Fight Fascism and Corruption - Hell breaking loose
Charlie Cooper
All Hell is breaking loose
March 17, 2026
In this issue, I’ll:
Review how the US is losing its illegal war of aggression against Iran, possible consequences, and a possible exit plan.
Give an overview of the ever-more-malign influence of billionaire money in US politics.
US lost in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, so . . . .
Within days of the Israel-US attack on Iran, knowledgeable observers were predicting that US objectives – to the extent that any coherent objectives could be discerned – would not be met. Larry Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s chief of staff at the State Department, explained why he thought the US would lose the war.
Regime. The Iranian regime, especially the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is intact despite Israel-US success with “decapitation” strikes. Iran anticipated this strategy and was prepared to delegate power down its chain of command.
Cost. Mainstream media report US costs of over $1 billion per day in munitions alone. Iran was firing a variety of missiles and also has manufactured tens of thousands of Shaheed drones, which have been reported to cost between $7,000 and $50,000 each. The US munitions used to shoot down drones cost over $1 million each. Military Times reports that 800 multi-million-dollar Patriot missiles were used in the first three days. Cheaper solutions from Ukraine may help the US over the next few weeks
Comparative effectiveness. There is no doubt that the US and Israel can punish Iran mercilessly and are doing so. In fact, far from harboring a sincere desire for regime change, The Nation reports that both Israel and the US are committing “assassination of not just top Iranian leaders such as Khamenei but also opposition leaders and dissidents. [Attacking] opponents of Iran’s theocracy points to a dire conclusion: that the goal of these wars is not just regime change but regime obliteration, destroying the possibility of Iran’s functioning as a coherent polity in the future.” Many observers believe that the destruction of civil society visited upon Iran makes the theocratic regime more secure.
On the other hand, Iran is hitting Israel and is damaging high-value petrochemical and tourist infrastructure in the Gulf States. Unable to remove the Iranian blockade on the Straits of Hormuz that caused the global fossil fuel supply shock, Trump issued a self-contradictory and unheeded call to other nations to help militarily. Iran may be better prepared to withstand the pummeling from Israel and the US than Trump is to withstand the political fallout from rising oil prices or the human and financial costs of escalation. When considering whether the Iranian regime can be removed, consider that Hamas has not been removed after 2-½ years.
Smoke rises in Sharjah, following reports of Iranian attacks after United States and Israel strikes on Iran, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on March 1, 2026. (REUTERS/Amr Alfiky)
Consequences for the region, the US, and the world
Israel’s war in Lebanon looks similar to what they have done in Gaza. Middle East Monitor reports that 886 have died since March 2, including 111 children. Religious zealots in the US and Israel, including US Ambassador Huckabee, are talking about expanding Israel’s territory, perhaps to the Tigris and Euphrates. Meanwhile, the people of Gaza continue to suffer horrendously through this winter without adequate food, shelter, sanitation, clean water, or other necessities.
Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, March 9. REUTERS/Stringer
A small boy tries to keep the sewage out of his tent in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
Israel and the Trump administration show contempt for diplomacy. Last June, Israel tried to assassinate a key Iranian nuclear materials negotiator and then attacked Iran in the “12-day war.” In September Israel tried to assassinate Hamas leaders involved in negotiations in Qatar, the host nation of the talks. Then on February 28, just after the Omani intermediary stated that “Iran has agreed to zero stockpiling of uranium and to convert existing enriched material into fuel,” Israel and the US started the current war, assassinating Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei who had issued a religious ban (“fatwa”) on producing nuclear weapons.
Even before the unprovoked attack on Iran, people living in traditional ally nations of the US express a loss of respect and confidence. Politico just recently published the results of a poll taken in the US, Canada, UK, France, and Germany between February 6 and 9. Between 42% and 57% of the non-US respondents say the US can be relied upon in a crisis. “It’s not just that allies no longer see the United States as a force for stability. Sizable shares, including a 43 percent plurality in Canada, say the country is mostly a threat to global stability.”
Oil prices will ripple through and exacerbate general inflation, and Trump may lose some support among his MAGA base, many of whom are economically vulnerable. Some Democrats will undoubtedly support the war in Iran out of habit or out of fear of the Israel lobby. Enraged Muslims may be motivated to commit acts of terrorism on US soil.
A possible way out?
Trita Parsi is a native of Iran whose family escaped the theocracy when he was a child. He is now a highly respected author and analyst and a vice president at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Here is a 21-minute interview with him in which he posits that the US and its wealthy Gulf monarchist allies will have to pay Iran to stop the war. For example, they can remove/ease the economic sanctions that the US has imposed for decades, and they can help Iran rebuild some of its infrastructure in exchange for peace. Trump might be able to get the UAE (the hardest hit), the Saudis, or some of the others to contribute to minimize Trump’s humiliation. Some observers believe that UAE and Saudi Arabia encouraged the attack on Iran. Other analysts have suggested that Iran might be able to extract concessions from Israel regarding its murderous rampages in Gaza and Lebanon.
