Bad weather is back in the US forecast as April begins

After a brief break, severe weather is returning to the forecast as April begins — mainly across the central U.S., with severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding downpours all possible.

"Heavy thunderstorms this week may bring hail, damaging winds, tornadoes and flooding rain from the Plains to the Great Lakes, disrupting travel and outdoor plans into Easter weekend," saidAccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast.

At the same time, freezing rain and snow will bring a wintry feel to the far northern tier of the U.S. over the next few days.

Warmer days and blossoming flowers are signs that spring — which officially began on March 20 — is upon us. See stunning photos of scenes from spring 2026.

The Pink Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia Impetiginosa) springs to life at the Hibiscus Fountain in Palm Beach, Fla., March 5, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Light rain gathers on a car window parked near Scituate Light which is reflected in the raindrops on the windshield in in Scituate, Mass., March 16, 2026

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mist rises pond at Lakes Park, Fla., on March 24, 2026.

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See the beauty of spring in these stunning photos from across the US

Warmer days and blossoming flowers are signs thatspring— which officially began on March 20 — is upon us. See stunning photos of scenes from spring 2026.The Pink Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia Impetiginosa) springs to life at the Hibiscus Fountain in Palm Beach, Fla., March 5, 2026.

Stationary front to blame

On Tuesday, March 31, a front extended from the Northeast across the Great Lakes, Central Plains, Northern Rockies, and Northern California, which will remain nearly stationary with waves of low pressure running along the boundary through Thursday, April 2,NOAA's Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said in an online forecast.

"Tuesday's storms may bring large hail, damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes, with the greatest concentration from southern Michigan to northeast Illinois, the northern parts of Indiana and Ohio,"AccuWeathermeteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Centerhas issued a slight risk (level 2/5) of severe thunderstorms for parts of the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley through Wednesday morning, April 1.

"The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes," theWPC said.

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Freezing rain and snow to the north

"Moreover, rain/freezing rain will develop from parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley/Upper Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast on Tuesday [March 31],"the WPC said. "In addition, light snow will develop over northern Maine and over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Northern Plains."

By Wednesday, April 1, there will be patches of rain and freezing rain from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes, and a second area of rain and freezing rain over parts of the Northeast. Light snow will develop over parts of the Northern and Central Plains and the Upper Mississippi Valley on Wednesday, April 1.

Wet, stormy Wednesday for millions, forecast says

On Wednesday, April 1, the severe weather threat is forecast to shift south and consolidate over the Plains and parts of the Mississippi Valley,AccuWeather said. Severe weather is anticipated from central Texas through central and southeastern Kansas into southwestern and central Missouri.

Farther to the east, heavy thunderstorms will drench portions of the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic region Wednesday, April 1. "Along with downpours that can slow travel, some storms may produce winds strong enough to break tree branches and send trash cans and recycling bins flying," Sosnowski said.

Thursday's severe weather risk returns to Midwest

According toAccuWeather, the risk of severe weather will continue across parts of the Mississippi Valley and Plains on Thursday, April 2, and Friday, April 3, with Thursday's storms capable of producing strong wind gusts and hail from northern Arkansas to southern Michigan.

How much rain will fall? Will it help the drought?

A general 1-4 inches of rain is forecast from Texas and the north-central Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and central Appalachians, with locally higher amounts of up to 6 inches possible,Sosnowski said. "While not all of the rain will fall at once, multiple rounds of disruptive rainfall are likely."

"In drought-stricken areas, repeated rainfall may bring some relief and reduce the risk of spring wildfires."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Severe weather is back in the US forecast as April 2026 begins

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

Bad weather is back in the US forecast as April begins

After a brief break, severe weather is returning to the forecast as April begins — mainly across the central U.S., with s...

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LaGuardia controller staffing may have violated procedures on night of collision, document shows

By Doyinsola Oladipo

NEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Air traffic controller staffing at LaGuardia airport on the night an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck may have violated the facility's procedures by combining roles before midnight, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The crash at the ‌New York airport at about 11:37 p.m. ET on March 22, which killed both pilots, has revived concerns over U.S. air traffic control staffing shortages ‌and the workload of controllers across the country.

Staffing shortages, including at the supervisor level, are placing controllers into combined roles handling local air and ground traffic more often, according to several air traffic controllers ​across the country.

