Ides of March 2026

Reading on a Sunday Afternoon. Steve Taylor of the British Psychological Society on "pathocracy," a form of government defined by Polish psychologist Andrzej Lobaczewski in which 'a small pathological minority takes control over a society of normal people'. Via digby, via RAS. 

Note: The link to the WashPo story outlined below -- about the Trump-appointed arts commission guy who wants to tart up the White House facade with Corinthian columns -- has been changed to a gift link. AND the link to the NYT story about Trump surreptitiously making it easier to hire migrant farm workers also has been changed to what may be a gift link.

Oh, Great. Jennifer Jacobs of CBS News: "U.S. intelligence has circulated to ... [Donald] Trump and to a small circle around him that Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had misgivings about his son replacing him, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. The analysis showed the elder Khamenei was wary of his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, ever taking power because he was perceived as not very bright, and was viewed as unqualified to be leader, according to sources. The information gathered also indicated that the father was aware that his son had issues in his personal life.... The White House believes Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [-- not Khamenei --] is calling the shots, a significant change from the theocratic dictatorship that has existed since the country's 1979 revolution." MB: Anyway, kinda like if Donnie Junior became president*.

Josh Marcus of the Independent: “An Afghan man who fought with U.S. forces and was legally evacuated to the U.S. after the fall of Kabul died this week within a day of being arrested by federal immigration officers in Texas, according to his family. The reported death would be at least the 24th in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this fiscal year, which began in October. The administration is on track for the deadliest year in ICE detention in more than two decades. Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, was preparing to drive his kids to school in the Dallas area on Friday when agents in unmarked vehicles allegedly surrounded him and arrested him in front of his children. Later that day, the former Afghan special forces soldier contacted family members from ICE custody to say he wasn’t feeling well.... Around 11:45pm on Friday night, he was allegedly admitted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. Around noon the following day, family members said they were informed he had died.... Paktyawal had been working at an Afghan bakery and had a pending asylum case, including a completed interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to #AfghanEvac....  Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, an advocacy group... VanDiver is calling for an independent investigation into the death, and said he has little trust DHS will be transparent about the case....”

Just a Lucky Coincidence! Christopher Flavelle, et al., of the New York Times: “There is no indication that [Sen. Markwayne] Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has said he speaks with Mr. Trump 'all the time,' had inside knowledge of the administration’s plans [to invade Venezuela] before [he made a large purchase of Chevron stock on December 29, five days before the invasion].... But Mr. Mullin’s financial dealings take on new importance this week as the Senate is set to consider his nomination to lead the Homeland Security Department.... Many prominent leaders, including Mr. Trump, have called for new limits on stock trading by lawmakers and their families.... The previous secretary, Kristi Noem, was ousted by Mr. Trump amid questions about conflicts of interest at D.H.S.

“Mr. Mullin’s frequent trading, which ramped up after he joined the Senate three years ago, has contributed to a level of personal wealth that has ballooned since he arrived in Washington in 2013 to represent an eastern Oklahoma House district. His assets were worth between $29 million and $97 million in 2024, according to his financial disclosure forms, compared with $2.8 million to $9 million in 2012.” ~~~

      ~~~ Marie: Wait, wait! What? Trump is concerned about the financial ethics of members of Congress?? Trump??? Must be a misprint. Anyhow, I'm sure Markwayne will begin doing even better when he becomes an official member of the kleptocracy. 

Anyone who has been around long enough to see the evolution of, well, almost any popular product, will appreciate this. Thanks to RAS for the link: ~~~ 

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Orlando Mayorquín & Chris Hippensteel of the New York Times: “The Pentagon on Saturday identified the six United States service members who died this week when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq. The service members were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky.; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio. U.S. Central Command had stated that the aircraft crashed after an incident involving another plane, which landed safely. The crash, which happened Thursday in western Iraq, was not a result of hostile or friendly fire, the Central Command said. The plane that went down was a KC-135, which is used by the Air Force to refuel a wide range of aircraft while in flight. A U.S. official previously said that the other plane involved was also a KC-135.”  