Billionaires now dominate US election spending
In 2022, the top 1% held 35% of US wealth. The substantial increase in the past five decades is mainly due to gains of the top 0.1%. They accomplished this by corrupting the political process, using campaign finance as their main tool.
NY Times recently featured billionaire election spending. “The Times analysis found that 300 billionaires and their immediate family members donated more than $3 billion — 19 percent of all contributions — in federal elections in 2024, either directly or through political action committees. . . . Five presidential elections ago, before the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling that lifted many remaining campaign finance restrictions, the share of billionaire spending was almost zero — 0.3 percent, to be precise.” In other words, we’re seeing a 63 times increase in billionaires’ share of election spending.
In the 2024 presidential election cycle, cryptocurrency companies and related individuals spent $245 million. Pro-Israel AIPAC spent over $42 million, and Zionist Miriam Adelson (owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team and widow of casino magnate Sheldon) spent $132 million. In the current mid-term campaigns, the AI sector is emerging as a major spender. Spenders’ ads often do not identify themselves nor even mention AI, crypto, or Israel. Rather, they follow the messaging of the campaigns they are supporting or attack opponents of their preferred candidate. Camouflaging the source of campaign money is a steadily advancing art, practiced by both parties.
Elon Musk spent $277 million on the 2024 election. Timothy Mellon, grandson of banker and tycoon Andrew Mellon, spent $197 million on behalf of Republicans. The ultraconservative Uihlein family and Adelson each spent about $132 million. Financiers Kenneth Griffin, the Yass family, Paul Singer, and Stephen Schwartzmann combined for almost $300 million. Michael Bloomberg and the Moskovitz family together spent $82 million on behalf of Democrats.
In the 2024 presidential election cycle, “outside spending” (by PACs, SuperPACs, and so-called independent spending) was $4.49 billion, over 22% of all election spending and 8 times what it was in 2008 prior to Citizens United. Candidate committees are gradually losing control of campaigns to billionaire interests.
Billionaires and corporations get huge regulatory and tax benefits and privatization contracts from this political spending that dwarf the few billion they drop on elections. The corrupt purchase of political influence drives the grotesque concentration of wealth that allows monopolies to grow, unions to shrink, and inflation to gobble family budgets.
These trends will continue to worsen until We the People change them.
The economist Paul Krugman bemoans concentrated wealth and points out that centi-billionaires like Bezos, Ellison, and Musk are now buying media platforms so that they can directly sway public opinion. They may someday be able to skip the process of buying campaign ads by directly manipulating “the news.”
The 2024 election shows very clearly that promoting economic equality must be the bedrock principle of any successful political movement. Reforming elections and other structural issues, while polling well, have lower attractive power compared with pocketbook issues. Trump and the Republicans were able to convince enough people that their economic interests would benefit from another Trump administration.
News Briefs
Oligarch Watch: A proposed one-time 5% tax on personal wealth above $1 billion is making progress toward appearing on the ballot in California.
Washington Post: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna have unveiled new tax proposal. “Sanders’s new legislation . . . calls for an annual 5 wealth tax on America’s billionaires. Revenue from the tax would be redirected to social spending programs, including $3,000 cash payments for Americans earning less than $150,000 per year, a $60,000 minimum salary for every public school teacher, and an expansion of Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing care, among other measures.”
The American Prospect: Democrats with presidential ambitions – including our Sen. Chris Van Hollen – are touting new tax cuts for the middle class.
Washington Post: Certain nonprofits should not be tax exempt, the author argues. Examples include health insurers, nonprofit hospitals, AARP, and the PGA Tour. Significant revenue could be raised.
Axios: The Democratic National Committee commissioned a study to determine why they lost the 2024 presidential election. After promising to make it public, DNC Chair Ken Martin has decided to keep this “autopsy” secret. Critics charge that he seeks to help Kamala Harris win the 2028 nomination. (You can read free by entering your email.)
Associated Press: New Mexico passed a law to keep armed federal agents away from polling places. Other Democratic-led states may follow suit.
Maryland State Board of Elections: Administrator Jared DeMarinis issued a statement addressing the threat of federal interference and reinforcing the Governor and Judiciary of Maryland have full authority – not the federal government.
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: The states in the compact agree to appoint electors who will vote for the winner of the national popular vote. This way, every vote in every state would count the same, and the advantage of small states like Wyoming would be eliminated. The compact goes into effect when states with a majority of electoral college votes (i.e., 270) have joined. The legislature has passed the bill, and it awaits Gov. Spanberger’s signature. Adding Virginia would bring the total to 222.