President Donald Trump hosted the first White House Ramadan Iftar dinner of his second term, thanking the “hundreds of thousands” of Muslim Americans who supported him in the 2024 presidential election. Trump’s administration says it focuses on achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, building on the Abraham Accords, which he claimed were deemed impossible.

During the dinner, Trump reiterated his support for the Muslim community, stating, “The Muslim community was there for us in November, and while I’m president, I’m going to be there for you.” The dinner took place amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, where Trump expressed his commitment to peace and military support for Israel.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that Trump administration officials discussed sensitive plans in the Signal group chat but clarified that no classified information was involved. Bondi downplayed the Signal scandal during a press conference, urging focus on previous investigations concerning Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

Critics, including CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig, argue that Bondi should initiate an investigation into the Signal chat leaks, which they believe require scrutiny.
Clinton responded to Bondi’s comments, calling the situation “staggering hypocrisy” and emphasizing the potential danger to military personnel.

The Associated Press reported that correspondent Zeke Miller’s testimony revealed that the Trump administration’s ban on its access to the White House has negatively impacted its ability to report on the president. The White House has excluded the media outlet from over 60 events since Feb. 11, Miller testified.

The ban has affected AP’s ability to ask timely questions, he claimed.

Evan Vucci, the AP’s chief photographer, expressed that the media outlet’s exclusion from key events puts it at a disadvantage to competitors.

AP challenges the ban on First Amendment free speech and Fifth Amendment due process grounds and claims it has suffered due to the restrictions.

The U.S. suspended all payments to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Thursday, March 27, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to reduce government spending, according to trade sources reported by Reuters. Public documents indicate that the U.S. falls into the first of three classifications for unpaid dues, impacting its involvement in WTO bodies.

The World Trade Organization’s annual budget for 2024 was 232.06 million Swiss francs. The anticipated contribution from the U.S. is around 11% of that budget.

A World Trade Organization spokesperson stated that it is the responsibility of WTO members to implement consequences related to arrears, which affect the organization’s operational capacity.

House Republicans are asking the Department of Homeland Security to reveal details about how the Biden administration paroled immigrants into the U.S., according to House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green and others in a letter to Secretary Kristi Noem. Under Biden, over 531,000 immigrants were paroled into the U.S.

President Joe Biden’s numbers were higher than numbers during previous administrations, which ranged from 11,000 to 54,000 annually.

Mark Green stated that despite subpoenas, DHS did not comply with requests related to parole programs.

Republicans are concerned about the accountability of Biden’s parole pipeline, which they claim allowed over 1.5 million inadmissible aliens to enter the country without sufficient oversight.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has signed a bill that ends the state’s universal mail-in ballot system. The new law requires voters to request mail ballots starting in 2029.

Under the new law, ballots must be received by election officials by 8 p.m. on Election Day, eliminating a grace period for postmarked ballots.

Voting rights advocates argue that these changes will make it harder for residents, especially in rural areas, to vote.

Supporters, including Cox, claim the changes will increase election security and restore trust in the electoral process.

Donald Trump has officially endorsed Sen. Lindsey Graham for re-election when his term is up in 2026 in a Truth Social post, highlighting Graham’s long service in the Senate. Graham expressed gratitude for Trump’s endorsement, stating it means “the world to me.”

The endorsement is significant as it likely secures Graham’s Republican nomination amid potential challenges from other candidates. Graham has received additional support from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, R, and Sen. Tim Scott, R, indicating strong backing for his campaign.

In West Virginia, local city ordinances around discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals may soon be scrapped, with over 20 cities in the state impacted. The West Virginia Senate passed the bill that could impact things such as housing.

In West Virginia, the West Virginia Human Rights Act says that discriminating is unlawful for employment, but other cities in the state have passed ordinances around discrimination in other areas. The new Senate Bill 579 is seeking to make such ordinances “void and unenforceable.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Houston arrested over 600 noncitizens, primarily for violent crimes, during targeted operations. Those arrested included Orbelin Benitez-Carbajal, a Mexican national convicted of manslaughter, who had been deported multiple times.

Bret Bradford, Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office, stated that these operations aim to protect the public from criminal aliens and send a message to transnational criminal organizations about law enforcement’s unity.

The operation involved 71 criminal arrest warrants and included individuals charged with violence, sex offenses and narcotics offenses.

A security breach occurred when White House officials texted military strike plans for Yemen in a publicly available group chat on March 15. Military spouses and veterans are concerned about the breach, with U.S. Navy spouse Alyssa Myatt stating it violates strict protocols they must follow.

Veterans, including Edwin J. Thomas, believe officials should keep military planning confidential, as indicated in their remarks.

Veterans have raised concerns regarding the lack of care for their security during military operations.