Pete Hegseth

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God Isn't Interested in Justifying War, Pope Says

Palm Sunday sermon answers leaders who have brought their faith into debates

(Newser) - While airstrikes cross the Middle East and the Pentagon makes plans for ground operations there, Pope Leo XIV used his Palm Sunday address to warn that God does not heed the prayers of those who initiate war. Speaking to crowds in St. Peter's Square, the first American pope cited...

Iran Hits Saudi Military Base, Injuring 10 US Service Members

Two of those service members are seriously hurt, officials say; planes also reportedly damaged

(Newser) - An Iranian missile attack on Friday wounded at least 10 US service members and damaged several planes at a military base in Saudi Arabia, according to two US officials familiar with the situation. Two of the troops were seriously wounded, one of the officials said. The attack on Prince Sultan...

In Unusual Move, Hegseth Blocks 4 Officers' Promotions

New York Times reports two are women and two are Black, raising bias concerns

(Newser) - The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the "exceedingly rare" decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to the status of one-star generals. Defense secretaries rarely get involved in such relatively nitty-gritty decisions, and the move in this case is especially sensitive: Two...

Hegseth Takes Rank Off Chaplains' Uniforms

Defense secretary says changes are to emphasize religious identity as Pentagon streamlines faith codes

(Newser) - Military chaplains' uniforms will soon send a new message. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said chaplains will stop wearing rank insignia and instead display only their religious symbols, a shift he framed as elevating their "divine calling" and making them less intimidating to approach, USA Today reports. Chaplains will keep...

Judge: Pentagon May Be Illegally Retaliating Against Anthropic

Judge weighs Anthropic's retaliation claims against Pentagon security risk label

(Newser) - A federal judge suggested the Pentagon may have crossed a constitutional line in its fight with Anthropic, the Washington Post reports. At a Tuesday hearing in San Francisco, US district judge Rita Lin said the Defense Department's move to label the AI company a "supply-chain risk" "looks...

Hegseth's Religious Rhetoric Alarms Extremist Experts

Defense chief's hard lean into Christianity risks alienating troops, gets new look amid Iran war

(Newser) - Since becoming defense secretary, Pete Hegseth has found no shortage of ways to bring his strand of conservative evangelicalism into the Pentagon. He hosts monthly Christian worship services for employees. His department's promotional videos have displayed Bible verses alongside military footage. In speeches and interviews, he often argues the...

'Ghost in the Skies' Apparently Hit by Iranian Fire

US stealth F-35 makes emergency Mideast landing during combat mission; investigation is underway

(Newser) - An American F-35 stealth jet flying over Iran was forced to make an emergency landing at a US base in the Middle East after being hit by what US officials believe was Iranian fire, sources tell CNN . A US Central Command spokesperson said the aircraft was on a combat mission...

Drones Seen Over DC Base Housing Rubio, Hegseth

Sightings spur heightened security at Fort McNair and beyond

(Newser) - Unidentified drones recently appeared over the DC Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, triggering heightened security talks and fresh concern about targeting by Iran, according to multiple people briefed on the incident who talked to the Washington Post . The aircraft were spotted...

Military: 'No Definitive Answer' on Show's Live-Fire Accident

Malfunction during demonstration rained shrapnel on California highway in October

(Newser) - A "one in a million" malfunction during a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton last October led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles, a US Marine Corps investigation found. An artillery shell exploded over the highway that serves as the...

'Doomsday Plane' Training Over California Fuels Jitters
2 Months After One 'Doomsday
Plane' Over California, Another
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Mar 15, 2026 1:54 PM CDT

2 Months After One 'Doomsday Plane' Over California, Another

Military nuclear command jet spotted doing routine drills in Fresno sparks jitters, online speculation

(Newser) - Residents in California's Central Valley got an unsettling reminder of global tensions over the weekend, courtesy of a military jet with a grim nickname. A US Navy E-6B Mercury —one of the aircraft that can serve as an airborne command center in a nuclear crisis—was spotted on...

Hegseth: I Can't Wait for CNN's New Owner

Pentagon chief suggests network will be more supportive of the White House

(Newser) - During a briefing on the Iran war Friday, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ventured into unexpected territory: ownership of CNN. "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better," Hegseth said in complaining about the network's war coverage, reports the Hill . Ellison's Paramount Skydance is poised...

Hegseth: Khamenei Is 'Wounded,' 'Likely Disfigured'

As Trump says Iran's new leader is 'damaged,' 'probably alive in some form'

(Newser) - Iran's new supreme leader is alive but apparently not unscathed, according to top US officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba Khamenei has been injured in the ongoing US-Israeli campaign, telling reporters the "so-called, not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured." He added that Washington is "on plan to defeat,...

Report: Pentagon Blocks Press Over 'Unflattering' Hegseth Photos

Outside photographers have been banned from recent Iran war briefing

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's team appears to have decided that bad angles are a national security threat. The Pentagon has blocked outside press photographers from recent briefings on the US-Israeli conflict with Iran after major wire services published images of Hegseth that aides didn't like, the Washington Post...

Hegseth: Iran Is in for 'Most Intense Day'

Defense secretary promises heavy action as Iran missile launches continue to decline

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Tuesday's action against Iran will mark the heaviest US aerial assault since the conflict began 10 days ago. Speaking at the Pentagon alongside Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, Hegseth said Iran "stands alone" and is "badly losing," claiming Tehran has launched its fewest missiles...

Anthropic Sues Over Hegseth's Security Blacklist

AI firm challenges Pentagon's designation of it as a 'supply chain risk'

(Newser) - Anthropic just took its fight with the Trump administration to federal court. The AI firm sued on Monday after the Pentagon branded the company a security risk and moved to cancel its government contracts, reports the Wall Street Journal . In a complaint filed in the Northern District of California, Anthropic...

Hegseth: Iran War Is 'Bringing Your Enemy to Their Knees'

Defense secretary says US strikes will intensify until Iran's capabilities collapse

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the outcome in Iran is already set: capitulation, whether Tehran says the word or not. In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes , Hegseth said US strikes had hit roughly 3,000 targets in Iran as of Friday and warned the campaign is "only just...

Missile Allegedly Fired at Turkey Brings Talk of Article 5

NATO says no current plans to trigger mutual defense clause linked to armed attack

(Newser) - Turkey and Iran are at odds over a missile allegedly fired at the Incirlik Air Base, a joint Turkish-US airbase near the city of Adana. Ankara reported Wednesday that a projectile originating in Iran was tracked over Iraq and Syria and disabled by NATO air and missile defenses above the...

32 Survivors Rescued After US Sub Sinks Iran Warship

Sri Lanka says 87 bodies were recovered

(Newser) - Sri Lankan sailors rushed into a war they're trying to avoid after an Iranian warship went down in the Indian Ocean off the country's southern coast. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that a US submarine sank the vessel with a torpedo as part of an escalating campaign...

Hegseth: US Killed Iranian Who Plotted to Assassinate Trump

Defense secretary quips, 'President Trump got the last laugh'

(Newser) - The Pentagon says someone tied to an alleged 2024 plot to kill President Trump is now dead—though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday told reporters that "was not the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination." Still, the leader of an Iranian unit who...

US Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship: Hegseth

Says sinking is the first of its kind since WWII as bombardment of Iran intensifies

(Newser) - The US sank an Iranian warship in international waters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, as it intensified its bombardment with Israel of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power. Hegseth said a torpedo from a US submarine sank the warship. He did not name the ship, reports...

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