Let Them Fly First Class: Kristi Noem’s DHS Luxury Jet Scandal
Inside Noem's flying palace. Plus: Pentagon demands obedient, deadly AI. The race to deploy untested nuclear reactors. Lawmakers move to rein in presidential pardons. And remembering Robert Duvall.
Jessica Yellin and
Rohan Montgomery
Feb 17, 2026
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in front of one of her department’s several planes. Noem is facing scrutiny for spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on luxury jets, including one very special $70 million jet we detail below. (Photo: Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
Today, we lead with something sure to capture your imagination: the interior of Kristi Noem’s new billionaire-class luxury jet, complete with two bidets and a wet bar with a wine chiller. It will be purchased on your dime from the slush fund Congress approved in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Noem’s agency isn’t alone in pushing boundaries. Today we also report on the Pentagon threatening an AI company that tried to limit deadly uses of its technology, and the Department of Energy’s rush to get mini nuclear reactors operational ASAP.
In honor of President’s Day, today former President George W. Bush
published an essay for America’s 250th anniversary, praising George Washington’s “humility” and his decision to step down rather than become king. Washington, Bush wrote, “relinquished power rather than holding on to it” and “ensured America wouldn’t become a monarchy, or worse.” He “modeled what it means to put the good of the nation over self-interest and selfish ambition.” Words — and ideals — worth remembering today.
At the end of today’s newsletter we share memories of Robert Duvall, the legendary actor. Maybe we can take the advice of his family and, after reading this newsletter, step away from politics to indulge in a great story. Stories take us out of our world, reconnect to our humanity and restore our sense of what’s possible. What’s your favorite Robert Duvall film? Let us know in the comments below.
Here Are Your Headlines
- High On Your Dime: The DHS Luxury Jet Scandal: DHS this weekend scrambled to defend its plans to purchase a luxury Boeing 737 Max jet for $70 million. A spokesperson claimed the plane would be used for deportation flights, which supposedly “saves the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars.” That’s not what official documents say. They state the plane is specifically for “high-profile deportations.” So Kristi Noem’s DHS joins Rupert Murdoch, Mukesh Ambani – one of the world’s richest men – and Tony Robbins as the owner of this type of luxury mega jet. We obtained the floor plans for the aircraft, which DHS staff reportedly call Secretary Kristi Noem’s “big, beautiful jet.” It appears to be a flying palace. A sales listing brags that this Boeing 737 Max “redefines luxury travel” and “caters to the most discerning of travelers, offering an exquisite flying experience like no other.” Here’s what your tax dollars are going toward: A “VVIP Cabin Configuration” – that’s Very, Very Important Person — seating just 17 passengers on a massive Boeing 737. It includes two private bedroom suites with queen sized beds. Two showers (in prior administrations even the First Lady’s plane didn’t have a single shower). Multiple bathrooms with electric bidets. A separate buffet bar. Multiple ultra-HDTVs. And a lounge with a wet bar and wine chiller. Take a look here, then ask yourself: Does this scream “deportation efficiency” or “Barbie’s dream plane?”
- You Have to Spend Money to, erm, Spend Money: The $70 million for Kristi Noem’s luxury jet — which doesn’t include the millions it likely costs to operate — is a fraction of the taxpayer funds she’s burning through on aircraft. Last Fall, DHS purchased two Gulfstream G700 jets for between $172 and $200 million for the Coast Guard. Officials insisted they needed to replace the Coast Guard’s older Gulfstream jet as “a matter of safety.” She’s been on a jet shopping spree! In December, Noem and her de facto chief of staff (and then some) Corey Lewandowski directed DHS to buy 10 Boeing 737 jets from bankrupt Spirit Airlines for deportations and their own travel, despite officials reportedly warning them this would be more expensive than simply contracting flights. That deal collapsed when it became clear that Spirit didn’t actually own the planes. Which also lacked engines. Apparently undeterred, Noem and Lewandowski subsequently directed DHS to purchase six Boeing 737 planes for deportations, at a cost of almost $140 million. The only thing missing is Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection.
Going Nuclear: The DoD and Department of Energy (DoE) on Sunday airlifted a small nuclear reactor for the first time. The microreactor was transported 700 miles from California to Utah, where it will later be sent to a lab for testing. DoE Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday the goal is to have three of these new, untested reactors online by July 4. America’s birthday present to itself, apparently. This is the latest step in what Wright called “the American nuclear renaissance,” which he said involves getting “that ball moving again, fast, carefully, but with private capital.” Guess who is behind the push to get these small nuclear reactors ready for use in America’s neighborhoods? Masters of AI. They want them to power their data centers.- Don’t Hold Your Breath: The DHS shutdown continues, and with lawmakers on either side seemingly dug in and away from Capitol Hill, there’s no end in sight. About 90% of DHS employees are still working, many without pay; ICE and CBP are working with pay thanks to the $75 billion slush fund earmarked in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But the DHS’s Office of the Inspector General, which is investigating ICE’s use of excessive force and facial recognition, warned the shutdown has forced it to suspend 85% of its audits, evaluations, and inspections.
- Size Matters: Days after announcing the end of the immigration operation in Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan on Sunday revealed a “small” security force will remain in the state. Homan said the force will deal with “agitators” and “make sure the … agreements we have with local state law enforcement stay in place.” He did not say how large the “security force” would be or when they would leave.
- Pardon Me: Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) on Monday became the first Republican lawmaker to sign on to the Pardon Integrity Act, an amendment that would let Congress nullify presidential pardons. Bacon said that “it is clear to me the pardon authority has been abused.” Trump on Thursday pardoned five former NFL players convicted of crimes like counterfeiting and drug trafficking.
- Stepping Back: Casey Wasserman this weekend announced he is selling his eponymous talent agency, after his newly revealed ties to Ghislaine Maxwell caused many of its high-profile artists to leave. Wasserman said he had “become a distraction” at the agency. It’s a different story at the 2028 LA Olympics, where Wasserman remains the chairman of the organizing committee.
- Guthrie Latest: Law enforcement officials on Monday made it clear that Nancy Guthrie’s family members, including their spouses, are not suspects in her disappearance. The Sheriff appealed to the media to stop spreading “cruel” false stories. The FBI on Sunday announced it had retrieved DNA from a glove found two miles from Guthrie’s house and seemingly matching that worn by a suspect. The agency said it also found 16 other gloves near the house, most of them belonging to searchers, who’d apparently discarded them.
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