Via Steve Hanke 

Polls

Intereactive Polls

CNN/SSRS - Trump Approval (crosstabs) Pres. Trump Approve: 35% (-29) Disapprove: 64% —— • GOP: 80-20 (+60) • Dem: 2-98 (-96) • Indie: 26-73 (-47) — • Men: 38-62 (-24) • Women: 34-65 (-31) — • White College: 36-64 (-28) • White no college: 49-51 (-2) — • Age 18-34: 20-80 (-60) • Age 35-49: 36-63 (-27) • Age 50-64: 47-53 (-6) • Age 65+: 41-58 (-17) — • College: 31-68 (-37) • No college: 37-62 (-25) — • White: 44-56 (-12) • Ppl of color: 22-77 (-55) — • Income under 50K: 29-70 (-41) • Income 50K+: 39-61 (-22) — • Liberal: 4-95 (-91) • Moderate: 28-71 (-43) • Conservative: 65-34 (+31)

Trump approval (ages 18-34 only) Approve: 20% Disapprove: 80% —— Trend (net) Feb. 2025: (-16) Jan. 2026: (-39) Mar. 2026: (-60) CNN/SSRS | 3/26-30

Iran

NPR - President Trump says that the U.S. will withdraw from Iran in two to three weeks. He also says he has had one goal in mind during this conflict: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump also appeared to reverse previous comments about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying that countries dependent on the oil passing through the Strait will have to secure it themselves. Trump is set to address the U.S. tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

BBC, UK -  Iran's foreign ministry says President Donald Trump's claim that the country has asked for a ceasefire is "false and baseless".  Iranian state TV is reporting the remarks as having been said by foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei. It comes after Trump said earlier in a Truth Social post that Iran's "New Regime President", who he did not name, had asked for a ceasefire - and that he would consider it "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear".

Trump's shifting his stance on the Strait, which was once the basis for his most serious threats against Iran, marks a significant reversal, NPR’s Mara Liasson tells Up First. The president appears to be seeking a way out of the conflict, she adds. Trump says he has achieved some of his objectives, even as some have contradicted each other and changed rapidly over these few weeks. Liasson says the president has reached his pain threshold. He now says the U.S. can exit without even needing to negotiate.

Congressional Insider -   After weeks of tough talk about forcing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump is now signaling he may end the campaign even if the chokepoint stays largely shut—leaving Americans to wonder why U.S. power is being spent on a mission allies still won’t clearly share.

President Trump has reportedly told aides he’s willing to pause or end the current U.S. campaign even if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened “quite yet,” despite earlier public ultimatums.

The Strait—through which roughly a fifth of global oil trade normally moves—remains disrupted, keeping pressure on energy prices and shipping.

Allied governments issued supportive statements and “preparatory planning,” but public commitments of ships and enforcement have been limited.

The White House has emphasized that reopening the strait is not the sole or “core” objective, pointing instead to broader goals of degrading Iranian military capabilities.

Health

Hone -   While media and culture frame “midlife” as a time of crisis and decline, a new survey from Hone Health found nearly three-quarters (73%) feel positive about this stage of life, and 71% believe their best years are either happening now or still ahead of them.

Yet 84% say negative aging language — phrases like “over the hill, or “past your prime” — shape their expectations for this stage of life, even among those reporting the highest levels of optimism and health.

Taken together, the findings show that while people are optimistic about midlife, aging language and stereotypes can lead them to often accept labels that contradict their own experiences.

Trump's fight with NATO

Bloomberg -   A previous Trump threat—to let Russia attack other NATO members— didn’t do it. Publicly mulling annexing a NATO ally’s territory didn’t do it. But Trump’s decision to start the now-month long war with Iran may be what finally fractures the 77-year-old defensive alliance.

NATO members are dropping previous efforts at mollifying Trump and instead increasing resistance to his demands they get involved in the war. Spain closed its airspace to US jets and Italy denied US military aircraft bound for the Middle East permission to land at a base in Sicily. Poland said it has no plans to relocate its Patriot batteries following a report the US suggested Warsaw consider sending one to help in the Middle East.

