1). “No Kings protests across the world: in pictures”, Mar 28, 2026, Pejman Faratin, The Guardian, at < https://www.theguardian.com/
2). “Trump issues new threat to Iran's civilian infrastructure if ceasefire not reached 'shortly' ”, originally posted and updated on Mar 30, 2026, JON GAMBRELL & DAVID RISING, Associated Press, at < https://www.local10.com/news/
3). “Why The US Navy Needs Marines To Open The Strait of Hormuz”, Mar 29, 2026, Anon, Navy Pigeon, duraion of video 15:09, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4). “Biggest U.S. Ground Invasion in Iran’s History Is About to Begin”, Mar 26, 2026, Anon, The War Archive, duration of video 20:34, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
5). “Trump appointee proposes ripping out the White House's 200-year-old columns for the flashier style found at Mar-a-Lago”, Mar 15, 2026, Rudro Chakrabarti, YahooFinance, moneywise, at < https://finance.yahoo.com/
~~ recommended by desmond ~~
Introduction by desmond: The No Kings rallies and protests took place, not only in the U.S., but around the world, some in various foreign cities in support of the U.S. resistance to the Dark Ages Trump Regime. One thing Left-leaning protesters excel are imaginative banners and protest costumes. Item 1). “No Kings protests ….” displayed a number of fine photos along with informative text about the No Kings rallies and protests around the U.S. and the world. A couple of interesting photos I liked from Item 1). are posted here below.
In Item 2)., “Trump issues new threat ….” we can read about the latest set of threats and bullying, posted on Truth Social that Trump has tried to use against the Iranians, their allies, and anybody who supports them . A copy of a threat to destroy the life sustaining infrastructure of Iran, issued just this morning March 30, 2026 at 6:20 AM, EDT is posted below (along with a similar earlier threat that Trump, or one of his handlers / advisors posted on Truth Social on March 9, 2026)
Item 3)., “Why The US Navy Needs Marines ….”; and Item 4)., “Biggest U.S. Ground Invasion ….”, both look at some of the realities of committing U.S. Ground Forces (“Boots on the Ground”) in campaigns to take control of Kharq Island (where 90% of the Oil and Natural Gas are loaded onto transport ships) and/or to take control of the islands located near the Strait of Hormuz and that would aid greatly in taking control of the passage of cargo ships there. Any realistic assessment is that either one or both of these projects would be very costly in terms of American (and Iranian) military lives.
Finally in Item 5)., “Trump appointee proposes ….”, the article discusses the issue of new columns for the White House to share the same style (Corinthian, same as the gosh ornamentation of Trump's new dining and dancing hall). People in the U.S. are suffering from the Republicans harsh anti-working class agenda and all the increasingly dim-witted Trump cares about are the drapes in his addition to the White House and the possible replacement of the columns.
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No Kings protests across the world: in pictures
Global protests against Donald Trump took place on Saturday as millions of people vented fury over what they see as his authoritarian bent and cruel, law-trampling governance. It is the third time in less than a year that Americans will take to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called No Kings, the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025
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Saint Paul, Minnesota
A woman holds a sign featuring US President Donald Trump as a large crowd of demonstrators gather outside the Minnesota State CapitolPhotograph: Kerem Yücel/AFP/Getty Images
Chicago, Illinois
A person holds a sign with an image depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as demonstrators walk past the Trump TowerPhotograph: Jim Vondruska/Reuters
Washington DC, US
A demonstrator covered in fake blood on the National MallPhotograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
San Francisco, US
Drag queen Dirty Carol joind the protestPhotograph: Yalonda M James/AP
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Bruce Springsteen performs for the crowdsPhotograph: Tim Evans/Reuters
Saint Paul, Minnesota
People hold an effigy of US President Donald Trump and late US singer-songwriter Prince as they gather outside the Minnesota State CapitolPhotograph: Kerem Yücel/AFP/Getty Images
Washington DC
Supporters of the Iranian regime hold flags and images of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei near the US CapitolPhotograph: Luke Johnson/EPA
Berlin, Germany
A placard showing a distorted Statue of Liberty held aloft in Berlin.Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP
New York City
Robert De Niro speaks during a press conference.Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters
Lisbon, Portugal
A girl holds a sign while sitting on her father’s shoulders as US nationals residing in Portugal gather in the Praça do Comercio.Photograph: Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images
Washington DC
A protestor in a Quiet Piggy costume.Photograph: Andrew Leyden/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
Porto, Portugal
The protest was organized by Indivisible Porto as part of a broader day of action by Americans around the world.Photograph: Manuel Fernando Araujo/EPA
Nashville, Tennessee
Thousands gather near the city’s downtown.Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Boston, Massachusetts
A demonstrator dressed as Marie Antoinette holds a sign reading: ‘Oh la la, let them eat Trump coin.’Photograph: Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Maryanne Quiroz, lead dancer with the Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli cultural group, performs at Western Park.Photograph: Tom Baker/AP
Washington DC
‘LICE’ agents lead an inflatable Trump near the Atlantic Pavilion.Photograph: Tom Brenner/AP
Munich, Germany
German support in Munich.Photograph: Sachelle Babbar/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
Rome, Italy
