This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 333

… Trump made another disgusting post celebrating the death of former FBI Director Robert Mueller: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

… His post received widespread condemnation from people in both parties, although his hard core MAGA supporters backed up their hero by trashing Mueller for his report on Russia’s attempt to influence the 2016 US presidential election.

… As a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam, Mueller was shot and later returned to lead his platoon after his recovery. He received a Bronze Star for valor, a Purple Heart, two Navy/Marine Commendation medals, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Valor, and numerous other medals.

… Fox chief political analyst Brit Hume: “This is the kind of stuff Trump does that makes people not just oppose him but hate him. There was no need to say anything.”

… Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO): “The President is a petty, sick, and vile man. Robert Mueller volunteered for Vietnam - at the same time Trump avoided serving. His decades of military and public service to our nation represents everything Trump is not.”

… Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) to Politico: “It is clearly wrong and unchristian behavior. The vast majority of Americans want better.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) on NBC: “It’s just disgusting, it’s so heartbreaking that we have a president who is cheerleading the death of American citizens. Mueller is amongst many who have been trying to hold this president to account. He’s the most corrupt president in the history of the country.”

… Gavin Newsom: “Trump despises anyone with a deep sense of duty, discipline, and patriotism. Rest in peace, Robert Mueller.”

… Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX): “It is completely tasteless and unacceptable for the sitting President of the US to celebrate anybody’s death - let alone someone who served this country. Trump continues to show us time and time again that there are no limits to how low he is willing to go.”

… Democratic activist Jamie Bonkiewicz got over 44,000 likes on X for this post: “I better not hear A SINGLE FUCKING WORD about the tweets I’ll be posting after he goes.”

… Many contrasted Trump’s statement with those from other presidents. Barack Obama: “Bob Mueller was one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI, transforming the bureau after 9/11 and saving countless lives. But it was his relentless commitment to the rule of law and his unwavering belief in our bedrock values that made him one of the most respected public servants of our time. Michelle and I send our condolences to Bob’s family, and everyone who knew and admired him.”

… George W. Bush: “Laura and I are deeply saddened by the loss of Robert Mueller. As a Marine in Vietnam, he proved he was ready for tough assignments. He earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart before returning home to pursue law. In 2001 only one week into the job, Bob transitioned the FBI’s mission to protecting the homeland after Sept 11. He led the agency effectively, helping prevent another terrorist attack on US soil. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathy to his wife of nearly 60 years, Ann, and the Mueller family.”

… Journalist Aaron Rupar: “Incredible - Fox & Friends completely ignored Trump’s batshit post celebrating Mueller’s death during their brief news hit about Mueller’s passing, and instead highlighted the more normal response of George W Bush.”

… Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on NBC: Q - “Do you think it’s appropriate for the president to celebrate the death of a Bronze Star, Purple Heart recipient who served in Vietnam? Bessent: Neither one of us can understand what has been done to the president and his family. Q - So you don’t think there’s anything wrong with a post saying, ‘Good. Robert Mueller’s dead’? Bessent: We should have empathy for what’s been done to the president and his family.”

… WaPo: “In the run-up to Hungary’s pivotal election in April, a unit of Russia’s foreign intelligence service last month began sounding the alarm over plummeting public support for PM Viktor Orban, whose friendly ties to Moscow have long given the Kremlin a strategic foothold inside NATO and EU. Officers from the intel service suggested that drastic action might be necessary - a strategy they called ‘the Gamechanger.”

… The Russian report said one thing could “fundamentally alter the entire paradigm of the election campaign - the staging of an assassination attempt on Viktor Orban. Such an incident will shift the perception of the campaign out of the rational realm of socioeconomic questions into an emotional one, where the key themes will become state security and the stability and defense of the political system.”

… The Russians staging an assassination attempt of a key foreign political candidate to boost their standing? I’m sure they would never try that in the US.

… Netanyahu: “Viktor Orbán has been like a rock. Today, we live in turbulent times. You need leaders who can protect against this rising tide and can also ensure safety and stability for their own countries. This is what Viktor Orbán has in abundance. I know many world leaders, and I can tell you that he’s right there at the top. Viktor Orbán means stability, safety, security.”

