March 26, 2026

Here's info on the No Kings protests coming up this Saturday, March 28. 

Raquel Uribe of NBC News: "... Donald Trump is adding his name to U.S. dollar bills, the first time a sitting president’s signature will go on paper currency, the Treasury Department announced Thursday. Trump’s signature will go on the bills in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, the Treasury said. Historically, paper currency carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer.... U.S. paper currency has featured the treasurer’s along with the treasury secretary’s or the register of the treasurer’s signatures since it was first printed in 1861." MB: Seriously, Congress should put a stop to this. If they want to give him a gold-painted eagle prize, fine. But his fat scrawl on U.S. currency? Absolutely not.  

Guardian: “Donald Trump announced Thursday he will sign an order instructing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay Transportation Security Administration agents immediately. 'I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,' Trump wrote on social media. 'I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports.'” At 6:50 pm ET, this is a breaking story. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, so Trump could have paid TSA workers all along but chose not to???

     ~~~ Update: The Washington Post's story is here. This is key: “The White House did not immediately respond to questions about what legal authority Trump was employing for his order.” MB: I'm guessing Trump will let somebody else worry about that. Or maybe he'll just tell Markwayne to wrestle to the ground anybody who gives him lip about it.

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: “Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted (R), Ohio’s former secretary of state, to require voters to show photo ID when casting ballots in person or voting by mail, despite previous statements by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) that Democrats support photo ID requirements for elections. The Senate voted 52-47 to defeat the amendment, which needed 60 votes to be adopted.”

Leo Sands & Susannah George of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump said Thursday that progress has been made in negotiations with Tehran aimed at ending the Iran war. Talks 'are going very well,' he wrote in a post on social media. In the same post, Trump said he would delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by an additional 10 days. Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran last weekend, saying he would 'obliterate' the country’s power plants, beginning with the largest, if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The president on Monday issued a new five-day timeline, saying negotiations to end the war had begun.”

Megan Messerly of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Thursday revealed, for the first time, why he has faith that Iran is willing to negotiate a peace deal, even as missiles continue to fly across the region. Iran, he said, allowed eight oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a show of good faith, and then sent through two more as an apology — collectively, the 'present' he teased on Tuesday. 'I said, “Well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,’” Trump said during a 90-minute Cabinet meeting, his first since the war with Iran began nearly a month ago. The White House declined to provide further details about the tankers, which Trump said he believed were flying the Pakistani flag. Trump also did not elaborate on who the 'right people' were that the U.S. is talking to. But its framing as a 'present' from Iran to Trump helped bridge the gap between the president’s optimism that a deal could be reached and the reality in the Middle East where Iran, Israel and the United States are still firing barrages of missiles.”

Travel Hack: Skip the TSA line with ICE PreCheck pic.twitter.com/31ccX7iEdF

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) March 25, 2026

     ~~~ Via Tom Sullivan on Hullabaloo. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

David Sanger of the New York Times: “Nearly a month into the war, the United States and Iran struggled to find a way to begin negotiations over peace terms on Wednesday, with each insisting it had the upper hand in the conflict and that the other was desperate for a way out. The United States circulated a 15-point peace plan, diplomats said, demanding what would amount to a complete termination of Iran’s nuclear program and sharp limits on the reach and size of their missile arsenal. It bore strong resemblance to the U.S. demands in February, during negotiations that collapsed when the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28. But the Iranian government, in a statement issued through state television, declared it would not end the conflict unless the United States paid war reparations and recognized 'Iran’s exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,' suggesting it would continue to decide which ships pass through the narrow strait and which remained bottled up, unable to deliver oil or fertilizer. The messages between the two countries were being passed by Pakistan.... But neither Iran nor the United States would confirm such discussions, each wanting to avoid seeming the overeager party in a conflict where each wants to demonstrate it holds the upper hand.”

