ACTUAL NEWS: Monday, March 31st 2025 Recap
- Olga Nesterova
- Mar 31
- 9 min read
Updated: Mar 31
QUICK HITS
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to protect fans from exploitative ticket scalping and reform the U.S. live entertainment ticketing industry.
The signing took place in the Oval Office, with Kid Rock—dressed in an American flag-themed outfit—standing beside Trump. The singer emphasized that scalpers' use of bots to buy tickets in bulk and resell them at inflated prices is a major industry issue.
The Office of Personnel Management, the federal agency spearheading efforts by Musk to shrink the federal workforce, is hiring its first new career employee since President Trump took office, according to emails reviewed by Reuters.
The position? A driver to transport agency leaders.
Q: Are you worried about stagflation?
Trump aboard AF1: I haven’t heard that term in years. I don’t know anything about it.. this country is going to boom. We’re going to have boomtown USA. We’re going to boom
President Trump said a deal with TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the short video app used by 170 million Americans would be struck before a deadline on Saturday.
"We have a lot of potential buyers," Trump told reporters on AF1 late on Sunday.
"There's tremendous interest in Tiktok," adding, "I'd like to see Tiktok remain alive."
Simple insanity for 39 seconds.
President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would face serious consequences if he withdrew from a "critical minerals deal".
What's Actually True?
President Trump said on Sunday "he was not joking about seeking a third presidential term", which is barred by the U.S. Constitution, but that "it was too early to think about doing so".
Today, he said this…
Yesterday, I went live with the latest Weekly Recap. If you missed it, you can watch the replay!
TODAY IN HISTORY
1521: The first Roman Catholic Mass in the Philippines was celebrated on the island of Limasawa.
1854: U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Kanagawa in Japan, ending the country's period of seclusion.
1870: Thomas Peterson-Mundy of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, became the first African American to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1889: The 984-foot (300-meter) Eiffel Tower, a wrought iron technological masterpiece created by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, was officially inaugurated in Paris.
1918: Clocks in the United States were set one hour ahead as Daylight Saving Time went into operation for the first time.
1928: Canadian-born American ice hockey player Gordie Howe—one of the game's greatest players, known for both his scoring ability and his toughness—was born in Floral, Saskatchewan, Canada.
1968: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ended a televised speech about the Vietnam War by announcing that he would not seek reelection, stunning viewers.
1992: The USS Missouri—site of the Japanese surrender in 1945, formally ending World War II—was decommissioned for a second and final time; it was the last U.S. battleship still in service.
QUICK ACTUAL NEWS
NATIONAL
As World Liberty Financial raised over half a billion dollars, President Donald Trump’s family took control of the crypto venture, securing the lion’s share of those funds. Industry experts say governance terms in the deal favor insiders.
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic on Monday to a Catholic diocese in Wisconsin seeking a religious exemption from the state’s unemployment insurance tax. The case is the latest in a series of religious rights disputes before the justices.
Film director Oliver Stone is set to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday regarding thousands of pages of documents related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, recently released under President Trump’s directive.
Three congressional Democrats have requested documents from the head of the Federal Communications Commission as part of an investigation into alleged "sham" probes targeting media outlets—including CBS, NBC, and ABC—initiated by the Trump administration to pressure the news industry.
Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has secured a U.S. Army contract worth up to $4.94 billion to produce Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), as global conflicts continue to drive demand for advanced weaponry.
A U.S. appeals court on Monday denied the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court’s ruling that blocked its ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
Two Michigan business groups urged President Trump to abandon plans to impose a sweeping 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts, warning that it would cause sharp price increases, disrupt supply chains, and harm Michigan’s auto industry.
The economic shockwaves from the 2021 pandemic-related supply chain crisis continue to impact car ownership costs in the U.S., affecting not only the prices of new and used vehicles but also replacement parts, loan rates, and insurance costs.
Cantor Fitzgerald analysts, formerly led by Trump administration Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have called for the dismissal of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The planned layoff of 10,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services was abruptly delayed amid mounting backlash over its execution by Brad Smith, HHS’s lead for Government Efficiency, according to Politico.
Planned Parenthood announced on Monday that the Trump administration will cut federal family planning funding starting Tuesday, a move that will affect birth control access, cancer screenings, and other healthcare services for low-income individuals.
The White House claimed that U.S. strikes in Yemen earlier this month killed the Houthis’ top missile expert, but the U.S. military has not confirmed the death, and the identity of the commander remains unclear.
A U.S. judge on Monday blocked the dismissal of 19 intelligence officers who had worked on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs, which were targeted for elimination under President Trump’s executive order.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration deported more suspected Venezuelan and MS-13 gang members to El Salvador, the U.S. State Department said on Monday, despite legal challenges questioning the process used to determine gang affiliations.
A U.S. judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke deportation protections for certain Venezuelan immigrants, stating that the officials’ portrayal of the migrants as criminals "smacks of racism."
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Elon Musk have agreed on a timeline for Musk to respond to the lawsuit filed against him in January, according to a joint motion submitted on Monday.
The White House is considering an executive order to fast-track deep-sea mining in international waters, allowing companies to bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that it has closed its investigation into SpaceX’s explosive Starship test flight in January, though a separate probe into the rocket’s subsequent March explosion remains ongoing.
A union representing 150,000 federal employees filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to block President Trump’s executive order stripping hundreds of thousands of government workers of their collective bargaining rights. The National Treasury Employees Union argues that the order, which exempts more than a dozen agencies from union obligations, violates federal labor laws and the U.S. Constitution.
Three Democratic senators on Monday urged President Trump to "dramatically revise" U.S. trade policies with China and reconsider 14 free trade agreements, aligning with his broader push to overhaul trade relationships.
