The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case that could require mail ballots to be received — not merely postmarked — by Election Day, affecting laws in 14 states plus D.C. Fox News and NBC News both confirmed the conservative justices appeared skeptical of Mississippi's five-day grace period; a ruling is expected by June and could reshape the November midterms.
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case that could require mail ballots to be received — not merely postmarked — by Election Day, affecting laws in 14 states plus D.C. Fox News and NBC News both confirmed the conservative justices appeared skeptical of Mississippi's five-day grace period; a ruling is expected by June and could reshape the November midterms.
The Senate confirmed Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security on a 54-45 vote Monday, replacing Kristi Noem. Two Democrats crossed over to support Mullin, while Sen. Rand Paul voted against. Mullin takes over a department where roughly 100,000 of 250,000 employees are working without pay — now in its sixth week of a partial shutdown — and airport security lines have stretched to nine hours in some locations. Fox News and NPR both confirmed the vote.
With the DHS shutdown entering its sixth week and over 400 TSA officers having resigned, the Trump administration deployed at least 50 ICE agents per shift to 13 major airports — including Atlanta, JFK, and Chicago O'Hare — to help manage security lines that stretched to nine hours at the nation's busiest hub. Fox News covered the deployment as a practical solution; NPR and the ACLU raised concerns about untrained immigration officers at aviation security checkpoints.
President Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. and Iran had "very good and productive conversations" covering 15 points including nuclear weapons prevention and instructed the Pentagon to pause strikes on Iranian power plants for five days. Iran's Foreign Ministry denied any direct dialogue between Washington and Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed; oil prices have risen over 70% since the war began. NBC News and Breitbart both covered Trump's announcement and Iran's denial.
An Air Canada Jazz regional jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, killing both pilots and hospitalizing 41 others of the 76 people on board. LaGuardia closed for most of Monday, compounding already severe airport delays caused by the DHS shutdown. The NTSB is investigating; Transportation Secretary Duffy confirmed controller staffing levels and debunked a viral claim that only one controller was on duty. Fox News and Breitbart covered the crash as NBC News and NPR confirmed the investigation and political aftermath.
A 13-foot, one-ton Christopher Columbus statue — originally installed by Ronald Reagan in 1984 and torn down and tossed into Baltimore's Inner Harbor during the 2020 racial justice protests — was reinstalled Sunday on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, as part of the administration's America250 celebrations. Fox News and Breitbart celebrated the move; left-leaning outlets noted the contentious history of Columbus monuments and Indigenous communities' objections.
The Senate confirmed Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security on a 54-45 vote Monday, replacing Kristi Noem. Two Democrats crossed over to support Mullin, while Sen. Rand Paul voted against. Mullin takes over a department where roughly 100,000 of 250,000 employees are working without pay — now in its sixth week of a partial shutdown — and airport security lines have stretched to nine hours in some locations. Fox News and NPR both confirmed the vote.
With the DHS shutdown entering its sixth week and over 400 TSA officers having resigned, the Trump administration deployed at least 50 ICE agents per shift to 13 major airports — including Atlanta, JFK, and Chicago O'Hare — to help manage security lines that stretched to nine hours at the nation's busiest hub. Fox News covered the deployment as a practical solution; NPR and the ACLU raised concerns about untrained immigration officers at aviation security checkpoints.
The State Department announced on March 18 that it was expanding its visa bond pilot program to 38 countries — with a further expansion to 50 countries taking effect April 2 — requiring B-1/B-2 tourist and business visa applicants from designated high-overstay nations to post bonds of $5,000 to $15,000 before entering the United States. Fox News and PBS NewsHour both confirmed the expansion; the administration says 97 percent of bonded travelers have returned home on time.
The Virginia General Assembly passed a package of more than ten gun control bills and sent them to Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger, who is expected to sign them before an April 13 deadline. The centerpiece would ban the sale, purchase, and transfer of certain semi-automatic firearms and prohibit magazines exceeding 15 rounds. Fox News and NPR-affiliated stations both confirmed the bills' passage; conservative legislators call the package the most sweeping civilian disarmament effort in Virginia history.
