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SEE FASCISM press suppression 9 25 TRUMP INTERVIEW FLAG OFFICERS

see retaliation mark kelly astronaut VENEZ MADURO

SEE WWW MEMORY HOLE CONFED STATUE BASE NAme hood

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// BOEBERT HILLARY PIX?

MMA

Right-wing media figures are getting briefed on the Iran war before Congress

Benny Johnson and Brian Kilmeade appear to have more information than just about any elected representative

Written by John Knefel

Research contributions from Sophie Lawton

Published 03/02/26

A defining feature of President Donald Trump’s second term is its symbiotic relationship with media allies, both at traditional right-wing outlets like Fox News and among the newer cohort of MAGA podcasters and online influencers — in some cases, these figures know more about Trump’s upcoming policy decisions than members of Congress. That dynamic was fully on display in the lead-up to the unprovoked bombing campaign the United States and Israel launched against Iran on February 28.

Prior to Trump’s initiation of the war, MAGA streamer Benny Johnson and Newsmax host Greg Kelly appeared to have insider information about when the first round of strikes would occur. Beyond them, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade and contributor Jack Keane claimed to have been involved in high-level briefings on the campaign.

Johnson, who was fired by Buzzfeed for plagiarism in 2014 and later disciplined by the Independent Journal Review for publishing false information, appears to have had unusually close access to officials in the Trump administration responsible for the decision to go to war.

On February 21, Johnson told his audience, “We are going to war with Iran. … I've been asking — I think that the cake's been baked.” It was unclear at the time whether he had inside information or was speculating, as he later added, referring to the publicly reported military build up, “the maps don't lie, OK? It’s happening.”

Johnson returned to the subject on February 27, just hours before the U.S.-Israeli campaign began. He began his show saying he’d just been “on the phone with top-level — let’s just say very high-level administration officials — moments ago to discuss what the plan is” for attacking Iran. Later in the same episode, Johnson claimed that he’d been talking with someone who is at the “top, top level of the administration, and we were yelling at each other — not yelling, but having polite conversation — about, like, what’s about to pop off in the Mid East.”

Ultimately, Johnson told his audience, “This is not a drill. It is actually happening,” adding: “I think in the next 24 hours we are going to see the world change. It may be the next 24 minutes, we're not exactly certain."

Newsmax host Kelly was even more precise. “A very well-informed person told me” the attack on Iran will happen Friday “after Wall Street closes,” Kelly said February 26.

By contrast, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who sits on both the Senate committees on intelligence and on foreign relations, told reporters on February 28 that he was “learning like you are as the news unfolds exactly what's happening." The Trump administration reportedly briefed some congressional staff the following day, with a full briefing to Congress scheduled for March 3.

Johnson and Kelly weren’t the only right-wing media figures enjoying extraordinary access to high-level information. Over at Fox, Kilmeade — a weekday Fox & Friends host who came in to cover a weekend shift — said on March 1 that he “was fortunate enough to be in a briefing with high-ranking Trump officials” a day earlier.

The same morning, Keane offered more granular detail, implying a high degree of insider information. “The [Persian] Gulf states are adequately defending themselves,” said Keane, a retired general and former Army vice chief of staff. “Three of them are preparing for combat, offensive operations. One has already started and two others are about to get going. I'm not going to talk about who they are, but that is being coordinated with Adm. Cooper and Central Command. These will be coordinated, selected targets, and they will contribute to the offensive nature of what’s taken place."

Keane’s comments on Fox the next day suggested he’d been provided with high-level briefings that everything is going smoothly. “The military has got a plan here that I have been privy to understand and it is very comprehensive,” Keane said. “And we're going to stick with that plan until the conditions of these military objectives are met. So far, the plan is exceeding all expectations."

The access to White House war plans that Johnson, Kelly, Kilmeade, and Keane appear to have is even more noteworthy given that the Pentagon tightly controlled its first press briefing of the war on March 2 — having already largely replaced the traditional Pentagon press corps with a series of lackeys, grifters, conspiracists, and cranks. According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — formerly of Fox News — “only answered questions from his chosen outlets” and had a “pre-selected list of questioners.” Those approved outlets didn’t include Hegseth’s former employer, whose correspondent was relegated to the back row and not called on for a question.

All administrations leak and try to manage public opinion through press operations. But the alignment of messaging and interests between the Trump White House and its media allies is unlike anything the United States has seen in recent memory. Sometimes that looks like providing right-wing influencers with embeds alongside Trump’s deportation agents; other times it looks like inviting MAGA media trolls to the White House to discuss antifa. Now, it looks like some of the most slavish voices in right-wing media are getting better information more quickly than members of Congress as the United States and Israel unleash yet more destruction in the Middle East.

mma context?

In Iran, the most consequential test of the Fox-Trump feedback loop yet

Written by Matt Gertz

Published 03/02/26

President Donald Trump, across both of his terms, has regularly shaped federal policy in response to the propaganda he hears from his sycophants at Fox News. But his decision over the weekend to launch a war of choice against Iran without a clear goal may prove to be the most consequential example of this feedback loop to date.

