Get the USA TODAY app Flying spiders explained Start the day smarter ☀️ Honor all requests?
NEWS
Donald Trump

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Editors
USA TODAY
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testifies before the Homeland Security Committee hearing on "The Way Forward on Border Security" in Washington on March 6, 2019.

Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security chief, is out amid surge at US-Mexico border

Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies as secretary of Homeland Security, is leaving her post amid tensions with some in the White House who felt she hasn't done enough to stem border crossings. Trump tweeted Sunday that Nielsen is leaving the post she has held since the end of 2017. Her departure comes as a surge of migrants has overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system in recent months. In response, Trump threatened to close the border and cut off aid to the Central American countries that migrants continue to flee. Nielsen has voiced increasing frustration at the situation, which the administration considers a national security crisis, and last week she compared it to a Category 5 hurricane.

Kidnapped American tourist rescued in Uganda, police say

American tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott and her tour guide, who were ambushed and kidnapped Tuesday in Uganda, have been rescued, Ugandan authorities said Sunday. "The duo are in good health & in the safe hands of the joint security team,'' the Ugandan police tweeted. Endicott, from Southern California, was visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park alongside Congolese guide Jean Paul Mirenge when they were abducted at gunpoint by four men who used her cellphone to contact authorities and demand a $500,000 ransom, police said. It was not known whether a ransom was paid or by whom, but U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the American government does not pay ransom for its citizens.

Democrats will 'never' see Trump's tax returns, Mulvaney says

Mick Mulvaney vowed Sunday that congressional Democrats will "never" see President Donald Trump's tax returns, characterizing attempts to view them as a "political stunt." The comments from the acting White House chief of staff came during a "Fox News Sunday" interview in which host Bill Hemmer asked whether Democrats would ever see the president's returns. "Oh, no, never. Nor should they," Mulvaney replied. Last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., asked the IRS to hand over six years of Trump’s tax returns by April 10. A lawyer for Trump asked the Treasury Department on Friday to delay the release, calling the request "a gross abuse of power."

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney stands by the Resolute desk in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 27, 2019.

March Madness comes down to Virginia vs. Texas Tech

The national championship game for men's college basketball is set, with Virginia and Texas Tech set for a Monday matchup in Minneapolis. Virginia beat Auburn 63-62 in a game for the ages Saturday night, with some controversial officiating taking center stage in the closing seconds. In the other game, Texas Tech knocked off Michigan State 61-51 to advance to the title game. Red Raiders coach Chris Beard, a journeyman himself, posed the question “why not us?” about his team’s chances against the Cavaliers. Virginia and Texas Tech ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the country in scoring defense this season, and both schools are looking for their first national title. 

Virginia guard Kyle Guy celebrates the win over Auburn with teammates.

Body found at home of missing Mouseketeer Dennis Day

A body has been found at the home of Dennis Day, an original Disney Mouseketeer who has been missing for over eight months. The remains have not been identified and the investigation is ongoing, Oregon State Police said in a statement Saturday. Day, 76, who performed on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club for two years in the mid-1950s, was once among the most famous child performers in America. He has not been seen since July, when he vanished from his small town of Phoenix, Oregon. Day's car was found in February about 200 miles away on the Oregon coast in the possession of two strangers, Phoenix police said, but there was no sign of foul play. 

Dennis Day as an original member of Disney's Mickey Mouse Club in the mid-1950s.

Baylor women hold off Notre Dame in national title thriller

Behind a typically strong performance from its frontcourt and feisty defense from its perimeter players, Baylor fended off Notre Dame, 82-81, to claim the national championship and a place in women’s college basketball history. The win against the Fighting Irish makes Baylor just the third program in Division I with three or more championships, joining Connecticut and Tennessee. The Lady Bears' previous championships came in 2005 and 2012, both under longtime head coach Kim Mulkey..

Notre Dame guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) aims for a free thrown during the second half of a women's Final Four NCAA college basketball semifinal tournament game against Connecticut, Friday, April 5, 2019, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: OTK

'SNL' sends Sudeikis' Biden to sensitivity training

Following the apology by former Vice President Joe Biden earlier this week, in which he promised to be more "mindful and respectful" amid accusations of inappropriate behavior toward women, his "SNL" persona underwent sensitivity training on Saturday's show.  "I'm a hugger, I'm a kisser and a little bit of a sniffer. But the last thing I want to do is offend anyone," Sudeikis' Biden tells his staff. The real-life Biden lamented a lack of personal connection in politics Friday during a speech in Washington, saying the capital lacks leaders willing to forge the connection needed to tackle big problems.

Suspected poacher killed by elephant, eaten by pack of lions

A skull and a pair of pants were the only remains found of a suspected rhino poacher in South Africa on Tuesday after an elephant killed the man and a pack of lions ate the body, according to South African National Parks. Relatives of the victim, whose name has not been released, notified Kruger National Park authorities after being informed by others who were with him of his fate. A two-day search for his body turned up only scant evidence at the popular reserve, but enough for officials to make an identification. Kruger National Park is a protected area, but poaching rhinos remains a major problem after the price for horns skyrocketed to $27,000 a pound – or $1,700 per ounce, $400 more than the current price of gold.

An elephant walks through the bush on the edge of Kruger National Park in South Africa on Sept. 30, 2016.

 

 

Featured Weekly Ad