Republican lawmakers have introduced campus carry bills in at least eight states — including Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming — allowing students, faculty, or staff with concealed carry permits to bring firearms onto public college campuses. The push follows multiple campus shootings including the March 12 ISIS-inspired attack at Old Dominion University. Fox News and Stateline (AP-affiliated) both confirmed the legislative wave; left and right disagree sharply on whether more guns reduce campus shootings.
Governor Gavin Newsom marked the 10th anniversary of California's Gun Violence Restraining Order law on March 19, releasing data showing GVRO issuances more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, California's per-capita mass shooting rate is 38 percent below the national average, and courts issued 1,727 GVROs in 2024 alone. Fox News has focused on NRA litigation challenging a related California gun law, while left-leaning outlets celebrate the data as proof of red flag effectiveness.
The World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate report found Earth's energy imbalance — the gap between heat absorbed and heat released — has reached its highest level on record, with greenhouse gas concentrations at their highest in at least 800,000 years and an 11-year streak of record-hot years. Inside Climate News confirmed the findings; Fox Business has separately reported TotalEnergies redirecting nearly billion from offshore wind to U.S. oil and gas as the Trump administration cancels Biden-era wind leases.
Western states resumed negotiations over the Colorado River's post-2026 management framework after missing a February deadline, with the federal government projecting only 2.3 million acre-feet — roughly one-third of normal flow — reaching Lake Powell through July. Nevada's proposal calls for 1.25 million acre-feet in lower-basin cuts in exchange for increased reservoir releases. Inside Climate News confirmed the dire forecasts; Fox Business separately reported the oil and energy investments being prioritized over renewable development in the West.
All 67 Florida counties are experiencing drought conditions — with some in the most severe 'exceptional' category — as the state faces its worst drought in more than two decades. FOX Weather and WUSF/NPR confirmed the drought's severity; the National Interagency Fire Center projects above-normal wildfire risk for Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas through spring, and over 40 percent of the entire U.S. is under drought conditions heading into fire season.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — the independent panel whose recommendations determine which cancer screenings and preventive services insurers must cover at no cost under the ACA — has not met since March 2025 after three consecutive meetings were postponed or canceled. CNN reported the panel may be "abandoned" by HHS; Fox News covered the GOP Doctors Caucus backing a full overhaul to remove what they called 'woke distractions.' Both sides agree the panel's dysfunction has real consequences for patient care.
Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee have proposed Medicaid provisions in their version of the reconciliation bill that go further than the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill, including a cost-sharing requirement per service for expansion enrollees and semi-annual eligibility re-checks. The CBO has estimated the combined changes could result in 8.6 million people losing Medicaid coverage. Fox News covered Trump's assurances that entitlements will not be cut; NPR and PBS NewsHour reported on the human stakes.
The White House announced the addition of three new prescription drugs to its TrumpRx discount platform — two Type 2 diabetes treatments and a COPD medication — reducing prices from hundreds of dollars to as low as $35 for cash-paying uninsured patients. NBCNews and a drug pricing analyst confirmed the significant per-unit discounts, but noted that only 7 percent of prescription users have visited the site and TrumpRx was never designed to serve insured patients. Fox Business and the Daily Wire frame TrumpRx as a meaningful step toward Trump's drug pricing promise.
A 13-foot, one-ton Christopher Columbus statue — originally installed by Ronald Reagan in 1984 and torn down and tossed into Baltimore's Inner Harbor during the 2020 racial justice protests — was reinstalled Sunday on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, as part of the administration's America250 celebrations. Fox News and Breitbart celebrated the move; left-leaning outlets noted the contentious history of Columbus monuments and Indigenous communities' objections.
The ACLU released a report titled 'Deputized for Disaster' finding that the number of local law enforcement agencies with 287(g) ICE immigration enforcement agreements has grown more than 900 percent since the start of Trump's second term — now covering 77.2 million Americans, or 32 percent of the U.S. population. NPR confirmed the program's scale; conservative outlets and the administration frame the expansion as necessary crime-fighting. States are sharply split: Idaho mandated 287(g) while Maryland, Maine, and New Mexico banned it.
