March 26

Iran opens Strait of Hormuz to ships of China Russia India Iraq and Pakistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announces that Iran will allow ships owned by five nations, China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan, to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed to most shipping since February 28. The announcement signals Iran's willingness to use access to the strait as geopolitical leverage, rewarding countries that have not joined U.S.-led sanctions or military operations. Ships from the U.S., Israel, and Western allies remain barred.

Israel kills IRGC Navy Commander Tangsiri, who ordered Hormuz blockade

Israeli airstrikes killed IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri in Bandar Abbas on March 26, 2026, along with other senior IRGC Navy officers. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz stated Tangsiri had personally ordered the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which had cut off roughly 20 percent of global oil trade. The U.S. military confirmed the kill, and a U.S. admiral issued a warning to remaining IRGC Navy personnel to abandon their posts.

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Trump signs anti-DEI contractor order using federal contracting leverage

Trump signed an executive order asking federal contractors to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The action used federal contracting as leverage over private employers and extended the administration’s anti-DEI agenda beyond the federal workforce.

Vance Visits Nebraska Farm Machinery Manufacturer to Discuss Tariff Impacts

Vice President JD Vance visited a farm machinery manufacturer in Beatrice, Nebraska on March 26, 2025, to discuss agriculture and the impact of the administration's tariff policy on the farm sector. The visit came as farm groups expressed concern that retaliatory tariffs from China and other trading partners would reduce U.S. grain and soybean exports; Vance argued that the administration's tariffs would ultimately benefit agriculture by reducing the trade deficit and protecting U.S. farm equipment manufacturers.

Container ship Dali strikes the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six workers

The container ship Dali lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at approximately 1:28 a.m., causing the bridge to collapse within seconds. Six immigrant construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge died in the collapse. The disaster closed the Port of Baltimore to commercial traffic for 11 weeks, blocking an estimated $2 billion in annual cargo. The National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation and the Coast Guard quarantined the Dali and its crew.

Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses after container ship collision - 6 workers killed

A container ship strikes a support column of the Francis Scott main Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, causing the bridge to collapse in seconds. Six construction workers filling potholes on the bridge are killed. The collapse shuts Baltimore's port, the largest importer of vehicles in the U.S. and a critical hub for construction equipment, indefinitely, disrupting supply chains. Biden surveys the wreckage and pledges federal support to rebuild quickly. The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers begin a massive operation to remove the 4,000-ton vessel and debris. Congress approves $60 million in initial emergency aid.

Biden calls Putin a butcher who cannot remain in power

While speaking to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, Poland, President Biden departs from prepared remarks and says of Vladimir Putin "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power." The statement, interpreted globally as a call for regime change, triggers immediate alarm among European allies and a frantic White House walk-back. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan clarifies that Biden "was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change." It is the first of several unscripted Biden remarks on Ukraine that require cleanup, raising questions about message discipline in a nuclear-armed standoff.

First of three historically Black Louisiana churches is set on fire

St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Louisiana, was the first of three historically Black churches burned over ten days. The case was prosecuted as a series of attacks on Black church institutions, though reported motive evidence also included the arsonist's effort to gain notoriety in a music subculture.

Saudi coalition launches Operation Decisive Storm, internationalizing Yemen civil war

Saudi Arabia leads a nine-country coalition — including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco — launching airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen on March 26, 2015. The operation begins predawn with strikes on military targets in Sanaa and Houthi strongholds in Amran governorate. The Obama administration supports the intervention, establishing a joint planning cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military intelligence and logistics. The US also approves arms sales to coalition members throughout the war. The Saudi-led coalition's intervention creates the sustained armed conflict — and the mass civilian casualties, famine, and infrastructure destruction — that underlie every subsequent US humanitarian protection decision for Yemeni nationals over the next decade.

Federal appeals court creates Super PACs by ruling limits on independent political spending unconstitutional

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in SpeechNow.org v. FEC that contribution limits to groups making only independent expenditures violate the First Amendment. The court extended Citizens United logic that independent expenditures cannot corrupt to hold that the government had no anti-corruption interest in capping donations to independent-expenditure-only organizations. This decision gave rise to what became known as Super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited sums from individuals, corporations, and unions.

SpeechNow ruling clears path for super PACs

On March 26, 2010, the D.C. Circuit ruled in SpeechNow.org v. FEC that independent expenditure groups could accept unlimited contributions. The ruling, combined with Citizens United, created the legal path for super PACs.

SCOTUS rules 6-2 in Baker v. Carr that redistricting claims are justiciable under 14th Amendment

The Supreme Court rules 6-2 in Baker v. Carr that federal courts have jurisdiction to hear challenges to state legislative apportionment under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Charles Baker, a Shelby County, Tennessee resident, had sued because Tennessee had not redistricted since 1901 despite massive population shifts, leaving rural districts with a fraction of the voters of urban districts. Chief Justice Earl Warren later called Baker the most important case of his tenure, as it unlocked a nationwide wave of redistricting litigation.