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BREAKING: Far-Right Leader In France Convicted of Embezzlement and Barred From Office

Far-right French Leader Marine Le Pen has been convicted and barred from seeking office, Goldman Sachs raises recession odds, Elon Musk hands out $1 million checks, and tariffs are coming fast

Today is March 31st, and here’s your morning news rundown. Before I jump in—I want to say thank you. My work isn’t backed by ad companies; it’s funded by you. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber today. We are going to be doing a paid subscriber Q&A this evening around 7:45 PM EST!

With that, here is all the news you missed:

  • French far-right figure Marine Le Pen has been convicted of misusing European Union funds and is now banned from running for public office. She had been considered a leading candidate in France’s 2027 presidential race.

  • Elon Musk distributed two $1 million checks to Wisconsin voters during a rally in Green Bay, following the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to not block the payments from happening. The election in Wisconsin is tomorrow, April 1st.

  • Trump has announced that reciprocal tariffs will likely apply to all countries, going beyond what his advisors had recommended as a more limited approach. Details about the full scope of the tariffs are expected on April 2nd.

  • ​Goldman Sachs has increased its estimate of the likelihood of a U.S. recession within the next 12 months to 35%, up from the previous 20%. This adjustment reflects concerns over anticipated tariff escalations and their potential impact on economic growth.

  • Over the weekend, members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) accessed a payroll system responsible for processing salaries for approximately 276,000 federal employees across multiple agencies, as reported by The New York Times. This action proceeded despite objections from senior IT personnel.

  • ​The Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was set on fire early Sunday morning in a suspected arson attack.

  • ​A leaked memo reportedly reveals that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has prohibited the use of numerous terms, including "climate," "vulnerable," and "safe drinking water." The USDA-ARS is tasked with monitoring crops to ensure they are disease-free and suitable for consumption.

  • Congresswoman Victoria Spartz told constituents at a town hall that if: “You violated the law, you don’t get due process.”

  • Adam Schleifer, a longtime federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, was abruptly fired—reportedly at the direction of the White House—after leading the case against Andrew Wiederhorn, a wealthy Trump donor and former CEO of the company behind Fatburger and Johnny Rockets. Wiederhorn had been indicted for allegedly disguising $47 million in payouts to evade taxes.

See you this evening.

— Aaron

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