Demonstrators at the city’s No Kings protest.Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Washington DC
Protesters demand the arrests of Trump administration officials.Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images
Baltimore, Maryland
Protesters line Shawan Road in Hunt Valley.Photograph: Jerry Jackson/AP
Paris, France
US expats, including a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty – which was a gift to the US from France – gather at the Place de la Bastille.Photograph: Owen Franken/Corbis/Getty Images
New York City
A demonstrator waves two US flags.Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters
St Paul, Minnesota
Demonstrators gather outside the Minnesota state capitol.Photograph: Kerem Yücel/AFP/Getty Images
New York City
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, actor Robert Di Niro and the Rev Al Sharpton.Photograph: Adam Gray/AP
Washington, DC
Demonstrators take out their frustrations on an effigy of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/AFP/Getty Images
Atlanta, Georgia, US
An aerial view shows people marching near the Georgia state capitol building.Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images
London, UK
Democrats Abroad demonstrators hold paper mache heads depicting US Attorney General Bondi, Musk, US Homeland Security Advisor Miller, Noem, US Vice President JD Vance and US President Trump during a protest Donald Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics and the war in Iran ahead of Together Alliance Against the Far Right MarchPhotograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Nashville, Tennessee
Photograph: George Walker IV/AP
New York City
Chewbacca against an ‘imperial tyrant’Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters
Washington DC
A demonstrator wearing a crocheted maskPhotograph: Leah Millis/Reuters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Frogs march in PhillyPhotograph: Ricky Fitchett/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
New York City
A person in a costume depicting U.S. President Donald Trump in an orange jumpsuit passes members of the NYPDPhotograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters
Los Angeles, California
A demonstrator holds a sign and waits outside City HallPhotograph: Ringo Chiu/Reuters
Driggs, Idaho
Protesters on a street cornerPhotograph: Natalie Behring/Getty Images
Los Angeles, California
A group called La Muerte de Maria wear costumes in front of City HallPhotograph: Apu Gomes/Getty ImagesTrump again threatens widespread destruction in Iran if a deal is not reached 'shortly'
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, potentially including desalination plants that supply drinking water, if a deal to end the war is not reached “shortly.”
Iran meanwhile struck a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack. Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, as the war raged with no end in sight.
Trump’s new threat came in a social media post. Earlier comments to the Financial Times suggested American troops could seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. Trump has repeatedly claimed to be making diplomatic progress— though Tehran denies negotiating directly — while ramping up his threats and sending thousands more U.S. troops to the Middle East.
Trump told the New York Post that the U.S. is negotiating with Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. The former Revolutionary Guard commander, who has taunted the U.S. on social media, dismissed the talks facilitated by Pakistan as a cover for the latest American troop deployments.
Trump says diplomacy is going well but threatens major escalation
In a social media post, Trump said “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But he said if a deal is not reached “shortly,” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the U.S. would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even desalination plants.
The strait is a crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime.
The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian infrastructure such as energy plants only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal scholars say. It’s considered a high bar to clear, and causing excessive suffering to civilians can constitute a war crime.
A 22-year-old resident of Karaj, near Tehran, said his area lost power for several hours overnight following nearby strikes.
“I was really scared. I thought that they’d hit the power plants and that we are not going to have power anymore,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of security fears.
Iran says US demands are ‘excessive, unrealistic and irrational’
The U.S. already has targeted military positions on Kharg. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and mine the Persian Gulf if U.S. troops set foot on its territory.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration containing “excessive, unrealistic and irrational” demands, while denying there had been any direct talks.
Qalibaf, the parliament speaker Trump says he is negotiating with, said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” according to state media.
Twice during Trump’s second term, the U.S. has attacked Iran during high-level diplomatic talks, including with the Feb. 28 strikes that started the current war.
Iran attacks Israel and Gulf infrastructure
Sirens sounded at dawn near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly in recent days. Israel’s military also said it had taken out two drones launched from Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the war on Saturday with their first missile attack.
Iran kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors: Saudi Arabia intercepted five missiles targeting its oil-rich Eastern province; a fireball erupted over Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as a missile was intercepted; and in Kuwait, an Iranian attack hit a power and desalination plant, killing one worker and wounding 10 soldiers, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
An Emirati official signaled that the UAE wants more than just a ceasefire.
