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I’ve had no intention of piling on Kristi Noem.

She did a terrible job, especially with ICE and FEMA, seemed obsessed with promoting herself–whether at a Salvadoran prison or on horseback at Mount Rushmore–and President Trump fired her. He probably waited too long, but he did oust her as secretary of Homeland Security. End of story.

Until now.

300-PLUS ANGEL FAMILIES JUMP INTO MARKWAYNE MULLIN’S DHS NOMINATION FIGHT IN UNEQUIVOCAL TERMS

I know this reeks of gossipy tabloidism, but it directly involves the ex-secretary and, what makes it dead serious, it raises the prospect of blackmail. And it follows the romantic rumors that she has dismissed.

The Daily Mail, which has amassed a ton of evidence, reports on the "secret life," to use that headline-grabbing cliche, of her husband, Bryon Noem.

There are several photos of Bryon Noem, sporting pink hotpants and enormous fake breasts. 

Mail reporters interviewed several "fetish" models who claim to have had an online relationship with Noem, tied to women fantasizing about becoming Barbie dolls with gigantic curves (far eclipsing the actual skinny dolls). It’s called "bimbofication."

The piece says Mr. Noem is said to have paid these women thousands of dollars for their services, sometimes making salacious requests. I’ll spare you the unsettling  details.

Kristi’s reps told the New York Post: "Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time."

The president told the Daily Mail he was surprised to hear the Noem family confirmed the shocking report into his lewd online behavior.

"They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad," Trump said in a phone call.

But here’s the key part. Noem, says the Mail, made little attempt to conceal the extracurricular activities, giving women her husband’s phone number with a voicemail message that identified his business.

The main concern, and the reason this is newsworthy, is that Kristi could have been subjected to blackmail. 

NOEM THANKS TRUMP FOR NEW SHIELD OF THE AMERICAS SPECIAL ENVOY ROLE AFTER DHS OUSTER

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos told the paper, "If a media organization can find this out, you can assume with a high degree of confidence that a hostile intelligence service knows this as well."

An editor at Glenn Beck’s The Blaze said, "The entire GOP is full of degenerates, at this point probably more than Dems. And in this case, all of this was known long before she was appointed. It was an insane appointment."

All right, I think we’ve all had enough of that.

Let’s turn to the new DHS secretary, former senator Markwayne Mullin.

As the New York Times reports, "Mullin has worked toward a less flashy debut: briefing members of Congress on the effects of the government shutdown, attending White House meetings and doing a video talking up the people he now oversees. ‘I think I have the greatest employees working at DHS. ever — I mean that sincerely,’" he said in a video.

Mullin still has to manage a mass deportation program that has plummeted in public approval–especially after the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis. And he largely agrees with Trump’s hardline views.

FIRED DHS CHIEF KRISTI NOEM FACES CRIMINAL REFERRAL FROM CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS

At his confirmation hearing, Mullin said: "My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day. "My goal is for people to understand we’re out there, we’re protecting them and we’re working with them."

It will be a difficult balancing act – especially since, for the moment, DHS funding is frozen – except for TSA workers, by presidential decree – as the two parties can’t agree on a way to resolve the partial government shutdown.

What’s clear is that the Kristi Noem era is over, with a new boss who wants to avoid headlines rather than seek them out.

Footnote: Jimmy Kimmel is taking heat for making disparaging remarks about Markwayne Mullin.

"Let me make this very clear, I’m not upset that the head of Homeland Security used to be a plumber. I’m upset that he isn’t still a plumber," Kimmel said. "That's right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. It worked for Super Mario. Why not Markwayne?"

This was widely criticized as denigrating the working class.

"Secretary Mullin represents the best of blue-collar America, and failed comedian Jimmy Kimmel chooses to ridicule him for it," a DHS spokesperson told Fox. 

What’s more, Mullin took over the debt-ridden family company and expanded it into a major regional operation, including real estate and environmental services. 

Kimmel doubled down, despite the criticism. "I wouldn’t put a plumber in charge of Homeland Security for the same reason I wouldn’t call a five-star general to pull a rat out of my toilet. OK? We all have our areas of expertise."

Jimmy just has a tin ear on this one.