… So now Trump, Vance, Putin and Netanyahu have endorsed Orban while attempting to tamper in Hungary’s election next month.

… NYT: “As the US and Israel prepared to go to war with Iran, the head of Mossad went to PM Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan. Within days of the war’s beginning, said David Barnea, the Mossad chief, his service would likely be able to galvanize the Iranian opposition - igniting riots and other acts of rebellion that could even lead to the collapse of Iran’s govt. Barnea also presented the proposal to senior Trump admin officials during a visit to Washington in mid-Jan.”

… “Netanyahu adopted the plan. Despite doubts about its viability among senior American officials and some officials in other Israeli intelligence agencies, both he and Trump seemed to embrace an optimistic outlook. Killing Iran’s leaders at the outset of the conflict, followed by a series of intelligence operations intended to encourage regime change, they thought, could lead to a mass uprising that might bring about a swift end to the war.”

… “The belief that Israel and the US could help instigate widespread revolt was a foundational flaw in the preparations for a war that has spread across the Middle East. Instead of imploding from within, Iran’s govt has dug in and escalated the conflict, striking blows and counterblows against military bases, cities, ships in the Persian Gulf, and against vulnerable oil and gas installations.”

… Trump posted his most ominous threat to escalate the Iran War yet: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

… That was posted at 7:44 PM on Sat. Which means that, unless Trump caves again on one his many threats, this war will spiral into a very dangerous place for every country in the Middle East at 7:44 PM on Monday.

… Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent for WSJ: “As Iran is highly unlikely to comply, in 39 hours we will either have a major escalation of the war, or a major blow to the US deterrence ability.”

… Gregg Carlstrom with The Economist: “First he said we don’t care about the Strait of Hormuz and we’re going to wind down the war. Also if you don’t reopen the strait, we will massively escalate the war. Iran almost certainly will not blink on Hormuz. And needless to say, if Trump does this, Iran will respond by attacking similar targets in Gulf states.”

… “Also needless to say, this would have profound, long-lasting impacts for millions of Iranians. People are still trying to pretend there’s some sophisticated plan here, there’s not, there’s an admin frantically trying to tweet its way through a war that has not gone at all the way it expected.”

… MB Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament: “Immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time. And throw down what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have made.”

… Reuters: “The Iranian military has warned it would launch attacks on desalination plants and other infrastructure in the region if the US follows through on a threat to target its fuel and energy infrastructure over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Below are some details about how reliant Gulf Arab states are on desalination for their basic water needs:

• In UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water.

• Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans.

• Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water.

• In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023.

• Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE combined produce around a third of the world’s desalinated water and are home to many of its largest desalination plants.

… Bachar El-Halabi with Argus Media: “Yesterday, senior Arab Gulf officials told me something very clear: The world is not facing an oil supply problem, but a control problem centered on Hormuz - a main artery for the global economy. They said the discussion in Washington around tapping ‘oil-on-water’ misses the point.”

… “Those 140 million barrels mentioned by the US Treasury Secretary don’t just include Iranian crude. They include Saudi, UAE, Kuwaiti, Iraqi and international oil company barrels sitting on tankers, stuck inside the Strait. But while Iranian crude continues to move - largely toward China - Gulf exports remain constrained.”

… “That’s not market stabilization. That’s a shift in who gets to sell, and who doesn’t - something unacceptable in Gulf capitals. Fast forward a few hours, and Trump gives Iran a 48-hour ultimatum: Reopen Hormuz or face strikes on critical infrastructure. That ultimatum comes now with immense risks, given Tehran’s demonstrated ability to hit Gulf infrastructure through its continued attacks.”

… “Critically, for the Gulf, this isn’t just about reopening a waterway. It’s about preventing a precedent - one that also strikes at the heart of the US’ role as a guarantor of global trade. This is what’s at stake for the US, contrary to Trump’s comments suggesting it does not rely on Hormuz. That’s the real fear. It’s neither prices nor supply. It’s the damage to the principle of freedom of navigation.”

