March 28, 2026

Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times: “In big cities and small towns across the world, protesters gathered for rallies against ... [Donald] Trump and his policies and actions, with the self-stated goal of fighting dictatorship. Demonstrators, including elected officials and community leaders, chanted defiant messages and carried homemade signs that condemned the war in Iran, threats against voting rights and the White House’s mass deportation push, among other topics.” A Washington Post story is here. 

     ~~~ An AP report is here. The AP has posted photographs here.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: “As everyone tries to make sense of this more belligerent Trump, just remember: He’s still 'Access Hollywood' Trump. He continues his amoral, pseudo-macho posturing — just with a bigger stage and the biggest weapons.” 

Sammy Westfall, et al., of the Washington Post: “Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched an attack against Israel on Saturday for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran a month ago, an intervention that amounted to a widening of the conflict and that brings the potential for further disruption of global trade and markets.... No casualties were reported.” 

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Here's info on the No Kings protests, which are today. 

Sopan Deb of the New York Times: “With the Kennedy Center as the backdrop, Jane Fonda ... said in a speech [that Americans] are 'witnessing censorship, political intimidation, and a growing effort to reshape American history and cultural life through fear and attacks on our First Amendment.' The event was titled 'Artists United for Our Freedom,' and was hosted by the Committee for the First Amendment, a collective of artists that promotes free expression. The gathering, on a rainy afternoon with roughly 100 invited guests, included remarks and appearances by people like the actor Sam Waterston, the poet Rupi Kaur, the comedy writer Bess Kalb and the singer Joan Baez. Ms. Fonda, 88, was one of the artists who last fall spearheaded a relaunch of the committee, which was originally formed in 1947 by a group that included her father, Henry, the actor, as a counter to the McCarthy-era House Un-American Activities Committee. The House panel’s actions led to the blacklisting of artists accused of being Communist sympathizers.” 

