Trump Fires Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

Instagram teen accounts default teens into automatic protections for who can contact them and the content they can see. Explore teen accounts and all of our ongoing work to protect teens online at instagram.com/teenaccounts.

Alex Ossola (0:18)

Kristi Noem is out as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Plus, how Apple is using lower prices on iPhones and MacBooks to go after market share and hurt its rivals.

Rolfe Winkler (0:28)

Apple is going to also face higher costs, but they just have more capability to withstand it and to use it as a weapon.

Alex Ossola (0:37)

And US stocks plunge as the Middle East conflict widens and the region's flow of oil remains blocked. It's Thursday, March 5th. I'm Alex Ossola for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.

President Trump has removed Kristi Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security, the first cabinet secretary to be fired by Trump in his second term. Trump is replacing her with Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma. Trump had previously defended Noem, despite widespread criticism of how she handled the immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis that left two US citizens dead. Her chaotic leadership style has come under scrutiny over the past year, and she had lost the confidence of almost all Trump's senior aides. The Journal last month reported on how Noem has attempted to burnish her personal stardom. Advisors familiar with Trump's thinking said that the final straw for the president was Noem's combative hearing on Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was questioned by Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana.

SPEAKER_5 (1:46)

The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently. Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes. Did it correct? Did the president know you were going to do this? Yes. He did? Yes.

Alex Ossola (2:05)

Trump was upset and told senators and advisors he had not signed off on such a campaign. Trump said in a social media post today that Noem will have a role in a new security initiative he plans to announce on Saturday. Posting on social media this afternoon, Noem thanked Trump for her new appointment and said she had made historic accomplishments in her time at the Department of Homeland Security.

On day six of a conflict in the Middle East, Israel and Iran continued to exchange attacks. Azerbaijan said it would respond after it was hit by Iranian drones, and Saudi Arabia said it intercepted missiles and drones. The US closed its embassy in Kuwait. And President Trump told the news site Axios that he must be involved in picking Iran's next leader. His comments come despite top administration officials denying that the US effort is about regime change in Iran. And across the Middle East, thousands of expat workers are navigating a conflict at their doorstep while also trying to do their jobs. Chip Cutter, who covers workplace issues for the journal, has spoken to some.

Chip Cutter (3:07)

So for many of these employees, this was the first time they had ever been in a situation like this. They were drawn to places like Dubai in particular, one of the world's biggest workplaces for multinationals. And so I've talked to a number of expats who said they just didn't know what to do. They're hearing loud booms overhead. Some workers actually put a mattress up against the windows of their apartment. They were worried about blast and what might happen there. It's forced a lot of families and workers to think through, what are we comfortable with? Are we safe? And what do we do next?

Alex Ossola (3:39)

Nearly 20,000 Americans have returned to the US from the Middle East, and flights are resuming across the region. But flying is still tricky, with missile and drone attacks scrambling airlines' plans. Chip says that's made it hard for expats to get out.

Chip Cutter (3:52)

That's been very challenging. With so many flights canceled, companies like the professional services firm KPMG, they used various methods to get their workers out of places like Doha and Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It could be via flights. It could be via land. The CEO of KPMG in the US told me that essentially they just wanted to do whatever was possible to keep their workers safe. I talked to some security officials who said, for example, they were advising to have a go-back ready. There's been a lot of planning, a lot of trying just keep in close contact with employees knowing this is all really fluid and changing so quickly.

Alex Ossola (4:33)

Two dozen states have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's new 15% global tariff. The president imposed the tariff after the Supreme Court struck down an earlier set of levies. The decision sent companies scrambling to get back the tariffs they had paid and a federal judge this week ordered the administration to start refunds. Today's lawsuit was filed in the Court of International Trade. It says the new tariff is a misapplication of a 1974 trade law. It also says the tariffs violate the Constitution in the same way that Trump's earlier tariffs did because the lawsuit says, Congress is responsible for imposing tariffs. The White House says the administration will defend the new tariffs in court. Elsewhere in Washington, the Defense Department has officially told Anthropic it is a supply chain risk, an action normally reserved for businesses from foreign adversaries. That cuts Anthropic off from partners who work with the Pentagon and could affect other companies and investors. Anthropic said last week it would challenge the designation in court.