Today in Politics, Bulletin 321. 3/5/26

… Trump fired Kristi Noem as DHS secretary and replaced her with the dumbest US senator. (OK, maybe Tuberville is neck and neck with him). As terrible, corrupt and incompetent as Noem is, it is a basic principle of Trumpism that he always replaces fired appointees with someone even worse.

… Trump: “I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected US Senator from Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the Secretary of Homeland Security, effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative we are announcing on Sat in Doral, FL.”

… Retired Air Force Colonel Moe Davis: “Firing Kristi Noem and replacing her with Markwayne Mullin is like shitting your pants and running home to change your shirt.”

… The final straw for Trump was Noem’s claim before the senate on Tuesday that Trump personally approved her $220 million dollar taxpayer giveaway to Republican consultants connected to Noem, so they could launch a TV campaign that most prominently featured Noem. Her attempt to throw Trump under the bus is not how MAGA works. You can blame anyone you want - except Trump. She paid the price for that.

… Trump told Reuters that he did not sign off on or know about the contract, and said Noem’s testimony to Congress that he was the one who encouraged her to launch the ad campaign was not true. With Trump, who knows what to believe. But the bottom line is that she got caught in blatant corruption and tried to blame Trump for it. That is something that is never going to fly with the cult leader.

… This is the man who is now in charge of US Homeland Security. God help us.

… And once again, Trump chose the Republican for a Cabinet position who has made the most appearances on Fox over the last month, which appears to be the primary qualification for a senior position in the administration.

… Trump then trashed Tucker Carlson in an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, after Tucker called the Iran War “disgusting and evil”. Trump: "Tucker has lost his way. I knew that a long time ago, and he's not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that."

… I will note, this comes a few days after Laura Loomer met with Trump and played him clips of Tucker trashing him at various times. I asked Loomer to comment on it. This was her response: “I took him down.”

… Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) said that her state FINALLY received millions in disaster aid from FEMA the day after Sen. Thom Tillis publicly admonished Noem for failing to release the funds.

… NYT: “The Feb. 28 strike that hit an elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab is the deadliest known episode of civilian casualties since the US and Israel attacked Iran. A body of evidence assembled by the NYT - including newly released satellite imagery, social media posts and verified videos - indicates the school building was severely damaged by a precision strike that occurred at the same time as attacks on an adjacent naval base operated by the IRGC.”

… “And official statements that US forces were attacking naval targets near the Strait of Hormuz, where the IRGC base is located, suggest they were most likely to have carried out the strike. Iranian health officials and state media said the strike had killed at least 175 people, many of them children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school. US officials in public statements have indicated that on the day in question, US planes were conducting operations in the region where the school was located.”

… DropSite News: “Right in the middle of the strike map Pete Hegseth proudly displayed at a Pentagon briefing sits Minab - the site of a school in southern Iran where a US–Israeli strike killed 165 children this weekend. BBC’s Tom Bateman asked Hegseth whether the Pentagon knows whose munition hit the school. Hegseth said the dept is still investigating.”

… “Journalist Chris Osieck plotted the Minab school onto the strike map released by the US military today. It sits directly within the cluster of US strike zones shown on the Pentagon briefing map.”

… Meidas reporter Pablo Manriquez asked Rep. Yassamin Asari about it: Q - “Do you have any more info about the girls’ school that was bombed? Ansari: It’s reported that it was either US or Israeli strikes and that more than 150 children were killed. It’s devastating. These are the casualties of war. Again, right now they’re saying over 1,000 civilians have already been lost. And this is coming after tens of thousands were already killed.”

… “So I just urge the admin to please think about the Iranian people in this. Think about their future. Think about the trauma and devastation they’ve already been through. And come up with a real strategic plan to transition to democracy and end the bombing as soon as possible.”

… Reuters: “The World Health Organization chief said on Thursday that it has verified 13 attacks on health infrastructure in Iran amid a US-Israeli campaign, killing 4 health care workers and injuring 25 others.”

… Stephen Miller on Fox: “What you’re seeing right now is a military under President Trump’s leadership that’s not fighting politically correct.”