Trump is deeply immersed in the Fox universe. He famously consumes the network’s content; highlights particular segments that strike his fancy on social media; hires its employees to run his administration; consults its personalities for advice on domestic and foreign policy; and doles out contracts and pardons alike based on what he sees on its airwaves.

And for decades, the Fox stars Trump trusts most have consistently called for military strikes and regime change in Iran.

That campaign took on new urgency when Trump returned to the White House.

Last June, Fox personalities — particularly Trump loyalists Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Brian Kilmeade — used their programs to urge Trump to follow up on Israeli attacks on Iran by launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. They warned that Iran is, as Kilmeade put it, “our enemy,” that it posed an imminent threat to American citizens and that, in Levin’s words, “force” is the “only thing to stop” Iran.

Other MAGA media figures from non-Fox outlets opposed U.S. involvement in the conflict. But the overwhelmingly pro-war Fox coverage — and a White House meeting Levin had with the president — were apparently dispositive.

And after Trump ordered the U.S. military to attack three Iranian nuclear sites, Fox’s war hawks rewarded the president by showering him with praise for what Hannity said would “go down in history as one of the greatest military victories.”

The same pattern appears to be playing out eight months later, albeit on a much larger scale.

A Fox-fueled push for war with Iran

Over the past weeks, as U.S. military forces converged in the Middle East, the same Fox figures again urged Trump to attack. Notably, their argument was noticeably light on defining a goal for U.S. military operations after the bombs began to fall.

Instead, they argued that because Iran could, at some point in the future, pose a threat, Trump should act now while he is empowered to do so — and that the result would be an easy U.S. victory. “I cannot think of any reason not to take this regime out,” Levin argued. The U.S. would “lose credibility forever” without a strike, Kilmeade claimed. For Hannity, “The world is going to be better and safer.”

While some on the network seemed to shy away from the topic, criticism of potential strikes largely took place elsewhere in the MAGA media — outside of the Fox programming the president himself watches.

On Friday, hours before the attack began, the trio made their final pitch.

“I hope the president chooses to go at it,” Kilmeade said Friday morning. “We have been looking at these headlines for 47 years, and we have an opportunity to end it. And this president likes to make history.”

“This president knows right from wrong,” Levin told Hannity that night. “He knows good from evil. He knows that this regime is a death cult. And he knows that there's only really two countries that are prepared and willing to put an end to this.”

“We don't need to put up with their crap,” he concluded, as Hannity nodded along. “It's time to put it to an end.”

They got what they wanted: The U.S. and Israeli militaries began attacking Iranian targets that night. Since then, hundreds of Iranians have reportedly been killed, including Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Pentagon has reported the first U.S. casualties in the conflict. There is no end currently in sight — the Iranian government remains defiant, while the U.S. is sending more troops to the region.

The propaganda war has an aim. The real one doesn’t.

Trump, meanwhile, has had trouble articulating what he’s trying to accomplish.

He first suggested his aim was regime change when he urged the Iranian people to “take over” the government in his first public statement after the attack, but in interviews since then, he just seems to be riffing. He told The Washington Post he is seeking “freedom for the people” of Iran, but he bemoaned to ABC News that regime figures he expected to take over the country had also been killed in the initial strikes. Trump also stressed to The New York Times that his model was the U.S. attack on Venezuela, where the dictatorial regime remained in place after U.S. forces seized its leader. But he also suggested that the Iranian military could turn over its arms to its public. “They would really surrender to the people, if you think about it,” he explained.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox & Friends host, added to the incoherence of the administration’s message when he said at a Monday morning press conference, “This is not a so-called 'regime change war,' but the regime sure did change.” But the Iranian regime currently remains in place, and according to at least some of his statements, Trump may prefer it that way.

Perhaps the reason there doesn’t seem to be a clear goal for the U.S. bombing of Iran is because the goal, as laid out by Trump’s Fox propagandists, was for the U.S. to bomb Iran. That is the aim the likes of Kilmeade, Hannity, and Levin had in mind, and now that they’ve goaded Trump into following through, they are cheering him on.

“Donald Trump did what nobody else could do for half a century,” Levin marveled on Saturday. “How do you like that? And you know why he did it? Because he loves his country.”

So what happens next in Iran? That’s beyond the remit of Trump’s Fox Cabinet. Instead, they are gearing up for a propaganda war in which they declare Trump a world-historic victor and paint his critics as terrorists and traitors. For them, the details of what happens to the Iranians is for someone else to handle.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like anyone within the official Trump administration has answers either.

//

1. ### Fox continues longstanding push for war against Iran

11/17/23 1:19 PM EST

2. ### Trump’s Fox News obsession is driving the U.S. toward war with Iran

06/18/25 2:03 PM EDT

3. ### The final case for US strikes on Iran from Mark Levin and Sean Hannity

02/28/26

mma

March 2, 2026, edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom

JENNIFER GRIFFIN (CORRESPONDENT): I was in the Pentagon briefing this morning, but we were not called on for a question. We had assigned seats and Fox News was put in the back row. And there was no outside-cuts camera allowed to show who was asking the questions. The Pentagon wanted to control all of that.

