Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Record rains kill 4 as more storms slam battered South

At least four people were killed and swift-water rescue crews plucked more than 130 people from cars, apartments and homes as devastating storms continued to hammer the South. An overnight deluge pounded parts of Tennessee with as much as 9 inches of rain before the storms began marching northward Sunday through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, with the possibility of gusting winds, tornadoes, hail and flooding, AccuWeather said. “The rainfall we got yesterday and overnight made this one of the wettest 24-hour periods in Nashville’s history,” National Weather Service meteorologist Sam Shamburger said. Multiple tornadoes touched down in Alabama last week, and Mississippi and Tennessee also were hard hit by the wild, dangerous spring weather.

More ships to the rescue

Sunday marked the sixth day that the Suez Canal has been blocked by a skyscraper-sized ship, with little hope the cargo ship will be moved from the vital passage soon. Trying to take advantage of higher-than-usual tides helped by a full moon on Sunday night, numerous tugboats worked all day and night Saturday alongside the ongoing dredging operations that are removing sand and mud from around the Ever Given, which weighs 200,000 metric tons and stretches nearly a quarter-mile long. The ship got stuck Tuesday in a narrow section of the canal – about 985 feet wide – with the bow aground on the canal’s eastern bank and the stern on the western bank.

How did Evergreen’s ship get stuck in the Suez Canal and create the world’s heaviest traffic jam?

Real quick

At least 20 hurt in Palm Sunday bombing at Indonesia cathedral; attackers believed to be part of militant group, police say.
Consumers filed 106 injury claims from COVID-19 vaccines, ventilators and hydroxychloroquine. Here’s why none have been paid.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth describes her astonishing life, childhood poverty and the Capitol riots: “I knew I could take care of myself.”
A look inside an immigration holding facility: GOP senators “stunned” by conditions at an “overwhelmed” site in Texas.
Michigan GOP chairman issues apology as heat rises after ‘burning at the stake’ comments about Democratic women.
‘There’s nothing to be fearful of’: Parents and activists fight to keep transgender girls in school sports.
‘I can’t believe this is happening’: Travelers recount tales of getting stuck in Mexico after positive COVID tests.
Hundreds of people took to the streetsover the weekend to march in rallies across the country against Asian hate crimes.

March Madness: Oregon State builds Cinderella case; Gonzaga stays perfect

Several teams have punched their ticket to the Elite Eight as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament entered its second weekend of action. No. 1 seed Gonzaga continues its pursuit of perfection as the undefeated Bulldogs breezed past Creighton Sunday, inching closer to becoming the first undefeated team to win the tournament since Indiana in 1976. No. 12 seed Oregon State, which was barely above .500 before their conference tournament, won their sixth straight game Saturday, downing Loyola Chicago and continuing its shocking run to the Elite Eight. No. 1 seed Baylor pulled away from No. 5 seed Villanova to move on, No. 15 seed Oral Roberts had their Cinderella hopes dashed in a thriller against No. 3 Arkansas, and No. 2 Houston advances after beating No. 11 Syracuse.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 scores:What you missed in women’s and men’s tournaments on Saturday.
Five things we learned from Saturday’s Sweet 16 action in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

Former WH COVID-19 adviser: Most virus deaths could have been prevented

Former White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said in an interview for CNN that while many deaths in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were likely inevitable, the death toll from later surges might have been reduced if the U.S. had “mitigated earlier … paused earlier and actually done” greater social distancing and shutdown measures. In March 2020, Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that nearly 240,000 Americans would die from the coronavirus if precautions were not taken. To date, there are nearly 550,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States.

A surge before eased summer restrictions? Dr. Fauci warned again Sunday the nation could be at risk of a new surge, but struck an optimistic tone about the summer months, saying that the fast-rising number of vaccinations could mean baseball fans might be able to attend games in person. More than 50 million Americans are now fully vaccinated – 20% of the adult population – and more than 36% of adults have received at least one dose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday.

Trump White House COVID-19 coordinator Deborah Birxsays most deaths could have been avoided.

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

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