The Senator Who Cost Kristi Noem Her Job

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had been on thin ice in the administration.

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The immediate trigger for her ouster was testimony in a Tuesday hearing with Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

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Kennedy probed Noem about an expensive DHS marketing campaign.

The article says the campaign filtered money on no-bid deals back to consultants in her orbit, and Noem replied that Trump had greenlit the expenditure.

Kennedy later told reporters that the president was 'mad as a murder hornet' after their conversation.

Trump fired Noem on Thursday, and the article calls it the first such axing of a department head in Donald Trump's second term.

Trump announced the firing on social media while Noem was giving a press conference.

He simultaneously conferred on her the title of "special envoy for the Shield of the Americas" as a parting favor.

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He named Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.

The article describes Mullin as a wealthy plumbing baron who has served in Washington since 2013.

It says Mullin has done a lot of cable news hits since Trump returned to office and lacks clear experience on TSA, FEMA, or the Coast Guard.

The author frames the swap as slapstick gags and suggests Trump enjoys watching Mullin on TV.

The article even riffs that a future advertising campaign might star the president and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The newsletter addresses the weeklong U.S. war with Iran.

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It focuses on remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said: "There absolutely was an imminent threat, and the imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believe they would be attacked—by Israel—they would immediately come after us, and we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded."

Trump responded to questions by saying, "No, I might have forced their hand."

Rubio later said, "The bottom line is this: The president determined we were not going to get hit first."

The article argues that, despite shifting explanations, Trump ultimately attacked Iran because figures in his orbit who have long wanted to take out Iran convinced him it would be a moment of glory for him.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn led with 42 percent and the race heads to a May 26 runoff.

The article said the president was preparing to endorse Cornyn and urging Ken Paxton to drop out.

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Paxton later said he would "consider" exiting if the Senate agreed to lift the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act.

Democrats nominated state Rep. James Talarico after he defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

In Montana, Sen. Steve Daines withdrew two minutes before the filing deadline and Kurt Alme filed and received high-profile endorsements.

Rep. Ryan Zinke said he would not run for reelection.

Sen. Tim Sheehy helped eject a protester who said he suffered a broken bone.

Rep. Tony Gonzales received 42 percent in his primary and admitted to the affair.

He withdrew from the race after House Republican leaders asked him to do so, while those leaders declined to ask him to resign from Congress.