NEWS

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert.“A horse! a horse! My kingdom for a horse!”

Quick look at Wednesday’s news:

Polarizing politics could be driving Tesla’s worst Q1 in years

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday he would scale back his government role starting in May, adding he expected his time allocation to the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency initiative to drop significantly. The move comes as Tesla’s net income for the quarter was down 71% after a decline in vehicle deliveries, with the car company battling growing competition from foreign brands, shifting trade policies and growing backlash to the brand after Musk aligned himself with the Trump administration. Elon Musk attributed some of Tesla’s struggles to “rapidly evolving trade policy.”

Francis’ funeral less lavish but keeps some traditions

The body of Pope Francis, laid out in an open coffin, was carried in a solemn procession Wednesday morning from his residence within the walls of the Vatican City to St. Peter’s Basilica. As the coffin crossed St. Peter’s Square, a crowd of several thousand broke into repeated applause. Follow live updates this morning from USA TODAY.

More on Pope Francis’ passing:

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Harvey Weinstein returns to court

Harvey Weinstein, whose 2020 rape conviction struck the gavel on the #MeToo movement’s legal impact, is back in court to revisit the since-overturned ruling. Opening arguments are expected on Wednesday in Weinstein’s new trial on rape and sexual assault charges in Manhattan, a year after a state appeals court overturned the former movie mogul’s 2020 conviction. Weinstein’s retrial will cover two charges of assault and one of rape stemming from allegations by three different women: two who allege Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex in 2006 and one who alleges he raped her in 2013. The trial is expected to last roughly six weeks.

Families with civil rights complaints say Education Department left them in limbo

The U.S. Department of Education’s Chicago office called Amy Cupp in December to learn more about the case of her daughter. School staff had restrained or secluded her daughter 29 times for a total of more than 23 hours in just the few months since the school year began. A month later on Jan. 14 – days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration – they sent her an email saying the case was progressing.

• The news gave Cupp hope, but it was short-lived. The department’s regional civil rights office that was handling her case then closed as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle the agency. Cupp is now among several families in a suit calling out an “attack” on the department’s Office for Civil Rights and its ability to process complaints and investigations.

Today’s talkers

A college athlete’s death questions role of the NCAA in player safety

Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. was an 18-year-old freshman college football player when he collapsed July 10, 2024, on the first day of the Bucknell football team’s workouts. He died two days later in a hospital, and a medical examiner’s autopsy and a private autopsy both cited sickle cell trait as a cause. Dickey had been diagnosed in 2024 with the sickle cell trait, which has been linked to the deaths of 14 college football players since 2000, according to the National Registry of Catastrophic Sports Injuries. Check out USA TODAY Sports’ look at new questions about negligence and how to prevent similar deaths among college athletes.

Photo of the day: Jumping for joy

Clemson softball pulled off a program first on Tuesday night, knocking off top-ranked Tennessee with a 4-3 win in nine innings on the road. The Tigers capitalized on a handful of key miscues to make history with their first-ever victory over a No. 1 opponent

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at [email protected].