“An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape,” Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, wrote in a column published by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National.
She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”
NATO air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile over Turkey that was fired from Iran, Turkey's Defense Ministry said, in the fourth such incident since the start of the war. Iran has denied firing the previous missiles. Turkey is taking part in mediation efforts.
Israel launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, saying it was striking “military infrastructure” across Tehran. Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital and Iranian state media reported a petrochemicals plant in Tabriz, in the north, sustained damage in an airstrike.
Peacekeepers killed in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Hezbollah
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, where Israel is battling the Iran-backed Hezbollah, said three peacekeepers have been killed in less than 24 hours. The peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL did not say who was responsible for the deaths overnight and into Monday.
Two of the peacekeepers were killed when an explosion of “unknown origin” destroyed their vehicle, and a third was killed earlier when a UNIFIL base was hit by a projectile. All three peacekeepers were from the Indonesian army, U.N. officials said.
An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb killed one person and wounded 17, including four children, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would widen its invasion, expanding the “existing security strip” in southern Lebanon.
In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.
Two dozen people have been killed In Gulf states and the occupied West Bank. In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,200 people have been killed, and more than 1 million have been displaced.
Six Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon, while 13 U.S. service members have been killed in the war.
Oil prices rise again as concerns of global energy crisis grow
Iran’s attacks on the energy infrastructure of the region and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz have threatened global supplies of oil, natural gas and fertilizer. They have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and given rise to growing concerns about an energy crisis.
Trump has said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday as “a sign of respect.” There wasn’t any information on whether those ships were actually moving.
Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading around $115 Monday, up nearly 60% from when the war started.
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Boak reported from Washington and Corder from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writers David Rising in Bangkok, Collin Binkley in Washington, Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed
3). “Why The US Navy Needs Marines To Open The Strait of Hormuz”, Mar 29, 2026, Anon, Navy Pigeon, duraion of video 15:09, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4). “Biggest U.S. Ground Invasion in Iran’s History Is About to Begin”, Mar 26, 2026, Anon, The War Archive, duration of video 20:34, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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Trump appointee proposes ripping out the White House's 200-year-old columns for the flashier style found at Mar-a-Lago
When Trump first announced the ballroom in July 2025, it was pitched as a $200 million, 90,000-square-foot event space to seat 650 guests (2). By October, it was $250 million and designed to hold 999 people (3). By December, the cost had doubled to $400 million (4). Trump has denied reports that the space would bear his name, suggesting instead "the presidential ballroom or something like that" (5).
The project required the complete demolition of the White House's East Wing — a structure originally built as a small entryway in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt and substantially expanded into its modern two-story form by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 (6). It had served as the First Lady's office since 1977. The demolition happened despite earlier assurances from press secretary Karoline Leavitt that "nothing will be torn down" (7).
A federal judge rejected a preservation group's attempt to block construction in late February, ruling that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits (8). The trust has since filed an amended complaint arguing the administration lacks statutory authority to build without congressional approval. The Commission of Fine Arts — whose entire membership was replaced by Trump appointees — approved the design unanimously, 6–0 (9). And the National Capital Planning Commission delayed its final vote to April 2 after receiving more than 35,000 public comments — the overwhelming majority of which opposed the project (10). NCPC staff have recommended approval.
Trump has repeatedly insisted the ballroom will be fully funded by private donations, and the White House released a list of 37 donors contributing through the Trust for the National Mall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — meaning donations are tax-deductible. Individual contribution amounts were not disclosed for most donors.
The administration has framed the project as a long-overdue upgrade that will save taxpayers the hundreds of thousands of dollars currently spent on temporary tented events on the South Lawn (11).
That said, the donor list includes several companies with significant federal business. Lockheed Martin, the nation's largest defense contractor with roughly $54 billion in U.S. government revenue in fiscal year 2025 according to its annual filing (12), reportedly contributed more than $10 million (13). Alphabet donated $22 million — drawn from a settlement over YouTube's suspension of Trump after Jan. 6. Other donors include Booz Allen Hamilton, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, tobacco companies Altria and Reynolds American and cryptocurrency firms Coinbase, Ripple and Tether.
Corporate philanthropy around presidential construction projects isn't unprecedented — private donors have funded White House improvements going back decades. But the scale here is different, and ethics watchdogs have raised questions. At a March 5 NCPC hearing, Abigail Bellows of Common Cause noted that many of the corporate donors are either under federal investigation or competing for government contracts, calling the arrangement a potential conflict of interest (14).
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The "no taxpayer dollars" line covers construction. It doesn't necessarily cover what comes after.
