Hunter Biden agrees to give up Washington law license
Hunter Biden has offered to give up his law license in Washington, D.C., after submitting an affidavit to the D.C. Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility declaring his “consent to disbarment.”
According to a filing made public yesterday, the Board on Professional Responsibility is recommending the District of Columbia Court of Appeals enter an order disbarring Hunter Biden, as a result of his affidavit. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is responsible for adjudicating disciplinary issues related to members of the D.C. Bar.
This outcome avoids what could have been a drawn-out legal battle over the status of the license, which was in “temporary disciplinary suspension,” after Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felonies in Delaware and pleaded guilty to felony tax offenses in California in 2024.
Former President Joe Biden issued a “full and unconditional pardon” for any offenses Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”
A spokesperson for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
Senate Democrats want a full hearing on Trump loyalist nominated for U.S. attorney in D.C.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called upon Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to hold a hearing on the nomination of Trump loyalist Ed Martin to permanently head the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
The letter from Durbin and nine other members came the day after Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, announced he was placing a hold on Martin, who is now serving in an interim capacity, with Schiff writing that confirming Martin "to serve permanently in the role he has already abused in his interim capacity would cross the prosecutorial Rubicon that every single Senator would come to regret and that would threaten the rights of Americans from all walks of life." Placing a hold on Martin could delay his confirmation hearing.
Martin, a longtime conservative activist and "stop the steal" organizer who was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack and then spread conspiracy theories about the day, has taken a highly political approach to his position, including sending letters to sitting members of Congress that shattered Justice Department protocols meant to protect against politicization.
"Mr. Martin has regularly threatened to prosecute various government employees, members of Congress, and press outlets in an apparent attempt to chill their lawful speech," the letter states. "This troubling pattern of behavior reflects a willingness to ignore basic legal standards in order to pursue politically motivated investigations and threaten the Administration’s perceived political opponents.
Read the full letter:
Zuckerberg visits the White House again
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is at the White House today for at least the second time in the past few weeks, the company confirmed.
“Mark’s continuing the meetings he’s been holding with the administration on American technology leadership,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement. The visit was earlier reported by CNN.
Stone said the meeting is not related to negotiations about the future of TikTok, which is also on the White House agenda today, but he declined to disclose the specific topic of the meeting or whether Zuckerberg was meeting with Trump.
Zuckerberg was also at the White House last month, and he attended Trump's inauguration at the Capitol in January.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has various corporate interests pending before the Trump administration. They include artificial intelligence policy and a Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial scheduled to begin April 14.
Trump told Cabinet members Musk will leave his government role in the coming months
Trump told members of his Cabinet that Elon Musk will leave his government role in the administration in the coming months, a senior White House official confirmed to NBC News.
Trump discussed Musk transitioning back to the private sector during his March 24 Cabinet meeting behind closed doors, the official said.
Politico first reported the discussion.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the news in a post on X, saying that Politico's "'scoop' was garbage."
"Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete," she said.
On Monday, Trump said that Musk has been "amazing" but that he has a "big company to run, and so at some point, he's going to be going back." Musk, who has been overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, owns several ventures, including SpaceX and Tesla.
During an interview on Fox News last week, Musk was asked if he would stay on after his 130-day status as a special government employee ends.
“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion within that time frame," Musk replied.
Obama photobombs a family’s D.C. cherry blossom moment
Members of a family taking photos amid the cherry blossoms on D.C.’s Tidal Basin spotted a famous figure in the background of their shots: former President Barack Obama.
To their delight, the 44th president made a cameo in their family photos early Monday.
“It was perfect,” mom Portia Moore said.
Fauci's wife among the top scientists dismissed from NIH
Christine Grady, head of the boethics division at the National Institutes of Health and wife of Dr. Anthony Fauci, was one of several department leaders who were dismissed from their senior positions yesterday as the Trump administration makes sweeping workforce and funding cuts across federal health agencies.
Grady reportedly received a notice yesterday informing her she would be put on administrative leave immediately unless she accepts a different position in Alaska as an official at the Indian Health Service.
Other top NIH officials, including Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, who replaced Fauci as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Dr. Clifford Lane, Fauci’s long-time deputy, received identical notices.
The notices came on the heels of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya being sworn in as the new head of the NIH yesterday morning. Bhattacharya sent a letter to staff about the impending layoffs yesterday, saying they would help restructure the NIH. Health officials across the country have warned against the drastic cuts, arguing they will decimate the nation's public health research and preparedness.
Trump stripped Fauci, who played a key role in the country's response to the Covid pandemic during his first term, of his security detail earlier this year. Fauci has since hired private security for himself and his family, citing ongoing threats.
Kaine says McConnell told him he plans to support a Democratic resolution eliminating Trump's tariffs on Canada
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said this morning that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., plans to support a Democratic-sponsored resolution that would eliminate Trump's imposed tariffs on Canada.
Kaine told reporters on Capitol Hill that he approached McConnell on the Senate floor yesterday evening. "I said, 'I want to talk to you about my Canadian tariffs bill.' And, you know, I didn't even get to the question, and he said, 'I'm with you.'"
McConnell’s support for the resolution could be the key vote for it to pass. Three other Republican senators — Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — are also expected to support it. The resolution needs a simple majority to pass, so if all 47 Democrats vote yes, they need four Republicans to reach the 51-vote threshold.
McConnell's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The former GOP leader has recently made clear that he opposes Trump's tariffs policy, arguing that the costs are passed onto the consumers, who can't afford the higher prices.
Trump called out the four possible Republican defections in a late-night post on Truth Social. “They have been extremely difficult to deal with and, unbelievably disloyal to hardworking Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Party itself.”
The resolution, sponsored by Kaine and Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., would terminate the Feb. 1 emergency declaration that Trump used to issue tariffs on Canada, thus eliminating the tariffs on Canadian imports into the U.S.
Senate aides say they expect the upper chamber will vote on the resolution later today.
If the Senate approves the joint resolution, the House would need to pass it as well and it's unlikely the GOP-controlled House would do so. A joint resolution is just like a bill as it requires approval by both chambers and needs the signature of the president to become law.
After Trump interest and Vance trip, Denmark’s prime minister to visit Greenland
Denmark’s prime minister is visiting the semi-autonomous Greenland today for talks with the territory’s incoming government, following Trump’s repeated expressions of interest in controlling the Arctic island.
Mette Frederiksen begins her three-day trip less than a week after a visit to the territory by Vice President JD Vance received a frosty reception from authorities in Denmark and Greenland.
Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ unfolds with new reciprocal tariffs sparking fear and uncertainty
Trump is expected to roll out the largest set of new trade barriers in generations today. Dubbing it “Liberation Day,” Trump already announced his intention to impose duties on imported autos and auto parts, and he suggested the fresh duties would be both reciprocal with other nations and include duties on specific sectors such as pharmaceuticals or computer chips.
Though Trump was elected because of his perceived ability to jolt the economy, he also spent much of his election campaign promising to impose tariffs.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case is dismissed
A judge today permanently dismissed federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The Justice Department moved to dismiss the charges in February, saying that continuing them interfered with the mayor’s ability to govern, thereby threatening “federal immigration initiatives and policies.” The department asked that the charges be “dismissed without prejudice,” allowing for the case to be potentially carried out at a later date.