Mustafa Salim, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Iraqi government on Wednesday accused the United States of attacking a clinic on a military base in western Anbar province, killing seven members of the Iraqi military and injuring 13.... The airstrike constituted 'heinous aggression,' to which Iraq reserved 'the right to respond by all available means,' said Sabah al-Numan, a spokesman for the commander of Iraq’s armed forces. It 'undermines the relationship between the peoples of Iraq and the United States of America,' he added. The U.S. denied targeting a clinic but did not provide details.... The U.S. military operates from installations within Iraq, including a strategic air base located northwest of where the strikes occurred. The Iraqi government has for years publicly said that it wanted U.S. forces to withdraw from the country, though it has relied on American troops in a shared fight against Islamic State militants in the region.”

To Help or Not to Help, That Is the Question. Mark Landler of the New York Times: “Iran’s de facto closure of the strategic waterway has set off a full-blown energy crisis across the Continent. With skyrocketing oil and gas prices angering voters throughout Europe, the pressure is mounting on its leaders to take more forceful actions to reopen the shipping lanes. Yet at the same time, Europe’s political winds are blowing ever more fiercely against the war, raising the stakes for leaders to take part. The military campaign is faulted by many Europeans, especially on the left, who say it is gratuitous, illegal and now is threatening Europe’s fragile growth. The leaders also remain haunted by the Iraq War, which Britain supported, to its lasting regret.... 

“For all Mr. Trump’s pressure on Europe, he has not made it easy for its leaders to support him. The United States did not consult allies on the joint U.S.-Israeli operation or, in most cases, even give them a heads-up. The lack of collaboration came after a fraught period in which Mr. Trump escalated his threats of a takeover of Greenland and zigzagged in his support for Ukraine. Mr. Trump has since been insulting to European leaders, particularly Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, who worked assiduously to cultivate him.... Even when he appealed to the Europeans to step up, Mr. Trump managed to disparage them.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, there is no "easy" answer, but were I the leader of a European country, I would think of my own country's needs first, Europe's second & the U.S.'s not so much. Yesterday somebody in Iran put out that the country was letting certain vessels through the strait (for substantial bounties, I gather), so European leaders ought to be able to negotiate directly with Iran to let ships pass that are bound for Europe. Oh, plus there's this: ~~~

     ~~~ Victor Jack, et al., of Politico: “Donald Trump’s messaging on what he wants from American allies in his war against Iran is so confusing that any effort to help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz remains deadlocked, according to four European government officials. Washington has not made any formal requests for equipment, said the officials..., while allies are also reluctant to send military assets to the region over fears they would be attacked by Iran. More than 30 nations, including a majority of NATO countries, have pledged 'appropriate efforts' to restart shipping through the critical trade chokepoint after the U.S. president slammed allies as 'COWARDS' for failing to volunteer their assistance.... 'The big picture is: the U.S. has asked us to take care of and defend our own countries, take care of supporting Ukraine … and now [the] Middle East and global supply chains,' said one senior European government official, calling it 'absurdly incoherent to put it mildly.'”

Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: “It appears that both the president and the White House expected token resistance [from Iran], followed by the collapse of the Iranian regime, the installation of a pro-American government — or at least one we could tolerate — and a return to the status quo ante: a replay, in essence, of the president’s first intervention of the year, in Venezuela.... The president ignored counsel that warned of something like the current situation.... Why can’t the White House see what others could easily predict?... [Because] Trump is famously indifferent to the concerns of those around him. He is a consummate narcissist, and he is, without question, the most solipsistic person ever to occupy the Oval Office. Over his decades on the public stage, we have seen little to no evidence that he believes in the existence of other minds.... By virtue of his position, Trump is a dangerous figure. But he is also a weak and deeply unpopular president. The upshot of his impenetrable egotism, for his opponents, is that there are plenty of opportunities to make him weaker and even more unpopular.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Paul Waldman: “We have ourselves a Dunning-Kruger president, one who is supremely confident in his abilities on a range of topics where he is completely ignorant. And now he has taken us into a Dunning-Kruger war, defined by that fatal combination of ignorance and confidence.... When his ignorance is exposed, Trump claims that he couldn’t have known what he didn’t know, because nobody knew it. ... Earlier this week he said..., 'Look at the way they attacked unexpectedly all of those countries surrounding them,' he said. 'That was not supposed to- nobody was even thinking about it.'... Trump seemed to believe that Iran, upon being attacked by the U.S. and Israel, would do absolutely nothing in response.... [BUT] Of course [Iran] would attack U.S. allies in the region, and of course they would shut down traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.... All [Trump] had to do was consider the possibility that he didn’t already know everything. But that’s not something Trump is capable of, and now the whole world is paying the price.” Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

