DAY AHEAD - My daily editorial note - March 30, 2026
Some days – more than others – our government feels like it’s trying to produce a bunch of rage bait. They’re picking fights. But perhaps not the ones people wanted. From Iran, to airports, to public safety, to Epstein to gas prices – this day will raise questions about whether leaders are tackling the REAL priorities or the REALproblems. 1) I’ll start with Iran. Trump talked about the Strait of Hormuz last night, while most of the reporting over the weekend focused on the prospect of ground troop deployments. Yet the next order of official business is a 9:30am court hearing here in Washington in which the Trump Administration will continue its effort to force the Pentagon press corps out of the building.
The latest hearing in the challenge brought by the New York Times will offer new visibility into how hard the Administration is fighting on the homefront --- against journalists who want to inform us about the war and other pressing national security matters. After a court order struck down an onerous new press policy which dramatically restricted reporters at the Pentagon, Secretary Pete Hegseth and his team want to move reporters out of the main building and into an annex.
An attorney for the journalists says in one email to Parlatore, “That the Department has elected to go even further to try to thwart the effect of the Court’s ruling - by shutting down all unescorted access to the Pentagon during the pendency of your anticipated appeal - makes it quite clear that the Department is attempting to circumvent the Court’s Order.” Judge Paul Friedman, who uncorked a blistering takedown of the Pentagon’s initial revision to the press policy, will hear today’s argument in courtroom 29A here at the federal courthouse in DC. The Pentagon Press Association has filed an amicus brief in support of the New York Times. Take a look: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.287334/gov.uscourts.dcd.287334.39.0.pdf The organization argues “Without that presence, the public receives confused and incomplete information on the current war with Iran, ongoing strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, and other controversial and costly military operations.” It’s gonna fuel arguments that the Administration might be fighting the wrong fight over Iran. 2) Airport meltdowns continue – including a nasty weekend at Baltimore-Washington International, in which passengers were warned to arrive FOUR HOURS EARLY. Yet some still missed their flights. https://local21news.com/news/local/bwi-urges-travelers-to-arrive-4-hours-early-as-security-lines-stretch-out-the-door
Though TSA will be funded again, and presumably some of this mess will resolve itself, much of the Department of Homeland Security remains shuttered. People aren’t getting paid. Including people who work in protecting our country. Yet – Congress has gone home for a lengthy recess, without much apology or much of a plan. The president of the nation’s largest federal employees union, Edward Kelley of the AFGE, crystallized the outrage of many of his hundreds of thousands of members. Kelley said, “I have never been more disgusted by the failure of elected leadership in my life. Kelley also said, “Though TSA officers will be paid, FEMA workers, Coast Guard, CISA, and other DHS employees are waiting on their back pay. These are not abstractions. These are American fathers and mothers and sons and daughters who serve our country every single day. I’ve seen some pissed-off statements before. That’s a pretty damn powerful one. Democrat campaign teams are unveiling this airport-focused ad to target some potentially vulnerable Republicans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=905QaCbtPiM Here are the political targets:
3) Was this the weekend in which you said: “WOW, that gasoline cost a lot?” Or did that already happen days ago? When the gas costs so much, everything that is shipped and transported risks costing more? That raises the prospect of another surge in grocery costs, etc, etc.
4) The Epstein scandal is smoldering again this morning. A critical mass of survivors – and the public – are seeking more transparency about the Epstein files – yet the Administration isn’t budging. As I reported last week, Congressional investigators are trying to chase down a lead: Are some of the hard drives from Epstein’s Florida home missing from 20 years ago. The Oversight Committee Democrats have asked for interviews with some private investigators who might have information. Per Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the lead came from a recent deposition with a former Epstein lawyer.
Meanwhile, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) is seeking an interview with Sarah Ferguson. Subramanyam has given Ferguson an April 9deadline to respond. His letter to her is here: https://subramanyam.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/subramanyam.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/3.26.26-sarah-ferguson-subramanyam_.pdf
He writes to Ferguson, referencing the ties between Epstein and her ex, the former Prince Andrew. The letter said, “Additionally, while you officially divorced former Prince Andrew in 1996, the Committee is interested in learning more about any knowledge of Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s involvement in Mr. Epstein’s operations. It is clear that you possessed social and business ties to Mr. Epstein and have knowledge of information that can assist our investigation.”
I have an enterprise report later today on the new wave of proposals to slow or overhaul I.C.E. Critics of the agency think the time is ripe to make a move.
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