María Teresita Armstrong-Matta

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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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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On her Monday night broadcast, Rachel Maddow opened with what she called a Presidents’ Day “present” for history lovers: a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to restore references to slavery at the President’s House site in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park. Maddow walked viewers through the fraught history of the long-lost home where George Washington and John Adams once lived, "— while Adams was not a slaveholder, George Washington was," said Maddow. She then blasted Trump’s effort to scrub that truth from public view. In a stinging ruling that invoked George Orwell's 1984, a George W. Bush appointed judge declared the government cannot, “assemble and disassemble historic truths” at will. The injunction forces the administration to put the slavery exhibits back, delivering what Maddow gleefully framed as a court-ordered restoration of reality.

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tried to score points Monday by blasting California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) ahead of a planned trip to Nashville, but instead got scorched in return. Blackburn, who’s running for governor, accused Newsom of turning California into “the most unaffordable [state] in America” and warned Tennesseans against his radical leftist policies. Newsom shot back, calling out Tennessee’s violent crime rate and highlighting California’s higher incomes, longer life expectancy and overall quality of life. “Time to turn Tennessee blue,” he added. The clash comes as Newsom ramps up his national profile, openly criticizing Trump abroad. "Donald Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in three years," Newsom said at a summit over climate policy in the U.K., adding that California will be "stable and reliable." Newsom is visiting Tennessee to meet with former Californians who have moved there.

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