… “It’s also the IRGC putting its finger on the pulse of global oil prices and influencing them. This is why stopgap measures do not neutralize the risk. The next 48 hours will show whether the US is willing to address the issue head-on. Or whether the market - and the region - will have to adjust to a new reality.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletin available to everyone and also allow all to engage in the comments discussion below. About the first third of rest of the daily Bulletins during the week are available to free subscribers. If you missed Friday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

Maine Maple Weekend was great - even better with Susan Collins skipping the festivities to stay in DC. We went to a bunch of farms and bought something from each to support them. It was amazing to see so many Mainers out there supporting them in some pretty remote places. Maine is a special place, even though March-April are my least favorite months from a weather perspective.

This is part of our haul from consecutive Maple Weekends in NH and Maine.

I expect this to be an extremely heavy week with Trump either dramatically escalating the war (which could include a ground invasion) or scrambling to find a way out while declaring victory. Congress is back in session also with the SAVE Act expected to be voted on early in the week as well as the Markwayne Mullin confirmation vote. We conclude the week with No Kings.

As you know, everything will be covered here each day here in these Bulletins. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to them and all the work of our amazing Meidas team.

… Sen. Lindsey Graham was asked on Fox about the risks associated with a ground invasion of Kharg Island: "We did Iwo Jima. We can do this."

… UN Ambassador Mike Waltz on CBS: Q - “When the president says he’s going to bomb civilians energy infrastructure in Iran, is he going to bomb a nuclear power plant? Waltz: Well, I would never take anything oft the table for the president.”

… WSJ: “3 weeks into the war, the Iranian regime is signaling that it believes it is winning and has the power to impose a settlement on Washington that entrenches Tehran’s dominance of Middle East energy resources for decades to come. Despite optimistic US and Israeli pronouncements about destroying launchers and missile stocks, Iran has retained the ability to fire dozens of ballistic missiles, and many more drones, every day across the Middle East.”

… “Instead of declining, the rate of fire actually picked up in recent days compared with 10 days ago. Iranian strikes inflicted catastrophic damage this week on key energy installations in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and UAE - while Iran’s own oil exports kept booming.”

… “Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf’s chokepoint, remains only possible with Iranian permission. Surging oil and gas prices, meanwhile, are exacting growing pain on economies worldwide—and putting pressure on Trump to end the war that he began in expectation of swift victory on Feb. 28.”

… Iran analyst Dina Esfandiary: “The Iranians aren’t ready to end the war because they have learned an important lesson: They can, comparatively easily and cheaply, cause a lot of damage and disruption. They now want the whole world to learn that lesson, too.”

… Scott Bessent was asked on NBC about Trump constantly changing his position on the status of the war: Q - “Is the president in the process of winding down this war or escalating this war? Bessent: Sometimes you have to escalate to deescalate.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy: “The treasury secretary just said ‘we’re gonna escalate in order to deescalate.’ It’s like they’ve never read a history book. That’s exactly what our leaders said in the middle of Vietnam, in the 20 years of mismanagement in Afghanistan. We need to end this war.”

… Q - “What do you say to Americans who feel they were promised lower costs and now they’re getting the opposite? Bessent: The American people are beginning to understand thanks to President Trump that there is no prosperity without security.”

… The iPaper: “Iran is revealing new military capabilities as its war with Israel and the US enters its fourth week, and the regime still has more cards to play, from as-yet-unseen missiles to allied militias and sleeper cells abroad. The missiles fired at the Diego Garcia base required a range of around 2,400 miles, far beyond previous estimates of Iran’s capabilities.”

… “Tehran’s military also deployed the Haj Qasem, a newly developed medium-range ballistic missile with a half-tonne warhead, for the first time this week. Iran’s most powerful weapon, the Khorramshahr-4, has been used in greater numbers in recent attacks. Regime officials remain bullish despite heavy personnel and material losses inflicted by US-Israeli air strikes, and are threatening escalation.”

… Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia: “We are using weapons in this war that we have not used in the past, and we will use them more in the coming days.”