You know how Ukraine has helped the U.S. by sending its drone experts to the Middle East (at the U.S.'s request) and has been trying for months to cut a deal that would provide the U.S. with its drone technology? Here's the thanks we give them: ~~~

~~~ Noah Robertson & Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: “The Pentagon is considering whether to divert weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East as the war in Iran depletes some of the U.S. military’s most critical munitions.... The weapons that could be diverted away from Ukraine include air defense interceptor missiles, ordered through a NATO program launched last year in which partner countries buy U.S. arms for Kyiv.... The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative has ensured a flow of select military equipment to Kyiv even as the Trump administration has cut off most of the Pentagon’s direct security assistance.... Since last summer, [a NATO] official said, the initiative has supplied 75 percent of the missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot batteries and nearly all of the ammunition used in its other air defense systems.” 

Connor O'Brien of Politico: “A top Republican denounced the Pentagon Wednesday for failing to give lawmakers enough information about U.S. military operations during a classified briefing on Iran — including plans for troops. House Armed Services Committee chair Rep. Mike Rogers said members warned defense officials that troop movements in the region should be 'thoughtful and deliberate.'... 'We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are, and why they’re being considered,' the Alabama lawmaker said. 'And we’re just not getting enough answers on those questions.' It’s a notable rebuke from a senior GOP defense hawk who has backed ... Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran — and a warning that the administration could lose support for the nearly month-old war if it can’t adequately make the case to Congress.”

@Nisky Guy: Josh Johnson must mean this pose, which was used in promos one season. If you recall, Kevin Spacey's character Francis Underwood is a murderous, odious POS. I can see why Trump would choose this particular teevee character as a model. He thinks "'fictional odious POS' is very presidenty." I don't suppose Spacey, who is pretty much persona non grata now, figured he'd end up as the model for a U.S. coin. (See yesterday's Comments for context.) ~~~

BTW, there is some very good commentary at the end of yesterday's thread, entered fairly late in the day.

Dan Mangan of CNBC: "Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized two of his Supreme Court appointees — Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett — for voting with other justices in the bombshell 6-3 decision that ruled his signature reciprocal tariffs were illegal, saying they sickened him and are 'bad for our country.' 'Two of the people that voted for that, I appointed,' Trump said at the National Republican Congressional Committee dinner at Union Station in Washington, D.C., without naming the two justices. Trump blasted Gorsuch and Barrett, along with the four other justices in the majority of the case, for not exempting the U.S. government from refunding up to $165 billion in tariffs paid by American importers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. 'The Supreme Court, that’s right, of the United States cost our country — all they needed was a sentence — our country hundreds of billions of dollars, and they couldn’t care less,' Trump fumed.... Referring to Gorsuch and Barrett, Trump said, 'And they sicken me.'” ~~~

~~~ Lee Moran of the Huffington Post, republished by Yahoo News!: “Another day, another made-up honor for Donald Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) drew swift mockery on Wednesday after he awarded the president the first-ever 'America First Award' at the National Republican Congressional Committee fundraiser, which he claimed would now be given 'annually from this point forward.... We could think of no better title for what that is,' Johnson said of the golden eagle statue. 'That’s this beautiful golden statue here. Appropriate for the new golden era in America.'... MS NOW host Jen Psaki didn’t hold back: 'Little Mike Johnson and all those Republicans have just created yet another participation trophy to give their very special boy in the White House to make sure he feels good about himself.'”

