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BREAKING: KRISTI NOEM FIRED AS DHS SECRETARY
On March 5, 2026, Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem - announcing it in a post on Truth Social while she was literally on stage giving a keynote address to law enforcement at the Sergeants Benevolent Association conference in Nashville. She spent her time on stage promising to work closely with sheriffs - unaware her schedule had just been permanently cleared.
She is the first Cabinet secretary fired in Trump’s second term, and the ouster came immediately after a bruising two-day congressional hearing on Capitol Hill that saw bipartisan hostility and damning testimony about DHS’s operations under her watch.
Trump is spinning her removal as a lateral move - giving her the title of “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a newly announced Western Hemisphere security initiative. Don’t be fooled. She was pushed out.
WHY NOEM WAS A DISASTER - AND WHO PAID THE PRICE
Let’s be precise about the damage done under her watch:
The Minneapolis Killings. Federal immigration agents under Noem’s DHS killed two U.S. citizens - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis in January. Noem responded not with accountability, but by labeling them “domestic terrorists” before Congress, a characterization that Senator Durbin noted directly conflicted with sworn testimony from CBP and ICE officials who said they never told Noem that Pretti was a domestic terrorist. She refused to retract the statement.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey posted “Good riddance” after Noem’s firing. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called for a complete DHS overhaul.
The $220 Million Vanity Ad Campaign. Noem oversaw a roughly $220 million taxpayer-funded ad blitz featuring herself prominently - including footage of her on horseback near Mount Rushmore. The contracts were steered to a small pool of hand-picked, politically connected firms, including a company that was incorporated just days before being awarded its contract and a subcontractor linked to the spouse of a top DHS official. When pressed in testimony, Noem claimed Trump approved the campaign. Trump told Reuters: “I never knew anything about it.” That denial is reportedly what sealed her fate - blaming Trump is a one-way ticket out.
Contract Fraud via Corey Lewandowski. Noem’s de facto chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski - an unpaid “Special Government Employee” - was signing off on multi-million dollar DHS contracts despite holding no official authority to do so. When directly asked under oath by Senator Richard Blumenthal whether Lewandowski had any role in approving contracts, Noem said “No.” ProPublica, using internal DHS records and interviews with four current and former agency officials, found that this was demonstrably false. CNN had previously reported that Lewandowski had become the de facto chief of the entire department, with sources telling them “Everyone is terrified of him because he has almost singular authority to fire people.” Both Noem and Lewandowski are now expected to leave DHS.
SENATOR DURBIN’S RECEIPTS: THREE LIES UNDER OATH
After the hearings, Senator Dick Durbin took to the floor to lay out exactly where Noem committed perjury. He outlined three distinct lies:
Lie #1 - DHS Follows Court Orders. Noem testified that DHS follows court orders. The Trump DOJ’s own sworn declaration admitted ICE violated over 50 court orders in New Jersey alone. A Republican-appointed federal judge in Minnesota found ICE violated at least 96 court orders in January alone, writing that the court was “not aware of another occasion in the history of the United States in which a federal court has had to threaten contempt - again and again and again - to force the United States government to comply.” By the time of Durbin’s floor statement, the total had climbed to over 200 ICE court order violations in Minnesota in just two months.
Lie #2 - DHS Does Not Detain U.S. Citizens. Noem denied DHS detains U.S. citizens. Durbin detailed Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois, where federal agents rammed the car of U.S. citizen Dayanne Figueroa and forced her to the ground. Durbin’s own staff documented at least 40 U.S. citizens detained in Illinois during that single operation alone. Senator Cory Booker independently cited at least 170 Americans wrongly detained nationwide.
Lie #3 - Lewandowski Has No Role in Contracts. As detailed above: Noem flatly denied it under oath. Internal DHS records say otherwise.
Under federal law, it is a crime to “knowingly and willfully” make a false statement to Congress. She did not “misspeak” three times.
MEET YOUR NEW DHS SECRETARY: MARKWAYNE MULLIN
Trump has nominated Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem, effective March 31. He still requires Senate confirmation.
Here is what you need to know:
His Background. Mullin is a former professional MMA fighter with an undefeated 5-0 record who has served in the House since 2012 and the Senate since 2023. Trump chose him in large part because he loves watching Mullin fight on cable news - the administration regularly deployed him to do combative TV hits defending the administration’s most controversial positions.
January 6th - The Full Story. Yes, Mullin helped Capitol Police barricade the House chamber doors during the January 6 attack. What happened after matters more. He voted against forming an independent commission to investigate the insurrection. He voted against forming the House Select Committee. He went on TV and blamed Democrats and the media for the insurrection. He later introduced legislation to expunge Trump’s impeachment for inciting the attack - even as the man who helped hold the doors.
His Track Record of Aggression. In 2023, during a Senate HELP Committee hearing, Mullin stood up and challenged Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to a physical fight in the middle of a congressional hearing. Bernie Sanders had to tell him to sit down.
The Rand Paul Problem. Mullin has publicly called his Senate colleague Rand Paul a “freaking snake” and said he understands why Paul’s neighbor assaulted him. This is notable because Rand Paul chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee - the committee that will hold Mullin’s confirmation hearing. Watch that hearing closely.
