Tuesday, March 24, 2026

DAREDEVIL, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

 Earlier today, Adam Blevins (COLLIDER) reported:

Around a year after Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 went off the air, the hit crime series is officially set to return tonight at 6 pm PST and 9 pm EST. While it was thought that the first episode would release tonight and subsequent episodes would follow every Tuesday at 6/9 until the Season 2 finale on May 12, this is no longer the case. Marvel Studios confirmed this morning that, while tonight will still consist of a one-episode premiere, Episodes 2 and 3 will be released next Tuesday at 6/9 before things return to normal, meaning the Season 5 finale will now air on May 5. This allows room for the newly-announced Punisher special to premiere on May 12 without any conflict from the Born Again Season 2 finale. Jon Bernthal just shared the first look at The Punisher special, titled One Last Kill, this morning.

There are likely a few reasons that the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 release schedule has been switched up like this on the same day as the premiere. These two episodes may pair well together and are more suited to airing at the same time, but Marvel also likely wants the release of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher special to not confuse fans or leave them curious if he’ll show up in the Season 2 finale. It’s been confirmed that Bernthal won’t be back as Frank Castle in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, but he will reprise his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

It was a pretty solid episode.  Opened strong with Matt on a ship sinking.  A lot of action.  I was waiting for Jessica Jones to show up.  


Alexandre Dumas knew what 19th-century readers wanted from their epic novels. The same stuff we do. Injustice. Indignation. Suffering. Gleefully unapologetic vengeance. And then—maybe—an acknowledgment that forgiveness is a virtue. “The Count of Monte Cristo,” à la PBS “Masterpiece,” simply adds a hot hero to a dish best served cold.
Containing one of the more convoluted Dumas plots—which is saying something—“The Count of Monte Cristo” is tailored by director Bille August into a relatively tidy eight episodes. It’s still an expansive saga, though a graceless opening had this viewer pining for the 2024 French version with Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantès. Which is thoroughly terrific. But once Mr. August gets us past his very soft and charmless introduction, his version gains momentum. Especially when Edmond goes to prison.
Even those who haven’t read the 1840s novel probably are acquainted with the story; the numerous adaptations, not counting the animated versions, have starred the likes of Jim Caviezel, Gérard Depardieu, Richard Chamberlain, Louis Jourdan, Robert Donat and James O’Neill (Eugene’s father). Payback has no shelf life.
Played here by Sam Claflin (“Lazarus”), Dantès is a guileless but able seaman who is made acting skipper of his storm-wracked ship just as its captain is breathing his last. Once Edmond sails the Pharaoh safely back to Marseille, the resentful first mate, Danglars (Blake Ritson), having been passed over, conspires with Edmond’s romantic rival, Fernand (Harry Taurasi), to frame Edmond as a Bonapartist. (Napoleon was about to leave Elba, where the ship stopped over to pick up an illicit letter.) This is a very much a shorthand account, but on the day Edmond becomes engaged to the Catalan beauty Mercedes (Ana Girardot), he is dragged away and ultimately sentenced to life on the rock-like Château d’If—all so that the royalist prosecutor, Gérard de Villefort (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), can avoid having his own father revealed as a supporter of Napoleon, via that letter.

I did not realize Trina was watching it too  (she noted that in "Vegan Wild Rice Salad with Kale & Tahini Dressing in the Kitchen").  I called her today and we talked about how much we love THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO in any format.  We laughed about how we saw the single sentence about the show in Ava and C.I.'s "Media: Going Through The Motions -- deceivers who aren't as smart as they think they are" and were both like, "When!  When tonight!"  And were relieved we had about a half hour from when we read it until the episode started airing.  

I believe you can stream the first episode at PBS' website.  But if you missed it and want to catch the weekly seven additional episodes, all you've missed it Dantes being taken to the prison.  It sets up the story for what's to come.  I recommend the first episode strongly but if you missed it and you're wanting to catch the show but don't have the time to catch episode one, I'm sure next Sunday, episode two will kick off with a recap that will make it clear to you what you missed in the first episode.  

Going out with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"


Tuesday, March 24, 2026.  Chump has no idea what he's doing with regards to the war on Iran, he has no concerns about how he's destroying the economy, ICE arrests a crying woman at an airport, Kristi Noem's boytoy is upset that the press is covering his dealings, and much more.


