March 26, 2026
Medal Of Honor Day, Tech Council Appointments, FLOTUS Summit Ends, Dem Shutdown Day 40, Patriot Peyton Randolph, And More
The Congressional Medal of Honor (MoH) Society provides a timeline for the MoH starting on February 13, 1861 when the first military action to earn a MoH was accomplished by Bernard JD Irwin who rescued 60 soldiers in Apache Pass, Arizona. But, the MoH was not yet proposed, so he was be awarded the MoH posthumously on January 24, 1894.
Iowa Senator James W Grimes introduced the legislation to create "medals of honor" to be issued to service members in the Navy. On December 21, 1861, President Lincoln signed the law to create the MoH for Navy enlisted personnel.
Of course, the Army could not be left out, so Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson introduced legislation to create a MoH for the Army on February 17, 1862. President Lincoln signed the law to create the MoH for the Army on July 12, 1862. But, the law was for non-commissioned officers and privates. On March 3, 1863, an amendment to the law was approved to add Army Officers (Navy & Marine Officers would be added on March 3, 1915).
On March 25, 1863, the first Army Medal of Honor was awarded to 6 union soldiers, survivors of the Andrews' Raiders, by the Secretary of War, Edward Stanton. Private Jacob Parrott was first of this group to receive the MoH. This was followed on May 15, 1863, with the first Navy MoH award to Robert Williams. ISS Benton Quartermaster. Then, on July 10, 1863, Marine Corporal John F Mackie received the MoH for his actions on May 15, 1862 aboard the USS Galena.
In 1896, the ribbon is altered to red, white, and blue stripes while keeping the star and suspension bars the same. On April 23, 1904, the Army MoH is redesigned by General George Gillespie. The new design is a five-pointed star surrounded by a green laurel wreath suspended from a light blue ribbon with 13 stars. In 1913, the Navy redesigns their MoH to include the Army's light blue ribbon with 13 stars. In 1919, the Navy MoH is redesigned using the "Tiffany Cross" retaining the previous design for non-combat heroism. This "Tiffany Cross" design was discontinued August 9, 1942.
On June 26, 1897, new standards are amended to the MoH criterion. There must now be eyewitnesses, someone other than the recipient must make the recommendation, and a time limit of within 1 year after the event was enacted. On December 26, 2013, Congress changed the time limits, setting 3 years for the recommendation and 5 years for presentation of the MoH.
On September 20, 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt signs an EO stating that the MoH must be awarded in a formal ceremony. Prior to this, the MoH was given to the recipient either through the mail or at a military muster.
On April 27, 1916, Congress created the Army & Navy MoH Honor Roll with a special monthly pension for those over 65 who were recognized for gallantry in conflict. On September 1, 2003, the MoH pension is increased to $1,000 per month with no restrictions based on age or occupation. On November 25, 2025, President Trump signed HR695 into law increasing the monthly pension for MoH recipients over 65 to $8,333.33 (discussed in my December 2, 2025 ANP Article). Between 1916 and 1917, the Army reviewed every MoH awarded and determined 911 recipients be removed from the Roll because the MoH was erroneously awarded.
On July 9, 1918, the Pyramid of Honor is established designating the differences between MoH, Silver Star, Purple Heart, and other military valor awards. USAMM provides a list of Military Ribbons & Medals Order of Precedence that includes a "build your rack" feature as well as other options to honor your military achievements (such as a shadow box or customized t-shirt).
On May 24, 1943, Signalman First class Douglas A Munro becomes the only Coast Guard member to be awarded the MoH for his heroism in Guadalcanal in September 1942. The MoH was posthumously given to his mother by President Franklin Roosevelt.
On August 10, 1956, the US Air Force designs its own MoH design with Congressional authorization. In 1965, the Air Force design featured an Air Force Coat of Arms and the head of the Statue of Liberty. Bernard Fisher is the first to receive this redesigned MoH from President Lyndon Johnson at the White House on January 1, 1967 for his actions in Vietnam in March 1966.
On August 5, 1958, President Eisenhower signs the Congressional Charter to create the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
On July 25, 1963, Congress approved new guidelines for awarding the MoH including criterion that the individual was have been "engaged in an action against an enemy of the US . . . while engaged in military operations involving a conflict with an opposing foreign force . . . or while serving with friendly forces in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the US is not a belligerent party."