The Trump Justice Department filed a motion on March 20 to dismiss federal criminal charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying the no-knock warrant used in the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor, citing 'the interest of justice.' CNN and CBS News both confirmed the filing; Taylor's mother called it 'utterly disrespectful' while police advocacy groups and conservative commentators said the charges had always been legally weak.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois agreed to pay ,000 to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation finding the affiliate violated Title VII by segregating employees by race in mandatory affinity caucuses and making derogatory statements toward white employees in DEI training sessions. NPR confirmed the settlement; conservative outlets including The Daily Wire framed it as validation of the Trump EEOC's aggressive anti-DEI enforcement strategy.
A new Missouri poll shows that a November 2026 ballot measure — Amendment 3 — that would overturn the state's 2024 voter-approved abortion rights amendment and simultaneously ban gender transition procedures for minors currently leads 47-40 percent. KCUR/NPR and Fox 2 St. Louis both confirmed the poll; critics say the two issues are bundled to leverage high opposition to trans care into support for an abortion ban that most Missourians otherwise oppose.
Wyoming's only abortion clinic — Wellspring Health Access in Casper — began turning patients away in the days after Gov. Mark Gordon signed the Human Heartbeat Act on March 9, with Wyoming Public Media reporting that about a dozen patients were turned away in the law's first week. The clinic has challenged the ban in court and continues to offer services to patients before the six-week threshold. LifeNews celebrated the law as "already saving babies;" left-leaning outlets focused on the lack of rape and incest exceptions.
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case that could require mail ballots to be received — not merely postmarked — by Election Day, affecting laws in 14 states plus D.C. Fox News and NBC News both confirmed the conservative justices appeared skeptical of Mississippi's five-day grace period; a ruling is expected by June and could reshape the November midterms.
Four veteran Voice of America journalists filed suit against VOA head Kari Lake and deputy Michael Rigas, alleging Lake replaced independent news coverage with pro-Trump content — including replacing AP and Reuters contracts with One American News Network and heavily promoting Trump's Iran war messaging in Persian-language broadcasts — in violation of federal law protecting VOA's editorial independence. A federal judge had already ruled Lake's prior actions unlawful. NPR confirmed the lawsuit; Fox News has not prominently covered the litigation.
The Senate began a potentially weeks-long floor debate on March 17 on the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast ballots in federal elections. Fox News covered the debate as a showdown over a popular election security measure; CNN published a poll on March 21 showing Americans are closely split on whether the law would prevent illegal voting or burden legal citizens.
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.5–3.75 percent at its March 18 meeting, citing elevated inflation driven partly by the Iran war's spike in oil prices, and signaled just one rate cut in 2026. Fox Business and NPR both confirmed the hold; Chair Powell said inflation is not falling 'as much as hoped' and that Iran-war oil disruptions account for a significant share of above-target price growth.
Three weeks into the U.S.-Iran war, Brent crude oil has surged to approximately $110 to $120 per barrel — up roughly 45 percent since hostilities began — and the national average gasoline price has risen 14 percent in a week, with California topping $5 per gallon. CNBC and NPR confirmed the figures; economists at JPMorgan and Moody's warned consumers face a serious squeeze, while Fox Business framed domestic oil production as a long-term buffer.
The U.S. Trade Representative launched two sweeping sets of Section 301 trade investigations in March — one into 16 economies for manufacturing overcapacity (March 11) and a second into 60 economies for failure to ban imports made with forced labor (March 13) — as the administration rebuilds its tariff architecture following the Supreme Court's February ruling striking down IEEPA-based tariffs. CNBC and NPR confirmed the investigations; China called them "discriminatory" and threatened rare earth export curbs.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify in the federal trial of former Florida congressman David Rivera, his former roommate, who is accused of secretly receiving million from Venezuela's government to lobby against U.S. sanctions without registering as a foreign agent. The appearance would mark the first time a sitting Cabinet member has testified in a criminal trial since 1983. NBC News and The Daily Wire both confirmed Rubio's expected testimony; prosecutors allege Rivera used encrypted messages with code words for Maduro and coordinated meetings at Rubio's Senate home.
