Kristi Noem faces House grilling over DHS killings; Texas Senate GOP primary heads to runoff

In the days after the U.S. and Israel launched an air war against Iran, the State Department issued new advisories warning Americans to reconsider traveling to several countries in the region. By then, it was too late.

Thousands of Americans are now stranded in the Middle East as Iran retaliates with drone attacks on U.S. facilities, prompting Democratic lawmakers and current and former State Department officials to sharply criticize the Trump administration for failing to plan for what they say was a predictable scenario.

“You would have had far fewer people in harm’s way,” a senior State Department official said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Read the full story here.

The number of retirements announced in the House this election cycle is the second highest since recordkeeping began nearly a century ago.

Fifty-three members have said they won’t seek re-election in 2026, exceeding the 52 in 2018, with Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, becoming the latest to head for the exit.

Of the members who announced they will leave office this cycle, 32 are Republicans and 21 are Democrats, much like in 2018, when GOP lawmakers made up the bigger chunk of departures.

Still, the total for 2026 is a ways off from the record 65 lawmakers who retired in 1992, according to historical data from the Brookings Institution’s Vital Statistics on Congress.

Read the full story here.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he won’t drop out of the Senate runoff race even if Trump asks him to, potentially complicating Trump’s plans to bring an end to the GOP’s bitter and expensive primary battle.

“No, I’m staying in this race. I owe it to the people of Texas,” Paxton said in a phone interview with Real America’s Voice. “I’ve spent a year of my life campaigning against John Cornyn, because John has not represented the people of Texas well.” 

Trump said earlier today that he plans to endorse someone in the race “soon” and that he would call on the other candidate to drop out of the race “immediately.”

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., helped U.S. Capitol Police officers arrest a man protesting the war in Iran at a Senate hearing today.

Sheehy said on X that Capitol Police tried to remove a protester from the Armed Services hearing. “He was fighting back,” Sheehy said. “I decided to help out and deescalate the situation.”

Sheehy’s post included a repost of an apparent video of the incident, in which three officers and Sheehy aggressively try to remove the man while his hand is stuck in a door frame, appearing to injure him.

As the officers tried to remove him, he yelled out, “No one wants to fight for Israel.” Bystanders in the room called out, “his hand, his hand!”

The Justice Department shelved an investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen, a person briefed on the matter told NBC News today.

Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin, the former “weaponization” czar, opened the probe while he was interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. It wound down recently under Jeanine Pirro, the current U.S. attorney, who is a longtime Trump ally and former Fox News host.

The New York Times first reported the news.

Read the full story here.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced today that he will not seek a third term, making him the latest Republican in Congress to head for the exit this year.

“After wrestling with this decision for months, I have decided I will not seek re-election,” Daines said in a statement.

Daines has served in Congress since 2013, first in the House before he won a Senate seat in 2014. He was re-elected in 2020.

Read the full story here.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon that “I’ll be damned if I’m not going to get to the bottom” of what she called a cover-up after the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony related to the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein records.

Mace acknowledged that Bondi had already testified before the House Judiciary Committee in February, adding that Bondi has “not testified before me or the Oversight Committee.” She said, “I need to get to the bottom of this for other survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.” 

Mace said the subpoena motion voted on today — which she offered — is for closed-door testimony with video that will be released to the public afterward.

"This was going to go down as one of the greatest cover-ups in American history, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to get to the bottom of it,” she said.

The House Oversight Committee today approved a subpoena led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., for the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to release the details of taxpayer-funded settlements for congressional misconduct before 2018.

The OCWR already releases annual reports about awards and settlements paid from a taxpayer-funded account, with details about which congressional offices settled or awarded people funds. But it was not mandated to release annual reports before 2018.

"For years, taxpayer funds were used to quietly settle misconduct claims involving members of Congress, while the American people were kept in the dark," Mace's office said in a news release. "Rep. Mace's subpoena of the OCWR demands the release of all awards and settlements paid pursuant to Section 415 of the Congressional Accountability Act prior to December 12, 2018 for misconduct by Members of Congress. The only redactions permitted would be those necessary to protect the personally identifiable information of victims and witnesses."

Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, announced today that he won’t seek re-election but will complete his term.

"After prayer, reflection, and many long conversations, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026," he said on X. "I will complete this term fully committed to my work in Washington, DC, and then step away from elected office."

Burgess' announcement brings the number of House retirements to 53 — 32 Republicans and 21 Democrats. That surpasses the recent high of 52 in 2018, but it is still short of the overall retirement record of 65 in 1992.

