Nation: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Tea Party stalwart, is expected to announce tomorrow that he is a candidate for president in 2016. He would be the first major Republican candidate to announce. Cruz was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and made himself a national figure with a 21-hour filibuster speech against Obamacare.

>A man who attacked an airport security station Friday in New Orleans has died of gunshot wounds. Richard White, 63, had been shot by security agents after spraying wasp killer and swinging a machete. White was also carrying gasoline bombs at the time of the incident, investigators say. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu described White as “disturbed.”

Permawar: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says there’s been major progress against the Boko Haram extremists and even predicted Boko Haram would lose all its territory within a month. “They are getting weaker and weaker by the day,” Jonathan said. He’s up for re-election March 28 and making big promises. But who’s doing the fighting is a question. Nigerian troops didn’t accomplish much until they got help from Niger, Chand, and Cameroon. At least 70 bodies were found dumped outside the Nigerian town of Damasak after it was liberated by troops from Niger and Chad.

>Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken control of key parts of Taiz, the country’s third largest city, including the local airport. The Houthis are reported to by flying in more troops and equipment, posing the threat of a major military confrontation with the government.

Downhill: Seven people suffered minor injuries yesterday in a ski lift accident at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. The lift stopped and then went in reverse, picking up speed as skiers were carried down the mountain backwards. Several people jumped and one man was carried in reverse through the loading area and started heading back uphill. The accident is under investigation.

Brooklyn Fire: The seven children killed yesterday in a Brooklyn house fire were all part of a Jewish Orthodox family. The cause was found to be a hotplate that had been left on overnight to warm food. Orthodox families often leave hot plates running because religious customs prevent them from operating a stove on the Sabbath.

The Obit Page: Chuck Bednarik, a legend of toughness in the NFL who played both center on offense and linebacker on defense for the Philadelphia Eagles, has died at age 89. Bednarik was with the Eagles from 1949 to 1962 and was one of the last professional players to go in both directions.

Upset: Number one seeded Villanova was shocked yesterday in a 71-68 loss to North Carolina State. It’s the first time in 32 years that NC State, known as the “Wolfpack,” has beaten a No. 1 seed. They advance to the round of 16.

Fit for a King: England’s King Richard III was to be re-buried today, two years after his long-lost bones were found beneath a parking lot. A military procession carried his remains to the Leicester Cathedral. The king’s new coffin was made by Canadian carpenter Michael Ibsen, a descendant. Richard, who had severe curvature of the spine, died in the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Cheat Sheet: Indian authorities have arrested 300 people and kicked 600 students out of school in a comically obvious cheating scandal involving tests to determine the children’s educational future. Video and photos showed parents, friends, and relatives climbing exterior walls of the brick testing center passing notes with answers through the open windows. In one picture a man is four stories up on the outside of the building.

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