Daily Briefing: An aspiring pediatrician. 'Phenomenal daughter.' Beloved 'leader'

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
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Family and friends mourned the deaths of three Michigan State University students killed in a Monday night shooting that critically wounded five others. Also in the news: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has announced her 2024 presidential bid and earthquake rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria are growing more desperate.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. A massive asteroid’s approach "close" to Earth will still be pretty far from you.

Here's Wednesday's news.

Michigan State community mourns shooting victims

One student was a fraternity chapter president. Another was a science student with fond memories of her days as a high-school athlete — and the third was a frequent volunteer who wanted to become a pediatrician. Family and friends mourned the deaths of Arielle Anderson, 19, Alexandria Verner, 20, and Brian Fraser, the three Michigan State University students killed in a Monday night shooting that critically wounded five others. Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, the gunman with a previous gun violation, fatally shot himself hours later when police, alerted by a tipster who recognized the suspect in photos, confronted him about 5 miles away from the East Lansing campus. Read more

Students gather where flowers are being left at the Spartan Statue on the grounds of Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan.
Students gather where flowers are being left at the Spartan Statue on the grounds of Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan.

Unidentified flying objects might have been research or commercial balloons

Three unidentified flying objects shot down from North American airspace could turn out to be balloons used for research or commercial purposes that posed no direct threat to the U.S., a White House spokesman said Tuesday. No one has come forward to claim responsibility. And there are still a number of unanswered questions. But spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. hasn’t seen any indication that points directly to the objects being part of China’s spy balloon program, even though they were shot down about a week after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the Atlantic coast. Read more

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) talks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. Republicans were critical of President Joe Biden's response to the U.S. Military's downing of four unidentified objects that entered North American airspace in the last eight days and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) re-emphasized that the country would not default on its debts by failing to raise the debt limit.

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Nikki Haley announces 2024 presidential bid

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley launched the presidential bid she had been teasing for weeks, tweeting out a video Tuesday saying that, yes, she is indeed seeking the White House. In a video her campaign put out a day before her scheduled announcement speech in Charleston, Haley sketches out her biography and attacks President Joe Biden and the Democrats – but says nothing about Donald Trump, at least not directly. At the end of the video, Haley sends a potential message to the volatile Trump by asserting she will fight back against "bullies;" she also references the fact she may be the only woman in the Republican presidential field. Read more

Nikki Haley announces run for presidency
Nikki Haley announces run for presidency

Death toll tops 41,000 as desperation grows after earthquake in Turkey, Syria

Desperation and loss were growing Tuesday as frantic rescue workers continue their increasingly futile efforts to recover survivors trapped by the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria last week. Speaking with USA TODAY from a car leaving the city of Antakya after a week of rescues, rescue worker Salam Aldeen said international aid groups are helping desperate Turkish rescue teams working around the clock. "I have never seen so much death and so many dead bodies in my entire life," he said, crying as he spoke. "The conditions are like in an Armageddon movie; it’s unbelievable." Read more

Rescue worker Salam Aldeen, left, rides in excavator bucket with a body recovered from the rubble of the earthquakes in Turkey in Antakya in this undated photo.
Rescue worker Salam Aldeen, left, rides in excavator bucket with a body recovered from the rubble of the earthquakes in Turkey in Antakya in this undated photo.

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Why a derailment disaster like in Ohio could happen more often

A new safety rule to govern the transport of hazardous materials was fought by industry lobbyists, including Norfolk Southern Corp., the Atlanta-based company whose train derailed in eastern Ohio and spilled chemicals earlier this month, leaving residents in East Palestine worried about their air, soil and water quality.

Efforts to reduce costs including lobbying against costly regulation, increasing train lengths, reduced inspection times and major cuts to the railroad workforce have made trains less safe, labor representatives and industry experts told USA TODAY, increasing the potential for accidents like the one in Ohio to become more common.

  • How often do train wrecks spill hazardous chemicals into neighborhoods? Over the last five years, federal inspectors have flagged 36% more hazmat violations compared with the five years prior – and fines for those are up 16%.

  • What is precision scheduled railroading? Railroad operators have seen increasing competition from long-haul truck drivers for transporting goods to such a degree that over the last decades, executives have instituted a business philosophy known as precision scheduled railroading, which has led to longer, heavier trains crisscrossing the nation’s railroad tracks in the name of efficiency and better shareholder returns.

A Feb. 4 drone photo shows portions of a Norfolk Southern Railroad freight train that derailed the previous night in East Palestine, Ohio.
A Feb. 4 drone photo shows portions of a Norfolk Southern Railroad freight train that derailed the previous night in East Palestine, Ohio.

📷 Photo of the day: New York Fashion Week Day 5 📷

On it's second-to-last-day, New York Fashion Week celebrated Valentine's Day with a gush-worthy gaggle of unforgettable looks, starting with American designer Brandon Maxwell, who unveiled a chic assortment of semiformal wear. Click here for more photos from the festivities.

  • More fashion news: Pharrell Williams named creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, taking place of Virgil Abloh.

Fashion from Brandon Maxwell is modeled during Fashion Week, Tuesday Feb. 14, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) ORG XMIT: NYBM215
Fashion from Brandon Maxwell is modeled during Fashion Week, Tuesday Feb. 14, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) ORG XMIT: NYBM215

One more thing

Making the traditional Super Bowl MVP's trip to Disneyland, Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittney pose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle with their children, Sterling, 1, and Bronze, 11 weeks.
Making the traditional Super Bowl MVP's trip to Disneyland, Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittney pose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle with their children, Sterling, 1, and Bronze, 11 weeks.

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: MSU shooting, Nikki Haley, Ohio train derailment, earthquake, Patrick Mahomes: Daily Briefing