His announcement also means all four Black Republicans in the House won't be returning to Congress next year. Rep. Byron Donalds is running for governor of Florida, Rep. Wesley Hunt failed to advance in the Texas Senate GOP primary, and Rep. John James is running for governor of Michigan.

The GOP-led Senate today rejected a war powers resolution aimed at restricting Trump’s ability to carry out further military action against Iran.

The vote was 47-53, short of the simple majority needed to move the resolution to the Senate floor.

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to join Republicans in voting no, while Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to join Democrats in voting yes.

The resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., calls for removing “the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

Read the full story here.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said today that the public deserves "transparency" after the committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony on the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files.

“For months, Attorney General Bondi has been instrumental in orchestrating the White House’s cover-up of the Epstein files, and has failed to comply with our bipartisan subpoena for the release of the complete, unredacted files,” Garcia said in a statement. "The American people deserve transparency, survivors deserve justice, and we are demanding answers."

Garcia said Bondi had failed to comply with a subpoena the committee issued in August, "requiring the release of the complete, unredacted files to the Committee, and as the Department of Justice (DOJ) under her leadership continues to illegally withhold and conceal Epstein file materials from Congress."

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the committee's chairman, has not yet officially subpoenaed Bondi.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., will headline a dinner for the Polk County Democrats in Des Moines, Iowa, next month — a sign of her increased national presence ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

“Folks, we recruited a real political star for this event!” reads the invitation the county party posted today for the April 7 event. 

The trip fuels speculation about Slotkin’s potential prospects as a Democratic presidential candidate. Iowa is an eyebrow-raising destination, given its once-traditional place at the front of the presidential caucus and primary calendar. A bungled 2020 Democratic caucus cost Iowa an early nominating contest in 2024, but it is among a dozen states in the running for an early spot in 2028.

While she is in Iowa, Slotkin will also campaign for former state Rep. Christina Bohannan and state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, two Democratic congressional candidates trying to flip Republican-held seats, a source close to Slotkin’s team told NBC News. Bohannan is seeking to unseat Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, while Trone Garriott is challenging Rep. Zach Nunn. Both are members of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program.

Slotkin’s profile has risen since she won her Senate seat in 2024. She delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s joint address to Congress last year and has been traveling the country promoting a “war plan” to take on his MAGA movement. And her travels beyond Michigan have already taken her to Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Missouri, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“I know it’s a good parlor conversation,” Slotkin told NBC News when she was asked last year whether she was getting encouragement to run for president. “It’s just, honest to God, not where my head is focused right now. It’s just not.”

Trump signed a proclamation announcing the so-called ratepayer protection pledge, an agreement in which tech giants, not consumers, would pay for rising electricity costs associated with AI data centers. 

CEOs and industry representatives at the meeting will sign a copy of the pledge, too, Trump adviser Will Scharf said.

The GOP-led House Oversight Committee just voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for a closed-door deposition as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

The committee voted 24-19 on the motion from Mace, R-S.C., with five Republicans joining Democrats in voting to approve the motion for the subpoena. The five Republicans were Mace; Lauren Boebert, of Colorado; Tim Burchett, of Tennessee; Michael Cloud, of Texas; and Scott Perry, of Pennsylvania.

Three lawmakers didn't vote: Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The House Oversight Committee is debating a series of motions, including one offered by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to subpoena officials for information related to sexual harassment settlements on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., expressed support for Mace's motion and accused members of protecting fellow GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas.

Gonzales faces an ethics investigation into allegations that he had an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide in September. Gonzales previously denied having an affair but has not addressed the substance of the allegations since the text messages came to light.

"I support Rep. Mace's subpoena here, as well as the amendment to it. I just think it's really disgusting how this institution protects itself, because y'all just, half of them voted to send this stuff to House Ethics, where you know it's going to die," Luna said about the vote the House had just taken on an action related to Mace's proposal, which failed.

"If you guys want to talk about victims, if you want to go out and virtue-signal and then you guys are going to kill her stuff on the floor and then try to pass, yeah, of course we should subpoena all this stuff," she said.

From left, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., James Comer, R-Ky., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., speak at a news conference after the deposition of former President Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Friday. Ted Shaffrey / AP

Trump's event meeting with tech giants at the White House to sign a ratepayer protection pledge has started.

The House voted today to scuttle an effort by Rep. Nancy Mace to shed more light on sexual misconduct allegations against members of Congress.

