Pete Hegseth

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White House to Hegseth: No More Polygraphs

Top adviser who has clout with Trump complained about the leak investigations

(Newser) - Defense secretary Pete Hegseth's attempt to root out Pentagon leakers with polygraph tests have been abruptly halted—by the White House. The Washington Post reports that the tests were scrapped after a senior adviser to Hegseth complained. The adviser, Patrick Weaver—considered a staunch ally of President Trump...

Army Ends Shaving Waivers for Troops With Skin Conditions
Army: No More Long-Term
Shaving Waivers
in case you missed it
Jul 13, 2025 3:32 PM CDT

Army: No More Long-Term Shaving Waivers

Critics say move will disproportionately affect Black soldiers with skin conditions

(Newser) - The US Army is rolling out a new policy that will gradually end permanent medical waivers allowing soldiers to grow beards due to skin conditions—a move critics say could hit Black service members hardest. The skin issue at the center of the debate is pseudofolliculitis barbae—commonly known...

GOP Senator Offers Withering Assessment of Hegseth

Defense secretary seems to be 'out of his depth,' says Thom Tillis

(Newser) - A Republican senator has offered an unusually harsh critique of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, though it's a Republican senator who no longer has much to fear about crossing the Trump administration. North Carolina's Thom Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth, said the following to CNN anchor Jake...

Sources Pin Ukraine Weapons Pause Squarely on Hegseth

CNN cites 5 unnamed sources in its reporting

(Newser) - The White House got no heads up before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted US weapons shipments to Ukraine last week , five sources tell CNN —a move that surprised top officials and sparked confusion as Trump's team reportedly scrambled to understand and explain the decision. President Trump publicly...

Days After Pausing Weapons to Ukraine, Trump Does a 180

President indicates defensive weapons will be sent to Kyiv

(Newser) - Days after pausing weapons deliveries to Ukraine, US President Trump said Monday that the US would be sending more arms to the country. The AP calls it an "abrupt change in posture." Speaking to reporters after the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, Trump said, per Reuters , "We'...

Military Chief Wants National Guard Fighting Fires, Not in LA

US Northern Command leader asks Hegseth to return 200 troops after migrant protests

(Newser) - The top military commander in charge of troops deployed to Los Angeles to respond to protests against immigration raids has asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if 200 of those forces could be returned to wildfire fighting duty, two US officials told the AP on Monday. President Trump ordered the deployment...

Hegseth Unveils New Name for the Harvey Milk

Navy tanker will honor Oscar V. Peterson

(Newser) - The Navy tanker that has carried the name of assassinated gay rights icon Harvey Milk has a new name, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday: It's now the Oscar V. Peterson. Hegseth ordered the change in keeping with President Trump's campaign to remove diversity, equity and inclusion efforts...

Trump Loved Hegseth's News Conference on Iran

'One of the greatest ... and most confirming' he's ever seen, says president

(Newser) - Defense chief Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, held a rare Pentagon news conference on Thursday to discuss and praise the airstrikes on Iran, and they had one particularly influential viewer—their boss:
  • "One of the greatest, most professional, and most 'confirming'
...

Hegseth Scolds Media, a Fox Reporter Especially

'Jennifer, you've been about the worst,' defense chief says, referring to reporting on Iran

(Newser) - Defense chief Pete Hegseth scolded the media on Thursday for playing up a leaked preliminary assessment of the Iran airstrikes, one that suggested a relatively mild setback to Tehran's nuclear program. And during the press conference, he went after a former colleague at Fox News in particular, reports the...

After Leak, Administration to Tell Congress Less

Officials say release of assessment on Iran bombing was meant to undercut Trump

(Newser) - Unhappy with the leak of a preliminary assessment of the damage done to Iran's nuclear facilities in a US bombing that disagrees with his own, President Trump plans to restrict the classified information his administration shares with Congress. "We are declaring a war on leakers," a senior...

Trump on Regime Change Idea: 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN'

Even as advisers stress nuclear program is the focus

(Newser) - Even as President Trump's national security team spent Sunday emphasizing that the US is targeting only Iran's nuclear program, not aiming to topple its government, Trump's own Truth Social post Sunday night complicated that message: "If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN...

Pentagon: 'Midnight Hammer' Operation Did 'Severe Damage'

Hegseth says the strikes on Iran are not about 'regime change'

(Newser) - Defense chief Pete Hegseth emphasized Sunday that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were part of a "focused" mission and do not represent the start of an "open-ended" conflict. Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to reporters at a Pentagon...

Macron Takes Message From EU to Greenland

A takeover isn't 'something to be done between allies,' French president says

(Newser) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Sunday in Greenland, the strategic Arctic island coveted by President Trump, carrying a "message of solidarity and friendship" from France and the European Union. Macron quickly reiterated his criticism of Trump's intention to take control of the territory, the AP reports. "I...

Hegseth Won't Commit to Obeying Court on LA Protests

He says local judges shouldn't be determining national security policy

(Newser) - A federal judge will deal with California Gov. Gavin Newsom's request to block troops from taking part in immigration raids on Thursday—but it's not clear Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will respect the decision if he disagrees with it. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday, Hegseth...

Hegseth Expects Use of National Guard to Expand

He faces lawmakers in testy House hearing

(Newser) - "Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos," Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a heated hearing Tuesday. The House Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing, one of four hearings scheduled over the next week, was the first time Hegseth had faced Congress....

Sending Troops to LA Will Cost $134M
Sending Troops to LA
Will Cost $134M
Jun 10, 2025 12:08 PM CDT

Sending Troops to LA Will Cost $134M

Hegseth deputy answers question during congressional hearing

(Newser) - Defense chief Pete Hegseth's testimony before a House panel on Tuesday yielded a tangible nugget about the Los Angeles protests: The cost of deploying Marines and the National Guard to keep them under control for two months is $134 million, reports Politico . President Trump has ordered 4,000 members...

Vance Tries to Find New Aides for Hegseth

JD Vance is helping with Pentagon's job search

(Newser) - Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are trying to help Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fill job openings in his inner circle after at least three people dropped out of consideration. The high-ranking positions available included chief of staff, as well as several senior adviser...

Newsom Calls Threat to Use Marines 'Deranged'

Los Angeles is mostly calm, but National Guard and immigration enforcement protesters clash at federal complex

(Newser) - National Guard members sent tear gas into a crowd of protesters outside a federal detention center in Los Angeles on Sunday, while President Trump and his aides escalated their threats to use force against demonstrators opposing immigration enforcement . Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that active-duty Marines stationed at...

Watchdog Probes if Pentagon Staffers Deleted Signal Texts

Inspector general also wants to know who had access to Secretary Hegseth's phone

(Newser) - A Pentagon watchdog is looking into whether any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's aides were asked to delete Signal messages that may have shared sensitive military information with a reporter, per two people familiar with the investigation and documents reviewed by the AP . The inspector general's request focuses...

Report: Navy Ordered to Rename USNS Harvey Milk

Oiler was named for slain gay rights activist

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a highly unusual move that will strip the ship of the moniker of a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. US officials say Navy Secretary John Phelan put together...

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