This isn't the first time we have linked to reports about the findings of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Sweden’s Gothenburg University in regard to Trump's Demolish Democracy Project, but the TruthOut report is a good follow-on to Heather Cox Richardson's summary, AND author Sharon Zhang shares how alarming Trump's moves are. Thank you to RAS for the link:

~~~ Sharon Zhang of TruthOut: “... Donald Trump is dismantling U.S. democracy at an 'unprecedented' rate, downgrading the U.S.’s democratic rating on a global scale and plunging the country toward autocracy at a faster rate than autocratic leaders of other countries in the 21st century, the latest report by an international democracy watchdog finds. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Sweden’s Gothenburg University finds in its annual report that Trump’s second term has been characterized by a swift concentration of power in the executive branch that ignores the rule of law, suppresses dissent, and targets civil rights. Many countries are falling further into autocracy, the report finds. But the U.S. stands out as 'an exceptional new autocratizer due to both far-reaching changes in 2025 and their implications for the rest of the world,' the group writes.... Trump has achieved in only one year what other countries with similar trends have taken a decade to achieve, the report says. '[T]he speed of decline is comparable to some coups d’états,' the group wrote in its report.” (Also linked yesterday.)

The New York Times' liveblog of developments in Trump's war on Iran are here. From the pinned item at 4:30 am ET: “There were attacks across the Middle East on Saturday as the war entered its fifth week, with the Israeli military saying it had begun a new round of strikes on Tehran and reporting more waves of missiles from Iran. It also said a missile was fired toward Israel from Yemen on Saturday, without saying who launched it.... Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States did not require ground troops to succeed in the war and that it would conclude within weeks. He said Iran had yet to respond formally to ... [Donald] Trump’s peace plan. While Mr. Trump said that talks were progressing well, Iranian officials described recent contact as minimal and far from actual negotiations. ”

Chris Cameron & Eric Schmitt of the New York Times: “An Iranian strike injured 12 U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, two of them seriously, in an attack on Prince ​Sultan Air Base in Saudi ​Arabia, two U.S. officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said on Friday. The combined missile and drone attack amounted to one of the most serious breaches of American air defenses in the course of the monthlong war with Iran. At least two KC-135 aerial refueling planes also suffered significant damage in the attack.”

John Ismay & Aric Toler of the New York Times: “Images and footage posted on social media on Thursday by an independent journalist, as well as semiofficial Iranian news media, appear to show American antitank mines in two locations in southern Iran. They appear to be American BLU-91 antitank mines, which are bundled together with BLU-92 antipersonnel mines and dispensed by a 500-pound cluster bomb that breaks apart midair, spreading the munitions and creating an instant minefield. Their discovery, in the village of Kafari, near the city of Shiraz, was reported earlier by the investigative collective Bellingcat.... The mines can be dropped only by warplanes flying overhead. The mines can be dropped only by warplanes flying overhead.... [These] cluster munitions are banned by a 2008 treaty ratified by 112 nations, though not by the United States, Iran or Israel. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has since weakened international norms against their use.... The [U.S.] mines are designed to self-destruct after a preset amount of time, though in practice that does not always happen — leaving behind extremely hazardous duds that can explode if mishandled.”

Rachel Chason & Rael Ombuor of the Washington Post: “As the war in the Middle East hits the one-month mark, it has ... wrought mayhem in the already battered humanitarian aid sector, which supports hundreds of millions of the world’s most vulnerable people. That global aid system depends on the United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, as a massive government-backed humanitarian hub — a logistical linchpin that is home to a sprawling tax-free port and, under normal circumstances, one of the world’s busiest airports. Now, Dubai’s location on the Persian Gulf has become a vulnerability, as the UAE has borne the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Iranian drones and missiles have hit key infrastructure, including at the port and airport, and the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which most of the goods from Dubai transit, remains mostly closed. The result has been havoc in the aid sector, which was decimated by funding cuts from the United States and Europe last year and is now straining to meet demand that grows with each additional day of war.”

"The President Is Bored of His War": ~~~

Trump Again Threatens to Violate NATO Treaty. Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: “The United States may stop promising to defend its NATO allies should they come under attack..., Donald Trump said Friday, escalating his verbal barrage against the alliance as his frustration grows that European leaders have not significantly contributed to his war against Iran. 'NATO just wasn’t there' when he asked for help with the Iran war, Trump told a Miami Beach investment conference sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. 'We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them, and we would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be,' he continued.”

