News Wrap: Bolsonaro charged with attempting coup after losing Brazil’s election

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been formally charged with attempting a coup to stay in office after losing the 2022 election.

Brazil's top prosecutor also alleges Bolsonaro planned to poison his successor and kill a Supreme Court judge. The nearly-300-page indictment says Bolsonaro and his co-conspirators tried to — quote — "bring down the system of the powers and the democratic order."

In a statement, the 69-year-old pushed back, calling the indictment the weaponization of the justice system. Hours after the indictment, President Trump's media company took the unusual step of suing one of the judges in the case, alleging he illegally issued orders that suspended certain conservative social media accounts in the U.S. Trump and Bolsonaro are longstanding political allies.

The Trump administration is ordering New York City to stop its congestion pricing system. The program launched last month and charges drivers $9 to enter areas south of Central Park. Supporters argue that it reduces traffic and helps the environment. Critics say it hurts the city's small businesses.

President Trump declared victory over the program, which he has long criticized. In a TRUTH Social post that was then reposted on X by his deputy chief of staff, Mr. Trump wrote that: "Congestion pricing is dead. Manhattan and all of New York is saved. Long live the king."

His subordinate added that image of him as a king.

Governor Kathy Hochul fired back, saying that New Yorkers don't back down in a fight.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY):

New York hasn't labored under a king in over 250 years.

(Cheering)

Gov. Kathy Hochul:

And we are not — we sure as hell are not going to start now.

(Cheering)

Geoff Bennett:

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has filed a lawsuit challenging the federal order. The MTA manages the tolls from the program.

The Trump administration is formally designating eight Latin American gangs and cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. They include the MS-13 group from El Salvador, as well as six groups from Mexico that include the notorious Sinaloa cartel. The classification is usually reserved for organizations like al-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political gain. But the Trump administration argues that the international reach of the gangs and their illicit activities warrant the designation.

At least two people are dead after two small single-engine planes collided midair this morning at an Arizona airport. The airport is an uncontrolled field, meaning it does not have an operating air traffic control tower. The NTSB says it's launched an investigation.

Meantime, the U.S. aviation sector earlier today asked Congress for robust emergency funding for air traffic control technology. Groups representing industry heavyweights like Boeing and several major airlines sent a letter to lawmakers today requesting money to support hiring and new technology. It comes amid a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers, warnings about outdated systems, and a series of recent crashes.

That's as a new Associated Press poll shows 64 percent of Americans think air travel is very safe or somewhat safe. That's down from 71 percent last year. The survey was conducted after January's air collision involving an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., but before a Delta plane crashed in Toronto this week.

The polar vortex that's affected much of the country is fueling a winter storm that's headed toward the East Coast. Temperatures have been so cold, they have frozen waves along the shores of Lake Michigan. From Montana to the Gulf Coast, nearly 90 million people are under alerts for extreme cold.

This latest winter storm will bring snow and freezing rain across parts of the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and the mid-Atlantic. The storm has already dumped snow in places like Missouri and in Kentucky, where 14 people died from floods last weekend. Governor Andy Beshear said the snow will only add to that state's concerns.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY):

The challenge here is, the hardest-hit areas of the flood could get another three to four inches tonight. If the snow wasn't tough enough, it's cold right now. It's going to get dangerously cold tonight and into tomorrow.

Geoff Bennett:

There is relief in sight. Temperatures are expected to climb back above freezing across nearly all the affected areas by the weekend.

The 86-year-old white man who just last week pleaded guilty to shooting a Black teenager when he rang the wrong doorbell has died. Andrew Lester pleaded guilty last Friday to second-degree assault in the 2023 shooting of then 16-year-old Ralph Yarl. Yarl ended up at Lester's house by mistake after mixing up the streets where he was due to pick up his siblings.

Lester faced up to seven years in prison and was scheduled to be sentenced on March 7. Prosecutors gave no details on the cause of death. Yarl survived the shooting and the honor student is now a freshman at Texas A&M University.

On Wall Street today, stocks rose despite ongoing concerns about President Trump's tariff plans. The Dow Jones industrial average gained about 70 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose about 15 points. The S&P 500 also added nearly 15 points to close at a new all-time high.

Still to come on the "News Hour": the supposed accidental firing of USDA employees fighting the bird flu outbreak raises questions about the response;a transgender Navy pilot speaks out on the Trump administration's opposition to trans people serving in the U.S. military; and Judy Woodruff examines what history tells us about polarization and how it could lead to a more unified nation.