Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem, under sharp questioning from Democratic senators during a Tuesday hearing, incorrectly described habeas corpus as a presidential authority to deport individuals.

Noem was on Capitol Hill to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the Department of Homeland Security's budget for fiscal year 2026. She was asked by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., to define "habeas corpus."

The secretary responded: "Habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country."

In reality, habeas corpus is a bedrock constitutional legal principle that safeguards individuals from unlawful imprisonment by enabling them to petition the court to review the legality of their detention.

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President Trump on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to shield America from missile attack by building what he describes as a "Golden Dome."

"Once fully constructed the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump's budget and timeline for the project are ambitious. He told reporters he hoped to have it done "before the end of my term." The system would cost around $175 billion, the president said, with $25 billion to start construction in next year's budget.

A key part of the Trump plan is to place both missile-sensing and missile-destroying satellites into orbit above the Earth. The constellation would likely involve thousands of small satellites capable of attacking a missile in the moments after it launches from its submarine or silo.

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A federal judge on Monday blocked efforts by the Trump administration and its so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) to dismantle the US Institute of Peace, at least temporarily.

Doge, initially overseen by billionaire Donald Trump supporter Elon Musk, took over the congressionally created and funded thinktank in March and had fired most employees by a late-night email after the US president targeted the institute and three other agencies with an executive order.

The takeover prompted a couple of lawsuits against Doge and the Trump administration, including from fired employees, trying to impede the institute’s dismantling. The White House claimed the thinktank was in “non-compliance” with Trump’s executive order, whose purported aim was to shrink the federal government’s size. And Doge staff forcefully entered the thinktank’s building after cancelling its contract for private security.

US district court judge Beryl Howell on Monday ruled that Doge illegally took over the institute through “blunt force, backed up by law enforcement officers from three separate local and federal agencies”.

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Infighting at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is threatening to consume Democratic leadership just as the midterms are starting to kick into gear.

The tensions come after a DNC panel moved forward this week with the potential ouster of two elected officials, including gun control activist David Hogg.

Now officials find themselves in a war of words over the issues at play, with Hogg alleging the move is a sign of party insiders seeking to force him out over his calls for supporting primary challengers to certain incumbents.

Though others at the DNC deny the vote was related to Hogg’s efforts, the feud is stirring up drama that Democrats want to avoid as they focus on regaining control of the House and possibly flipping the Senate next year.

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