These are the questions I would have asked if called on: Why was this an imminent threat? Oman's foreign minister said there was progress in nuclear talks. Was there any evidence that Iran was planning a preemptive strike? U.S. officials now say that was not the case. Do you know where the highly enriched uranium is? That is the question Sec. Hegseth did not want to answer last summer after claiming Iran's nuclear program had been obliterated in Operation Midnight Hammer. The secretary said this war is not about regime change, even though the president called on the Iranians to rise up and remove the regime.

My follow-up would have been how are unarmed Iranian civilians expected to overthrow Iran's security forces? And is this success if the same regime stays in place after this war ends? One question that was shouted at the end and left unanswered: How do you keep this from becoming an insurgency?

...

GRIFFIN: Sec. Hegseth would not rule out having U.S. troops on the ground in Iran but said it would not be 200,000 troops like in Iraq. The secretary said the four U.S. troops killed yesterday took a direct hit to the tactical operations center they were manning and took offense when reporters asked him to articulate why the American people are sending their men and women to war and if he is concerned about it spiraling into a longer war.

The Reliable Sources newsletter had more information about the Pentagon press briefing, with CNN's Brian Stelter writing, “Hegseth only answered questions from his chosen outlets. I'm told he had a pre-selected list of questioners, and all the reporters were in assigned seats, so he knew who to call on”:

The Pentagon has severely restricted access to information in the past year. You'll recall that Pete Hegseth credentialed a MAGA media “press corps” last fall after traditional news outlets rejected new press pass rules that media lawyers said criminalized routine reporting. The MAGA crew does relatively little reporting, so most coverage of the US military is now happening from outside the Pentagon's five walls.

Journalists from traditional outlets were allowed to attend this morning's press conference with Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine. But Hegseth only answered questions from his chosen outlets. I'm told he had a pre-selected list of questioners, and all the reporters were in assigned seats, so he knew who to call on.

an 2 26

'Head scratcher': Trump aides struggle to spend $500 billion more the military asked for

2 24? 26 attacks anthropic, CEO CAVES ON SAFETY MASS SURVEIL AUTON WEAPONS

RWW

02/18/2026

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth invited far-right Christian nationalist Doug Wilson to preach at the Pentagon Tuesday, reported Brian Kaylor at A Public Witness. Hegseth’s monthly evangelical worship services and the appearance of Wilson are signs of just how far the most aggressive forms of Christian nationalism have advanced within the MAGA movement and the Trump administration.

As Right Wing Watch has reported, Wilson is a Christian nationalist extremist who believes women should not have the right to vote. In the “Christian republic” he envisions, liberal Christians and non-Christians would not be allowed to hold public office or worship in public. He wants to see the Apostle’s Creed inserted into the U.S. Constitution.

Hegseth was criticized for apparently endorsing Wilson’s views last year when he promoted a CNN profile of Wilson with the comment, “All of Christ for All of Life.” (Hegseth eventually clarified that he supports women’s right to vote.) But Hegseth’s words and actions since then make it clear that he is intent on imposing his Christian nationalist worldview on the U.S. military.

Kaylor reported earlier that at the Feb. 5 National Prayer Service, Hegseth asserted, “America was founded as a Christian nation” and that public officials “have a sacred duty to glorify him.” He also suggested that serving in the U.S. military was a form of Christian spiritual warfare and that serving that mission could earn a soldier eternal life.

In 2023, Wilson’s Canon Press published The Statement on Christian Nationalism and the Gospel, which declared that the United States must formally “acknowledge the Lordship of Christ” in all its laws, “abolish abortion,” outlaw marriage equality, and “recapture our national sovereignty from godless, global entities who present a grave threat to civilization.” The statement affirms that “the Christian Nationalist project entails a national recognition of essential Christian orthodoxy” and supports laws against “public blasphemy.” Wilson is also notorious for publishing a book downplaying the evils of slavery.

Wilson oversees an expanding influence network that includes the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a network of “classical” Christian academies, and a cadre of far-right “theobros” who embrace his ultra-patriarchal Christian nationalist ideology. The Idaho-based Wilson planted a church in Washington, D.C. last year to “calibrate” conservative Christians working in the Trump administration in alignment with his worldview. Right Wing Watch recently noted that the mother of Brook Potteiger—the pastor tapped to lead Wilson's new church in D.C.—recently told an interviewer that Potteiger became psychically abusive and domineering after falling under Wilson's influence, so much so that she filed a report against him with child protective services.

AN 2 26

President Donald Trump's leadership has already rankled military officials, but Fox News' national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Tuesday that his Secretary of Defense is causing outright anger.

Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to fire Col. Dave Butler from the chief of the Army Public Affairs and chief advisor to Driscoll, who is currently in Geneva negotiating the end of the war against Ukraine.

The problem might come from Butler's previous job under Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump is still angry at. One of Trump's actions in his first few weeks on the job was to strip Milley of his security detail and clearance.

