The New York Times report by Mike Baker and Steven Rich featured in this thread of commentary is at the link below.

For articles behind paywalls, I frequently use the Archive Today site to read.

#billionaires #Republicans #Trump #oligarchy #EconomicElites #TaxCuts #BigBeautifulBill
/4

nytimes.com/2026/03/09/us/bill…

For more reporting today on this topic of how billionaires have decisively bought the US and its political system in the Trump era, see:

Caleb Ecarma:

oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/h…

Wajahat Ali and Qasim Rashid:

thelefthook.substack.com/p/how…

Thom Hartmann"

hartmannreport.com/p/the-ceo-p…

#billionaires #Republicans #Trump #oligarchy #EconomicElites #TaxCuts #BigBeautifulBill
/3

How Dirty Money is Buying Democrats and State Elections with Qasim Rashid

Democrats are being bought out by billionaires as pro-Crypto and pro-Israel groups are emerging to tilt primary races all across the country.

^{THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali (The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali)}

"They explain how underwriting political campaigns from those for local school boards to the presidency has enabled the very wealthy to lock in their policy preferences for tax cuts, deregulation, and cuts to the social safety net while also steering valuable government contracts to themselves."

#billionaires #Republicans #Trump #oligarchy #EconomicElites #TaxCuts #BigBeautifulBill
/2

"On March 9, Mike Baker and Steven Rich of the New York Times published a long exposé of the corruption of American politics by billionaires."

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#billionaires #Republicans #Trump #oligarchy #EconomicElites #TaxCuts #BigBeautifulBill
/1

heathercoxrichardson.substack.…

March 12, 2026

In Ohio today, Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy launched a $10 million TV and digital ad campaign to run until Election Day.

^{Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)}

(continued from /19)

"his insistence that tuning the economy to the benefit of a few favored producers is a victory, even if it harms the vast majority of consumers."

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #prices #affordability #economy #MAGA #billionaires #oligarchy #EconomicElites
/20

The Bulwark today headlines its morning report: "Trump to America: Thank Me for Your Gas Bill." Andrew Egger writes:

"[Trump's statement about how *we* benefit from higher gas prices is] an illustration of the exact mindset that led Trump to do so much damage to the U.S. economy even before the war:"

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #prices #affordability #economy #MAGA #billionaires #oligarchy #EconomicElites
/19

thebulwark.com/p/trump-to-amer…

Trump to America: Thank Me for Your Gas Bill

Higher prices = more money, according to the president.

^{William Kristol (The Bulwark)}

"According to petroleum analyst, Patrick DeHaan, Americans today will spend roughly $250 million more on gasoline than they did 30 days ago. That’s over $1.5 billion per week."

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #prices #affordability #economy #MAGA #billionaires #oligarchy #EconomicElites
/18

"Trump isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. When he says 'we' make a lot of money, he means oil executives, and he means himself. Because that’s all Trump cares about. How he can put more money in his own pocket and deliver a payout for his billionaire cronies."

#Trump #Iran #war #oil #gas #prices #affordability #economy #MAGA #billionaires #oligarchy #EconomicElites
/17

"And yet – you guessed it – Donald Trump is going to keep doing it anyway, even in the face of mounting casualties on all sides of the conflict, the world economy on the brink, and gas and fertilizer prices surging, and increasingly disastrous poll numbers at home for this president."

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/12

(continued from /10)

"and that there are signs the war is causing significant rally-around-the-flag effects on the ground in Iran, including among some groups that hate the government in Tehran."

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/11

"In recent days, two Trump advisers and two other sources briefed on the situation tell me, US officials have delivered another dire warning to our batshit crazy president: They’ve informed Trump and his lieutenants that, based on American intel, the Iranian regime at this time isn’t breaking, isn’t ready to fold on the war or stop retaliating," (continued in /11)

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/10

"In the run-up to launching this regional bloodbath, Trump’s advisers 'fully briefed and prepped' him on how Iran’s government would likely respond by acting to explode oil prices – and damage the markets and our economy – if he went ahead with the war. Trump privately downplayed those warnings. Then he did it anyway."

~ Asawin Suebsaeng

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/9

zeteo.com/p/us-intel-trump-ira…

First Draft – 💥 US Intel to Trump: Iran Isn’t Breaking

The president claims we’ve already ‘won’ in Iran, as his officials tell him we most definitely haven’t; Ohioans protest Trump; and a former ICE lawyer (!) wants to replace Rep. Ilhan Omar in Congress.

^{Asawin Suebsaeng (Zeteo)}

"I suspect that Trump may realize deep down that his exercise in epic fury is nuts."

~ William Kristol

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/8

thebulwark.com/p/sing-goddess-…

Sing, Goddess, of the Fury of Trump!

The wartime president is focused on footwear.

^{William Kristol (The Bulwark)}

"He governs the country by a kind of manic coaxing which is at war with short-term memory and thrives on the ability to keep as many people fixated on the super dramatic crisis of the moment without remembering that it was preceded by an endless litany of other crises with similar branding."

~ Josh Marshall

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/7

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/b…

Borderline Personality Trump and the Uses of Press Myopia

Every president wants favorable press coverage. Most feel a surprising level of grievance when they don’t get it. Donald Trump is singular in using the powers…

^{Josh Marshall (TPM - Talking Points Memo)}

"The evident fact, though, is that Trump is completely nuts, and that he’s 'governing' the country — and has now taken the US to war — based on his impulses alone, without even the pretense of a strategy or goal."

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/6

"Observers have spent two weeks trying to discern the 'aims' of Trump’s war on Iran, and therefore what might constitute a victory or defeat. His every bizarre utterance about his war 'plans' — including wildly conflicting declarations that Iran has surrendered and the war must be expanded to defeat the regime — immediately move markets."

~ David R. Lurie

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/5

publicnotice.co/p/trump-excurs…

Trump’s military excursion, into an abyss

The evident fact is that the president is nuts.

^{David R. Lurie (Public Notice)}

"If the road to Tehran required the sons and daughters of the billionaire & political class to march beside everyone else’s kids, would we still be there?"

~ Thom Hartmann

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/4

hartmannreport.com/p/what-if-e…

What If Every Billionaire's and Senator’s Kid Could Be Sent to Fight in Iran?

If the road to Tehran required the sons and daughters of the billionaire & political class to march beside everyone else’s kids, would we still be there?

^{Thom Hartmann (The Hartmann Report)}

"This is a billionaire’s war, waged at everyone else’s expense."

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/3

"If you want to understand how this country has degenerated to such a state, how we can be spending nearly $2 billion a day attacking Iran without a clear endgame in sight, while children go without healthcare, nursing homes are understaffed because their workers have been deported, home electricity bills skyrocket due to data centers, consider who benefits and who isn’t hurt."

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/2

"It becomes clearer with each passing day that the people who took us to war with Iran had and have no idea what they’re doing — that they’re adolescents who think they’re playing video games while thousands die and the world careens toward economic crisis. The New York Times reports that Trump officials dismissed warnings that attacking Iran could disrupt world oil supplies."

~ Paul Krugman

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #EconomicElites #oligarchy #oil #gas
/1

paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the…

The Billionaires’ War

The ultrawealthy put Trump in power but other people will pay the price

^{Paul Krugman}