There it is: Noem out, Mullin in
— Jake Lahut (@jakelahut.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Will be interesting to see how Markwayne Mullin’s difficulties with the English language will play out in this job
— Jake Lahut (@jakelahut.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 1:44 PM
The Markwayne Indicator: When the GOP shoves Mullin in front of the media, it means no *smarter* Republican is willing to take the hit to their reputation.
Holy shit. These people shouldn’t be near sharp cutlery, let alone seats of power.
Mullin: “This is war.”
Raju: “You concede this is war?”
Mullin: “We haven’t declared war.”
Reporter: “You just said it’s a war.”
Mullin: *stammer— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) March 3, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Markwayne Mullin, set to run Homeland Security >>
— Jon Passantino (@passantino.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 2:47 PM
I’ve been asked if I would support Sen. Mullin as Noem’s replacement.
The answer is a resounding NO. The rot in DHS is deep, much deeper than any individual.
It’s a question of policy not personnel. The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in.— Chuck Schumer (@schumer.senate.gov) March 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM
I cannot support the confirmation of Senator Mullin to Trump’s out-of-control DHS. We must all take a stand.
— Senator Andy Kim (@kim.senate.gov) March 5, 2026 at 10:10 PM
I truly do think all of the "Noem out, Mullin in" posts and stories are failing American democracy right now!
Trump is announcing his nominee.
That's it.
If the Senate majority wants to confirm him, they're a part of this—even after knowing what they know now.
And that matters come November.— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Markwayne Mullin has to get confirmed by the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is chaired by Rand Paul, who Markwayne Mullin recently called a “snake” & said he sympathized with Rand Paul’s neighbor who beat him up.
— Lisa Mikolajczyk ✡️ 🏴☠️ (@lisamikolajczyk.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 2:27 PM
If you thought Noem and Lewandowski was hot, get ready for Mullin & Hegseth
— Jason Herbert (@herberthistory.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Markwayne Mullin, the new DHS secretary, referred to Pete Hegseth as "President Hegseth" . . . twice in a matter of seconds.
Mullin then referred to the taste and smell of war . . . but he's never served in the military.
Only the "best" for Donald Trump.
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a…— Michael J. Stern (@michaeljstern.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 8:46 PM
one thing that's going to be a serious problem for mullin is answering questions about what he'll do about the widespread corruption noem let spread throughout DHS, and i think an actual golden retriever would be better prepared for those questions than mullin will be
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) March 5, 2026 at 6:33 PM
like, mullin is not going to be any better at this job than noem was, he will just be terrible at it in new and novel ways, but he's already going to have a mountain of her shit to clean up and miller screaming at him to detain and deport more brown people from day one, and he won't like it
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) March 5, 2026 at 6:34 PM
We shouldn’t be so concerned that Mullin doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree
Plenty of smart, successful people never went to college
We should be concerned that Mullin is unqualified, particularly stupid and ridiculously arrogant-a dangerous combination which is unfortunately very common among MAGA— Adam Cohen (My Personal Views Only) (@axidentaliberal.bsky.social) March 6, 2026 at 1:35 AM
So no written test I'm thinking
— Special Envoy for the Shield of the Popehats (@kenwhite.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Everybody’s got their reasons for despising Markwayne Mullin and mine is him screaming at the dignified and brilliant former CDC Director Susan Monarez at a hearing.
He lied about a nonexistent recording and tried to bully her into submission.
She was a locus of zen. He lost his damned mind.— Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD (@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.
Thank you to @legalmiga.bsky.social for the Thread on Mullin that inspired this video— Sylvia at Tono Latino (@tonolatino.bsky.social) March 6, 2026 at 2:13 AM
With Sen Mullin leaving Senate to become Trump's head of Homeland Security, GOP Gov of Okl Kevin Stitt gets to pick a replacement. Well Trump has been trashing Stitt recently as a RINO. Hoping Stitt picks a Democrat to piss off Trump! (or at least anti-Trump GOP) www.politico.com/news/2026/02…
— Dean Obeidallah (@deanobeidallah.bsky.social) March 5, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Intereseting tidbit re Oklahoma's Senate seat once Mullin resigns:
Yes, the OK Gov would appoint a temporary replacement, but under Oklahoma law, they would only serve until the November special election *and wouldn't be allowed to run for that.*
Seat warmer ONLY.
thehill.com/homenews/cam…— Charles Gaba ✡️ (@charlesgaba.com) March 5, 2026 at 8:58 PM
do i think a democrat could win a surprise senate election in oklahoma? probably not. but do i welcome the NRSC having to commit more money and energy to a race that would have been a cakewalk? yes.