Marisa Schultz, et al., of the New York Post: Donald Trump is “considering rechristening [the Strait of Hormuz] the 'Strait of America' or even naming it after himself, sources told The Post. 'We are taking the Strait back. It’s guaranteed, and they will never blackmail us on that strait,' one senior administration official said.... 'He does believe that if we’re going to guard it, if we’re going to take care of it, if we’re going to police it, if we’re going to ensure free safety through it that, why should we call it that [Hormuz]?' the senior official said.... Trump told a Saudi investor forum Friday evening in Miami that he might decide to call the Strait after himself, rather than America. 'They have to open up the Strait of Trump — I mean Hormuz,' Trump said. 'Excuse me, I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake. The Fake News will say, “He accidentally said.” No, there’s no accidents with me, not too many.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If you check with Art Intel, you'll find that the name "Hormuz" probably derives from the ancient god Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity of wisdom and light in Zoroastrianism. So absolutely, let's abruptly change the name to one honoring a sleazy tinpot dictator more or less on the other side of the globe. So appropriate. 

Hacks in the News. Shane O'Neill & Shira Ovide of the Washington Post: “Post reporters called the White House. Their phones showed ‘Epstein Island.’ Someone messed with Google’s widely cited databases of business listings.... Those who saw 'Epstein Island' were using Android phones from Google’s Pixel brand. Calling the White House from iPhones did not show a name on the screen.... [A Google spokesman] said that the company reversed the edit. He said it violated Google’s policies, and that the user responsible was blocked from making further edits.”

CPAN Attendees Cheer Trump Impeachment. Alex Griffing of Mediaite: “Matt Schlapp, the head of the American Conservative Union, led the crowd at CPAC, an event his group hosts every year, in an unintentional cheer for ... Donald Trump’s impeachment on Friday. Schlapp was hyping up the crowd when he asked, 'How many of you would like to see impeachment hearings?' The crowd then cheered, and Schlapp replied, 'That was the wrong answer.'”

Adam Nagourney & Julia Jacobs of the New York Times: “New York City Ballet, one of the nation’s most prestigious dance companies, announced on Friday that it was withdrawing from a six-day stand at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the latest major performing arts organization to cancel a high-profile engagement at the besieged center. City Ballet announced its decision in an email to its dancers on Friday afternoon. The “Dear Dancers' note, which was signed by the company’s executive director, artistic director and associate artistic director, was terse and offered no explanation for the decision, though it encouraged members of the company to reach out if they had questions.”

Racist SecDef Draws Criticism. Helene Cooper, et al., of the New York Times: Jack Reed, “the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, sharply criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday for blocking the promotion of four Army officers — two Black men and two women — to be one-star generals.... 'If these reports are accurate, Secretary Hegseth’s decision to remove four decorated officers from a promotion list after having been selected by their peers for their merit and performance is not only outrageous, it would be illegal,' Mr. Reed said in a statement.... After a service board approves a list of colonels to be promoted to general, the defense secretary is not supposed to intervene, military officials say.... Mr. Hegseth’s decision also drew harsh criticism from the leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus.... Mr. Hegseth’s recent predecessors, including Lloyd J. Austin III and Mark T. Esper, pressed promotion boards to look deeper into ranks to ensure that qualified women and minorities were considered for senior positions.... On Friday, Mr. Hegseth announced that ... Donald Trump had approved his new list of 29 Army colonels to be promoted.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's a gift link to the original NYT story exposing Hegseth's racist, sexist discrimination against the officers. I linked that story yesterday, but not with a gift link.  

Hacks in the News. Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: “Emails and photographs stolen from a personal email account of Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I., circulated online on Friday, as hackers who claimed to be part of a group affiliated with Iranian intelligence took responsibility for the release.... However, cybersecurity tools indicated that the website was being hosted by a computer server in Russia, which has a long history of hack-and-dump operations, including Democratic emails during the 2016 election.... The release of materials from before Mr. Patel’s time as F.B.I. chief appeared to be an effort to embarrass him as the war in Iran nears its first month....  [The [hacked emails] were largely anodyne personal messages related to matters like hunting for an apartment or booking travel. Most were from 2010 to 2014....” Update: the link has been changed to one that appears to be a gift link. A Politico story is here.

Marianne LeVine, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Department of Homeland Security is moving to rescind a rule that required Cabinet-level approval for contracts exceeding $100,000, according to internal documents, shifting away from one of Kristi L. Noem’s most contested policies. In Markwayne Mullin’s first week as secretary, employees with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were informed that top-level department approval is now needed only for contracts valued at $25 million and above.... Mullin is a Trump loyalist who is expected to continue carrying out the administration’s hard-line immigration measures. But ... in his first days as secretary, there have been some changes. ICE has slowed down the process of issuing contracts to turn several warehouses into large-scale immigrant holding centers, according to an internal memo sent Tuesday....” ~~~

