1). “IRAN DESTROYS 13 US BASES, REINFORCES KHARG ISLAND FOR GROUND INVASION | Mark Sleboda”, Mar 26, 2026, Rachel Blevins interviews Mark Sleboda, Rachel Blevins, duration of video 33:25, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2). “Breaking: US Plans Weekend Iran Invasion. Devastating Consequences | Amb. Chas Freeman”, Mar 27, 2026, Pascal Lottaz, Neutrality Studies, duration of video 54:18, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
3). “Alastair Crooke: IRAN Will NOT Compromise”, Mar 27, 2026, Daniel Davis interviews Alastair Crooke, Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, duration of video 1:15:25, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4). “Chas Freeman: If Troops Enter Iran… Israel’s Entire Strategy FALLS APART”, Mar 27, 2026, Nima Alkhorshid interviews Chas Freeman, Dialogue Works, duration of video 1:00:39, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
5). “Iran War Could Trap the US Again – Vijay Prasad Warns”, Mar 28, 2026, Jyotishman interviews Vijay Prasad, India and Global Left, duration of video 44:26, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
6). “ 'Iran and Gaza Are ONLY THE BEGINNING' (Chris Hedges at Princeton)”, Mar 27, 2026, Chris Hedges speaks at Princeton, The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel, duration of video 34:35 at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
7). “ ‘No Kings’ protesters pack city streets across the nation as crowds lash out against Trump”, Mar 28, 2026, Meg James, Jack Flemming, Connor Sheets & Nicole Macias Garibay, Los Angeles Times, at < https://www.latimes.com/
~~ recommended by desmond ~~
Introduction by desmond: Concurrently to a record wave of protests that took place around the U.S., in all areas of the country, we now are subjected to a story that Trump is “bored with the Iran war” and wants to move on. That will not take place unless the U.S. knuckles under to Iranian demands and closes all of its military bases located in the Persian Gulf area and others nearby. Adding to the understanding that U.S. personnel from 13 bases in the Persian Gulf area are living in and working in hotels and motels; is the report in Item 1)., “IRAN DESTROYS 13 US BASES, ….”, that those 13 bases are destroyed and now uninhabitable. Former NATO Chief retired general Wesley Clark noted on MS-NOW on Friday that the various high-tech high-dollar radar bases that were also destroyed must not have been well protected, and that the U.S. military had underestimated the Iranians.
Item 2)., “Breaking: US Plans Weekend Iran ….”; and Item 3)., “Alastair Crooke: IRAN Will NOT Compromise”, both include assessments and analyses of the level of determination shown by the Iranians. The Iranian military and economic leadership has been structured with up to 8 levels of replacement leaders in case of assassination by Israeli or U.S. operatives or bombing raids. As far as I know the prediction by Chas Freeman in Item 2)., (that U.S. / Israeli forces will renew their assault on Iran) has not come to pass; but all indications are that the full deployment including ship borne invasion forces from bases in Japan (already on site) and from California (en route due to arrive in the area in 5 or 6 days) is pretty imminent. There are some strains in the U.S. / Israeli relationship. The most right-wing elements of the Israeli military have already concluded that the U.S. has already “shot its bolt”, and that it is not capable of providing the weaponry needed to continue a hard-line fight with Iran.
Item 4)., “Chas Freeman: If ….”; and Item 5)., “Iran War Could Trap ….”, both look at possible further developments, will the U.S. go all out for Israel's agenda and commit ground troops to some scheme to control the Strait of Hormuz, or is the U.S. Military High Command going to give Trump and his handlers and advisors, a serious line in the sand that many of them will not cross, i.e. using U.S. ground troops in some long-term open-ended invasion of Iran. Chris Hedges looks at the larger picture of U.S. commitment to Israel in Item 6)., “ 'Iran and Gaza ….”. He notes that the Likudnik leadership of Israel is implacably determined to make the most of U.S. military forces and supplies and that they intend to expand Israel's borders to include control of Gaza, the West Bank, and Southern Lebanon at a minimum. These would be ethnically cleansed areas where all Palestinians are removed and pure Jewish Settlements replace current Palestinian residents (built largely with money from the U.S., private Zionist funds and U.S. Governmental funding).
In a fairly comprehensive early report in Item 7). “ ‘No Kings’ protesters pack ….” The March 28th 2026, No Kings Day rallies and demonstrations appear to have been somewhat larger than the October 18th protests, with at least 1 million more participants, and likely more than that, than had been present at the previous largest U.S. protest day. That was The No Kings protests on October 18, 2025, crowd estimates for that event are that 7 million people protested across the country at around 3,000 sites. The first No Kings protest was intentionally scheduled for the same day as Trump's Military Parade on June 14th 2025. Trump must have seethed on that June day, as the Presidential Limousine drove past nearly empty stands, while the first No Kings Day drew some 5 million participants across the nation. At that point the women's protest march during Trump's inauguration was the largest scale protest in U.S. history, somewhat larger than the crowd sizes of the first No Kings Day.