… “After a sharp decline in Iran’s rate of fire of missiles and drones after the first days of the conflict, open-source conflict trackers say both launches and hits have increased, amid reports of declining interceptor stockpiles in the region. Iran continues to introduce surface-to-surface missiles to the war, and scored a notable success this week with a surface-to-air strike that brought a first hit on a US F-35 fighter jet.”

… “The regime is also known to have amassed a large stockpile of cruise missiles, including anti-ship variants that could prove effective in close-quarters fighting if naval vessels attempt to break its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Beyond the Shahed-136, which has proved effective enough to spawn imitations across numerous foreign militaries, Iran has developed the jet-powered successor Shahed-238, which is said to be faster and harder to intercept.”

… AP: “Iranian missiles struck two communities in southern Israel late Sat, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel’s main nuclear research center. The developments signaled the war was moving in a dangerous new direction at the start of its fourth week.”

… Netanyahu: “This is a very difficult evening. Iran has proven again in the last 48 hours that it is the enemy of civilization and a danger to the free world: targeting children, families, and the elderly with terror missiles, threatening Jerusalem’s holy sites, launching long-range missiles, and trying to blackmail the world through the Strait of Hormuz. I ask the leaders of the free world: what are you waiting for? Israel is fighting not only for itself, but for all of you.”

… Journalist Glenn Greenwald responded to Netanyahu: “The fucking audacity these people have. They spend years vaporizing innocent people that they regard as sub-human, incinerating and starving entire families, starting wars, and then think the world will see them as pity-inducing victims the minute anyone fights back.”

… Middle East military analyst Ziad Abu Zayyad: “After Dimona and Arad, we can now make an initial reading that something dramatic is developing; either Iran is using a new missile, or there is a major malfunction in Israel’s defense system in the south. The missile that hit Arad resulted in tens of deaths and more than 100 injuries.”

… Drop Site News: “60 injured, 6 in serious condition in Iranian missile strike on Arad, southern Israel following direct hit. Israel’s Channel 12 described a ‘very difficult scene,’ reporting over 100 injured, while Israel’s official rescue service MDA said at least 59 people have been transferred to hospitals. MDA said the missile directly hit a residential building. The IDF said the missile carried roughly half a ton of explosives and that two interception attempts failed.”

… MB Ghalibaf: “If the Israeli regime fails to intercept the missiles in the highly protected Dimona area, it is operationally a sign of entering a new phase of the battle: Israel’s skies are defenseless. As a result, it seems the time has come to implement the next pre-designed plans.”

… Cato Institute: “After more than two weeks of consistent bombing, new US intelligence suggests Iran’s regime is now consolidating power, unlikely to collapse, and led by a cadre more extreme than before.”

… Combat vet and Dem congressional candidate Fred Wellman: “Exactly what the military, intelligence, and national security professionals predicted and Trump and Hegseth ignored.”

… But Trump says he’s winning bigly: “The US has blown Iran off of the map, and yet NYT lightweight analyst, David Sanger, says that I haven’t met my own goals. Yes I have, and weeks ahead of schedule! Their leadership is gone, their navy and air force are dead, they have absolutely no defense, and they want to make a deal. I don’t! We are weeks ahead of schedule.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy: “This is nonsensical. This is what happens when you put real estate developers and talk show hosts in charge of American national security.”

… New CBS/YouGov poll:

• 85% say gas prices are going up in their area.

• 67% say Americans should not be willing to pay more for gas during the Iran War.

• 60% disapprove of the Iran War.

• 57% say the Iran War is going badly.

… Mike Waltz on CBS: Q - “60% of Americans disapprove of the US taking military action against Iran. 57% think the conflict is going badly. How do you tell the American people they’re wrong? Waltz: Well, I could quote a whole slew of polls that show, for example, self-described MAGA Republicans give the president a 100% approval rating.”

… WSJ: “Iran has successfully strangled the Persian Gulf, the most critical maritime route for energy supplies in the world. It hasn’t yet prevented its foes from using a workaround that runs through the Red Sea. That could change if the Houthis get involved. The US and its partners in the Middle East are keeping a close eye on the Yemeni militant group which—armed and funded by Iran—crippled shipping through the Red Sea for much of two years.”

