Featured

Trump: Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader, but I said no thanks

Trump’s “Iran asked me to be Supreme Leader” joke at an NRCC fundraiser uses a real, deadly leadership crisis in Iran to normalize assassination-as-policy and blur what’s confirmed about the war and succession.

Mar 26, 2026

Featured

‘Men need to be perp-walked’ after Epstein files release, Massie tells BBC

A GOP lawmaker says the Epstein document releases are still falling short—because redactions and withheld material may be blocking accountability and survivor-centered justice.

Mar 25, 2026

Buried.News

The stories buried under the noise

Primary focus

Trump fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary

A Cabinet secretary was forced out amid contracting and oversight scrutiny, signaling that executive control—not transparent accountability—can dictate leadership of the agency driving mass detention and deportation.

Mar 5, 2026

Featured

The Trump gold coin is not normal : Consider This from NPR

A federal design panel OK’d a Trump portrait for a commemorative gold coin, but the key question is whether Treasury can legally bypass long-standing limits meant to keep living politicians off U.S. money.

Mar 23, 2026

Featured

White House Confronted Over Huge Bets Made Minutes Before Trump’s Big War Move

A $580 million burst of oil-futures selling minutes before Trump’s Iran “talks” post raises a basic public-interest question: did anyone trade on advance knowledge of a market-moving national security decision?

Mar 24, 2026

Trump’s DHS pick, Markwayne Mullin, never served in military but talks as if he did

Trump’s DHS nominee Markwayne Mullin has no military record but repeatedly speaks in ways that imply combat experience, raising basic credibility and transparency questions for a top national-security role.

Executive

Mar 18, 2026

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/trump-dhs-markwayne-mullin-military

Summary

The Guardian reports that Sen Markwayne Mullin, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, has never served in the US military but has repeatedly used language that sounds like firsthand war or overseas operational experience. The story argues he has kept his supposed “overseas” background intentionally vague, while offering shifting explanations ranging from “special assignments” to mission work. It matters because DHS leadership depends on public trust and clear, verifiable credentials—especially when rhetoric about force, security, and crises is used to claim authority.

Reality Check

The core factual point is straightforward: the article presents no evidence Mullin served in the US military, while showing multiple public statements where he appears to invite (or at least not correct) an inference of wartime or operational experience. Even if he did non-military travel or religious mission work, the story’s unresolved issue is that he has repeatedly declined to clearly describe what he means by “overseas” or “special assignments,” leaving the public with insinuation instead of verifiable facts—an avoidable problem for a DHS nominee.

Media

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Detail

Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is described as Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Homeland Security and faced Senate consideration on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (per the source article). The article says Mullin has never served in any branch of the US armed forces but often speaks in interviews in ways that could be taken as personal combat experience. Example cited: after US strikes on Iran, Mullin described the “smell” and “taste” of war, then awkwardly pivoted to describing what he implied Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth experienced. The article says Axios reported Mullin privately hinted to colleagues about dangerous private security work in Middle East war zones before he ran for Congress in 2012 (the Guardian attributes this to Axios). At a hearing, per the article, Mullin confirmed he had not traveled abroad before Congress except for vacation or mission work when questioned by Sen Gary Peters (D-MI). In a radio interview cited, a host called Mullin “a veteran”; Mullin responded by claiming “special assignments outside of DoD” and said he “never wore the uniform,” while suggesting he worked alongside military contractors. The article compiles earlier remarks tied to January 6, 2021, where Mullin suggested he’d faced comparable situations “overseas,” but declined to explain his background when asked on C‑SPAN. The source reports Mullin’s office told the Washington Post that his pre-Congress “overseas” reference related to Christian mission work with troops returning to the US. The story includes a separate anecdote from a 2015 Israel lawmaker trip (via Politico), presented as character-color rather than directly tied to the credential/war-experience question.

Trump’s DHS pick Mullin advances by one vote after Sen. Fetterman votes yes

A razor-thin committee vote — made possible by Sen. John Fetterman crossing party lines — moved Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s DHS nomination to the full Senate despite opposition from GOP Chair Rand Paul over temperament concerns.

Congress

Mar 19, 2026

Sources

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207

Summary

The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted 8-7 to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, to the full Senate. The coverage emphasizes the Rand Paul–Mullin clash and Fetterman’s deciding support but leaves key specifics about the hearing allegations and DHS’s operational status and “reopen” claims underexplained. The story matters because DHS leadership, immigration enforcement, and funding lapse dynamics are converging into a high-stakes confirmation fight that could reshape oversight and accountability.

Reality Check

The core fact pattern is straightforward: the nomination advanced 8-7 because Fetterman crossed over and Paul defected, and the next step is a full-Senate vote requiring a simple majority. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) What’s least clear from the article’s framing is the substance behind the hearing’s accusations (what, specifically, Paul says Mullin justified; what, specifically, Peters says Mullin withheld) and the operational meaning of claims like “reopen DHS,” which are politically resonant but not self-explanatory. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207))

Media

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Detail

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced Mullin’s nomination on March 19, 2026, by an 8-7 vote. Republicans hold an 8-7 edge on the committee; Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted “no,” citing “anger issues” and a prior conflict he described as involving a “violent attack” justification. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) No Democrats besides Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voted “yes”; Fetterman’s vote prevented the nomination from stalling in committee. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) The nomination now goes to the full Senate, where Mullin will need a simple majority; the article says a floor vote could occur next week and that Trump wants him to start by March 31. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) NBC reports DHS is dealing with backlash over immigration enforcement tactics, the war in Iran, and airport delays after DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 13; the article does not quantify the lapse’s effects or clarify what “reopen DHS” means operationally. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) Top committee Democrat Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) argued Mullin was not forthright/transparent and lacks the experience/temperament to lead DHS. ([nbcnews.com](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/trumps-dhs-pick-mullin-advances-one-vote-sen-fetterman-votes-yes-rcna264207)) Separate contemporaneous coverage adds that the hearing included questions about Mullin’s past comments, immigration policy, and a foreign trip Mullin described as “classified,” which helps explain the “transparency” line of attack but is only lightly conveyed in the NBC excerpt. ([cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/markwayne-mullin-dhs-immigration-senate-vote.html))