Today in Politics, Bulletin 320. 3/3/26

… Kristi Noem was absolutely destroyed in a senate hearing today, as one senator after another unloaded on the immoral, corrupt, and incompetent accessory to murders, kidnappings, unlawful detentions and depravations of civil rights.

… This is a wild Bulletin with tons of big news, so buckle up. I don’t normally do this, but I have to start out this one with a full airing of Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-NC) epic rant, which has been playing in my office on a loop for the last 5 hours straight:

“Why am I disappointed in Secretary Noem? We’re running numbers that Stephen Miller wants out of the WH. We just want numbers! We want 1,000 a day, 6,000 a day, 9,000 a day. Because numbers matter, right? No they don’t matter. Quality matters, not quantity. What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem.

What we’ve seen are innocent people getting detained who turn out to be American citizens. The culture that’s been created here with Stephen Miller aiding and abetting. I don’t know if we will have time for you to respond because I’m giving you a performance evaluation here, I’m not looking for a response.

Time after time after time I’ve been disappointed, Ms. Noem. I want to talk about FEMA. You have a policy that anything over $100,000 has to be personally approved by you. NC had a $60 billion disaster. Your biggest disaster in SD when you were governor was only $500 million. Thousands of people are hurting in NC and you are just now catching up.”

Then it got even better.

“I read your book last week. Some of it distresses me. I’ll give you a good example of one that does - the passage where you talk about killing a dog that was 14 months old. I train dogs. And you are a farmer. You should know better, you should know if you go to a hunting lodge and you’re putting dogs out and you’re putting pheasants out, you don’t take a puppy out there.

You decided to kill that dog because you had not invested the appropriate time in training it, and then you have the audacity to write in your book that it is a leadership lesson about tough choices! During that same lunch hour you killed a goat. And you killed the goat because you said it was behaving badly. You’re a farmer - you should know that if you don’t castrate a goat they behave badly you should have know that!”

This is also true of some men.

… “My point is that those are bad decisions made in the heat of the moment, not unlike what happened in Minneapolis. We are an exceptional nation so we expect exceptional leadership. And you have demonstrated anything but that in the time I’ve seen you.

Mr. Chairman, I want to submit this letter from the Office of IG that cites 10 different instances under Noem’s leadership where they’ve been misled and not allowed to pursue investigations that they think are critically important. Does anybody have any idea how bad it has to be for the OIG in this agency to do this publicly!? That is stonewalling. That is a failure of leadership. And that is why I’m calling for your resignation.

I am submitting a list of questions for you to answer. As of today, I’m informing leadership that I’m putting any nominations on hold until I get a response. If I don’t get a response in 2 weeks, I’m going to deny quorum and markup in as many committees as I can until I get a response.”

… Sen. Whitehouse: “Can you explain this photo? Noem: I'm looking at a picture of an interior, it looks like a bedroom. Whitehouse: Of an airplane. You're not familiar with that? Noem: These photos are not accurate if you're referring to the airplanes DHS is purchasing. We're using them for long range command and control. Whitehouse: You did not use a luxury jet with a bedroom in it? Noem: I've been on it once. It's being used by other admin officials. Whitehouse: What kind of deportee justifies being flown out of the country in a luxury jet with a bedroom?”

… Sen. Welch: “Do you want apologize to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, that you characterized them as engaged in domestic terrorism? Noem: I certainly offer my condolences to these families for their loss. Welch: Do you want to apologize for that characterization that they were domestic terrorists? Noem: I will continue to work hard.”

… Sen. Schiff: “The $220 million DHS ad campaign, many of which features you prominently. An ad campaign that is more expensive than the budget for any Hollywood blockbuster film. You claim Trump approved this. Did he approve of this to you personally? Noem: We had conversations.”

… Noem: “It was a competitive process. Schiff: This contract went to a company that did not exist two weeks before they got the contract. Are you saying that it’s a coincidence that $143 million went to a subcontractor that you worked with extensively as governor in SD during your campaign? Noem: I had nothing to do with it.”

… Sen. Kennedy: “How do you square the concern for waste when you have spent $220 million dollars on commercials that feature you prominently? Noem: It would be helpful to know how effective it has been. Kennedy: They were effective for your name recognition, but it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot. I don’t think Russ Vought would’ve agreed to that. It’s something we have to defend. It troubles me. A quarter of a billion in taxpayer money when we’re scratching for every penny.”

… Homeland Security Committee Dems: “Kristi Noem gave hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to the husband of her own chief spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin as well as other top Trump campaign vendors. If she thinks Democrats will forget about this, she’s badly mistaken.”

… Kennedy: “What got my attention was you blamed your 'domestic terrorist' statements on Stephen Miller. Noem: No I did not. Where you saw that was in a news article of anonymous sources, and they say a lot of things. But I never said that. Kennedy: Well here's what you said on the record. 'Everything I've done I've done at the direction of the president and Stephen.’ Did I read your words accurately?
Noem: I enjoy working with the president and Stephen Miller.”

… Sen. Welch: “Mr. Yoho is also the husband of your former spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin? Noem: Yes. Welch: So your former assistant and her husband are the ones that got the DHS no bid contract for $143 million. Any dispute about that? Noem: No.”

… Welch: “Will you ask Corey Lewandowski if he got any compensation, directly or indirectly, from these contracts? Noem: Are you asking me to ask him? Welch: Yes I am. Go ask your ‘special’ government adviser.”

… Sen. Coons: “Does DHS operate with arrest quotas? Noem: No, we do not. We do targeted enforcement. Coons: I would prefer if you did, but just last year Stephen Miller went on Fox and said, 'We're setting a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day.’ Noem: There is no quotas.”

