Super Tuesday: Will Trump, Clinton pull away in the 2016 race?
It's the most consequential day so far in the 2016 race for the presidency: Super Tuesday. Twelve states hold contests in all between the two parties.
No state is more crucial than Texas for both sides: It has by far the most delegates up for grabs. Republican Donald Trump was leading in nearly every Super Tuesday state, according to polling averages. A clean sweep would give Trump a nearly insurmountable lead, but don't count out Ted Cruz, who was leading in his home state of Texas. Marco Rubio figures to do well in Minnesota and will look to amass delegates in several other states as well. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton was leading polling averages in every Super Tuesday state, except for Bernie Sanders’ home state of Vermont. USA TODAY will have live coverage from all the contests. cara wrote, cooper OK'd, alia edited
Apple, FBI take fight to Congress
The House Judiciary Committee will host a hearing Tuesday on software encryption, as Apple and the FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation continue the battle over an iPhone connected to the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif. FBI Director James Comey and Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell are expected to testify. In prepared remarks, Sewell says following through with the FBI’s request for Apple to break into the phone of one of the shooters will “weaken the security of our products.” Brett wrote, JR edited The hearing comes a day after a federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., denied a Department of Justice request for a court order to break into an iPhone in a drug case.
Astronaut to return after almost a year in space
Astronaut Scott Kelly will return to Earth on Tuesday, wrapping up a record-setting 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. Kelly has spent more time in orbit on a single mission than any other U.S. astronaut, but he says, "I could go another year if I had to." Along with two Russian cosmonauts, he will ride a Soyuz spacecraft back to Earth and land in the steppes of Kazakhstan. Kelly, who often tweeted about his mission, will undergo extensive studies on how the human body tolerates long bouts in space. JR wrote, Jane edited
Tornado-chasing science gets sequel
Starting Tuesday, 40 weather scientists will fan out across the Southeast, focusing on the Dixie Alley, a region frequently hit by deadly tornadoes. Known as VORTEX-SE — an acronym for "Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment, Southeast" — the project follows in the footsteps of research that began 22 years ago in the “Tornado Alley” of the Great Plains and sparked the 1996 movie Twister. Congress allocated $5 million for the effort in 2011 after a tornado outbreak that left hundreds dead. JR wrote, alia edited
Funeral for rookie cop killed on her first day of work
A Virginia police officer killed her first day on the job will be remembered at a Tuesday funeral service. Ashley Guindon, 28, was on her first shift for the Prince William County, Va., police force when she was shot after responding to a domestic dispute. She died from her injuries Saturday. Police say Army Sgt. Ronald Hamilton opened fire on Guindon and two other officers as they approached his door in response to a 911 call. Hamilton's wife, Crystal, was found dead inside the home. Hamilton, who police say admitted to the shootings, is being held without bail on murder and other charges. steph wrote, cara edited
And the essentials:
Weather: Showers, thunderstorms and snow will hit the central U.S. while another storm slams into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Voice, Carter and Grinder.
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