NTD News Today

Former President Donald Trump is poised to double his net worth from what could prove a huge windfall when his social media outlet, Truth Social, goes public. Investors have voted to approve a merger between Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media & Technology Group, the owner of Truth Social. This comes as the former president needs to put up a bond of more than $454 million to stay judgment in his civil fraud case while he appeals—effectively, to hold off the New York Attorney General from potentially seizing his real estate and other assets during the appeal. President Trump posted on social media on March 22 that “through hard work, talent, and luck, I currently have almost five hundred million dollars in cash.”

The House voted to approve a $1.2-trillion spending package to fund 70 percent of the government. The final vote was 286-134, with 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats voting against the measure. The Senate will now have to take up and pass the legislation ahead of a fast-approaching shutdown deadline at midnight on Friday.

The United Nations Security Council has failed to pass a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States. The resolution condemned Hamas for the Oct. 7 massacre, called for an immediate six-week pause in fighting, and the release of the remaining hostages. U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, criticized Beijing and Moscow, saying they rejected the proposal simply because it was penned by the United States.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), along with 15 states and the District of Columbia, filed a civil lawsuit against Apple Inc. on March 21, accusing the company of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market. They claim that Apple has attempted to limit competition via the firm’s App Store and other Apple features, harming consumers, small businesses, and app developers.

After a last-minute controversy regarding funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), congressional leaders have unveiled a massive package to fund large portions of the government ahead of a Friday deadline. The package, which funds half of the 12 yearly government spending bills, kicked off a mad dash by Congress to approve over $1 trillion in spending. The bills cover funding for the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor, and others.

President Joe Biden has announced that his administration is canceling another $6 billion in student loans. The latest group to benefit comprises 78,000 public service workers including teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others who qualify under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program created in 2007. The latest move brings the Biden administration's total student debt cancellation to $144 billion for around 4 million Americans.

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday against ABC News and host George Stephanopoulos, accusing them of defamation. The complaint alleges that Mr. Stephanopoulos repeatedly stated during a program that a jury had found President Trump liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll, despite the anchor's being “aware of the truth.”

Former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro arrived in Miami on March 19 to begin his four-month prison sentence. He will become the first official from the Trump administration to serve prison time and the first White House official to be jailed for contempt of Congress, after the Supreme Court denied a last-ditch bid on Monday to stave off the sentence.

In the scramble to avert a government shutdown, congressional leaders say they have struck a deal on appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security—the final piece of the appropriations package needed to fund the government through the remainder of fiscal year 2024.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a case where it's alleged that Biden administration officials engaged in government-led censorship-by-proxy by pressuring social media companies to take down posts or suspend accounts over content officials deemed false or misleading. Specifically, these allegedly censored posts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 lab-leak theory, the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the 2020 election, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and other topics that were marked as disinformation or misinformation, according to the plaintiffs.

A charter flight carrying dozens of U.S. citizens fleeing spiraling gang violence in Haiti landed in Miami on Sunday, U.S. State Department officials have said. The flight arrived at Miami International Airport after the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged U.S. citizens to leave “as soon as possible” as chaos gripped the impoverished Caribbean nation.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has extended his reign by securing another six-year term in a landslide election, the outcome of which was never in doubt. With all the precincts counted on Monday, election officials said Mr. Putin had secured a record number of votes, underlining the Russian leader’s total control over the country’s political system. Some Western leaders have denounced the election as a sham.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled on March 15 that Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis does not need to step down from prosecuting the high-profile case against former President Donald Trump and 14 others if special counsel Nathan Wade is taken off the case. President Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow said the defense team respects Judge McAfee’s decision, but believes the judge did not fully take into account all the details in the case.

During their annual retreat, House Republicans have condemned comments made by Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Mr. Schumer said during a March 14 speech that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost his way” and was one of several “major obstacles” to peace in the region. House speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the demand that Mr. Netanyahu step down “highly inappropriate.”

