March 12, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz and Political Announcement
Good morning, everyone!
Today, we will look at U.S. politics, the ongoing war in the Middle East, and a series of historical snapshots.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-President Donald Trump visited Hebron, Kentucky, yesterday to campaign against Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, endorsing his primary opponent, Ed Gallrein.
Ahead of the visit, Trump said in a social media post that he predicted Massie would “go down as the WORST Republican Congressman” in U.S. history.
View his full remarks here:
Massie, a libertarian-minded conservative first elected to Congress in 2012, has emerged as a fierce Republican critic of Trump since he returned to office last year.
Massie led the congressional effort to force the administration to release the investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein and has frequently voted against Republican leadership in the House.
-Longtime South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn is expected to make an announcement today at 10:30 A.M. EST.
The 85-year-old Democrat, first elected in 1992, has been weighing whether to seek reelection or to retire and endorse his daughter, Jennifer Clyburn-Reed, to succeed him.
-Asked about Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying he does not have the votes to pass the “SAVE America Act,” Trump said he has to “be a leader.”
Trump has pressured Thune to change the chamber’s rules to pass the proposal, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot.
View his full remarks here:
Separately, Texas Senator John Cornyn endorsed eliminating the filibuster to pass the bill as he seeks Trump’s endorsement in his runoff election against state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has said she does not support the proposal in its current form.
-Texas Senate candidate James Talarico sat for his first interview since winning the Democratic nomination last week.
See it here:
-The White House is instructing Republican lawmakers to stop talking about its mass deportation policy ahead of the midterm elections, according to Axios.
-Republican Congressman Kevin Hern announced yesterday that he would seek the seat being vacated by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who Trump nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
-Democrats flipped a seat in the New Hampshire House on Tuesday, adding to the party’s string of special election victories ahead of the midterms.
-The FBI is warning police departments across California of Iran’s desire to retaliate for U.S. attacks by launching drones across the West Coast.
-The Pentagon has barred photojournalists from attending press briefings on the U.S.-Israel war against Iran after photos were published that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deemed “unflattering,” according to the Washington Post.
-Missouri Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bill that would remove Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Mifepristone.
-Former First Lady Jill Biden is publishing a memoir, called View From the East Wing, that will be released in June.
-Scott MacFarlane will be leaving CBS after five years as justice correspondent amid major shakeups at the network.
-A white van drove through a barricade near the White House yesterday.
-On this day in 1804, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of alleged partisan conduct and intemperate behavior from the bench.
The Senate would later acquit him on all eight articles of impeachment.
To this day, Chase remains the only Supreme Court justice to be impeached.
In 1932, civil rights leader Andrew Young was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He would go on to serve as a pastor and a close confidant of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Later, he would serve as a congressman, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Carter administration, and mayor of Atlanta.
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his first fireside chat as he sought to update the American people on the federal government’s efforts to combat the economic crisis in the depths of the Great Depression.
Over the course of his presidency, he would deliver 31 of the informal, intimate addresses, with tens of millions of Americans tuning in.
In 1947, addressing a joint session of Congress, President Harry Truman pledged economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey to combat communist expansion in the Mediterranean region—a policy that would come to be known as the Truman Doctrine.
In 1993, Janet Reno was sworn in as the 78th attorney general of the United States, becoming the first woman to serve in the post.
Other Links:
Trump tells Axios there’s “practically nothing left” to target in Iran - Axios
Mike Johnson tells House Republicans housing bill could go to conference amid fight with Senate - Politico
Richard Kahn, Epstein’s accountant, tells Congress he didn’t know about abuse, saw no red flags in spending - CBS
Former Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe launches congressional campaign - Washington Post
ICE Lawyer Who Told Judge She Was Overwhelmed Is Running for Congress - The New York Times
Joe Rogan keeps highlighting Trump’s biggest liabilities - CNN
Trump Is Obsessed With These $145 Shoes—and Won’t Let Anyone Leave Without a Pair - The Wall Street Journal
Africa
-Lawmakers in Senegal approved an anti-LGBT measure that will double the maximum prison term for same-sex sexual acts.
The legislation’s passage is the latest in a wave of similar measures adopted by governments across the continent in recent years.
-The South African government deployed soldiers across Johannesburg on Wednesday in an effort to rein in gang violence and illegal mining.
The move is the first since President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to combat criminal gangs in his annual address to the nation last month, calling it the greatest threat to the country’s democracy.
-South Africa summoned the U.S. ambassador over “undiplomatic remarks.”
-Ghana and South Korea agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in climate, digital innovation, and maritime security following summit talks.
-On this day in 1968, Mauritius gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Other Links:
US to end special protection for Somali migrants as lawsuits mount - Africa News
Drones hit east Congo’s biggest city, killing French aid worker, rebels and UN say - Reuters
Chinese mining company blamed for DR Congo health crisis - Semafor
Ghana calls on Commonwealth to condemn attack on its peacekeepers in Lebanon - BBC
A Senegal boarding school that drew students from the US is at the center of an abuse investigation - AP
Americas and the Caribbean
-Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney moved closer to holding a majority in parliament on Wednesday after an opposition lawmaker joined his ruling Liberal Party.
-José Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s president at a ceremony in Valparaiso yesterday.
Kast’s ascension to the office represents a significant rightward shift for the country, reflecting his socially conservative and market-oriented policies.
