Super Bowl LIII, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Groundhog Day: 5 things to know this weekend

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L.A. Rams, New England Patriots square off in Super Bowl LIII

It’s finally here. On Sunday night the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will square off in Atlanta in Super Bowl LIII (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS). Will the upstart Rams, led by a coach eight years younger than Tom Brady and a quarterback coming of age, hand the Patriots their second consecutive Super Bowl loss? Or, will the Brady and Belichick Lombardi Factory produce another historic win for New England? Our NFL staff thinks there's a clear-cut favorite. Of course, there’s more to the big game than the game itself. Maroon 5, in all their controversy, will be performing the halftime show with special guests Travis Scott and Outkast's Big Boi. And who can forget the commercials! Get all the info you need for the game right here, sit back, and enjoy!

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Virginia governor faces calls to resign over racist yearbook photo

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to face more backlash Saturday after he acknowledged that he appeared in a photo that showed a man dressed in blackface and another person wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. The photo, which appears in a 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, caused an instant firestorm encircling Northam and leading to loud, bipartisan calls for his immediate resignation. Organizations and lawmakers, including some presidential contenders in the 2020 race like Sens. Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, joined together asking him to step down. Northam, who issued video and written statements apologizing for the photo on Friday, did not intend to heed calls to resign, stating his: "absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor."

Groundhog Day: Phil predicts an early spring

In the wake of the polar vortex plunging the northern USA into a deep freeze, many meteorologists were convinced Punxsutawney Phil would predict six more weeks of winter on Groundhog Day. But instead, Phil did not see his shadow on Saturday morning, which tradition says is a sign we’re in for an early spring. The prognosticating rodent will made his call shortly before 7:30 a.m. ET on a hill outside Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, known as Gobbler's Knob. It's only the 19th time out of 123 in his recorded history that Phil hasn't been able to find his shadow.

California braces for powerful, dangerous storm

With the polar vortex in full retreat, a powerful and dangerous rainstorm is forecast to batter the western United States over the weekend, especially in California. Heavy rain could trigger mudslides, rockslides and floods, while feet of snow will bury the mountains, the National Weather Service warned. Forecasters say rain will last through Saturday as flash flooding and debris flows will be a concern, particularly near burn scar areas. "Southern California residents, in or below the recently burned areas, are urged to take the steps necessary to protect their property," the weather service said. Meanwhile, up to 10 feet of snow could fall in the Sierra Nevada, where "travel is highly discouraged." Winter storm warnings were in effect for hundreds of miles of mountainous regions of California, all the way from the Oregon border to north of Los Angeles.

'Empire' star Jussie Smollett to perform in L.A. concert days after attack

Nearly a week after Jussie Smollett said he was attacked by two masked men in what his family and Chicago police are treating as a hate crime, the "Empire" star broke his silence Friday. In his statement, obtained by USA TODAY, Smollett, 36, said he's feeling better and thanked the "outpouring of love and support" he received after the attack. On Thursday, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said detectives had recovered surveillance-camera footage of Smollett arriving home at his apartment with a rope around his neck. He said the video was recorded minutes after the actor said he was attacked. Smollett indicated he still plans to perform at a sold-out concert at the Troubador, a legendary music venue in West Hollywood, California.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Super Bowl LIII, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Groundhog Day: 5 things to know this weekend