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Mar 23, 2026

Monday, March 23, 2026 · 7:00 a.m. ET

Federal Level

Trump’s 48-Hour Hormuz Ultimatum Expires Tonight as Iran Threatens to Mine the Persian Gulf

President Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to Iran is set to expire Monday evening at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET, with no signs that Tehran intends to comply. Trump issued the threat Saturday night on Truth Social, warning he would “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants “starting with the biggest one first” if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened. Iran’s National Defense Council responded by threatening to mine all Gulf communication routes and “completely” close the Strait of Hormuz if its power infrastructure is attacked. Tehran also warned it would strike power and desalination plants across the Gulf region that serve American military bases, a move that analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies say could threaten drinking water for millions of people in allied nations such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. The head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday that the crisis could surpass the 1970s oil shocks in severity, with Brent crude already trading above $113 per barrel.^1,2,3,4,5

Israeli Strikes Cause Power Outages Across Tehran; Netanyahu Says Israel Will Not Target Iranian Energy Grid

Israeli warplanes struck multiple targets in Tehran early Monday morning, causing widespread power outages across the Iranian capital. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly stated that Israel would not target Iran’s energy infrastructure, a position that came after what reports described as a rebuke from President Trump, who wants any strikes on Iranian power plants to come under the terms of his own ultimatum. The Israeli defense minister separately warned that the intensity of strikes by both the IDF and U.S. military would “rise significantly” this week. The U.S. has also privately told Israel the war could last longer than initially planned, with one report suggesting the conflict may continue through September. The war, which began on February 28, has now claimed over 1,500 Iranian lives according to Iran’s health ministry.^6,7,8,9

ICE Agents Deploy to Airports Monday as DHS Shutdown Enters Its Sixth Week

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are set to begin deploying to airports across the country today, a move confirmed by border czar Tom Homan over the weekend. Homan stated that ICE personnel would help with crowd management and other duties but would not operate X-ray screening machines. Atlanta’s mayor said the deployment at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was specifically for line management, not immigration enforcement. The deployment comes as TSA staffing has reached critical levels, with only 4 of 18 security lanes open at the Atlanta airport and more than 400 TSA officers having resigned since the DHS shutdown began. TSA agents have been working without pay for over five weeks, and the union representing those workers criticized the use of ICE as a stopgap measure rather than a solution to the funding standoff.^10,11,12

DHS Shutdown Stalemate Continues as White House Offers Concessions and Congress Eyes Recess Cancellation

The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continued Monday with no resolution in sight, despite a flurry of negotiations late last week. The White House offered new immigration enforcement concessions to Democrats on Friday through border czar Tom Homan, who met for a second day with a bipartisan group of senators. Fresh legislative text was provided to Democrats, who are expected to respond with a counteroffer. The Senate has now rejected DHS funding legislation five times, with the most recent vote failing 47-37 on Friday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed a separate proposal on Saturday that would fund only the TSA, but that measure was also expected to fail. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has warned that he will cancel the two-week recess set to begin at the end of the month if the standoff is not resolved.^13,14,15

Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Mail-In Ballot Case That Could Reshape Voting in 2026 Midterms

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments this morning at 10:00 a.m. ET in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case that could determine whether mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day or simply postmarked by that date. Currently, 14 states allow a grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive after Election Day, with Washington State offering the longest window at 21 days. The Republican National Committee and the Libertarian Party of Mississippi brought the challenge, arguing that federal law requires all ballots to be received on Election Day itself. A coalition of state and city election officials warned the court in a filing that eliminating grace periods could cause “confusion and disenfranchisement” in states where voters have relied on them for years. A ruling in favor of the challengers could affect voting procedures in at least 18 states ahead of the November midterm elections.^16,17

Global Stock Markets Tumble as Iran Tensions Drive Oil Above $113 and Fear Index Hits Extreme Levels

Global stock markets fell sharply on Monday as the escalating standoff between the U.S. and Iran sent crude oil prices surging and investor sentiment to its most fearful level in months. Asian markets led the decline, with South Korea’s Kospi plunging 6.5 percent, Japan’s Nikkei falling 3.4 percent, and China’s CSI 300 dropping 2.8 percent. In Europe, the FTSE 100 entered correction territory, falling more than 11 percent from its February peak. U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open after a fourth consecutive weekly decline for major indices. Brent crude climbed above $113 per barrel, while the CNN Fear and Greed Index dropped to 15, indicating extreme fear. The energy sector remains the only positive performer in the S&P 500 this year, up nearly 32 percent, while all other sectors have declined amid growing concerns over inflation, potential rate hikes, and the broader economic fallout from the conflict.^18,19,20

State Level

In California, a Republican Sheriff Running for Governor Seizes Over 650,000 Ballots, Drawing Bipartisan Criticism

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, one of the leading Republican candidates for governor of California, confirmed on Friday that his department seized more than 650,000 ballots from last November’s statewide special election on Proposition 50, the redistricting measure that passed with a margin of over 3.3 million votes statewide. Bianco said the seizure, which involved roughly 1,000 boxes of ballot materials obtained through a warrant in February, is part of an investigation into claims by a local group called the Riverside Election Integrity Team that alleged a discrepancy of about 45,000 votes between ballot intake logs and official results. County election officials have rejected that claim, saying the actual discrepancy was 103 votes, a variance of 0.016 percent, and that the group misread preliminary handwritten logs maintained by temporary workers. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the seizure “unacceptable” and said it “sets a dangerous precedent and will only sow distrust in our elections,” while Secretary of State Shirley Weber said Bianco’s office is “not equipped to handle these types of investigations.” Republicans and Democrats in the state have both suggested political motivations may be driving the probe, with a former director of the California Republican Party calling it “a politically driven initiative.” Election law experts have drawn parallels to the FBI’s seizure of ballot materials in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year, warning that such actions could set a precedent for disrupting future elections. A court-appointed special master is now overseeing a hand count of the seized ballots.^21,22,23,24

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