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In an appealbackedby 19 Republican attorneys general from other states, Alabama hadasked the court to decidewhether the Constitution allows criminalizing panhandling.

A homeless man from Montgomery, Jonathan Singleton, successfully challenged the state's panhandling bans as a violation of his free speech rights.

'Today it is me. Tomorrow it could be you'

Singleton was cited six times for violating a state law against soliciting contributions, including for holding a sign that read "HOMELESS. Today it is me, tomorrow it could be you" while standing in the grass near a highway exit.

Violators could be punished with fines up to $500 or three months in jail under one anti-begging law.Another measure sets fines up to $100 or as many as 10 days in jail for soliciting contributions from people in cars.

After Singleton filed a class-action lawsuit in 2020, lower courts blocked enforcement of the laws.

A federal appeals court based in Atlanta cited its previous decision in a different case from Florida that begging is speech protected by the First Amendment.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said Alabama's laws are different from a ban on panhandling on Fort Lauderdale's beaches upheld in 1999,since those restrictions weren't citywide.

Alabama told theSupreme Courtthat officials need more leeway to address panhandling amid the homelessness crisis and a "dramatic growth" in policies aimed at dealing with the problem.

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'Be practical.'Obama says Democrats need to change approach on homelessness

At the birth of the nation, states banned 'idleness' and 'wandering'

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall argued that begging was a crime at the start of the nation. So it should not be protected speech under the First Amendment.

"At the founding, States commonly prohibited idleness, wandering about with no course of business or fixed residence, begging in the streets, and the like," Marshall wrote in his appeal. "The basic theory, inherited from the English, was to distinguish those who could work [but refused] from those who could not."

More:20 US states sue to block Trump from restricting homelessness funding

Is begging communication? Courts have said it is protected by First Amendment

Lawyers for Singleton, some of whom work for the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Homelessness Law Center, countered that the historic laws Alabama cites "criminalized the conduct of voluntary idleness, not the communicative aspect of begging."

And even if they did cover begging, Singleton's lawyers said, First Amendment protections aren't determined by what laws were on the books at a single moment in time.

That's why Alabama's argument cuts against the position taken by courts across the country and against the Supreme Court's "long and unbroken line of precedent recognizing that speech seeking charitable relief is protected by the First Amendment," his lawyers wrote.

When initiating the lawsuit in 2020, theSouthern Poverty Law Center saidAlabama "should dedicate more resources to housing, shelter and health care that would meet those needs rather than jailing or ticketing people that ask for help."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Supreme Court won't hear Alabama's bid to end protections for begging

Demonstrators gathered in U.S. cities, big and small, fromNew York City,Washington, DC, andLos AngelestoWaynesboro, Virginia, andWorcester, Massachusetts. In Detroit, student groups from various universities were already set for a Feb. 28 meeting centered on U.S. immigration policy, but added a protest to their plans upon learning of the Iran strikes.

More than 70 people showed up to Wayne State University's campus for the student-led demonstration that afternoon,The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. Kathy Anderson, of Plymouth, Michigan, lamented what she described as a deteriorating American political system, saying she was "embarrassed because we don't have our act together."

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.

Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran

Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

"There has been no clear objective expressed in terms of why we're there," she added. "Are we there to destroy the nuclear program? Are we there to overturn the regime? Are we there to protect protesters? Why are we there?"

PresidentDonald Trumpand others in his administration have maintained that Iran was taking steps to build a nuclear weapon, posing a grave threat to the United States. Experts previously told USA TODAY such claims are based on assumptions that areeither wrong or greatly exaggerated.

'You can't bomb people into liberation'

According toa Reuters/Ipsos pollreleased less than 48 hours after the United States and Israellaunched their joint military operation, only one in four Americans approve of the Iran strikes. Speakers ata protest at Worcester City Hallin Massachusetts were skeptical if the strikes would improve Iranian lives, condemning what they described as the financial and moral cost of more warfare in the Middle East.

The strikes sparked fear among some that civil unrest in the country of 92 million people would cause more suffering. By mid-day Feb. 28, the Iranian Red Crescent reported that at least 200 people had been killed and more than 700 wounded, including Khamenei, Iran's longtime leader known for repressive rule and anti-Western foreign policy.

