What's happening in the political world:
Senate hearing on possible Russian meddling in election begins
-- The Senate Intelligence Committee is digging into Russia's possible interference in the 2016 presidential election at a hearing on Capitol Hill.
During Thursday morning's hearing, it was determined that Russian meddling with American politics did not stop after the election.
Clinton Watts, a senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, testified before the committee: "This past week we observed social media campaigns targeting speaker of the House Paul Ryan hoping to foment further unrest amongst US democratic institutions."
Trump's tweet(s)
-- The president tweeted the following Thursday morning:
The failing @nytimes has disgraced the media world. Gotten me wrong for two solid years. Change libel laws? https://t.co/QIqLgvYLLi
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
Trump issues warning to House Freedom Caucus
-- After the president's health care bill failed last week, Trump took Democrats and House Freedom Caucus members to task for not backing the proposal.
In a Thursday morning tweet, Trump said:
The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
Putin calls election meddling accusations "lies"
-- Russian President Vladimir Putin has described allegations that his country meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as "fictional, illusory, provocations and lies."
Putin's comments are the his most emphatic denial of the accusations yet, and are the first he has directly made since Donald Trump took office in January.
Putin's denial comes as intelligence committees from both the House and Senate investigate the alleged interference in the election, including possible ties between Russian officials and members of Trump's campaign team. The FBI is also conducting its own investigation.
Ivanka Trump will become a federal government employee
-- While President Trump's daughter is set to become an employee at the White House, the job will be an unpaid role, according to CNN.
"I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the President in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees," Ivanka Trump said in a statement. "Throughout this process I have been working closely and in good faith with the White House counsel and my personal counsel to address the unprecedented nature of my role."
Her husband, Jared Kushner, is one of the president's top aides and is an unpaid employee.
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CNN contributed to this report