INDIA TODAY reports, "The longer the Iran war continues, the more complicated it becomes for US President Donald Trump, who is facing boiling criticism with no easy way out in sight. Leon Panetta, former US defence secretary and Central Intelligence Agency director, said that Donald Trump is stuck between 'a rock and a hard place' after weeks of conflict."  Chump changes the reason for the war near daily just as he changes the goal for it.  He has no idea what he's doing.  Akbar Shahid Ahmed (HUFFINGTON POST) reports on the mood of some service members:


Interviews with active duty soldiers, reservists, and advocacy groups focused on service members found some U.S. troops who are caught up in the war are reporting vulnerability, overwhelming stress, frustration and disillusionment to the degree they may leave the military. The reservists and active duty soldiers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation or because they were not authorized to speak to the press. 

A military official who is treating service members evacuated from the Middle East to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany amid Iran’s retaliation said troops are suffering from “inadequate force protection and planning” and already reporting a severe, destabilizing toll from Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that have been repeatedly striking American military facilities. Thirteen troops have been killed amid the war so far, seven due to strikes, and at least 232 have been wounded.
A ground operation would be “an absolute disaster… we don’t have a plan for that,” the official said earlier this week. “We can’t even fully defend a single land base in the theater.”

A veteran and reservist who mentors younger officers told HuffPost her contacts are expressing a loss of faith to a new degree. 
“I’m hearing out of service members’ mouths the words, ’We do not want to die for Israel — we don’t want to be political pawns,” she said. Another reservist in touch with current troops separately reported hearing similar comments.

“I’ve shared conscientious objector information six times in the past two weeks and I’ve been in the military almost 20 years — I’ve never had people reach out this way,” the first reservist continued.
[. . .]
The lack of a clear, consistent narrative justifying the Iran war is a key source of discontent among troops, the reservists said, demoralizing those who believe a poorly planned conflict is placing them in unnecessary danger for no identifiable strategic benefit.


No one knows what Chump is doing -- and that includes Chump.  Martha McHardy (DAILY BEAST) notes:


His timeline for the conflict also grew increasingly muddled. Early on, Trump said the fighting could continue for “four weeks or so.” Not long after, though, he claimed the campaign was “very complete, pretty much,” before later walking that back and saying the war would not be over that week, though it would end “very soon.”
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has asked Congress to sign off on another $200 billion for the Iran conflict, a massive funding request that appears at odds with Trump’s repeated claims that the war is nearly over. The administration is also reportedly considering sending additional air and naval assets to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and keep the vital shipping lane open.

What is known?  THE NEW YORK TIMES notes:


Oil prices rose and global stocks ticked higher on Tuesday, a day after President Trump set off a drastic market reaction by backing away from a threat to strike Iranian energy infrastructure.

On Monday, crude oil plunged and stocks jumped after Mr. Trump said the United States and Iran were in talks to end the war. Iran denied that negotiations were underway and accused Mr. Trump of issuing false statements to calm rattled energy markets.



Senior military officials are weighing a possible deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and some elements of the division’s headquarters staff to support U.S. military operations in Iran, defense officials said.

The officials described the military’s actions as prudent planning, noting that nothing had been ordered by the Pentagon or U.S. Central Command, which declined to comment. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing planning.

The combat forces would come from the 82nd Airborne’s “Immediate Response Force,” a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours. These forces could be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub.

Another possibility being considered, should President Trump authorize U.S. troops to seize the island, is an attack by about 2,500 troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is on its way to the region.

The airfield on Kharg Island was damaged by the recent U.S. bombing raids so former U.S. commanders said it was more likely to first bring in Marines, whose combat engineers could quickly repair airfields and other airport infrastructure. Once the airfield is repaired, the Air Force could start flowing matériel and supplies, as well as troops, if necessary, by C-130s.




A conservative media personality is sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump’s polling on key issues ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“November is a long way away, but if these numbers hold, we are going to get massacred in the midterms. That’s just reality,” Jesse Kelly, host of The Jesse Kelly Show, wrote on X, alongside the results of a new CBS News/YouGov poll that showed Trump underwater on issues including the Iran war, the economy and immigration.