The whole question of estimating crowd sizes is fraught with political influence and attempts to protect the ruling class by minimizing crowd size estimates for events that challenge the political power of the ruling class. The size of the crowd at the Oct 16, 1995 Nation of Islam's “Million Man March” ended up being one of the most contentious crowd size estimates in U.S. history. Up to that time the National Park Service (NPS) issued crowd size estimates for demonstrations that took place on Federal Land (that included almost all demonstrations in Washington D.C.). The leader of The Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, threatened to sue the NPS for issuing a crowd size estimate of 400,000 that he considered to be a low-ball figure. Later work by the “Boston University Center for Remote Sensing”: cited their analysis of aerial photos indicated approximately 870,000 people, with a potential range between 655,000 and 1.1 million. After the controversy around the “Million Man March”, the NPS quit providing crowd size estimates. Of course another faux controversy was ignited when aerial photos of the first Trump Inaugural Speech revealed the much smaller crowd size on January 20, 2017, when compared to Obama's first inaugural speech crowd on January 20th 2009, (sans any public NPS crowd size estimate of course). The Trump Regime's spokespeople claimed that the photography was doctored to make the crowd at the Trump Inauguration look smaller and to make the crowd at the Obama Inauguration look larger. An early example of Trump claiming that he was the victim of “Fake News”.
1). “IRAN DESTROYS 13 US BASES, REINFORCES KHARG ISLAND FOR GROUND INVASION | Mark Sleboda”, Mar 26, 2026, Rachel Blevins interviews Mark Sleboda, Rachel Blevins, duration of video 33:25, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2). “Breaking: US Plans Weekend Iran Invasion. Devastating Consequences | Amb. Chas Freeman”, Mar 27, 2026, Pascal Lottaz, Neutrality Studies, duration of video 54:18, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
3). “Alastair Crooke: IRAN Will NOT Compromise”, Mar 27, 2026, Daniel Davis interviews Alastair Crooke, Daniel Davis / Deep Dive, duration of video 1:15:25, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4). “Chas Freeman: If Troops Enter Iran… Israel’s Entire Strategy FALLS APART”, Mar 27, 2026, Nima Alkhorshid interviews Chas Freeman, Dialogue Works, duration of video 1:00:39, at < https://www.youtube.com
/watch?
5). “Iran War Could Trap the US Again – Vijay Prasad Warns”, Mar 28, 2026, Jyotishman interviews Vijay Prasad, India and Global Left, duration of video 44:26, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
6). “ 'Iran and Gaza Are ONLY THE BEGINNING' (Chris Hedges at Princeton)”, Mar 27, 2026, Chris Hedges speaks at Princeton, The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel, duration of video 34:35 at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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7). “ ‘No Kings’ protesters pack city streets across the nation as crowds lash out against Trump”, Mar 28, 2026, Meg James, Jack Flemming, Connor Sheets & Nicole Macias Garibay, Los Angeles Times, at < https://www.latimes.com/
'No Kings' rallies draw millions protesting Trump globally
A rolling wave of “No Kings” protests swelled through America’s small towns and big cities Saturday, with crowds gathering to blast President Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns, the war in Iran and high gas and food prices.
Saturday’s demonstrations were expected to draw millions of people nationwide, including thousands for a downtown Los Angeles rally. More than 40 protests were planned for L.A., Orange and Ventura counties, part of the national “No Kings Day of Nonviolent Action.”
No Kings Coalition organizers were hoping that turnout for the rallies in all 50 states could combine to form the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. They pointed to growing anger over the country’s direction, including fatal ICE shootings and troops dispatched to the Middle East, since the first “No Kings” demonstration was held last June.
Late Saturday, organizers estimated that at least 8 million people participated in 3,300 events held around the U.S. and overseas — an increase of 1 million demonstrators compared to the last “No Kings” event in October.
In a clash following the downtown Los Angeles march, approximately 250 protesters approached the fence of Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal prison, where LAPD had formally declared a tactical alert. Federal officers responded with tear-gas canisters launched into the crowd. Press were forcibly evacuated from the scene and multiple arrests were made.
LAPD officers arrest a protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty at downtown’s Federal Building on Saturday.