Butler has appeared on the Army's list of 34 officers selected for promotion. He was even slated to score his first star. Hegseth has refused to move forward with the list for nearly four months, saying he has "concerns" about a handful of those selected by the Army board.

Hegseth's problem, however, is that, by law, he can't take them off the list. So, Butler volunteered to remove himself if it meant others would get their promotions.

Driscoll is a very close ally of Vice President JD Vance, dating back to college at Yale Law School. He resisted the firing of Butler.

“We greatly appreciate COL Dave Butler’s lifetime of service in America’s Army and to our nation. Dave has been an integral part of the Army’s transformation efforts. He will be missed and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service,” Driscoll said in a statement.

Butler helped jump start negotiations with Driscoll in Ukraine last November. He even earned praise from Trump last year when the Army had its 250th birthday celebration and parade.

This is just the latest in many who ended up on Hegseth's cut-list since he took over the Pentagon. Others were forced into retirement. Most weren't given a reason.

"Admiral Lisa Franchetti, who was serving as Chief of Naval Operations, General CQ Brown who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Mingus, who was serving as Vice Chief of the Army, General DA Sims, director of the Joint Staff, Air Force Chief General David Allvin, General James Slife, Vice Chief of the Air Force, and General Timothy Haugh, director of the NSA, among others," listed Griffin.

It isn't unusual for top military officials to leave as administrations change. This was different, however.

"The unexplained firings have led to fear, uncertainty, and an unwillingness to speak up among senior military leaders," said Griffin.

AN 26

Army officials 'amazed' as Trump Pentagon chief axes ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman - Alternet.org

an 2 26

Past U.S. presidents, both Democratic and Republican, sounded much different at military gatherings than they did at campaign events. When addressing members of the U.S. Armed Forces, they were careful to avoid the type of overtly partisan comments they typically made during campaign speeches.

But MS NOW's Steve Benen, in an opinion column published on February 16, warns that President Donald Trump is ramping up his push to overtly politicize the military.

"When the Republican meanders his way through partisan red meat when speaking at a political rally," Benen explains, "it's tiresome but predictable. When he delivers the same message to active-duty military personnel, it's a qualitatively different kind of story."

Benen cites specific examples of Trump bringing partisan politics to speeches in military settings.

"The president, speaking at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, seemed especially focused on the state's U.S. Senate race, condemning the leading Democratic candidate, former Gov. Roy Cooper, while touting the likely GOP nominee, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who shared the stage with Trump during the on-base political rally," Benen notes. "'You have to vote for us,' Trump told the troops, referring to his party and the 2026 midterm elections. There is no modern precedent for any American president engaging in such radical politicking with active-duty servicemembers, though over the last several months, it's become a more common sight."

The "Rachel Maddow Show" producer continues, "In June, for example, Trump also spoke at Fort Bragg and treated U.S. troops like they were just another MAGA audience, even goading troops to boo Joe Biden, the free press and American elected officials whom the president doesn't like."

Benen points out that during an event celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, Trump declared, "We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder called the Democrats."

"An apolitical military is a foundational, bedrock principle of the United States," Benen writes. "Partisan, ideological and electoral considerations must be utterly irrelevant to what the military is and how it functions. It is nevertheless a principle for which Trump appears to have no use, creating an untenable dynamic."

---}:

02/09/2026

by

Kyle Mantyla

Miles Klee @ Wired: Turning Point USA’s Halftime Show Was Exactly What You’d Expect

“The All-American Halftime Show," born out of outrage over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, fell short of the hype. From Kid Rock’s poor lip synching to Erika Kirk being MIA, it was simply dull.

Ellen Ioanes @ The American Prospect: Board of Peace Is a Board of Profits

Corporate interests dominate the organization planning the reconstruction of Gaza.

Oriana González @ NOTUS: Republicans Want Nothing to Do With Conservative Efforts to Ban Gay Marriage

Trump has moved the Republican Party away from its decades-old opposition to same-sex marriage, and public support remains high.

Bryan Kaylor @ Public Witness: At National Prayer Breakfast, Hegseth Says US Soldiers Gain Salvation by Dying for ‘Christian Nation’

Pete Hegseth, who likes to call himself the “Secretary of War,” spoke after Trump to baptize the U.S. and especially its military. He did so by highlighting the worship services he’s been leading at the Pentagon. And he even suggested that soldiers can gain salvation by fighting for the United States.

Hafiz Rashid @ The New Republic: March for Life Attendees Are Getting Measles

It turns out the anti-abortion March for Life demonstration was a measles superspreader event.

Josh Kovensky @ Talking Points Memo: Trump DOJ Files 9/11-Era Charges Against Leftists Across the Country

Under Trump, the DOJ has changed how it brings terrorism cases, and is training them on the opposition.

RWW

01/21/2026

by

Kyle Mantyla

Ryan Bort @ Rolling Stone: Trump in Davos: ‘Sometimes You Need a Dictator’

The president delivered an erratic address to the World Economic Forum, pushing for the U.S. to take control of Greenland.

Steven Bechloss @ America, America: The Goal Was (And Is) Dictatorship

This was clear years ago: Trump hungered for total power and retribution, while extremist Republicans mocked liberal government and right-wing groups plotted a fascist takeover.