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) March 5, 2026 at 1:54 PM
War for Ukraine Day 1,470: The Leader of the Free World Announces He Will Help Get Trump’s Tuchas Out of the Crack Trump Wedged It In
Gretchen
I was puzzled why they’d pick Mullins, but the explanation that everyone else was too smart to take it tracks. I’m also fascinated by the detail that he challenged Teamster president Sean O’Brien to a fist fight on the Senate floor, right here, right , show your stuff. But he doesn’t buckle his seatbelt in the district because he’s so scared of carjacking. And we’ve all seen him cowering on January 6. So which is it? Manly man who will fight anyone, or scaredy-cat who you will find under the seats?
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Gretchen: I’m going to go with “bully and coward”. He’ll fit right in with the rest of the Trumpists.
Jay
@Gretchen:
“Macho” men don’t shit talk, they just “go”.
The “Okay Guy”.
youtube.com/shorts/yK7T4P5gts4
Martin
Every time I see Andy Kim with Senator as his title, I smile. Pretty deserving guy.
@Gretchen: I think part of it is that Oklahoma might be the only place red enough that they don’t have to worry about losing that seat given that Dems have been getting an almost 20 point swing over 2024. Or put another way, if Democrats are competitive in Oklahoma, the GOP is sufficiently fucked that it doesn’t matter one way or another.
Tony Jay
I’ve removed stringy, brown lettuce from the edge of overcooked burgers that were more qualified to head up Heimatschutzministerium than MaWaMu, so it makes a sort of depressing sense that Slump picked him out from the crowd.
Miller will be carving swastikas into his buttocks cheeks by lights out tonight.
West of the Rockies
Mullin/Hegseth: the slash fiction no one ever wanted. (See the above Tweet about “if you thought Noem and Lewandowski was hot…)
Ugh, what a pair of jokers. You’ve heard of the Dynamic Duo; now we have the (un)Dynamic Dummies.
Ten Bears
I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts he doesn’t get the same shit for the same “Indian ten generations ago” claim Elizabeth Warren made. He’s a liar but … he’s a Republican
Baud
@Martin:
QFT
Gremcat
Has there been any official reason T*$#p fired her ass? I know the actual reason is because she told Congress that the FFPOS signed off on the $220M self-promotional ad buy, but if she has done such a “spectacular” job why get rid of her? And why is no one asking?
Tony Jay
On the topic of overpromoted non-entities wading well out of their depth, any doubts about how our Prime Minion would respond to the absolute ball-flattening centre-left voters delivered to his Changed UK Labour brand at the Gorton & Denton by-election last week have been answered.
Rather than read the room and change course to appease the non-extremist majority of Labour MPs, he’s dithered and lied over the extent of Britain’s support for Operation Enduring Failure and stood in mute silence while his cartoonishly evil Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, went strutting around on photo shoots in her best Bovinoesque Dark Empire label fashions and then gave a speech on immigration and deportation yesterday that could almost have been written for a future Reform PLC Minister of National Cleansing, except their version would have lacked the sneering arrogance Mahmood brings to everything and spent less time trying to redefine ‘Labour Values’ to mean National Socialism circa 1934.
It looks like Blue Labour aren’t going to let their grip on newnewlabourinc slip without a nasty fight, and Mahmood is their standard bearer. When the likes of Stella Creasy (who was loud and proud in rejecting a centre-left Labour leadership back when it was on offer) are coming out with panicked opinion pieces calling for a rethink of the Labour Right’s headlong drive towards electoral suicide, you know there’s a war a’brewing.
Baud
I’ve been getting ads to join Customs on YouTube, so their marketing parameters are truly cooked.
