Bus Crash: Ten people died yesterday 100 miles north of Sacramento in an accident involving a bus carrying Los Angeles high school students on a college tour. Police say a FedEx tractor trailer crossed the center divide and smashed into the bus carrying 46 people. Both drivers died as well as five Los Angeles high school students and three adult chaperones. The two vehicles were engulfed in flames and many of the bus passengers suffered burns as they escaped through windows.

Ukraine: Pictures taken by a private satellite company show Russian forces including tanks and fighter jets massed on the Eastern border of Ukraine.

NATO released the pictures yesterday indicating the presence of as many as 40,000 troops. NATO commanders say the Russian forces could invade with only a few hours notice.

On the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to tighten down the gas valve to Europe if Ukraine doesn’t pay its $2 billion overdue bill. The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said it has been “subsidizing” Ukraine with cheap natural gas, even though it raised the price 80 percent last week. A letter from Gazprom said the company might demand advance payment and “completely or partially cease gas deliveries” if Ukraine doesn’t pay up. Ukraine, which is nearly bankrupt, gets half its natural gas from Russia and the European Union gets about a third of its supply. Russia is threatening European countries to pressure them to help pay Ukraine’s bills.

Shakeup: Secy. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has resigned after five years in office and overseeing the disastrous rollout of the Obamacare website. The White House says Sibelius was not forced out, but this gives President Obama the opportunity to divorce himself from the people who bungled the website. Obama is nominating Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace Sibelius.

The Badge: The Justice Department says the Albuquerque police department is guilty of a pattern of excessive and sometimes unnecessary deadly force. Albuquerque cops have shot 37 people since January 2010, killing 23. Less than two weeks ago, officers shot a homeless man brandishing a knife who was not close enough to hurt anyone. A letter from the Justice Department to the mayor says, “Albuquerque police officers often use deadly force in circumstances where there is no imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm to officers or others.”

Nation: The weather pattern known as “El Nino” has a 50 percent chance of hitting the US by summer, according to the Climate Prediction Center. El Nino is a warming pattern in the Pacific that disturbs normal weather, triggering heavy rain and floods in some areas as well as drought in others. It has the potential to damage the global food supply.

Ice Follies: Nine former National Hockey League players have filed a suit claiming the league promoted extreme violence and fighting that’s not a part of the game. Most of the plaintiffs are the fighters, brawlers, and “enforcers” who rack up penalties, not points. The suit says, “The N.H.L. has subjected and continues to subject its players to the imminent risk of head trauma and, as a result, devastating and long-term negative health consequences.”

Late Night News: Stephen Colbert will replace David Letterman on The Tonight Show after Letterman retires, CBS announced yesterday. Colbert is expected to abandon the character he plays on Comedy Central, the right-wing sendup of the bombastic Bill O’Reilly. Colbert fans will be able to find what he’s really like when he’s not playing a blowhard. But one thing is already certain, he’s one of the smartest people in television. Praising Letterman last night Colbert said, “I’ll tell you, I do not envy whoever they try to put in that chair.”

-30-