The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard concludes that China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and has no fixed timeline for unification by force, marking a notable shift from prior military warnings. Fox News and NBC News confirmed the report's findings; analysts on both sides debate whether the softened assessment reflects genuine Chinese restraint or reduced American vigilance.
The Gaza ceasefire entered its second phase this week as Palestinians marked Eid al-Fitr under a fragile six-month truce — but only about 200 of the 600 trucks of daily aid U.N. agencies say are needed are entering Gaza, dozens of international aid organizations including Doctors Without Borders remain banned, and Hamas disarmament remains unresolved. Fox News covered Phase 2's launch and the hostage recovery; NPR reported Eid celebrations against a backdrop of continued humanitarian crisis.
An Air Canada Jazz regional jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, killing both pilots and hospitalizing 41 others of the 76 people on board. LaGuardia closed for most of Monday, compounding already severe airport delays caused by the DHS shutdown. The NTSB is investigating; Transportation Secretary Duffy confirmed controller staffing levels and debunked a viral claim that only one controller was on duty. Fox News and Breitbart covered the crash as NBC News and NPR confirmed the investigation and political aftermath.
A March 12 attack at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, left one ROTC instructor dead and two cadets injured before ROTC students subdued and killed the gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh — a naturalized U.S. citizen and former National Guard member who had been convicted in 2017 for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and released in December 2024. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. Fox News, CNN, NBC News, and PBS all confirmed the details; left- and right-leaning outlets sharply disagree on the significance of the shooter's early release.
CDC provisional data released in early 2026 shows U.S. drug overdose deaths fell approximately 18 to 21 percent in 2025 — returning to pre-pandemic levels — after a peak of more than 112,000 annual deaths in 2023. Fox News credited the decline to Trump's border enforcement, while public health researchers cited naloxone distribution, expanded treatment access, and changes in the illicit drug supply. Both sides agree the data represents a significant improvement.
A federal district court permanently invalidated the Trump Education Department's February 2025 'Dear Colleague' directive ordering schools to eliminate race-conscious programming, after the department conceded in February 2026 that the letter and its associated certification requirement are vacated. Fox News and higher education outlets both noted universities are not rushing to restore DEI programs, citing ongoing executive pressure despite the legal defeat.
The Department of Education issued new guidance encouraging states to use up to 3 percent of their Title I allocations to fund direct student services including private school tuition support, implementing President Trump's school choice executive order. Fox News and conservative outlets celebrated the move as expanding educational freedom; NPR and education policy researchers noted that Title I was designed for low-income public schools and raised concerns about diverting funds from the nation's most vulnerable students.
The Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit against Harvard University on March 20, alleging the school failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination and harassment following October 7, 2023, and seeking to recover billions in federal grants. Harvard vowed to fight the suit, calling it 'pretextual and retaliatory.' NBC News and Breitbart both confirmed the lawsuit; left- and right-leaning outlets sharply disagreed on whether it represents legitimate civil rights enforcement or executive branch retaliation.
President Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. and Iran had "very good and productive conversations" covering 15 points including nuclear weapons prevention and instructed the Pentagon to pause strikes on Iranian power plants for five days. Iran's Foreign Ministry denied any direct dialogue between Washington and Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed; oil prices have risen over 70% since the war began. NBC News and Breitbart both covered Trump's announcement and Iran's denial.
President Trump said on March 20 that the U.S. was "getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts" in Iran, yet the Pentagon simultaneously confirmed it was deploying three more warships and approximately 2,500 additional Marines to the region. Fox and NPR both confirmed the contradictory signals; the administration also temporarily lifted sanctions on some Iranian oil loaded on ships to ease the Hormuz-driven energy crisis.
President Trump posted a Truth Social ultimatum on Saturday demanding Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face U.S. military strikes on its power plants, beginning with the largest. Over 20 nations signed a joint statement supporting free passage, while Iran launched missiles near Israel's Dimona nuclear site and attempted a strike on the U.S.-U.K. base at Diego Garcia. Fox News and NPR both confirmed the escalation as the conflict entered its 22nd day.