Mace, a conservative Republican who is running to be governor of South Carolina, forced a floor vote on her resolution to direct the House Ethics Committee to make public all reports alleging sexual misconduct or harassment by members of Congress and aides.

In a 357-65 vote, the House voted to refer the resolution to committee — a move that effectively killed it.

The Ethics Committee had encouraged members to vote to refer the resolution. In a joint statement, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the committee argued that it “could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations” and would make it harder for the committee “to investigate and eliminate sexual misconduct in the House.”

Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Read the full story here.

The White House has invited executives from the largest U.S. defense contractors to attend a meeting Friday to discuss weapons production, according to a White House official. The meeting comes as there are growing concerns about depleting munitions used to defend U.S. forces in the Middle East, as NBC News reported today. 

The companies expected Friday include Lockheed Martin and Raytheon's parent, RTX, the official said. 

Trump claimed this week that the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and that wars can be waged “forever.” Yesterday, he told reporters that “we have unlimited middle and upper ammunition, which is really what we’re using in this war,” though there is no unlimited stockpile. 

In private briefings with Congress, Trump administration officials have discussed invoking the Defense Production Act to accelerate the production of munitions as the U.S. carries out a war with Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury, these people said. Such a move would go beyond Trump’s public urging that defense companies manufacture more weaponry.

The House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Noem's testimony is in recess so members can head to the House floor and vote.

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the recess would last about a half-hour. The hearing began at around 10 a.m.

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., slammed his colleagues across the aisle, accusing them of "righteous indignation" and "hypocrisy" as he criticized the DHS shutdown that left department workers without pay.

During his questioning of Noem, Fry said Democrats "yell at you, and they get big mad and scream about you and impeachment, but they're not even doing the basic fundamentals of what they're supposed to do."

"Sorry, that was, like, a sidebar," he continued. "But my gosh, like, the righteous indignation and the hypocrisy is just alarming."

Other Republicans, too, have accused Democrats during the hearing of hypocrisy, pointing to their unwillingness to vote for DHS funding until an agreement is reached on an overhaul of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump said on Truth Social this afternoon that he plans to make an endorsement in Texas' GOP primary runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"The Republican Primary Race for the United States Senate in the Great State of Texas, a State I LOVE and won 3 times in Record Numbers (the HIGHEST vote ever recorded, by far!!!), cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer. IT MUST STOP NOW!" Trump wrote.

Trump said the Democratic primary winner, state Rep. James Talarico, a "Radical Left Opponent" who would be "easy to beat" in the general election.

"Both John and Ken ran great races, but not good enough," he continued. "Now, this one, must be PERFECT! My Endorsements within the Republican Party have been virtually insurmountable! It is such an honor to realize and say that almost everyone I Endorse WINS, and wins by a lot, especially in Texas! I will be making my Endorsement soon, and will be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE! Is that fair? We must win in November!!!"

The runoff is May 26.

In her testimony, Noem addressed the effects of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which began when funding lapsed in mid-February.

More than 100,000 DHS employees have been furloughed, she said, noting that critical federal employees at agencies like the Transportation Security Administration are working without pay.

"Those individuals are showing up every day and working without any pay to keep our national security at the front and center for people that are traveling by planes across this country, and they continue to do that," she said.

Noem said the shutdown is also affecting DHS administrative offices, contracting issues, and DHS' ability to work across departments to share information.

The conservative Club for Growth PAC is taking sides in the competitive Georgia Senate primary, backing Rep. Mike Collins.

The group's president, David McIntosh, said in a statement that Collins "has consistently championed legislation to cut wasteful spending, promote deregulatory efforts, and empower parents in their children’s education."

“Collins is the conservative fighter Georgians deserve in the U.S. Senate," McIntosh added.

Collins is facing fellow Rep. Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach backed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, in the Republican primary to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the Republican primary.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said today that Republican incumbents who lost primaries yesterday will "do their duty" and show up for votes.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., echoed him.

"It's their duty to do that, and I'm confident they will," Scalise said. "I mean, they've got an oath that they took to the country and their constituents, and obviously these are two year-terms, so hopefully everybody finishes it out. We need to be here."

Hudson, who leads the effort to get Republicans elected to the House, said: "They're all patriots. They'll serve out their terms."

House Republicans currently have a 218-214 majority, which means they can only afford to lose one member on a party-line vote and still pass measures.

