{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Kristi Noem's career has been put out of its misery","description":"VR25 - This episode is dedicated to the memory of Cricket, the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer murdered in cold blood by Kristi Noem on an unknown date in a gravel pit in South Dakota. One week after Donald Trump took now-former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem\u2019s job out to the gravel pit, Thomas, Lydia, and Matt get together for a post-mortem. After a brief amuse douche from Noem\u2019s (ahem) closest advisor, Matt plays the one excerpt from her 2024 campaign book \u201cNot Going Back\u201d which should have disqualified her from a Cabinet seat. (No, not that one! But we also revisit that story too and it\u2019s so much worse--and involves twice as many animals--than you may&amp;nbsp; remember.) We then review some of the most notable lowlights of Noem\u2019s time as DHS Secretary, from completely failing to understand the ancient&amp;nbsp; legal concept which allowed federal judges to release so many of the people she was illegally detaining without bond to her disturbing enthusiasm for calling US citizens concerned about killer ICE agents \u201cdomestic terrorists.\u201d Also: why exactly did Noem lose her job last week, and where did the $220 million of our money handed over to a shell company run by her former press secretary\u2019s husband go? Finally, we take a closer look at Trump\u2019s choice to replace Noem at DHS: an Oklahoma Senator with two first names and a temper even shorter than his MMA career.&amp;nbsp;   Watch this episode on YouTube!   \u201cNO GOING BACK: The Truth On What\u2019s Wrong With Politics and How to Move America Forward,\u201d Kristi Noem (2024)   DHS ad filmed at Mount Rushmore featuring Kristi Noem on horseback   \u201cFirm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts,\u201d Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica (Nov. 14, 2025)   \u201cMarkwayne Mullin is for Trump--and Indian Country,\u201d Graham Lee Brewer, High Country News (Dec. 9, 2019)   \u201cICE Barbie Replacement Mark Mullin Makes a Killing From Trump\u2019s Wars,\u201d Harry Thompson &amp;amp; Tom Latchem, March 9, 2026   \u201cMullin\u2019 It Over\u201d column archives on Markwayne Mullin\u2019s Senate website   Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do! ","author_name":"Opening Arguments","author_url":"http:\/\/openargs.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40393930\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/40393930"}