Heather Cox Richardson has a bit more on Trump's theft of classified documents which Jack Smith believed he stole in furtherance of his business interests. MB: Miss Aileen's effective efforts to cover up the evidence in the documents case notwithstanding, it's a really good idea (a) to find out as much as we can about that evidence, because (b) Trump is back in office & probably is squirreling away as much as he can right now. He is almost certain to be a repeat offender, especially because he got away with it once -- with the help of all manner of accomplices. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: And just as I was writing that, Marcie Jones of Wonkette was uploading Remembrances of Grifts Past. Very relevant.

Jonathan Wolfe of the New York Times: “The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with Iran. The updated enlistment requirements, published last week, bring the service’s age requirements more in line with other branches of the military, including the Air Force, which raised its maximum age for recruits to 42 from 39 in 2023, and the Navy, which increased its age cap to 41 from 39 in 2022.”

Here's another chicken-or-egg conundrum: which came first, Drunk Pete's retributive nature or Pete's introduction to a crazy, very un-Christian, retributive brand of Christianity? ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: “The pastor from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s home church in Tennessee said last week on a podcast that he wants James Talarico to die, referring to the Texas Democratic state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who regularly discusses his Christian faith in his current bid for U.S. Senate. Brooks Potteiger, an evangelical pastor who has been described as Hegseth’s closest spiritual adviser, repeatedly attacked Talarico.... The show is hosted by Joshua Haymes, a former pastoral intern at Potteiger’s church.... 'First and foremost, we pray that a man like this would be cut to the heart,' Haymes said. He said he puts Talarico in the category of 'public enemies,' or those you 'are not called to love.'... 'I pray that God kills him,' Haymes continued. 'Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ.' Potteiger concurred.... 'We want him crucified with Christ.'” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Tim Balk & Elizabeth Dias of the New York Times: “Responding to the remark, Mr. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, emphasized compassion, a core theme of his campaign, and suggested that Mr. Potteiger was praying he would die. Mr. Potteiger and a representative for Mr. Hegseth said the pastor’s words were being twisted. Mr. Potteiger said he had not called for Mr. Talarico’s death, but rather called for him to have a religious conversion. 'Jesus loves,' Mr. Talarico, a progressive state lawmaker who has put his faith at the center of his political campaign, said in the statement. 'Christian Nationalism kills. You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you.'” MB: Looks like telling big fat lies also is part of the Potteiger/Hegseth form of fake Christianity.

Isaac Arnsdorf, et al., of the Washington Post: “Facing record-high wait times at airport security checkpoints..., Donald Trump turned to an idea that gained traction after a woman from Arizona called into a right-wing talk radio show: send in immigration agents.* The result has not reduced security lines, according to data from affected airports. Fliers on Wednesday were still taking four or more hours to clear security at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where unpaid Transportation Security Administration agents skipping shifts have sharply reduced screenings.... The deployment also has not broken the impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which would restore TSA’s pay. Senate Democrats are holding out for more legal restraints on immigration agents, a demand that stems from agents’ killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. Democrats sent the White House a new offer Wednesday....” ~~~