ThreeAmerican troops were killed, and several others were seriously injured during the operation.

Megan Giulianelli, who left Iran four decades ago and now lives in New Jersey,cried as she recountedhearing about a strike on an all-girls primary school that an Iranian official saidkilled more than 100 people.Most Iranians, she said, wanted to end a regime that has been "terrorizing people for 47 years," but the joint strikes are "the worst-case scenario."

"You can't bomb people into liberation," she said through tears. "What are they thinking?"

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'Price that's really being paid.'Iranian Americans divided in reactions to US attacks

Student after strikes: 'We were waiting for this moment'

For others, the news of the strikes was welcomed with joy.

Somestudents at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukeecelebrated Khamenei's death with pastries in the school's student union. Narges Khodadadi, a PhD student and president of the school's Iranian Student Association, acknowledged concerns about the future but said she and many others in Iran, including her own family members, are happy and hopeful for brighter days ahead.

"We were waiting for this help and praying for it for a long time," Khodadadi told theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. "We had two very hard and sad months, and we were waiting for this moment."

Nafiseh Najafi, the owner of a Persian restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, who was born in Tehran, described the action as anecessary step toward liberationfor the Iranian people.

"Iranians around the world are excited, they are happy," she said. "They are outside, they are celebrating."

A person holds a sign during a Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026. The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iran on Saturday.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People attend the Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026. The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iran on Saturday.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People attend the Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Americans protest 'massive' strikes in Iran amid US-Israeli attack

A person holds a sign during a Stop the War on Iran protest at Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026.The US and Israel launched an attack of unprecedented scale against Iranon Saturday.

'We are out of tears'

R.A. Kashanipour, an Arizona-based Iranian American whose family mostly remains in Iran, had a different perspective. The conflict leaves Iranians "caught between authoritarians," hetold The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

He was worried the attack would lead to more violence among Iranians.

"Too much bloodshed has flowed already," Kashanipour told the outlet in a text message. "Unfortunately, it looks like there will be more to come. We are out of tears."

Bryan Costello, a Phoenix resident, called for the United States to "work towards peace" in an interview with the newspaper at the city's March for Life rally on Feb. 28.

"I understand that sometimes peace can only come by the sword, but we have to be more careful in how we do anything," he said.

Contributing:Michael Collins and Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Natalie Davies, The Detroit Free Press; Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Meg Trogolo, Telegram & Gazette; Hannan Adely, The Record; Molly Davis, The Tennessean; Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Americans express shock and hope after deadly US-Israel strikes

NASCAR Austin Auto Racing

The team has been nothing shy of perfect behind driver Tyler Reddick so far early in 2026.

Reddick became the first driver in Cup Series history towin the first three racesof the season Sunday. He started the first road course race of the year from pole position, then held off hard-charging Shane van Gisbergen for the victory at the Circuit of the Americas

When Reddick's Toyota zoomed across the finish line, Jordan was celebrating with the pit crew as the basketball Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion exchanged high-fives and hugs.

Reddick has been seeing a lot of postrace smiles from Jordan — after hewon the Daytona 500and thenagain in Atlanta. Reddick said Jordan reminded him last week that he "does things in threes," referring to Jordan's NBA championships clusters with the Chicago Bulls.

"I was really glad to live up to that standard," Reddick said.

Jordan's having so much fun, he now wants to go for four.

"I'm going to Phoenix," Jordan said, noting the next race on the calendar.

And why not? The team is having a lot of fun on its march through NASCAR history.

Jordan and Hamlin took on NASCAR witha federal antitrust lawsuit. The settlement in December was considered a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured the team would remain in business for the long-term.

Jordan gives Hamlin the credit for building the race-winning team on the track, specifically noting Hamlin's pursuit of Reddick as a driver.

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"He's the mastermind," Jordan said. "I just put up the money. Denny's done an incredible job building this team."

Hamlin gave the compliment right back.

"It's a perfect partnership," Hamlin said. "This doesn't work out if he doesn't give me a lot of autonomy."

Hamlin, who also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, said he wanted to be as hands-on as possible when building the team.

"I wanted to make sure if it failed it was because of something I did," Hamlin said. "This team had three employees working at. We had zero. We didn't buy a team, we just built it."

Bringing in Reddick has proven almost priceless.

