Kagro in the Morning - March 27, 2026

In this episode of Kagro in the Morning, host David Waldman delivers a scathing critique of the ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security, particularly focusing on the unpaid status of TSA agents. He dissects the political theater surrounding the Senate's last-minute effort to fund most of DHS while excluding ICE and CBP, questioning the legitimacy of Trump's claim that he could have resolved the issue via executive order—only to later announce he would do so. Waldman exposes the hypocrisy in Republican arguments against imposing restrictions on agencies they don’t fund, contrasting it with their own history of voting against appropriations while accepting benefits. He also highlights a major controversy involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unilateral removal of four officers—two Black and two women—from a promotion list, citing allegations of racial and gender bias, including a reported claim from a senior aide that the president wouldn’t want to stand next to a Black female officer. The episode further covers Pentagon plans to divert Ukraine aid to the Middle East amid the Iran conflict, the DOJ’s $1.2 million settlement with Michael Flynn, and Trump’s push to have his signature appear on U.S. currency, which Waldman calls a brazen act of self-aggrandizement. He also reports on ICE’s illegal courtroom arrests, the conviction of election fraud activist Harry Waite, and the broader pattern of election deniers using illegal acts to 'prove' fraud, all while facing disproportionate punishment compared to those who actually commit crimes. The episode closes with a warning about the erosion of democratic norms and the normalization of authoritarian behavior under Trump’s administration.