March 7

Gas prices surge 14% in one week as Iran war hits American wallets

U.S. retail gasoline prices surged 14% in the week following the start of Operation Epic Fury, rising more than $0.50 per gallon as oil markets reacted to Iranian threats against the Strait of Hormuz. The jump marked the fastest single-week increase since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Congress that sustained $100-plus oil would add roughly 0.8 percentage points to annual inflation, threatening to reverse the administration's affordability agenda.

Trump expands Iran target list and refuses to rule out ground troops

President Trump announced the United States would consider striking targets in Iran not previously included in Operation Epic Fury's original mission set, including new people and locations. Trump simultaneously refused to rule out deploying U.S. ground troops, saying the administration would not reveal its military limits. Pentagon discussions included potential seizure of Kharg Island and coastal raids near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy Iranian anti-ship weapons.

Whitehouse links Russia-Iran intelligence sharing to Epstein DOJ cover-up on Senate floor

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse delivered a 48-minute Senate floor speech publicly connecting Russia's provision of targeting intelligence to Iran with what he called a MAGA DOJ cover-up of the Epstein files. Whitehouse argued that the same pattern of leverage and concealment ran through Trump's relationships with Russia, Epstein, and ongoing DOJ document suppression. The speech went viral, generating millions of views, and the Senator's office published a full transcript and documented timeline on his official Senate website.

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Anti-war protesters in 50-plus U.S. cities challenge Iran war legal authority

Coordinated anti-war protests organized by ANSWER Coalition, CodePink, and allied groups took place in more than 50 U.S. cities on March 7, with demonstrators demanding Congress invoke the War Powers Resolution to end the Iran war. Protesters cited the Senate's 47-52 defeat of the first War Powers Resolution just three days earlier as evidence that the war lacked democratic legitimacy. The March 7 demonstrations were the largest domestic anti-war mobilization since the 2003 Iraq War protests, and preceded the even larger No Kings demonstrations by three weeks.

Depositions reveal DOGE used ChatGPT to cut 97% of NEH humanities grants

Discovery documents released March 7, 2026, in a lawsuit brought by the American Historical Association, Modern Language Association, and American Council of Learned Societies revealed that DOGE staffers fed NEH grant descriptions into ChatGPT to flag awards as DEI, then used those AI-generated labels to cancel $100 million in humanities grants affecting schools, libraries, and community organizations. DOGE team members made the final funding decisions despite having no statutory authority over NEH appropriations. Depositions showed staffers could not define DEI when questioned under oath.

Judge voids Kari Lake VOA job cuts as unlawful under Appointments Clause

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled on March 7, 2026, that Kari Lake served as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media unlawfully, because she was not a sitting federal employee when appointed and had not been Senate-confirmed to any federal post. Lamberth voided all actions Lake took in the role, including layoffs of more than 1,000 Voice of America journalists and staff, finding the appointment violated both the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Lake vowed to appeal.

Trump launches 17-nation Americas counter-cartel coalition at Doral summit

President Trump signed a proclamation at Trump National Doral Miami on March 7, 2026, establishing the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition — a 17-nation military alliance committing members to use lethal force against drug cartels and narcoterrorist networks. Leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago attended. The coalition committed participating nations to share intelligence and coordinate operations to dismantle cartel networks across the Western Hemisphere.

Financial Times analysis says TRUMP creators generated at least $350 million

On March 7, 2025, reports summarizing Financial Times blockchain analysis said entities behind the TRUMP memecoin generated at least $350 million in early revenue. The estimate included about $314 million from token sales and about $36 million in Solana blockchain fees during the first three weeks after launch.

Trump writes to Khamenei expresses desire for negotiations with 60-day deadline

Trump publicly announces he has written to Supreme Leader Khamenei, expressing desire for nuclear negotiations while warning that failure could expose Iran to "serious military consequences." The letter reportedly demands full dismantlement of the nuclear program, halt all enrichment, end proxy group support, with compliance required within 60 days. This letter sets both a diplomatic and military timeline.

Trump issues NATO ultimatum tying defense funding to 4% of GDP

President Trump demanded NATO allies raise defense spending to 4% of GDP, double the existing 2% target, framing non-compliance as grounds for the U.S. to reconsider Article 5 collective defense commitments. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered the ultimatum at NATO headquarters, warning that allies not meeting the threshold by 2028 would face reduced American military cooperation. European allies pushed back, arguing Article 3 self-defense obligations do not carry a spending floor.

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Sweden joins NATO as 32nd member completing Nordic alliance expansion triggered by Ukraine invasion

Sweden officially becomes the 32nd member of NATO, completing the historic Nordic expansion of the alliance triggered by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hands Sweden's accession documents to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Sweden's membership is confirmed on the same day as Biden's 2024 State of the Union address, where Kristersson attends as a guest. Sweden had maintained military non-alignment since the Napoleonic era. Together with Finland's accession in April 2023, NATO has added more than 1,300 miles of new border with Russia and two of the most capable militaries in Europe.

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Sweden officially joins NATO, completing alliance expansion triggered by Ukraine invasion

Sweden officially becomes the 32nd member of NATO, completing the historic expansion of the alliance triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The accession ends Sweden's 200 years of military non-alignment and marks the most significant NATO expansion since the Cold War. President Biden welcomes Sweden's membership as strengthening European security and demonstrating NATO's unity against Russian aggression. Sweden's accession follows Finland's entry in April 2023, fundamentally changing the security architecture of Northern Europe.

