What to know today
- The Senate tonight began consideration of a Republican budget resolution, kick-starting a "vote-a-rama" where senators on both sides of the aisle can offer and try to pass an unlimited number of amendments ahead of the final vote on the measure that's expected to increase the budget deficit.
- A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled tonight that the National Institutes of Health must continue to fund research grants in compliance with earlier agreements. The Trump administration had sought to cut the funding, sparking a lawsuit from 22 states.
- The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending nearly $65 million in teacher training grants that Education Department officials deemed to violate the administration's anti-diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
- President Donald Trump said he would grant ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, an additional 75-day extension to either sell the popular social media app to a non-Chinese company or risk being banned in the U.S.
- Global markets took another beating from Trump's decision this week to announce sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Prosecutors seek 7 years in prison for George Santos
Federal prosecutors are seeking an 87-month prison sentence for former New York congressman George Santos, according to a new court filing tonight.
Santos pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted to other acts of wrongdoing, saying that he deeply regretted his conduct and that he was "dedicated to making amends for the wrongs I have committed."
Prosecutors said in their filing that Santos' claims of regret were too late, and referred to him as a "pathological liar and fraudster."
“Despite his belated claims of remorse, Santos’s conduct throughout this case has added insult to injury. Faced with overwhelming evidence of guilt and a chorus of calls to resign, Santos remained unrepentant and defiant, lambasting the prosecution as a ‘witch hunt,’ casting himself as a victim of government overreach, and refusing to step down from the position he obtained following a campaign premised on lying, cheating, and stealing,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. “A significant carceral sentence is needed to reflect the breadth, scope, and predatory nature of Santos’s crimes.”
One of Santos' lawyers, Andrew Mancilla, said in an email to NBC News that the sentencing memo from prosecutors “reads like a personal attack piece. Their lack of objectivity and deliberate disregard for significant contradictory evidence is deeply troubling.”
In their own memo, Santos’ attorneys requested a two-year sentence.
“Given his public disgrace and removal from Congress, he is unlikely to commit similar offenses in the future in the unlikely event he finds himself in the position to do so,” they wrote.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 25.
U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert told Santos when he pleaded guilty last year that sentencing guidelines pointed to six to eight years in prison.
Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023. He was first elected to the House in 2022.
Man arrested in Florida over threats to kill Trump
Police in Jupiter, Fla., said that they arrested a man today on charges of making written threats to kill Trump.
The department said in a Facebook post that the threats were made on social media, and that the person was interviewed and taken into custody “without incident.”
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi thanked the police on X for their "swift response & partnership."
“Threats against @POTUS or any Secret Service protectee are taken very seriously. Our success often starts with tips from the public so please continue to report suspicious activity to police,” Gugliemi wrote.
Police did not say when the person posted the threats, nor was there any mention of weapons in the release.
Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago residence this weekend. Jupiter is a little more than 20 miles from Mar-a-Lago.
Police in Florida last year arrested Ryan Routh after he was accused of attempting to assassinate Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club. Routh has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
‘Bad faith’: Judges rip Trump administration for litigation tactics
Judges showed some frustration this week with how the Trump administration has been defending itself in court, with one saying it appeared to have used “bad faith” tactics, another accusing it of using “disingenuous” arguments and a third saying it was making “inaccurate” claims.
One of the judges, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, suggested he might hold contempt proceedings to hold the government to account for failing to comply with his orders.
In a separate but related case, a federal judge in Maryland on Friday ordered the government to return a deportee it acknowledged was accidentally sent to a notorious megajail in El Salvador.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest legal developments of the week.
Judge rules Trump administration must fund NIH research grants at full amount
A federal judge in Massachusetts tonight issued a final judgement and permanent injunction in a case involving the Trump administration cutting medical research funding in 22 states.
In the order, the judge sided with the states that brought the suit. They had alleged that the funding cuts would “halt…cutting edge work” used to cure and treat human disease.
As a result of the ruling, the National Institutes of Health must continue to fund research grants at the full amount in accordance with original agreements.
Sen. Bill Cassidy criticizes ballooning debt but says he'll still vote for GOP budget resolution
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said tonight he will support the Senate Republican budget resolution, despite his criticism of rising debt.
Cassidy displayed a chart on the Senate floor to show how much the debt would increase if Republicans permanently extend tax cuts from Trump's first term.
He said the country would be “in deep doo doo” if debt got that high before adding that he would ultimately support the GOP resolution.
Cassidy said that not passing the resolution would extend uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs. He also said that he has gotten assurances that Trump and Republican leaders in Congress will work to offset the cost of the budget bill.
Senate vote-a-rama begins, launching all-night process on budget resolution
The Senate tonight started what's known as vote-a-rama, when it votes on an unlimited number of amendments to the Republican budget resolution.
The first amendment, focused on Medicare and Medicaid, was introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor before voting began that Democratic amendments will focus on "hitting the kill switch on Donald Trump’s tariffs, on DOGE, on the attacks against Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid.”
At the end of vote-a-rama, which is expected to extend into tomorrow, the Senate will vote to pass the budget resolution. It only needs a simple majority.
Trump administration violated court order by pausing FEMA funds, judge rules
A federal judge today ruled that the Trump administration disobeyed the court’s previous order that blocked the administration from withholding federal funds to states.
U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island found that the administration violated the court order by pausing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disbursement of millions of dollars in grant funding to states.
The judge wrote, “States have presented evidence that strongly suggests that FEMA is implementing this manual review based, covertly, on the President’s January 20, 2025 executive order — ‘Protecting the American People Against Invasions,’” which is meant to withhold funds from “sanctuary” jurisdictions that don’t assist with administration’s immigration policies.
“FEMA received notice of the preliminary injunction order, the order is clear and unambiguous, and there is no impediments to FEMA’s compliance with the order. The record makes clear that FEMA’s manual review process imposes an indefinite pause on the disbursement of federal funds to states,” the judge added.
“Thus, FEMA’s manual review process violates the court’s preliminary injunction order,” the judge said, ordering FEMA to comply with the preliminary injunction.
Sen. Rand Paul bashes Republicans over 'embarrassing' budget bill
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shamed his Republican colleagues today during a floor speech over their backing of a budget resolution that would increase the U.S. debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
“You know, it’s kind of embarrassing, really, to talk about debt. It’s extremely embarrassing for Republicans who say they’re conservative to be adding 5 trillion in debt and voting for it,” Paul said.
"This will be a vote, and I think, an ignominious one, in which professed conservatives stand up, stand forward, and vote for more debt than Congress has ever voted for at one period of time. It just, it just disappoints me. I’m so disappointed," he added.
Paul suggested that Republican support for the budget bill is hypocritical given the party's often-touted support for ongoing efforts to reduce government spending and waste.
"I’m excited by eliminating all of that waste. I’ve been calling for it for years. But I’ll tell you what worries me: What worries me is that so many things in Washington are smoke and mirrors," Paul said.
Paul was the only Republican senator to vote against proceeding to floor debate on the GOP-led funding bill this week, putting him at odds with Trump, who publicly backed the funding measure ahead of that vote.
Separately, Paul was among a handful of Republicans to vote in favor of a Democratic resolution to block Trump's Canadian tariffs from taking effect.
White House says Trump unleashed 'economic prosperity' in a week that included massive market downturn
The White House said in a news release today that Trump unleashed “economic prosperity” this week — despite markets plunging for the second day in a row after the president announced sweeping tariffs.
"It was another highly successful week for the American people as President Donald J. Trump continues his relentless pursuit of strength, prosperity, and peace — and lays the foundation for America to be the global powerhouse for generations to come," the White House said.
The release made no mention of the market turmoil, which included the broad-based S&P 500 closing down 6%, while Nasdaq fell 5.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 2,200 points, roughly 5.5%.
While the markets are not a direct measure of the economy, many Wall Street economists this week said the new tariffs could lead to a recession.
Despite the negative market reaction, Trump asserted in a Truth Social post this evening that “Big business is not worried about the tariffs, because they know they are here to stay.”
Trump did not reference the markets in any of his social media posts today.
CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin joins TODAY to break down how CEOs are reacting to Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, as they weigh how to lead through the uncertainty.