“We’re seeing evidence of confusion and tension between public opinion and political opinion in many NATO countries,” said Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund. “As a default, there is a tendency to be helpful in Europe regarding military-to-military cooperation with the US, but the current war is putting these longstanding defense relationships under strain.”

Judge rules Trump unlawfully terminated legal status of migrants who used US entry app

BBC UK  -   The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) overstepped its authority when it terminated the legal status of thousands of migrants who entered the US using a Biden-era programme, a federal judge has ruled. Roughly 900,000 migrants who entered at the southern border using the app, CBP One, were generally allowed to remain in the US for two years and given "parole" from immigration laws to work in the country legally.

President Donald Trump's administration last year ended the parole programme and began to use the app for "self-deportations".

Tuesday's ruling restores status to individuals nationwide who received an email, or similar notification, from DHS cancelling their parole.

The Trump administration may seek to appeal the ruling, as they have frequently done in cases challenging their immigration policies. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

From 2023, under former President Joe Biden, the DHS began requiring many asylum seekers to use the app in an effort to better manage the southern border.

Last April, individuals who had entered the US at the southern border through the CBP One app received emails informing them: "It is time for you to leave the United States".  The email also stated that if they did not leave, they could be deported unless they "have otherwise obtained a lawful basis to remain here".

Donald Trump

People -   President Donald Trump suggested White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt may be the reason behind “bad publicity” he receives. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office while signing an executive order on Tuesday, March 31, Trump, 79, launched another attack on the press, before turning his attention to Leavitt, 28, who is expected to go on maternity leave next month as she welcomes her second child.

Referencing the 2024 presidential election, he said, “I got 93% bad publicity, some people say 97, but between 93 and 97. A person that gets 97% of bad … maybe Karoline's doing a poor job, I don't know.”

Trump then turned to address Leavitt directly, telling her, "You're doing a terrible job." 

People understands the comments were made as a joke, as noted by a White House representative. The president went on to ask reporters, “Shall we keep her? I think we'll keep her,” before continuing to acknowledge the “bad press” he receives.

NBC News -   President Donald Trump says he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO, the military alliance that has been a cornerstone of the international order since the end of World War II, after other members failed to join his war on Iran, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper.

Axios .    Asked if he'd reconsider U.S. membership after the war, he replied: "Oh yes, I would say [it's] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way."

Books: Roots of our authoriarian age

The Ink -  Chain of Ideas: The Origins of our Authoritarian Age is the How to Be An Antiracist author Ibram X. Kendi’s groundbreaking new book — and it’s already a New York Times bestseller. As Trump and other would-be autocrats around the world move to turn back the clock on progress so many have worked long and hard to achieve, Chain of Ideas traces the spread of our current xenophobia to the promulgation of “great replacement theory,” popularized by French novelist and immigration conspiracist Renaud Camus in his 2011 book The Great Replacement.

For those unfamiliar with the idea, great replacement theory proponents hold that “powerful elites are enabling disadvantaged groups to steal the lives, livelihoods, cultures, and electoral power and freedoms of privileged groups, who now need authoritarian protection.” Under this view, “One’s life, one’s job, one’s status, one’s way of living, one’s freedoms, one’s nation — all can be perceived as lost, slipping away, in need of authoritarian protection and restoration.” Democracy becomes collateral damage in this worldview, as white privilege is prioritized over all else.

Obviously, this rings a lot of bells. Trump’s entire playbook vis-à-vis his opposition to immigration, diversity, abortion, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights; his suppression of the history of slavery; and countless other policies can be understood as growing out of the embrace of great replacement theory.

It's going to be a bad tick season 

Meanwhile. . .

Tiger Woods said he is stepping away from golf to seek treatment after his DUI arrest in Florida. 