The 30-year-old driver raced to his first win with 23XI at COTA in 2023. He was second at Daytona in 2025, but a season that started with such promise ended winless.

Now he seems unbeatable.

"What a dream start for those guys," Hamlin said.

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

But for all the debate that surrounds who should be in and out of the 68-team field, dozens of other teams across the country that are safely in will be spending the final two weeks of the 2025-26 regular season jockeying for position on the bracket.

At this pivotal time of year, some teams are hitting their stride and looking poised for a deep tournament run. Others, meanwhile, are watching their once-bright hopes fade with loss after loss.

A March Madness prelude:Basketball conference tournament schedule

What teams are surging inMarch Madnessprojections? And which ones are starting to stumble?

Here's a look at the latest list of rising and falling teams for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:

Projected seeds are based on the bracketology update from USA TODAY Sports on Feb. 27

Rising

Florida

Current projected seed: No. 2

The reigning national champions once again look like one of the favorites to cut down the nets with "One Shining Moment" playing in the background. The Gators got off to an inauspicious 5-4 start, but have gone 18-2 since. Their once-struggling backcourt of Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland is starting to round into form while its frontcourt remains arguably the best in the sport.

Floridalooks like the clear favorite in the SEC and if its run keeps going, it just might be able to join Duke, Michigan and Arizona as No. 1 seeds.

UConn

Current projected seed: No. 1

If the Gators aren't able to gobble up that final No. 1 seed, it will likely be because of another recent national champion. The Huskies haven't been on quite the same run that Florida has — they're 5-2 in their past seven games after starting the season 22-1 — but one of their recent wins was as impressive a victory as anyone has had this season: a 72-40 beatdown of St. John's on Feb. 25.

The win helped solidify UConn's standing as the fourth No. 1 seed, a status aided in part by a Dec. 9 victory at Madison Square Garden against the Florida team that's chasing it.

Alabama

Current projected seed: No. 4

One month ago, the Crimson Tide were 14-7, coming off a 23-point loss at Florida and were mired in former G League player Charles Bediako's contentious eligibility fight. Quite a bit has changed since then. Coach Nate Oats' team has reeled off eight consecutive victories, including against ranked Tennessee and Arkansas teams, and is up to No. 15 in the NCAA's NET rankings.

Saint Mary's

Current projected seed: No. 8

The Gaels are coming off their most emphatic, and certainly sweetest, win of the season, a 70-59 victory on Feb. 28 against then-No. 9 Gonzaga in the final regular-season meeting between the rivals as West Coast Conference members. Saint Mary's won its final eight-season games and is 18-2 since Dec. 15.

With another win against the Bulldogs in a potential WCC championship matchup, the Gaels could maybe manage avoiding a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in a possible second-round NCAA tournament game.

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Virginia

Current projected seed: No. 4

Yes, the Cavaliers are coming off a 26-point humbling at the hands of Duke, but there have been few teams better than them nationally since the calendar flipped to 2026. Since a triple-overtime loss at Virginia Tech on New Year's Eve, Virginia is 14-2, with wins against NC State (twice), at Louisville and against Miami.

Ryan Odom has engineered one of the more impressive one-year turnarounds in recent memory in the sport. It's the least he could do after upsetting the No. 1 seed Hoos back in 2018 when he was the coach at UMBC.

REQUIRED READING:March Madness predictions: 13 teams who can win men's tournament

Falling

Current projected seed: No. 6

What was set up to be a magical season for the Cougars with potential No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa has started to unravel in recent weeks. Since starting the season 16-1, BYU is just 4-8 in its past 12 games. While some of that is the unavoidable rigor of a Big 12 schedule, it has also suffered losses against the likes of Oklahoma State and West Virginia, neither of which is projected to make the NCAA tournament. Since Jan. 17, the Cougars are only the No. 60 team nationally, according to Bart Torvik.

A season-ending injury to Richie Saunders on Feb. 14 certainly didn't help matters, but even before that, BYU was already sliding, with a 2-5 mark in its seven most recent games.

Purdue

Current projected seed: No. 2

A Boilermakers team that was 17-1 and No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll just six weeks ago has been decidedly more mortal the past month and change, going 5-6 in its past 11 games. More recently, it has lost three of its past four games, including an 82-74 loss on Sunday at an Ohio State team desperately fighting for its NCAA tournament life.

