10 things you need to know today: March 18, 2017

Trump meets Merkel, NCAA Round 1 ends with few upsets

Trump and Merkel
(Image credit: Pat Benic-Pool/Getty Images)

1. Trump meets with Germany's Merkel

President Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday. In the joint press conference after their discussion, Trump stressed the importance of NATO allies paying "their fair share," saying "many nations owe vast sums of money." Merkel said she was "gratified to know" Trump believes NATO is "important," given the president's past criticisms of the alliance. Though Trump championed a "stronger America" and emphasized prioritizing U.S. citizens at the start of the press conference, he later called a German reporter's suggestion that he is an isolationist "fake news." Prior to the news conference, the two leaders endured an uncomfortable sit-down in the Oval Office, during which Trump apparently declined to shake Merkel's hand.

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