But why look at just one poll?  Jasmine Laws (NEWSWEEK) looks at five:

Five new polls have suggested that President Donald Trump’s approval rating is falling in some cases to record lows, as America’s conflict with Iran in the Middle East continues, and concerns about the U.S. economy are growing nationwide.
[. . .]

One of the five new polls was a CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted between March 17 to 20. In total, 3,335 U.S. adults participated and the outcome revealed that 60 percent said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president.

This marked a net percentage point drop in approval of 20, according to RealClear Polling. Some 49 percent of participants also said they “strongly disapprove” of Trump’s actions as president, while 24 percent said they “strongly approve.”
For the economy, inflation and immigration, more participants disapproved than approved the way Trump was handling the policy areas.

Disapproval of how he was handling the situation in Iran was 62 percent, while 32 percent believed the U.S. economy would be in recession next year. Of those polled, 52 percent felt Trump’s policies were making them “financially worse off.” The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percent.




And on the economy?  Jennifer Bowers Bahney (MEDIAITE) notes, "CNN data guru Harry Enten claimed Donald Trump was 'last in the pack' of all 21st century presidents when it comes to voter approval on the economy."  As Jill Lawrence (BULWARK) pointed out, "His top economic priority has been to enrich himself and the rest of the billionaire/(Jeffrey) Epstein class, while sharply cutting resources for programs that help low-income people."  Thomas Kika observes:

The odds that Republicans will lose both the House and the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections are increasing, and according to a new breakdown from a Fox News analyst, it will be entirely President Donald Trump's fault.

Democrats have been tipped to retake the House majority since late last year, when simmering voter resentment against Trump saw his approval rating tank and led to major Democratic victories in off-year elections. Due to an unfavorable slate of races, the Senate was seen as a long shot for the party initially, but as Trump and his agenda have grown more and more unpopular, the odds have slowly begun to break for Democrats, with some polls now putting the chamber as a toss-up.


Today on MS NOW's MORNING JOE, they noted how ICE at the airport is a bad look for Republicans heading into the mid-terms. 



And how poor of a look it is was made clear yesterday.   Malcolm Ferguson (THE NEW REPUBLIC) reports:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents violently arrested a woman at an airport just one day after President Donald Trump called for them to help fill TSA staffing gaps.

Video of the incident on Sunday night showed two plainclothes agents dragging a sobbing woman away inside a boarding area of San Francisco International Airport. The reason for her arrest was not officially stated, and the agents refused to identify themselves or show an official badge. Meanwhile, airport authorities surrounded the agents to protect them while they kidnapped the woman—as a young girl traveling with her stood behind them crying during the arrest.



Immigration?  ICE destroyed Chump's reputation there.  Kristi Noem is out but not forgotten.  Laura Esposito (DAILY BEAST) reports:
 
Kristi Noem’s right-hand man—and alleged “loverboy”—had even more access to sensitive government secrets than previously known.

Corey Lewandowski, a top aide to the ousted Homeland Security secretary, wielded the full might of the Department of Homeland Security—sitting in on classified briefings and weighing in on contracts approved by the agency, The New York Times reported Saturday.
More than 20 current and former Trump administration officials told the Times that Lewandowski, who was brought on by Noem, 54, to serve only 130 days annually as a special government employee, built a system in which he was privy to all the department’s resources—and secrets.
Lewandowski, who is married, has been glued to Noem’s side since she stepped into her role last January. During that time, the former Trump adviser reportedly cast a powerful vote on most of the department’s ground operations and personnel decisions and was the driving force behind Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino’s ascension to power.

Bovino announced he was departing the agency this month following his leadership of immigration crackdowns across the country that saw two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis killed by federal agents.
Lewandowski also reportedly placed employees on leave on a whim over trivial matters, sources told the Times. Last month, the 52-year-old made headlines for reportedly firing a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after a blanket belonging to Noem was left behind on a different plane.

More insight into the vast power Lewandowski wielded at DHS comes from additional reporting alleging that he sought personal paydays by steering companies seeking highly lucrative government contracts.