The New York Times' liveblog of developments in the Iran war is here. From the pinned item at 7:00 am ET: “Israeli said it had launched a new wave of airstrikes on Iran on Sunday, while Iranian forces said they were firing at U.S. and Israeli targets as the Middle East war, now in its third week, rattles the global economy.... [Donald] Trump called on a host of other countries, including Britain, France, and China, to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to end a de facto Iranian blockade on the shipping of oil through the strategic waterway. It was far from clear, however, whether any countries would volunteer to patrol the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil transits. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Telegram that the strait 'is open to everyone, except American ships and those of its allies.' In practice, however, the oil shipped through the passage is coming from either Iran or American allies such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.”

Jane Lytvynenko & Frank Matt of NBC News: More than "30 open-source videos and satellite images verified by NBC News [show]  Iranian drone strikes and interceptions by the U.S. and its allies across seven countries. Apparent targets include military bases, transportation hubs, energy infrastructure and diplomatic centers. In 21 of 26 videos, drones appear to reach their targets.The videos, posted on various online platforms, reveal a pattern of inadequate protection for strategic locations targeted by the drones from the outset of the war. As the U.S. and Israel bombard Iran with the stated goal of crippling its nuclear, ballistic and drone capabilities, Iran retaliates by utilizing its arsenal of missiles and cheap exploding drones....

"Iran is a pioneer of [drome] technology, which it sold to Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has challenged the economics of warfare. While the U.S. remains firm in its air dominance, Iran’s drone campaign has forced the targeted countries to use expensive munitions for interceptions."

Kristen Welker & Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: “... Donald Trump said Saturday that he’s not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran despite the country’s willingness to do so 'because the terms aren’t good enough yet,' but declined to say what those terms would be. In a wide-ranging, nearly 30-minute telephone interview with NBC News, the president also said he is working with other countries on a plan to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid surges in global oil prices, and he dismissed Americans’ concerns about rising gas price.... The president also questioned whether Iran’s new supreme leader is 'even alive.'

“Trump said he was 'surprised' that Iran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in response to the U.S.-Israeli operation, and that U.S. strikes on Kharg Island on Saturday 'totally demolished' most of the island but that 'we may hit it a few more times just for fun.' He also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he was “far more difficult to make a deal with” than Russian President Vladimir Putin....”

     ~~~ Marie: Apparently the fake author of The Art of the Deal doesn't realize that if you tell one party (Putin) "You can have whatever you want," and you tell the other party (Zelensky) "Surrender your lands, your people and your treasures," the party of the second part will be "far more difficult" to deal with than the party of the first part. ~~~

    ~~~ The White House social media feed, which has published a number of videos that combine Iran war footage with video games, has already given us a damned good indication that Trump thinks war is a game. Still, it is stunning that the commander-in-chief of the world's largest military force would admit that he might bomb a country "for fun." Kharg Island is not just an oil transport hub; it is inhabited by people who likely will be killed by Trump's "fun" bombing. Trump is saying he murders people "just for fun." Here, my fellow Americans -- ye of the active-duty military pilot & bombardier persuasion -- should heed the warnings of the six members of Congress who advised you to refuse to follow illegal orders. ~~~