~~~ Eric Bazail-Eimil of Politico: “Corey Lewandowski, the Trump 2016 campaign manager who served as an unpaid adviser to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for the past year, is no longer working at DHS, the department said Friday. A statement confirmed his departure from DHS but did not specify any future government role for Lewandowski, who was photographed with Noem this week in Guyana during an official visit she made to the South American country.... Still unexplained is why he accompanied the former secretary to Guyana.”

Robert Poole, an expert on transportation policy, in a Washington Post op-ed, looks at what went wrong in the Air Canada Express/rescue truck runway collision at LaGuardia Airport this week. A system LaGuardia is using is antiquated a may have been manipulated out of being much use at all. Poole has some suggestions for Congress; good luck with that. Editor's Note: I knew Robert Poole when he was Bobby Poole; that is, roughly 65 years ago (and I've talked with him from time to time since).

Carl Hulse, et al., of the New York Times: “House Republicans on Friday angrily rejected a Senate-passed deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, threatening to extend the agency shutdown that has crippled airports in a fit of outrage over the agreement their own party struck with Senate Democrats to end the crisis.... Calling the Senate-passed deal engineered by Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, 'ridiculousness,' [House Speaker Mike] Johnson [R] said the House would instead take up a stopgap measure to fund the entire department until late May.... Any change the House makes would require senators, who have now scattered to their states for a two-week break, to return to Washington and vote again.... But the stopgap measure [the House] proposed instead has no chance of winning the 60 votes necessary to advance in the Senate.... Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the [House] minority leader, said his party had been ready to back the Senate measure and end the partial shutdown.... 

“Mr. Trump, who had waffled all week about whether he would support a deal to end the shutdown..., [told] Fox News in an interview that the Senate-passed bill 'wasn’t appropriate.'... On Friday afternoon, the White House released Mr. Trump’s memorandum directing that T.S.A. employees be paid, though it was unclear how quickly that would occur or how swiftly agents might return to their jobs after weeks without compensation.” MB: The Republicans' complete disarray would be hilarious if their outrageous irresponsibility didn't have such a negative impact on so many people, both DHS workers at the TSA & FEMA, for instance, and their "customers": airline passengers and people in need of disaster relief. (An earlier version of this story, part of a liveblog, was linked yesterday.)

~~~ SNAFU. Washington in Chaos. Riley Beggin, et al., of the Washington Post: “House Republicans plan to offer an eight-week measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, two people familiar with the plans said Friday, rejecting a separate deal the Senate passed earlier in the day. The inter-chamber squabble appears likely to lead to a continued stalemate over the department that has gone unfunded since Feb. 14 — leading to lengthy delays at some airports across the country — as Senate Democrats have already said they would not support the House’s proposal. The Senate bill would fund all of DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The House bill would temporarily fund the entire department. 

“The Senate deal does not include any new accountability measures for ICE and CBP that Democrats have demanded. House Republicans have raised concerns that it does not include the Save America Act — a sweeping voting bill championed by ... Donald Trump that House Republicans have demanded the Senate pass — and that it would not appropriate money for the administration’s deportation efforts. House leaders indicated to members Friday morning that votes were “possible” later in the day or over the weekend and advised them to stay in Washington. The chamber had been scheduled to leave Washington for a two-week recess Friday afternoon.” Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Rachel Dobkin of the Independent: “... Donald Trump has formally told the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA despite a funding lapse after agents missed another paycheck. In a presidential memorandum Friday, Trump directed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Russell Vought, the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, to use undisclosed funds to pay TSA employees, including 50,000 security officers at airports.... It’s unclear where the funds to pay TSA will come from. Trump wrote in the memorandum that he was directing Mullin and Vought to use 'funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations.'... Trump used the memorandum to bash what he called the 'Democrat-caused shutdown.'” MB: Why, it's so surprising he would say that, since it was the MAGA members of House who voted down the Senate-passed bill.

Barbara Sprunt of NPR: "The House Ethics Committee has found 'clear and convincing evidence' that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick violated House rules, after a rare marathon public hearing Thursday night. The Florida Democrat was indicted in November over allegations she stole $5 million in disaster relief funds and used it to bankroll her 2021 special election campaign. Federal prosecutors allege she funneled money to support her campaign using FEMA overpayments distributed to Trinity Healthcare services, her family's company. She pleaded not guilty. 'After careful deliberation that lasted until well past midnight, the adjudicatory subcommittee found that Counts 1-15 and 17-26 of the SAV [Statement of Alleged Violations] had been proven,' a committee statement read.... Investigators on a bipartisan subcommittee have been probing the matter for two years.... In April, the committee will recommend a punishment to be voted on by the full House...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: “A federal judge agreed to drop the remaining criminal charges against two Louisville, Ky., police officers who were involved in drafting the no-knock search warrant that led to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor by police officers in 2020. Judge Charles R. Simpson III of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky approved a request by the Justice Department to dismiss the charges with prejudice — meaning that the two officers, Kyle Meany and Joshua Jaynes, cannot be charged in the same case later. He made the ruling in a one-page order, without explanation.... Last August, Judge Simpson threw out some of the most serious charges against the two officers, including accusations that they had committed violations of federal civil rights laws.” Simpson is a Reagan appointee.”

Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: “Bank of America has agreed to pay $72.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by lawyers representing hundreds of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse victims, according to a filing in federal court on Friday. The tentative settlement, which requires approval by a judge, is the third payout by a big bank to resolve similar claims by the same team of victims’ lawyers.... The lawsuit, filed in October in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, claimed that Bank of America had financially benefited from its relationship with Mr. Epstein and overlooked signs that its accounts were being used to further his abuse of young women.”

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Ron DeSantis is just as big a dirtbag as Donald Trump, but not as charming. ~~~ 