     ~~~ * As the reporters later relate, Trump took credit for the caller's suggestion, telling reporters that using ICE in airports "was my idea." Trump thinks that he can copyright anything he hears -- from the word "groceries" to "fake news" -- because he thinks he has a right to abscond with anything he wants, from words to top-secret documents. ~~~

~~~ Christina Morales, et al., of the New York Times: “Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stationed at several airports on Wednesday were checking travelers’ IDs and performing other screening duties alongside personnel from the Transportation Security Administration. Those activities were largely a departure from the roles ICE agents had been performing since Monday at other major airports. They have been deployed ostensibly to ease the hourslong security lines amid a shortage of T.S.A. workers, but have largely patrolled hallways and stood watch.... 'After receiving standard T.S.A. training curriculum,' ICE officers were 'verifying identification using T.S.A. equipment and standard operating procedures,' the agency’s acting assistant secretary, Lauren Bis, said in a statement. She said the officers’ duties also included guarding entrances and exits, and crowd control. But it was unclear ... why ICE agents at some airports maintained more limited duties ... [or] whether the move had a widespread effect on wait times.”

Chloe Atkins of NBC News: “The Trump administration admitted in a court filing that it had erroneously relied on an ICE memo to justify arrests at immigration courthouses as part of an ongoing federal case brought by groups seeking to block the tactic. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that they had used the memo, titled '2025 ICE Guidance,' to defend the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents at courthouses, which led to numerous arrests of immigrants attending hearings. The memo indicated that 'ICE officers or agents may conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information' that a targeted person would be 'present at a specific location.' But, the Justice Department said in the court filing, the memo 'does not and has never applied to civil immigration enforcement actions in or near' immigration courts....

“The U.S. district judge presiding over the case, Kevin Castel, had rejected the [plaintiffs]’ request to block the administration’s courthouse arrests. In the ruling, Castel said ICE’s guidance 'allowed arrests at or near an immigration court.' In its filing Tuesday, the Justice Department repeatedly apologized to Castel for a 'material mistaken statement of fact that the Government made to the Court and Plaintiffs.'... 'Based on our discussions with ICE today, this regrettable error appears to have occurred because of agency attorney error,' prosecutors wrote. As of Wednesday night, Castel had not entered a response in the case’s public docket.”

Iranians may shout, "Death to America!" but we're killing the country ourselves. ~~~ 

~~~ Jeff Adelson & Amy Qin of the New York Times: “Every metro area in the United States ... experienced lower immigration rates during the year leading up to July 2025 compared with the previous year, according to new estimates released on Thursday by the Census Bureau. In about 75 percent of all counties, overall population growth — including immigration, domestic migration, births and deaths — either slowed or turned negative. Only 25 percent grew faster. And large urban counties and border counties, which had experienced a surge in new arrivals in recent years, were among the hardest-hit parts of the country.... The new census estimates offer the most detailed picture yet of the demographic impacts from the immigration restrictions that started late in the Biden administration and have ramped up during the Trump presidency.... The numbers also captured the continuing effect of declining birthrates, as deaths outnumbered births in about two-thirds of U.S. counties. It is a sign that many communities are still struggling to keep their population levels up, even as the impact of Covid-related deaths has waned.” An AP report is here.

RFKJ Can't Find Someone Secretly Crazy Enough to Head CDC. Apoorva Mandavilli & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: “The White House plans to delay naming a candidate to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has been roiled by a string of high-level departures and has had three different leaders since ... [Donald] Trump returned to the White House, according to people familiar with the situation. Federal law imposes a 210-day limit on those filling Senate-confirmed positions in an acting capacity. If Mr. Trump does not nominate a permanent director by midnight on Wednesday, the agency will be officially leaderless. The administration faces a formidable challenge in finding a nominee who aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda while avoiding his unpopular stance on vaccines. The White House has yet to find someone who fits with the Trump administration’s mission and can also win Senate confirmation, according to a person familiar with the situation....” An Axios report is here.

