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Posted by Matt Kiser

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2026/03/16/day-1882/

Today in one sentence: Trump demanded that other countries help reopen the Strait of Hormuz; U.S. allies largely rejected Trump’s demand that they help reopen the Strait of Hormuz; “We don’t need anybody,” Trump said after allies rejected his demand for help opening the Strait of Hormuz; FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over coverage of the Iran war; a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s slimmed-down list of recommended childhood vaccines; Trump publicly disclosed Rep. Neal Dunn’s terminal illness, then took credit for saving his life; and in two late-night Truth Social posts, including one that ran about 950 words, Trump attacked the Supreme Court and Judge James Boasberg, and repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

1/ Trump demanded that other countries help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying he’s asked about seven nations to send warships to protect the waterway that carries about a fifth of traded oil. “It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump said, later adding: “Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember.” Iran, meanwhile, said the strait is open to all except the U.S. and its allies. Oil prices are up more than 40% as the war entered its 17th day. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico / Wall Street Journal / NPR)

2/ U.S. allies largely rejected Trump’s demand that they help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Australia, and others signaled they wouldn’t send ships into the conflict. Germany said “This is not our war, we have not started it,” adding that the conflict “has nothing to do with NATO,” Spain said it would “never accept” stopgap military measures and insisted “the objective must be for the war to end,” while Italy said “diplomacy needs to prevail” and warned that sending ships into a war zone would mean entering the war. Japan said it had “not made any decisions whatsoever” on whether to send ships to the strait, while Australia said it was “not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to.” Britain, meanwhile, said they would not be “drawn into the wider war.” (NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / CNN / Reuters / Politico)

3/ “We don’t need anybody,” Trump said after allies rejected his demand for help opening the Strait of Hormuz. “We’re the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world,” Trump said. “I’m almost doing it in some cases not because we need them but because I want to find out how they react.” Trump used the rejection to revive his complaints about NATO, saying the U.S. had protected allies “for many, many years” and warning that “we will remember.” He added: “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.” (Wall Street Journal / Reuters / New York Times / CNBC / The Guardian / Politico)

• Trump rejected Iran’s interest in negotiating a ceasefire, saying the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.” He said Tehran wanted a deal, but the terms were “not good enough yet.” Tehran, however, said it wouldn’t discuss a truce until U.S. and Israeli strikes stopped. (NBC News / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / The Hill / HuffPost / Politico)

4/ FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over coverage of the Iran war, calling news outlets purveyors of “hoaxes and news distortions” and warning them to “correct course” before license renewals. Trump said he was “thrilled” Carr was “looking at the licenses” of some “Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.” The FCC, however, doesn’t license cable networks or newspapers, and media lawyers said revoking local stations’ licenses over news coverage would run into the First Amendment. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked CNN and other outlets’ reporting on the war, saying “the sooner David Ellison takes over” the network, “the better,” referring to Skydance’s pending deal for CNN’s parent. (New York Times / CNBC / Axios / Politico / Variety / New York Times / Associated Press / New Republic / Bloomberg / CNN)

The 2026 midterms are in 232 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 967 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s slimmed-down list of recommended childhood vaccines, finding that the government likely bypassed the CDC’s advisory process and unlawfully remade the panel that sets vaccine recommendations. The order froze the new guidance, which would have dropped routine recommendations for several shots, including influenza, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and Covid-19 for most children and pregnant women. (Associated Press / Washington Post)

2. Trump publicly disclosed Rep. Neal Dunn’s terminal illness, then took credit for saving his life. He said the Florida Republican “would be dead by June,” but that after Trump connected him with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dunn had “a new lease on life” and was acting “like he’s 30 years younger,” as Johnson put it. Trump said Dunn had a “heart problem,” adding: “Number one, it was bad because I liked him. Number two, it was bad because I needed his vote.” (Politico / New York Times / Axios / Washington Post)

3. Trump’s White House chief of staff said she has early-stage breast cancer and will remain in her job while undergoing treatment. Susie Wiles said doctors detected the disease early and that she’s encouraged by a strong prognosis. Trump said “she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!” (Axios / New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

4. The Border Patrol official who led the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Minneapolis will retire after being removed from his national command role in January. Gregory Bovino’s removal followed the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during the Minneapolis operation and scrutiny of his tactics. The retirement also comes as Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had promoted Bovino. (CBS News / Axios / NBC News)

5. In two late-night Truth Social posts, including one that ran about 950 words, Trump attacked the Supreme Court and Judge James Boasberg, and repeated his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump called the Supreme Court “a weaponized and unjust Political Organization” and said it was “hurting our Country.” He also demanded “serious disciplinary action” against Boasberg, calling him “Wacky, Nasty, Crooked, and totally Out of Control,” for blocking Justice Department subpoenas tied to a criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Trump also claimed the court’s tariff ruling left him free to impose duties “in another form,” even though the decision didn’t say he had an “absolute right” to do so. (Democracy Docket / ABC News / Politico / The Guardian / Mediate / New York Magazine)

• Three years ago today: Day 786: "Brink of collapse."
• Four years ago today: Day 421: "Do more."
• Five years ago today: Day 56: "Exacerbating divisions."
• Six years ago today: Day 1152: "This is bad."
• Eight years ago today: Day 421: 100% safe.
• 9 years ago today: Day 56: Slashed.

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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2026/03/16/day-1882/