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Despite a few passing clouds Thursday morning, it will be a mostly sunny day.
The weekend will be dry and quiet.
A brief round of unseasonably warm temperatures are heading our way next week.
Watch the latest news from across the country.
Around SoCal
1. LA leaders denounce Trump's order to dismantle Department of Education
Hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that undermining current funding levels could prove to be "catastrophic" to the quality of education for students.
On Thursday, Trump advanced a campaign promise to eliminate the education department, which he has characterized as wasteful and full of "woke" and "liberal" ideology. Though, dismantling the department will not be possible without action from Congress.
In a video statement, Carvalho, who heads the nation's second largest school district, noted that federal investment of education across the country is reasonably small — about 4% of the total federal budget, annually, or about $270 billion for 15,000 school districts.
LAUSD receives about $1.2 billion of federal investment with about $470 million supporting the largest program, Title 1. These funds provide services to the "poorest of the poor" in the district that has 85% of its population living at or below the poverty level, according to Carvalho.
Dollars also support children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, disabilities, or who require special assistance, as well as students experiencing homelessness.
The Trump administration appears to be taking aim at the California Coastal Commission, suggesting the agency be abolished as a condition for giving the state tens of billions of dollars in federal wildfire aid.
The commission, created in 1972 by a ballot referendum, regulates use and access of land and water in the state’s coastal zone, construction and other activities. The ballot referendum became permanent law in 1976 after the state legislature passed the California Coastal Act.
Special Envoy Ric Grenell, who is rumored to have his own political ambitions to run for governor of California, floated the idea of conditioning Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $40 billion wildfire funding request on getting rid of the agency.
Spectrum News reached out to the Coastal Commission for a response to Mr. Grenell’s remarks, but a spokesperson declined to comment. But Grenell’s suggestion sparked outrage among California Democrats on Capitol Hill.
3. UCLA rolls to another first-round March Madness win, 72-47 over Utah State
Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 14 points and No. 7 seed UCLA routed 10th-seeded Utah State 72-47 on Thursday night to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.
UCLA broke the game open by holding the Mountain West school to just two free throws in a 12-2 run for a 39-27 halftime advantage. Then the Bruins had a 17-7 surge early in the second half to build a 20-point lead.
The Bruins finished at 48% from the field after shooting 55% in the first half. They made 10 of 24 3-pointers, eight of 10 players scored, and they had 22 assists on 26 baskets.
Utah State shot 30% while committing 11 turnovers, leading to 20 UCLA points.
Around the Nation
1. Judge calls Trump administration's latest response on deportation flights 'woefully insufficient'
2. Georgetown scholar detained over American wife's Palestinian ties, judge halts deportation
3. The release of a 1961 plan to break up the CIA revives an old conspiracy theory about who killed JFK
Don't Miss This
Only on Spectrum News 1
LA sports great's widow to rebuild home after Palisades Fire
It's a Los Angeles love story that’s now buried in the ashes of the Palisades Fire.
The wildfire wiped out more than 5,000 homes. One of them belonged to the late Tommy Hawkins, a former Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers executive. Now, his widow Layla Hawkins is left with just his memory and the hope of rebuilding the home she and Tommy once shared.
Layla's friends have rallied around her and set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of rebuilding her home.
Layla shared her story with "LA Times Today." Click the link above to watch the full segment.
SoCal Snapshot
United States' Timothy Ream, left, fights for the ball against Panama's Cristian Martinez during the second half of a CONCACAF Nations League semifinal soccer match Thursday in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