The White House released a guest list of 12 leaders from Latin American countries set to attend a summit with Trump this weekend:

• President of Argentina Javier Milei
• President of Bolivia Rodrigo Paz Pereira
• President-elect of Chile Jose Antonio Kast
• President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves Robles
• President of the Dominican Republic Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona
• President of Ecuador Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín
• President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele Ortez
• President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali
• President of Honduras Nasry "Tito" Asfura
• President of Panama José Raúl Mulino Quintero
• President of Paraguay Santiago Peña
• Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Rep. Julie Johnson and former Rep. Colin Allred will face each other again in a Democratic primary runoff, NBC News projects, after Allred dropped out of the Texas Senate race last year and made a run for a House seat reshaped by redistricting.

Neither candidate achieved a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s first-round primary.

The primary for the deep-blue 33rd District in the Dallas area got competitive after Allred left the Senate race in deference to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, instead opting to run for the House.

Read the full story here.

The House Ethics Committee announced this morning that it will open an investigation into embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who is accused of having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

As NBC News has reported, the widower of the staffer has accused Gonzales of having an affair with his wife and released sexual text messages between the two of them. Gonzales initially denied the affair but has not addressed the substance of the allegation since it resurfaced.

Gonzales’ office said in a statement, "I welcome the opportunity to present all the facts to the committee.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi ended restrictions imposed by the Biden administration that barred political appointees at the Justice Department from participating in political activities, according to a memo seen by NBC News.

As a result, Justice Department political appointees are now free to participate in certain partisan political activities in their personal capacity, including fundraising and campaign events, according to the memo.

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland had told DOJ’s political appointees in 2022 that as part of an effort to avoid “even the appearance of political influence,” they could not attend any partisan political events in any capacity, even if they had close family members running for office.

Bondi, in the memo seen by NBC News, rescinded that directive as well as a 2024 memo, writing that non-career DOJ employees needed to abide by the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity in their official roles, but would not face future restrictions on their activities.

CBS News also reported on the memo.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, asked Walz and Ellison to tell him what Congress got wrong when it comes to addressing state fraud.

"Well, congressman, I appreciate that, and I do say, and you and I are friends," Walz said in a moment of bipartisanship.

"We are," said Sessions, who served in the House alongside Walz and Ellison.

Walz said, "As governor, I’ve taken accountability for this so I'm not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this. This does undermine trust in government. Do I wish there were things that could have happened earlier? Yes, but in this job, wish didn't do it. I'm looking into where I see it. I can tell you this, congressman, that the safeguards we’re putting in place are going to make a difference. I think other states can use them."

Ellison eventually chimed in, saying, "Your offer to work on a bipartisan basis to solve this fraud crisis, I am all in."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing today. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

The House Judiciary Committee hearing has resumed. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is now questioning Noem.

The House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Noem's testimony is in recess for 10 minutes.

Reps. Al Green and Christian Menefee will head to a runoff in the Democratic primary for a Texas House seat, NBC News projects, after neither candidate won a majority of the vote in yestreday’s contest.

After the first round of voting, Menefee led with 46%, compared to 44% for Green. The remaining 10% of the vote was split between two other Democratic candidates.

Read the full story here.

Noem criticized Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., after he challenged her to tell him "about the 'worst of the worst,'" referring to the people whom her department said it is prioritizing for deportation. Critics of DHS have argued that immigration enforcement operations had broadened far wider than focusing on the "worst of the worst."

"I think you've offended the families behind me today," Noem said, referring to families in the room whose loved ones were killed by overdoses or by people who were in the country illegally.

Cohen said he did not intend to offend them, adding it was "wrong for you to suggest it." Challenged by Noem, Cohen said he had been referring to how migrants were "less likely" to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.

Cohen also argued during his questioning that DHS was actually focused on increasing its deportation statistics rather than on the "worst of the worst."

The topics committee members on each side of the aisle are raising have fallen sharply along partisan lines since the start of this hearing.

So far, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have focused the bulk of their questioning time on slamming sanctuary cities and defending Noem against claims against her from Democrats.

Meanwhile, Democrats for the most part have focused on asking Noem about the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and the sometimes aggressive tactics used by ICE agents in enforcement operations around the country.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., for example, played videos of federal agents detaining a man in his underwear in sub-freezing temperatures and agents smashing in car windows and dragging drivers from their cars.

She repeatedly asked questions about whether officers were trained to engage in such conduct, asking Noem, "Do you train agents not to do that? Or are they trained to do that?"

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., on the other hand, told Noem, "I want to establish the insanity of what sanctuary jurisdictions are doing and why it matters," before citing the thousands of ICE detainers that he said have been declined by local jails and police departments.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, asked Noem whether she still believed that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were "domestic terrorists," based on what she knows today.

