Posted by Matt Kiser
https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2026/03/24/day-1890/
Today in one sentence: The Trump administration ordered the 82nd Airborne Division to deploy roughly 2,000 to 3,000 troops to the Middle East; the U.S. sent Iran a 15-point proposal to end the war as Trump claimed “this war has been won”; Senate Republicans proposed a plan to fund and reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security while excluding ICE’s deportation operations; Minnesota sued the Trump administration to force the release of evidence in three shootings by federal officers during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis; Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 2022 investigation into Kash Patel subpoenaed more than two years of his phone metadata, text logs, online account details, billing records, IP addresses, and bank account information; a Justice Department prosecutor conceded that the government didn’t have evidence of fraud or other criminal misconduct in the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion renovation project; Trump voted by mail in a Florida special election after declaring that “mail-in voting means mail-in cheating” and “we got to do something about it all”; 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance; and 49% of U.S. workers were classified as “struggling” in their lives, while 46% were classified as “thriving” — the first time Gallup found more workers struggling than thriving.
1/ The Trump administration ordered the 82nd Airborne Division to deploy roughly 2,000 to 3,000 troops to the Middle East. The administration hasn’t said what the troops will be used for and a decision to send troops into Iran hasn’t been made. But the move gives Trump an ready ground force that could be used to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, seize strategic islands or coastal territory, or support an operation targeting Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The 82nd would join about 50,000 U.S. troops already in the region, along with thousands of Marines now heading there. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / The Guardian)
- The Pentagon will close the press workspace inside the building, moving journalists to an outside annex and require escorts for access inside the complex. The change comes days after a federal judge ruled that the Pentagon’s earlier media restrictions were unconstitutional. The New York Times and the Pentagon Press Association said the new policy still defies Judge Paul Friedman’s order, which required the Pentagon to restore Times reporters’ access after he found the October rules unlawfully targeted disfavored journalists. (Associated Press / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)
2/ The U.S. sent Iran a 15-point proposal to end the war as Trump claimed “this war has been won” and that Iran had agreed it would “never have a nuclear weapon.” He said negotiations were underway, that Tehran wanted “to make a deal so badly,” and that the U.S. was “talking to the right people” as Iran was “talking sense.” Trump also said Iran had delivered a “very big present” tied to “oil and gas,” but he did not explain the claim. Iran, however, publicly denied that any negotiations were happening. The proposal, sent through Pakistan, appeared to address Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and the Strait of Hormuz. But it wasn’t clear whether Tehran would accept it, whether Israel supported it, or who in Iran could authorize a deal after Israeli strikes killed senior leaders. The fighting, meanwhile, continued, with Iran launching more missile attacks on Israel, Iraq, and Gulf states. (New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / The Guardian / Axios / CNBC)
3/ Senate Republicans proposed a plan to fund and reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security while excluding ICE’s deportation operations. The shutdown began Feb. 14 and has led to long airport lines, missed paychecks, and rising absenteeism among TSA workers. The framework would fund TSA, FEMA, Border Patrol, and ICE’s non-deportation operations. Republicans would then try to use the filibuster-proof reconciliation process to restore funding for ICE’s deportation arm and pass parts of the unrelated SAVE America Act. The two-step strategy, however, still faces an uphill battle with Democrats saying the plan still lacks the immigration enforcement limits they’ve demanded, and Sen. Mike Lee, the Republican sponsoring the SAVE America Act, saying: “It’s hard to imagine how the SAVE America Act could be passed through reconciliation. And by ‘hard’ I mean ‘essentially impossible.’” Trump, meanwhile, said he would take a “hard look” but was “pretty much not happy” with “any deal.” Congress is set to leave town Friday for a planned two-week Easter recess, but Majority Leader John Thune has warned the Senate may have to stay until DHS is funded. (NBC News / Politico / CNBC / Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / ABC News)
- The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as DHS secretary. Two Democrats, John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich, joined most Republicans to back Mullin, while Rand Paul was the lone Republican no vote. (ABC News / NBC News / CNBC)
4/ Minnesota sued the Trump administration to force the release of evidence in three shootings by federal officers during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, including the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. State and county officials said federal agencies blocked access to basic investigative material, leaving Minnesota unable to determine whether federal officers violated state criminal law. The suit also seeks evidence in the nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was initially charged with assaulting federal agents before prosecutors dropped the case after conflicting evidence emerged and authorities began examining whether agents lied about the incident. The suit names Attorney General Pam Bondi and outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the federal government had adopted an unprecedented policy of “categorically withholding evidence,” while Minnesota argued that the state could not let federal agents investigate themselves. (Associated Press / New York Times / Politico)
5/ Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 2022 investigation into Kash Patel subpoenaed more than two years of his phone metadata, text logs, online account details, billing records, IP addresses, and bank account information. The subpoenas were part of Smith’s investigation into Trump’s election interference and classified documents cases. At the time, Patel defended Trump’s claim that the Mar-a-Lago documents had been declassified. Patel is now the FBI director. A magistrate judge also approved a nondisclosure order in 2022, finding disclosure could risk flight, evidence tampering, witness intimidation, and serious harm to the investigation. (Reuters)
6/ A Justice Department prosecutor conceded that the government didn’t have evidence of fraud or other criminal misconduct in the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion renovation project. Prosecutors argued that a $1.2 billion overrun justified scrutiny because “it doesn’t seem right,” but Justice Department lawyers “do not know at this time” what evidence there is of fraud or criminal misconduct. The Fed, meanwhile, said the rising costs reflected a long renovation of historic buildings, labor inflation, and asbestos problems. (Washignton Post)
7/ Trump voted by mail in a Florida special election after declaring that “mail-in voting means mail-in cheating” and “we got to do something about it all.” Palm Beach County records showed Trump’s ballot was counted in the special election, even though he had spent the weekend in Palm Beach while early in-person voting was available. The White House didn’t say why Trump chose to mail his ballot, but instead argued that the SAVE America Act allows for “common-sense exceptions,” like illness, disability, military service or travel. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / CBS News / ABC News)
poll/ 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance – his lowest rating since returning to the White House. 29% approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, the lowest rating in either of his terms and lower than any Biden economic approval rating. (Reuters)
poll/ 49% of U.S. workers were classified as “struggling” in their lives, while 46% were classified as “thriving” — the first time Gallup found more workers struggling than thriving. 28% said it was a good time to find a quality job, down from nearly 70% in mid-2022, while employee engagement fell to 31%, the lowest reading in a decade. Even so, 51% of workers said they were either actively looking for a new job or watching for opportunities, while 43% said leaving would be too difficult or costly. (Gallup)
The 2026 midterms are in 224 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 959 days.
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