The National Transportation Safety Board said last week that as part of its crash investigation, it was seeking information on the duties being performed by each controller.

If the controller involved in the crash was performing both air and ground duties, that would be inconsistent with the LaGuardia tower's standard operating procedures.

An NTSB final report on a 1997 collision at LaGuardia between a private jet and a vehicle referenced new procedures being put in place afterward to ensure "local and ground positions shall not be combined prior to" midnight at ‌the New York airport.

As of 2023, the rule remained in ⁠place, according to a LaGuardia Tower Standard Operating Procedures document seen by Reuters.

"Positions at LaGuardia Tower are not to be consolidated to one position prior to midnight local time or 90 minutes after the start of the shift, whichever is later," said the 2023 ⁠document, which people familiar with the matter said remained current in 2026.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which runs U.S. air traffic control, said it "supports the NTSB on accident investigations and takes any necessary safety actions based on the evidence."

CONTROLLER DUTIES NOT CLEAR

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters last week that two controllers were working in a glass-enclosed section of the airport's control ​tower ​at the time of the accident.

There was a local controller managing the active runways and the ​immediate airspace and a controller-in-charge who was also providing pilots ‌with departure clearance, she said.

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"It is not clear who was conducting the duties of the ground controller. We have conflicting information," she said, referring to the position that manages all aircraft and vehicle movements on the taxiways, generally excluding active runways.

Multiple current and retired controllers said they believed the local controller who was managing the active runways was also handling traffic on the ground, based on audio posted by LiveATC.net.

The NTSB did not return a request for comment.

Air crash investigations typically find accidents result from multiple contributing factors, rather than a single cause.

COMBINING POSITIONS

The controller-in-charge, who is responsible for safety of operations, signed in at 10:30 p.m. while the local controller signed on ‌at 10:45 p.m., the NTSB's Homendy said.

According to the LaGuardia standard operating procedures document, the local ​and ground positions should not have been combined until midnight at the earliest.

The document also states ​positions will only be consolidated as traffic warrants. If positions are consolidated, ​as traffic volume increases, the positions will be de-combined, the document stated.

On the night of the Air Canada crash, weather-related delays resulted ‌in 70 commercial flights taking off or landing at the airport ​between 10 p.m. and 11:37 p.m., compared with ​an average of 53 in the same time frame since 2022, according to Cirium data.

Several controllers interviewed by Reuters described the workload that night as busy and said other controllers would typically be brought in or stay on past their normal shift end time to manage the heavier-than-scheduled number of flights.

The ​local and ground positions should have stayed uncombined until at ‌least midnight, said a current New York-area controller on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with media.

"And that is not ​even talking about the traffic, volume and complexity that night," he said.

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; additional reporting by David Shepardson ​in Washington and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Jamie Freed and Nick Zieminski)

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

LaGuardia controller staffing may have violated procedures on night of collision, document shows

By Doyinsola Oladipo NEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) - Air traffic controller staffing at LaGuardia airport on th...

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US journalist kidnapped in Baghdad and security forces hunt captors, Iraqi officials say

BAGHDAD (AP) — An American journalist was kidnapped Tuesday inBaghdadand Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, Iraqi officials said.

The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she worked for.

The Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement that a foreign journalist had been kidnapped, without giving more details about the person's identity.

Two Iraqi security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said the kidnapped journalist was a woman with U.S. citizenship.

They said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed and was apprehended while being pursued by authorities near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province southwest of Baghdad, and the journalist was transferred to a second car that fled the scene.

The interior ministry said that security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers, "acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations" after intercepting a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee.

One suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but others remain on the loose, the statement said.

The two security sources said the journalist was kidnapped from central Baghdad, on Saadoun Street. They added that an alert was circulated to all checkpoints, leading to a pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed southwest of Baghdad toward Babil province.

Al-Monitor, a regional news site covering the Middle East, identified the journalist kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad as Kittleson, a freelancer who contributed to the publication. In a statement, Al-Monitor said it is "deeply alarmed" by her kidnapping.

"We call for her safe and immediate release," the statement said. "We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work."

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Kittleson has been a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting extensively from Syria and Iraq.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement, "The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans" and that it is "tracking these reports."

"Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time," the statement said.

It was not immediately clear if the kidnapping was related to the ongoing regional war, but Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched regular attacks on U.S. facilities in the country since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Since the start of the war, the U.S. embassy has warned of kidnapping risks and urged citizens in the country to leave.