At the same time, Kast will join a growing number of conservative leaders in the region, including those in Argentina, Ecuador, and Paraguay.
In December, he decisively defeated Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara in a presidential runoff vote.
-Lawmakers in Mexico’s lower house rejected an electoral reform proposal pushed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
-The Canadian government has boosted security at U.S. diplomatic facilities across the country after shots were fired at the U.S. consulate in Toronto on Monday.
-On this day in 1933, Raúl Alfonsín was born.
He is widely regarded as the “father of modern democracy” in Argentina, serving as president from 1983 to 1989 following years of brutal military rule.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act into law, codifying and strengthening the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba.
Other Links:
Trump reiterates threat of a ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba as fuel crisis deepens - CNBC
Press freedom in the Americas saw a ‘dramatic deterioration’ last year, watchdog says - AP
Trump Casts a Shadow Over One of Mexico’s Deadliest States - The New York Times
Argentina grants asylum to Brasília rioter in move that may sway Brazil vote - The Guardian
Famous Brazil Judge Faces Scrutiny for Alleged Banco Master Ties - Bloomberg
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-The United States announced yesterday that it was opening new trade investigations into 16 countries, mostly in Asia, as it seeks to rebuild President Trump’s sweeping tariff policy after the Supreme Court invalidated much of it last month.
-A U.S. warship transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, with the U.S. 7th fleet saying the move was to demonstrate Washington’s commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The move comes just ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China later this month.
The waters separate China from Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing regards as a renegade province.
-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test launch of strategic cruise missiles alongside his daughter yesterday.
Last month, South Korea’s spy agency reported that Kim Jong Un had designated her as his successor. Believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, she is 13 years old.
Other Links:
North Korean leader Kim and his daughter try out new pistols at shooting range - Washington Post
China is expected to push for an ethnic unity law that critics say will cement assimilation - AP
China warns state-owned firms and government agencies against OpenClaw AI, sources say - Reuters
Japan marks 15th anniversary of Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami - Japan Times
Police warn of crocodiles “absolutely everywhere” after Australia floods - CBS
Europe
-Hungary’s center-right opposition Tisza party continues to hold a lead over Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz, according to a new poll.
The country is slated to hold parliamentary elections on April 12.
Orbán, a close ally of President Trump, has been in power since 2010 and has sought to rein in the country’s judiciary while battling with the European Union.
-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his forces struck a key Russian missile plant in its Bryansk region.
-The British parliament passed a measure to remove the remaining seats in the upper House of Lords that are inherited by birth, ending a centuries-old system of aristocratic influence.
The House of Lords is the unelected upper chamber of the British parliament that reviews and revises legislation.
Out of a total membership that often exceeds 800, currently 92 peers are entitled to seats by birth.
-Russia is providing Iran with specific advice on targeting U.S. and Gulf nations, according to CNN.
-Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an ally of Trump, criticized the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, saying it represented a dangerous trend of interventions "outside the scope of international law.”
-Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel amid its opposition to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign.
-On this day in 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) just ahead of the military alliance’s 50th anniversary.
Other Links:
Zelensky sends drone teams to Middle East, touting Ukraine’s expertise - BBC
Released UK files reveal concerns on Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador - Reuters
Europe’s Far Left Is Having Its Moment - The Wall Street Journal
European stocks jump 2% as sliding oil prices buoy sentiment - CNBC
Germany news: WWII bomb forces major evacuation in Dresden - DW
Middle East
-Iran attacked vessels in the Persian Gulf yesterday, a significant escalation in a growing regional war now in its second week.
One of the ships, a Thailand-flagged cargo vessel, was struck by two projectiles in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where around 20% of the world’s oil passes through each day.
President Trump has threatened to intensify attacks against Tehran if it targets ships in the waterway.
Global oil prices rose following the attacks.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency agreed to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history as it seeks to counter surging prices.
-The Iranian government said it launched the “most intense and heaviest operation” against U.S. and Israeli targets on Tuesday night.
-Iran's newly-appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was lightly injured but continues to operate despite what was described as war injuries, according to an Iranian official.
Khamenei has not been seen publicly since he was selected on Sunday to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28.
-Iranian police chief Ahmadreza Radan warned that street protesters “will be treated as enemies” as Trump calls on Iranians to rise up to “take over their government.”
-The Pentagon reportedly spent an estimated $11 billion in the first six days in its war against Iran.
-Israeli officials are privately unsure on whether the war against Iran will lead to the ouster of its clerical government, according to Reuters.
-Israel bombarded suburbs in Beirut yesterday after Iran-backed Hezbollah militants launched a volley of rockets.
-An Iranian official announced yesterday that it would not participate in the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
-On this day in 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower hosted Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion at the White House.
Ben-Gurion, widely regarded as the primary founder of Israel, served as the country’s first prime minister from 1948 to 1954 and again from 1955 to 1963.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter addressed the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, saying he was in the region “in the cause of brotherhood and peace.”
His speech marked the first time a U.S. president addressed the body.
Other Links:
U.N. Security Council Condemns Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes in the Middle East
Satellite companies restrict access to Middle East imagery amid Iran war - Washington Post
UN warns global aid at risk as Middle East war spreads - Reuters
Iran-linked hackers claim responsibility for attack on US medical device maker Stryker - Reuters
Oman works to contain fire at Salalah port after drones strike - Reuters
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Interesting reading as usual