After their killings, Noem had accused Good and Pretti, without presenting evidence, of trying to commit domestic terrorism. Videos and witnesses contradicted her accounts of the shootings.

"Based on what you know today, Madam Secretary, were Renee Good and Alex Pretti domestic terrorists?" Raskin asked.

"Congressman, what happened in Minnesota in those two incidents was an absolute tragedy," Noem responded.

Raskin cut her off, asking again if she believed they were domestic terrorists. Noem again didn't answer directly, saying she sends her condolences to Good's and Raskin's families.

"Is that an apology for what you said?" Raskin pressed.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis suggested in a post on social media today that he's weighing granting clemency for Tina Peters, the former county clerk and 2020 election denier whose cause has been championed by Trump.

Polis, a Democrat who's previously said he believes the nine-year prison sentence Peters received was "harsh," posted a lengthy message on X comparing her case to a former state senator named Sonya Jaquez Lewis who'd been sentenced to probation after getting convicted on a similar charge.

"As someone who has known Sonya as a friend for many years, on a personal level I was glad to hear she isn’t going to prison which is a hard place for anyone, no less a retired 68-year old pharmacist. But it is not lost on me that she was convicted of the exact same felony charge as Tina Peters — attempting to influence a public official — and yet Tina Peters, as a non-violent first time offender got a nine year sentence," Polis wrote.

"Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly," he said, adding that's "the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities."

Trump has repeatedly called for Peters, who was convicted last year in connection with a voting system’s security breach, to be freed from jail, and has called Polis a "scumbag" who should "rot in hell" for not having released her. Trump issued a pardon for Peters in December, but the move was symbolic since she was convicted on state charges.

An attorney for Peters, Peter Ticktin, told NBC News in a statement, "We are hoping that Governor Polis commutes Tina Peters’ sentence this week." "There is no reason to keep Tina Peters in prison," he said.

Mace made a motion during the fraud hearing related to the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The GOP congresswoman made a motion to issue a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear before the panel for a deposition regarding the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the law requiring the release of all documents.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said the committee would address her motion at the end of the hearing.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., opened her line of questioning by asking Walz if he learned anything since the last hearing in which he faced her questions.

"That if I didn’t speak up, two of my people would be dead, congresswoman," Walz said.

Mace responded, "Governor Walz, what is a woman? Have you learned that lesson? Do you know what a woman is?"

Walz said, " I’m the governor of Minnesota, congressman. I’m not here to be your prop for your obsession."

During his questioning time, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., recalled an incident last year when DHS agents entered his office under what he said were "false pretenses."

"My own office was the victim of your agent's deceptive tactics last year when DHS agents entered my office under false pretenses, claiming that my staff was caught harboring rioters when video clearly showed this was not the case," Nadler told Noem.

"A statement issued by DHS claimed the agents were doing a, quote, 'security check,' yet the video that has been released shows them handcuffing a staffer, demanding access to non-public areas of my office without a warrant, denying that they even needed a warrant when challenged by a member of my staff, and never once asking about the safety and security of my staff," the New York congressman added.

Nadler brought up the incident in the context of asking whether Noem would hold immigration agents accountable for their actions, including fatal and aggressive encounters with detainees and others.

The New York news outlet the Gothamist first reported the incident in Nadler's office.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said in his line of questioning that Ellison has the authority to lead Minnesota's effort to response to fraud in his state within the health care realm.

"Are you leading that effort for the state of Minnesota? You're addressing it. Are you leading it? Are you leading the effort?" Higgins said, raising his voice.

Ellison responded, "We are leading the effort to prosecute Medicaid fraud in Minnesota."

Noem accused Raskin of sharing lies in his opening statement.

Noem said she does her job because "somebody has to do the right thing and tell the stories of these families."

She continued, saying someone had to "make sure that we don't sit around here and make political potshots on falsehoods and lies like I just heard from the ranking member, that instead we do the right thing to defend these families and remember their children," she said.

Raskin had slammed Noem for her handling of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the treatment of people arrested by immigration enforcement. He also criticized her for DHS' use of a luxury jet.

During his opening remarks, Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, accused Noem of engaging in a "cover-up" with the federal investigations of the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

"There have been three homicides in Minneapolis in 2026," Raskin told Noem, "Your agents committed two of them."

