precursors

The sudden firings, and ensuing confusion, were precursors of President Donald Trump's next big move: to try and dismantle the Department of Education entirely.

Will trusting those precursors blow up in my face again?

The last of the major Oscar precursors hands out its prizes Sunday, bringing clarity — or perhaps further confusion — to one of the most topsy-turvy awards seasons in memory.

Those are the precursors Mark was talking about.

They also had an increased incidence of benign tumors and growths that can be precursors to cancer.