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Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know on Tuesday. We start with far less water than normal out West and a birthright citizenship case in the Supreme Court. Plus: Everything to know about the Artemis II launch.
Stretching out in their beach chairs as the temperature climbed toward 70 degrees, Seth and Renee McLaughlin watched their three kids play in the sand on what was supposed to be a family ski trip.
The McLaughlin’s spring break vacation to Colorado’s mountains required a hard shift in plans following a historically warm and dry winter. And climatologists told USA TODAY a dangerously dry summer is expected across the West.
Alarmed civic officials across the West have already begun ordering restrictions on watering lawns, cleaning cars and even whether restaurant patrons get served glasses of water.
Longtime Western water expert Brad Udall told USA TODAY it’s hard to put into words just how bad things are.
March Madness
The UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks are the Final Four women’s teams still standing in the March Madness field. UConn will face South Carolina and UCLA takes on Texas in Phoenix, Arizona, this Friday.
Space
The Artemis II mission is NASA’s first human lunar mission in more than 50 years. The venture set to launch April 1 is a historic undertaking — one that will send the first Black man, first woman and first Canadian on a journey that will take them farther from Earth than any other human trip. Instead of touching down on the surface, the four astronauts are due to circle the moon in NASA’s Orion capsule before heading back to Earth. Get your Krispy Kreme Artemis II doughnut.
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.