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A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated the legal status of thousands of migrants who had been allowed to temporarily live in the U.S. after using an app expanded by the Biden administration to schedule appointments with immigration officials.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston ordered the administration to reverse its move last year to revoke the legal status of migrants who used the CBP One app.

The app was used under former President Joe Biden starting in 2023 to address the crisis at the border by allowing some migrants to make appointments to seek asylum, with many paroled into the country for up to two years, but President Donald Trump moved to shut down the app when he returned to the White House last year.

Burroughs found that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security acted unlawfully in April of last year when it sent mass emails to many of the roughly 900,000 people who entered the country using the app, informing them that it was "time for you to leave the United States."

VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS, PROGRESSIVE GROUP SUE TRUMP AFTER NOEM NIXES BIDEN-ERA 'PROTECTED STATUS'

"The regulations do not give the agency unfettered discretion to terminate parole," Burroughs wrote.

"When Defendants terminated the impacted noncitizens' parole without observing the process mandated by statute and by their own regulations, they took action that was 'not in accordance with law,'" the judge added.

The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, one of the plaintiffs in the case, celebrated the ruling, saying it "brings long-awaited relief after months of fear and uncertainty."

Democracy Forward, another group that helped bring the legal challenge, also praised the judge's decision.

FEDERAL JUDGE UPHOLDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS

"Today’s ruling is a clear rejection of an administration that has tried to erase lawful status for hundreds of thousands of people with the click of a button," the group's president, Skye Perryman, said in a statement.

"Our clients followed the law: they waited, registered, were inspected, and were granted parole under the law. The Trump-Vance administration’s effort to tear that status away overnight was unlawful and cruel — and today, the court rejected that harmful and destabilizing policy," the statement added.

A DHS spokesperson said the ruling was an example of "blatant judicial activism" that interfered with Trump's authority to determine who remains in the country.

"Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect our national security," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The ruling came after a class-action lawsuit filed in August by three individuals from Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti who argued the Trump administration's effort to remove them from the country represented an abrupt, unlawful move to pull parole status and work authorization from migrants.

The Trump administration had argued that Biden overstepped parole authority by broadly awarding the status instead of granting it on a case-by-case basis.

Burroughs said when DHS sent out termination notices to migrants, it failed to comply with requirements to provide a record showing an official had determined that the purposes of parole had been served.

"Accordingly, the parole terminations exceeded the agency's statutory authority and contradicted the procedures set forth in its own regulations," the judge wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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You've heard of cooking steaks sous vide, but one beloved chef says a similar method works for eggs — and tried it herself.

Ree Drummond, the Food Network host also known as the "Pioneer Woman," recently cooked an omelet in a plastic bag placed in simmering water.

"I am really excited to try this," Drummond said in a YouTube video posted March 18.

LEFTOVER HACKS EXPLODE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS AMERICANS FIGHT HIGH PRICES WITH SCRAP FOOD FEASTS

The celebrity chef began by using a heat-safe plastic bag and preparing the ingredients.

"The good news is I'm not making a huge commitment by just making one omelet in a bag," she said while chopping a tomato. "It's nice to experiment with things like this before you really go whole hog."

After cracking the eggs into a bag, Drummond began to whisk them together with a fork.

"I sure don't want to pierce a hole in the bag," she said in the video. "And then everything just goes in — the peppers, tomatoes, some grated cheese, some thin deli ham."

GRITS SHOCK MAINE DINERS AS SOUTHERN CHEF SPOTLIGHTS REGIONAL BREAKFAST DIVIDE

During the process, Drummond said, "I gotta tell you, I love it already."

"I love the idea of making a bunch of these the night before," she said. "It would make the cooking process go so much faster than tending to a skillet. All right, here goes nothing. Drop the bag right into simmering water."

After removing the bag from the simmering water, the chef admired the omelet and said she was "so intrigued."

She went on, "I'm gonna set it down and just let it cool off a little bit. It is mighty hot."

COWBOY CHEF SHARES 6 SURVIVAL COOKING TRICKS FOR MINUS-30 WIND CHILLS AND 117-DEGREE HEAT

She continued, "My dream is that this thing falls right out of the bag. … Ah, it looks amazing," Drummond added, impressed. "Wow, it's just so moist and perfect. I think it could use just a little garnish."