Jim Carroll @ Flux: MAGA authoritarianism takes square aim at Minnesota

As the Trump administration unleashes repressive mayhem in Minneapolis-St. Paul, crippling biases and blind spots keep the Democrats and major media from conveying the full story to the public.

Nina Martin @ Mother Jones: Trump’s Abortion Strategy? Do Nothing. But His Base Has Other Plans

Historian Mary Ziegler sees conservative courts poised to force his hand.

Brian Kaylor @ Public Witness: Hegseth Shares War Psalm He Prayed During Venezuela Attack

During the first Christian worship service at the Pentagon in 2026 — and the first since the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth framed that military action as a godly mission. Hegseth also detailed the Bible passage he prayed during the mission and urged the military personnel present to similarly pray for their work decisions.

Ruth Graham @ The New York Times: An Alabama Pastor Credits Trump for Putting ‘Christ’ Back in Christmas

The president has given a new class of evangelists direct access to the White House. In return, many support him without question.

AN 1 26

IFrame Content

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who is infamous for broadcasting secret military meetings and military strikes — again likely accidentally released comment about ongoing litigation despite the Defense Department’s widely accepted rule not to comment on court battles.

CNN reporter Haley Britzky posted on X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth let slip the news in a social media post targeting Sen. Mark Kelly (R-Ariz.)

“Asked about this lawsuit yesterday, a Pentagon official said that ‘as a matter of policy, the Department does not comment on ongoing litigation,’” said Britzky, who then followed that up with Hegseth’s bitter insight.

“’Captain’ Kelly knows exactly what he did, and that he will be held to account. That’s [sic] why he’s so worried and cranky,” Hegseth stated on X.

Hegseth was responding to Kelly’s X post excoriating Hegseth and announcing his lawsuit against Hegseth and the Pentagon over a move to punish him for a video Kelly released with other lawmakers reminding military members that they must not follow illegal orders.

“Now, Pete Hegseth wants our longest-serving military veterans to live with the constant threat that they could be deprived of their rank and pay years or even decades after they leave the military just because he or another Secretary of Defense doesn’t like what they’ve said,” said Kelly. “That’s not the way things work in the United States of America, and I won’t stand for it.

The Defense Department announced last week that it was taking administrative action against Kelly, a retired Navy captain and astronaut who is serving his first full term in the Senate. The action could reduce Kelly’s retirement rank and bottleneck his military pension.

The lawsuit Kelly filed in Washington asked a federal judge to block the Pentagon’s punish, however, arguing that the move is “unlawful and unconstitutional.”

“The First Amendment forbids the government and its officials from punishing disfavored expression or retaliating against protected speech,” the complaint stated. “That prohibition applies with particular force to legislators speaking on matters of public policy.”

The Defense Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation to reporters. However, Hegseth could not help but be baited into revealing a snap, in contradiction to department policy.

AN 1 26

President Donald Trump is now deploying military lawyers to Minneapolis under the guise of aiding federal prosecutors, who are now overwhelmed by the number of cases they're struggling to navigate.

U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not only arresting possible immigrants, but they're also taking Americans into custody, either for claims they're obstructing law enforcement, or those they've mistaken for immigrants.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asked the military to find "40 judge advocate general officers, from which 25 will be selected to serve as special assistant United States attorneys in Minneapolis," CNN reported Wednesday.

Trump also intends to send 1,000 additional federal agents to aid the 2,000 agents already on the ground.

"Ideally, have significant experience in criminal prosecution, civil litigation, administrative law, immigration law, general litigation, or other related fields,” the request said, according to the report.

After the Justice Department was asked to target the family of Minneapolis mom Renee Nicole Good, six prosecutors resigned, and three of those were top prosecutors from the Minnesota District, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Not only is there an increase in arrests, but the local DOJ office is now experiencing a staffing shortage.

Speaking to CNN about the Pentagon getting involved in matters inside the U.S., former deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department Elliot Williams said on a "basic level," it isn't out of the ordinary.

"At its most basic level, of course, it is common within the government for attorneys to be loaned to one place or another to surge when there just isn't a need," he began. "Look, the government, despite what everybody says about the government being too big, actually is quite understaffed in many areas, and lawyers in the immigration context are actually the government just needs more of them, regardless of where anybody is about this issue, you just don't have enough personnel."

What is not normal, he said, is that these are being sent in addition to a surge of 1,000 ICE agents while there are already 2,000 on the ground.

"What is remarkable is the backdrop to all of this with the deployments of personnel in Minneapolis, with sort of the boots on the ground, with this sort of surge in immigration enforcement, that's far greater than certainly I've seen at any point in my career, even having worked for ICE," said Williams, who worked for over four year at ICE as the assistant director for congressional relations.

"So simply putting lawyers someplace, not a big deal. But this world that we're in right now, absolutely remarkable," he added.

AN 1 26

Military newspaper hires screened for loyalty to Trump's 'policy priorities'

RWW

PERFIDY

Malcolm Ferguson @ The New Republic: Trump and Hegseth Face New War Crime Allegation Over Drug Boat Strikes

A bombshell report reveals how the Trump administration conducted that double-strike boat bombing.

