Happy Thursday. It’s officially spring — and March Madness has officially begun! Here’s what’s happening in politics:

• Congressional negotiators are racing the clock to fund the government before Friday night. The text was finally released, but that only solved one of many headaches.
• Senators were briefed on the potential dangers of TikTok. It sure seems like it could actually get banned.
• Time magazine has a fascinating cover story today, arguing that President Biden’s campaign is in “trouble” — reporting on Democrats’ plan to turn things around.
• The U.S. is suing Apple, accusing the company of having a monopoly on smartphones.

🏀 Who do you have winning it all? Let me know! If you correctly predict the winner, I’ll give you a shoutout in that day’s 12:30 Report!

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

Congressional leaders finally released the text of the spending package early this morning to fund the rest of the government. After the last-minute drama over funding to the Department of Homeland Security, Congress is now scrambling to pass the sweeping package by Friday at midnight.

What’s in the bill?: The Hill’s Aris Folley listed a few of the highlights from the bill. Like: $490 million to hire more Border Patrol agents, $55 million for election security and more funding for the Transportation Security Administration

Up first at bat: Punchbowl reports that the House is tentatively planning to vote for the package Friday at 11 a.m.

The next hurdle: Senate procedure could hold up the bill. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he would hold it up because he doesn’t agree with the spending.

Well, when you do the math …: PBS News’s Lisa Desjardins estimates that lawmakers would need to read roughly 36 pages an hour if the House votes Friday morning “and not sleep.” Lol, sounds reasonable.

🔎 Read the 1,012-page bill

^ If you know, you know.

The Justice Department is suing Apple, accusing the company of illegally maintaining a monopoly over smartphones.

Details: “The DOJ was joined by 16 state attorneys general in the lawsuit, which alleges that Apple limits competition and hurts consumers, developers and small businesses through its operation of the company’s App Store, limiting the functions of third-party smartwatches and hurting the quality of cross-platform messaging.”

More on what we know, via The Hill’s Rebecca Klar

Senators received a classified briefing Wednesday on the potential security risks of the Chinese social media app TikTok.

How the briefing went: Well, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) left the briefing saying, “I think that TikTok is a gun aimed at Americans’ heads.” (h/t Semafor’s Morgan Chalfant)

The Intel chair wants the briefing to be declassified: Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) told reporters he is trying to release the information from the briefing to the public.

And Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argues it will ‘benefit’ users: “For the people who use TikTok and enjoy it: This is not about getting rid of that,” Cruz told Fox News’s Bret Baier. “What it is about is forcing China to divest, getting TikTok out of control of the Chinese Communist Party, getting it in the hands of an American company, getting it in the hands of anyone other than China or an enemy of America.” Cruz’s full argument

Where the TikTok ban bill stands: It quickly passed the House in a bipartisan vote, but the Senate is going at a much slower pace.

How TikTok is getting involved: TikTok has been urging its users to call Washington lawmakers to tell them not to ban the app.

^ Now what is interesting here: The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz points out that “this is a bad strategic move for the company to make [because] it will be spun in a bad faith way as them trying to influence politics.” 🤔

GO DEEPER:

• ‘Is a TikTok Ban Smart Geopolitics or Political Panic?’: Foreign Policy
• ‘TikTok ban could upend global app economy’: Axios
• ‘How the House quietly revived the TikTok ban before most of us noticed’: The Verge
• ‘Congress Should Think Bigger Than TikTok Ban, Tech Critics Say’: Bloomberg
• ‘Republican trading firm owner and TikTok investor [Jeffrey Yass] emerges as top donor in US election’: Reuters
• ‘US wants to ban TikTok, but First Amendment demands stronger case on national security’: Op-ed in USA Today

A worrisome number of Republican voters chose to vote against former President Trump in Tuesday’s primaries, giving more evidence that Trump is a weak general election candidate.

For example: In Florida and Ohio, former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley received 14 percent of the vote. In Arizona, Haley scored nearly 19 percent of Republican voters (!)

Why it’s worrisome: Trump has no rivals running against him anymore and is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. General election polling between Trump and President Biden shows a tight race, and if that many Republicans are not warming up to him, it could swing the race toward Biden.

Read more: ‘GOP primaries flash warning signs for Trump’, via The Hill’s Caroline Vakil

MEANWHILE — TRUMP IS TESTING THE WATERS ON AN ABORTION BAN:

Former President Trump has been teasing an announcement on his proposal for an abortion ban, reports The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Amie Parnes.

What we know: Earlier this week, Trump suggested that he’s considering a 15-week abortion ban. But Trump has mostly avoided answering direct questions on his abortion stance. (The Hill)

Time magazine’s Charlotte Alter, Brian Bennett and Philip Elliott report that President Biden’s reelection campaign is in “trouble.”

📸 See the Time magazine cover

Well, when you put it that way: “Despite an attempted insurrection, 88 felony charges, and a record that prompts former aides to warn of the dangers of reinstalling him in office, Trump has never, in three campaigns for the presidency, been in as strong a position to win the White House as he is now.” *nervous laugh*

How the Biden team sees it: “As a fog of dread descends on Democrats, Biden’s inner circle is defiantly sanguine. They see a candidate with a strong economy, a sizable cash advantage, and a record of accomplishments … that will register for more voters as the campaign ramps up. They see a pattern of Democrats overperforming their polling in recent years, from the 2022 midterms to a spate of special elections and abortion referendums. Most of all, they see a historically unpopular opponent.”

Read the full reporting: ‘Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?’

🥖 Celebrate: Today is National French Bread Day!

💊 Oof: The Washington Post reports that “women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion.” The full reporting is worth reading.

The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Texas and Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C. Harris has no public events scheduled. (all times Eastern)

• This morning: The Hill and Howard University hosted an event on Black women in politics. Including: Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) 💻 Watch the event

• 1:45 p.m.: Biden participates in a campaign reception in the Houston area.

• 1:45 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected around 4:30 p.m. Today’s agenda

• 2 p.m.: Two Senate votes. 🗓️ Today’s agenda

• 6 p.m.: Biden returns to the White House.

Because you made it this far, watch Buster get overly excited that spring is here.

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

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