Donald Trump escalates his assault on law firms. Wildfires have burned thousands of acres in the Carolinas. And Canada’s prime minister calls for snap elections amid a trade war with the U.S.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump targets law firms that file ‘frivolous’ suits against his administration
President Donald Trump escalated his assault on law firms with the release of a new memo that authorizes the attorney general and homeland security secretary to sanction firms that file lawsuits the two officials deem “frivolous,” legal experts and former Justice Department officials said.
The presidential memorandum, issued Saturday, is titled “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court,” also ordered AG Pam Bondi to recommend revoking attorneys’ security clearances or terminating law firms’ federal contracts if she deems their lawsuits against the administration “unreasonable” or “vexatious.”
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The memo follows executive orders against three law firms — Covington & Burling, Perkins Coie, and Paul Weiss — calling on federal contracts of the firms’ clients to be reviewed, suspending some employees’ security clearances and barring them from some federal buildings. Trump rescinded the order against Paul Weiss last week after the firm struck a deal with the president.
David Laufman, a former head of the DOJ’s counterintelligence section who served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, described the move as “an authoritarian plan to silence and punish the legal profession” that would have triggered swift intervention.
“He’s chilling the very sector of society that stands between Trump and tyranny,” said a former federal prosecutor and senior lawyer at a law firm that has sued the administration.
Legal experts accused Trump of hypocrisy, noting that his own lawyers have violated Rule 11 of the federal rules of civil procedure, which bars lawyers from making false or frivolous claims in court, when falsely saying Trump won the 2020 election.
Read the full story here.
More politics news:
- Second lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland this week along with two other administration officials as Trump ramps up calls for U.S. ownership of the Danish territory.
- The Republican-led Congress is eyeing an April deadline to pass Trump’s multitrillion-dollar agenda, which includes extending his 2017 tax cuts and a debt ceiling increase.
- In an unusual case before the Supreme Court today, civil rights groups are in a tentative alliance with Republican officials to defend a Louisiana congressional map that includes two majority Black districts.
Wildfires burn in the Carolinas
Wildfires feeding on dry woodlands that were damaged by Hurricane Helene last year have together burned thousands of acres in North Carolina and South Carolina over the weekend. Despite possible rain in the region today, federal forecasters warn that fire weather could return this week.
A trio of fires is burning in Polk County, in the western part of North Carolina. The Black Cover Fire was more than 2,000 acres as of Sunday afternoon and 0% contained, while evacuations were ordered for some residents in the area, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Deep Woods Fire nearby has burned more than 2,500 acres and was 0% contained. And the Fish Hook Fire has burned 199 acres and was 50% contained.
In South Carolina, a fire is burning in Table Rock State Park, in the northern part of the state. The fire was over 300 acres as of yesterday afternoon and was still growing, the state Forestry Commission said. Here’s what else we know.
U.S. and Russia start new Ukraine peace talks on a tricky footing
The United States and Russia began a new set of talks aimed at a partial Ukraine ceasefire this morning — even as the two sides disagreed over how well the talks in Saudi Arabia were going and after another night of drone strikes. American negotiators say they are hopeful of achieving “real progress” at the talks in Saudi Arabia, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned of “difficult negotiations.”
The White House is attempting a strategy of “shuttle diplomacy,” one source familiar with the negotiations told NBC News — meeting with Russian delegates having already spoken with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia a day before. Both sides sounded upbeat following those talks, with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling the discussions “quite useful,” and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff telling several broadcast shows that he was hopeful of “real progress.”
However, yesterday also brought another reality check to the White House’s optimism. Russia launched 99 drones into Ukraine, killing three people in the capital of Kyiv including a father and his 5-year-old daughter, according to Zelenskyy.
Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital after making his first public appearance in more than five weeks.
- Four people, including three teens, were arrested in a New Mexico shooting that killed three people and injured 15.
- McNeese State’s time in the NCAA Tournament may have ended, but team manager Amir Khan’s moment in the spotlight is far from over.
Staff Pick : For Gen Z, what’s ‘cringe’ is charming
Good news, fellow millennials: Gen Z likes us. Or they at least like that “millennial era of like BuzzFeed quizzes,” hipsters, mustaches and nerdcore, which one TikTok creator called “delightfully cringe, but in a very wholesome way.” (So, maybe “like” is a strong word to describe how Gen Z feels about their millennial elders.) News associate Kyla Guilfoil spoke to experts and young people who explained why Gen Z is feeling a certain type of way about the era of Barack Obama, Tumblr, the TV show “Girls” and clubbing culture. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Face taping is exactly what it sounds like. But does the viral trend actually diminish the appearance of wrinkles? The NBC Select team spoke to experts to find out. Plus, students can get 50% off any Paramount+ plan, a perfect deal for enjoying March Madness. Here’s how to get the discount.
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