Daily Briefing: I-95 has no quick fix in sight

Current damage is estimated to leave the Philadelphia section of I-95 unusable for months. Also in the news: In a grievance-filled speech following his arraignment, former President Donald Trump viciously attacked his prosecutions as political. The Vegas Golden Knights have scored a first-ever Stanley Cup victory.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. What do the Taco Bell-themed Crocs look like?

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

I-95 disaster is a fiery physics lesson

The collapse of an I-95 overpass  in Philadelphia has indefinitely shut down a seven-mile stretch of the interstate in both directions, impacting local traffic and cutting off a portion of the East Coast's primary highway.

The damage is the result of building materials coming into contact with intense and prolonged heat.

• The physics of it all: Steel girders and concrete used in bridges lose strength when they reach extreme temperatures. Sunday's fire, which ignited when a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped on an I-95 off-ramp under the overpass, is estimated to have burned as hot as 2,000 °F, leading to the collapse.

• While a state disaster declaration helps start rebuilding, experts say it will take months to fix the interstate, which still has to be fully inspected in order to find out the extent of the damage.  A lot still has to fall into place, experts say, including the money, workforce and materials needed for a swift completion.

Trump turns court day into campaign event

Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first president, former or current, to be booked on federal criminal charges. While en route to the Miami courtroom, Trump used his social media megaphone to cast the indictment as an act of political persecution before his lawyer entered a not guilty plea before the judge. The former president then returned to his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey and told supporters that Tuesday was "a day of infamy" for America. In his speech, Trump made clear that he will make the charges a central part of his 2024 campaign, claiming without evidence that Democrats are targeting him via the legal system. Read more

• Protesters gather outside the Miami courthouse for ''historical'' arraignment.

• After the arraignment: Donald Trump lashed out, asking voters to stick with him.

• Trump is barred from discussing the case with his ''body man'' and witnesses. Will that stop him?

• E. Jean Carroll may seek more damages against Trump in a defamation suit.

More news to know now

• The Fed likely to skip next rate hike today but signal it's not done, economists say.

• A Los Angeles city councilmember was charged with 10 counts, including embezzlement and perjury.

• Young activists are taking the state of Montana to court over climate change inaction.

• American Airlines will now charge basic economy passengers to check bags on all tickets.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, how airlines are taking more data from passengers. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Vegas Golden Knights capture first Stanley Cup title

The Golden Knights routed the Florida Panthers 9-3 to capture the franchise's first NHL championship Tuesday night. The Panthers had pulled off upset after upset to reach the Final, but fell to the deep Golden Knights, who went efficiently through the playoffs, winning their title in 22 games. Captain Mark Stone scored a hat trick, the first in a Stanley Cup Final since 1996, and the Golden Knights pulled away in a dominant second period. Read more

Russian forces continue aerial strikes amid Ukraine's counteroffensive

Officials say Russian forces have fired cruise missiles at the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight and shelling has destroyed homes in the eastern Donetsk region, killing at least six people and injuring more than a dozen others. The attacks come after Russia brought the war strikingly close to home for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, launching an overnight attack that killed 11 people and injured 36 in his native Kryvyi Rih, officials said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday Ukraine has sustained “catastrophic’’ losses during its nascent counteroffensive. Read more

Just for subscribers:

• Two Michigan State students wounded in a mass shooting are suing the university.

• Opinion: Hating Brittney Griner for going to a Russian jail, but loving LIV golfers. This is us.

• The SBC embarked on sexual abuse reforms last year. What's at stake at 2023 meeting?

• Treacherous jungles, bribes: What asylum seekers endured before arriving at New York hotels.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

House passes bill to prevent government ban on gas stoves

The House on Tuesday voted to pass legislation that prevents the federal government from banning gas stoves. The gas stove debate began last year after a study linked gas stove usage to increased risk of childhood asthma, and the commissioner of the independent Consumer Product Safety Commission floated a future ban on the stoves. However, the chair of the commission announced there were never plans to implement a ban. But Republicans claim Democrats and President Joe Biden's administration are attacking the stoves. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., accused Democrats of "targeting gas stoves," calling it a "radical, insane and painful overreach." Read more

Quick hits

• Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ''The Road,'' has died at 89.

• Trevor Bauer faces another sexual assault allegation, which he denies.

• Kairan Quazi, 14, is the newest team member of SpaceX.

• Ezra Miller thanked the cast and Warner Bros. execs for ''grace'' at ''The Flash'' premiere amid their legal trouble.

• Google Search agreed to pay a $23 million settlement and you may be entitled to a portion.

Photo of the day: Why are orcas attacking boats?

Tales of orca ambushes have started gaining more traction online as reported incidents off the Iberian coast jumped from 52 in 2020 to more than 200 last year, researchers say. Experts think the rest of the population could be mimicking the behavior. Read more

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 NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I-95 collapse, Trump arraignment, Stanley Cup Final, gas stove ban, Ezra Miller: Daily Briefing