.8 million in the 7-7:15 p.m. ET window, as USA Stripes squeezed past the World team 48-45 in the tightest, highest-leverage stretch of the tournament.

On the floor, Anthony Edwards picked up MVP honors with a 32-point, nine-rebound and three-assist line for the USA Stars (across three 12-minute games), while Victor Wembanyama powered the World side with 33 points, eight boards and two blocks.

It wasn't perfect, but the format delivered what the league has been pleading for in recent years.

The TV window helped, too. The game followed a full day of coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and fed directly into NBC's prime-time programming.

--Field Level Media

That seemed to be the sports sphere's consensus after the U.S.-against-the-world,round-robin tournamentSunday produced three thrilling mini-games and several impressive individual performances. Something about the setup compelled these stars to play their exhibition at a level much closer to real competition than usual.

"I think every team honestly wanted to win," said Phoenix's Devin Booker, a member of the victorious Stars team.

That's no small statement about an event that had become sports shorthand for pointless midseason pseudo-competition — a charade that wasted fans' time and produced unwatchable TV while players simply tried to get it over with.

That's precisely why the NBA implementedits fourth format in four years, creating a World team and two teams of Americans to play 12-minute games.

To the surprise of those who assumed this event was irredeemable, it actually worked for most people.

"I've been asking for it, fans have been asking for it, media have been asking for it, (and) I feel that after today, I think you all can see the competition is there," Karl-Anthony Towns said. "I think that we all brought it today, brought a sense of effort. I hope that the fans and all of you appreciate it."

An Americans-versus-everybody finale didn't materialize, however. Instead, the team of slightly younger Americans routed the team of slightly older Americans in an anticlimactic finale.

Even that finish had its entertaining points, though: "We're definitely one-up on the uncs right now," said a grinning Tyrese Maxey, who scored nine points in the final.

The NBA hasn't declared a format for next year's All-Star Game in Phoenix, and the World component has potential problems depending on how many international players are having All-Star-worthy seasons.

Several players, includingLeBron Jamesand Kawhi Leonard, said they still want a return to the classic East vs. West format — you know, the one that produced enough bad games to force the NBA to try something different in the first place.

It's tough to imagine basketball in its current state producing an All-Star Game significantly better than this one, but not everything about the All-Star weekend at Intuit Dome was savory.

The highs and lows of an eventful weekend in Inglewood:

Dismal dunks

Just when the NBA might have its All-Star Game fixed, the Slam Dunk Contest was underwhelming enough to prompt fan discussion on how to save a venerable competition that's running out of steam.

The event immortalized by the likes of Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant was mostly compelling for bad reasons this year, although Miami's Keshad Johnson did well enough to join 3-Point Contest champion Damian Lillard in an all-Oakland sweep of the two marquee events atAll-Star Saturday.

In the early round, Lakers center Jaxson Hayes gave an effort that drew online criticism from his own fans. Orlando's Jase Richardson took a horrifying fall onto his back and head when his arm hit the backboard on a 360-degree spin attempt. Richardson was OK, but the frightening moment underscored the dangers of this event.

Johnson won anticlimactically when San Antonio's Carter Bryant couldn't complete an impressive second dunk after scoring a perfect 50 on his first.

Can the NBA persuade star players to return to the contest? Can the dunkers rediscover the creativity that compelled Blake Griffin to jump over a car, Gerald Green to blow out a cupcake candle on the rim, Dwight Howard to put on a cape and Vince Carter to stick his whole arm in the hoop?

That's no slam dunk.

Kawhi's barrage

Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points in 12 minutes while leading his team to victory in Sunday's third mini-game. The seven-time All-Star went 11 of 13 with six 3-pointers, dazzling his fellow All-Stars and even prompting 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama to attempt to guard him out of desperation.

"That's probably one of the most special quarters of basketball we've witnessed," Booker said.

If Leonard's team had put up more of a fight in the finale, he probably would have been the MVP instead of Anthony Edwards. Leonard scored only one point, looking gassed along with his teammates in their third straight game.

"That's what the home crowd wanted to see," Leonard said. "I'm glad I was able to do something in that game."