... the Earth is warming due to human activities, this warming is already responsible for human suffering, and it can be stopped by human action. None of this is, or should be, the least bit controversial. -- Dr. Kate Marvel, resignation letter ~~~ 

~~~ A Black Hole & Seinfeld -- A Scientist Leaves NASA. Eric Niiler of the New York Times: “Kate Marvel, a widely known climate scientist and author, has resigned from her position at NASA, citing the Trump administration’s attacks on climate science.... Dr. Marvel, who trained as an astrophysicist before turning to the Earth’s atmosphere, said in an interview that the administration’s actions made it impossible to remain at an agency that she loved. 'It wears you down after a while,' said Dr. Marvel, who announced her resignation on Tuesday. 'None of my internally funded science projects were funded. I wrote a couple other proposals, which, as far as I know, have fallen into a black hole.' Dr. Marvel joins an estimated 95,000 employees who have left federal science agencies through layoffs, retirements or resignations since Mr. Trump returned to the White House last year. Of those, an estimated 10,000 held doctorate degrees in the sciences. Dr. Marvel was an associate research physicist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, a research center that the Trump administration effectively shuttered in May 2025, canceling the lease on its Manhattan office and forcing its staff of more than 100 to work from home. The center was located upstairs from Tom’s Restaurant at Broadway and West 112th Street, near Columbia University, and the diner’s facade appears in 'Seinfeld' episodes.”

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “The Justice Department has agreed to pay Michael T. Flynn, ... [Donald] Trump’s former national security adviser, $1.25 million to settle claims that he was wrongfully prosecuted for making false statements to federal agents investigating ties between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.... The settlement agreement, which put to rest a lawsuit Mr. Flynn filed three years ago, was an extraordinary example of how the Trump administration has offered legal relief to those aligned with the president. It appeared to be part of a broader effort to erase the effect of some of the prominent criminal cases brought against Mr. Trump and his allies. Mr. Flynn’s suit ... accused federal prosecutors of maliciously charging him with lying to investigators who were working on the Russia inquiry, even though he had twice pleaded guilty to misleading the F.B.I.... In 2020, after an unusual pressure campaign by Mr. Trump and several of his allies, the Justice Department dropped its case against Mr. Flynn, chiseling away at the results of the Russia investigation.” The ABC News story is here. Thanks to RAS for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Steve Benen of MS NOW: "The financial settlement with Ashli Babbitt’s family was indefensible. The payout to Trump’s former national security adviser is worse." ~~~  

     ~~~ Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "As his own shakedown of the taxpayers proceeds, Trump has decided to let some of his close friends wet their beak a little[.]... Again, he is claiming that he was singled out for malicious prosecution by the Trump administration."

Miranda Nazzaro of the Hill: “The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit over allegations that the Biden administration pressured social media companies to remove or suppress speech. The settlement, filed in a Louisiana federal court, will bar the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Surgeon General’s Office from engaging in such pressure on social media firms for 10 years. The case settlement resolves a lawsuit first filed in 2022 by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana and other private plaintiffs. The suit alleged the federal government violated the First Amendment by 'coercing' or 'significantly encouraging' social media companies to delete certain content from their platforms. The content centered around conservative-leaning speech, including the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated health precautions, along with the 2020 presidential election. Attorney General Pam Bondi touted the settlement on Wednesday, calling it part of the DOJ’s 'key steps' in 'undoing' the Biden Administration’s 'abuses of the First Amendment, especially against conservative media.'” 

Kelly O'Donnell, et al., of NBC News: "The Justice Department has requested House Intelligence Committee records related to former CIA Director John Brennan, a frequent target of ... Donald Trump.... The Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday night to send to the Justice Department several classified hearing transcripts related to Brennan, according to a source familiar with the panel’s actions.... The committee’s move suggests that the Justice Department under Trump is moving ahead with a potential criminal case against Brennan after it launched an investigation in July."

Bill Pulte, Troll Extraordinaire. Kelly O'Donnell, et al., of NBC News: "A Trump administration official made two criminal referrals Wednesday against New York Attorney General Letitia James months after the Justice Department failed for a third time in its efforts to prosecute the longtime target of ... Donald Trump. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in the referrals that James committed insurance fraud, saying she may have falsified information on separate homeowner's insurance applications regarding occupancy at two homes in Norfolk, Virginia, according to documents obtained by NBC News. One referral was made to U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones in the Southern District of Florida and the other to U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros in the Northern District of Illinois, as the insurance companies for the two respective applications, each for a different Norfolk property, are based in those jurisdictions."

Kadia Goba & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: “A House Democrat from Florida faces the prospect of losing her seat over allegations that she used Federal Emergency Management Agency money mistakenly sent to her family’s health care company to boost past congressional campaigns. In a rare public hearing Thursday, lawmakers from the House Ethics Committee are expected to vote on whether Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida) violated House ethics rules for alleged crimes committed during the pandemic. If they do, the full committee would then meet and make a recommendation on whether Cherfilus-McCormick should face censure, expulsion or some other form of discipline. A fellow Florida lawmaker, Republican Greg Steube, has pledged to swiftly bring any consequence that is proposed to the full House for a vote.... 

“Republicans, who have grappled with a slim majority in this session of Congress, could gain some wiggle room if Cherfilus-McCormick is expelled from Congress.... Cherfilus-McCormick separately faces criminal charges and up to 53 years in prison tied to the errant FEMA dollars. The Department of Justice brought the charges against Cherfilus-McCormick and several others, including her brother and tax preparer, in November, after an investigation that began during the Biden administration.”

Cecilia Kang, et al., of the New York Times: “The social media company Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress, a jury found on Wednesday, a landmark decision that could open social media companies to more lawsuits over users’ well-being. Meta and YouTube must pay $3 million in compensatory damages for pain and suffering and other financial burdens. Meta is responsible for 70 percent of that cost and YouTube for the remainder. The bellwether case, which was brought by a now 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M., had accused social media companies of creating products as addictive as cigarettes or digital casinos.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I will now put on my Old Codger hat. Harumph! We didn't get a teevee until I was 11 years old. I might have watched it all day if my parents had let me. I might have become addicted. I might have begged my mother to buy Cocoa Puffs or whatever the hell the Lone Ranger ate. The ads were meant to get us to buy products we didn't need. The shows were meant to keep us coming back. Maybe they didn't have algorithms. But they had Mad Men to guide them. My parents made sure I survived. I didn't become addicted to teevee, and I don't think I've ever tasted Cocoa Puffs. That young woman's parents should have limited her reliance on social media. Any number of factors may have contributed to her "mental health distress," but I wouldn't put the tech bros at the top of the list. Okay, I'm done now. 

     ~~~ BTW, I find the algorithms more annoying than compelling. The minute I started looking at Sodastreams (actually, at their competitors), I started getting dozens of ads for carbonators on my teevee and on half the sites I visit on the Internet. I really don't appreciate the bombardment. ~~~

