|
Kristi Noem has been ousted from her position as homeland security secretary after intensifying calls for her resignation. Noem's tenure has been marked by allegations of corruption, deadly immigration raids and legal challenges. ProPublica reporter Justin Elliott has reported extensively on Noem's tenure, including a $200 million ad campaign that may have been the inciting incident for her firing. "This did not go through the normal competitive process," says Elliott. Instead, the ad "went to a Delaware LLC that was formed only a few days before."
President Trump has announced Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as the new homeland security secretary. Mullin "has been known as a hard-liner," says Chris Stein, senior politics reporter for The Guardian US. Stein adds that the Trump administration will continue its aggressive immigration policies despite the change in leadership.
|
|
On Thursday, GOP leaders in the House had taken the unusual step of calling on the embattled Texas Republican to step aside over the scandal.
|
|
President Trump is hosting right-wing leaders from across Latin America in Miami for a summit discussing his so-called Shield of the Americas initiative. This comes as the U.S. deploys special forces to Ecuador and as Trump hints about regime change in Cuba. "This summit is … an opportunity for Trump to play out a moment of imperial fantasy in front of fans in South Florida," says Jake Johnston, director of international research at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago will attend, says the White House.
|
|
Several House members had called for Mr. Gonzales, a Texas Republican, to step down after texts emerged showing his pursuit of a staff member who later killed herself.
|
|