A large number of drone incursions are occurring at the U.S.–Mexico border, a U.S. Department of Defense official said on March 14. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot said during a Senate hearing that there are likely more than 1,000 incursions happening at the border per month.

Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys are arguing in a Florida court Thursday that the federal classified documents case should be thrown out. President Trump arrived at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida on March 14 to appear before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.

Former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he’s assembling a team of investors to make a bid to buy TikTok. This comes after the House of Representatives passed a bill to address the threat posed by the short-video platform. The legislation would give Chinese owner ByteDance six months to divest from the U.S. branch of the company—or face a ban. The former treasury secretary said TikTok is "a great business" and that "it's worth a lot of money."

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) has called for a thorough investigation of possible infiltration into the U.S. government after a customs officer at Chicago's O'Hare Airport targeted an American performing arts company with Chinese propaganda. A tour manager from New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts said the officer described her as an “illegal” based on his presumption of her religious beliefs.

The House of Representatives voted on March 13—with overwhelming bipartisan support—to pass a bill cracking down on TikTok. Just 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted against it. The bill would give TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance—which has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party—roughly five months to divest from the TikTok app. Otherwise, TikTok would be banned from American app stores.

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s Georgia criminal case has thrown out six charges from the 41-count indictment against the former president and several of his codefendants. The ruling comes ahead of an expected decision this week on a motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case.

14 House Democrats joined Republicans on March 12 to pass a resolution denouncing the Biden administration’s immigration policies amid the ongoing crisis at the Southern border. The measure accuses the Biden administration of causing the worst border security crisis in the nation's history—and of dismantling effective border security measures. That same day, over 20 House Democrats created a border security task force to lobby for better immigration and security policies.

The House of Representatives voted on March 13—with overwhelming bipartisan support—to pass a bill cracking down on TikTok. Just 15 Republicans and 50 Democrats voted against it. The bill would give TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance—which has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party—roughly five months to divest from the TikTok app. Otherwise, TikTok would be banned from American app stores.

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s Georgia criminal case has thrown out six charges from the 41-count indictment against the former president and several of his codefendants. The ruling comes ahead of an expected decision this week on a motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case.

14 House Democrats joined Republicans on March 12 to pass a resolution denouncing the Biden administration’s immigration policies amid the ongoing crisis at the Southern border. The measure accuses the Biden administration of causing the worst border security crisis in the nation's history—and of dismantling effective border security measures. That same day, over 20 House Democrats created a border security task force to lobby for better immigration and security policies.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) followed up President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 7 by stating that it was time for a change in leadership at the White House. In her rebuttal, the freshman senator highlighted the ongoing crisis at the southern border, calling it entirely preventable. She said, “We know that President Biden didn’t just create this border crisis. He invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days.”

A New York judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial has ordered that the identities of jury members be kept private, citing risks of jury tampering or harassment. And the federal judge overseeing President Trump’s classified documents case announced a March 14 hearing in the case. Special counsel Jack Smith has argued that case is “starkly different” from the case the Department of Justice declined to bring against President Biden over retention of classified documents.

National Guard soldiers are patrolling New York City's busiest subway stations. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made the decision Wednesday following a series of high-profile crimes. New York City subway riders weigh in, and a legal analyst says the move may be a "wrong read."

President Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address on March 7, using the opportunity to allay concerns about his age and persuade Americans that he can serve a second term as the country barrels toward a high-stakes election in November. In a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump promised to give a “Play by Play” of the speech to “correct, in rapid response, any and all inaccurate statements.”

On March 6, Alabama’s governor signed legislation to protect individuals providing in vitro fertilization (IVF) services. This action followed a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court in February, declaring in vitro embryos as children. The court's decision meant that these embryos were now covered by a wrongful death law. In response to the ruling, several clinics ceased IVF procedures, prompting national attention. First Lady Jill Biden even invited an Alabama couple, whose treatment was abruptly halted, to the State of the Union address.

The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released a new interim report accusing the Biden administration of conducting unlawful “broad” surveillance of citizens’ private financial data without a warrant and with no evidence of any crimes being committed by the individuals.