~~~ It Is Tempting to Make Zuck Pay Just for Being a Dick. Eli Tan of the New York Times: “Meta on Wednesday laid off around 700 employees..., the latest downsizing as the Silicon Valley giant shifts its priorities toward artificial intelligence. Less than 24 hours earlier, the company unveiled a new stock program for six top executives that could increase compensation for some of them by as much as $921 million each over the next five years. Meta said the move was a way to retain talent in the A.I. era and push it toward ambitious growth. The dichotomy — cutting some employees while rewarding high-ranking executives — underlines how much A.I. has changed the tech industry. In recent years, Meta has been trying to move beyond its social media and metaverse businesses. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, has declared that he is striving to create 'superintelligence,' or a godlike A.I. that can act as the ultimate personal companion. Last year, Mr. Zuckerberg shelled out billions of dollars to hire a team of A.I. specialists. At the same time, the company planned to cut 10 percent to 15 percent of Reality Labs, its division making virtual reality and metaverse products.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A "godlike personal companion"? Wow, sounds way better than Ross Douthat's blow-up doll companion*. And an incel's dream friend. Maybe. Mary Shelley, meet Dr. Frankenstein. His name is Zuck, and it turns out there is not only an Igor (a character who not does appear in your novel), but there are several, and Dr. Zuck pays them extremely well (unless they become redundant, in which case he fires them without a second thought).

     * Many years ago, Akhilleus & I came upon some tale that alleged Douthat, a practicing religionist, was a virgin in college and compensated by inviting an inflatable doll (with appropriate parts!) into his bed. The story is probably apocryphal, but we like it and we're sticking with it. Akhilleus may recall more details or may correct any errors I've made here. ~~~

~~~ Update. Wait, wait! AI can be good for women, too! Imagine for a moment that you were married to a man as ugly and obnoxious as Donald Trump. I know, eww. But hark! ~~~ 

~~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: “On Wednesday, [Melania] Trump appeared at the White House alongside Figure 3, a humanoid, A.I.-powered robot whose uses, according to the company that makes it, include fetching towels, carrying groceries and serving champagne. But Mrs. Trump joins tech executives and some researchers in envisioning a world beyond robot butlery. She is interested in how these robots could cut it as educators.... Both clad in shades of white, the first lady and the visiting robot walked into a gathering of first spouses from around the world, a group that included Sara Netanyahu of Israel, Olena Zelenska of Ukraine, and Brigitte Macron of France... Both lady and robot extolled the virtues of further integrating robots into the educational and social lives of children.... After Figure 3 teetered gingerly away, Mrs. Trump looked around the room and told them that the future looked a lot like what they had just witnessed. 'The future of A.I. is “personified,’” she told her audience. 'It will be formed in the shape of humans. Very soon artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Figure 3 seems to be sexless, devoid of sex parts & has the "voice" of a woman. But she's a prototype. That all can be fixed! My Figure 3 will be named Jake, he will speak in a deep baritone, and he will be well-equipped, shall we say.