Ariana Baio (INDEPENDENT) notes, "Corey Lewandowski, the unpaid adviser to outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is unlikely to return to the White House once he leaves his post this month after generating various controversies over the last year, according to a new report."  But you haven't heard the last of him, Congress is very interested in his dealings.  Laura Strickler (NBC NEWS) explains:

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have launched a new inquiry into outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s top aide, Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly sought personal payments from contractors, as was outlined in an NBC News investigation last week.
On Monday, House Oversight Democrats sent a letter to the private prison company GEO Group asking it to disclose details of meetings and conversations Lewandowski had with the firm both before the transition period after President Donald Trump was elected in 2024 and during 2025.

Lewandowski denied allegations he sought payments in exchange for favorable contract decisions. GEO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

GEO Group is the largest owner of detention centers in the United States, and the company plays a major role in Trump’s mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants. The firm holds more than a billion dollars worth of contracts with DHS.


Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform issued the following:



Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, demanded answers from GEO Group after new NBC News reporting alleged Corey Lewandowski, a Special Government Employee at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), attempted a pay-to-play scheme with the private prison company over DHS contracts. Lewandowski allegedly demanded kickbacks based on the value of GEO Group’s new or renewed contracts with DHS. After Lewandowski rejected GEO Group’s counteroffer to put him on retainer, Lewandowski allegedly told a senior DHS official not to award the corporation any more contracts in an apparent act of retaliation.

 
“Corey Lewandowski appears to have engaged in deep-rooted corruption at the Department of Homeland Security, and this massive pay-to-play scheme should concern all Americans. We need answers directly from any companies Lewandowski was soliciting. Oversight Democrats are going to root out this corruption at DHS, and we won’t stop until there’s accountability,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.

In the letter to GEO Group Chairman and CEO George Zoley, Ranking Member Garcia wrote, “Mr. Lewandowski may have used his position in the Trump Administration and close relationships to President Trump and Secretary Noem to enrich himself while serving as a special government employee (SGE). If true, these allegations of Mr. Lewandowski shaking down contractors for kickbacks represent a clear violation of the law and a serious breach of public trust by DHS. We ask for your cooperation in our investigation.”

This letter is an escalation of Oversight Democrats’ investigation into Corey Lewandowski’s role at the Department of Homeland Security. This month, Ranking Member Garcia joined Rep. Rick Larsen, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, to demand an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General into Corey Lewandowski’s employment. Additionally, the Ranking Members wrote directly to DHS and demanded all communications and internal records regarding Corey Lewandowski’s involvement in DHS personnel and contracting decisions.

In August, Ranking Member Garcia wrote to then-Secretary Kristi Noem regarding Corey Lewandowski’s employment as a Special Government Employee, demanding a complete accounting of his service days (including records and logs), assessment on whether he has exceeded his 130 day limit as an SGE, all documents and communications regarding his role in personnel decisions (firing/hiring) and grant approvals in FEMA operations, and all documents and direct communications between Lewandowski and any lobbying firm, lobbyist, or government contracting consultant.

In September, Ranking Member Garcia wrote to the Office of Government Ethics and to then Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the public release of Corey Lewandowski’s financial disclosures, which they have illegally failed to produce. Lewandowski meets the qualifications to be a public filer, meaning that legally, his financial disclosures must be made public.

 
###

Corey is not taking the news well.  Laura Espisito also reports:

Kristi Noem’s alleged longtime lover is lashing out—threatening a legal showdown after a bombshell report accused him of trying to cash in on lucrative government contracts.

Corey Lewandowski, a top Trump attack dog and adviser to the ousted Homeland Security secretary, is threatening litigation against NBC News, which reported that multiple companies complained to the Trump administration that Lewandowski stood to profit from the DHS contracting process.



And what of Chump's friend Epstein?  


 Nicole Charky-Chami (RAW STORY) notes:


Former modeling agent and longtime ally to President Donald Trump, Paolo Zampolli asked a top ICE official for help "to settle a personal score" and have the mother of his child deported during a custody battle, according to The New York Times.

Zampolli, a now presidential special envoy, introduced Trump to the president's now wife Melania.

He found out that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend, Amanda Ungaro, had arrested on charges of fraud at her work and in custody at a Miami jail — and last year talked to a top official at ICE, David Venturella, to see if she could be placed in ICE detention, citing that she was in the country illegally, The Times reported.

The two had been going through a custody battle over their teenage son and "now he saw an opportunity" to try and get him back, Friday's report stated.