… “The Houthis have recently stepped up threatening rhetoric that has caught officials’ attention. While they haven’t started shooting yet, the militants are an important lever for Iran, if it decides to further squeeze the global economy or expand its targets to Saudi Arabia and nearby US assets, such as a base in Djibouti.”

… Yemen expert Adam Baron: “If the Houthis enter the conflict, it really raises the stakes. It pulls the Suez Canal and the Egyptians in, it brings Saudi further in.”

… The Economist: “The price difference between jet fuel and crude, or the ‘crack spread’, has grown. That is in part because 20% of the world’s jet fuel passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Prices have more than doubled since the fighting started, to an average of around $190 a barrel.”

… Scott Bessent told NBC that releasing Iranian oil to keep global prices from spiking even worse is all part of Trump’s master plan. Q - “The US lifted sanctions on Iranian oil, helping Iran get $14 billion in oil revenue. Why is the US helping fund a country that it is currently at war with? Bessent: We have always planned for this contingency. In essence, we are jujitsuing the Iranians.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy: “Trump is suspending sanctions on Iran and Russia, which will put over $15 billion in their treasuries to help them fund the wars against us. It’s stunning. We have never ever seen this level of war incompetence in American history.”

… NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte was asked on CBS about the US lifting sanctions on Russian oil: Q - “Doesn’t this benefit Putin? Rutte: I know the president and his team - Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio - they are constantly working to put maximum pressure on the Russians to come to a deal. Host: This isn’t maximum pressure.”

… Richard Haass, President Emeritus of Council on Foreign Relations: “The oil the US is allowing Iran to sell is too small to stabilize energy markets, but it is large enough to help Iran fight the war and raise its price for ending it. Truly misguided.”

… Zelensky: “Over the past week, Russia launched nearly 1,550 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 1,260 guided aerial bombs, and two missiles. Over that same week, due to the easing of sanctions, Russia increased its crude oil sales to finance its war. Revenues give Russia a sense of impunity and the ability to continue the war. That is why pressure must continue and sanctions must work.”

… “Russia’s shadow fleet must not feel safe in European waters or anywhere else. Tankers that serve the war budget can and must be stopped and blocked, not just let go. I thank every leader who makes such decisions. This is what brings a dignified peace closer.”

… Pete Hegseth posted a video of a Marine Sgt. Major telling Marines they should be happy to deploy overseas for combat. Hegseth tried to pass it off like the Marine was talking about the Iran War. But it was hit with a fact-check Community Note: “This is a video from 2021. Sgt Maj Bull who’s in the video is no longer in. He was actually relieved of duty when he was caught breaking into one of his own Marine’s home. He has since been retired and no longer is on Active Duty.”

… Gas market analyst Patrick De Haan: Half the nation’s 50 states have seen average gas prices jump by over $1 a gallon in the last month. Largest jumps:

Colorado +$1.31/gal
New Mexico +$1.31
Arizona +$1.27
Illinois +$1.25
California +$1.20
Utah +$1.19
Kentucky +$1.18
Indiana +$1.13
Wisconsin +$1.13
Idaho +$1.13

… Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on ABC: “I think we have to offer the president grace. We know the president cares about the economy, gas prices for the American people, he’s talked about that frequently and often. He also cares about peace. A lot of people don’t give him credit for that.”

… Reuters: United Airlines CEO Scott ‌Kirby said the airline will cancel ​about 5% of this year’s planned flights in the short ‌term, as ⁠jet fuel prices surge due to ⁠the Middle East conflict: “If prices stayed ​at this ​level, ​it would mean ‌an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel.”

… Pope Leo XIV: “I continue to follow the situation in the Middle East with dismay. Like other regions of the world, it is torn apart by war and violence. We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many defenseless victims of these conflicts. What wounds them wounds all of humanity. The death and pain caused by these wars is a scandal for the entire human family and a cry that rises to God!”

… Tom Homan on CNN: Q - “Are ICE agents going to move into American airports starting tomorrow? Homan: Yes. I’m currently working on the plan. We’ll execute tomorrow. Q - Are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports? Homan: ICE agents receive high-level training.”

