Trump frustrated as bond deadline nears and key bacteria identified in colon cancer cases: Morning Rundown
Donald Trump races against time to secure a $464 million bond. The war on drugs makes a comeback in progressive areas. And a study suggests dental plaque-causing bacteria could be behind treatment-resistant colon cancers.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump grows frustrated as $464 million bond deadline nears
Former President Donald Trump must post a bond for the $464 million civil fraud penalty against him and his co-defendants by Monday. But the billionaire developer is having trouble finding a way to guarantee his bond amount, and he’s not happy about it.
Two campaign sources familiar with the situation said Trump and some members of his inner circle are frustrated he has not been able to get cash to guarantee his bond, despite his legal team’s asks to more than two dozen surety companies.
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The penalty stems from the civil fraud case against Trump and his business, in which New York state Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump and his co-defendants have committed “persistent” fraud through the years and imposed a $350 million judgment. That amount ballooned to $464 million with prejudgment interest.
After Engoron’s ruling, a 30-day stay on the decision took effect. That expires Monday, at which point New York Attorney General Letitia James could start seizing Trump’s assets unless an appeals court steps in.
In a filing this week, Trump’s legal team asked for Engoron’s judgment to be paused and said obtaining a bond by the deadline would be an “practical impossibility.” A source close to the Trump team is gaming the options.
More coverage of Trump’s legal drama:
Can Trump use his properties as a collateral? Would he have to sell them off? Could he declare bankruptcy? Trump’s bond, explained.
Mar-a-Lago culture would have led many employees to commit crimes, a longtime Trump employee said.
Trump attorneys asked a judge asked for a pause in lawsuits in various civil cases that seek to hold him liable for damages stemming from the Jan. 6 riot.
The war on drugs makes a comeback on the West Coast
Signs of homelessness and drug use are becoming increasingly visible in Oregon and San Francisco, two West Coast locales where criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing prison populations went into effect in recent years. Now, new laws are being enacted to rein in dangerous street drugs and curb their use in public — a revival of the sort of policy President Richard Nixon initiated in 1971 to disrupt the international drug trade.
In Oregon, in response to skyrocketing overdose rates, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make possession of drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine misdemeanors, as well as enable police to confiscate drugs and cite people for having even small amounts.
In San Francisco, voters approved a ballot measure to screen and enroll in treatment welfare recipients who are suspected of using drugs.
But advocates say the new policies are a “knee-jerk reaction” that will only fill jails with people who need treatment, and some have taken it upon themselves to offer a solution. Reporter Alicia Victoria Lozano recounts the move away from drug criminalization in Oregon and California — and the ensuing shift back — and accompanies a group of volunteers who are trying to find a different way forward. Read the full story.
Israel has obtained a trove of intelligence about Hamas
Israel’s military has collected more intelligence on Hamas “than they ever have before,” as a former U.S. official puts it, in the months since it launched an offensive in Gaza, according to the former U.S. official, a congressional source and an Israeli official. The intelligence has come in the form of hard drives, cellphones, laptops, maps and other material seized during the invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as electronic eavesdropping conducted by the U.S.
A senior Biden administration official said the Israel Defense Forces have “absolutely taken advantage” of the information they’ve collected. It most likely helped them locate and kill Hamas’ No. 3 official in an airstrike last week in Gaza, current and former officials said. And they’re now searching for the leader of Hamas in Gaza and the commander of Hamas’ military wing, even as a steep civilian death toll and mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza spark international outrage.
More on the Israel-Hamas war
The U.S. has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza that is tied to the release of Israeli hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Blinken, on his sixth tour of the Middle East since October, said in an interview that a truce deal was “getting closer,” although he did not elaborate on why. Follow live updates.
Some of RFK Jr.’s biggest detractors are his own family
Last Sunday, members from three generations and four branches of the Kennedy family met at the White House. They posed for a large group photo with President Joe Biden and expressed support for his re-election campaign — while pushing back against one of their own.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign as an independent presidential candidate represents a potential political spoiler that could tip the race for presumptive presidential nominee Trump and tarnish a family legacy.
