U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 23, 2017.CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
What you missed:
GOP lawmaker says U.S. foreign surveillance 'unmasked' Trump associates
What a firestorm Wednesday night was. The Republican chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee, Devin Nunes, said the communications of members of President Donald Trump's transition team were caught up in incidental surveillance targeting foreigners – but not necessarily Russians. Intelligence reports about the communications also appear to "unmask" the identity of the Trump associates and the names were shared widely among the agencies, according to Mr. Nunes. He said it was possible Mr. Trump's own communications were also intercepted and disseminated among U.S. intelligence agencies. The White House seized on Mr. Nunes's remarks to bolster Mr. Trump's unproven allegations that former president Barack Obama's administration spied on the incoming president. Democrats, meanwhile, denounced Mr. Nunes's statements as "highly unusual" from the chairman of an intelligence committee, with top Democrats saying its members had not been informed, implying Mr. Nunes was providing some cover for Mr. Trump.
What happened today:
GOP House leaders delay health bill vote in setback to Trump, Ryan
Today was a major moment for Mr. Trump and his presidency. He made the final push to get the support needed to begin dismantling the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in the House of Representatives, but delayed their planned vote, a stinging setback for Mr. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan. Republicans hoped to vote on the health-care bill on Thursday, which is the seventh anniversary of Mr. Obama signing his health-care law, but Mr. Trump failed to reach agreement with a group of conservatives. The bill could still come to a vote in the coming days, but cancelling the vote on Thursday was a significant defeat on the anniversary of Obamacare. With big stakes on this gamble, there are about five chips on the table with Mr. Trump's health-care bet you should know about.
Chuck Schumer vows fight to block Trump high-court pick Gorsuch
Top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer pledged to pursue a procedural hurdle to try and block the confirmation of Mr. Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, a move that could provoke a nasty partisan fight and change the way the Senate does business. Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the 100-member Senate, leaving an uphill battle to prevent Mr. Gorsuch's confirmation, but Senate rules say 60 votes are needed to clear a procedural move known as a filibuster to allow a final up-or-down vote on confirming Gorsuch to the lifetime job on the United States's highest court. The Senate judiciary committee opened its fourth and final day of Mr. Gorsuch's confirmation hearing on Thursday.
British MP calls Trump Jr. a 'disgrace' for criticizing London mayor
In the midst of Wednesday's terror attack in London at the British Parliament, Donald Trump Jr. sent out a tweet that included a months-old comment from London Mayor Sadiq Khan that terror attacks are part of living in a big city, but left out that Khan was noting that residents need to "be prepared" for such attacks. British member of Parliament Wes Streeting was among numerous Britons who responded to the tweet with criticism. He called Trump Jr. "a disgrace" and accused him of using a terrorist attack for "political gain."
Toronto school board suspending U.S. travel over border issues
The Toronto District School Board, which serves about 245,000 public-school students, says it made the "difficult decision" to stop booking trips to the United States indefinitely in light of the uncertainty surrounding restrictions at the border. The board says it will move forward with the 24 U.S. school trips that have already been approved, but says the entire group will turn back if any students with appropriate documentation are turned away. Mr. Trump announced new travel restrictions earlier this month that would affect who can enter the United States, but those changes have been on hold.