American history will be made today
Donald Trump will become the first former American president to face a criminal trial in the nation’s history on Monday. Also in the news: The U.S. stressed commitment to defending Israel following Iranian strikes. Scottie Scheffler’s won his second Masters — and his wife didn’t go into labor.
🙋🏼♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Treat yourself for getting your taxes done.
Here is the news to know Monday.
Historic Trump hush money trial set to start Monday
History will be made as jury selection begins Monday in a New York court room where former President Donald Trump is fighting 34 felony charges. The counts allege Trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. If convicted, the charges could land the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in prison.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
It’s a case that is sure to divide the country. Republican voters delivered electoral victories for Trump in nearly every Republican primary held this year, despite knowing he faces the New York charges, among others.
- The background on the case: Prosecutors allege Trump reimbursed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 hush money payment through a series of checks, falsely labeling them as payments for legal services and concealing a federal election law violation. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
- Is an unbiased jury possible? USA TODAY talked to jury and trial experts who say both sides of the case have reasons to vet out anti-Trump jurors.
- Are Trump supporters swayed? One of our journalists spoke with Trump’s base, who say there’s no way their favored GOP candidate will receive a fair trial.
Related: Stormy Daniels is speaking out about the challenges she’s faced since her encounter with Trump went public.
Will Iran’s weekend strikes on Israel spark a wider war?
Israel has yet to make a decision on how to respond to an attack by Iran over the weekend that saw waves of missiles and explosives-laden drones, most of which were intercepted, launched toward its territory. Israeli officials said Sunday there will be some kind of retaliation. And not only does that move Israel’s long-simmering conflict with Iran fully out of the shadows, it risks sparking a wider, direct military escalation that could draw in the U.S. and other countries and also potentially alter the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Read more
More news to know now
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Your taxes are due TODAY
Tax season 2024 is nearly over. Many of us have already filed returns. Some of us are putting it off. So far this year, Americans are getting slightly more money back than last year: The average tax refund issued by the IRS as of March 1 is $3,182, a 5.1% increase compared to the similar filling period in 2023. And if you don’t think you’ll make Monday’s Tax Day deadline, there are options. But an extension, if approved, gives a six-month grace period to file, but not to pay, posing the risk of penalties. Read more Tax Day questions answered by USA TODAY’s tax experts.
What happens when people are dropped from Medicaid?
For millions of Americans, the nation’s pandemic-era expansion of Medicaid health insurance is coming to an end. Some turned to options including an employer insurance plan or the Affordable Care Act. Others survived without insurance, avoided unaffordable doctor’s visits and left prescriptions unfilled. A new survey on the fallout from resumed checks on Medicaid eligibility found that nearly 1 in 4 people bumped from Medicaid coverage last year remain uninsured. Nearly half the people kicked out of the program ultimately qualified again, suggesting they shouldn’t have been thrown out in the first place. Read more
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Scottie Scheffler wins green jacket for the second time
Scottie Scheffler made it through the Masters without his wife going into labor to capture his second title at Augusta. He finished with a score of -11, four strokes ahead of Ludvig Åberg, who was competing in his first Masters. Scheffler started the day on top of the leaderboard, but he hit two bogeys and at one point, he was in a four-way tie with Åberg, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa, who was paired with the winner, for the lead. Scheffler also won the Masters in 2022 and joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win the Masters multiple times as the world No. 1. Read more
Photo of the day: Nostalgia for No Doubt
High-spirited, energetic and oozing SoCal, No Doubt took their die-hard fans back to the mid-1990s on Coachella’s first weekend in the California desert. No Doubt turned back the clock with an exuberant performance that showcased both the rebellious rocker girl side of Gwen Stefani and featured fan-favorite Olivia Rodrigo. Read more highlights from Coachella’s first weekend in Indio.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.