Purdue still has one of the best players in the sport in guard Braden Smith, but nearing the end of the regular season, the preseason No. 1 team has fallen comfortably short of expectations.

Houston

Current projected seed: No. 2

"Falling" is a relative term when you're dealing with a program that's been as dominant as Houston has the past five years, but the Cougars are 1-3 in their past four games after a 23-2 start. That skid included the program's first three-game losing streak since all the way back in 2017.

Coach Kelvin Sampson's team ultimately may not be that hurt by the recent slip-ups. Whether it's as a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed, the Cougars may end up getting to play Sweet 16 and potentially Elite Eight games in Houston.

Texas A&M

Current projected seed: No. 9

Bucky Ball, the intensely fast-paced system implemented by first-year Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan has encountered its share of speed bumps lately. Texas A&M has dropped six of its past eight games after starting the season 17-4, with three of those losses coming by at least 13 points. Thankfully for the Aggies, there's a chance for a high-profile rebound, with a home game Tuesday against Kentucky.

Louisville

Current projected seed: No. 6

The Cardinals have quietly been one of the more disappointing teams in the sport this season, going just 13-9 since a 7-0 start that vaulted them as high as No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Some of that could be attributed to an extended injury absence from five-star freshman guard Mikel Brown, who Louisville went 4-4 without, but even with Brown and every other rotation piece, it has lost three of its past four games.

Coach Pat Kelsey's team is increasingly looking like a squad that will be fortunate to advance past the first week of the tournament, rather than the Final Four or national championship contender it was viewed as in the preseason.

NC State

Current projected seed: No. 7

Will Wade likely has the Wolfpack headed back to the NCAA tournament in his first season at the helm, but they're currently limping on their way there. NC State has lost four of its past five after an 18-6 start. The losses are bad enough, but the way they've come is even more concerning. It was drubbed by 41 at Louisville and 29 at Virginia, and most recently, it lost on the road to a 13-16 Notre Dame team that had lost 12 of its previous 14 games.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA Tournament teams rising, falling for March Madness

The end goal?

Allowing him to drop a bit in the draft, presumably so that the team could take Mendoza.

The Indiana quarterback is projected to go No. 1 overall after helping to lead the Hoosiers to a national championship this past season, and plenty of NFL teams would do just about anything for the chance to draft Mendoza.

Speaking with CBS Sports on Friday, Mendoza said one team jokingly suggested he get himself arrested to fall down the draft board.

"It was, 'hey, maybe you should get arrested,' and I was a little confused, but then I was like, the slide … so you could slide in the draft," Mendoza responded when asked what the strangest question he'd gotten at the NFL combine was.

Mendoza added later: "So, hopefully I don't get arrested."

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The future NFL star didn't reveal what team it was that made the comment, though he did indicate it was not said during a formal interview.

Mendoza received quite the reception while at the combine in Indianapolis.

The Heisman Trophy winner was given a loud cheer from the fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium last Sunday when he showed up in the building.

Mendoza did not participate in any drills at the combine, but he joined the other quarterbacks on the field during the position group's on-field testing.

Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season, while also throwing just six interceptions.

He was part of the first Indiana football team to win a national championship in the program's history.

The draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, with the Raiders, Jets and Cardinals slated to make the first three picks.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, March 2 (Reuters) - Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become ‌tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the ‌war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.

Israel's military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on ​Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.

FEW DAYS' WORTH OF SUPPLIES

Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a ‌lack of fresh supplies would ⁠put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel's two-year ⁠war with Hamas militants.

"I expect we have maybe a couple of days' running time," said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.

Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, ​who works ​with the U.N. and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies ​could last three or four days, ‌while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut.

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Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates.

Israel's COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population.

"(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for ‌an extended period," COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined ​to comment on potential fuel shortages.

The truce was part ​of broader U.S.-backed plan to end the ​war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the ‌flow of aid into the enclave, and ​rebuilding it.

Hamada Abu Laila, ​a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid ​deliveries for 11 weeks.

"Why is ‌it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? ​It is not our fault," Abu Laila said.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Pesha ​Magid; Editing by Rami Ayyub and Tomasz Janowski)