Tag Archives: Secretary Kristi Noem

Miami Herald: GOP Senator Confronts His Party Over Disaster Aid

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Recent tornadoes and severe storms have reportedly caused seven fatalities and over $1.5 billion in damages in Missouri. Sen. Josh Hawley visited the hardest-hit areas in North St. Louis City and called for immediate assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Hawley emphasized the importance of federal aid in supporting recovery efforts in the aftermath of the disaster.

Trump’s administration has proposed shifting disaster response responsibilities to states. FEMA is reportedly undergoing significant changes. This has fueled concerns about delayed or denied aid.

GOP Senator Confronts His Party Over Disaster Aid
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-senator-confronts-his-party-over-disaster-aid/ss-AA1FSGOd

Rolling Stone: GOP Senator Begs for Disaster Aid as FEMA Snubs Another Red State

Several conservative states have been forced to wait for disaster relief, with lawmakers publicly groveling for federal assistance

Senators grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem today over her management of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and how the agency — which President Donald Trump has sought to dismantle — is responding to a series of devastating storms across the southern United States. 

During a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked [Bimbo #2] Noem what she would do about pending federal disaster declaration requests for the state of Missouri — which has been wracked by a series of deadly tornadoes — that have not been approved by the president. Mississippi, which is still recovering from extreme weather events in March, is also waiting for approval on months-old disaster relief declarations. 

“The state has pending three requests for major disaster declarations from earlier storms we’ve lost over a dozen people. Well, actually, if you count the folks we lost just on Friday, we’ve lost almost 20 people now in major storms just in the last two months in Missouri,” Hawley said. 

“Will you commit to helping, for those three major disaster declaration requests that are pending, will you expedite those, Secretary [Bimbo #2] Noem, and get those in front of the president, get those approved?” Hawley asked. “We are desperate for the assistance in Missouri.” 

The response from Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem was more of the customary lip service:

[Bimbo #2] Noem replied that she would make sure the applications were put before Trump as soon as possible, and agreed to expedite individual assistance for qualified Missourians impacted by the recent storms. 

GOP Senator Begs for Disaster Aid as FEMA Snubs Another Red State
Sen. Josh Hawley begged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to help approve FEMA aid for Missouri, after deadly tornadoes struck the state.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/josh-hawley-begs-trump-administration-fema-aid-missouri-1235343815

Esquire: Trump’s Harvard Vendetta Just Sunk to a Ridiculous New Low

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Watching a grifter who once ran his own fraudulent “university” try to devalue the institution would be funny if it weren’t so grotesque and tragic.

At this point, it’s just 300-plus years of institutional power against a jumped-up toddler who wants things his way and is willing to break them just so they’ll fit in his pocket. From The New York Times:

The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, taking aim at a crucial funding source for the nation’s oldest and wealthiest college in a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the elite school to fall in line with the president’s agenda. The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a back-and-forth in recent days over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.

The “sprawling records request” came from Secretary Kristi (Habeas? I hardly knew him!) [Bimbo #2] Noem of the Department of Homeland Security, which is wearing an even browner shirt than it wore at its creation. 

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Of course, overseas, Harvard is one of America’s great selling points, certainly a more effective one than the current president of the United States, who’s done more damage to American prestige around the world than the Vietnam War ever did. A Harvard degree, especially at the graduate level, is still a valuable commodity, and to watch a grifter who once ran his own fraudulent “university” trying to devalue it would be funny if it weren’t so grotesque and tragic.

I, too, have mocked Harvard for its hubris and its conspicuous presence in America’s elites. It’s fun and, up until now, it has been harmless fun at that. But at least Harvard has earned its pride over three damn centuries of achievement. The president seeking to destroy it is a vainglorious bully dripping with fake and fraudulent gold. There is no other side to take except to hope Harvard stands for what it’s always said it stands for.

Trump’s Harvard Vendetta Just Sunk to a Ridiculous New Low
Watching a grifter who once ran his own fraudulent “university” try to devalue the institution would be funny if it weren’t so grotesque and tragic.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a64855916/harvard-university-trump-kristi-noem-international-students-funding

MSNBC: Trump admin blocks Harvard from enrolling international students, escalating radical fight

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The administration has gone from eliminating Harvard’s grants to targeting its tax-exempt status to halting its ability to enroll international students.

Harvard University has faced an unprecedented and radical offensive from Donald Trump and his team, which to date has focused on eliminating federal grants to the school, while simultaneously targeting Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

There is, however, a third element of the offensive. The New York Times reported:

The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda. The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a back-and-forth in recent days over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem personally sent a letter to the university, which she posted to X later Thursday, that read in part, “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked.”

This development is extraordinary, but it does not appear out of the blue: In mid-April, while canceling nearly $3 million in DHS grants to Harvard, Noem simultaneously demanded that the university turn over records on foreign students alleged to have engaged in “illegal and violent activities.” Failure to cooperate would jeopardize Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification — which allows schools to admit international students.