Federal court strikes down Trump attacks on the Endangered Species Act

Wild Earth Guardians -   A federal court struck down President Trump’s attacks against the Endangered Species Act (ESA), restoring key values of the bedrock environmental law to the status it held for decades before the first Trump administration attacked the bedrock environmental law. After a seven-year legal saga, the Northern District of California Court found that a series of regulations from 2019 and 2024 were in clear violation of the statute, and ordered those regulations immediately vacated. The ruling will derail ongoing efforts by the current Trump administration to further weaken the ESA.

Cooperatives

National Cooperative Busienss Assn -   Founded in 1970 by a small group of Milwaukee residents, Outpost began as a buying club rooted in a simple but powerful belief: access to healthy, natural food should be a community-driven initiative. Today, that grassroots effort has grown into a thriving multi-location cooperative serving nearly 24,000 member-owners across the Milwaukee area. 

Outpost is a driving force of the local economy. With $52 million in annual sales, the co-op supports Wisconsin farmers and producers, creates living-wage jobs—employing nearly 360 people—and helps keep dollars circulating locally. In 2025, 25 percent of total sales came from Wisconsin products. 

The co-op is also investing in infrastructure improvements, including modernization of refrigeration systems and enhancements to the in-store experience in neighborhoods where fresh, quality food is critical. Another major initiative is the development of a new 9,000-square-foot Central Kitchen.

 

Birthright citizenship

The Mirror, UK - President Donald Trump failed to sit through a lengthy Supreme Court hearing discussing his unprecedented challenge to birthright citizenship on Wednesday, staying for around an hour and a half before dipping.  The president stayed for the arguments made by U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer in favor of his plan to limit birthright citizenship, but then left as soon as Cecillia Wang, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), began arguing against it, according to CNN.

NY Times -   As the justices prepared to hear this landmark case today, reporters for The Times took a close look at their family histories. In each, the reporters found newcomers to America — colonists, enslaved people and immigrants alike — who paved the way for a descendant to ascend to the highest court in the land.  “These nine men and women will now sit in judgment of citizenship for their fellow countrymen,” they wrote.

It’s a remarkable bit of journalism, built out of immigration and census records, ship manifests, biographies, memoirs and speeches related to the justices’ families, well worth reading as we wait for the arguments to commence. You can find it here.

Time -  For more than 150 years, the 14th Amendment has guaranteed that nearly anyone born on American soil is a citizen of the United States. That principle, a cornerstone of U.S. law and family life, is once again facing an unprecedented challenge.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will consider whether an executive order by President Donald Trump can strip citizenship from children born to parents who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents—a legal question that could reshape the lives of hundreds of thousands of families and raise questions about the status of children already born.

The case, which focuses on the interpretation of a single clause in the 14th Amendment, has drawn intense attention from legal scholars and political leaders. If the court allows Trump’s order to take effect, it would mark the first time in modern American history that citizenship at birth depends on a parent’s legal status. Immigration experts say the change would reach far beyond undocumented immigrants, affecting those who are living and working in the United States legally and forcing all parents to navigate a system that does not yet exist to determine whether their newborns are citizens.

For many families, that uncertainty is already taking hold. “There’s a lot of fear,” says Conchita Cruz, an attorney and co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, which represents hundreds of thousands of people seeking protection or legal status in the U.S. She said her organization has heard from expecting parents who are anxious not only about their children’s legal status, but about the possibility of detention, separation, or statelessness. The stress, she said, has cast “a cloud over what should be a joyful time.”

Trump issues unconstitutional executive order

MS NOW -   President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that attempts to give the federal government sweeping authority over the country’s elections systems.

But the order is likely to run up against multiple legal challenges given that the U.S. constitution expressly gives the power to run elections to the states, with some authority delegated to Congress.

Trump’s order requires the Department of Homeland Security — which is carrying out the president’s mass deportation push — to create a list of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote. DHS would be expected to rely on information provided by the Social Security Administration, according to the Daily Caller, which first reported the Trump administration’s plans.

The U.S. Postal Service would then use that database to send absentee ballots to voters identified as eligible for mail-in voting, according to a White House fact sheet. The ballots would be mailed in envelopes with special codes only to voters enrolled in state-specific absentee ballot programs.

