Trump wants to slash Medicaid, European countries ban Boeing plane, and other headlines

ON INLANDER.COM

SPORTS: Can the Gonzaga Bulldogs maintain their leading position in the semifinal round of March madness? A few feisty underdogs may test them yet.

NEWS: The Washington state Senate passed a bill that would create a task force to make recommendations for how various agencies can improve environmental conditions that disproportionately affect certain communities. It now moves to the House.

NEWS: U.S. President Donald Trump submitted his federal budget proposal to Congress on Monday, the largest ever in history. He calls for a 5 percent increase in military spending and $8.6 billion to build his infamous border wall, as well as $1.9 trillion in cuts to social safety net programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the proposal as a "gut-punch to the American middle class." (New York Times)

IN OTHER NEWS...

Sketchy jets
Following Sunday's disastrous crash of a Boeing 737 Max plane in Kenya which killed 157 people, Germany, Britain and France have joined a slew of other countries in banning the plane model from their airspace. Additionally, 27 airlines have also grounded their own Max 8s. Critics point to a similar crash of a Max 8 in Indonesia last October. (New York Times)

Dead cows
A snow storm last month killed over 1,800 dairy cows in Yakima Valley over the span of a few hours. Now, distraught farmers are still assessing the damage from the blizzard. The financial value of the deceased cows is estimated to be upwards of $3.7 million. (Seattle Times)

No rockets, just bombs
After initially reporting that a truck that crashed near Coeur d'Alene was carrying missiles, the Idaho State Patrol clarified that the cargo was 32,000 pounds of explosives. It's unclear why the truck was carrying bombs in the first place. (Spokesman-Review)

Public radio's pay disparity
Emily Schwing, a Spokane-based reporter for the Northwest News Network — a public radio news service — quit last week, claiming that women at the outlet were paid less than their male counterparts. Records obtained by Crosscut show that she made roughly $20,000 less than her male equivalents. (Crosscut)