Major tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco, are lobbying the Trump administration to crack down on illegal vapes, advocating for import bans on Chinese-made devices, according to industry consultants and documents reviewed by reporters.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite recorded their worst quarterly performances since 2022 on Monday, as uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration’s economic policies rattled U.S. equity markets in the first quarter of 2025.
A prominent conservative senator warned on Sunday that President Trump’s tax cuts and immigration agenda will not advance in the U.S. Senate unless he and Republican leaders agree to slash federal spending to pre-pandemic levels.
GLOBAL
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia as early as May to sign an investment agreement, marking his first foreign trip of his second term. The visit will also include stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump also stated on Sunday that the reciprocal tariffs he plans to introduce this week will apply to all nations, not just a select group of 10 to 15 countries with the largest trade imbalances.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Trump discussed "productive negotiations" toward a UK-U.S. economic prosperity deal during a phone call on Sunday evening, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
The Kremlin confirmed on Monday that Russia and the United States are working on potential ideas for a peace settlement in Ukraine and exploring ways to improve bilateral ties, despite Trump recently expressing frustration with Vladimir Putin.
The Trump administration has warned suppliers to U.S. embassies and consulates, as well as recipients of U.S. grants worldwide, that they must comply with its ban on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs or risk losing funding.
The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that a USAID team is being deployed to Myanmar to assess the country’s most urgent needs following a devastating earthquake that has claimed at least 2,000 lives.
President Trump stated on Monday that U.S. military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen will continue until the group is no longer a threat to freedom of navigation in the region.
China has blocked BlackRock’s proposed $23 billion acquisition of Panama Canal ports, adding another layer of tension to U.S.-China economic relations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the United States has imposed additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for limiting foreign access to Tibetan areas. "For far too long, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has refused to grant U.S. diplomats, journalists, and international observers access to the Tibet Autonomous Region, while China's diplomats and journalists enjoy broad access in the United States," Rubio said in a statement.
In one of its first major moves against China, the Trump administration sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials on Monday for "transnational repression" and actions that Washington says have undermined Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Iran has filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council, accusing President Trump of making "reckless and belligerent" remarks that Tehran says violate international law and the U.N. Charter.
Trump on Monday reacted to the conviction of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, calling her resulting disqualification from the 2027 presidential election a "very big deal."
The president also signed an executive order on Monday aimed at accelerating corporate investments exceeding $1 billion. The order establishes a new office within the Department of Commerce, the United States Investment Accelerator, which will streamline regulatory processes, expedite permitting, coordinate with federal and state agencies, and expand access to national resources to encourage large-scale business investments, according to a White House fact sheet.
Trump Administration Targets Global Trade Barriers with Reciprocal Tariffs
The Trump administration has released its annual National Trade Estimate Report, detailing foreign trade barriers that disadvantage U.S. exports. The 397-page report outlines tariff and non-tariff barriers, including food safety regulations, public procurement rules, and renewable energy requirements.
Two days after the report's release, Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs, aiming to match other countries' higher tariff rates and counteract restrictive trade policies. This follows last week’s 25% tariff on auto imports, a move "intended to boost U.S. production" but with potential economic repercussions.
The report highlights trade challenges such as EU digital services taxes, China’s VAT rebates, and Canada’s high dairy tariffs, which Trump has criticized. Additionally, it flags technical barriers, including EU restrictions on genetically modified crops and new recycling content requirements for plastic packaging.
While White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has criticized EU value-added taxes (VATs) as hidden tariffs, the report does not explicitly list them as barriers. Instead, it focuses on longstanding trade disputes and regulatory challenges that affect American businesses.
It remains unclear how the report will shape Trump’s upcoming tariff decisions, but U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer insists the administration is committed to "eliminating unfair trade practices and prioritizing American workers in global markets".
Trump DOJ Drops Lawsuit Against Georgia Election Law
The Trump administration’s Justice Department announced it would withdraw from a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s Republican-backed election law, reversing a position taken under President Joe Biden.
Attorney General Pam Bondi justified the decision by citing increased Black voter turnout, arguing that claims of voter suppression were unfounded. Civil rights groups, including the Georgia NAACP, vowed to continue their legal fight, with NAACP President Gerald Griggs stating they would step in where the government had "dropped the ball."
The 2021 lawsuit alleged the law disproportionately harmed Black voters by restricting absentee ballots and banning food and water distribution at polling places. Georgia officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, maintain the law ensures election security and is legally sound.
Preliminary 2024 election data indicates an overall rise in Black voter turnout but also a widening turnout gap between Black and white voters, growing by 3% compared to 2020, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
POSTS OF THE DAY
NEWS CLIPS - NO COMMENTARY
Carney: I know how to manage crisis
Media asks WH spox ask about DJT's "potential run" for the 3rd term
China, Japan, and South Korea agree to “closely cooperate” in response to U.S. tariffs
Trump blames Ukraine and NATO for starting the war with Russia (on Ukrainian territory?!)
Trump on visiting (and pronouncing) Qatar
AG Bondi: DOJ seeks a 20 y sentence for 24 y/o Colorado man accused of vandalizing Tesla dealership
RECOMMENDED READS
TODAY IN PHOTOS
Bangkok, Thailand
A rescuer picks his way across on the wreckage of a collapsed building where dozens of people are still trapped after the Myanmar earthquake
Photograph: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu/Getty Images
Jakarta, Indonesia
People gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Istiqlal mosque
Photograph: Agoes Rudianto/Anadolu/Getty Images
Yantai, China
Vehicles wait to be loaded on to a ship for export
Photograph: Sun Wentan/VCG/Getty Images
That's all from me for now. Thank you for reading.
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