Editors

USA TODAY

Trump to visit with Alabama tornado survivors

President Donald Trump is traveling to Alabama on Friday to visit with the victims of a devastating tornado that killed 23 people. The tornado, which stretched for nearly a mile, tore across the countryside of rural Lee County on Sunday with winds estimated at 170 mph, the National Weather Service said. Trump has made several trips to visit with victims of natural disasters in recent months, including to California after last year's wildfires and to the Carolinas following Hurricane Florence. Before announcing his trip, Trump said he directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to give Alabama the "A Plus treatment."

2020 presidential candidates descend on SXSW

Long known as the event that helped launch tech titans Twitter and Foursquare, the SXSW Conference and Festivals opens Friday. This year, the nine-day Austin conference has become a must-attend venue for 2020 presidential hopefuls. Scheduled to attend: Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, and Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts; former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. All but McCarthy, a Republican and a supporter of President Donald Trump's, have declared an interest in running in next year's presidential election.

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Retro 'Captain Marvel' blasts into theaters

"Captain Marvel," the long-awaited superhero origin story starring Oscar winner Brie Larson opens in theaters nationwide Friday. In the first solo Marvel film starring a female protagonist, Larson plays Carol Danvers, a fighter with the alien Kree's Starforce squad who also has strange visions of growing up on Earth. Carol crash lands on Earth in 1995 and meets a younger Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), years before he helped form the Avengers. "Captain Marvel" is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to be released since last summer’s "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and it is expected to both stand on its own and tie into the anticipated "Avengers: Endgame," due out April 26. USA TODAY's Brian Truitt calls the retro action-adventure (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13) a blast with plenty of sci-fi satisfaction and entertaining characters despite getting a little lost in its own nerdy nostalgia.

International Women's Day seeking #BalanceforBetter

#BalanceforBetter is the theme for this year's International Women's Day, which is observed each year on March 8. The event, which dates back to 1911, celebrates "the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women," according to the event website. The 2019 initiative is aimed at gender equality, including reducing the global pay gap between men and women and ensuring gender balance in business, government and beyond. International Women's Day events will be held around the world, including more than 35 cities.

Argosy University could be closing

Argosy University could close its campuses across the country as soon as Friday after federal officials yanked the for-profit chain's eligibility to use federal aid programs due to financial irregularities. Argosy students around the country received an email this week saying the school was "at risk of closure this Friday, March 8" due to its loss of access to federal aid. Unless a buyer steps in or another university takes over, the campuses will close, according to the emails. The school, which has branches in 11 states, is based in Orange County, California.