AN 1 26

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is now taking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to court, accusing him of violating a provision of the U.S. Constitution protecting the free speech rights of lawmakers.

CNBC reported Monday that Kelly filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, with both Hegseth and the Department of Defense (DoD) named as defendants. The suit comes one week after Hegseth announced the DoD was cutting Kelly's military pension in retaliation for Kelly — a retired captain in the U.S. Navy and former astronaut — encouraging active-duty members of the military to remember their duty to disobey illegal orders.

The senior U.S. senator from Arizona argued in the lawsuit that the DoD's actions "trample on protections the Constitution singles out as essential to legislative independence," specifically the U.S. Constitution's speech or debate clause. That provision is found in Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution and reads that members of Congress "shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place."

"It appears that never in our nation’s history has the Executive Branch imposed military sanctions on a Member of Congress for engaging in disfavored political speech," Kelly's attorneys asserted in the lawsuit.

Politico legal correspondent Kyle Cheney noted that Kelly defended his position by quoting one of his Senate colleagues from across the political aisle. One portion of the complaint noted that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) referred to Hegseth's censure letter to Kelly as having "a chilling effect on speech."

Kelly and five other Democratic members of Congress issued the call for members of the military to disobey illegal orders in a video posted in November. After President Donald Trump reposted a call for those lawmakers to be hanged, several of them received numerous death threats from Trump supporters, leading several to file official reports with the U.S. Capitol Police Department.

Click here to read CNBC's report in its entirety.

AN 1 26

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are vowing to end "woke" culture in the U.S. Armed Forces, and Hegseth continues saying that a "warrior ethos" needs to prevail at the Pentagon. But not all veterans appreciate their rhetoric.

During an interview with The Guardian published on January 5, retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul D. Eaton argued that Trump and Hegseth are doing the military a major disservice by politicizing it.

Eaton told The Guardian, "There is an active effort to politicize the (U.S.) Armed Forces. Once you infect the body, the cure may be very difficult and painful for presidents downstream…. As the phrase goes, reputation is built a drop at a time and emptied in buckets."

Eaton, who is now 75 and spent 37 years in active-duty service, even compares Trump's politicization of the military to dictator Josef Stalin in the Soviet Union.

Eaton told The Guardian, "Stalin killed a lot of the best and brightest of the military leadership, and then inserted political commissars into the units. The doubt that swept the armed forces of the Soviet Union is reminiscent of today — they are not killing these men and women, but they are removing them from positions of authority with similar impact."

Eaton is highly critical of Trump's use of the military and federalized National Guard troops in major U.S. cities, and he fears some type of confrontation between National Guard troops and local police.

The retired U.S. Army general told The Guardian, "What could go wrong? You can very easily see an escalation in which both sides think they are right, obeying orders that they believe were given legally…. There are going to be people getting hurt who really don't need to get hurt."

*Read retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul D. Eaton's interview with The Guardian at this link.

omg 1 26 an

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is being "demoted" as punishment for appearing in a viral video telling military members they don't have to follow unlawful orders.

A collection of former military service and intelligence members filmed a video last year. The action has no bearing on Kelly's position in the U.S. Senate, but the Pentagon intends to put a note on Kelly's permanent record.

"Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home," the lawmakers told service members. "Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal order. ... You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."

Kelly served 25 years in the Navy and as a NASA astronaut, and achieved the rank of Captain.

According to a statement by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Kelly made "seditious statements," though the federal government doesn't intends to attempt any prosecutions for sedition. Hegseth initially said that he would court martial Kelly. However, a court martial would mean Hegseth would be forced into a military trial for Kelly, who maintains he has not broken any laws or rules with the video.

"This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file," Hegseth said in the statement.

"This is not a demotion of Sen. Mark Kelly (yet). But it's an effort to open the door to one. Those who sit on a grade determination board are typically service members at least one grade senior to the person under review. They are supposed to be impartial in nature," said military affairs reporterDan Lamothe from the Washington Post.

an 12 25

Visitors to an American military cemetery in the Netherlands are pushing back following the removal of plaques honoring Black veterans of World War II, according to an NBC News report, seemingly done as part of Donald Trump's anti-diversity crusade.

Per the report, "visitors have filled the guestbook with objections" since the plaques came down earlier this year at the visitor center for the American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands. The two displays honored Black soldiers who took part in the war effort and helped liberate Europe from Nazi control. Operated by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the cemetery is the final resting place for around 8,300 American soldiers.

As NBC noted, the cemetery's graves themselves were dug by an all-Black contingent of soldiers.

"One display told the story of 23-year-old George H. Pruitt, a Black soldier buried at the cemetery, who died attempting to rescue a comrade from drowning in 1945," the report explained. The other described the U.S. policy of racial segregation in place during World War II. Some 1 million Black soldiers enlisted in the U.S. military during the war, serving in separate units, mostly doing menial tasks but also fighting in some combat missions. An all-Black unit dug the thousands of graves in Margraten during the brutal 1944-45 season of famine in the German-occupied Netherlands known as the Hunger Winter."

