Daily Briefing: The seatbelt sign is on

Experts say seatbelts likely contributed to the no-fatalities outcome of a plane crash in Toronto. Ukraine is absent from U.S.-Russia talks on Tuesday aimed at ending the war. Team USA saw its first loss in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Remembering the short, uneventful life of Pluto as a planet.

No fatalities in Delta Air Lines plane crash

Safety protocols were crucial when a regional jet went belly-up at a Toronto airport, aviation experts say.

What happened? A Delta Air Lines plane coming from Minneapolis flipped upside down upon arrival at Canada's Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday, injuring 18 of the 80 people on board, officials said. But no lives were lost.

• What can airline passengers learn from this crash? Experts say one life-saving thing to remember when flying is to buckle your seatbelt – and make it snug.
• Plane crashes have been in the news a lot lately. Experts say aviation remains extremely safe, but Monday's incident comes on the heels of a crash outside of Washington's Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people.
• The Trump administration just fired hundreds of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA technicians and aviation safety inspectors were exempt from the firings, as were air traffic controllers.

National Park ranger in Iowa among thousands of Americans fired

"I'm directly impacted. I'm losing my insurance. My spouse is expecting to bring our second child into the world in June, so we have to navigate that realm of transitioning."

~ Brian Gibbs, 41, a former National Park Service employee who was fired last week as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the federal workforce. Gibbs was one of thousands of federal workers who discovered in recent days they were suddenly dismissed, leaving an atmosphere of uncertainty.

More news to know now

• An eruption at Alaska's Mt. Spurr volcano continues.
• Pope Francis, 88, remains hospitalized.
• Hundreds of federal nuclear weapons workers were fired. Now the Trump admin scrambles to rehire them.
• What happened to Sam Nordquist? Police quell concerns of transgender hate crime.
• As sports betting skyrockets, more Americans search for addiction help.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

US-Russia talks about Ukraine — without Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet with Russian officials on Tuesday during a visit to Saudi Arabia to start talks aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine. Absent from the talks will be Ukraine itself, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, adding his country was not aware of the discussions and "we cannot recognize" agreements conducted without Ukraine's input. Watch video of Zelenksyy's comments.

Probe into a string of bizarre murders intensifies

Maryland State police have arrested two people in connection with a string of homicides nationally, including several deaths in California, two deaths in Pennsylvania and the shooting of a U.S. border patrol agent in Vermont earlier this year. The linked cases have drawn worldwide attention, in part because some of the people involved were transgender, and many were vegan, an unusual combination of circumstances, experts said. It gets more bizarre.

Today's talkers

• Remember a great with Paquita la del Barrio's best heartbreak anthems.
• What is going to be the "newest member" of the Apple family?
• Demi Moore and "The Substance" could finally get the Oscars to respect horror.
• Would you pay over $2,000 to stay at the "White Lotus" hotel in Thailand?

Team USA lost its first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off 

Sweden rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat the short-handed Americans 2-1 Monday night and pick up its first win of the 4 Nations Face-off. It was also the USA’s first loss of the tournament, but the game didn’t matter because a USA-Canada final had already been determined when the Canadians beat Finland in regulation earlier in the day. The USA still felt a hit, though. The team lost Brady Tkachuk after he slid hard into the net. He went to the dressing room, played one shift after returning and then was ruled out in the second period for "precautionary reasons." USA plays Canada on Thursday.

Photo of the day: Signs of dissent

Protests against the actions of President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk swept across the nation Monday, with some calling the Presidents Day holiday "No Kings Day." Here is a look at the anti-Trump and Musk protests on Presidents Day.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.