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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon Mar 24 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Allergy sufferers, the sniffles are about to get bad.

Take a quick look at Monday's news:

•	Travelers are advised to understand their rights when it comes to border searches.
•	Israel's airstrikes on Gaza escalate.
•	The March Madness Sweet 16 is set.

Immigration officers increasingly search electronic devices of travelers

More travelers are facing scrutiny by immigration and border control officers, including searches through electronic devices, amid orders by the Trump administration to increase national security.

Why it matters: Free speech activities, such as social media posts on political issues, could be targets for exams and subsequent visa issues.

•	There's been a string of legal U.S. residents being detained or deported. One Brown University assistant professor was deported after officers at Boston Logan International Airport searched her cell phone.
•	"Any traveler entering the U.S. is subject to CBP inspection": U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told USA TODAY officers are checking to ensure the claim you're making about who you are and your visa status are true.
•	What are my rights during a device search? At any port of entry, all of these searches are considered "reasonable," so no warrant is required.

👉 Keep reading: The UK, Germany and Nordic nations revised their travel advice in response to detentions at the U.S. border.

These progressive lawmakers are 'fighting oligarchy'

Progressives Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are traveling across the U.S. on their "fighting oligarchy" tour. Over 34,000 people attended their Friday rally in Denver, Colorado, where the lawmakers challenged President Trump and DOGE's Elon Musk. The multi-city tour comes amid tensions within the Democratic party following a vote by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., eight other Democrats and one independent to back a Republican crafted spending bill and avert a government shutdown last week. Ocasio-Cortez also called out Democrats, saying that Americans "need a Democratic party that fights harder for us too."

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) attend a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in Denver, Colorado, on Friday.

Kevin Mohatt, REUTERS

More news to know now

•	Pope Francis, 88, is back at the Vatican.
•	A cure for her daughter's epilepsy was getting close. Then Trump froze health spending.
•	Big sponsors are canceling support for Pride parades, but LGBTQ+ groups remain determined.
•	A recession may be coming. It's not too late to prepare.
•	Here's what to do if you're filing taxes for the first time.

Time for a break! Play today's USA TODAY Crossword. Sally says Play Your Cards Right.

Gaza death toll passes 50,000

An Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza killed a Hamas political leader, Salah al-Bardaweel, on Sunday, the militant group said, as Palestinian officials put the death toll from nearly 18 months of conflict at over 50,000. Israel effectively abandoned a ceasefire, launching a new all-out air and ground campaign last week. Explosions echoed throughout the north, central and southern Gaza Strip early Sunday, as Israeli planes hit several targets in those areas. Witnesses said it was an escalation of the attacks that began in the preceding week.

Without the Education Department, what happens to students with disabilities?

The Department of Education's Office of Special Education has reported to Congress annually about how students with disabilities are performing in schools. But the Trump administration recently gutted the Institute of Education Sciences, the federal agency's research arm. The research freeze especially concerns experts, who say special education can look different from state to state. Access gaps among states could now grow without adequate research from the agency.

Today's talkers

•	Tiger Woods is officially dating Vanessa Trump.
•	Who was George Foreman?
•	Skier Lindsey Vonn, 40, became the oldest woman to win a World Cup medal.
•	Edible Arrangements is, in fact, selling edibles.
•	Read these 11 books for the Trans Rights Readathon.
•	Here's how a refugee went from Target cashier to famed supermodel — without sacrificing her hijab.

How a NHL team's execs milked youth hockey families

Three Dallas Stars employees used their positions with the National Hockey League team and a prominent youth hockey nonprofit organizations to profit at thousands of families' expense, a USA TODAY investigation found. The employee organized dozens of Stars-run youth hockey tournaments that required out-of-town participants to book rooms for a minimum number of nights at select hotels. At the same time, they separately ran a company, Stay2Play LLC, that acted as a middleman between the Stars and the hotels, taking a cut of the revenue. Read the full investigation from USA TODAY.

Photo of the day: Who's in the Sweet 16?

Players are taking a rest Monday following the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Among the highlights from the first two rounds, No. 10 Arkansas pulled off a stunner by beating No. 2 St. John's to reach the men's Sweet 16 in coach John Calipari's first season. Here are the men's and women's March Madness winners and losers so far.

St. John's guard Deivon Smith (5) drives against Arkansas guard Boogie Fland (2) during the second round of the NCAA men's tournament at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

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.