Furthermore, the order directs the attorney general to “prioritize the investigation and prosecution” of election entities or individuals that distribute mail-in ballots to voters deemed ineligible. It also directs the federal government to withhold funding from states and localities that refuse to comply with the order.

Foreshadowing the clash ahead, shortly after Trump signed the “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections” order, election officials in Oregon and Arizona pledged to legally challenge the directive, The Associated Press reported.

Election experts immediately pointed out that the president has little authority to implement the executive order.

“Some may freak out about this, but honestly, this is hilarious. It’s clearly unconstitutional, will be blocked immediately, and the only thing it will accomplish is to make liberal lawyers wealthier. He might as well sign an EO banning gravity,” said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research.

The Green Dragon Tavern

Petition for Trump impeachment doubles signers

Newsweek - A petition calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump has grown from just over 100,000 supporters to nearly 200,000.

The petition, created on December 17, 2025, by non-partisan grassroots group Blackout the System, argues that “greed, corruption, and a lack of accountability” have “run rampant” and claims the Constitution has been “repeatedly” violated since Trump’s return to office. 

Public calls for impeachment have intensified alongside renewed debate over Trump’s conduct in office, even as Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress and impeachment remains a political process requiring House action and Senate trial.

The petition’s growth does not compel a federal response because the “We the People” White House petition tool, which previously had a 100,000-signature response threshold, was discontinued after former President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. 

Study: Some of the most popular graduate degrees don’t pay off financially

Washington Post -   Going to graduate school can boost your career and salary — but some of the most popular advanced degrees are not worth the cost. That’s one of the main findings of a report released Tuesday by the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center at American University.

The report, based on research from the Yale Tobin Center for Economic Policy, found that graduate degrees in medicine, law and pharmacy generally have the highest return on investment. By contrast, degrees in popular fields such as social work, psychology, and curriculum and instruction may actually have a zero to negative return after factoring in the full cost.

“The message is that we need to provide better information to students” about which programs are worth the time and expense, said Joseph Altonji, a Yale University economist and one of the report’s authors.

Meanwhile. . .

Federal Judge Approves Trump Effort to Obtain List of Jews From Penn

As the Supreme Court is poised to rule on Trump’s request to end birthright citizenship - it might be a good time to mention the fact that Ivana was not a US citizen when Don Jr, Ivanka & Eric were born, and Melania was not a US citizen when Barron was born. -  anyone_want_chips

Trump said the White House ballroom building plans include a “massive” underground military complex.

The average national cost of gas surpassed $4 per gallon Tuesday as international oil prices continue to soar, according to AAA. It's the first time the average gas price has reached this threshold since 2022.

Federal judge blocks Trump end of funding for NPR and PBS

Alternet -   President Donald Trump lost a major legal battle on Tuesday when a federal judge agreed to permanently block his efforts to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

"It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch," wrote U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama. Citing Trump’s past comments about how he would “love to” defund NPR and PBS because they criticize him and his policies, Moss argued that Trump clearly violated the First Amendment’s protections for citizens against government punishment for their speech.

"The Federal Defendants fail to cite a single case in which a court has ever upheld a statute or executive action that bars a particular person or entity from participating in any federally funded activity based on that person or entity's past speech," Moss explained, adding that Trump’s “message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their 'left wing' coverage of the news.”

Federal judge stalls Trump's White House extension

Axios - A federal judge ordered the Trump administration this afternoon to suspend its construction of the $400 million White House ballroom.

• U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted the National Trust for Historic Preservation's request to pause the project unless it's approved by Congress.

Recognizing the administration is likely to appeal, Leon suspended enforcement of his order for 14 days. Trump criticized the plaintiff in a Truth Social post after the ruling: "Doesn't make much sense, does it?" Get the latest.

More good news about No Kings protest

Robert B, Hubbell - There were more protests in red states than in prior No Kings protests. (Time, “[N]early half of the demonstrations will take place in a red or battleground state.”)

There were larger protests in red states than in prior No Kings protests.

