The Indefensible Actions of the Trump Administration; the Biggest Oil Supply Disruption in History–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: March 9, 2026

Indy Digest: March 9, 2026

On Friday night, I went to the Plaza Theatre to enjoy a show by Paula Poundstone, who’s long been one of my favorite comedians. At one point, Poundstone was making some sort of joke about Donald Trump—she is NOT a fan—when a disgruntled member of the audience shouted out something about “Sleepy Joe” in retort. (I was in the balcony and didn’t hear the entire outburst.)

To her credit, Poundstone reacted politely, saying that she and the cranky audience member surely had a lot in common, and that she’d try to find that common ground.

I found the exchange to be rather illustrative of the “debates,” if you can call them that, regarding the current presidential administration’s actions: Trump supporters almost never respond to criticism with substance. Instead, they either deny or deflect—because of so much of what the Trump administration is doing is indefensible.

For example, how can anyone (or, well, at least anyone who thinks cruelty is bad) defend what is going on at Camp East Montana in Texas, the nation’s largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, where 80 percent of the detainees, according to ICE data, have no criminal record? From The Associated Press:

The detainees describe a camp where an average of about 3,000 people have lived per day in loud and unsanitary quarters, diseases spread easily and sleep is a luxury. The center will be closed to visitors until at least March 19 because of a measles outbreak, according to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar.

Detainees struggle to obtain medication and health care, lose concerning amounts of weight because of a lack of food, and live in fear of private security guards known to use force to put down disturbances. The ceilings in the windowless tents leak when it rains, and detainees only see sunlight during brief outings once or twice a week to a cramped recreation yard.

In an email, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson who did not provide their name rejected claims of subprime conditions, saying Camp East Montana detainees receive food, water and medical treatment in a facility that is regularly cleaned.

When a government spokesperson refuses to even give their name … yikes.

How can anyone defend the fact that the Trump administration is slandering American citizens arrested by ICE and other federal agents, a fact laid out masterfully by The Wall Street Journal in a huge piece published over the weekend? Here’s a gift link so you can read the piece. A snippet:

Protesters, observers and passersby taken into custody by federal agents were declared terrorists and attackers in hundreds of social-media posts by U.S. officials and departments since the start of the immigration sweeps in cities. This includes Minneapolis, where two citizens were excoriated by officials after they were killed by federal agents in January.

The Wall Street Journal found that the Department of Homeland Security, created in 2002 to protect Americans, has turned its force against citizens.

Of the 279 people accused by officials on X of attacking federal officers in the past year, 181 were U.S. citizens, the Journal found. Close to half of those Americans were never charged with assault. None have been convicted at trial.

Yet names, mug shots and other identifying details posted by the government put a bull’s-eye on them. They had to explain the accusations to family, friends and employers. In a few cases, their home and workplace addresses were leaked online, drawing death threats.

Pointing out that Joe Biden was “sleepy” is easy. Defending indefensible positions is impossible.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Passengers at some airports are enduring longer-than-normal security-checkpoint lines, due to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding dispute. PBS News reports: “The estimated wait time at the standard security checkpoint at the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston early Sunday evening was at one point three hours, according to the Houston Airports website. The Hobby airport on social media Friday said it expected more travelers than normal due to spring break. In a series of posts Sunday, the airport on X went from urging travelers to arrive early to asking them to arrive 3 to 4 hours before their flights to eventually asking them to arrive 4 to 5 hours early to allow extra time for screening, citing the partial government shutdown. … Agents with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration are expected to work without pay during the ongoing shutdown of the department, which began Feb. 14. Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.” So far, things are still going OK at Palm Springs International Airport; visit flypsp.com/security-tsa-information to view current wait times.

• Republicans in Congress are amping up the Islamophobia. The Washington Post depressingly reports: “Rep. Andrew Ogles (R-Tennessee) wrote on social media Monday that ‘Muslims don’t belong in American society,’ becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to voice blatantly Islamophobic sentiments. ‘Pluralism is a lie,’ Ogles added in his post on X. … Ogles’ post is part of a larger trend of House Republicans leaning on Islamophobic rhetoric. Last month, Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) wrote—then doubled down on—a post suggesting he would choose dogs over Muslims. Despite several House Democrats calling for Fine to resign or be disciplined, he faced no consequences from Republicans, who hold a narrow majority in the chamber. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 100 GOP members of Congress have posted about Islam or Muslims, and almost all of those posts have been negative, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. Two-thirds of those posts have mentioned radical Islam, sharia law, extremism or terrorism, while several have called for Muslims to be deported.”

