Tornado Fallout, Geaux Tigers, and Our Best of March

(More) Deadly Tornadoes

At least 32 people died and hundreds more were injured amid a vast storm Friday into Saturday, affecting nearly two-thirds of the US from the southern Plains to the Northeast. At least 88 tornadoes were reported across the Midwest and South on Friday alone. The system came just a week after 26 people were killed amid a similar storm in the South.

Meteorologists described the system as a once-in-every-few-years event made especially broad and powerful by the presence of two "bull's-eyes" over Arkansas and Illinois. Storms in Oklahoma started at least 100 fires where dozens of people were injured; as it moved east, the storm severely hit portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois. A roof collapsed at a concert hall in Illinois where one man died minutes after management paused an ongoing show. As far east as Delaware, one man died as a result of the storm.

Officials in Tennessee warned similar extreme weather conditions are expected tomorrow in the state. See photos of the damage here. 

Tigers Capture Title

No. 3 LSU won its first women's college basketball title in program history yesterday, topping the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 102-85. The Tigers, entering as underdogs, pulled off the upset against the Hawkeyes, who beat defending champion and top-seeded South Carolina Friday. 

The title is the fourth for LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, who won three championships at Baylor before making a surprise jump to Baton Rouge two years ago. She also becomes the first women's coach to lead two different programs to a national championship. Tigers' star Angel Reese was named most outstanding player of the tournament, turning in a 15-point, 10-rebound performance. Separately, Iowa star Caitlin Clark broke the record for most points in a tournament—in either men's or women's—with 191 total points.

On the men's side, No. 4 Connecticut topped No. 5 Miami, 72-59, while No. 5 San Diego State beat No. 9 Florida Atlantic on a last-second shot (watch video). The pair face off tonight for the championship (9:20 pm ET, CBS). 

Dominion v. Fox

A Delaware judge ruled Friday a $1.6B defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News will be decided by a jury trial. The decision rejects arguments from both sides asking the judge to rule in their favor and skip a trial. 

Dominion alleges Fox News knowingly aired false claims that its voting machines were rigged during the 2020 election, causing irreparable reputational damage (see overview). Fox officials have argued the content was newsworthy, and protected by the First Amendment, as the claims were being made by then-President Donald Trump and allies. Analysts say the jury will be asked to decide whether the news channel acted with "actual malice." The trial is expected to start April 17. 

Separately, Trump is expected to be arraigned in a Manhattan court tomorrow after being indicted on charges related to alleged hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign. Specific charges handed down by the grand jury have not yet been made public; see our previous write-up here.

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Historybook: American politician Boss Tweed born (1823); Actress Doris Day born (1922); Eddie Murphy born (1961); First mobile phone call is made (1973); Apple releases the first iPad (2010).