Protesters were younger and more diverse than in previous No Kings protests.

NKD3 protests in the same locations as NKD1 and NKD2 were substantially larger.

Tiger Woods

NBC News -   Tiger Woods told a Florida sheriff’s deputy that he was distracted by his phone before he clipped the back of a trailer in a rollover crash last week, according to an incident report that said the golfer showed "signs of impairment" and had opioid pain pills in his pocket.

Woods, 50, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after authorities said he struck the back of a trailer while a truck was turning into a driveway in Jupiter Island.

Polls

InteractivePolls

2028 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES Harris: 41% (+2) Newsom: 26% (+2) Shapiro: 10% (=) AOC: 8% (-6) Pritzker: 7% Other: 6% —— Vance: 42% (-1) Trump Jr: 20% (-7) Rubio: 17% (+3) DeSantis: 10% (+2) Other: 5% Harvard/Harri

s | 3/25-26 | RV

Housing

Newsweek  -   Over half of all homes currently for sale in the U.S. have been lingering on the market for more than two months, for a total of $347 billion worth of stale listings, according to the latest Redfin data.  That is the highest dollar amount on record for this time of the year, when the market traditionally is at its busiest. But as the Iran war rages on, fueling concerns over its impact on the global and U.S. economy, this year’s spring home-buying season is "delayed," experts say.

Vance has book ablout his switch to Catholicism coming out in June

Independent, UK -   Vice President JD Vance has a new book coming out in June that he’s been working on since 2019.  Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith comes out June 16, the HarperCollins Publishers imprint Harper told The Associated Press Tuesday.

HarperCollins also released Hillbilly Elegy, the million-selling memoir from 2016 that helped make Vance a national figure.

“The story of how I regained my faith, of course, only happened because I had lost it to begin with,” Vance, 41, said in a statement.

“The interesting question that hangs over this book, and over my mind, is why I ever strayed from the path. Why the Christian faith of my youth failed to properly take root,” he wrote.

The announcement Tuesday is likely to ramp up speculation that Vance will seek the presidency in 2028 — a possibility the Republican vice president has said he’s not focused on right now, indicating he’d wait until after the 2026 midterm elections to decide on a campaign.

JD Vance found massive success with his first book, Hillbilly Elegy. Presidential hopefuls often, though not always, release books before launching a campaign, giving them a moment in the spotlight before new audiences and a chance to crystallize their message embarking on a campaign.

LGBT rights

NBC News -   In a blow to LGBTQ rights, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy aimed at youths struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity violates the free speech rights of a conservative Christian therapist. The 8-1 decision in favor of Kaley Chiles, who argued the state's ban violated her First Amendment rights, is likely to have national implications because more than 20 states have similar laws.

Independent, UK -   LGBT+ youth subjected to conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers, according to the group. Major medical and mental health organizations have condemned the practice.

The Supreme Court’s 8-1 ruling, written by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch and published on Transgender Day of Visibility, is a “reckless decision” that “means more American kids will suffer,” according to Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

The court has “weaponized free-speech in order to prioritize anti-LGBTQ+ bias over the safety, health and wellbeing of children,” she wrote. “So-called ‘conversion therapy’ is pseudoscience, not real therapy.”

Donald Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation renaming Palm Beach International Airport to “Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The name change will take effect on July 1 if approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Health

Axios - Fewer than half of outpatient facilities for substance use disorder accept Medicare, according to a new HHS report.

Behavioral health issues, including substance use, are rising among older adults: More than a third of Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older had a diagnosis of or used services related to a condition.

• But low reimbursement rates and difficulty finding mental health workers factor into clinics' ability to care for older adults who need behavioral health care, the report found.

Just 44% of substance use treatment facilities accept Medicare coverage, which is the primary insurance payer for older adults in the U.S., according to the analysis of 2023 data.

• 67% of mental health facilities and 66% of mixed facilities take Medicare.

Only one-third of substance use and mental health programs tailor care to older adults' specific needs, per the report.

• That's despite federal health officials' recommendations that seniors get behavioral health care through such programs.