Daily Briefing: Was it 'tragic human error'?

The stationmaster charged in Greece's deadliest train crash allegedly directed the two trains traveling in opposite directions onto the same track. Also in the news: Highlights from Donald Trump and Nikki Haley's speeches at CPAC and disability rights activist Judy Heumann has died at 75.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Watching the "Last of Us" and starting to think I need a survival kit.

Here we go with Monday's headlines.

Stationmaster in Greece train crash charged

A stationmaster accused of causing Greece’s deadliest train disaster was charged with negligent homicide and jailed pending trial Sunday, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized for any responsibility Greece’s government may bear for the tragedy. Mitsotakis said last week the crash resulted from “tragic human error," launching opposition parties to accuse the prime minister of trying to cover up the state’s role and making the inexperienced stationmaster a scapegoat. At least 57 people, many of them in their teens and 20s, were killed when a northbound passenger train and a southbound freight train collided late Tuesday north of the city of Larissa, in central Greece. Read more

• U.S. train safety: Second Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio shines congressional spotlight on rail industry.

Trump at CPAC says indictment wouldn't push him out of 2024 race

During his visit to this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, former President Donald Trump made clear he would stay in the 2024 race even if prosecutors in Atlanta and/or Washington, D.C., bring charges against him over efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss. "I won’t even think about leaving,” Trump told reporters before a CPAC speech in which he attacked the "establishment" of Democrats and Republicans, and accused prosecutors of seeking to derail his presidential bid. “Probably, it’ll enhance my numbers," Trump added. Read more

• More from CPAC: Donald Trump and Nikki Haley were there, but Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence weren't.

• Haley used her CPAC stage to attack President Joe Biden and "socialist" Democrats.

More news to know now

• 📰 Police don't always rush to find missing children. In some cities, anyone over 10 is on their own.

• 🖊 A bill banning state abortion clinic operations will be signed by Utah's governor.

• 🟡 Is Russia running out of ammo? Here's our latest recap from Ukraine.

• 👑 Will Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan go to King Charles III's coronation?

• 👀 March Madness Bubble Watch: Does anyone feel bad for UNC, Pitt or the ACC as a whole?

• 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, USA TODAY Investigative Reporter Gina Barton looks at what determines how police look for missing children. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

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

Senate revisits Equal Rights Amendment after 40 years

Decades after Congress set in motion the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, the movement to solidify equality under the law is gaining new life on Capitol Hill.

What is the ERA? The Equal Rights Amendment states: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

• This isn't already law? Nope. Congress first approved a resolution formally proposing the amendment in 1972, triggering the requirement that 38 states ratify it before enshrinement to the U.S. Constitution. Lawmakers set a seven-year deadline for the ratification process, then extended it by another three years.

• Only 35 states adopted the amendment by the extended 10-year deadline. But in 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, meeting the threshold required but doing so nearly four decades after the deadline lapsed.

• The House in 2020 and 2021 voted to remove the expired deadline to ratify the amendment after the 38-state threshold had been met, but the Justice Department under former President Donald Trump's administration claimed it would not be possible because the deadline expired.

👉 Now, lawmakers are considering a joint resolution that would repeal a deadline to ratify the ERA so that it can be enshrined in the Constitution. 

Winter weather update: Teen hikers rescued in Southern California amid massive snow

Two teenage hikers were rescued after days stuck in the Southern California mountains, according to a family member. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department dispatched a helicopter to track down the two teenagers. According to Cesar Ramirez, his 17-year-old son and friend had planned a 10-day trek but were stranded in the mountains east of Los Angeles after the storm brought a foot-load of snow. “They’ve told us, ‘We were already convinced we were going to die,’” said Ramirez, of Cypress, California, The Associated Press reported Saturday. Click here to read more winter weather updates from across the nation.

• Snow in Hawaii? ''It has been a long time'' since this much snow was seen on a Hawaii volcano.

Just for subscribers:

• 🟧 Biden's new asylum policy faces criticism as officials prepare to do away with another controversial rule.

• ✏ Fighting an oppressive regime while earning PhDs, these Iranian students balance two lives.

• 🔔 A patient left legally blind in 2013 hasn't seen a dime of a $21M malpractice award. Here's why.

• 🥩 The birthplace of goetta? This 146-year-old butcher shop has quite the case.

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

Renowned disability rights activist Judy Heumann dies at 75

Judy Heumann, a renowned activist who helped secure legislation protecting the rights of disabled people, has died at age 75. Heumann, who lost her ability to walk at age 2 after contracting polio, has been called the “mother of the disability rights movement” for her longtime advocacy on behalf of disabled people through protests and legal action, her website says. She lobbied for legislation that eventually led to the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Read more about Heumann's life and legacy.

• Airlines need to stop treating mobility equipment as luggage, disabled traveler says.

• Women's History Month: Jeannette Rankin was elected to Congress before women had the right to vote.

📷 Photo of the day: 2023 Independent Spirit Awards 📷

"Everything Everywhere All at Once" dominated the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards Saturday, sweeping the major categories with seven awards. Oscar-nominated Michelle Yeoh was emotional accepting the best lead performance award in the gender-neutral awards. The cast and crew of "Everything Everywhere" also won for best feature. Click here for more photos from the ceremony.

One more thing

• 👁 A South Carolina woman's arrest draws attention to the criminalization of self-managed abortions.

• ➡ A first-of-its-kind mental health center in Ukraine aims to heal as ''part of our survival.''

• ⚠ Counseling service BetterHelp shared customer health data with Facebook and Snapchat, FTC says.

• 🎸 Who is Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough? Now she's rocking TV's ''Daisy Jones & the Six.''

• 🏀 Washington State women's basketball program claimed the school's first title in 82 years.

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: Greece train crash, CPAC, abortion, winter weather: Daily Briefing