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What Happened Today – March 26, 2026

The Republican Party is building a wall around the ballot box to stop a crime its own leaders say hasn’t happened.

Bill Barr was the United States Attorney General in 2020 and found no evidence of widespread fraud capable of changing an election. Chris Krebs ran the federal cybersecurity agency and called 2020 the most secure election in American history. Trump fired him for it. Brad Raffensperger ran Georgia’s elections and refused to find 11,780 votes when Trump called and asked. Despite their findings, Trump’s Deputy Attorney General this week endorsed sending ICE to American polling places to protect against fraud that doesn’t happen. Federal law expressly prohibits it.

Trump cast a mail ballot for a Florida special election last week, then defended it at a cabinet meeting by saying his presidency makes in-person voting impractical. He is demanding Congress pass a bill that would restrict that option for everyone else.

That bill is the SAVE Act. It requires a passport or birth certificate to register to vote or change your existing registration when you move. A driver’s license doesn’t qualify. Nearly as many Americans lack a passport as voted in the entire 2024 presidential election. And the 69 million married women who took their husband’s name do not have a birth certificate that matches their legal name. Trump’s lies about the 2020 election stirred a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol. Don’t let his newest lies send them back. Call your representatives and tell them to vote no on the SAVE Act.

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🚨 GovBrief Intensity Score 184
Extreme. History will remember.
Volume: Normal (20)
Severity: Moderate (2.3)
Defining Moments: 1
âš¡ U.S. scatters land mines in Iran
Previous 5 Days
🟢84|🔴132|🔴133|🟢73|🟡103
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
I said you're right. This one is better, it writes. So, the guy said to me, you don't have to pay me, sir, I'll give them to you for nothing. I said, no, I don't want that, let me pay you, I want to pay you. No, sir, you don't have to, you're the president of the United States. He was shocked, the head of Sharpie gets a call. I don't even know who the hell he is. He said, is this really the president? He said, no, you don't have to pay me, sir, this is such an honor. I said, no, I want to pay you. He said, what would you like to pay? I said, how about five bucks a pen? He said, that's all right, whatever the hell we agreed to, peanuts as opposed to $1,000. And these were $1,000 pens and we were giving them out.
Donald Trump discussing Sharpie pens at a Cabinet meeting on March 26, 2026
Yesterday's Most Read

Defense Secretary Hegseth removes rank from military chaplain uniforms and cuts Pentagon's recognized religious affiliations from over 200 to 31, dropping Wiccans, atheists and agnostics.

Today’s GovBrief News


War 1 of 20

Images show U.S. land mines scattered near residential areas in southern Iran, the first American use of the weapons in over two decades.

At least 1 civilian killed

Source: The Washington Post [gift link]

March 26, 2026

War 2 of 20

Trump again delays threatened strike on Iran's energy plants, pushing deadline to April 6 after Wall Street posts worst day of the war.

Iran insists on Hormuz control

Source: The Associated Press

March 26, 2026

Environment 3 of 20

Hegseth invokes national security to seek first-ever Endangered Species Act exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, threatening 50 remaining Rice's whales.

Only 2 exemptions since 1978

Source: NOTUS

March 26, 2026

Voting Rights 4 of 20

California sheriff seizes a second batch of ballot materials from 2025 election as state attorney general sues to halt his investigation.

Local officials already debunked fraud claims

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

March 26, 2026

Voting Rights 5 of 20

Deputy AG Blanche endorses sending ICE to polling places despite federal law barring government forces during elections.

Blanche: "Why is there an objection?"

Source: Mediaite

March 26, 2026

Voting Rights 6 of 20

South Dakota governor signs law requiring proof of citizenship for new voter registrations, effective immediately before the June primary.

Kansas version blocked 30,000 legal voters

Source: The South Dakota Searchlight

March 26, 2026

Voting Rights 7 of 20

Trump defends his mail ballot at cabinet meeting, saying his presidency makes in-person voting impractical, while pushing Congress to restrict the practice for everyone else.

Only 1 case for every 2.5 million ballots

Source: Newsweek

March 26, 2026

Justice Dept 8 of 20

Justice Department investigates California and Maine for housing transgender women with female inmates, threatening federal funding.

Same official probing medical school admissions

Source: The Associated Press

March 26, 2026

Justice Dept 9 of 20

Justice Department sues SeaWorld's parent company over ban on wheeled walkers at its parks, alleging disability discrimination under the ADA.

2 disabled vets turned away

Source: Spectrum Local News

March 26, 2026

Courts 10 of 20

Appeals court allows federal tear gas near Portland ICE building again, two days before No Kings protest, as apartment residents stock gas masks.

Apartment residents stocking masks and food

Source: KOIN Portland

March 26, 2026

Courts 11 of 20

Federal judge extends order requiring ICE give Minnesota detainees access to lawyers within one hour and blocks out-of-state transfers for 72 hours.

Judge: "Due process is not keep-away"

Source: The Associated Press

March 26, 2026

Courts 12 of 20

Judge weighs allowing Venezuela to pay Maduro's legal fees after prosecutors argue U.S. sanctions block the funding and suggest a public defender.

92-year-old judge calls case "beyond normal"

Source: The Hill

March 26, 2026

Immigration 13 of 20

ICE agents ran Minnesota lawmakers' license plates, followed them home and photographed their houses during Operation Metro Surge, records show.

Agent called female legislator a slut

Source: The Minnesota Star Tribune

March 26, 2026

Education 14 of 20

Education Department abandons its headquarters of 45 years and moves into the shuttered USAID building after staff cuts leave 70% of the space empty.

Energy Dept takes over office

Source: EdWeek

March 26, 2026

Education 15 of 20

Justice Department opens civil rights investigations into admissions at Stanford, Ohio State and UC San Diego medical schools, threatening federal funding.

7 years of applicant data demanded

Source: NOTUS

March 26, 2026

Oversight 16 of 20

Treasury will add Trump's signature to U.S. paper currency, an unprecedented move for a sitting president, citing the nation's 250th anniversary.

Follows gold coin bearing his likeness

Source: CBS News

March 26, 2026

Congress 17 of 20

Sen. Susan Collins violated the STOCK Act she helped write by missing the disclosure deadline for her husband's Pfizer bond purchase.

Sits on committee overseeing FDA and NIH

Source: NOTUS

March 26, 2026

Congress 18 of 20

Senate unanimously passes bill funding most of DHS except ICE and Border Patrol, sending it to the House before Easter recess.

Republicans plan reconciliation for enforcement funding

Source: The Wall Street Journal [gift link]

March 26, 2026

Culture 19 of 20

Kennedy Center begins layoffs ahead of planned two-year closure, weeks after Trump-appointed board voted to shutter the venue for renovations.

2 federal lawsuits fighting closure

Source: NBC News

March 26, 2026

Fighting Back 20 of 20

Federal judge temporarily blocks Pentagon's supply chain risk designation of Anthropic, calling it an "Orwellian" punishment for disagreeing with the government.

Company likely to succeed on merits

Source: Axios

March 26, 2026

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