Iraqi militias had also kidnapped foreigners before the war.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After she was freed and handed over to U.S. authorities in September 2025, she said that she had been held by the Iran-allied Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.

The group never officially claimed responsibility for kidnapping her.

Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut, Stella Martany in Irbil, Iraq, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

US journalist kidnapped in Baghdad and security forces hunt captors, Iraqi officials say

BAGHDAD (AP) — An American journalist was kidnapped Tuesday inBaghdadand Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, ...

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Why are the same women's basketball teams in Final Four? The answer is money

Let's go back to 1996, when Pat Summitt was dominating at Tennessee, when Geno Auriemma owned just one national championship ring, when Andy Landers had the Georgia Bulldogs playing at a contending level, and when Tara VanDerveer took the year off to focus on the Olympic team but Stanford made the Final Four anyway.

The Final Four and national championship for the Women's NCAA Tournament that year was held in Charlotte, North Carolina — the only time it's ever been played in the basketball-crazed Tar Heel State. With Michelle Marciniak leading the way for the Lady Vols, Summitt won her fourth of what would be eight national titles.

It was also the only time in the history of the tournament that the same four teams made back-to-back Final Fours, with Tennessee, UConn, Georgia and Stanford all showing up in the Queen City after having met the previous year in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Until now, of course.

For the second time in the history of the tournament — which the NCAA began holding in 1982 — the same four teams will be at the Final Four: UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. A year ago in Tampa, Florida, the Huskies defeated the Gamecocks for Auriemma's 12th national championship. The Huskies and Gamecocks will face off in the first of two national semifinal games and the Bruins andLonghornswill play in the second on April 3 in Phoenix at Mortgage Matchup Arena.

This is also the fifth time in women's March Madness history that the Final Four will feature all No. 1 seeds. It last happened in 2018, a year in which Arike Ogunbowale powered Notre Dame to its second national championship.

Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of the Women's NCAA Tournament at Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.

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March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament

Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of theWomen's NCAA Tournamentat Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.

Much has been made throughout this season about the rise of parity in women's college basketball. Texas coach Vic Schaefer — who is the first coach in to take two different programs to multiple Final Fours, previously leading Mississippi State to the national title game in back-to-back seasons — talked about the increased equivalency in skill among teams after his Longhorns hammered Michigan 77-41 in the Elite Eight on Monday night.

"The parity in our game right now is at an all-time high. I think the support, the fan bases across the country, the crowds that schools are drawing, but I think the parity is what really jumps out at me," Schaefer said. "I think there are so many good players, so many good coaches. I think universities are investing in their women's basketball programs.

"This is a prime example of when you invest in something and you pour it into something and you do it the right way, you are going to get a good return."

A case could be made that parity is improving in women's basketball and the playing field has beenleveled a bit thanks to the transfer portal, NIL, revenue sharing and some universities pouring big money into their women's basketball programs.

Several teams this season ended long NCAA Tournament droughts. Texas Tech won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2005, Clemson went dancing for just the second time since 2002, Minnesota made the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, Notre Dame advanced to the Elite Eight as a No. 6 seed for the first time in Niele Ivey's tenure as head coach, and Virginia — a No. 10 seed this year — advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. All of those teams bolstered their rosters with transfers last offseason, transforming their outlooks for the year.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, however, defines parity as "the quality or state of being equal or equivalent."

And it's hard to argue Texas Tech is on the same playing field as UConn, or Clemson is capable of dominating opponents the way that UCLA has, or Virginia could hang with a team like Texas. Fans across the country saw what happened when Minnesota met the Bruins in the Sweet 16 and when the Fighting Irish clashed with the Huskies in the Elite Eight — both UCLA and UConn won by double figures.

So while parity has perhaps increased across the wide middle of the sport, it hasn't reached the very top, where — for the most part — the same four teams were behemoths from the beginning to the end of the season, save for a few regular-season upsets here and there.

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It's easy to see on the surface why the Huskies, Bruins, Longhorns and Gamecocks have separated themselves. They have great coaches and extremely talented players. UConn's Azzi Fudd, UCLA's Lauren Betts and South Carolina's Raven Johnson will all be first-round picks in the upcoming WNBA draft. Each team has multiple All-American caliber players starring for them, from UConn's Sarah Strong to Texas' duo of Madison Booker and Rori Harmon.