… Q - “With respect, if you’re implementing a plan to have ICE at airports in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be? Homan: How much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?”

… Fox host Laura Ingraham: “Doesn’t this also mean there are fewer ICE agents available to help with deportations?”

… Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA): “Oh yeah, I’m sure the next thing the American people want after long lines at TSA is to get wrongfully detained, beat up, and harassed by ICE. No blank check for ICE. We need reform and accountability. In the meantime, how about you tell Republicans to just vote to pay TSA.”

… Hakeem Jeffries on CNN: “The last thing the American people need is for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances kill them. We’ve already seen how ICE conducts itself.”

… Elon Musk posted another one of his many ploys to buy votes with his fortune: “I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country.”

… Sen. John Fetterman responded to Musk: “This is incredibly generous. TSA agents across the country are relying on food pantries and community donations just to get by. I remain the lone Dem to vote with my Republican colleagues to fully fund DHS and get people paid.”

… Jonathan Allen, senior politics reporter for NBC, responded to Fetterman: “It may be generous, but it would almost certainly violate anti-bribery laws. There’s a reason that federal workers are banned from accepting salaries from sources other than the federal govt. It takes little imagination to see what could go wrong.”

… The Hill: “Sen. Ted Cruz is proposing to colleagues the idea of splitting off ICE and CBP from the rest of funding for DHS to end growing chaos at airports around the country. The proposal appeared to be gaining momentum within the Senate Republican conference on Sat as GOP lawmakers grow increasingly pessimistic about reaching a deal with Democrats to reform federal immigration enforcement operations.”

… Democrats have already attempted to put that same bill on the floor 7 times, but Republicans have blocked it from being voted on. Maybe this signals they are ready to cave as travelers at airports grow more and more irate.

… The New Republic: Since Fetterman’s election, his net approval with PA Democrats has dropped 108 points, from +68 in 2023 to -40 in 2026, as CNN’s Harry Enten reported. Enten: “He’s down there with the Titanic. There’s no historical analog to his unpopularity.”

… “Fetterman’s unpopularity is easily explained: Since taking office, he has drifted hard to the right, for reasons largely unknown. He is often the lone Democrat who votes alongside the GOP, for instance when he voted to continue funding DHS or to advance Markwayne Mullin’s nomination. He is also probably the most vocally pro-Israel Democrat in the Senate.”

… “It’s a stark change for a politician who formerly championed progressive causes. Enten noted that Fetterman’s popularity among his own party is worse than that of every single sitting senator who lost a primary this century.”

… NYT: “Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth are neighbors, living in a row of stately homes at Fort McNair, a military installation that sits on a peninsula where the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers meet. Their homes are usually reserved for high-ranking generals. Across the water, Kristi Noem lives in a grand home previously designated for a Coast Guard commandant. She is expected to leave her housing by the end of the month, when her tumultuous tenure overseeing DHS ends.”

… “All told, at least a half-dozen senior Trump admin officials are living in military housing. They include Pam Bondi and Stephen Miller. More could join them soon. The practice of moving public servants onto guarded military bases has no modern precedent. It raises some unsettling questions about the increase in violence against public figures, about the overall health of American democracy and, perhaps most obviously, about who is paying for this.”

… Steven Levitsky, a professor of govt at Harvard: “It is something you never see in a democracy. Govt officials live on military bases or other sort of fortified zones in authoritarian regimes.”

… WSJ: “Sen. Chris Murphy was dining with progressive activists at a restaurant in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood when the conversation about how to advance their legislative priorities turned to a thorny question: what to do about Chuck Schumer. To the surprise of some attendees, Murphy responded that some lawmakers had been doing informal counts to see whether enough votes existed to remove Schumer from his leadership position.”

… “Murphy explained that Schumer had enough backing to remain as leader. But the disclosure stood out nonetheless, because it revealed that frustration inside the Senate had reached a high enough level that some Democrats were actively contemplating how to oust Schumer.”