The St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House signaled a shift in the campaign season, as some Kennedy family members step up their engagement in the 2024 race. While many Kennedys are hoping Trump isn’t re-elected, some have other concerns. One source familiar with the family’s dynamic said some members are “furious” with RFK Jr., adding that “they are legitimately concerned about what he’s doing to their last name.”
More coverage of the 2024 election:
Trump is eyeing Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential vice president pick.
NBC News’ entrance and exit polls asked thousands of voters about their thoughts during the GOP primary season. Here’s what we learned.
The most Latino neighborhood in Nevada is foreshadowing a big 2024 fight.
Dental plaque-causing bacteria may be behind a treatment-resistant form of colorectal cancer
A type of bacteria that causes dental plaque was identified in half of colon cancer tumors, according a study published this week in the journal Nature — and experts said it could lead the way to new treatments and possibly new methods of screening. The particular bacterium, called Fusobacterium nucleatum, was found in 50% of colorectal tumors tested in the study. Patients with that kind of bacteria in their colorectal tumors “have a far worse prognosis,” said co-lead study author Susan Bullman.
Scientists also learned that the bacteria is more complicated than once thought. Not only can it survive the journey to the stomach; it also has a subspecies that “acts like a cloak” and can shield colorectal tumors from cancer-fighting drugs.
The finding comes as colon cancer rates are rising sharply among younger people. While the new research doesn’t answer why rates are rising, scientists say the discovery could have huge consequences for treatments.
Judge blocks Ohio dad’s alleged confession in sons’ deaths
The alleged confession from an Ohio father in the killings of his three young sons can’t be referenced during his murder trial this summer, a judge ruled, because authorities violated his constitutional rights after they took him into custody. Investigators did not properly advise 33-year-old Chad Doerman of his right against self-incrimination and his right to an attorney before an interrogation, Clermont County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frenec said. Nor did investigators stop after he “unequivocally and unambiguously invoked his right to counsel.” All statements from the interview will be barred from the case.
Doerman was arrested last year after his three sons — ages 3, 4 and 7 — were shot and a young girl was seen running in the street screaming that her father “was killing everyone,” authorities said.
American woman who posed as heiress faces extradition to Northern Ireland on fraud charges
An American woman who previously posed as heiress to a fortune faces extradition to Northern Ireland to face charges in connection with alleged schemes in which she is accused of duping investors out of over $150,000. She was previously convicted in a scam in Los Angeles that was detailed on the “Queen of Con” podcast.
Marianne Smyth, 54, is accused of defrauding five customers by enticing them to invest with her while she worked as a mortgage adviser in Northern Ireland from March 2008 to October 2010, British and U.S. officials said.
She is accused of scamming five people out of £135,570 (US$172,000), money that she said would be invested but instead kept for herself, the officials said.
Politics in Brief
Retirement age: A new budget by a large and influential group of House Republicans calls for raising the retirement age for future retirees and restructuring Medicare.
Student loan debt: President Joe Biden announced the cancellation of nearly $6 billion in federal student debt for 78,000 eligible public service workers, including teachers, nurses and firefighters.
Texas immigration law: A federal appeals court seemed unreceptive to arguments by Texas’ solicitor general Wednesday that the state’s new immigration law should take effect because it “mirrors” federal law.
Israel-Hamas war: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected a request by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Senate Democratic Caucus, but Netanyahu spoke virtually to Republican senators during a closed-door meeting.
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Staff Pick : This product is outlawed, but buying it online isn’t difficult
David Ingram’s reporting on radio frequency jammers — a decades-old technology that people have used more recently for to keep away drones, disable security cameras or block Wi-Fi networks — unearthed the sale of outlawed products on Amazon and Google. After the story published, the Federal Communications Commission revealed, exclusively to NBC News, a previously unreported investigation into Amazon. — Ben Goggin, deputy tech editor
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is offering discounts on hundreds of products until March 25. Unlike Prime Day sales, these deals are not exclusive to Prime members. Our Select team scoured the sale and rounded up a list of the best discounts on home goods, electronics and more.
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