The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe: Kristi Noem is out

BREAKING NEWS: President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and is set to replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin. Here’s a quick read on the news from Jon Lemire.

JS: Jonathan, Kristi Noem is out. What happened? 

JL: Even President Trump runs out of patience eventually. This term, he’s prided himself in not having much staff turnover — the “no scalps” policy — unlike his first term, where he was firing aides left and right. But Noem has been the center of a wave of bad headlines, particularly since Minneapolis. 

JS: You told me several months ago that the president was looking to possibly move people out, and you mentioned Kristi Noem. So it wasn’t just a few days of terrible headlines. 

JL: This was in the works before then. Trump can read the polls and saw that what’s supposed to be his signature issue, immigration, became very unpopular.  

He blamed Noem and her heavy-handed tactics as part of that. Their relationship had started to go south at the end of last year, but the final straw was what happened earlier this year in Minnesota. 

Two Americans were killed at the hands of federal law enforcement officers, but more than that, Noem misled the public in their aftermath and called the shooting victims “domestic terrorists.” That was another real mark against her. 

JS: The president has had a long relationship with Corey Lewandowski, who’s been in and out of Trump’s orbit. Did Corey Lewandowski have anything to do with this firing? 

JL: Lewandowski actually helped keep Noem in the job. The two are very close. Trump has known and liked Corey since 2016, when he was his first campaign manager. It’s been off and on, but Lewandowski does carry favor with the president. But here, Noem was simply too much. 

There was a series of terrible headlines. And one truism about Trump is that he doesn’t like it when aides get more attention than he does — particularly if he thinks the negative press is affecting him politically. 

This is a developing story. We will have more in the next edition.

“We don’t have a Congress today. We have a majority party in the House and Senate that’s going to do exactly what Donald Trump tells them to do.” 

— Rep. Jim Himes on “Morning Joe” today regarding Republicans blocking a war powers resolution

ON THIS DATE

In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in which he marked the onset of the Cold War, saying: “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” [AP]

 A CONVERSATION WITH RO KHANNA

The House Oversight Committee has voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Rep. Ro Khanna — a Democratic member of the Oversight Committee and co-sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act — joined “Morning Joe” to discuss the bipartisan push for answers and what may still be missing from the records.

WG: Congressman, the last time Attorney General Pam Bondi spoke publicly about the Jeffrey Epstein files, she changed the subject — yelling about the Dow crossing 50,000 — and dismissed the inquiry as a “witch hunt.” But most Americans simply want to know who did what and when. Are you confident you’ll finally get answers from the Justice Department?

RK: I’m confident we’ll sit across from her. I’m not confident that we’ll get answers. Her modus operandi has been to come there and insult members of Congress.

WG: For people who haven’t followed every twist in this story, what exactly is still missing from the Epstein files?

RK: Half the files still have not been released.

Some of them are survivors’ statements to the FBI, where they named the rich and powerful men who may have abused them. Those were redacted back in March. They still have not put them out.

KK: Congressman, do you believe the key documents — particularly those connected to allegations involving the president — still exist in their original form?

RK: They could be there, and they could be blacked out. It’s unclear whether they have tampered with these documents. But if they have, that is an enormous crime and a cover-up.

And it’s not just allegations against President Trump. This has implicated what I call the Epstein class — some of the most rich and powerful people in this country who had no problem going to Epstein’s Island or soliciting him for money well after he was a convicted pedophile.

WG: You talk to voters across the country, including many who supported Donald Trump. How much does this issue resonate with them?

RK: Many of them say they voted for Donald Trump because he promised to finally put this country first. And they see the Epstein cover-up and this new Middle East regime change war and ask, “What happened to Donald Trump?”

WG: Let’s turn to the vote in the House on the war powers resolution regarding Iran. After the Senate blocked it, what do you expect today?

RK: It’s going to be an uphill vote, probably 30%, 40% chance of success. But we’re unifying the Democratic Party and saying we’re going to be the party against these Middle East wars and focusing on jobs and housing here at home.

The MAGA base also does not want another war in the Middle East. The MAGA base didn’t sign up for that.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.

BEHIND THE LENS

The Sony World Photography Awards recently unveiled its finalists for the coveted 2026 prize in the professional category. The winner, including Photographer of the Year, will be announced in April. In the meantime, here are three images that caught our eye.

IRAN’S POSSIBLE NEW LEADER?

Days after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike, we’re learning more about the person who may be tapped to replace him.

The New York Times is reporting that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, has become the front-runner among the Assembly of Experts, the 88-cleric body entrusted with appointing the next supreme leader. He has reportedly kept a low public profile despite garnering significant influence in his father’s regime, developing strong links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — which reportedly pressed the assembly for his selection. President Trump told Axios that he was against that possibility, calling Khamenei’s son a “lightweight” and insisting that he be personally involved in picking the country’s next leader.  

Ray Takeyh, with the Council on Foreign Relations, tells MS NOW that Mojtaba appears “dogmatic in his views” and “revolutionary in his outlook,” not to mention personally aggrieved. The Iranian government has reported that his wife and one of his sons were killed, along with both of his parents, in the U.S.-Israeli attacks last weekend.

EXTRA HOT TEA

$2.2 million

— The reimbursement amount that prediction market company Kalshi paid to settle complaints and backlash about its $55 million payout for wagers on Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ouster and killing.

ONE MORE SHOT

Las Vegas’ Eastside Cannery Casino-Hotel was demolished by implosion early this morning. The property closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and never reopened.

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