… Dr. Jake Scott: “The point of calling a bombing campaign ‘not politically correct’ is to make empathy itself illegitimate. Once mourning dead children is reframed as softness, there’s no floor. Anything can be justified as long as objecting to it can be painted as weakness.”

… Earlier this week, Trump again attacked and personally insulted Zelensky and Ukraine, calling him “PT Barnum” while ridiculously blaming Ukraine for the depletion of US weapons stockpiles that Trump has burned through by bombing 7 different places over the past year. But now the US has a problem dealing with Iran’s ‘Shahed’ drone, and the world’s foremost expert on counter-drone warfare is Ukraine.

… Zelensky: “We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against “shaheds” in the Middle East region. I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security. Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people. Glory to Ukraine!”

… “We ourselves are at war. And frankly, we have a shortage of what they have. They have missiles for the Patriots, but hundreds or thousands of ‘shaheds’ cannot be intercepted with Patriot missiles – it is too costly. They simply do not have that many missiles. That is why they need interceptor drones, which we have. Meanwhile, we have a shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles. So, when it comes to tech or weapons exchange, I believe our country will be open to it.”

… I will also note that Zelensky offered to help train our troops on counter-drone warfare in March 2025, and the Trump admin scoffed at him and blew him off.

… Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko: “Suddenly, its turns out that it is not smart to arrogantly shit on an ally that has learned how to down 200 Shaheds every single night and then wipe out and oil refinery or a military airfield with a handful of cheap drones.”

… Reuters: “Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets didn’t have enough missiles to shoot down Russian drones and missiles for more than 3 weeks after supplies from Kyiv’s partners dried up just as Moscow was preparing a massive winter air campaign. The acute shortage from late Nov to mid-Dec, which has not been previously reported, lays bare the vulnerability of Ukraine’s air defenses which rely heavily on Western allies for missiles and defense systems to repel frequent Russian strikes.”

… “Kyiv has often complained about a lack of weapons since the full-scale war began more than 4 years ago, sounding the alarm over critical shortages in recent months while seeking not to anger Trump’s admin. Ukraine only had a handful of U.S.-made AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for its entire squadron of F-16s when supplies stopped.”

… “Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have survived the worst of a bitter winter without heating, electricity and running water as a result of an intensifying Russian onslaught on the energy system that Ukraine has been unable to completely repel.”

… After Karoline Leavitt claimed yesterday that Spain had reversed their position and was going to allow the US to use military bases in their country to launch attacks against Iran, Spain’s Jose Luis Albares said she’s lying: “I categorically deny this. Spain’s position on the war in the Middle East, on the attack on Iran, on the use of our bases, has not changed. She might be the WH spokesperson, but I’m the foreign minister of Spain!”

 … This is what Leavitt said: “With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear. And it’s my understanding over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military.”

… Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: “We must not repeat the mistakes of the past. No to war. No to violations of international law, and no to the illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs.”

… Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) posted this photo today:

… Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-CT): “I have emerged from classified briefings deeply concerned and very fearful that we’re on the precipice not only of an escalating conflict in the region, but also putting American troops on the ground because that is almost inevitably the path the admin has chosen by its current tactical approach.”

… Politico: “The Trump admin’s top defense and intelligence officials told lawmakers this week that the Pentagon could soon send an emergency supplemental funding request to Capitol Hill. They didn’t offer a timeline or dollar value, but the WH is reportedly mulling a $50 billion ask. That’s a massive sum on top of the more than $990 billion Congress has shelled out for defense capabilities in recent months.”

… “To pass any new military funding measure through the Senate, the support of at least 7 Democrats will be needed to overcome the filibuster. It’s far from certain the votes are there.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “Good luck. What Democrat is going to vote to fund an illegal war? I don’t think - with the exception of one Democrat (Fetterman) - there will be any votes for it.”

… Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), and Iraq combat vet: “Outrageous. I mean, you lie to us, don’t consult us and then expect us to send more taxpayer money to a war that we shouldn’t have started with no plan and no answers.”