Dame's dominance

During his year away from the game due to injury, Lillard reminded the world why he's one of the greatest shooters of his generation with a stellar performance to win the 3-Point Contest for the third time. He joins Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to do it.

The 35-year-old Portland guard held off Booker in the tremendously exciting final, winning 29-27 when Booker missed his final three shots.

Lillard tore his Achilles tendon last April, and hisinclusion in this contestinitially began as a joke he had with an NBA official — but the native Californian got the call, and he was healthy enough to shoot the lights out in Inglewood.

His performance was another example of an impressive comeback from that serious injury. Jayson Tatum, who also tore his Achilles tendon in last spring's playoffs, is back in practice with Boston's G League team.

After watching Lillard's performance, Stephen Curry announced he's going to compete in 2027, and he's hoping to be joined by his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson.

Afternoon hoops

The All-Star events Saturday and Sunday began at 2 p.m. Pacific time because NBC is showing the Winter Olympics in prime time every night.

That led to empty seats in Intuit Dome at the start of both events, although they eventually filled in. The early starts also muted the big-event feeling for fans and viewers who might have missed the show entirely if they didn't check the TV listings.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/NBA

The Routt County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Aaron Stokes, 47, his son Jakson Stokes, 21, and nephew Colin Stokes, 21, and Austin Huskey, 37, all from Middle Tennessee.

TheFederal Aviation Administration(FAA) reported the plane crashed during the early morning hours of Feb. 13 near Steamboat Springs, a ski town in the state's northern region about 155 miles northwest of Denver.

Maine plane crash:All 6 people killed in Maine private jet crash now identified

Cleanup continued at the industrial site near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport where a UPS plane crashed into in November on Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. In a February 2011 letter to airlines, Boeing noted failures with parts of the pylon, a structural component that connects the engine, during four incidents on three MD-11 airplanes, which is the same model of the UPS plane that crashed Nov. 4. After takeoff, the pylon and left engine UPS Flight 2976 detached from the wing, resulting in a catastrophic crash that killed 15 people, including the three crew members aboard the plane.

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Cleanup continues at site of deadly UPS Flight 2976 crash in Louisville

Cleanup continued at the industrial site near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airportwhere a UPS plane crashed into in Novemberon Jan. 13, 2026, in Louisville, Ky. In a February 2011 letter to airlines,Boeingnoted failures with parts of the pylon, a structural component that connects the engine, during four incidents on three MD-11 airplanes, which is the same model of the UPS plane that crashed Nov. 4. After takeoff,the pylon and left engine UPS Flight 2976 detached from the wing, resulting in acatastrophic crash that killed 15 people, including the three crew members aboard the plane.

According to a preliminary FAA report, the single-engine Epic Aircraft E1000 crashed under unknown circumstances near Emerald Mountain. Online flight tracking shows the plane took off from the Kansas City Downtown Airport just after 10 p.m., for Bob Adams Airport before it crashed southeast of the city-owned airport.

The plane, manufactured in 2024, was registered to ALS Aviation LCC in Franklin, Tenn.

Plane crash Steamboat Springs

Aaron Stokeslived in Franklin according to information from his obituary,The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Franklin is city in Williamson County, about 20 miles south of downtown Nashville.

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According to hisLinkedIn page, he founded Shop Fix Academy, owned and operated five auto repair shops and hosted a radio show "Fixin' Cars with Aaron Stokes" on 99.7 WTN.

In a post on Facebook, Annie Stokes called her brother "a great leader and coach and businessman."

"The loss has deeply impacted his family, the Shop Fix Academy team, and the broader automotive community," the company released in a statement onFacebook. "Stokes helped thousands of auto repair shop owners, and countless other business leaders, achieve meaningful growth in their businesses and leadership... His legacy extends far beyond financial performance."

USA TODAY has reached out to the victims' families.

Husky, his company, confirmed was the CEO of Husky Building Supply, also located in Franklin.

In a separate post onInstagram, Huskey Building Supply released this statement: "With heavy hearts, we grieve the unexpected passing of our CEO, Austin Huskey. Austin was a fearless leader, a gracious man, a devoted father and husband, and a faithful follower of Christ."

The National Transportation Safety Boardposted on Xit was investigating the cause of the crash.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:4 killed in Colorado plane crash in Steamboat Springs