Happy Tuesday! The UConn Huskies’ decisive victory over the Purdue Boilermakers marked the end of this year’s NCAA basketball tournament. Many thanks to the more than 1,200 of you who participated in our annual TMD March Madness pool; we’d like to congratulate Steve S., the 2024 TMD March Madness pool champion! Kurt H. came in a close second place, followed by Don P., Mike C., and Kathy L. If you’ve filled out this form with your information, we’ll be in touch soon about your prizes!

First, though, we’ll have to remind Declan there was a basketball game on since we’re pretty sure he was watching the Cubs blow an 8-0 lead over the Padres.

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

• In a video posted on Truth Social on Monday, former President Donald Trump said state legislatures should decide abortion policy—implying he was not in favor of a federal ban—while adding that he favored exceptions to abortion restrictions in instances of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother. The statement drew condemnation from supporters of the pro-life cause, including Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence; Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who supports a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks; and Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
• In a 20-page document released Monday, the Vatican’s doctrine office outlined what it called several “grave threats” to human dignity, including surrogacy, euthanasia and assisted suicide, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender transition surgery, and “gender theory,” which it says “intends to deny the greatest possible difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference.” The document mostly reiterates Catholic teaching on these subjects but comes as Pope Francis has recently allowed priests to bless gay couples and allow transgender people to serve as godparents. 
• A New York state appeals court judge rejected on Monday former President Donald Trump’s attempt to delay the start of his hush money criminal trial as he seeks to have the venue moved from Manhattan to Staten Island, the only of New York City’s five boroughs he won in 2016 and 2020. The trial related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels is set to begin on April 15. Meanwhile, in a court filing late Monday, special counsel Jack Smith, prosecuting Trump for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, urged the Supreme Court to reject the former president’s claim of immunity from prosecution. “The Constitution does not give a president the power to conspire to defraud the United States in the certification of presidential-election results, obstruct proceedings for doing so or deprive voters of the effect of their votes,” Smith wrote in his brief. The high court will hear arguments in the case on April 25. 
• President Joe Biden on Monday announced a new plan to relieve student loan debt for as many as 30 million borrowers when combined with other Biden administration initiatives. This plan—Biden’s second attempt at large-scale student loan debt forgiveness after the Supreme Court ruled the basis of the first program was unconstitutional—includes a provision that would cancel all accrued interest for certain borrowers and another that would automatically forgive the debt of anyone eligible for one of the other federal debt forgiveness plans, even if they haven’t enrolled. Biden’s proposals, which could go into effect in the fall, will likely face legal challenges.
• The University of Connecticut Huskies beat the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60 to clinch back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball national championships on Monday night.

Trump Triangulates on Abortion 

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity last month, former President Donald Trump explained his soul-searching on abortion. “More and more I’m hearing about 15 weeks,” he said. “I haven’t agreed to any number. I’m going to see.” Yesterday, the former president released a video statement outlining his abortion policy vision: Let the states decide.

“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” Trump said Monday. “The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be.”