Congress typically appropriates only a few million dollars per year for repair and restoration of the Executive Residence. Adding a 90,000-square-foot, climate-controlled structure with floor-to-ceiling bulletproof glass to that footprint could push utility and maintenance costs higher — even with Carrier donating the initial HVAC system (15).
According to the White House's original announcement, the Secret Service will provide "necessary security enhancements and modifications" for the new space (16). It remains unclear whether those costs fall inside or outside the $400 million budget.
Engineering News-Record, which has covered the project's planning process in detail, has warned that privately funded federal construction can introduce downstream obligations — including expanded utility capacity, additional security staffing and long-term maintenance — that persist well beyond the original build and lack an automatic funding source (17). The Government Accountability Office has flagged similar dynamics at the Smithsonian Institution, where donor-funded museums expanded the federal campus while leaving Congress to absorb long-term operating costs.
The columns and ballroom aren't happening in isolation. Since returning to office, Trump has been steadily remaking the White House and its grounds.
The Rose Garden — originally designed during the Kennedy administration — was bulldozed and replaced with a stone patio resembling the one at Mar-a-Lago (18). New statues of Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton were installed in the paved-over space earlier this month — though not without some confusion. The White House initially told reporters the statues depicted Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin before issuing a correction 90 minutes later (19).
The Lincoln Bathroom received a full renovation, swapping its original Art Deco green tiles for black-and-white marble. Gold accents were added throughout. A "Presidential Walk of Fame" was created in the West Wing Colonnade featuring portraits of past presidents — minus Joe Biden, whose spot was filled with a photo of an autopen (20).
Lafayette Square, the park facing the White House, is being redesigned. The administration has also floated plans for a new 33,000-square-foot underground visitor screening facility and a possible second-story addition to the West Wing colonnade to visually balance the enlarged East Wing (21).
White House communications director Steven Cheung has defended the changes, writing on X that "construction has always been a part of the evolution of the White House" and that the building "needs to be modernized" (20). Each project individually might be defended as a routine upgrade. But taken together, they amount to what architects and preservationists have called the most significant physical transformation of the White House in modern history — and one driven largely by a single president's taste.
Whether the White House columns actually get swapped remains to be seen. The proposal is still in its earliest stages, and the White House itself says no change is planned.
But the broader pattern is worth watching. The East Wing demolition followed a similar trajectory: an idea was floated, assurances were made that nothing would be torn down, and within months the building was gone. The administration has defended each step as an improvement. Critics, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the overwhelming majority of public commenters who weighed in with the NCPC, disagree.
What's less disputed is that the costs tied to these renovations are likely to extend well beyond the construction phase. Ongoing maintenance, expanded security infrastructure and increased utility demands don't end when a president's term does — and those bills will fall to future administrations and, ultimately, to taxpayers.
The NCPC's final vote on the ballroom is scheduled for April 2. More than 35,000 people have already weighed in.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Washington Post (1); PBS News (2); CNBC (3); The Hill (4, 15); ABC News (5); Al Jazeera (6); NPR (7); NBC News (8); U.S. News & World Report (9); Architect's Newspaper (10); Snopes (11, 16); Lockheed Martin (12); CBS News (13); The Art Newspaper (14); Engineering News-Record (17); Fast Company (18); The Daily Beast (19); Newsweek (20); CNN (21)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
For nearly two centuries, the White House's front entrance has been framed by a row of slender Ionic columns — one of the most recognizable images of American democracy. Now a Trump appointee wants to tear them out and replace them with something more regal.
Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the newly installed chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, publicly proposed swapping the North Portico's Ionic columns for the more ornate Corinthian style at a commission meeting last month, according to the Washington Post (1).
"Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that's what our other two branches of government have," Cook told the Post. "Why the White House didn't originally use them, at least on the north front, which is considered the front door, is beyond me."
A White House spokesperson told the Post there are currently no plans to change the existing columns, and Cook says he hasn't discussed the idea directly with the president. But the proposal didn't come out of nowhere.
Trump has favored Corinthian columns for decades — they're a signature feature of Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago — and he personally selected them for the White House ballroom currently under construction.
Architects and preservation experts aren't on board. Steven Semes, a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Notre Dame, warned the Post that switching column styles would fundamentally alter the building's character, comparing the idea to surgically changing the length of someone's leg and expecting them to walk normally.
Bruce Redman Becker, an architect and former fine arts commissioner removed by Trump last year, told the Post the proposal runs counter to accepted historic preservation standards.
But the column controversy is just the latest chapter in a much larger — and much more expensive — story about how Trump is physically reshaping the People's House. And while the White House insists taxpayers aren't paying for any of it, the full financial picture may be more complicated than the administration's framing suggests.
The column proposal comes as Trump's most ambitious project — a massive new White House ballroom — is still working its way through the approval process with a price tag that won't stop climbing.
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