Evidently, [Bimbo #2] Noem has now followed through on that threat.

This may well be the undoing of Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem, as she learns that that the tentacles of Harvard’s alumni extend everywhere.

Trump admin blocks Harvard from enrolling international students, escalating radical fight
The administration has gone from eliminating Harvard’s grants to targeting its tax-exempt status to halting its ability to enroll international students.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-admin-blocks-harvard-enrolling-international-students-escalating-rcna208587

MSNBC: The giant Trump banner at the USDA is another sign the U.S. is sliding into autocracy

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It may be small and petty, but these changes are part of the erosion of democratic norms, softening people up for potentially more authoritarian behavior.

Many strongmen also love to display giant photos of themselves wherever they can. If you ever go to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, you’ll be greeted with a portrait of Mao Zedong. Mao founded the People’s Republic of China, and he served as chairman of the Chinese Communist Party for more than 30 years. His portrait is about 19½ feet tall and 15 feet wide, and it weighs about 3,000 pounds. It’s been hanging over the gate leading into the Forbidden City since 1949.

If you travel farther to the east, you’ll find something similar in North Korea. In the country’s capital of Pyongyang, there’s an area called Kim Il Sung Square, where you’ll find large portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the great leader and the dear leader, respectively, overlooking the plaza at all times as people go about their daily lives.

When Putin visited the country last year, North Koreans gave him a warm welcome by plastering his photo everywhere. They even temporarily put up a humongous portrait of Putin next to one of Kim Jong Un during a welcome ceremony.

Neither China nor North Korea invented this idea. They’ve taken their cues from Joseph Stalin, the former brutal ruler of the Soviet Union. He liked to have portraits of himself displayed in public and lofted by his supporters during parades.

That practice continues in many other countries where strongmen rule today. You see it in places like Egypt, where the face of its president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, is inescapable. His mug is on billboards and banners, plastered on buildings and hanging along the roadside. That’s especially true ahead of an election, and it’s no wonder he’s been able to easily win three terms in office. (Not to mention the fact that Egypt doesn’t exactly have free and fair elections in the first place.)

In Iran, you’ll find an abundance of murals, posters and portraits of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He’s often depicted with the country’s late leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Their images are displayed everywhere — at mosques, in malls and even on the sides of some buildings.

And now, something like that is happening in the United States, too. Last week, a giant banner with Donald Trump’s official portrait was displayed on the United States Department of Agriculture building in Washington, D.C., alongside a similar banner featuring Abraham Lincoln.

Hail, Donald! Long live the King!

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-usda-portrait-road-from-to-authoritarianism-rcna207709

Associated Press: ‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations

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The White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan, a federal judge said Wednesday, hours after the Trump administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the United States but refused to reveal where they would end up. The judge’s statement was a notably strong rebuke to the government’s attempts to manage immigration.

In an emergency hearing he called to address reports that immigrants had been sent to South Sudan, Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said the eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger. Minutes before the hearing, administration officials accused “activist judges” of advocating the release of dangerous criminals.

“The department actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court’s order,” Murphy said Wednesday, arguing that the deportees didn’t have “meaningful opportunity” to object to being sent to South Sudan. The group was flown out of the United States just hours after getting notice, leaving them no chance to contact lawyers who could object in court.

‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations
A federal judge says the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic nation of South Sudan.

https://apnews.com/article/deportation-immigration-south-sudan-department-of-homeland-security-a09612dbd055c5d1d88902c415bdf3e6

Raw Story: Staffers quit over Kristi [“Bimbo #2”] Noem’s 4-hour ‘fishing expedition’ polygraphs: report

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [“Bimbo #2”] Noem’s obsession with tracking down leakers in her department has led to an exodus of employees who would rather quit than listen to threats or be subjected to intrusive polygraph tests.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the polygraphs that began back in February have continued unabated as she and top adviser Corey Lewandowski have personally singled out employees in numbers that one former official labeled “unprecedented.”

With the Journal’s Michelle Hackman and Tarini Parti labeling what is going on behind closed doors at the agency as a “fishing expedition,” they reported, “… many have said the seeming randomness has created a chilling effect inside the department.”

The report notes that some interrogations that have taken place “in a small interrogation room in Virginia with a one-way mirror,” have lasted up to four hours and that has helped lead to an exodus from the department.

Staffers quit over Kristi Noem’s 4-hour ‘fishing expedition’ polygraphs: report

https://www.rawstory.com/noem-leakers-staffers-quit

India Today: First flight departs US under Trump’s $1,000 ‘self-deport’ deal

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  • DHS launched first charter flight for migrants opting self-deport with USD 1,000 stipend
  • Flight carried 64 people from Honduras and Colombia, departing Houston
  • Participants received travel aid, stipend and chance to return legally later

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has conducted its first charter flight for migrants who agreed to “self-deport” under a new program that offers a USD 1,000 stipend to those voluntarily leaving the United States.