     ~~~ As for "working with other countries to ... secure the Strait of Hormuz," it turns out that in Trumpspeak, "working with" is a euphemism for "begging."  ~~~ 

~~~ Trump Begs for Help. Maegan Vazquez & Mustafa Salim of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Saturday urged countries to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz, in an attempt to force Iran to reopen the waterway as oil prices surge, and the United States reiterated calls for Americans to leave Iraq immediately after an overnight attack damaged its embassy in Baghdad.... Trump wrote on Truth Social that 'Many Countries' will send 'War Ships' to the Strait of Hormuz to keep it 'open and safe,' though he did not name any specific nations. He urged Britain, China, France, Japan and South Korea to join such an effort....

“The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was attacked early Saturday, according to two senior Iraqi officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive information. They said the attack came from inside Iraq.... The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a statement saying Iran-backed militias had repeatedly attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad and advised citizens not to approach the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate in Irbil for their safety.”

⭐Jason Sattler: "The man who declared independence from the global order, spent a year tariffing and humiliating those same nations, bombed a country mid-negotiation TWICE, and is now asking them to clean up the resulting catastrophe.... Trump’s own Joint Chiefs warned him before the first strike that an attack could prompt Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz. He did it anyway.... One week ago, Trump posted that the UK could keep its aircraft carriers home: 'We don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won.' The UK is now on his coalition wish list." MB: Read on. Sattler's analysis is deeper than I've let on here.   

Diana Nerozzi & Eli Stokols of Politico: “Vice President JD Vance was skeptical of the U.S. striking Iran in the leadup to ... Donald Trump’s decision to launch the war, two senior Trump officials told Politico. Vance, who has long questioned U.S. intervention abroad, has publicly defended Trump’s Iran operation. But White House officials revealed that the vice president made his opposition known in the leadup, pulling the curtain open after months of speculation about Vance being far more tepid about military action than Trump. Vance is 'skeptical,' is 'worried about success' and 'just opposes' the war on Iran, a senior Trump official said via text message.... The fresh example of a policy divide between the two men comes as Trump has cited a role for both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – who is publicly more aligned with the president on Iran – on a 2028 ticket. Even Trump on Monday brought up the division – but it didn’t seem to bother him. Vance 'was, I’d say, philosophically a little different from me. I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going, but he was still quite enthusiastic,' Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.” MB: This is to say, of course, that JayDee is both keeping up his creds with the MAGA base AND knocking Little Marco. (Also linked yesterday.)

   Ionic                             Corinthian

