Good morning, this is the Commonwealth Report. News for the public, not the powerful.
WE DON’T DO KINGS IN AMERICA
Eight million Americans hit the streets Saturday. Over 3,300 protests in all 50 states. No Kings 3 was the largest single day of protest in American history. The first No Kings drew five million last June. Seven million in October. This one shattered both. Bruce Springsteen sang in St. Paul, the same city where federal agents shot and killed two American citizens in January. Bernie Sanders spoke. Joan Baez performed. The White House dismissed it as Trump Derangement Therapy. But here’s what comes next. Indivisible is launching community meetings in every congressional district, focused on ICE monitoring, election protection, and noncooperation. On May Day, a national general strike. No school, no work, no shopping. The ground is laid. Now the real work begins.
ARE WE ABOUT TO PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN IRAN?
Iran’s parliament speaker warned Sunday his forces are waiting for American soldiers to set them on fire. Tehran accuses Washington of talking peace while secretly planning a ground invasion. The USS Tripoli, carrying 3,500 Marines, arrived in the Middle East Friday. The Washington Post says the Pentagon is drawing up plans for ground operations near the Strait of Hormuz. Special Forces raids, possibly the seizure of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil hub. Meanwhile, the Houthis entered the war Saturday, firing missiles at Israel for the first time, threatening Red Sea shipping lanes. Pakistan is trying to broker peace talks. But every day without a deal, a wider war inches closer. And Congress still hasn’t authorized any of it.
WHO LET RUSSIA RESCUE CUBA?
A Russian oil tanker docked in Cuba Monday. The Anatoly Kolodkin, sanctioned by the US, EU, and UK, delivered 730,000 barrels of crude to the port of Matanzas. Trump said he had no problem with it. Just weeks ago, his own Treasury Department had explicitly banned Russian oil deliveries to Cuba. Cuba hadn’t gotten a single oil shipment since January. Nationwide blackouts. Hospitals barely functioning. Ten million people largely in the dark. The Kremlin confirmed it had cleared the delivery with Washington in advance. So let’s be clear. Trump imposed a brutal oil blockade, created a humanitarian catastrophe, and then let Russia come in as the hero. He says Cuba’s finished. But his own cruel policy just handed Vladimir Putin a major win.
IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY READY TO HEAR THE TRUTH?
Senator Cory Booker told Meet the Press Sunday what a lot of people have been thinking. Our party has failed this moment. Booker’s new book is called Stand. He’s calling for a generational renewal. New leaders, a broader coalition, fewer purity tests. He says a coalition of the already converted can’t win. Senate Democrats have failed three straight votes to even force debate on removing troops from Iran. The left-right divide, Booker says, is killing our country. And our adversaries are exploiting it. He didn’t rule out a 2028 presidential run. But his bigger point matters more right now. Eight million people marched Saturday. And the party that should be channeling that energy still can’t agree on a direction.
ARE YOU FEELING THE TRIPLE SQUEEZE?
Before the Iran war, US inflation was projected at three percent this year. Now the OECD says four point two percent. That’s on top of five straight years of elevated prices. Consumers are up 25 percent since 2020. Gas is nearing four dollars a gallon in many cities. The job market is weaker than the last inflation spike. Fewer hires, smaller paychecks. Tariffs are still feeding into prices. The oil shock hits everything. Groceries, shipping, airline tickets, electricity. Moody’s chief economist says consumers could get hammered. The Fed can’t cut rates because rising energy prices force it to fight inflation instead. University of Michigan surveys show inflation expectations jumped sharply in March. Working people are paying for this war every single day.
IS THE GOP GOING TO CUT YOUR HEALTH CARE TO PAY FOR BOMBS?
House Republicans are looking at health care cuts to fund Trump’s Iran war supplemental, a request for 200 billion dollars. Majority Leader Steve Scalise says they’ll target fraud and waste. Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington is reviving a plan to cut ACA subsidies, raising premiums for millions and leaving 300,000 more Americans uninsured, saving the government 30 billion dollars. Medicaid cuts are back on the table too. Senator Elizabeth Warren said it plainly. Republicans want to cut your health care to pay for more war. The first six days of this conflict cost 11 billion dollars. Last year’s GOP budget already stripped Medicaid from millions and slashed food assistance. Bombs or health care. They keep choosing bombs.
And that’s the way it is, Today Monday, March 30, 2026. I’m Thom Hartmann.