Baud
Baud
YY_Sima Qian
@Baud: Having an affair is still enough to force a GOP candidate from a race? I’d thought they & voters don’t give a sh*t about moral depravity any more.
Baud
@YY_Sima Qian:
The staffer killed herself. But otherwise, I don’t know why this is different from the other misdeeds they engage in.
YY_Sima Qian
@Baud: Oh, that does make a difference.
Just look at that parking lot
“I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee
a place where even squares can have a ball…”
Christ, even Merle would boot Markywayney’s ass off the tour bus.
Princess
@Gremcat: I think it was the public airing of her affair with Lewandoski and her non-denial, humiliating her husband in the front row. Women aren’t allowed to do that; only men.
Anyway, I encourage Markwayne to continue not wearing his seatbelt at all opportunities. I guess he took the job for its massive security detail.
geg6
Well, at least he graduated high school! Wait…did he?
snoey
@Ten Bears: He’s an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
mappy!
On another note, it seems Ukraine has cards. And House Of is going to need them. Who knew?
Is that sound,a mighty wind a brew’in…
Jackie
@Baud: That’s good news to wake up to! One less runoff election for Texas to deal with. Maybe that will mollify FFOTUS ;-D
Suzanne
Okay…… me too.
I also shouldn’t be DHS Secretary, though.
Shalimar
@Baud: All of his manipulative and overly horny text messages to his victim/aide have come out. Apparently it is still worse even for Republicans when voters can see all the evidence of creepiness for themselves.
Princess
@Jackie: I understand his opponent is a worse MAGA in some ways but either one would vote the same way so it’s good Gonzalez is gone.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Just look at that parking lot: I’ve seen interviews where Merle says he wrote that song sarcastically.
satby
From Norway, a video for our times: The Enshittifer
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Princess: If his opponent is a worse MAGA what are the odds there aren’t creepy things in his background too. Probably vanishingly small they just haven’t seen the light of day yet.
One thing MAGA has made plain how high the creep factor is in this country. As a CIS gendered white male I had no idea there were this many sickos in this country.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Gremcat: Officially, Noem is being “promoted” to Envoy of the Shield of the Americas or some right-wing-extremist gobbledygook of whatever flavor Dear Leader is on about this week. I get the impression that she’s made such a hash of things that even a Republican House under Pastor Johnson might see fit to hit her with articles of impeachment, if enough GOP representatives see the light; that’d reflect badly on Dear Leader, and firing her outright wouldn’t look much better for Dear Leader, so this is a fairly transparent attempt to get her out of the line of fire (and maybe pressure the GOP with a hint of “okay, ICE Barbie’s no longer Secretary of Homeland Security, now give us our goddamned money”.
Geminid
@YY_Sima Qian: I found some more information on Iran’s claim the its army (Artesh) launched an attack on the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It turns out this was not a ground operation but rather a drone strike.
Erbil-based Rudaw English posted this item today:
These strikes originate from within Iraq and are carried out by various miltias operating outside the Baghdad government’s control. Some drones target oil field infrastructure.The Iraqi army is deploying into areas from which the strikes originate in order to suppress them.
Also from Rudaw English:
Central Planning
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
I think when sickos are leading the country that signals to the other sickos that their ideas, feelings, and ultimately actions are ok and socially acceptable.
Jackie
@Princess: We can’t rule out a D upset :-) Something tells me this isn’t the year for MAGA.
Central Planning
FYWP: You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.
oldster
The poor Kurds.
To have suffered so much throughout history, and then to have Trump come begging for help.
I hope they talk to a few New York or New Jersey real estate developers, and learn that he never, ever, makes good on his commitments. If he says he will support you, then you are worse than on your own.
After that, they can just tell him to take a hike. Or take some support and weapons, and then call in sick.
YY_Sima Qian
@Geminid: Thanks for sharing! Appreciate it!
Shalimar
@Princess: The now Republican candidate is a long-time gun YouTuber with a history of admiring Nazi weapons and saying provocative things. If you believe what he has been saying for the last 4 years or so, he was shit-talkling for engagement and popularity in the past and he won’t be any worse than every other Republican in Congress. If you believe what he was actually saying 5-10 years ago, he will be one of the more active white supremacists.