~~~ Out with the Iconic Ionic! Dan Diamond & Aaron Stekelberg of the Washington Post: “... the Trump-appointed head of a federal arts commission is proposing to replace [the White House's ionic columns] with a more ornate style favored by ... Donald Trump. Those more decorative columns, a style known as Corinthian, are considered the most luxurious in classical architecture and appear on buildings such as the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court. They have long been deployed on Trump’s properties, and the president has handpicked them for his planned White House ballroom, too. 'Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that’s what our other two branches of government have,' Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the Trump appointee who chairs the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal panel charged with advising the president on design matters, said in an interview last week.... Cook said he had yet to discuss the idea directly with the president. Many ... architects and designers say they’re baffled or even horrified by Cook’s proposal.... [Trump] has mused about constructing Corinthian columns for new government buildings and potentially using them at the White House mansion....” Update: The link has been changed to a gift link.

~~~ Maegan Vazquez of the Washington Post: “A temporarily new-issued dime that commemorates America’s 250th anniversary is drawing criticism for its lack of olive branches — a symbol of peace. Instead, the back of the dime showcases the Great Seal of the United States, featuring a bald eagle, but it’s clutching only arrows, a symbol of war, and lacks the traditional olive branch in its other talon. The design for the reimagined commemorative dime took shape months before ... Donald Trump was reelected and was intended as a nod to the Revolutionary War that created the nation, not modern times. But the dime started going into circulation the same week that Trump seized Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in early January.... Critics are pointing to the redesigned dime as the newest symbol of a more aggressive kind of nationalism championed by the Trump administration.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Aw, c'mon. You can tell it's not a Trump & Co. product. Neither side of the new dime sports a Caesarean profile of Trump. Also, it hasn't been gilded.

Josie Ensor, et al., of the Sunday Times: "A Jeffrey Epstein victim has claimed she was trafficked to Mohamed Al Fayed..., who at the time was the respected boss of the Harrods department store in London and the Ritz Paris hotel. It is widely known that Epstein trafficked women to high-profile and powerful associates, but the suggestion that the circle may have included Al Fayed — who is accused of running his own abuse ring spanning the UK and France — has never been reported before." 

Vindictive FCC Chair Unaware of First Amendment. Ashley Ahn of the New York Times: “Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened on Saturday to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war with Iran, his latest move in a campaign to stomp out what he sees as liberal bias in broadcasts.... Mr. Carr accused broadcasters of 'running hoaxes and news distortions' in a social media post and warned them to 'correct course before their license renewals come up.... Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.'... Mr. Carr shared a Truth Social post by ... [Donald] Trump that ... referred to a story published by The Wall Street Journal that reported five American refueling planes had been struck in Saudi Arabia, claiming its headline was 'intentionally misleading.' He accused the news media of wanting the United States to lose the war.” An MS NOW report is here.

Excuse Me; I'm Gagging on My Toljaso Toothbrush. Linda Qiu of the New York Times: “For years, the agricultural sector has faced a tight labor market as farmworkers age and fewer new immigrants and younger Americans are willing to toil in the fields. Top Trump administration officials vowed that mass deportations would help, leading to 'higher wages with better benefits' and a '100 percent American work force.' But the administration has quietly acknowledged in recent months that its immigration raids and crackdown on the border have aggravated the issue. So it has instead turned to an alternative source, making it cheaper for farmers to hire immigrant farmworkers on temporary visas. Many farmers have celebrated those changes, made to an increasingly popular visa program known as H-2A, noting the difficulty in hiring American workers and tough economic conditions for the industry. But immigration hawks and labor unions alike are opposed, arguing the move will only increase the share of foreign workers and hurt native workers and suppress their wages.” Update: the link has been changed to what appears to be a gift link.

Nate Jones of the Washington Post: “As hundreds of thousands of federal employees were fired or chose to leave the government last year, FOIA requesters — myself included — wondered: Would these personnel reductions further undermine the federal government’s already strained ability to follow federal law and disclose public records when requested under FOIA? The answer, we now know, is a resounding yes. Attorneys for at least 13 agencies and departments have explicitly stated in 26 FOIA lawsuits that the downsizings were the reasons for failures to meet FOIA deadlines, according to a Washington Post review of 339 active FOIA lawsuits. The true number of requests mired in federal staffing cuts, however, is almost certainly higher: The Post’s count does not include the hundreds of cases in which officials gave no specific reason in court for the delays.”

John Eligon of the New York Times: “Less than a month into his job, the new United States ambassador to South Africa [L. Brent Bozell] delivered some harsh words against the government. He claimed that South Africa had more than 150 laws “aimed against whites,” and he made veiled comments about South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.... [In response,] Mr. Bozell was summoned by the foreign minister on Wednesday to explain his 'undiplomatic remarks.' This latest clash between the United States and South Africa illustrates how deeply relations between the two governments have fallen. Early last year, South African officials worked hard to explain their policies to the Trump administration.... Now, South Africa appears to have given up trying to reason with Trump officials on subjects like the killing of white farmers, government land seizures and laws meant to redress the legacy of apartheid. 'We will not be bullied,' Mr. Ramaphosa said in his state of the nation addresses last month and last year.”

Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge in Washington on Saturday ordered that Representative Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio, be allowed to participate in a planning meeting about the future of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, temporarily resolving a minor standoff with ... [Donald] Trump. The ruling appeared to give Ms. Beatty, an ex officio member of the center’s board of trustees, a window into the president’s goals for remaking it in his image, after dozens of performers canceled shows in protest and patrons worried about a proposed multiyear closure of the performance space. Ms. Beatty, who was appointed to her position by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2019, has sought to use her ex officio status to fight against changes to the institution as Mr. Trump asserts more control over its governance. The center’s board is scheduled to meet on Monday, though Ms. Beatty argued that the purpose of the meeting had not been explained and that she had been kept out of the loop.” 

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Maine. Heather Cox Richardson on how Maine became a state on the Ides of March: an interesting story. Some familiar names pop up: like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln & Emily Dickinson.