March 16

Trump officials defy Boasberg TRO deportation flights proceed to El Salvador

Despite Judge Boasberg's emergency TRO, Trump administration officials including ICE Director Tom Homan and Department of Homeland Security leadership refuse to halt the deportation flights. The planes continue to El Salvador and land at CECOT detention facility. White House statement asserts that executive authority over immigration supersedes judicial orders in national emergency contexts.

DARPA accelerates autonomous weapons under the Defense Production Act

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced accelerated development of autonomous weapons systems — including AI-directed drones and robotic combat units — under emergency Defense Production Act authority. The program bypassed standard congressional oversight review timelines. Arms control experts warned of escalating global autonomous weapons races and insufficient ethical safeguards.

Trump warns of bloodbath for the whole country if he loses the 2024 election at Ohio rally

At a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio on March 16, 2024, former President Donald Trump warns: "Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that's going to be the least of it, it's going to be a bloodbath for the country, that'll be the least of it." Trump makes the remark in the context of describing Chinese car manufacturing in Mexico and tariff policy, claiming the auto industry will face devastation. His statement "that'll be the least of it" implies the economic bloodbath metaphor is secondary. The remark comes as Trump repeatedly states across early 2024 that he will only accept the 2024 election results if he wins. Biden campaign officials describe the remark as a "threat of political violence."

Federal Reserve raises rates to combat Biden-era inflation

The Federal Reserve raises its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, the first increase since December 2018, beginning an unprecedented rate hike cycle in response to surging inflation. By July 2023 the Fed raises rates 11 times, taking the federal funds rate from near-zero to 5.25-5.5%, the highest in 22 years. The aggressive tightening contributes to the rapid disinflation that brings inflation from 9.1% (June 2022) down to 2.9% (July 2024), but also raises mortgage rates to 7%+, crushing housing affordability and contributing to Biden's persistently negative polling on the economy despite other strong economic indicators.

Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.25%, first increase since 2018

The Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points to a range of 0.25% to 0.50%, making the first interest rate increase since 2018. The decision comes as inflation reaches 40-year highs, with consumer prices rising 7.9% year-over-year in February. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signals that further rate increases will likely follow to combat persistent inflation. The rate hike begins the most aggressive monetary tightening cycle in four decades, with the Fed ultimately raising rates by 5.25 percentage points through 2023.

Gunman kills six Asian women in Atlanta-area spa shootings

A gunman attacks three Atlanta-area spas on March 16, 2021, killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent. The killings occur during a period of heightened fear over anti-Asian harassment and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities initially debate motive, while Asian American communities and civil rights groups point to the overlap of racism, misogyny, and sexualized stereotypes about Asian women. The attacks intensify national pressure for hate-crime reporting and response. The case becomes a defining moment in public recognition of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic era.

Atlanta-area spa shootings kill six Asian women and intensify anti-Asian violence debate

A shooter killed eight people at Atlanta-area spas, including six Asian women. Officials debated whether the attack met a legal hate-crime standard, while Asian American leaders said race, gender, labor, and sexualized stereotypes could not be separated from the violence.

Trump amplifies Chinese virus framing during COVID-19 pandemic

President Donald Trump publicly used and amplified the phrase Chinese virus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Civil-rights advocates and researchers tied this framing to a climate of anti-Asian hostility because it racialized a public-health crisis and made Asian communities more visible targets for blame.

Trump FY2018 budget first proposes eliminating 21st CCLC

The Trump White House released its FY2018 budget blueprint proposing to eliminate the entire $1.2 billion 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney justified the cut by citing a 2015 GAO-summarized federal evaluation that found mixed effects on academic performance. Congress rejected the proposal in the FY2018 omnibus, restoring full 21st CCLC funding at $1.21 billion.

McConnell blocks Merrick Garland's nomination for 293 days, citing the election year

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on February 13, 2016, within hours of Justice Antonin Scalia's death, that the Senate would not consider any Obama Supreme Court nominee, citing an invented "Thurmond Rule" and the principle that election-year vacancies should be filled by the next president. President Obama nominated Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the DC Circuit on March 16, 2016; McConnell refused to hold hearings or a vote, leaving the seat vacant for 293 days until after the November election.

Johnny Chung pleads guilty in 1996 campaign-finance probe

On March 16, 1998, Democratic fundraiser Johnny Chung pleaded guilty to bank fraud, tax evasion and campaign-finance violations tied to the 1996 election cycle. Prosecutors said Chung arranged illegal political contributions and became a main figure in the foreign-money inquiry.

Supreme Court endorses indefinite detention without a hearing in Shaughnessy v. Mezei

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Shaughnessy v. United States ex rel. Mezei that the federal government could indefinitely detain a long-term U.S. resident at Ellis Island without a hearing, relying on the plenary power doctrine to hold that whatever process Congress authorizes constitutes sufficient due process for noncitizens. Ignatz Mezei had lived in the United States for 25 years; upon returning from Hungary, the Attorney General ordered his exclusion on undisclosed national security grounds with no opportunity to contest the evidence. Justices Black and Douglas dissented, warning that the ruling allowed government to imprison people without judicial accountability.