But a quantifiable data point that shows why these four teams have risen above the rest is money.

Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament

Matt Brown, the publisher of the Extra Points newsletter which often focuses on the intersection of business and college athletics,obtained the operating budgets for women's basketballprograms in fiscal year 2025. Want to take a guess as to where these teams landed in spending?

UConn was first, South Carolina was second, Texas was fourth and UCLA was sixth — each spending north of $9 million.

Now, these figures don't include things like NIL and revenue sharing — the money that schools can directly give to athletes now thanks to the House Settlement. But it's safe to assume if these programs are spending nearly eight figures in operating expenses, their players are probably getting healthy paychecks too.

While stationed in front of loud microphones on big stages this month in the NCAA Tournament, coaches around the country used those platforms to not-so-subtly ask for more money.

"In this day and age, we've got to have more resources to be able to fund a team. I have no idea what LSU's cap is or what their total amount is for their team, but ours is probably an eighth of it, if that," Texas Tech coach Krista Gerlich said after losing to the Tigers in the second round. "I don't have a million-dollar player on my team. That doesn't mean everything except that there's a huge difference in the level of talent. We have to have that investment to be able to compete at that level."

It's worth noting LSU — which won the national championship in 2023 and has since advanced to the second weekend of the tournament in three straight seasons — was third in operational spending in fiscal year 2025 at about $12.1 million.

"You're going to need continuous support. There's got to be an investment in your sport, because it's changing. It really is," Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks said after losing to Texas in the Sweet 16. "I am not one of those guys that's going to sit up here and say you have to have the most money to compete, but you need to be able to have the investment put into you. Then it is my job to spread it out the right way."

Texas spent about $3.4 million more than Kentucky did in fiscal year 2025. LSU spent about $4.1 million more than Texas Tech.

Those differences that Gerlich talked about were easy to see on the box scores in the Elite Eight this past weekend, where the Huskies, Bruins, Longhorns and Gamecocks won their games by an average margin of 23 points — the largest ever in that round in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

"There's more parity coming, but there's still the upper echelon of NCAA Division I women's basketball and there's the rest of us," Gerlich said. "We have to be able to fund our program in the NIL space and the rev share space to be able to compete at the level to win championships."

Texas Tech is a school thatmade no secretsabout buying its way to national title-contending status in football andsoftball. In women's basketball, the same is true — to win, schools have to spend.

Until more programs go deeper into their wallets like UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina and LSU, there will continue to be a clear separation between the championship contenders and the other teams in the sport.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Women's basketball is seeing more parity, but not at the Final Four

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

Why are the same women's basketball teams in Final Four? The answer is money

Let's go back to 1996, when Pat Summitt was dominating at Tennessee, when Geno Auriemma owned just one national champ...

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The 2026 Masters: What to know about the first major of the year

The Masters, golf's most prestigious major, tees off in just over a week, and with a star-studded field of 93 players, the competition promises to be as fierce as ever.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy looks to etch his name into history by joining the elite club of multiple green jacket winners after an impressive 2025 victory that helped him complete the career Grand Slam. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters as the heavy favorite, backed by a dominant start to 2026 that includes his victory at the American Express in January.

Also firmly in the conversation is 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm. The LIV Golf standout has played five events this season, posting a top-five finish in each appearance.

Collin Morikawa arrives in strong form, having claimed his seventh PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and added a top-five finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He has been equally impressive at Augusta National, finishing T-3rd in 2024, his second top-five result in his last four Masters appearances.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Masters.

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Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy after winning the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Feb. 1: Justin Rose holds the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course - South Course.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 25: Scottie Scheffler holds up the trophy after winning The American Express tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 18: Chris Gotterup holds the championship trophy after winning the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.

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Golfers who have won PGA Tour events in 2026 season

Feb. 8: Chris Gotterup raises the trophy afterwinning the WM Phoenix Opengolf tournament at TPC Scottsdale.

More:Gary Woodland wins PGA Tour's Houston Open 2.5 years after brain surgery

When is the 2026 Masters?

The 90th annual Masters Tournament will tee off on Thursday, April 9, with the winner being awarded the green jacket on Sunday, April 12.

How to watch the 2026 Masters?

The 2026 Masters will be broadcast across CBS, Golf Channel, and ESPN, with additional coverage available through the Masters App and Masters.com. Below is the complete viewing schedule, according to themasters.com:

First round on Thursday, April 9:

All times Eastern.