~~~~~~~~~~  

Florida Republicans Wake Up & Smell the Tea Leaves. Mia McCarthy, et al., of Politico: “Florida has been viewed for months as the potential capstone of a GOP redistricting campaign, but now Sunshine State Republicans are growing wary after the dramatic flip of two legislative seats in the state — including one where ... Donald Trump votes. Republicans already hold a commanding 20-8 edge over Democrats in the Florida House delegation, and some in the GOP — including Gov. Ron DeSantis — believe they could pick up as many as five more seats with a rare mid-decade redraw of district lines. Some Florida incumbents are now warning in stark terms it could backfire. 'I think the Legislature needs to be very cognizant of the fact that if they get too aggressive … you could put incumbent members at risk,' GOP Rep. Greg Steube said.”

Kentucky. Former Governor Unaware Litigants Must Obey Judges' Orders. Campbell Robertson of the New York Times: “A judge has ordered the arrest of a former Kentucky governor, Matt Bevin, after finding him in contempt of court. The ruling came at a hearing this week in Louisville, Ky., days before a trial to determine whether Mr. Bevin owes child support to an estranged son, Jonah Bevin. The judge, Angela J. Johnson of Jefferson County Family Court, found that the former governor had repeatedly disregarded orders to turn over financial documents, and sentenced Mr. Bevin to serve 60 days in the county jail or to turn over the records that the court had sought. Mr. Bevin, who was out of town, appeared at the hearing on Tuesday via a videoconference. His lawyer, Jesse Mudd, did not respond to a request on Wednesday for comment. After the judge said she would order Mr. Bevin’s arrest, he filed a motion to disqualify her, arguing that she was making Mr. Bevin 'jump through proverbial hoops' not placed before other litigants, 'due solely to him being a former Governor of Kentucky.'”

Minnesota. Molly Hennessey-Fiske & Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post (March 24): “Minnesota officials sued the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security on Tuesday, seeking evidence the agencies have withheld related to three shootings — two of them fatal — by federal officers during this year’s immigration crackdown.... Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in D.C. federal court by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Drew Evans, superintendent of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, alleges federal officials refused to cooperate with their offices to investigate all three shootings.... In January, federal officers killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti, 37-year-old Minneapolis residents and U.S. citizens protesting the federal immigration operation. They also shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant who was struck in the leg and wounded during a foot chase near his home.”  

Oklahoma, O.K.! Yunior Rivas of Democracy Docket: "Oklahoma announced Tuesday it agreed to turn over its full voter rolls to the Trump Justice Department — including sensitive personal data the state had previously refused to provide. Under a newly executed settlement, state officials will give the DOJ a complete copy of Oklahoma’s statewide voter registration database, including voters’ names, birth dates, residential addresses and identifying numbers, including driver’s license and the last four digits of Social Security numbers.... The agreement also allows the department to seek additional voter data in the future and requires Oklahoma to transmit the records through federal systems.... In exchange, the DOJ dismissed the lawsuit against Oklahoma — avoiding a court ruling on whether it has the legal authority to demand such records.... The [DOJ] has filed lawsuits against dozens of states seeking access to unredacted voter rolls — an effort that has drawn resistance from both Democratic and Republican officials and has already been rejected in several federal courts." (Also linked yesterday.)