• The Justice Department and Ticketmaster/Live Nation have agreed to a settlement regarding a monopolization lawsuit. The states that were suing the Ticketmaster/Live Nation are displeased. CBS MoneyWatch says: “Under the settlement, Live Nation agreed to pay $280 million in civil penalties to 40 states that sued the company over its practices and to sell some of its amphitheaters. Ticketmaster must also open technology to allow other ticket sellers to use its platform to reach customers, multiple sources told CBS News. … ‘We’re very excited about this settlement, because it basically opens up markets for other competitors, which will allow for competition that previously didn’t exist in primary ticketing and in the live entertainment space,’ a senior Justice Department official said during a press briefing on Monday, adding that this change will ‘have a direct impact on prices coming down.’ After the Justice Department announced the deal on Monday in Manhattan federal court, Judge Arun Subramanian called it ‘entirely unacceptable,’ saying that no one informed him of the tentative settlement until late Sunday. Not all the states involved in the suit agreed with the deal struck between the Justice Department and Live Nation. New York Attorney General Letitia James criticized the settlement and vowed to keep litigating, saying in a statement that the agreement ‘fails to address the monopoly at the center of this case.’ James said that attorneys general from more than two dozen states (including California) plan to move forward with the lawsuit in an effort to ‘restore fair competition to the live entertainment industry.’”

• Gas prices are skyrocketing. Why? As this CNBC headline details: “The U.S.-Iran war is the biggest oil supply disruption in history.” Details: “The U.S. war against Iran has triggered the largest oil supply disruption in history, more than double the previous record set during the Middle East crisis of the 1950s, according to an analysis by consulting firm Rapidan Energy. About 20% of the world’s oil supply has been disrupted for nine days now as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill. Crude prices have surged above $100 per barrel in response. The biggest disruption before the current war was during the Suez Crisis of 1956 when Britain, France and Israel invaded Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the energy consulting firm told clients in a Sunday note. In that crisis, about 10% of the world’s oil supply at the time was disrupted. The disruption triggered by the closure of the Strait is nearly three times the size of the shock caused by the Arab oil embargo of 1973, Rapidan analysts told clients. The Arab embargo disrupted about 7% of global supplies. … ‘The conflict has not only taken offline a historically high share of global supply—it has simultaneously disrupted the primary holders of spare capacity,’ the Rapidan analysts said. ‘The result is a market with no meaningful cushion. There is no swing producer positioned to step in.’”

• Five former employees of Southern Glazer’s—the largest alcohol distributor in the U.S.—and a winery salesperson have been indicted on federal bribery charges regarding a scheme involving offerings on supermarket shelves in Southern California. SF Gate reports: “According to prosecutors, the distributors schemed with Patrick Briones, who worked as the lead wine buyer for Albertsons’ 300-some Southern California grocery stores from 2017 to 2024. On a regular basis, (Southern Glazer’s vice president Adrian) Ruiz’s team identified which new alcohol products they wanted to promote on the shelves and then met with Briones about those products, the indictment says. Those meetings determined which sellers would need to pay bribes in order to get better distribution, prosecutors allege. The bribes were, at times, extravagant, prosecutors say, ranging from designer watches and suits to a $16,000 vacation to Maui. To obscure the bribes, the defendants allegedly filed fake expense reports. One, made under the guise of a ‘planning meeting’ in Newport Beach, was actually a trip to Las Vegas to watch an NFL game, prosecutors say. Another invoice for an ‘anti-theft Merchandising Incentive’ was allegedly a cover for thousands of dollars in prepaid gift cards. … They are due back in an Oakland federal courtroom on March 25 for the next hearing.”

• And finally … today’s recall news involves … clams! CBS MoneyWatch says: “Federal officials on Monday issued a recall for clams … distributed in at least nine states due to concerns that they may be contaminated with norovirus, a contagious infection commonly known as the ‘stomach flu.’ According to a notice from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recalled clams were harvested by the Lummi Indian Business Council and were distributed to restaurants and food retailers in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington. Other states also may have received the clams. … The FDA warns that food containing norovirus may ‘look, smell and taste normal’ but can cause serious illness if consumed.”

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