… “Murphy is among a group of senators and top advisers who have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Schumer’s leadership. That group includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has been initiating conversations with other senators to gauge frustrations with Schumer. Sen. Tina Smith has also been active in discussions about her frustrations with Schumer, and her advisers have spoken with other Senate staff about different scenarios to challenge Schumer’s leadership.”

… “In more than 4 dozen interviews with Democratic senators, candidates, current and former congressional aides, activists and advisers, many said the concern about Schumer’s leadership was widespread. Meetings between Democratic chiefs of staff on Senate business often veer into airing discontent with Schumer and how to pressure him to step aside as leader after Nov’s elections.”

… Schumer was asked about the discontent: “That goes with the territory - it’s true for anyone who’s a leader. My support in the caucus is deep and strong, because people feel I’ve done a very good job.”

… LA Times: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is a leading Republican candidate for governor, has seized more than 650,000 ballots from last Nov’s election and is investigating whether they were fraudulently counted: “This investigation is simple: Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes recorded.”

… CA AG Rob Bonta: “This is unprecedented in both scope and scale based on no facts or evidence. There is no indication, anywhere in the US, of widespread voter fraud. Counts, recounts, hand counts, audits, and court cases all support this.”

… “According to Bonta’s office, Bianco’s dept seized about 1,000 boxes of ballot materials in Riverside County related to the Nov election for Proposition 50, which temporarily redrew the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats in response to partisan redistricting in Republican states, including Texas.”

… Reuters: “Palantir’s Maven AI system will become an official program of record, Dep. Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg said in a letter to Pentagon leaders, a move that locks in long-term use of Palantir’s weapons-targeting ‌technology across the US military.”

… Politico: “Rob Sand got a hero’s welcome at a state deer hunting expo at the Iowa Events Center on a recent March weekend. The state’s lone Democratic statewide elected official, and Dems’ hope for flipping the governor’s mansion for the first time in 16 years, could barely make it through the sea of camo-wearing, venison jerky-chomping, Busch Light tallboy-nursing fellow hunters as more than a dozen people stopped and congratulated him.”

… “Sand was at the annual Iowa Deer Classic to enter a Green gross-scoring 209-inch buck he’d tagged earlier this season. Photos of the deer have proliferated on Trophy Bucks of Iowa and other Facebook hunting groups across the state. ‘Mr. 200!’ said Levi Schmitz, a Trump-voting Republican who nonetheless plans to back Sand. ‘You got me,’ the 43-year-old state auditor responded with a grin.”

… “Sand represents the kind of candidate Democrats have long sought to win on tough red terrain: an inarguably of-the-place contender whose persona and bio can help sell political views that have become a tough pitch in places where many hear ‘Democrat’ and picture coastal elites.”

… Hunter Tom Buckroyd, who was wearing a “Crossbows Are Gay” T-shirt, said to Sand at the event: “I’m super-Republican, but you got my vote.”

… Republicans said they intend to counter Sand’s biography by pointing out that he spent some time during college modeling in Milan and Paris. Sand: “I mean, it was a part-time job I had in college. Catching chickens was my first one.”

… Trump indicated he will not be making an endorsement in the Republican primary runoff showdown between Sen. John Cornyn and TX AG Ken Paxton. During a long post trashing Dem nominee James Talarico, he claimed that it doesn’t matter who the GOP nominee is: “I believe that any human being running against him - sick, incompetent, close to death or, even a child, would win.”

… Talarico has consistently polled ahead of both Republicans by slim margins. This is just Trump’s excuse to stay out of the race despite pressure of Senate Republican leadership to endorse Cornyn and opposite pressure from his MAGA supporters who mostly backing Paxton.

… SAVE Act sponsor Sen. Mike Lee on Fox: Q - “How many people do you estimate voted in 2020 and 2024 that were not legal? Lee: I don't know those numbers, but I believe that are tens of thousands, probably hundreds of thousands.”

… ‘America First’ provocateur Ivan Raiklin and his goon squad filmed themselves in a mall this weekend confronting Dan Bongino over Epstein, yelling at him that he was a “pedophile protector”, calling him “Deep State Dan” and other names. Bongino had security with him, but didn’t look happy.

The former MAGA hero is now a MAGA zero.