~~~ Florida. Patricia Mazzei & Eric Adelson of the New York Times: “A year after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida pledged to make his state one of the toughest in the nation on immigration enforcement, he has largely succeeded: More immigration arrests were made in Florida in 2025 than any state but Texas, and there have been few signs of the crackdown easing. Yet the enforcement machine that the Republican governor hastily built to support the federal crackdown he welcomed is starting to show cracks, weighed down by a crush of detainees crowding some jails and a set of growing concerns, even among some law enforcement officials, about aggressive enforcement tactics in a midterm election year. At a meeting of the State Immigration Enforcement Council last week, several Republican sheriffs expressed concern about unauthorized immigrants who have not committed any crimes being detained and deported.... The comments from the elected sheriffs signaled a shift in tone among a small but influential group of Florida Republicans who have helped carry out ... [Donald] Trump’s and Mr. DeSantis’s immigration policies.”

Florida. Gabby Herzig & Hugh Kellenberger of the New York Times: “Tiger Woods was arrested and jailed on a charge of driving under the influence after being involved in a two-vehicle crash on Friday afternoon that resulted in his Land Rover rolling onto its side. When officers reached the scene of the crash on Jupiter Island, Fla., where Woods has a home, the golfer showed 'signs of impairment,' Martin County Sheriff John M. Budensiek said at a news conference. A breathalyzer test did not detect any alcohol in his system, but Woods refused a urinalysis. That led to his arrest and his being taken to Martin County Jail.... He was charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Both charges are misdemeanors. Budensiek said the crash occurred when Woods, driving a Land Rover, tried to overtake a truck that was hauling a pressure cleaner trailer.... The truck’s driver was attempting to turn left on a two-lane road, saw the Land Rover coming from behind and tried to move off the road, but had nowhere to go. The Land Rover clipped the truck and rolled onto its side. Budensiek said that Woods climbed out through the passenger’s side of his vehicle, and that neither driver was injured.”

Kentucky. Pooja Salhatra of the New York Times: “A Kentucky appeals court on Friday voided an arrest warrant for Matt Bevin, a former governor found in contempt of court before a trial to determine whether he owes support to an estranged son. The order, signed by Judge Audra J. Eckerle, said the arrest warrant was invalid because it had come after Mr. Bevin requested the removal of a family court judge from his case for bias. Under Kentucky law, Judge Eckerle said, the case should have been paused as the chief justice weighed the request.”