Former Washington D.C. police officer Michael Fanone launched his "Defending Democracy" tour in Wichita this week, speaking to a packed crowd at WSU's Hughes Metro Complex where he received a standing ovation. Fanone, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and heart attack after being beaten and tased during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, said he has healed from the trauma but that the experience fundamentally changed his views on democracy and civic responsibility. He stated that while he does not excuse the actions of those who stormed the Capitol, he believes they were manipulated, and directly criticized former President Donald Trump for normalizing political violence and spreading false claims about the 2020 election.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, along with Congressman Sam Liccardo, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding answers about a meeting with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos that occurred hours before Netflix withdrew from its $83 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawmakers are investigating whether the Trump administration pressured Netflix to abandon the deal, potentially clearing the way for Paramount Skydance's competing bid, and whether political favoritism influenced the DOJ's antitrust review process. The White House denied any improper influence, stating it "remained totally neutral through the bidding process," a position Netflix's Sarandos also publicly corroborated. The letter requests detailed responses by March 16, including information about the substance of meetings, any communications with Paramount representatives, and whether lobbying firm Ballard Partners — which both Netflix and Paramount hired and where Bondi previously worked — was involved in any discussions.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has withdrawn from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), warning that recent changes "undermine the committee's scientific integrity and evidence-based approach to vaccine policy." The withdrawal follows Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dismissal of all 17 ACIP members in June 2025 and the subsequent appointment of new members. Separately, Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, has been named acting director of the CDC in addition to his existing role, as several senior CDC leaders departed the agency.
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly visited Yuma County on Friday, meeting with Somerton small business owner Jose Yepez of Yepez Automotive to discuss the impact of Trump tariffs. Yepez reported that the cost of auto parts has risen 10 to 15 percent as a result of the tariffs. During the visit, Kelly also met with farmers and farmworkers in produce fields and held a meeting with local elected officials at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has filed a court motion seeking to dismiss a Trump administration Department of Justice demand for voter registration and election records, arguing the request violates state privacy laws protecting sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and signatures. Fontes contends the DOJ has not clearly explained how the records would support a civil rights investigation and suggests the real goal is building a national voter database to check immigration status. He also argues that Arizona already verifies citizenship during the voter registration process, making the requested records unnecessary for identifying noncitizen voters. A federal judge in California recently dismissed a similar DOJ request against that state, calling the agency's justification "contrived," and Arizona is one of more than two dozen states facing such lawsuits.
A federal habeas corpus case, *Aguilar Perez v. Bondi et al* (1:26-cv-21359), was filed on March 2, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The petitioner, Elder Geovany Aguilar Perez, has named several government officials as respondents, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons, and others with alleged custody over the petitioner.
Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), along with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), have introduced War Powers resolutions in response to President Trump's military strikes on Iran, which they argue are unconstitutional and unauthorized by Congress. The article contends that the strikes lack legal justification under both the Constitution and the War Powers Act of 1973, as they do not meet the criteria of responding to an attack on the U.S. or its forces. Legal experts cited in the piece assert that Trump had no unilateral authority to order the military action, as no imminent threat was demonstrated. The article argues that Congress has a constitutional duty to assert its war-declaring powers, though efforts to do so face significant obstacles from Republican congressional leadership.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie warned President Trump that the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," cannot serve as a distraction from the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The strikes, which began Saturday and resulted in the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched shortly after Bill Clinton testified before the House Oversight Committee about his ties to Epstein. Several Republican figures, including Massie, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Sen. Rand Paul, have criticized the military action — with Paul arguing it was constitutionally improper without congressional approval. Early polling indicates only about one in four Americans supports the operation, which Trump has said could last four to five weeks.
Unauthorized stickers designed to resemble Hollywood Walk of Fame stars, dubbed the "Jeffrey Epstein Walk of Shame," appeared near the White House in Washington's Farragut Square, featuring the names of politicians and businesspeople linked to the late convicted sex offender. The stickers include QR codes linking to Department of Justice documents and include figures such as Elon Musk, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, billionaire Les Wexner, former President Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, among others. The installation comes amid ongoing congressional scrutiny of Epstein's associates following the release of new Epstein files. It remains unclear who placed the stickers.
Middle Chuch in Manhattan's East Village held its second "ICE Out, Sing-In" service on February 26, drawing hundreds of attendees who were trained to use song as a form of non-violent protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The event, organized in coordination with the national network Interfaith Alliance and faith groups in Minneapolis, featured civil rights-era hymns and activist music performed by gospel and resistance choirs. The Singing Resistance movement began approximately six weeks ago in Minneapolis, where participants sang outside hotels housing ICE agents, and has since spread to churches and marches in other cities including New York.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a response with the Court of International Trade (CIT) opposing requests to expedite the tariff refund process related to IEEPA tariffs, arguing the court should wait at least 90 days — following a standard 32-day Supreme Court judgment transmission period — before ruling on refund administration. Notably, the DOJ did not dispute the existence of a refund process, only the accelerated timeline. Retailers who have paid significant import duties are advised to register with the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal, the U.S. Customs system through which any approved refunds would be distributed, to avoid delays if and when refunds are processed.
In a opinion piece published in the Missoula Current, Doug James criticizes Montana Senator Steve Daines for his silence during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in which Trump nominee Jeremy Carl made statements comparing the treatment of January 6 rioters to Black Americans under Jim Crow, and has a history of making antisemitic remarks and invoking "great replacement theory." James argues that Daines, who introduced Carl at the hearing by noting their shared hometown of Bozeman, failed in his moral responsibility by not publicly condemning Carl's rhetoric. The author contends that Daines' silence constituted implicit endorsement, writing that "silence is not neutrality — silence is shelter."