(Connor Sheets / Los Angeles Times)
“I’m very disturbed by the degradation of human beings and the destruction of our democracy under this Trump tyranny,” said Rossana Foote, a 62-year-old Los Angeles Unified School District teacher, who traveled to the downtown protest from her Ventura County home.
“We need to come together to show a strong voice, a strong movement that there are no kings, no one’s above the law,” Foote said.
Earlier in the day, hundreds gathered around the reflecting pool at Pasadena City College. A band rolled through with a fascism-themed parody of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Sign-toting protesters lined Colorado Boulevard, drawing a constant stream of honking from the cars driving by. For many, the Iran war was top of mind.
“Every time we protest, there’s something completely new, which speaks to the chaos of the Trump administration,” Cindy Campbell told The Times. “ICE raids last year, Epstein files a few months ago. Now, war.”
Hundreds gather at the “No Kings” protest at Gloria Molina Grand Park in Los Angeles.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Organizers sought to build political momentum in advance of November’s elections, when voters could tip control of the U.S. House and potentially the Senate to Democrats. Local political issues were also on display Saturday. Volunteers wound through the Pasadena crowd, collecting signatures for a variety of ballot initiatives, including a controversial proposed tax on the ultra-rich.
“This administration doesn’t serve us. It serves billionaires,” said Kent Miller of Monrovia, who participated in the Pasadena protest. “War with Iran is only making life harder for working people.”
Miller pointed to a Chevron gas station advertising gas for $6.45 per gallon.
“See?” he said.
Los Angeles coordinators said they expected more than 100,000 people at the dozens of local events, which also were being planned for Beverly Hills, Burbank, Venice Beach, Newport Beach, West Covina, West Hollywood and Thousand Oaks. One group planned a “Road Outrage” car caravan to motor through Mid City with flapping flags calling for “No War” and “ICE Out of LA.”
At a large gathering in Torrance, cars honked and a person in an inflatable green cow costume hoisted a large American flag. Protesters in Huntington Beach lifted cutout images of Trump and Stephen Miller, a key policy advisor. Nearby, another sign read: “IKEA has better Cabinets.”
Protesters hold signs and cutouts of President Trump and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller during the “No Kings” demonstration along Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
In Monterey Park, dozens gathered at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Rigging Street about noon, sharing a diversity of causes. Young Wang, a local organizer, spoke against a proposed 250,000-square-foot data center in Monterey Park.
The sentiment is shared by others in California and Arizona who are wary of the massive electricity-intensive installations under construction to generate computing power needed to run artificial intelligence.
“I want to make sure that I stand up because my role as an American-born Chinese is to make sure the community, which is majority immigrants, has a voice to say what’s going on in our town,” Wang said.
Monterey Park resident Carol Ono, 77, said she and her 78-year-old husband, Thomas Ono, showed up “because there really needs to be a fundamental change in our country.”
Ono said they were troubled by the treatment of vulnerable populations by Trump and his administration.
“We have the Japanese American experience of people being put into camps, even though they were citizens,” she said, voicing concern about conditions at federal immigration detention facilities. “It’s really important for history not to repeat that same mistake.”
Protesters, including Carol Ono, left, and husband Thomas Ono, right, at the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Rigging Street during the “No Kings” protest in Monterey Park.
(Nicole Macias Garibay / Los Angeles Times)
The White House, in a Saturday statement, dismissed the protests as a “Trump Derangement Therapy Session.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee also scoffed at the events.
“These Hate America Rallies are where the far left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone,” Maureen O’Toole, spokesperson for the Republican group, told the Associated Press.
In Hannibal, Mo., protesters reported that some motorists flipped them off. In Huntington Beach, one driver waiting at the stoplight at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street yelled: “There is no king, you [expletive] idiots!”
“This is a president that is ignoring the Constitution,” responded Gary Holtz, who helped organize the Huntington Beach rally.
“He’s ignoring the courts. He’s doing whatever he wants, and that’s indicative of a dictator or a king,” Holtz said. “We, the people, have to stand up, or we, the people, won’t have a democracy.”
National coordinators, however, said they have been encouraged by a surge of interest from groups in rural communities that wanted to join the loose-knit No Kings Coalition and hold protests. Events sprouted in Republican bastions, and some organizers reported that attendance was higher than expected.
“I’m out here because I’m disgusted with what I’m seeing,” said Kersty Kinsey, a mother who was protesting near the Beaufort, S.C., City Hall. “People are suffering, and he’s playing golf. People are suffering, and he’s going other places and blowing things up.”