Emails obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) and Dutch News confirmed that the decision to remove the plaques was in direct response to Trump's executive order targeting "diversity, equity and inclusion" programs, an order which has since impacted a wide array of displays, memorials and programs honoring African-American history.

US Ambassador to the Netherlands Joe Popolo -- one of the many wealthy businesspeople and GOP megadonors named to European diplomatic roles by Trump -- spoke out in support of the removal, arguing that the "signs at Margraten are not intended to promote an agenda that criticizes America."

The displays were reportedly removed without any public notice, prompting anger from visiting Americans, as well as local officials and residents. One local who spoke out against the removal to NBC News was 79-year-old Cor Linssen, the son of a Black US soldier and a Dutch mother. Linssen, along with a group of other children of Black US soldiers, visited the cemetery to view the plaques together back in February.

“It’s an important part of history,” Linssen said. “They should put the panels back.”

5656133-senate-armed-services-committee-boat-strikes}:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker said on Thursday that he has seen “no evidence of war crimes” committed during the U.S. military’s Sept. 2 strikes against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean, and he indicated that his panel does not plan to further probe the controversial operation.

“I have seen no evidence of war crimes. The fact is that our military is asked to make incredibly difficult decisions. Service members must do so based on the best available information and often under very tight timelines,” Wicker said in a lengthy statement.

Wicker said he is “satisfied” with all of the information the committee has received regarding the Sept. 2 attack, where two survivors were killed in a strike authorized by Navy Adm. Frank Bradley. Wicker said the strikes against “narco-terrorists” in the U.S. Southern Command area are based on “sound legal advice.”

“When reports first surfaced about a secondary strike, my office immediately directed inquiries to the department to ascertain the veracity of these reports. I promised that SASC would take this matter seriously and conduct thorough oversight. We have done so,” the Mississippi senator said. “Both military and civilian Pentagon leaders have worked in good faith to provide answers to us without any delays.”

Wicker’s panel said it would investigate the Sept. 2 operation, during which the U.S. military conducted four strikes against the purported drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, shortly after The Washington Post revealed a second strike, ordered by Bradley, took place during the mission.

Some Democrats and law-of-war experts have asserted the follow-up strike constituted a violation of international law. Democrats have pushed for a complete investigation of the incident and for the Trump administration to release the full video of the mission. Administration officials and Republicans in Congress have argued that the operation is lawful and that two survivors in the water were trying to flip over the boat, which was severely damaged after the first strike that killed nine people on board, and continue on with their mission.

Wicker’s statement comes days after the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, said he will end his panel’s inquiry into the Sept. 2 strikes.

---war

bc venez armada blow up fishermen?

an 12 25

Trump wants his name on new fleet of battleships that would have 'zero tactical use'

rww

12/19/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Charlie Nash @ Mediaite: Turning Point USA Conference Turns Into War Between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson as They Trade Blows

Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference turned into a war between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson on Thursday as the two men spent much of their speeches trading blows.

Hemant Mehta @ Friendly Atheist: Pete Hegseth is waging a pointless and damaging war on military chaplains

Hegseth’s crusade against the Chaplain Corps undermines readiness, trust, and pluralism.

Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog: Republicans confirm scandal-plagued former congressman to serve as an inspector general

Anthony D’Esposito will be expected to investigate ethical lapses, despite his own alleged ethical lapses.

John Whitehouse @ Media Matters: Nick Fuentes is the biggest beneficiary of a crowded and fractured new era of right-wing media

Why Media Matters is naming Nick Fuentes the 2025 Misinformer of the Year.

Will Sommer @ The Bulwark: Meet the First Groyper Politicia

James Fishback’s campaign may not be flashy but it sure is fashy.

Jennifer Smith Richards, Megan O’Matz and Jodi S. Cohen @ ProPublica: Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump

Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discrimination ... don’t matter,” one attorney said.

an 12 25

The Pentagon is tight-lipped when it comes to sharing information with members of Congress about drastic new cuts that will "downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters" while changing the command structure among top generals, the Washington Postreports.

Congress, which is constitutionally tasked with oversight, knows little to nothing about plans from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to shake up the military structure, according to the report.

Citing two people familiar with work on the Republican-led Senate and House Armed Services committees, the report said that top officers in command have prepared for the proposal but have heard nothing.

Each agency head is required to brief Congress about work being done, and Republicans are "perturbed" that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ignored that responsibility.

"If adopted, the plan would usher in some of the most significant changes at the military’s highest ranks in decades, in part following through on Hegseth’s promise to break the status quo and slash the number of four-star generals in the military," said the Post. "It would reduce in prominence the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command by placing them under the control of a new organization known as U.S. International Command, according to five people familiar with the matter."

Hegseth won't submit the proposal, according to the Post. Instead, he will have Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine reveal the details.

The cuts will also include a realignment of the U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Northern Command. Each branch oversees all military operations in the western hemisphere, the report explained.