Raskin added, "rather than work with state and local authorities to solve these homicides, you barred Minnesota's investigators from the crime scenes. You're denying them access to all the evidence that you have about the deaths of their citizens. It smells like a cover up, and it makes me wonder who the real domestic terrorists are."

In January, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that federal investigators had cut them out of the investigation into Renee Good's death.

Rep. Jamie Raskin speaks today in front of photos of Renee Good. Heather Diehl / Getty Images

Chair Jim Jordan, the Republican who leads the House Judiciary Committee, said during his opening remarks that lawmakers would push forward legislation to counter sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.

Jordan slammed the spread of sanctuary policies, saying, "that may be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

He also spent much of his opening remarks slamming the Biden administration and former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He hammered Mayorkas for his 2021 comments that the "border is secure," a remark that has been repeatedly brought up by Republicans in the years since. Jordan argued that under the Trump administration, "the border is now secure."

Walz, a Democrat, repeatedly said during a hearing about fraud in his state that he wants lawmakers to help address the issue.

"So look, I’m with you. I want your help on fraud. Why would I not want money to go to the programs I care deeply about — feeding people, clothing people, housing people," Walz said.

Walz continued, "But what ICE did disrupted everything that we were doing."

The governor argued that those efforts disrupted the work by Minnesota's federal partners and forced law enforcement to re-earn the public's trust.

The House Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Noem's testimony has kicked off.

Noem appeared before the committee's counterpart in the Senate yesterday, where she faced questions about immigration enforcement controversies.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies at a House hearing today. Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira, who played for the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees, won yesterday's GOP primary election in Texas' 21st Congressional District, a safely Republican district west of Austin.

This morning, Teixeira was leading the GOP primary field with 61% of the vote, well over the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff in Texas. The MLB star is expected to win November's general election, given that the district is heavily Republican. The race is rated "Solid Republican," by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

The incumbent congressman in Texas' 21st District, GOP Rep. Chip Roy, is running for attorney general rather than competing for re-election in his district.

Noem will head back to Capitol Hill this morning, where she's set to testify before lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee.

Noem testified yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she faced tough questions from Democrats and some Republicans over her handling of immigration enforcement in the aftermath of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Several Republicans used the hearing to criticize Democrats for not funding the department over immigration enforcement concerns, pushing the department into a shutdown.

Noem is likely going to face similar questions from representatives today.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett congratulated state Rep. James Talarico in a phone call on becoming the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Texas, the congresswoman said in a statement.

"Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person," she said. "This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track."

Crockett called on the party to unite behind Talarico heading into what is expected to be a top race to watch this fall.

"With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win," she said. "I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot."

Democrats appear poised to flip an Arkansas state House seat, according to unofficial state election results for the special election.

Democrat Alex Holladay has garnered about 57% of the vote, while Republican Bo Renshaw secured about 43% of the vote, according to the unofficial results. The seat opened when state Rep. Carlton Wing, a Republican, resigned.

NBC News has reached out to Holladay's and Renshaw's campaigns for comment.

In recent months, Democrats have flipped state and local seats in places including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Georgia.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified at a Senate hearing over her handling of the deadly Minneapolis immigration operation. NBC News’ Julia Ainsley details some heated moments from the hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Kristi Noem dodges questions about calling Renee Good, Alex Pretti ‘domestic terrorists’

03:04

North Carolina state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, who delivered a Republican-led redistricting effort, is down by two votes in his re-election campaign, according to unofficial state election results.

Berger faced Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, whom Trump called to offer a job so he wouldn’t challenge Berger in the 26th Senate District.

Former Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, said on NBC News NOW that Berger, the “most powerful” state senator, is an example for top legislators who lose touch with their districts.

“It’s probably an example even going back to a Mitch McConnell or some previous speakers when you spend too much time in the State Capitol gaining power, sometimes people back home go, ‘You forgot us back home here in Rockingham County,’” McCrory said.

Yesterday’s primaries across three states saw incumbents wobble, general election matchups form and runoffs extend intraparty fights.

They also highlighted broader lessons about the state of national politics, from Trump’s enduring power over the GOP to the disagreements over ideology, generation and strategy that continue to divide Democrats.

In Texas, where the Republican Senate primary is heading to a May 26 runoff between four-term Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the question of whether Trump will finally take a side is swirling over the race after other races demonstrated his power.

Meanwhile, state Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic primary over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, NBC News projected early this morning. And a night of close calls and losses for House incumbents in both parties was full of nail-biting signs for other establishment figures preparing to go before voters later this year.

Here are key takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries.