7. Notre Dame Cathedral partially destroyed by fire
— The famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffered a massive fire that led to the collapse of an iconic spire. Flames were visible before the tower collapsed and later spread to the other parts of the cathedral. Luckily, the main structure of the cathedral remains. The cathedral has its origin in the 12th century, brings in millions of tourists each year and houses art and artifacts, most of which are believed to have been saved including the Crown of Thorns. Questions remain about other artifacts like the fragment of the cross and one of the nails used in the crucifixion.
6. Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) releases his tax returns and tells a Fox News audience that he will raise their taxes
— Sanders, a 2020 presidential hopeful, said, “These tax returns show that our family has been fortunate. I am very grateful for that, as I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and I know the stress of economic insecurity.” Sanders released 10 years of his tax returns, which showed that his adjusted gross income for 2018 was $561,293 and that he has made three million dollars in three years. Sanders has been outspoken about economic inequality, and even during his 2016 presidential campaign he stated that wealth inequality is “the great moral issue of our time.” In 2016, Sanders was the 19th poorest U.S. Senator, but now his net worth is about $2 million due to book sales, royalties and speaking engagements. He participated in a Fox News townhall where the main takeaway was that he wouldn’t back a post-birth abortion, which elicited boos. He told the audience that if elected, “You’re going to pay more in taxes.”
5. Congressional Black Caucus claims that Representative Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) life is at risk
— Members of the Congressional Black Caucus made this claim after President Trump posted several tweets that were critical of Omar and her comments on 9/11. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) said, “We know that he is scheduled to go to Minnesota today and I would imagine that he is doing that to further whip up irrational outrage over her comments. And in our opinion, this only furthers to put her life in danger. I am certainly hoping that when he goes to Minnesota today his purpose is not to rev up a sentiment against Muslims and Islamophobia.” The group has called for Trump to remove his tweet that he posted about Omar, a spliced video of her comments and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), ordered a review of Omar’s security in Washington and her home district. As soon as Trump opposed and criticized Omar, Democrats immediately said that her life was in danger and his comments were threatening. Omar continues to fire off tweets of her own where she targets individuals including the president and the wealthy while benefiting from a media and Democrats who claim that it is an “attack” and “incitement.”
4. Mueller report expected to be released on Thursday — redactions will be dissected
— The Justice Department has announced that the Mueller report will be released, with redactions, to lawmakers and the public on Thursday morning. Democrats in Congress called several times for the report to be released without redactions. Last Wednesday, Attorney General William Barr testified that he planned to release the report within a week, which maintains his original promise to release the report by mid-April. For some reason, speculation continues to run rampant about a report we already know the conclusion of being wildly different.
3. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) continues to push for a national flat tax
— Shelby re-introduced a bill in Congress called the “Simplified, Manageable, and Responsible Tax (SMART) Act”, which is just a flat tax. Shelby has introduced this act every congressional session since he was elected in 1986. The SMART Act that Shelby has introduced would tax everyone’s income at 17 percent. There would be a few personal exemptions allowed to prevent inflation from raising the tax burden significantly. Shelby has previously said, “The SMART Act would also allow businesses to redirect resources away from tax compliance and instead focus on expanding their businesses and creating jobs.” Those who say the current tax code includes too many loopholes and is weighted to those at the top won’t support this because they want to use the tweaking of the code to reward their favored voters.
2. Only 12 percent of Senator Doug Jones’ (D-AL) campaign donations came from Alabama — that won’t work
— Jones has filed his Federal Elections Commission (FEC) financial report, and the report shows that only 12 percent ($107,122) came from Alabama, which is less than what he received individually from California, New York and Texas. Jones received 17 percent from California, 16 percent from New York, and 13 percent from Texas. Previously, it was discovered that Jones was also running campaign ads in different states and specifically excluding Alabama. This just further shows that Jones isn’t actually a senator for the people of Alabama, but a senator for everyone outside of Alabama, and this is exactly how he is campaigning. It’s not working, as polling shows Jones will have a rough time getting re-elected.
1. President Donald Trump continues to say that illegal immigrants will be given to sanctuary cities
— In a tweet sent out on Monday, President Trump said, “Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!” The proposal to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities has been rejected both times it was introduced in November and February. Since President Trump announced his desire to send illegal immigrants to these cities and states, many Democrats have fought back saying that this is political retaliation.
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