… “But this is not the universal position inside the party. Several Dems on the Senate Armed Services Committee aren’t ruling out supporting more Pentagon funding. That includes the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed, as well as Sens. Gary Peters, Tim Kaine and Elissa Slotkin.”

… Slotkin: “I need to know the goals and the plan. I don’t rule anything out. I mean, we’re in it.”

… The Atlantic’s Nancy Youssef: “The preliminary Pentagon cost estimate of the war in Iran is $1 billion a day, a congressional official told me.”

… Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI): “This war is costing a billion dollars a day. In one fucking month we will spend more over there than we needed to save healthcare for more than 2 million Americans. They literally are taking away your food and your healthcare for this regime change war of choice.”

My position is this: If you vote to fund Trump’s war, then you support Trump’s war, and you own everything that happens as a result of the war you funded. You can try to explain/justify it however you want, but it will not work with Democratic voters.

… Gas market analyst Patrick De Haan: “Now expecting the national average for gasoline may rise beyond the previously expected $3.30-$3.35. We could now head for $3.40-$3.55/gal, and that’s not really including much seasonality.”

… “How many states have seen diesel prices go up notably in the last week? 15 states are up 40 cents or more, 32 states are up 30 cents or more, 43 states are up 25 cents or more, 48 states are up 20 cents or more.”

… “How many states have seen gas prices go up notably in the last week? 12 states are up 30 cents or more, 29 states are up 25 cents or more, 39 states are up 20 cents or more, 49 states are up 10 cents or more.”

… Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) on MS NOW: “Already you see the WH in an absolute panic over gas prices, coming up with wild ideas. They understand that this terrible decision they have taken is going to end this presidency. We’re gonna have a lame duck president for 3 years with 20 to 30% approval.”

… Himes on war powers: “That is not a debate that the Republicans want to have, because a year ago they turned the Congress into the Russian Duma. We don’t have a Congress today. We have a majority party in the House and Senate that’s going to do exactly what Trump tells them to do.”

… Arnaud Bertrand on the Iranian ship that was sunk by the US while it was returning from India: “Pete Hegseth said this was ‘the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since WWII’ (which is false, but that’s beside the point), so I decided to look at what happened in WW2 and - this might surprise no-one: turns out the Nazis were more humane than the Americans.”

… “Probably the most abject part here is that the warship had many survivors - 32 to be precise - and the US made zero effort to rescue them, despite it being required by the laws of naval warfare and simply being the honorable thing to do. It took little Sri-Lanka, with its very modest means, to do the honorable thing and launch a (successful) rescue operation.”

… “Even the literal Nazis, during WW2, rescued the survivors of ships their U-boats sank. It was considered a matter of basic honor.”

This one was exhausting. A heavy news day from both a quantity and gravity standpoint and it just kept coming. I did my very best to keep up because it was coming from a lot of different directions as you can tell in this Bulletin.

Yesterday was my podcast Uncovered, where I did a deep dive into the top stories of the week. I predicted Noem’s firing in the show, so that came true pretty fast! The link to Uncovered is here.

After tomorrow’s Bulletin is the Ask the Editor podcast where I answer 5 of your questions each week. If you have a question or a topic you would like me to talk more about, leave it in the comments to this Bulletin below.

… Daily Mail: “Terrified Americans stranded across the Middle East are accusing the Trump admin of abandoning them in a war zone, while the WH quietly arranged a private jet to fly a group of MAGA influencers to safety. US citizens trapped in the region said that they are receiving ‘zero help’ from the State Dept. One traveler shared photos of a jam-packed Dubai Intl Airport. He described a harrowing, days-long ordeal trying to reach his family in the DC area.”

… “The frustration is boiling over as other nations move to evacuate their own citizens. The Trump admin has insisted it is doing the same, but US travelers have said they have so far received no support. Critics have highlighted a stark disparity after the WH helped a clutch of MAGA influencers flee the Middle East by private jet while hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans remain stranded.”

… “Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, dog-walker Sarah Daither and former lobbyist Jay Footlik were among 6 who fled on a plane Bruesewitz chartered after US strikes on