The self-deportation program was announced in March. Since then, the administration has paid for some migrants’ tickets to return to their home countries via commercial airlines. Monday’s flight departed Houston at about 9:30 a.m., carrying 64 people from Honduras and Colombia, according to a DHS official.

A “chance to return legally later”? Unlikely as long as King Donald reigns.

First flight departs US under Trump’s $1,000 ‘self-deport’ deal
The Trump administration launched a self-deportation program offering USD 1,000 to migrants who leave voluntarily. DHS conducted the first charter flight Monday, returning 64 people to Colombia and Honduras.

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/first-flight-departs-us-under-trumps-1000-self-deport-deal-glbs-2727328-2025-05-20

MSNBC: The Trump administration is in talks about a disturbing reality TV show idea

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A show in which immigrant contestants vie for U.S. citizenship would be a natural extension of Trump’s cruel gamification of social life.

The Department of Homeland Security is in talks with a reality T.V. show producer about a game show in which immigrant contestants would compete for U.S. citizenship. What would be a shocking story for any other White House is a fitting development for an administration fixated on melding policy with sadistic entertainment.

According to The Wall Street Journal, television producer Rob Worsoff says he has been pitching the idea for the show as far back as the Obama administration, but the project didn’t come together. Worsoff, whose credits include the reality show “Duck Dynasty,” told the Journal that the show is meant to be hopeful, that the contestants would be legal immigrants, and that losing would not result in deportation.

It’s unclear how far along the process is, but the Journal reports that DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin “said she had spoken to the producer of the proposed television reality show and that consideration of the idea was ongoing,” and Worsoff described the feedback from DHS as positive.

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Huge swaths of the migrant population in the U.S. are made up of people attempting to escape persecution, violence and destitution. It seems cruel to derive entertainment from people desperate to stay in the country as so many others are expelled as part of a right-wing nationalist campaign.

Even if this show doesn’t come to fruition, the fact that the Trump administration is even considering it — and unafraid to admit it to reporters — is damning. It’s also unsurprising, insofar as the administration has often sought to use art and memes that celebrate the pain of migrants to help give license to its brutal mass deportation regime.

…

Trump and those around him are quick to turn everything into a game or a laugh, most often at the expense of those most vulnerable among us.

Opinion | Trump’s DHS is considering making immigration into a twisted reality TV show
The Department of Homeland Security is in talks with a reality T.V. show producer about a game show in which immigrant contestants would compete for U.S.

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/blog/trump-admin-dhs-kristi-noem-reality-tv-us-citizenship-show-rcna207238

New York Post: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem [Bimbo #2] says NJ Dems involved in Newark ICE center fracas should be censured: ‘This was committing felonies’

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [Bimbo #2] called for the congressional lawmakers involved in a heated confrontation with law enforcement outside a Newark immigration detention center to be censured.

“What happened last Friday was we had members of Congress assaulting law enforcement officers,” Noem [Bimbo #2] said TUESDAY of the chaotic scene that unfolded last week outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center, during an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters.

I saw the videos, you stupid loud-mouthed goat-and-puppy killing bitch. It was the ICE thugs who assaulted the Congressional representatives, who were there on official business.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says NJ Dems involved in Newark ICE center fracas should be censured: ‘This was committing felonies’
“They don’t deserve to be in the House,” Noem said of the New Jersey lawmakers involved in the incident. “They should be censured by it.”

https://nypost.com/2025/05/13/us-news/kristi-noem-says-nj-dems-involved-in-newark-ice-center-fracas-should-be-censured

CNN: Trump admin proposed sending up to 500 alleged Venezuelan gang members during negotiations to use El Salvador’s mega-prison

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The United States proposed sending up to 500 Venezuelan migrants with alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador as the two governments sought to reach an agreement on the use of the Central American nation’s notorious mega-prison, according to emails seen by CNN.

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“These people are being thrown out of the country because of tattoos,” Judge Alvin Hellerstein said in court last Tuesday. “There is nothing in this statute or proclamation that authorizes the United States of America to hire a jail in a foreign country for people could be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment not allowable in the United States jails.”

Trump admin proposed sending up to 500 alleged Venezuelan gang members during negotiations to use El Salvador’s mega-prison
The United States proposed sending up to 500 Venezuelan migrants with alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador as the two governments sought to reach an agreement on the use of the Central American nation’s notorious mega-prison, according to emails seen by CNN.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-admin-proposed-sending-up-to-500-alleged-venezuelan-gang-members-during-negotiations-to-use-el-salvador-s-mega-prison/ar-AA1DNdhA