A source familiar with Zampolli's communications and records acquired by The Times revealed that Ungaro was picked up from a Miami jail by ICE agents before she could make bail and later deported. Although this could have happened without her ex-boyfriend's involvement, it raises questions about how members of the Trump administration have used the federal government during Trump's second term to pursue personal vendettas.



When Ungaro met Zampolli, she was still a teenager, and he was in his early 30s. While Zampolli insists that their courtship didn’t begin until Ungaro was 19, certain sources imply that Ungaro was much younger when her grooming by Epstein began.

“This is not family drama. This is a criminal operation,” Ungaro shared in a statement published by Bekah Day this January. “I have proof that me and my family have faced harassment, threats, and blackmail from Paolo for years. I have information and proof of government and public officials being bribed by Paolo.I have proof that Paolo began trying to date me when I was 15 years old, and it is true that I was on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane as a teenager. I was only 16 years old the first time I was put on his plane.”

Tr*mp and Zampolli’s longstanding ties feature a number of fellow Epstein associates, such as magician David Copperfield. In a 2013 email, Zampolli wrote to Melania: “As you know Donald changed my life w/ u That night at dinner w/ Copperfild.” 
During Tr*mp’s first administration, when he put Zampolli on the board of the Kennedy Center, Zampolli and Ungaro lived together in Washington with their son. But by 2023, Ungaro discovered that her partner was busy grooming other young girls, and left him. In June of 2025, he called ICE on her.

While this information has circulating since June when Day and other independent reporters got the intel about the ICE attack on Ungaro, the Times exposé marks the first case of a mainstream news source connecting the dots between Zampolli, Ungaro, Epstein, and the Tr*mps.


Donald Chump's late friend remains in the news.  Robert Davis (RAW STORY) reports:

A political analyst was taken aback on Sunday by a report that uncovered new details about the death of disgraced financier and convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. 

On Friday, the Miami Herald reported that several bags of shredded documents were found outside of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where Epstein was being kept. Investigatory documents obtained by the outlet revealed that at least one inmate was involved in disposing of the documents and raised questions about the extent of the prison guards' involvement in the ordeal.

Podcaster and owner of MSW Media, Allison Gill, was taken aback by the report as she discussed it on a new episode of her podcast, "The Breakdown," on Sunday. She called the report a "massive revelation."

"If there weren't already a million really weird coincidences surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein, if there weren't a mountain of odd coincidences, this story ... would still raise glaring alarm bells just on its own," Gill said.

Gill noted several facts presented in the report that seemed "pretty convenient." For instance, an inmate named Steven Lopez was interviewed by FBI agents about the document shredding, but was only asked yes-or-no questions. A prison lieutenant was also present during the interview.

"That's pretty intimidating," Gill said.


 Olivia Salamone (RADAR) notes:


Donald Trump's Justice Department is facing renewed scrutiny after a newly surfaced report claimed officials destroyed large volumes of documents in the days following Jeffrey Epstein's death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The explosive allegation, buried in a batch of records released earlier this year, suggests key materials may have been discarded while federal investigators were still trying to piece together what happened inside the New York jail where the disgraced financier died.

According to the document, seen by The Daily Beast, a Bureau of Prisons review team was sent into the Metropolitan Correctional Center shortly after Epstein was found dead in August 2019.

But instead of simply examining procedures, witnesses described a steady stream of shredded paperwork being hauled out of the facility.

"[Redacted] has never seen this amount of bags of shredded documents coming out to be put in the dumpster at the rear gate of the MCC," the report stated.

The activity reportedly unfolded while multiple agencies, including the FBI and inspector general officials, were present amid the ongoing investigation.


For those who've forgotten, Donald Chump was president in 2019 when Epstein was jailed and died.  It was his Justice Dept that was in charge.  Bill Barr and others back then told a story that honestly doesn't hold up anymore.   Samantha Ibrahim (OK!) notes:


At least one inmate was reportedly used to help discard the files, according to the DOJ. ​​“[Redacted] was bringing back bags of shredded papers, around 4 or 5 bags, and caller brought them into the gate to throw into the dumpster. [Redacted] told caller that the after-action team is shredding huge amounts of paperwork,” the files said.

“Caller found it suspicious that an after-action team charged with investigating would be shredding huge amounts of paperwork with all of the officials from the AIG, FBI and BO[P] in the building in the middle of an investigation. Those giving instructions to [redacted] said, ‘Make sure you get that box too,’” the document read, also referring to the Assistant Inspector General.