As of January 1, 2021, the following laws apply to the MoH:
- Army 10 USC § 7271
- Navy & Marine Corps 10 USFC § 8291
- Air Force and Space Force 10 USC § 9271
- Coast Guard 14 USC § 2732
To date 3,533 service members have received the MoH. Of these, 64 are still living.
On March 25, 2026, the White House published the article President Trump Announces Appointments to President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology appointing the following individuals to the Council:
- Marc Andreessen
- Sergey Brin
- Safra Catz
- Michael Dell
- Jacob DeWitte
- Fred Ehrsam
- Larry Ellison
- David Friedberg
- Jensen Huang
- John Martinis
- Bob Mumgaard
- Lisa Su
- Mark Zuckerberg
This Council was established by EO 14177 President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology signed January 23, 2025 (published in the FR January 31, 2025).
Section 1 provides rationale for the Council.
Section 2 establishes the Council (PCAST) with not more than 24 members to include the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST) and the Special Advisor for AI & Crypto; both will serve as co-chairs. The other 22 members will be from outside the Federal Government and appointed by the President.
Section 3 details the function of the Council:
- respond to requests from the President or Co-Chairs for information, analysis, evaluation, or advice
- solicit info and ideas from a broad range of stakeholders
- serve as advisory committee identified in PL 102-194 § 101(b) as amended by 15 USC 511(b)
- serve as the advisory panel in PL 108-153 § 4 amended by 156 USC 7503
- provide advice from non-Federal sectors to National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) when asked
Section 4 specifies the administration of the Council authorizing:
- heads of executive departments and agencies to provide the Council with scientific and technological information
- create standing subcommittees and ad hoc groups
- provide advice and analysis in classified matters (which may necessitate members having appropriate clearances)
- DOE shall provide funding and administration and technical support
- members shall serve without compensation; but, may receive travel expenses (including per diem)
- Secretary of Energy may perform functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act as amended in 5 USC
Section 5 terminates the Committee in 2 years (January 23, 2027) unless extended by the President.
Section 6 revokes EO 14007 of January 27, 2021 as amended by EO 14109 of September 29, 2023.
I don't know about you but seeing Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, and Marc Andreessen on this list to be advisors to the President is concerning.
On March 25, 2026, the White House published the article Promise Made, Promise Kept: President Trump Brings Another American Home announcing Dennis Coyle's return to American Soil after more than a year in captivity in Afghanistan. Katie Pavlich, during a March 24, 2026 NewsNation interview with President Trump, asked about Mr. Coyle to which President Trump responded "I'll take care of that." Mr. Coyle was released with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. While the Trump Administration is thankful Mr. Coyle has been released, they point out that there is more to do as many other Americans are still being unjustly detained.
Dennis Coyle has returned home. PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT. pic.twitter.com/uSW70kKwjy
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 26, 2026
On March 25, 2026, the Office of the First Lady published the statement First Lady Melania Trump Convenes Record 45 Nations at the White House and Introduces American-Built Humanoid where she met with First Spouses from 45 countries concluding the 2-day Global Fostering the Future Together Summit. First Lady Melania Trump defined 3 pillars for shaping the next generation:
- the use of artificial intelligence to personalize learning,
- the emergence of humanoid educators as at-home tools for students, and
- the role of technology and education as a driver for America's economy.
Figure3, the first American-made humanoid system, entered with Melania Trump, opened the meeting with a brief statement, then returned from whence it came.
As we enter day 40 of the Democrat's Partial Government Shutdown, Democrats voted against HR7147 - Making further consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 3, 2026, and for other purposes to fund DHS. The bill is summarized as follows:
This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to DHS for Departmental Management, Intelligence, Situational Awareness, and Oversight, including
- the Office of the Secretary and Executive Management;
- the Management Directorate;
- Intelligence, Analysis, and Situational Awareness; and
- the Office of Inspector General.
In addition, the bill provides appropriations for Security, Enforcement, and Investigations, including
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
- the Transportation Security Administration,
- the U.S. Coast Guard, and
- the U.S. Secret Service.
The bill provides appropriations for Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, including
- the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and
- the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
- The bill provides appropriations for Research, Development, Training, and Services, including
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
- the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and
- the Science and Technology Directorate.