Baud
Vladimir, STOP!
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Jackie: I do wonder if this might be the wave year of all wave years. The governor of OK has certainly been very critical of Trump lately – maybe that’s a sign that clinging to the sinking SS Trump is not a good idea even in Oklahoma. Then again maybe the guy just has principles- they’re rare but there are still some Republicans that do.
Shalimar
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: The opponent has made his living from YouTube for a long, long time. There are lots of horrible statements in his background but they’re all easily searchable so there probably isn’t anything hidden there. Never know with creepy people though.
Gvg
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Yeah I knew some of the hidden racism, misogyny a nd definitely the religious bigotry but boy the weird creeps being revealed has been an unpleasant surprise. “These people are weird”.
They project all these “laughable” vices onto liberals….unrealistic I thought. Turns out it was more projection. I can’t wait for them to crawl back under rocks. We need to fund more psychiatric school slots. We clearly aren’t training enough to deal with our own society. Also social workers.
Deputinize America
Imagine being stupid enough to give up Senate incumbency in a red pustule of a state where you align perfectly with your deranged electorate all so you can take a job for two years under Donald Trump.
zhena gogolia
@Princess: I agree that that’s what did it.
ETA: I do admit to being shocked that congressional testimony by this group of clowns had any consequences whatsoever. Now do “stock market up to $50,000” Bondi.
Baud
Tony Gonzalez’s district includes Uvalde.
Here’s the hero running on the Dem ticket there.
Katy Padilla Stout
Just look at that parking lot
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Yes. I think Merle was just having a little fun. But my parent & their friends didn’t care(or understand) that. They’d have their drinks & cigarettes and play it over & over. They all had a hoot. It was good for them.
Geminid
From Ankara-based Clash Report:
Geminid
@Deputinize America: Like a moth to a flame.
Baud
@Geminid:
Do you think the Gulf States vigorously opposed the war prior to its start?
Geminid
@Baud: That is a huge district. The southwestern boundary is the Rio Grand and it runs inland quite a ways. TX-23 starts at the outskirts of Laredo and finishes at the El Paso suburbs. It includes Big Bend National Park.
mardam
What is the over/under on:
Mullin melting down in a press conference? Two weeks.
Mullin flopsweating through a congressional hearing? 6 weeks.
Mullin getting canned? 6 months.
Geminid
@Baud: I couldn’t say. All the governments publically said they wanted diplomacy instead of military action, but public statements don’t neccesarily conform to private ones.
But Turkiye, which said it opposed this war and meant it, did not vigourously oppose it in prospect. Their leaders have cultivated a good relationship with Trump and they’re not going to trash it over this.
Hakan Fidan, the brainy Turkish Foreign Minister, does not denounce the war; he just very matter-of-factly says, this will not work, and there needs to be diplomatic resolution. And Fidan might end up being the person who mediates one, which is another reason not to come down hard on one side or the other.
Baud
@Geminid:
I just think the Gulf states have so much invested in Trump (money and relationships) that they would have had effective veto power if they really were worried.
Princess
@Geminid: Is this war a way of weakening Iran to Türkiye’s benefit? If so I can see why they’d say, terrible idea, dudes, but if you must you must.
YY_Sima Qian
@Baud: Either the influence of the GCC states pale in comparison to that of Bibi, or the GCC state were just as delusional about the ramifications of a war to depose the Islamist regime, as they are now finding out.
Geminid
@Baud: There are reports that the Saudis encouraged military action. They probably wanted to see Iran’s formidable offensive missile program wrecked. The UAE might have told the White House similarly.
And I think leaders of both nations had no illusions thst this war would be easy. Trump may have, but the Saudis and Emiratis are much better grounded in reality.
Trivia Man
@Gremcat: We need her unique expertise for SHIELD! Nobody else is capable of running that program to save humanity!
AM in NC
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: All of your female friends and relatives knew.
