Trump told reporters today he can do “anything I want” with Cuba, a country of 9.6 million people sitting in the dark because his oil blockade killed their power grid.
He also said, “I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba.” It was also when we learned that the State Department drafted a memo proposing to cut HIV treatment for 1.3 million Zambians unless the country hands its copper and lithium mines to American companies. The memo says the plan depends on a “willingness to publicly take support away on a massive scale.”
At the Kennedy Center, Trump told the board their vote on closing the building didn’t matter because “we’ve already announced it.” Marble and other materials were purchased before anyone cast a ballot.
The federal government transferred Oak Flat in Arizona to a mining company. This land, sitting on $150 billion in copper, is sacred to the Apache and had been protected by every president since Eisenhower. The mining company is partly owned by a Chinese state entity, and the Apache get nothing while the company loots their sacred land.
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Today’s GovBrief News
Cuba's entire electric grid collapses under U.S. oil blockade, leaving the island's 9.6 million residents without power as Trump vows to "take" the country.
Source: AFP
March 16, 2026
State Department memo proposes cutting HIV treatment for 1.3 million Zambians unless the country gives U.S. companies preferential access to its copper and lithium mines.
Source: The New York Times [gift link]
March 16, 2026
Iran strikes Doha and Dubai, Israel hits Beirut as Lebanon displacement passes 1 million on day 18 of U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Source: The Associated Press
March 16, 2026
Human Rights Watch says El Salvador arbitrarily detains and disappears Salvadorans deported from the U.S., with only 10.5% convicted of violent crimes.
Source: The Associated Press
March 16, 2026
U.S. transfers sacred Apache site Oak Flat to mining company partly owned by Chinese state entity, ending seven decades of federal protection.
Source: Arizona PBS
March 16, 2026
USS Gerald Ford fire burned for 30 hours and displaced more than 600 sailors from their bunks, the Navy reveals, as the carrier enters its 10th month deployed.
Source: WTKR Norfolk
March 16, 2026
Dan Caldwell, fired by Hegseth over alleged Pentagon leaks and later cleared, hired by intelligence office led by Tulsi Gabbard.
Source: The Hill
March 16, 2026
Supreme Court grants Trump request to skip appeals courts and rule directly on ending protected status for 350,000 Haitians and several thousand Syrians.
Source: SCOTUSblog
March 16, 2026
Accused Jan. 6 pipe bomber argues Trump's blanket pardon should cover him because the bombs were placed "at or near" the Capitol.
Source: NBC News
March 16, 2026
Gregory Bovino, who led Minnesota immigration crackdown and blamed Alex Pretti for his own killing, announces retirement after being sidelined by Trump.
Source: Axios
March 16, 2026
Leqaa Kordia, Paterson woman jailed by ICE for over a year after attending pro-Palestinian protests near Columbia, released on $100,000 bond.
Source: WPIX New York
March 16, 2026
SEC's top enforcement official resigns after six months as the agency dismisses crypto cases, slows investigations and loses staff under Trump.
Source: Reuters
March 16, 2026
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, the first woman in the role, diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and will remain in the role.
Source: CBS News
March 16, 2026
Trump reveals Rep. Neal Dunn received a terminal heart diagnosis, says he arranged Walter Reed surgery because "I did it for him first and for the vote second."
Source: The Hill
March 16, 2026
Trump says Newsom's dyslexia disqualifies him from the presidency, repeating the attack at least four times in less than a week.
Source: CNN
March 16, 2026
Kennedy Center board votes to close for two years after Trump tells trustees "it's a little late for the board because we've already announced it."
Source: UPI
March 16, 2026
Federal judge blocks RFK Jr.'s overhauled vaccine panel from meeting or implementing changes to childhood immunization schedule.
Source: Roll Call
March 16, 2026