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What Happened Today – March 3, 2026

Kristi Noem spent the training budget on herself and her friends.

She commissioned nearly a quarter billion dollars in ads routed to a company her spokesperson’s husband set up 11 days before the contract was awarded, then starred in them herself on horseback at Mount Rushmore. While she was doing that, she cut ICE training by 40% and eliminated most of their hands-on evaluation before sending 900 agents into the field. At today’s Senate hearing, Republican Sen. John Kennedy called it “spending porn.” Sen. Thom Tillis called her leadership “a disaster.” Committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said “mistakes were made.”

It’s not just Congress. A federal judge in New Jersey ordered ICE agents to sign declarations under penalty of perjury after finding 17 violations in three months. In Minnesota, Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz has documented more than 200 violations and is threatening criminal contempt, which could mean jail time for federal officials. He wrote that he knows of no other moment in American history when a court had to threaten contempt “again and again and again” to force the government to follow the law.

Call your representatives today. Demand Kristi Noem’s resignation. If she refuses to go, demand her impeachment.

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🚨 GovBrief Intensity Score 160
Extreme. History will remember.
Volume: Normal (14)
Severity: High (2.86)
Defining Moments: 1
âš¡ Israel threatens Iran's next leader
Previous 5 Days
🚨236|🟡85|🚨170|🚨156|🚨180
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
I just want to say that I am more fearful than ever after this briefing that we may be putting boots on the ground and that troops from the United States may be necessary to accomplish objectives that the administration seems to have.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speaking at the Capitol on March 3, 2026, after a briefing about the Iran War.
Yesterday's Most Read

White House says visible rash on Trump's neck is a "preventative skin treatment" but won't name the medication or say what it prevents.

Today’s GovBrief News


Foreign Relations 1 of 14

Trump threatens to cut off all trade with Spain after Madrid blocks U.S. bases from Iran strikes, despite court limits on his trade authority.

Spain covered by EU trade agreement

Source: Politico

March 3, 2026

War 2 of 14

Israel threatens Iran's next supreme leader as day 5 brings Israeli strikes across Tehran, global market plunge, and Trump walking back regime change as a goal.

Trump: regime change was never the goal

Source: The Associated Press

March 3, 2026

War 3 of 14

Trump orders Navy to escort tankers through Strait of Hormuz and offers U.S. insurance guarantees as Iran war pushes gas prices up 11 cents in one day.

Oil up 10% since Saturday's

Source: Axios

March 3, 2026

Health 4 of 14

Measles outbreak closes Fort Bliss ICE tent camp to visitors as 14 detainees test positive and 112 are isolated, raising public health alarms in El Paso.

Measles spreads beyond detention walls

Source: The Texas Tribune

March 3, 2026

Epstein Sex Crime Network 5 of 14

Commerce Secretary Lutnick agrees to testify before House Oversight Committee on Epstein ties after GOP members prepared to force a subpoena.

Documents contradict Lutnick's Epstein account

Source: CNN

March 3, 2026

Military 6 of 14

U.S. and Ecuadorian forces launch joint military operations against drug trafficking cartels as Southern Command expands Latin America footprint.

40+ U.S. attacks in region since August

Source: Axios

March 3, 2026

Justice Dept 7 of 14

DOJ revives appeals against law firms one day after dropping them, as targeted firms argue court should reject the unexplained reversal.

Four courts have ruled orders unconstitutional

Source: JURIST news

March 3, 2026

Courts 8 of 14

Federal judge rules Trump's effort to kill NYC congestion pricing unlawful, calling administration's decision-making "arbitrary and capricious" in 149-page ruling.

Judge calls program "product of democratic process"

Source: WABC New York

March 3, 2026

Courts 9 of 14

Georgia jury convicts father of Apalachee High School shooter who bought son an AR-style rifle after deputies warned of possible attack threats.

Second major school shooter parent convicted

Source: UPI

March 3, 2026

Immigration 10 of 14

Training records show ICE cut 240 hours from recruit instruction during hiring blitz, corroborating whistleblower's claim of "deficient, defective and broken" courses.

900 agents graduated under shortened program

Source: The Independent

March 3, 2026

Oversight 11 of 14

Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer's top two aides resign under IG investigation as department reels from travel fraud probe, affair allegations, and husband's sexual assault ban.

Aides given 24 hours to resign

Source: NBC News

March 3, 2026

Oversight 12 of 14

Noem faces bipartisan Senate grilling as GOP's Tillis calls her leadership "a disaster" and she refuses to apologize for domestic terrorist labels on killed U.S. citizens.

Tillis: Good and Pretti "probably should not have been shot"

Source: The Hill

March 3, 2026

Data 13 of 14

Internal CBP document confirms agency bought mobile advertising data to track phone locations, circumventing warrant requirements for surveillance.

70 lawmakers demand IG investigation

Source: Gizmodo

March 3, 2026

Fighting Back 14 of 14

New Jersey federal judge orders ICE agents to acknowledge court orders in writing under penalty of perjury after finding 17 violations in three months.

Repeated violations may show willful blindness

Source: The New Jersey Monitor

March 3, 2026

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