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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the purchase of two $170 million Gulfstream jets to replace Coast Guard aircraft, a decision some officials viewed as unnecessary and expensive — but DHS officials told NBC News they were instructed to keep concerns to themselves. The tension escalated after Noem's Coast Guard plane broke down, forcing her to use a backup jet. Noem had deviated from protocol by keeping personal items, including a heated blanket, on board for convenience. When she realized she left these items behind, Homeland Security advisor Corey Lewandowski berated flight staff and demanded the plane return to retrieve them. When the Coast Guard pilot refused, Lewandowski announced the pilot was relieved of duty. The pilot explained that firing him would require immediate landing and finding a replacement pilot. Lewandowski ultimately backed down, and the pilot was reinstated. A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the in-flight confrontation.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi's efforts to manage the Jeffrey Epstein files crisis have backfired, according to Rep. Tom Massie (R-KY). Bondi faced criticism last week when she snapped at House Judiciary Committee lawmakers and insisted time would be better spent discussing stock market gains. The DOJ's subsequent release of names from Epstein documents provided no new investigative insights and only intensified public outrage. Massie characterized Bondi's defensive posture and personal attacks as strategically flawed, noting her comments about the Dow Jones appeared "weak and frustrated" and irrelevant to her job. He described her approach as "a stack of pre-prepared insults," suggesting she's exhausted her defensive options. Massie indicated Republicans are winning the argument without escalation, citing DOJ responses to his tweets with additional unredactions. He warned of potential GOP defections on the issue.

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Tucker Carlson claimed Israeli security forces briefly detained him at Tel Aviv airport after meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Carlson flew to Israel following an online disagreement with Huckabee over the country's treatment of Christians. Carlson frequently criticizes Israel's military actions in Gaza. "Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about," said Carlson. Sources told the Daily Mail that the Israeli government initially opposed allowing Carlson entry but ultimately decided to permit his visit to avoid a "diplomatic incident." Carlson has recently shared his platform with overt Nazi apologist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. This alignment caused conflict at the conservative Heritage Foundation last year over the merits of such engagement.

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A decades-long study suggests that men with higher intelligence quotient ratings are less likely to hold conservative political views.

The study comes from researchers at Saarland University and Philipps-University Marburg, institutions in Germany.

Federal prosecutors failed to secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers who produced a video reminding military service members to disobey unlawful orders. According to The New Republic's Greg Sargent, prosecutors couldn't even name a statute the Democrats allegedly violated. When asked directly by defense attorney Preet Bharara what law was broken, prosecutors had no answer. They resumed grand jury proceedings anyway, despite failing to identify any criminal liability. Sources indicate the prosecutors were at a "very preliminary" investigative stage when presenting evidence, suggesting pressure from above rather than solid legal grounds. It's unusual to pursue indictments without first stating a criminal liability, according to experts. Sargent warned that while these failures appear comical, they mask serious authoritarian abuses and may leave citizens unprepared for future attempts.

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The White House's "laughable" claim about the recent spill in the Potomac River was rebuked on CNN by Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD).

During her press briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the White House was "preparing" to help Maryland officials clean up the Potomac River after more than 200 million gallons of wastewater were released into the river in January following a sewer line collapse. The White House swiftly blamed Democratic leaders in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., for the spill and said they need to ask for help before the federal government intervenes.

A Democratic analyst was gobsmacked on Wednesday after President Donald Trump's press secretary made an "absolutely sickening" revelation during her briefing.

Trump has consistently claimed to be the "president of peace" and said he has settled multiple global conflicts. To that end, Trump has also worked to establish a Board of Peace that is tasked with maintaining a future peace agreement between Hamas and Israel. However, Democratic analyst Adam Mockler said in a new YouTube video on Wednesday that Leavitt's comments about the Board of Peace during Wednesday's press conference revealed something disturbing about the plan.

President Donald Trump used an event marking Black History Month to remark on Nicki Minaj's complexion.

"I love Nikki Minaj," the president told the audience. "She was here a couple of weeks ago. She's so beautiful. Her skin's so beautiful."

TMZ reported receiving a "highly sophisticated" ransom note as the search for Nancy Guthrie expands internationally to Mexico.

The FBI has reportedly expanded its search south of the U.S. border and asked law enforcement officials in Mexico to join the search for 84-year-old Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, who went missing three weeks ago from her Tucson home. Sources told TMZ they believe Guthrie could have been taken across the border, but it's unlikely it happened immediately after she was taken from her home.

Former Fox News host turned far-right influencer Tucker Carlson claimed Israeli security forces briefly detained him at the airport after a trip to Tel Aviv for a chat with former Arkansas Gov. and current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

According to the Daily Mail, Carlson "flew into Tel Aviv for a sit-down with Mike Huckabee, who challenged Carlson to speak to him directly following an online spat about the country's treatment of Christians. Carlson, who also frequently criticizes Israel for its military actions in Gaza, took Huckabee up on his offer."

More chaos erupted on Wednesday in the Republican Texas primary for agriculture commissioner, as a MAGA congressman caught the incumbent commissioner falsely claiming that he had endorsed him.

The seeds of the conflict were planted last month, reported Brad Johnson of Texas Bullpen, when Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, facing a hotly contested primary and trying to overcome years of scandals, made multiple social media posts claiming he had been endorsed by North Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson.