Daily Briefing: All eyes on Rome, Georgia

Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Here’s what’s breaking this morning:

Nicole Fallert here, wishing I were frolicking in this superbloom. Wednesday’s headlines begin with a Georgia special election and then we’ll talk about that Team USA World Baseball Classic loss.

Who will replace Marjorie Taylor Greene?

Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller, a former prosecutor, came in second among a field of more than a dozen candidates in Georgia’s special election on Tuesday to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives in January after months of clashing with the president.

Retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris, one of just three Democrats on the ballot, topped the votes after consolidating most of his party’s support. But neither candidate received the required threshold under Georgia law of more than 50% to win outright. That means the two are headed for an April 7 runoff election.

Mississippi also had a primary election on Tuesday. See the results.

And this all begs the question: Can Trump run both a war and a midterm campaign at the same time?

More news to know now

• Should we worry about Iran sleeper cells? Trump said the administration is “on top of” possible Iranian sleeper cells operating inside the U.S. — offering few details about their existence and level of potential threat.
• Don’t miss your flight! Americans are enduring long wait times as a partial federal government shutdown strains staffing at the Transportation Security Administration. Check these resources before waiting too long to leave for the airport.
• It’s been six years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Here’s a look back at what happened since.

Dunk!

NBA history made

Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards. Yes, 83. That’s the second-most points scored in an NBA game, surpassing late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

Something to talk about

Italy just upset USA baseball

Team USA suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in World Baseball Classic history, 8-6 to Italy in front of a stunned crowd at Daikin Park on Monday. Now, they must rely on Italy to beat Mexico on Wednesday night, or hope a tiebreaker works in their favor.

Before you go

Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.