Noem Fired, War Power Vote, & State Tax Breakdown

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Adam Rogers
March 06, 2026

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President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday, tapping Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as her replacement effective March 31. It is the first Cabinet firing of Trump's second term. Noem was the face of Trump's immigration crackdown, overseeing deportations, border restrictions, and enforcement operations.
An administration official cited "a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures," including the Minneapolis fallout, the ad campaign controversy, allegations of infidelity, staff mismanagement, and feuding with the heads of CBP and ICE. Earlier this week, Noem claimed Trump approved a $200 million ad campaign urging undocumented immigrants to self-deport — a claim the White House publicly denied.
Noem will immediately assume a new role as "Envoy for The Shield of the Americas," leading a Western Hemisphere security initiative. Mullin, a former MMA fighter who served a decade in the House before winning a 2023 Senate special election, will require confirmation.

The House voted 212-219 yesterday to reject a bipartisan resolution that would have required congressional approval for U.S. military operations in Iran — a day after the Senate defeated a similar measure. The back-to-back votes give President Trump free rein to continue and expand the military campaign.
Only two Republicans broke ranks to oppose Trump, while four Democrats defected to help kill the resolution. A separate group of six centrist Democrats introduced their own measure requiring congressional authorization within 30 days.
The administration has portrayed the campaign as targeting Iran's missile program rather than seeking regime change — a message muddled Thursday when Trump vowed to help select Iran's next supreme leader.

The sixth World Baseball Classic began last night with 20 nations competing in what has become the sport's premier international tournament. Since its 2006 debut, the gap between baseball's traditional powers and smaller nations has narrowed with each edition.
In 2006, baseball's nine dominant nations went 15-0 against lesser competitors, winning by an average of 9-3. By 2023, those margins had shrunk dramatically, with smaller nations recording upsets and pushing powerhouses to extra innings. Japan won the 2023 championship on a Shohei Ohtani strikeout of Mike Trout in the final out.
Team USA opens pool play tonight in Houston at 8 pm ET against Brazil. Great Britain will field nearly a dozen current or former MLB players, while Nolan Arenado, passed over by Team USA, will represent Puerto Rico after a call from manager Yadier Molina.

Health Secretary RFK Jr. announced that 53 medical schools agreed to expand nutrition education, part of his push to shift doctors' focus from treating chronic disease toward prevention. (More)

Montana Sen. Steve Daines dropped his re-election bid Wednesday minutes before the filing deadline, and Trump endorsed replacement candidate Kurt Alme hours later. (More)

Police arrested a suspect Thursday after three women were found dead at separate locations in southern Utah, ending a multi-state manhunt that stretched through Arizona and Colorado. (More)

A yearlong Interpol operation arrested 60 suspects and rescued 65 child victims across nine Central American, North American, and Caribbean countries, the agency announced. (More)

Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone strikes on an airport terminal and near a school, calling it an "act of terror." Iran denied targeting its neighbor, saying it only strikes military bases. (More)

Germany's Cologne Cathedral will charge admission for the first time later this year, after rising maintenance costs and pandemic revenue losses drained its €16 million annual upkeep budget. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -0.56%, Nasdaq -0.26%, Dow -1.61%) as fears rise about the economic toll of the Iran conflict. (More)

Target unveiled a major store overhaul — new grocery sections, upgraded beauty shops, and trendier apparel — as the retailer tries to reverse four straight quarters of falling sales. (More)

US oil prices jumped 21% this week to over $81 a barrel as the Iran war halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing gas prices up 27 cents to $3.25 a gallon on average. (More)

Inter Miami visited the White House after winning its first MLS Cup, where captain Lionel Messi presented President Donald Trump with a pink team soccer ball during a reception in the East Room. (More)

Today anchor Savannah Guthrie visited NBC colleagues and confirmed she plans to return to the show, more than a month after her 84-year-old mother vanished in Tucson. (More)

Celtics star Jayson Tatum is expected to play tonight against Dallas, less than 10 months after tearing his Achilles tendon — one of the fastest returns from that injury in NBA history. (More)

Neuroscientists found that learning makes brain neurons work together more closely rather than independently, overturning a long-held assumption about how the brain improves at skills. (More)

Kids who ate more ultra-processed foods at age 3 showed higher rates of anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity at age 5, a University of Toronto study of 2,000 children found. (More)

Scientists scanned 800 ant species in a week using AI and robotic X-ray technology, creating a free 3D image library that would have taken six years with traditional equipment. (More)

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