• Masters.com/Masters App: 1-7:30 p.m.

• ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes: 3-7:30 p.m.

• Prime Video: 1-3 p.m.

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. / 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Second round on Friday, April 10:

• Masters.com/Masters App: 1-7:30 p.m.

• ESPN, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes: 3-7:30 p.m.

• Prime Video: 1-3 p.m.

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. / 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Third round on Saturday, April 11:

• Masters.com/Masters App: noon-7 p.m.

• Paramount+: noon-2 p.m. and 2-7 p.m.

• CBS: 2-7 p.m.

• ESPN Deportes: 5-6 p.m

• Golf Channel: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. / 7 p.m. -9 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Final round on Sunday, April 12:

• Masters.com/Masters App: noon-7 p.m.

• Paramount+: noon-2 p.m. and 2-7 p.m.

• CBS: 2-7 p.m.

• ESPN Deportes: 5-6 p.m

• Golf Channel: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. / 7 p.m. -9 p.m. (Live From The Masters)

Who is playing in the Masters?

2026 Masters field

(A) - denotes amateur

• Ludvig Aberg

• Daniel Berger

• Akshay Bhatia

• Keegan Bradley

• Michael Brennan

• Jacob Bridgeman

• Sam Burns

• Angel Cabrera

• Brian Campbell

• Patrick Cantlay

• Wyndham Clark

• Corey Conners

• Fred Couples

• Jason Day

• Bryson DeChambeau

• Nicolas Echavarria

• Harris English

• Ethan Fang (A)

• Matt Fitzpatrick

• Tommy Fleetwood

• Ryan Fox

• Sergio Garcia

• Ryan Gerard

• Chris Gotterup

• Max Greyserman

• Ben Griffin

• Harry Hall

• Brian Harman

• Tyrrell Hatton

• Russell Henley

• Jackson Herrington (A)

• Nicolai Hojgaard

• Rasmus Hojgaard

• Brandon Holtz (A)

• Max Homa

• Viktor Hovland

• Mason Howell (A)

• Sungjae Im

• Casey Jarvis

• Dustin Johnson

• Zach Johnson

• Naoyuki Kataoka

• John Keefer

• Si Woo Kim

• Michael Kim

• Kurt Kitayama

• Jake Knapp

• Brooks Koepka

• Fifa Laopakdee (A)

• Min Woo Lee

• Haotong Li

• Shane Lowry

• Robert MacIntyre

• Hideki Matsuyama

• Matt McCarty

• Rory McIlroy

• Tom McKibbin

• Maverick McNealy

• Phil Mickelson

• Collin Morikawa

• Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen

• Alex Noren

• Andrew Novak

• José María Olazábal

• Carlos Ortiz

• Marco Penge

• Aldrich Potgieter

• Mateo Pulcini (A)

• Jon Rahm

• Aaron Rai

• Patrick Reed

• Kristoffer Reitan

• Davis Riley

• Justin Rose

• Xander Schauffele

• Scottie Scheffler

• Charl Schwartzel

• Adam Scott

• Vijay Singh

• Cameron Smith

• J.J. Spaun

• Jordan Spieth

• Samuel Stevens

• Sepp Straka

• Nick Taylor

• Justin Thomas

• Sami Valimaki

• Bubba Watson

• Mike Weir

• Danny Willett

• Gary Woodland

• Tiger Woods

• Cameron Young

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Masters 2026: What to know, how to watch first major of the year

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

The 2026 Masters: What to know about the first major of the year

The Masters, golf's most prestigious major, tees off in just over a week, and with a star-studded field of 93 players...

Read More

Here's a look at birthright citizenship, and how the world sees it, as Supreme Court case looms

The Supreme Court isonce againhearing arguments on whetherPresident Donald Trumpcandeny citizenshipto children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily.

Supreme Court Religious Speech

The Wednesday case stems from an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term ending what's known as birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil.

While the concept has been part of U.S. law for well over a century, it is relatively rare around the world.

What is birthright citizenship?

Birthright citizenship is based on the legal principle of jus soli, or "right of soil."

In the U.S., the right was enshrined in the Constitution after the Civil War, in part to ensure that former slaves would be citizens.

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States," the 14th Amendment states.

In the late 1800s,birthright citizenship was legally expandedto the children of immigrants.

