Day 1169: "This happens in war."
1/ An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers, leading to the World Central Kitchen charity suspending delivery of 240 tons of food to Gaza, where famine is imminent. The U.S.-based disaster relief nonprofit group said its team was traveling through a demilitarized zone in two armored cars and a third vehicle that were clearly marked with the World Central Kitchen logos when the convoy was hit three times in succession by missiles fired from a drone until the aid workers were all killed. The organization had coordinated its movements with the IDF. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that an “unintentional” Israeli airstrike killed “innocent people” in Gaza, adding: “This happens in war.” The White House, meanwhile, said it was “outraged” and that the attack was “emblematic of a larger problem.” World Central Kitchen had served 42 million meals in the 175 days it operated in Gaza. More than 200 aid workers have been killed in the six months of fighting. (New York Times / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)
2/ Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that the state’s constitution does not protect abortion rights, allowing the state’s six-week abortion ban to take effect May 1. But in a separate ruling, the court allowed a proposed state constitutional amendment on the November ballot, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Amendment 4, if approved, will allow abortion up to the point of viability, which is generally around 24 weeks into a pregnancy. Constitutional amendments in Florida need the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved. (Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / USA Today / CBS News / ABC News / Politico / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal)
3/ A New York judge expanded Trump’s gag order to stop him from attacking family members of those involved in the criminal hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan expanded the gag order after Trump repeatedly targeted his daughter in social media posts. Trump’s “pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose. It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game’ for Defendant’s vitriol,” Merchan said. “It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real.” When jury selection begins April 15, Trump will become the first former American president to face criminal prosecution. (Axios / Politico / CNN / USA Today / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / CNBC)
4/ Trump posted a $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case, preventing state Attorney General Letitia James from seizing his assets while the case is under appeal. Last week, a New York appeals court reduced Trump’s $464 million bond to $175 million, and extended the deadline by 10 days after more than 30 bond companies rejected Trump. If Trump doesn’t win on appeal, he will have to pay more than $450 million. Last year, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron found Trump, the Trump Organization, Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and two former executives liable for knowingly inflating Trump’s net worth to get better loans and business deals. (Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / New York Times / ABC News / Axios / CNN / NBC News)
5/ Trump’s net worth fell by more than $1 billion, as shares of his MAGA meme stock social media company plunged 21.5%. The Trump Media & Technology Group disclosed a $58 million net loss for 2023 while generating total revenues of $4.1 million. Trump owns 57% of the company, with his stake now worth $3.76 billion on paper. The company said it expects to operate at a loss for the “foreseeable future.” (Bloomberg / Axios / NBC News / CNBC / CNN)
6/ A group of House Republicans introduced a bill to rename D.C.’s Dulles International Airport to the Donald J. Trump International Airport. The effort has next to no prospects in Congress given the Republican’s one-vote majority in the House and Democrats controlling the Senate. Nevertheless, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Pennsylvania Republican who sponsored the legislation, said: “In my lifetime, our nation has never been greater than under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump.” Democrats, meanwhile, panned the bill as “ridiculous” and an attempt by Republicans to “suck up” to Trump. “Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison,” one Democrat said in a statement. Another Democrat added: “Dulles is an old, ugly airport that no one wants to see. So I think this is a fitting tribute to 45.” (Axios / Politico / NBC News / CBS News)