One of the biggest frustrations we have is that it is hard for decent men to believe how so fucking many predatory, creepy men are out there and to DO something about stopping them. Predatory, creepy men don’t listen to women – they see us as things for their use. The only thing they may respond to is other men making it clear that predatory, creepy behavior toward women is a shunning offense. And we need all decent men talking over and over and over again (just one mention won’t do!) with their sons, nephews, mentees, etc. about women being fully human, deserving of decent treatment, and not there for male gratification/objectificaton.
Not meaning to unload on you at all! Just putting my spiel to decent men out there. It’s not enough to not be a predator/creep. If you value the women in your life, we need every one of you actively working to stop and prevent the formation of predators/creeps.
TerryC
@Central Planning: “Sicko Pride”!
Geminid
@Princess: The Turks probably don’t mind seeing Iran’s missile stockpiles and production capabilities reduced. And they certainly did not want Iran to have nuclear, but I don’t think anybody wants that except maybe some soft headed Westerners. In any event, Iran’s nuclear program was effectively wrecked last June.
Turks are a very self-confident people when it comes to defense, and I don’t think they view Iran as a threat. The two nations share a long border, I think 500 miles long, but it’s very mountainous. The two nations are comparable in population; Turkiye’s is 86 million while Iran’s is 93 million.
And even though Turkiye is a Sunni Muslim nation and Iran is Shi’ite, there’s no real religious issue between them. Turkiye is legally and practically a secular state, and the devout Muslims there embrace the relatively liberal Sufi brand of Islam.
So Turkiye and Iran are regional rivals but not adversaries. And Turkiye is well-placed to mediate a diplomatic end to this war. The Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, visited Tehran a number of times during his 11-year tenure as head of the Turkish intelligence agency M.I.T., 2011 to 2023. That involved meetings with IRGC leaders including General Soleimani who was killed by the US in early 2020.
So Fidan knows the Iranians and the Iranians know Fidan, and they know he and his boss President Erdogan swing some weight with Trump. If there is a diplomatic off-ramp to this war, Turkiye could help facilitate it.
And there likely has to be one. Trump and his people hope this war will end either with an uprising of the Iranian people that topples the government, or with that government’s capitulation because of military pressure. But a successful uprising is unlikely and capitulation is out of the question.
So there needs to be a negotiated end to this war. The question is when, though. I think one problem here is that the two sides underestimate each other. US leaders think the Iranian leaders will cave in face of prolonged bombing. Iranian leaders think American leaders will cave in the face damage done to the US and its allies, both material and economic.
But the Iranian government’s will to fight will likely prove greater than the US’s estimate, and the US government’s will to fight could exceed Iranian estimates. So this war might not end anytime soon.
prostratedragon
@satby: C’est magnifique!!
dc
@AM in NC: Too often men and boys bond over denigrating women, and if you as a boy or a man don’t play, your masculinity is denigrated by the other boys or men in the group. So too, too many good boys and men say nothing and play along until they can get away from the toxic masculinity bullies. Like all the “good” cops who do nothing to stop the bad ones.
Jackie
There’s that pesky 27% again…
Ooops! Wrong thread.🤦🏼♀️
Miss Bianca
@Deputinize America: that’s *why* he’s the man for the job!
Bupalos
The difference between Jeffries’and Pritzger’s statements is stark.
Noem isn’t “gone.” She’s had a status update, and we’ve moved closer to accountability. The job isn’t to shuffle the chairs, it’s to hold people accountable.
Professor Bigfoot
@Tony Jay: “MaWaMu.”
SIR!!!
I shall call that pudding-brained numpty “MaWaMu” from this day forward. 😂
Aziz, light!
@snoey: So is my one-sixteenth-Cherokee nephew, who is the government relations manager for the Nation’s many business holdings. This is all the heritage one needs to get a tribal membership.
frosty
No, you’re clearly overqualified.
ETA: I just called Fetterman and McCormick to vote against confirmation. I didn’t see your comment soon enough to recommend you though. Sorry ’bout that, Chief.
Archon
@Central Planning:
We have built a socioeconomic and political system that rewards sociopathic behavior. Frankly our society needs a reboot but its very hard to do without revolution or a black swan event which almost always leads to war and worst outcomes.