Wong Kim Ark, who was born in the U.S. to Chinese parents, sued after traveling overseas and being denied reentry into the U.S. The Supreme Court eventually ruled that the amendment gives citizenship to everyone born in the U.S., no matter their parents' legal status.

Today there are only a handful of birthright exceptions, such as for children born in the U.S. to foreign diplomats.

How is birthright citizenship seen around the world?

Only about three dozen countries, nearly all of them in the Americas, guarantee citizenship to children born on their territory.

Most countries follow the principle of jus sanguinis, or "right of blood," with a child's citizenship based on the citizenship of their parents, no matter where they are born.

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None of the 27 member states of the European Union, for example, grant automatic, unconditional citizenship to children born on their territories to foreign citizens. The situation is similar across much of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Some countries take a mixed approach

Some countries use a combination of principles, such as parenthood, residency and ethnicity, to decide a child's citizenship.

Australia, for example, allowed birthright citizenship until 1986. But starting that August, children born there could only become citizens if at least one parent was an Australian citizen or a permanent resident.

Things shifted the other way in Germany, which changed its citizenship laws in 2024.

Until then, citizenship by birth required that at least one parent was German. Starting in 2024, though, children born in Germany to non-German parents are automatically granted German citizenship if one parent has been legally living in the country for more than five years with unlimited residency status.

Citizenship laws were liberalized because "studies have shown that the education prospects of children and teenagers with a migration background are better, the sooner they were granted German citizenship," the government wrote at the time.

What is the Trump administration's argument?

Supporters of birthright restrictions in the U.S. focus on a handful of words in the constitutional amendment: "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

That phrase, they argue, means the U.S. can deny citizenship to children born to women who are in the country illegally.

A series of judges have ruled against the administration and the order has been repeatedly put on hold bylowercourts.

Wednesday's case originated inNew Hampshire, where a U.S. district judge ruled the order "likely violates" both the Constitution and federal law.

AP reporter Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this story from Berlin.

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

Here's a look at birthright citizenship, and how the world sees it, as Supreme Court case looms

The Supreme Court isonce againhearing arguments on whetherPresident Donald Trumpcandeny citizenshipto children born to pa...

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As Putin takes Russia off the grid, there are growing signs of discontent

Russians might be getting fed up with the Kremlinmaking their lives harder and more isolatedin the name of security.

A rare call for protests over the weekend followed mounting signs of anger and ridicule aimed at authorities, with pro-Kremlin influencers and newspapers joining a growing wave of public frustration at the government's approach.

A majormobile internet blackout in Moscowand thethrottling of the popular messaging app Telegram, both justified by ambiguous security considerations, helped fuel the rare public criticism over this erosion of digital freedoms and connectivity. It comes against the backdrop of soaring prices and an ailing wartime economy, withlittle sign of major battlefield progress in Ukraine.

Memes on TikTok and Instagram ridiculed Russians resorting to paper maps and pagers in the absence of mobile internet, or walking around the capital with satellite antennas strapped to their laptops.

Others went beyond satire, calling on their compatriots to gather in protest over the weekend. While authorities did not approve any public rallies, at least 20 people were detained for protesting digital restrictions across Russia on Sunday, a rights group said.

President Vladimir Putin "really wants every Russian citizen to feel alone and rejected," information technology specialist Alexander Isavnin said.

"He wants them to keep their discontent inside and feel like they are the only ones not happy about what is going on," Isavnin, 49, told NBC News, explaining why he was among those who tried — and failed — to get approval for protests in the capital and the Moscow region.

"We basically live in a digital concentration camp," he said.

Engaging in any form of protest has become increasingly dangerous sincea crackdown on free speech was intensifiedfollowing the2022 invasion of Ukraine. Even before the war, mass gatherings had to be sanctioned by local authorities. Most are still denied on grounds likeCovidrestrictions, which don't seem to apply to government-approved events.

Still, the increasing limits on digital freedoms appear to have hit a nerve with many Russians, despite the Kremlin's long-standing drive for greater control of their lives.

With state television and media heavily censored, the internet is one of the last bastions of freedom and a source of independent information for millions, although many foreign sites have been banned since the war.

Activist and political strategist Dmitry Kisiev was among those calling for mass gatherings March 29, a symbolic reference to Article 29 of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought and speech.