There were mixed reactions posted in the YouTube comments section. 

"Cooking in plastic bags ... eish!" one person wrote.

"Looks super but are the eggs in the middle all the way done?" another questioned.

A third user wrote, "The traditional way is easier, faster and less mess."

Others thought the trick seemed promising.

"My sons learned this in Boy Scouts. We have them pretty often. ... They're good and no mess, or dishes to wash," one mother commented.

Another said, "Love these, been making them for years."

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The egg-cooking method is convenient but imperfect, California food scientist Rachel Zemser said.

It would take a skilled chef or scientist to get the egg consistency "just right," Zemser told Fox News Digital.

"If the temperature is too high, or if the egg is cooked too long, then the egg will become rubbery as the proteins will tighten up and squeeze out all the extra moisture," she said.

The result, Zemser noted, would be a "rubbery egg in the bag."

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"If the temperature is lowered, or cooking time adjusted, this can be perfected to create the ideal textured omelet," she said.

For those who'd like to try it, Zemser suggested cooking the dish sous vide (French for "under vacuum") at 167 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

"That would prevent the proteins from binding up tightly, squeezing out the water and drying out the egg, making it rubbery," she said.

"Adding ingredients like fat or cream can prevent the egg protein matrix from binding up so tight and keep the omelet softer and smoother during the cooking process."

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The eggs wouldn't brown or caramelize, but that might not make a difference depending on tastes, Zemser said.

"No caramelization could be a good or bad thing depending on the consumer," she said. "Some people like some cooked brown notes on their eggs, others do not — so it's a preference thing."

Zemser also cautioned that, while not an expert on microplastics, cooking food in plastic bags may not be for everyone.

"I would imagine that some people may have concerns about microplastics leaching into food," she said, noting that issues typically arise at higher temperatures, such as boiling.

Fox News Digital reached out to Drummond for comment.

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In case you blinked and missed it, President Donald Trump is back to threatening Iran.

And that seems to undercut the idea that his envoys are having very good talks, through intermediaries, with the Iranians.

Just look at the tone of his Truth Social posting yesterday:  

"The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’ This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year ‘Reign of Terror.’" 

Does that sound like someone who believes he’s close to an agreement?

WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR

I don’t think Trump wants to bomb the hell out of Iran’s energy facilities. He’s fully aware of how that would escalate the war and keep the U.S. mired in the conflict for many months at a minimum – a worst-case scenario for a man who campaigned against entanglement in foreign wars.

That’s why he extended his deadline by 10 days, to try to work out some compromise with what remains the world’s leading terror state. It’s hard to feel an ounce of sympathy for these murderous dictators who are responsible for so many thousands of deaths, including those of their own people.

The president told the New York Post yesterday that the administration has been dealing with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, saying we’ll find out within a week "whether he is someone America can truly work with."

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters yesterday, "I hope journalists in this room are wise enough not to take[the word of] an Iranian regime that has repeatedly lied about our country, about our values, about everyone in this room, frankly, for nearly five decades."

From the point of view of Iran, which was invaded by British and Soviet forces during World War II, all the regime has to do is survive and then claim victory.

The president is in something of a box. He clearly wants to end our military involvement in Iran, but can’t be seen as backing down on his threats.

Trump, at a minimum, needs two things. One is an agreement he can sell as limiting Iran’s ability to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. The other is ending Tehran’s blockade of "hostile" powers using the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked off 20 percent of the world’s oil traffic.

With the president moving tens of thousands of troops into position in the Middle East, he certainly has the boots he needs for a sustained attack.   

Trump is, as everyone knows, paying the price at home. The stock market has plummeted, shrinking the retirement accounts of millions of Americans. The cost of living, led by soaring gas prices, keeps rising after an election that was focused on "affordability."

And the president’s standing has nosedived among young men, many of whom want no part of this war or feel they were misled about foreign wars.