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
This bill passed the House on January 22, 2026. On February 12, 2026, the Senate held their first vote (52-47) followed by 4 more votes: 50-45, 51-45, 51-46, and 47-37. On March 25, 2026, the Senate again voted on Cloture on the Motion to Proceed which failed with 54 yeas (53 Republicans and 1 Democrat) and 46 nays (44 Democrats and 2 Independents). Supposedly, this bill contained everything the Democrats stated they wanted; yet, they voted against this bill which would have ended the partial shutdown and paid DHS employees who have been without pay for 40 days now.
At this point, the Senate majority needs to do what it needs to do to fund DHS and re-open our government fully. What should voters do when their 'elected' representatives in Congress do the opposite of what the majority of their voters want them to do? For a group that expounds on "democracy" which is governance by the majority, they sure aren't listening to the majority!
FACT: Democrats want to take care of criminals who enter our country illegally, rather than American citizens. pic.twitter.com/SeUYGxN3hB
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 25, 2026
President Trump's Presidential Actions published in the Federal Register (FR) to date:
- 250 Executive Orders
- 133 Proclamations
- 111 Presidential Orders, Memoranda, Determinations, Permits, and Notices
On March 25, 2026 the FR published EO 14396 Preserving America's Game signed March 20, 2026 (discussed in my March 21, 2026 ANP Article).
LAWFARE lawsuit tracker to date:
- 227 active cases
- 22 suits filed by the Trump Administration
- 17 SCOTUS stays or motions to vacate of lower court orders
- 2 SCOTUS affirmation of lower court order
- 9 suits where judges ruled for the federal government
- 10 suits where judges ruled against the federal government
- 6 criminal prosecutions by the DOJ:
- Representative McIver,
- former FBI Director James Comey, dismissed without prejudice 11/24/2025,
- former National Security Advisor John Bolton,
- (illegal alien) Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ordered released 12/11/2025;
- New York AG Letitia A James, dismissed without prejudice 11/24/2025,
- Congressional candidate Katherine Abughazaleh
A new lawsuit Newhouse v. U.S. Agency for Global Media docket # 1:26-cv-00980 filed in District Court, District of Columbia on March 23, 2026 about USAGM Dismantling where former Voice of America employees sued the U.S. Agency for Global Media and Voice of America over the Trump Administration’s efforts to close USAGM and VOA. The lawsuit seeks the following relief:
- A permanent injunction that:
- Enjoins Defendants from violating Plaintiffs’ First Amendment right to be free from viewpoint discrimination;
- Enjoins Defendants from violating Plaintiffs’ First Amendment right to receive information; and
- Enjoins Defendants from violating the Statutory Firewall;
- A declaration that Defendants’ conduct alleged herein violates the First Amendment;
- A declaration that Defendants’ conduct alleged herein violates the Statutory Firewall and the Administrative Procedure Act;
- Order Defendants to comply with Congressional statutes that require VOA to “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news,” 22 U.S.C. § 6202(c), and require international USAGM outlets to provide “news which is
- consistently reliable and authoritative, accurate, objective, and comprehensive,” Id. § 6202(a), (b) (and, similarly, 22 U.S.C. § 1465aa), including by enjoining Defendants, and those acting in concert with them, from taking any steps that would cause USAGM or its outlets to be unable to effectively disseminate news and opinion that is “accurate, objective, and comprehensive.”
- Award Plaintiffs nominal damages;
- Award Plaintiffs reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs; and
- Grant such other relief as this Court deems just and proper.
This lawsuit is a continuation of the VOA's lawsuits against Kari Lake discussed in my March 25, 2026 ANP Article. VOA is a partisan propaganda machine with TDS. My taxpayer dollars should not be used to support this organization. Even their opening statements in the lawsuit show how biased they are:
- This is a case about censorship and propaganda carried out by the United States government. It comes in the midst of an international crisis and conflict, when access to unbiased news and information, as mandated by the Constitution and by Congress, is crucial.
- In the last year, President Donald J. Trump and his appointees have done everything in their power to silence and dismantle Voice of America (“VOA”), an independent, federally funded news outlet required by law to bring unbiased news to the world. Frustrated in that effort by the courts, the Administration has now taken a different tack: to use its governmental authority to control VOA’s substantive output—the content of its broadcasts and publications—by suppressing coverage of events that it wishes had not occurred, and, separately, by directing that its own partisan messages be passed off to viewers and listeners as “news.” Censorship and propaganda are two sides of the same coin. All of this violates the federal statutes that govern VOA, and the Constitution itself; and all of this undermines the credibility of the United States in the eyes of the world.