Kisiev, 31, said local activists had submitted applications to hold rallies in 17 regions across Russia. They were all denied, he said, including some that were initially given the go-ahead. Despite that, the OVD-Info protest monitoring group said Tuesday that at least 25 people were arrested across Russia for protesting digital restrictions Sunday, 18 of them in Moscow. The group also reported detentions ahead of Sunday of people who tried to apply to hold a protest.

Protests could show those who don't agree with the restrictions "that there are other like-minded individuals," Kisiev said.

NBC News reached out to more than a dozen Russians to ask what they think about the calls for protests. Most did not respond, while some declined to speak, without providing a reason.

Earlier this year,some Russians saidthey feared the Kremlin was preparing the public for a "North Korea" model of the internet, heavily controlled and censored by the state. "I don't think the Russian public will accept this," Kisiev said, given how central the internet has become to the lives of millions in the country.

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Russian authorities have said that mobile internet outages are necessary to stop attacks by Ukrainian drones, and that Telegram is turning into a breeding ground for terrorism.

These justifications are "absurd," Kisiev said, adding that the real motivation seems obvious. "The government is intentionally killing the internet so that users don't use foreign resources and get alternative information," he said.

'Bring back the internet'

Russian authorities have touted the merits of a life without the internet, arguing it's an opportunity for a "digital detox" and more face-to-face interaction.

A popular game show that aired on a Russian state TV channel as calls for protests grewearlier this monthfeatured a children's choir, with members dancing enthusiastically and singing about how they don't need the internet. "The monitor's blue screen won't ruin my dinner," they crooned.

But despite this effort from the Kremlin, there is a huge appetite from the public for a way to vent frustration about the mounting restrictions, said politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried torun for president against Putin in 2024and whose campaign was overseen by Kisiev.

Nadezhdin said in a phone interview that he supported the protests and had personally applied with authorities in the capital and the wider Moscow region for gatherings of up to 10,000 people. All his requests were turned down citing Covid concerns, he said.

"The slogans are clear," he said. "Bring back the internet, bring back Telegram, we don't need your MAX," he said, referring to the so-called national messenger increasingly imposed on Russians by the Kremlin. Critics say the app could be used for mass surveillance.

Taxi driver Alexey Popov applied for a protest against internet censorship in his Siberian town of Yakutsk. It was originally sanctioned for Monday, but that permission was later withdrawn, Popov, 27, told NBC News. The refusal letter from the municipal authorities, viewed by NBC News, stated that Popov could not hold a rally on any date because of "considerable attention" to the event from "destructive individuals."

Popov said he was under no illusion that the protests would persuade the Kremlin not to further crack down, but said he didn't want to give "silent approval" to what the government is doing. "We don't agree with what is going on and we want to express that," he said.

Popov said on a Telegram channel he runs that he was detained Saturday and then released Monday. He told NBC News he was detained for disobeying police, a charge he disputes.

'Wall of mistrust'

The indignation has also been expressed by those either aligned with the Kremlin or normally not politically involved.

The growing restrictions have come in parallel with outrage over the mass extermination of livestock in Siberia, which has wreaked havoc on local farmers, due to what authorities said was an infectious pasteurellosis outbreak.

A lack of communication by the government appears to be at the core of these complaints.

"The wall of mistrust and misunderstanding between the people and the government is growing," pro-Kremlin journalist Anastasia Kashevarova wrote in a post on Telegram last week, as she warned that public revolt was the "fastest way to destroy Russia."

Awell-known Kremlin loyalist unexpectedly turned against Putinearlier this month, then landed in a psychiatric hospital. Ilya Remeslo cited the Kremlin's "strangling of internet and media freedoms" as a sign the Russian leader had lost grip on reality.

Famous Russian blogger Victoria Bonya, known for fitness videos shared with nearly 13 million subscribers on Instagram, also complained about official communication on internet restrictions, as well as the livestock crisis and soaring prices affecting ordinary Russians. "Is the commander-in-chief, Vladimir Putin, aware of what is happening with the country or not?" she questioned in one of her videos earlier this month, in rare public criticism of the Russian leader.

And a pro-Kremlin newspaper recently came out with an unusually critical editorial. "The number of meaningless bans per capita is already off the charts. And again, no sensible explanations," Moskovsky Komsomolets said earlier this month. It questioned whether authorities "consider us to be small children, unwise enough to explain anything to us and trust us."

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 31, 2026

As Putin takes Russia off the grid, there are growing signs of discontent

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