Biden delivers 2024 State of the Union calls undocumented immigrant killer

President Biden delivers his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, drawing 32.2 million viewers, an 18% increase over 2023. The 68-minute address is his most combative, referencing "my predecessor" 13 times without naming Trump. Biden announces a US military plan to build a temporary pier on the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid. In an improvised exchange with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Biden picks up her "Say Her Name Laken Riley" button and refers to the suspect in Riley's murder as "an illegal," mispronouncing her first name as "Lincoln." Progressive Democrats immediately criticize the language. Biden later says he regrets using the word "illegal" and should have said "undocumented." The speech is widely seen as successfully pushing back against age concerns while sharpening the contrast with Trump.

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Biden delivers fiery 2024 State of the Union rebutting age concerns with aggressive performance

President Biden delivers his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, delivering a forceful, ad-libbed performance that directly challenges doubts about his age and fitness. Biden refers to Trump as "my predecessor" 13 times without using his name, directly challenges Supreme Court justices in the audience on Dobbs, and announces a military pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly heckles Biden. He turns her disruption to his advantage by mispronouncing "Laken Riley" (saying "Lincoln") but showing quick-footed command of the room. Polls show 61% of viewers react positively, the best response to a Biden congressional address.

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Biden signs executive order expanding voting access in federal elections

President Biden signs an executive order directing federal agencies to expand voting access and promote voter registration, following the failure of voting rights legislation in the Senate due to Republican filibusters. The order requires federal agencies to provide voter registration opportunities, designate colleges and universities as voter registration agencies, and improve access to voting for people with disabilities, military members, and overseas citizens. The action represents a significant federal effort to protect voting rights amid state-level restrictions, though it has limited scope compared to comprehensive federal voting rights legislation.

Biden signs executive order on Bloody Sunday anniversary directing agencies to promote registration

On the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the 1965 Selma civil rights march, President Biden signs Executive Order 14019, Promoting Access to Voting. The sweeping order directs all federal agencies to expand voter registration and voting access for their employees, beneficiaries, and the public. It requires agencies to provide voter registration services through federal programs like SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, and VA benefits, potentially reaching tens of millions of eligible voters. The order also directs agencies to support voting access for people with disabilities, incarcerated individuals, and others who face barriers. Voting rights advocates call it the most notable use of executive authority to expand access since the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

Biden signs order expanding voting access on Selma anniversary

President Joe Biden signs Executive Order 14019 on March 7, 2021, the anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma. The order directs federal agencies to promote access to voter registration and election information. Biden frames the order as part of a response to barriers that prevent eligible citizens from voting. The order comes as several states consider or enact new voting restrictions after the 2020 election. The federal government links modern voting access to the civil rights history of Selma and the Voting Rights Act.

Reagan administration agrees to reflag Kuwaiti tankers as U.S. vessels

The Reagan administration announces it will reflag 11 Kuwaiti oil tankers as American vessels and provide U.S. Navy escorts through the Persian Gulf, after Kuwait requests protection from Iranian attacks. The reflagging plan is the largest naval convoy operation since World War II. By accepting the reflagging, the U.S. directly enters the Tanker War and commits American forces to protecting Gulf shipping against Iranian attacks. Congress is not consulted before the decision.

Supreme Court upholds Voting Rights Act Section 5 preclearance in South Carolina v. Katzenbach

The Supreme Court unanimously upholds the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in South Carolina v. Katzenbach, ruling that Congress acted within its constitutional authority under the Fifteenth Amendment when it enacted the preclearance requirement. Chief Justice Earl Warren writes for the Court that Congress had documented a systematic pattern of racial discrimination in voting that justified the law's targeted coverage formula and suspension of literacy tests. The ruling solidifies Section 5 preclearance as a constitutional enforcement tool and rejects Southern states' challenge that the law violated the principle of equal sovereignty among states.

SCOTUS upholds Voting Rights Act as constitutional in South Carolina v. Katzenbach

The Supreme Court rules 8-1 in South Carolina v. Katzenbach that the Voting Rights Act's preclearance requirement and coverage formula are constitutional exercises of Congress's power under the Fifteenth Amendment. Chief Justice Earl Warren writes for the majority that the law's remedial design is appropriate given the long history of racial discrimination in voting. The ruling establishes that Congress can impose special burdens on jurisdictions with histories of discrimination.

State troopers beat civil rights marchers on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

On March 7, 1965, 600 civil rights marchers led by John Lewis and Hosea Williams attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on the first leg of a planned march to Montgomery to demand Black voting rights. Alabama state troopers under Sheriff Jim Clark and Col. Al Lingo attack the marchers with billy clubs and tear gas at the foot of the bridge, injuring 58 people including Lewis, who suffers a fractured skull. Televised footage of the attack, broadcast that evening as ABC interrupted Judgment at Nuremberg to air it, shocks the nation and generates immediate pressure on President Lyndon Johnson to pass federal voting rights legislation.

Bloody Sunday state troopers attack voting rights marchers at Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma

Alabama state troopers and a mounted posse attack 600 civil rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, as they begin a march to Montgomery to demand Black voting rights. The nationally televised violence, captured by ABC News, which interrupts Judgment at Nuremberg to broadcast footage, galvanizes national opinion and provides President Johnson with the political opening to push the Voting Rights Act through Congress. The event becomes known as "Bloody Sunday."

Alabama troopers attack voting-rights marchers on Bloody Sunday

Alabama state troopers and local officers attack peaceful voting-rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965. The marchers are trying to walk from Selma to Montgomery after the killing of voting-rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson. Television images of officers beating and tear-gassing marchers shock the country. John Lewis, Hosea Williams, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and other organizers become central figures in the national push for federal voting-rights legislation. Public violence against Black voting-rights activists helps build the political pressure that leads to the Voting Rights Act.