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A guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after his group laughed near the memorial on Veterans Day. Democrat Scott Colom has won Mississippi’s Senate seat, becoming the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. The Interior Department announced plans to sell off federal lands for the first time in 50 years. And yet another woman is being pushed out of the Trump administration following Susie Wiles’ departure.
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Pete Hegseth Reprimanded by Guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Only Pete Hegseth could make an impeachment vote the second most embarrassing thing that happened to him this week.
A U.S. Army sentinel scolded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group of his senior advisers Wednesday after some of them laughed and talked near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after a Veterans Day ceremony. “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the sentinel called out, breaking his patrol to address the group.
Hegseth was taking photos at the tomb with his wife Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver, and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh. The CNN report did not say what caused the laughter.
That rebuke came a day after House Republicans voted 211 to 204 to block articles of impeachment brought against Hegseth by outgoing GOP Rep. Thomas Massie. The eight articles accused Hegseth of launching war on Iran without the authorization of Congress and ordering extrajudicial killings.
Trump also drew controversy at Arlington in August 2024 when his campaign staffers physically pushed a cemetery official who tried to prevent them from filming a campaign video in a restricted section reserved for Iraq and Afghanistan war dead. Federal law prohibits political campaign activity at Army National Military Cemeteries.
Scott Colom Wins Mississippi Senate Race in Historic Upset
It turns out that blocking someone from a lifetime appointment is a great way to free up their schedule.
Democrat Scott Colom has defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, NBC News projects. He will be Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
Colom held a narrow lead for more than a week as ballots were counted. Mississippi does not allow candidates to request a recount nor does it provide automatic recounts, making it one of only two states that has no provision for recounts at all.
In October 2022, President Biden nominated Colom to serve as a federal judge in the Northern District of Mississippi. In 2023, Hyde-Smith blocked the nomination by refusing to return her “blue slip” with the Senate Judiciary Committee, citing his position on trans rights and falsely claiming he had received significant support from George Soros.
If Hyde-Smith had not blocked the nomination, Colom would have been serving on the federal bench for life. The victory gives Democrats at least 55 seats in the Senate in the next Congress, with only Alaska’s race still to be called.
Interior Department Unveils Plan to Sell Off Federal Lands
This land was your land, this land was my land, but the Interior Department has other plans.
The Interior Department plans to begin selling federal lands for the first time in half a century, the Washington Sun reports. The federal government owns about 640 million acres, and the new strategic plan calls for reducing that number by selling land to states, tribes, and local governments.
The new plan also eliminates one of the government’s main conservation tools. The Land and Water Conservation Fund, which receives roughly $900 million annually, will no longer be used to purchase land.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has described federal lands as a “balance sheet” and has pushed for increased development on public land. He told extractive industry executives that he sees them as “the customer” for his department.
A similar effort by Utah and Nevada Republicans to sell off 4.2 million acres of federal land in 2025 was removed from the reconciliation bill. Internal emails later showed Interior Department staff helped craft the proposal, even as Burgum publicly said it was not part of the president’s agenda.
Yet Another Senior Woman Is Pushed Out of the Trump Administration
Nobody in this Cabinet was hired for their qualifications, which makes it strange that only the women keep getting fired.
As part of Trump’s post-midterm staffing changes, White House Cabinet secretary Meghan Bauer is expected to leave her job, according to MSNOW. The president has reportedly “grown increasingly frustrated” with Bauer over recent months.
Bauer first joined the White House in January 2025 as director of scheduling and was promoted to Cabinet secretary in November 2025 by Susie Wiles, the chief of staff who hired her. Wiles was ousted last week in the wake of the midterm losses and replaced by Stephen Miller, who is expected to take over Bauer’s duties.
Bauer’s exit is part of a pattern in Trump’s second administration, where more than half a dozen senior women have been fired or forced out. Those who have left include former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and former press secretary Katie Zacharia.
Sarah Matthews, a deputy press secretary in Trump’s first administration, told The Atlantic that men in Trump’s Cabinet “are not being held to the same standard” as women. Defense Secretary Hegseth barely avoided impeachment, and FBI Director Kash Patel kept his job despite reports that he used taxpayer money to buy BMWs, jet ski trips, and helicopter tours.
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