5 things you need to know Thursday
March Madness officially begins
After some wild play-in games, the field of 64 is set for the NCAA Tournament's first full day Thursday. A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed, but the opening round always features stunning, bracket-busting upsets (just ask last year’s Michigan State team). Exciting Thursday games include a matchup between Wisconsin and Virginia Tech, No. 8 Northwestern vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt in the Wildcats' first-ever NCAA tournament game and an in-state battle between Florida State and Florida Gulf Coast. But it’s hard to predict the best buzzer-beaters and Cinderella stories, so be sure to tune in all day.
President Trump submits first budget proposal to Congress
President Trump is expected to release his first formal budget proposal to Congress on Thursday, and it's one of the most ambitious budgets ever proposed. Dubbed the "America First" budget by the White House, the proposal looks to “redefine the proper role” of the federal government by dramatically reducing its involvement in many domestic areas while boosting investments in security. Defense spending would grow by $54 billion and be offset with cuts to non-defense spending areas such as education, environmental protection and foreign aid. If passed, the budget would also see the disbanding of several agencies altogether including those primarily responsible for supporting public broadcasting, legal aid and the arts.
Debt deadline arrives
Thursday marks the expiration date of the U.S. Treasury Department's ability to borrow money unless Congress raises the debt ceiling. While lawmakers are expected to raise the debt ceiling, it's unclear whether they'll meet the Thursday deadline, which could force the Treasury Department to resort to "extraordinary measures" to pay the government's existing debts. Conservative Republicans are working to tie in legislation to reduce the nation's deficit, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats won't support a debt limit increase with any legislation attached to it. Economists say the government defaulting on its debt could create a global economic crisis and a recession in the U.S.
USA Gymnastics questions one of their own
The USA Gymnastics board meets Thursday regarding CEO Steve Penny's job status. The U.S. Olympic Committee board called for Penny's resignation in the wake of more than 80 gymnasts coming forward with sexual abuse allegations against former team physician Larry Nassar, but doesn't have the authority to fire Penny.The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reported more than 360 cases in which gymnasts accused coaches of sexual misconduct in the past two decades, and an investigation portrayed USA Gymnastics as slow-acting in its response to the allegations.
SpaceX launches satellite on its second try
SpaceX got lucky on its second attempt to launch a communications satellite into orbit from historic pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center early Thursday. The launch was originally set for Tuesday but high winds derailed the Falcon 9 rocket. Because this mission is lifting a heavy satellite to a high orbit — more than 22,000 miles over the equator — SpaceX will not try to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket "due to mission requirements."
