promoearn: Murdaugh admits lies, denies murders

Thursday, February 23

Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh took the stand in his own defense in a murder trial. And a report shed new light on what led up to the train derailment and toxic spill in Ohio.

👋 Hello! Laura Davis here. It's Thursday, which means it's time for Thursday's news!

🔎 But first: In March 1983, 19-year-old Christina Castiglione was found dead in a remote wooded area. Nearly 40 years later, a suspect has finally been identified.

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Disgraced attorney takes witness stand in double murder trial

Disbarred South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh denied killing his wife and son but admitted to lying to investigators Thursday as he testified in his own defense in his double murder trial. Murdaugh, 54, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in connection with the 2021 shootings of Maggie Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh. Murdaugh also faces charges over nearly 100 other financial crimes, including stealing from clients, money laundering, tax evasion and insurance fraud. Here's what's happening in the trial.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin asks Alex Murdaugh if he killed his wife Maggie Murdaugh and son Paul Murdaugh with the 12-gauge shotgun that is in evidence in Murdaugh's murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

Pool photo by Grace Beahm Alford

NTSB: Ohio train crash was '100% preventable'

The crew of a Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, became aware of an overheated axle just moments before the wreck and tried to stop the train, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. The board released initial findings from its investigation three weeks after a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and spilled chemicals into the air, water and soil. Residents and local leaders are worried about the health consequences – but experts and national authorities largely minimized those concerns. "I can tell you this much: This was 100% preventable," NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Thursday. Here's what we know.

•	Marco Rubio: East Palestine train derailment shows danger of putting profits over people.
•	Toxins don't play politics. East Palestine deserves answers, not games. \| Opinion

In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

Melissa Smith, AP

What everyone's talking about

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Journalist and 9-year-old girl among 3 killed in Orlando shootings

A suspect is in custody after a string of shootings in the Orlando area on Wednesday left three dead – a journalist, a 9-year-old girl and a woman – and two injured. The Orange County Sheriff's Office identified the victims as T'yonna Major, 9, journalist Dylan Lyons, 24, and Nathacha Augustin, 38. The shootings started earlier Wednesday with the death of Augustin; then, when Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13, and a colleague went to cover the scene, the suspect returned and allegedly opened fire. Here's everything we know.

Dylan Lyons, a reporter for Spectrum News 13 in Florida, was shot and killed while reporting on a homicide in Orlando.

Spectrum News

Winter storm pounds most of the country

Brrrrr. A massive winter storm with heavy snow and powerful winds was slamming the Northern Plains and Midwest on Thursday on its cross-country trek, triggering major power outages, flight cancellations and road closures. More than 995,000 customers were without power in five states Thursday, and the Northeast was feeling the effects as a mix of sleet and freezing rain landed east of Syracuse, New York, and into Boston, Accuweather said. And all the way over on the West Coast, for the first time in 34 years, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Southern California mountains through Saturday. Here's the latest.

•	LA homeless advocates rush to help those on the streets as winter storm nears.
•	Michigan power outages: Over 680,000 homes, businesses without electricity after ice storm.

Kai Benedict commutes to his job at the VA Hospital by skis following a snow storm that blanketed the Salt Lake Valley with snow on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Francisco Kjolseth, AP

🌤 What's the weather doing at your house? Check your local forecast.

A break from the news

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Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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