AP Trending SummaryBrief at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Trump's portrait to be taken down at Colorado Capitol after president claimed it was 'distorted'

DENVER (AP) — State officials say a portrait of President Donald Trump hanging at the Colorado state Capitol will be taken down after Trump claimed it was “purposefully distorted.” House Democrats said in a statement Monday that the oil painting would be taken down at the request of Republican leaders in the Legislature. Colorado Republicans raised more than $10,000 to commission the oil painting. In a Sunday night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would prefer no picture at all over that one. The Republican lauded a nearby portrait of former President Barack Obama. The portraits are under the purview of the Colorado Building Advisory Committee.

Putin gifted a portrait of Trump to the US president

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted to Donald Trump a portrait he commissioned of the U.S. president. A spokesperson for Putin said the Russian leader gave the painting to Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier this month, after he met with Russian officials about trying to end the war in Ukraine. The gift was first mentioned last week by Witkoff in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Witkoff told Carlson that Trump “was clearly touched” by the portrait. Trump isn’t the first sitting president to receive a gift from Putin. In 2021, Putin gave then-President Joe Biden a lacquer writing box and pen. In 2013, he reportedly sent then-President Barack Obama porcelain plates and espresso cups.

Flammable devices found at Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Austin police say they’re investigating several incendiary devices found at a Tesla dealership on the city’s north side. Monday's incident is the latest in a series targeting the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Austin police say officers responding to a report of hazardous materials found the devices and called in the city’s bomb squad. The bomb squad determined the materials were flammable and took them into police custody. Attacks on property carrying the logo of Musk’s electric-car company are cropping up across the U.S. and overseas. There have also been protests nationwide in response to the billionaire’s work with the Trump administration cutting federal funding and the workforce.

Dozens of bird eggs and chicks rescued from wind-damaged eucalyptus tree in California

Dozens of bird eggs and chicks have been rescued from a single wind-damaged eucalyptus tree that was dangerously close to collapse in a California park. Now staff at the International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center have been working around the clock to care for the 47 eggs and 12 chicks, all double-crested Cormorants. They hope that in a few months they will be able to be released back into the wild. The tree in Marina del Rey was flagged earlier this month after one of its trunks fell and crushed the county’s trash bin enclosure.

No March Madness brackets remain perfect but one bracket won $1 million at Warren Buffett's company

The handful of remaining perfect brackets in the NCAA Tournament busted out on Sunday, ending the hopes of millions against exceptionally long odds. The final perfect brackets on Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports were shredded with Saturday’s games. Top-seeded Florida’s 77-75 win over two-time reigning national champion UConn continued the carnage on Sunday. Duke’s 89-66 win over Baylor then left one remaining perfect bracket on ESPN’s tracker and it didn’t last long. That bracket imploded with Kentucky’s win over Illinois, creating 24.3 million imperfect brackets. But one Berkshire Hathaway employee picked the opening round well enough to win $1 million in the company pool at Warren Buffett's company.

Judge allows drag show at Texas A&M despite the university's ban

A federal judge has ruled that a drag show at Texas A&M University can go on as scheduled this week despite a Board of Regents effort to ban it. Over the past few years, judges have mostly struck down bans on drag performances across the country, saying policies to bar them violate free speech rights. One exception is a previous case dealing with an A&M branch campus where another judge said two years ago that a university official could stop a performance. This case was different because the university argued that it could lose federal funding by letting the show happen. The judge said it shouldn't.

Will Smith channels his post-slap introspection into music on ‘Based on a True Story’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith could have let his infamous Oscar slap be his cinematic fade out with a career bruised, a marriage dissected and a reputation in a free fall. But instead of retreating, he turned inward for self-reflection. In the process, Smith rediscovered a long-neglected creative outlet in music, using the mic to voice his thoughts after years of prioritizing his Hollywood career. The Grammy and Oscar winner will release his fifth studio album “Based on a True Story” on Friday.  The 14-track album marks his first music project in two decades since “Lost and Found.”

Former NFL and college assistant coach pleads not guilty to hacking for women's images

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has entered a not-guilty plea for a former Baltimore Ravens and University of Michigan assistant football coach. Matt Weiss is charged with hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to find intimate images, primarily of women. Weiss’ appearance in federal court in Detroit was brief and came four days after the indictment was filed. He’s accused of unauthorized computer access and identity theft, from 2015 until early 2023. Weiss and and his attorney declined to comment outside court.

Japan's cherry blossom season begins as first blooms appear in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s official cherry blossom spotters on Monday confirmed the first blooming of the country’s favorite flower, declaring the official start of the festive season in the Japanese capital. An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency examined the specimen tree of Somei Yoshino variety at Tokyo’s Yasukuni shrine and announced more than five blossoms — the minimum required for the announcement — were flowering on it. Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are Japan’s favorite flower and usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of a new school and business year.

Andrew and Tristan Tate check in at police station in Romania, complying with judicial measures

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate checked in at a police station near Romania's capital on Monday, complying with judicial requirements in the case in which they are charged with human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. Outside the police station, self-described misogynist Andrew Tate told reporters, “I’m a free person who has not been convicted of anything.” The Tates, who are dual U.S. and British citizens, were arrested in Romania in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges that they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were allegedly sexually exploited. They deny all of the allegations.