- These violations are far from theoretical; they have real-world impacts in real time. Among other things, the President has launched an undeclared war on the Islamic Republic of Iran, ostensibly with the goal of encouraging opponents of the Iranian regime to rise up in counterrevolution. The Administration—acting through Defendants Michael Rigas, Kari Lake, and other political appointees at Defendant United States Agency for Global Media (“USAGM”), the federal agency that oversees VOA—has censored the news coming out of Iran: interviews, video footage, and stories about anti-government protests within Iran have been suppressed. Reporting on certain elements in opposition to the Iranian regime have been banned from VOA’s Persian Service, rendering untrustworthy a once-respected source of independent news about Iran.
This case is actually about MONEY. Taxpayer money. This organization is about as anti-US as an organization can be (well, I think PBS is equal if not worse). The simple fact that they are calling the military actions taken against Iran as an "undeclared war" show their bias. They could have truthfully stated "Congress has not officially declared the military actions taken in Iran as a War." The US has taken military action against other governments in the past without having those actions officially declared a war by Congress. And I am sure they will do so in the future. What this lawsuit is describing is the fact that the VOA cannot become a voice for Iran while still calling themselves the voice of America.
Of course, if Congress would act to declare the act that allows the government to lie, propagandize, and trick our population (which they have recently voted to not do), all this nonsense would cease.
VOA is specifically named in the Smith-Mundt Act: US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (PL 80-402):
information produced by VOA for audiences outside the United States shall not be disseminated within the United States … but, on request, shall be available in the English language at VOA, at all reasonable times following its release as information abroad, for examination only by representatives of United States press associations, newspapers, magazines, radio systems, and stations, and by research students and scholars, and, on request, shall be made available for examination only to Members of Congress.
It will be interesting to see how the activist judges at the DC courts will handle this since VOA is acting in direct violation of PL 80-402. Oh, let's not forget that in their lawsuit, the VOA does not bring up PL 80-402 which gives the US Government the authority to censor them.
Today's Patriot is Peyton Randolph who was born September 10, 1721 in Tazewell Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia. He was 2nd born son of 4 children, all of whom survived to adulthood. His father died when Peyton was 15 (1737) inheriting his father's extensive law library.
Peyton attended the College of William & Mary Grammar School until 1739, when he traveled to London where he studied law at Middle Temple at the Inns of Court in London for the next 5 years. In 1743, he passed the Bar.
On March 8, 1745, Peyton married Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison (1723-1783) in Williamsburg, York, Virginia. The couple had no children.
In 1744, Peyton was appointed AG of the Colony of Virginia. In 1748, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses (in which he would serve until his death in 1775).
In 1751, these dual posts created a conflict of interest concerning the governor's imposition of fees for certifications of land patents. The House of Burgesses objected to the fees. However, as AG, his job was to defend the governor's imposition of fees. Ultimately, the fees were dropped but not because of anything Peyton did.
In 1765, Peyton was tasked to draft objections to the Stamp Act; however, Patrick Henry submitted 7 resolutions, 5 of which were passed, against the Stamp Act before Peyton finished his draft. In 1766, Peyton resigned as the AG (king's attorney) when he was elected speaker of the House of burgesses.
On March 21, 1775, Peyton was president of the Second Virginia Convention when Patrick Henry gave is "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech.
Peyton was the last speaker of the House of Burgesses because the burgesses were replaced first by the Virginia conventions then by the House of Delegates in 1776. Peyton was president of the 3rd Virginia Convention in July 1775 when the Committee of Safety was established.
Peyton died October 22, 1775, at age 54, after experiencing a 5-hour stroke while dining with Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia. He died later that evening. Peyton left everything to his wife in his will (available online here) with instructions to pay his existing debs by selling whatever was necessary. He is interred at the chapel (renamed Wren Building) of the College of William & Mary.
ANP Fundraiser:
‘Dangerous, Derogatory, Harmful, Unreliable!’
Those are some of the exact words used by Google’s censors, aka 'Orwellian content police,' in describing many of our controversial stories. Stories later proven to be truthful and light years ahead of the mainstream media. But because we reported those 'inconvenient truths' they're trying to bankrupt ANP.
