Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Biden prompts concern after saying Putin 'cannot remain in power'

Hours after President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear the United States does not plan to pursue regime change in Russia. "I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else," Blinken said Sunday. In a sweeping and forceful speech, Biden on Saturday cast the war in Ukraine as part of an ongoing battle for freedom and ended with a blunt call for Putin to be stopped. "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said during a visit to Warsaw, Poland. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, “It’s not up to the president of the U.S. and not up to the Americans to decide who will remain in power in Russia."

Analysts warned that Biden’s remark could ripple across the NATO alliance as Western leaders try to get Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In a worst-case scenario, the Russian leader could expand the conflict on the grounds that he is protecting his country's interests.

• Opinion: Biden stated the obvious that Putin must not remain in power, free to destroy Ukraine

• Republicans are backing Ukraine in the war. So why is there support for Russia on America's far right?

More than 19,000 people forced to flee Boulder wildfire

Fire crews on Sunday gained ground on a fast-moving wildfire that had burned within 1,000 yards of homes a day earlier in Boulder, Colorado. The blaze, which had forced 19,400 residents to flee Saturday, was 21% contained Sunday morning and most evacuation orders had been lifted. A quick initial attack “combined with all of the fuels mitigation treatments that we’ve done in this area is one of the reasons that we’ve had such great success,” incident commander Mike Smith said Sunday. The site of the wildfire is not far from the location of a destructive 2021 blaze that destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Residents were ordered to evacuate quickly and stay off roads as firefighters manned the fire lines.

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• Country singer-songwriter Jeff Carson, who later became a police officer, dies at 58

Men's NCAA: No. 15 Saint Peter's has its Cinderella run ended by UNC

The men's NCAA Tournament will have four bluebloods playing in the Final Four. Duke and Villanova each advanced on Saturday, with the Blue Devils beating Arkansas and the Wildcats beating Houston. Duke's victory means the Blue Devils can still win a sixth national championship for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will retire at the end of the tournament. No. 1 seed Kansas defeated No. 10 Miami (Fla.) thanks to a strong second half. No. 8 North Carolina secured the last Final Four spot by defeating No. 15 Saint Peter's on Sunday, 69-49, setting up a matchup with rival Duke in national semifinals.

• Saturday's Elite Eight winners, losers: Duke looks like a national title favorite.

Academy Awards: 'CODA' wins best picture, Will Smith wins best actor

Heartwarming AppleTV+ dramedy "CODA" took home the award for best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday. Members of the film also won awards for best adapted screenplay (Siân Heder) and best supporting actor (Troy Kotsur). In the best actor category, Will Smith took home the Oscar for his role in "King Richard." "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me. It's about being able to shine light to all of the people...to the entire cast and crew of 'King Richard,'" an emotional Smith said during his acceptance speech. Minutes before his best actor win was announced, Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith and her lack of hair. See our roundup for a complete list of tonight's winners.

• Oscars 2022: All the best photos from the Academy Awards show

• 'A place for us': Why Ariana DeBose's Oscar win is a major victory for LGBTQ community

• Will Smith apologizes to Oscars after hitting Chris Rock onstage: 'Love will make you do crazy things'

US Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska announces resignation

Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska resigned from office on Saturday after a California jury convicted him of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national. In a letter to the House, Fortenberry said he was resigning from Congress, effective March 31. Fortenberry was indicted in October after authorities said he lied to FBI agents in two separate interviews about his knowledge of an illegal $30,000 contribution from his campaign from a foreign billionaire. Fortenberry’s announcement followed concerted pressure from political leaders in Nebraska and Washington for him to step down. His withdrawal from the primary leaves state Sen. Mike Flood as the likely GOP nominee.

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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Academy Awards, Ukraine, March Madness, Jeff Carson: Biggest news you missed