Chelsie Napiza  (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES) reminds: 


A CBS News investigative review of 90 post-mortem photographs, conducted in October 2025, found that evidence markers were absent, items had been moved, and the FBI did not arrive at the cell until 1:35 p.m., more than seven hours after Epstein's body was found. Forensic analyst Nick Barreiro, who reviewed the photographs for CBS News, said, 'The FBI literally has all of the best tools. They have every tool you can imagine. And they used none of it as far as we can tell.'

Nearly two years elapsed before investigators formally interviewed the two corrections officers on duty the night Epstein died. Epstein's brother Mark told CBS News, 'This was never properly investigated as a proper homicide, it was never investigated.' His attorneys said DNA tests were never confirmed as having been carried out, while former Attorney General William Barr told investigators in a deposition that he could not remember whether they had been performed.

Political pressure to release Epstein-related government files intensified throughout 2025. In November of that year, the US House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the Senate unanimously approved and President Donald Trump signed into law. The legislation required the attorney general to release all unclassified records related to Epstein, with the explicit instruction that no document be withheld on the basis of 'embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.'


Allison Gill (MEIDASTOUCH NEWS) reviews the details on the shredding of documents following Epstein's death.






Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:


Construction of these facilities threatens to waste billions of taxpayer dollars; does not advance U.S. national security or improve the military’s readiness

Migrant detention centers have been likened to “concentration camps for immigrants”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, launched a new investigation into the diversion of military resources as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is funnels billions of dollars through a Navy contract vehicle to build a network of migrant detention centers — some of which have been likened to “concentration camps for immigrants.” In a new letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the senators call for the Pentagon to end its agreement with DHS.

“Diverting military resources to assist the development of ICE’s new detention facilities does not advance U.S. national security — nor the quality of life for our troops — and does nothing to improve the military’s readiness for conflict,” wrote the senators.

The Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC) vehicle was created in 2021 as a tool to support naval expeditionary forces “in austere and remote locations across the globe.” The contract initially supported U.S. national security efforts in Afghanistan, Sudan, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Since September, the Pentagon has allowed DHS and ICE to use the program to award 120 contracts to build and maintain a network of migrant detention centers. One recent award went to The GEO Group, a massive private prison company with a history of unsafe and inhumane conditions.

The Pentagon has also increased the WEXMAC contract ceiling sixfold, from $10 billion to $65 billion, since DHS and ICE began using the program, raising concerns that the Department of Defense (DoD) is funneling or preparing to funnel more resources from the military toward immigration enforcement. A previous investigation led by Senator Warren and Representative John Garamendi (D-Calif.) found DoD had diverted more than $2 billion of military funds—originally meant for fixing military barracks, training service members, and schools for military children—toward immigration enforcement. Pentagon officials have admitted that the military won’t be reimbursed by DHS for those funds.

“We are [also] concerned about the lack of transparency and financial risks associated with this contract vehicle…[which allows] DHS to sidestep the full federal acquisition process and fast-track the construction of migrant detention centers,” said the senators.

The WEXMAC program is structured such that it allows DHS — through DoD — to award construction and maintenance contracts to a small set of contractors under one large contract. After the large contract is awarded, Pentagon officials can quickly approve work by any of these contractors without further competition, increasing risks of taxpayer waste. DHS officials are also reportedly attempting to quickly award contracts and avoid federal competition rules, which are specifically designed to avoid political favoritism. The Pentagon also appears to be relying on uncertain legal authority to allow DHS to use this contracting vehicle.

“We are concerned that [WEXMAC] is only the latest example of a systemic pattern of diverting DoD resources to support DHS missions, and that this diversion threatens military readiness,” concluded the senators.

The lawmakers asked Secretary Hegseth to end DoD support for these programs, writing that DoD should not allow DHS to “bypass federal acquisition procedures and fast-track the construction of migrant detention facilities throughout the United States.” They also asked DoD to provide clarity on its agreement with DHS, detail what actions it’s taking to prevent the waste of taxpayer funds, and provide an accounting of the funds and resources spent supporting DHS for the building of detention centers by March 31, 2026.

###






The following sites updated:


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