In Beaufort, founded in 1711, an estimated 3,000 people turned out — a marked increase over earlier “No Kings” rallies, said Barb Nash, one of the local coordinators. Amid the moss-draped live oaks and blooming pink and white azaleas, a person in a purple Barney dinosaur costume held a sign reading: “Dino’s for Democracy.” A young girl handed out homemade “Resistance Cookies.”
It was Kinsey’s first time at a “No Kings” rally, but she felt it was important to express her discontent.
“There’s nothing good coming out of that administration, not from the president on down,” Kinsey said. “Our local senators are a disgrace here in South Carolina. ... I’m tired of waking up and having a feeling of dread to turn on the TV to see what happened overnight.”
Jaynie Parrish, founder of Arizona Native Vote, started planning a protest for her tiny town of Kayenta, on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, only earlier this week.
“My dad, who’s a [military] veteran and an elder, said, ‘We should go,’ and I said, ‘OK,’” Parrish told The Times.
“Our folks don’t always protest for things, but this was very important,” Parrish said. “A lot of our families are feeling the impacts right now of higher prices and things being cut. A lot of our healthcare benefits are being cut ... and our tribal sovereignty is being threatened.”
James Parrish Jr., an 82-year-old military veteran and tribal elder, at a demonstration in Kayenta, Ariz., part of the Navajo Nation.
(Photo Courtesy of Jaynie Parrish)
Her tiny collective, family and friends stood on a parched highway intersection in this corner of a high desert. They waved signs, including one that read: “Make America Native Again.” Her 82-year-old father held another that read: “No Kings on the Rez.”
Upbeat Midwestern activists withstood whipping winds to form a line of protesters stretching for nearly three blocks of Burlington Avenue in Hastings, Neb. Under the crisp blue skies, one of the protesters, Drew Fausett, told The Times in a phone interview that he is a registered Republican in the decidedly red state.
“My politics haven’t really changed — but the party around me has,” Fausett said. “It used to be the two parties were two sides of the same coin, and they would work together — but not anymore.”
He and his wife, Becky, have attended No Kings and other protests because “it’s the only way to show that people have different opinions,” he said. “People are out here speaking for their families and their neighbors. That’s what this is all about.”
Trump’s policies have been hurting many in Nebraska — including farmers, said Debby Thompson, one of the Hastings organizers.
“We want to urge our representatives in Congress to not just rubber-stamp whatever Trump wants because it’s really hurting rural folks and farmers,” Thompson said. “The tariffs and huge increase in prices on fertilizer are hitting farmers really hard.”
Sandra Henderson, of Hesperia, joins other dancers brought together by “La Muerte de Maria” (Maria Flores Scott, not pictured) at the start of the “No Kings” march and protest.
(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)
The No Kings campaign sprouted in June as an act of defiance on Trump’s 79th birthday. He wanted a military parade in Washington to mark his milestone, and anti-Trump protesters came out in force — an estimated 5 million people around the country — with their own display. At the time, Trump’s second-term policies were coming into focus, including ramping up immigration raids, deploying the National Guard to L.A. in response to protests, and mass firings within the federal government.
A subsequent event in mid-October drew even larger crowds, with an estimated 7 million people protesting around the country.
“The defining story of this Saturday’s mobilization is not just how many people are protesting — but where they are protesting,” Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, said during a Thursday media briefing. Two-thirds of the RSVPs to national organizers came from outside major urban centers, she said.
Saturday’s event coincided with a dip in Trump’s approval ratings.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found that 36% approve of Trump’s job performance, marking the lowest level since his return to office last year. In a Fox News Poll released last week, 59% disapproved of his job performance.
“Since the last No Kings, we’re seeing higher gas prices and groceries, all while there’s an illegal war in Iran,” national organizer Sarah Parker of the organization 50501 said during the briefing. “We’ve also seen our neighbors executed — American citizens executed.”
Widespread protests and candlelight vigils followed January’s fatal shootings by immigration agents in Minneapolis of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse.
Thousands of people gathered at Minnesota’s state Capitol building in St. Paul for a rally that included Gov. Tim Walz, who said the region was still feeling the pain of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities and the deaths of Good and Pretti.
The Los Angeles event was organized by the local chapter of 50501 (short for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement”) and other progressive groups, including the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible and Public Citizen, as well as labor unions such as Unite Here Local 11 and the Service Workers International Union.
Gary Thornton, a retired federal worker and veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1985, participated in the Monterey Park event to protest the war in Iran. He said Trump should have sought congressional approval before launching strikes.
“I’ve worked for Uncle Sam for almost 40 years, and this is a nightmare,” said Thornton, 68. “I swore an oath to the Constitution that I would protect and defend it. To have someone acting like a dictator now, it basically laughs at everything I did for 40 years.”
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