The bottom line: Noem was chaotic. Mullin is disciplined. He is a loyal soldier being handed the keys to the machinery of mass deportation without the drama. The militarization of DHS is about to accelerate.
THE SLIP HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD: WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE ACTUALLY SAID
During a recent White House briefing, an administration official, when pressed on mass deportations of working undocumented people, told their base to “lighten up” - saying that undocumented workers “came in illegally, but they’re good people, and they’re working now on farms and they’re working in luncheonettes and hotels.”
Let that sink in. The same apparatus that has spent years demonizing migrants, terrorizing communities, and building a billion-dollar deportation machine just openly admitted that undocumented labor is the backbone of American agriculture and hospitality.
They don’t want to deport everyone. They want a permanent, terrified underclass too scared of ICE to demand fair wages, safe conditions, or basic rights. The deportation machine is not about public safety - it is a state-sponsored compliance operation for big agriculture and corporate hospitality. They get cheap labor. ICE gets a bloated budget. Follow the money and the corporate collaborators, because that is where the real story lives.
VOTER PROTECTION: DON’T LET CONFUSION DO THE WORK OF SUPPRESSION
The same machine operating in the streets is operating at the polls. If you are voting in Texas - or anywhere these tactics are being deployed - protect your vote. Here is your checklist. Share it widely.
YOUR TEXAS VOTING RIGHTS CHECKLIST
1. Bring an Approved Photo ID. Texas has some of the strictest ID laws in the country. Acceptable forms include: a Texas Driver License, a Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC), a Texas Personal ID Card, a Texas License to Carry, a U.S. Military ID, a U.S. Citizenship Certificate with photo, or a U.S. Passport. IDs may be expired up to 4 years (voters 70+ may use any expired ID).
2. Don’t Have an ID? You Still Have Options. If you lack an approved photo ID and cannot reasonably obtain one, you can fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration at the polls and present a supporting document such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check, or voter registration certificate. Valid impediments include lack of transportation, illness, work schedule, family responsibilities, or a lost/stolen ID.
3. Demand a Provisional Ballot. If a poll worker challenges your eligibility or turns you away, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot. Do not leave without one. You will have six calendar days after Election Day to follow up at your county elections office to ensure it is counted.
4. Check Your Polling Location Before You Leave the House. Precinct locations change. Verify yours at VoteTexas.gov or call your county elections office directly. Do not rely on where you voted last time.
5. Name Mismatch? Bring Backup. If the name on your ID doesn’t exactly match your voter registration, bring a supporting document that shows your name and address - such as a voter registration certificate, utility bill, or bank statement - to help confirm your identity.
6. Stay in Line. Texas law is clear: if you are in line when polls close at 7:00 PM, you have the right to vote. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Stay in line.
7. Track Your Mail Ballot. If you voted or plan to vote by mail, the Texas Ballot By Mail Tracker is the fastest way to know if there is an issue with your ballot. Provisional and mail ballot issues for the March 3 primary must be cured by March 9, 2026.
📞 VOTER ASSISTANCE HOTLINES & RESOURCES
🔵 Texas Secretary of State - Official voter info & polling locator VoteTexas.gov
🔵 NAACP Legal Defense Fund - Texas voter rights guide voting.naacpldf.org/texas
🔵 Texas Civil Rights Project - Voting rights legal assistance texascivilrightsproject.org
🔵 Election Protection Hotline - Non-partisan voter assistance (English) Call or text: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
🔵 Election Protection Hotline - Asistencia en Español Llama o envía un mensaje: 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682)
🔵 ACLU Voting Rights - Know your rights + legal support aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights
🔵 Ballotpedia Texas - Races, dates, and voting rules ballotpedia.org/Voting_in_Texas
📌 KEY LINKS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE
The Daily Beast: DHS awarded contract to Lewandowski’s campaign pals
Public Radio Tulsa: Mullin blames Democrats and media for Jan. 6
📖 QUICK GLOSSARY
Operation Metro Surge - The ICE operation in Minneapolis under which federal agents killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January 2026.
Operation Midway Blitz - The ICE operation in Illinois during which agents detained at least 40 U.S. citizens, rammed a car carrying U.S. citizen Dayanne Figueroa, and shot U.S. citizen Marimar Martinez five times.
Special Government Employee (SGE) - A designation allowing private citizens to work for federal agencies for up to 130 days per year without full-time civil service status or standard ethics rules. Both Corey Lewandowski and Elon Musk held this status.
The Shield of the Americas - A new Trump administration security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere, announced March 8, 2026 in Doral, FL. Noem’s consolation prize title.
Reasonable Impediment Declaration - A Texas voting form that allows voters without an approved photo ID to cast a ballot by showing a secondary document (utility bill, bank statement, voter registration certificate) and stating the reason they cannot present a photo ID.
Open hearts. Open minds.
- Eyes on Intel
The information in these show notes is compiled from publicly available reporting as of March 6, 2026. All links go to primary sources. Share responsibly. Protect your vote.