… Sen. Blumenthal: “Is the agent who shot Ms. Martinez still on the job? Noem: Our law enforcement officers conduct operations every day. Blumenthal: Is he still on the job carrying a gun? Noem: I don't know the details. Blumenthal: Would you agree he shouldn't be? Noem: I'll get back to you. Blumenthal: I think Americans would find it absolutely terrifying that agent is still on the job carrying a gun.”

… Sen. Padilla: “If Trump or Stephen Miller directed you to send ICE agents to polling places, would you say 'no'? Noem: There is no plan to send ICE officers to polling locations. Are you planning on sending illegal aliens to vote? Padilla: No. That's already illegal.”

… CBS: “The first American service members to die in the US-Israeli war with Iran were killed in an apparent Iranian drone attack on a makeshift office space in Kuwait. At least 6 Americans were killed in a strike on a tactical operations center at the Shuaiba port in Kuwait, one of several US-allied countries in the Persian Gulf region that have faced intense Iranian missile and drone attacks.”

… “But 3 US military officials questioned the assertion that the building was adequately fortified. They said the operations center was a triple-wide trailer made into an office space. The trailer’s only fortifications were T-walls, which are 12-foot-tall, steel-reinforced concrete barriers used to protect military personnel from explosions, rocket attacks and shrapnel. But T-walls could not protect the facility from an overhead strike.”

… Prior to the attack, there were discussions on the ground about whether the tactical operations center in question should not have been used, as it concentrated too many US troops in a location that wasn’t defendable. Preliminary battle damage assessments suggest the operations center in Kuwait was attacked by a one-way drone. Fire engulfed the buildings, which made recovery of the bodies difficult in the immediate aftermath of the strike.”

… “2 of the 3 sources told CBS they did not recall hearing the warning sirens that are commonly associated with counter-battery systems designed to detect incoming enemy ordnance that ultimately killed the service members. Additionally, there was no American counter-rocket, artillery and mortar system at Shuaiba port that could be used to bring down incoming drones or other deadly munitions.”

… “Requests were made for more capabilities to defeat incoming drones, but those additional resources never came. One source told CBS: ‘We basically had no drone defeat capability.’”

… 4 days after the Iran War started, the State Dept announced it was evacuating embassy personnel from 14 different countries in the Middle East and advised all Americans in those countries to leave immediately. However, due to DOGE cuts, the State Dept budget to evacuate Americans was slashed and the US govt has no ability to help anyone get out.

… US Embassy in Israel: “The US Embassy is not in a position at this time  to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing  Israel. The US Embassy cannot make any recommendation (for or against) the Ministry of Tourism’s shuttle. If you choose to avail yourself of this option to depart, the US govt cannot guarantee your safety. The information is provided as a courtesy to those wishing to leave Israel.”

… US Ambassador Mike Huckabee: “For American who are currently in Israel I want to share this update on options for departing. There are VERY LIMITED options. As of now, the best is utilizing Israel’s Ministry of Tourism shuttle bus to Taba, Egypt and getting flights from there or going on to Cairo for flights back to the US.”

… “Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen. Hopefully soon, but even when it does, there will be VERY limited flights with priorities to those who already were ticketed by El Al. Doubtful that other airlines will fly in/out for a while.”

… “The Ministry of Tourism is operating buses to Taba. There are some flights from Taba, but there are also options to get to Cairo and it’s operating normally except to Middle Eastern countries. To get out, it’s the best option for now. Praying your safe passage!

… Thoughts and prayers!

… Former Rep. Marge Greene: “American taxpayers are forced to give Israel $3.8 BILLION every single year, and here is our own US Embassy in Jerusalem telling Americans good luck getting out, you are on your own. The betrayal is unbelievable.”

… Former US Ambassador Luis Moreno: “Having been through several evacuations, and even helping direct a couple - this is simply mind boggling incompetence. This should have been done weeks ago, now total chaos. Maybe it was a mistake to have DOGE eliminate so many career officers in key embassies, you think?”

… Former CIA agent Marc Polymerdopous: “It’s stunning to me, having worked in embassies for years, how late this order has come. Absolute negligence by Marco Rubio, lack of planning and assessment by State. Nothing like previous conflicts. A first grader could have told you the embassy would be under significant threat from the immediate onset of hostilities.”

Super crazy day today with multiple hearings going on in Congress at the same time Trump was doing a press gaggle in the Oval Office. I did my best to keep up with everything and get as much as I could included here so you don’t miss anything important.

We also have the huge Texas primaries tonight - the results will happen after this is published. It looks like Cornyn and Paxton will advance to a runoff in their 3-way race. An expensive runoff ending in a Paxton win is the perfect scenario for Dems. Then there is Talarico/Crockett on the Dem side. UNITY after that one is a high priority. Hopefully we will have it, because the Republicans certainly don’t.

Two other races I’m watching are Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is embroiled in a major scandal over pressuring his staffer to have an affair which resulted in her suicide. Rep. Dan Crenshaw is also in big trouble in his primary.

Reminder that there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I will be doing my podcast Uncovered where I do a deeper dive into the top stories happening right now. Iran and the Texas election will certainly be at the top of the list of topics. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Trump was asked about the evacuation debacle: Q - “Thousands of Americans are stranded. Why wasn't there an evacuation plan? Trump: Well, because it happened all very quickly, we thought, and I thought maybe more so than most. I could ask Marco, but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked. They were getting ready to attack Israel. They were getting ready to attack.”

… He continued to take questions while meeting with German Chancellor Merz in the