Trump indicted; Disney outmaneuvers DeSantis; Finland will join NATO

Plus, how to negotiate medical bills you can't afford. [View this email online]( [NPR]( by Suzanne Nuyen Quick note: Next Monday, this daily newsletter and the weekly Best of NPR are becoming the Up First newsletter. Your trusted source for top stories and why they matter to you; podcast recommendations; and moments of joy will all live under one name. - Every weekday, we’ll bring you the news you need to start your day. Plus entertainment guides, life advice, deep dives on complicated topics and more. - On Sundays, we’ll make sure you didn’t miss anything important with a showcase of the NPR network’s best journalism that week. Joining forces with the awesome team that makes the [Up First podcast]( will make the newsletter you already love smarter, and richer with the analysis and context you expect from NPR. Thanks for being an avid reader! Good morning. Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility. Tomorrow, the Florida Atlantic Owls try to extend their March Madness Cinderella run. Here's what else we're following today. 🥇 First up [Former President Donald Trump stands in front of a dark blue curtain. ]( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump has been indicted, making him the [first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges](. A grand jury has spent months investigating hush money payments made through his former attorney Michael Cohen to cover up an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied having the affair, although he has admitted reimbursing Cohen for money paid to her. ➡️ NPR’s Ilya Marritz, who covers Trump's legal matters, told the Up First podcast this morning that covering a grand jury process is difficult because it's "secret by design." He says indictments are usually unsealed the day of a defendant's arraignment when Trump comes in to get fingerprinted and enter a plea. Marritz cautions us to be [skeptical of "headlines and hot takes]( because charges are unknown until then. ➡️ Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are already weighing in on the news. On Up First, NPR's Congressional Correspondent Deirdre Walsh says Democrats say the indictment shows that [no one is above the law](. Republicans, [including Trump]( immediately attacked the process as political. ➡️ Strategists, law professors and former prosecutors are all analyzing the news on [Morning Edition]( today. Read our [five biggest takeaways from the situation](. In a surprising turn of events, Disney has outmaneuvered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' new oversight board — with a little help from the British monarchy. Last month, DeSantis signed a bill that took control of a special tax zone encompassing Walt Disney World and appointed five allies to the board. But [19 days before he signed the final bill]( the former Reedy Creek Park development board signed its power back to Disney and made sure the new policy doesn't expire "until twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III." The Turkish parliament has approved Finland’s request to join NATO. Both Finland and Sweden applied for membership after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Sweden's application has been blocked because Turkey says the country has been harboring Kurdish activists that the government calls terrorists. NPR's Peter Kenyon tells Up First the news is a [victory for NATO and a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin]( who has long opposed any eastward expansion by the organization. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌱 Life Advice [An illustration of a person staring up at giant pill bottles. ]( Shannon Wright for NPR For many Americans, a medical crisis is a financial crisis. About 6% of adults in the U.S. owe over $1,000 in medical debt, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Luckily, there are some [strategies you can use to eliminate, reduce or negotiate]( a medical bill you can't afford. 💊 If you search for your hospital name and "financial assistance," you can see if you qualify for the hospital's charity care program. 💊 If you don't qualify, try asking for an itemized bill to ensure the charges accurately reflect the care you received. 💊 Bills that are correct could still be negotiated. "I always tell people the numbers are fake. They don't matter. It can always be lowered," says Jared Walker, the founder of Dollar For, a national nonprofit that helps people eliminate their medical bills. Watch Walker's tips on [how to navigate hospital bills]( or [read them here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🎥 Weekend picks [ Three promo images from three video games: Tchia, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, and Destiny 2: Lightfall. ]( Kepler Interactive, Nintendo, Bungie Check out what [our critics]( are watching, reading and listening to this weekend: 🍿 Movies: [Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves]( is a delight. NPR's Glen Weldom writes that the film's quips, visual gags and dialogue are "better, stronger and funnier than they strictly need to be." 📺 TV: Chases, shootouts, secret conversations, twists and turns. You get it all in Netflix's new spy thriller series [The Night Agent](. 📚 Books: It takes more than a good diet and exercise routine to stay healthy. Living through poverty, racism and discrimination can damage your body on a cellular level. That's the premise of Arline Geronimus' new book, [Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.]( 🎵 Music: Fall Out Boy is back, and they spoke to NPR about the journey that led to the creation of [So Much (For) Stardust](. 🎮 Games: From scary Spain in Resident Evil 4 to Tchia's colorful archipelago, to the Diablo IV Beta's grim Sanctuary, [NPR's gamers take us across the world]( — real and fictional — for their March games review. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🛑 Before You Go [A trainer hugs Lolita the orca]( Nuri Vallbona/AP - Free Lolita! Nearly five decades after being captured and held in the Miami Seaquarium, Lolita the orca will finally be able to [return to the Pacific]( to live out the rest of her days. - Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has won her ski crash case and [$1 in damages](. - Nancy was terrified for the future after her husband started fainting and doctors couldn't diagnose the cause. But one [doctor and unsung hero's advice]( changed her perspective. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]