MEDIA UNDER FIRE: JOURNALISTS KEEP QUESTIONING IRAN WAR AS HEGSETH CALLS THEM ‘UNPATRIOTIC’ AND ‘ANTI-TRUMP’

Meanwhile, Iran’s military machine has been decimated, but it still has the ability to inflict damage with cheap drones. Over the weekend, one such drone injured at least 10 American service members at a Saudi air base, two seriously, and others have caused damage in Israel, killing at least 20 people.

The New York Times says "there has been little apparent progress in the negotiations. Iran has denied holding substantive talks with the United States and has rejected the Trump administration’s conditions as unreasonable. The war has raged on, drawing in much of the Middle East, sending oil and gas prices skyrocketing and fracturing Mr. Trump’s political support at home."

The Wall Street Journal reports the president "is weighing a military operation to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, according to U.S. officials, a complex and risky mission that would likely put American forces inside the country for days or longer." While "considering the danger to U.S. troops," Trump is "open" to the idea "because it could help accomplish his central goal of preventing Iran from ever making a nuclear weapon."

Trump is no stranger to shifting rhetoric. After vowing to block any oil shipments to Cuba, Trump let a Russian tanker through, saying it doesn’t matter because the island’s economy is collapsing anyway. An alternate take: He wanted to avoid a confrontation with Moscow while heavily focused on the Mideast.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth says the "hate-Trump" press is constantly playing up negative news. While the coverage has indeed been overwhelmingly pessimistic, I don’t know how else the latest exchanges between Washington and Tehran could be reported.

Hegseth, a decorated Army veteran, is taking heat for his repeated emphasis on Christianity, including, as the Washington Post notes, bringing clergy from his small Christian denomination to preach at the Pentagon.

The other day, talking about the war, Hegseth prayed for American troops to bring "overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy … We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ."

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

It sounds rather melodramatic to say so, but we are at a critical turning point. Either some kind of deal is made, face-saving or otherwise, or an aerial assault is unleashed upon Iran that prolongs the war and raises the prospect of an Iraq-style quagmire. 

If the Iranian leaders were rational, they’d want to avoid further obliteration. But I’m not sure they are. They are maddeningly phony negotiators who deserve whatever they get. But the consequences of an all-out bombing for America, and the president himself, could be just as severe.

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The chair of the Hernando County, Florida, Democratic Party was arrested for allegedly hitting a man in the head with a bullhorn during a "No Kings" protest over the weekend.

Brian Stewart, 63, was charged with simple battery and booked into the Hernando County Jail after the incident on Saturday. He was released later that day, jail records show.

Deputies responded at around 10:30 a.m. to the intersection of Mariner and Cortez boulevards, where Stewart allegedly struck a disabled veteran — identified as Thomas Michta in police reports — in the head with a bullhorn. The incident occurred as demonstrators in Hernando County and across the country protested against the Trump administration's policies, according to WTSP.

Michta told deputies he was walking through the protest when he and Stewart became involved in an argument, the outlet reported.

LATE-NIGHT HOST JIMMY KIMMEL SHOWS UP TO 'NO KINGS' PROTEST WITH KIDS, HOLDS 'ENOUGH ALREADY' SIGN

The man accused Stewart of striking him during the dispute and reported being in pain, with a visible lump on his head, according to an arrest affidavit, WTSP reported.

Deputies spoke to a witness who said he observed a fight during the protest.

According to the affidavit, video footage captured by the witness and reviewed by deputies showed Stewart using a bullhorn to hit the man in the head and push him in the chest.

After reviewing the video, the witness statement and Stewart's own admissions, deputies said they developed probable cause to believe Stewart intentionally hit the man and caused bodily harm, the affidavit says.

MAN WEARING INFLATABLE TRUMP COSTUME ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED ON CAMERA AT BLUE STATE ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST: POLICE

Stewart is scheduled to appear in court on April 27.

The Florida Republican Party called for Stewart to be removed as chair over the incident at the protest.

"Violence and political intimidation have no place in our state, and Floridians deserve better than mere silence from Democrat leadership. Nikki Fried must immediately remove Brian Stewart from his position of leadership in the Florida Democrat Party!" Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said in a statement to WTSP.

The Florida Democratic Party and the Hernando County chapter said in separate statements that they "condemn violence."

"We have been made aware that our Chair, Brian Stewart, was arrested after responding to a provocation from a local agitator who threw a drink on him and yelled obscenities at community members during a protest," the Hernando County Democratic Party said in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Hernando County Democratic Party for additional comment.

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FIRST ON FOX: States that decline to opt in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) could forgo nearly $23 billion in education funding over the next three years, according to a new analysis from the America First Policy Institute.

To highlight those potential losses, the group will launch an interactive Funding Loss Calculator designed to show how much each non-participating state stands to lose in charitable donations tied to the federal tax credit program. 

GET RID OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. GIVE POWER TO PARENTS

The projections estimate that 23 states could miss out on nearly $23 billion between 2027 and 2029—equivalent to more than 4.1 million could be lost in scholarship opportunities for students.

"We wanted to make sure that governors know and especially, the people in the states know, what is being foregone if they do not opt in to this federal tax credit scholarship program," Erika Donalds, chair of educational opportunity at AFPI, told Fox News Digital.

"The program will provide not just private school tuition, but homeschool expenses, curriculum assistance, tutoring, special needs services, dual enrollment and so many other resources for families," Donalds said, adding that the funds come from private donations and not state budgets.

So far, she added that so far, 28 governors have opted into the program.

LA UNITED SCHOOL DISTRICT SCANDAL LEADS TO CHARGES AS $22M SCHEME ALLEGEDLY DRAINED FUNDS MEANT FOR STUDENTS

Under the policy, taxpayers can receive up to $1,700 in dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for donations to scholarship-granting organizations, which fund K–12 expenses such as private school tuition, homeschooling, tutoring and special needs services. But only students in participating states are eligible to benefit.

That means taxpayers in states that opt out can still claim the credit—but their contributions are redirected to organizations in other states, effectively sending education funding elsewhere.

As a result, the calculator allows users to model different participation rates and view projected losses on a state-by-state basis. Supporters say the tool is meant to underscore the potential consequences for governors weighing whether to join the program.

"Every parent deserves to make education decisions on behalf of their children. We have seen state after state where parents are begging for school choice options," Donalds said.

"In Texas, in just one month, 250,000 applicants for a school choice program that is only going to accommodate about 80,000 students. In Tennessee, over 50,000 applications for a program that accommodates 20,000 student. There should not be wait lists on education freedom," she added.

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Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is calling on prosecutors to try, convict and punish the undocumented killer of Stephanie Minter, arguing that he must face American justice before he’s ordered to leave the country.

Kaine said he fears deportation could be a form of leniency.

"I’m not sure that if he’s deported, [that] he will really face the punishment that he should face. If you do a deportation now, what’s the guarantee he would really face severe consequences for what he’s done?" Kaine said.

"I think he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and then possibly deported after that, but I wouldn’t want him to escape accountability for the crime."

TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SPANBERGER, VIRGINIA OFFICIALS NOT RELEASE ILLEGAL CHARGED WITH GROPING HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

Authorities are charging Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old Sierra Leone native, with the murder of Stephanie Minter after authorities found her dead at a bus stop in Fairfax, Virginia last month.

Jalloh had already been arrested more than 30 times before his fatal confrontation with Minter, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Among others, his previous charges included rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing and more.

Local authorities dropped previous charges against Jalloh, allowing him to walk free.

IGNORED ICE DETAINERS ‘PUT LIVES AT RISK,’ DHS SAYS, TARGETING NEWSOM, PRITZKER, HEALEY

Kaine believes this time should be different.

"I think he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and then possibly deported after that," Kaine said.

Jalloh has been charged with second-degree murder.

Even as questions remain about why Virginia authorities let Jalloh go, Kaine, who served as governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, posited that ICE may have failed to follow through on requests to detain Jalloh ahead of Minter’s murder.

"My experience when I was governor — and this is now 15 or 20 years ago — is that we would normally let ICE know before we let anybody out of prison in Virginia, and then they wouldn’t show up," Kaine said.

VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR’S RECORD ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS SCRUTINIZED AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN MOM'S MURDER

"We would give them two-weeks notice [and say] ‘Hey, here’s somebody who’s here, come pick them up,’ and they wouldn’t show up. That was more my experience."

Fox Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

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