Hegseth wants to reduce it to a "Western Hemisphere" office he will call "U.S. Americas Command, or Americom," anearlier report from NBC News said.

The Pentagon is also considering creating a "U.S. Arctic Command that would report to Americom." Sources told the Post that plan may have already been abandoned.

According to the proposal, combat commands would be cut from 11 to eight, and four-star generals and admirals would suddenly report directly to Hegseth, the Postreports.

It's part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to decrease U.S. military abroad.

Lawmakers told the Pentagon that in order to move forward with the plan, they must "submit a detailed blueprint that describes the realignment’s potential costs and impacts on America’s alliances."

The Pentagon won't get its funding until at least 60 days after the materials have been provided.

Read the full report here.

[### I Asked the Pentagon About Pete Hegseth's Mentor. Then ...

Mother Jones

https://www.motherjones.com › politics › 2025/12 › eri...](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/eric-geressy-goodreads-pentagon-dod-pete-hegseth-jack-posobiec-threat/)

4 days ago — Six weeks ago, Jack Posobiec asked me to comment on whether I have a “creepy fetish for Asian women.” That was one of several false and wildly ...See more

Six weeks ago, Jack Posobiec asked me to comment on whether I have a “creepy fetish for Asian women.”

That was one of several false and wildly personal allegations that the far-right pundit and newly minted member of the Pentagon press corps said that he planned to include in “a story that I’m writing about you.”

I immediately understood his October 28 email to be a threat, though it was not made explicit. The day before, I had sent the Pentagon press office a series of questions concerning Eric Geressy, a senior Pentagon adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Geressy, who served with Hegseth during a tour in Iraq in the mid-2000s, is part of the Pentagon effort to instill a “warrior ethos” within the US military. He now leads a team reviewing the role of women in the armed forces.

Calling Geressy “my toughest critic and my best mentor,” Hegseth in March presented him with the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second-highest award for valor, for Geressy’s conduct following an ambush in Baghdad in 2007.

Posobiec’s email arrived the day after my inquiries…This was either an incredible coincidence or a deliberate message: Publish your article and get smeared.

I had discovered that Geressy’s email address was linked to a public Goodreads page with a “currently reading” list that included various books featuring stories about “Asian wife sharing.” These pornographic works, with titles such as “Asian Wife Went With Her Dad’s Friend: A Cuckold Story,” appeared on the list alongside two books by Hegseth and a handful of military histories. They contain detailed descriptions of cuckolding, group sex, and scenes involving “ladyboys”—a term used to refer to Thai transgender women. The page, active since 2021, was taken down the day after I contacted the Pentagon and Geressy about it.

I also asked about a 1997 domestic violence allegation against Geressy, about his dating habits, and past relationships with foreign women. [chinese national?]I inquired if the Pentagon had assessed those relationships as part of Geressy’s security clearance process, and, more broadly, if his personal life might create concerns about his susceptibility to foreign influence operations.

The Pentagon repeatedly asked for more time to address those questions. Eventually chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded, in part: “Geressy has served for 38 years in the government, has been vetted numerous times by the relevant agencies, and has never posed a security risk or engaged in improper behavior as this piece tries to suggest. Mother Jones has stooped to a new low with this shoddy hit piece and should be ashamed of itself.”

Posobiec’s email arrived the day after my initial inquiries. The false claims he asked about, particularly the Asian fetish thing, seemed to mirror my questions. Posobiec, who in 2016 promoted the bogus Pizzagate conspiracy theory, gave me a deadline, 5 p.m. on October 29, that was the same as the one I had given the Pentagon press office. A Pentagon spokesperson and Posobiec both denied coordination. Geressy declined to comment. But considering the questions, timing, and Posobiec’s links to Defense Department officials, the situation seemed clear. This was either an incredible coincidence or a deliberate message: Publish your article and get smeared.

Posobiec’s email claimed I have “a history of objectifying women,” and that I had engaged in some kind of misconduct. The email also included questions about my marriage.

Posobiec’s questions suggested one of his “two sources” may have been a real woman with whom I did have a brief relationship nearly a decade ago. Contrary to the email’s depiction, that relationship was perfectly amicable at the time. But it was part of some personal messiness, especially around the end of my first marriage, that is embarrassing.

My first instinct was to laugh this off. Who cares what the Pizzagate guy writes? But getting lied about by someone with 3 million X followers is not that funny. Comet Ping Pong never housed a Democratic pedophilia ring in its basement. But that didn’t make it less dangerous when the restaurant was targeted by QAnon crazies, including a guy who fired an AR-15 into a room that had just been full of kids.

I have done reporting that angered other well-known figures on the right—Roger Stone, Miles Guo, Steve Bannon—and that drew some doxxing and half-assed personal attacks from their allies. But I am not famous. Who cares about me?

The threatened audience for the smear, clearly, was my peers—and my wife. It seemed meant to scare me into spiking my own story. That is not journalism, but an attack on journalism.

This apparent threat became more explicit as the possible publication date we had given the Pentagon approached. In tweets, Posobiec asked his followers if he should publish a story about mistreatment of women by a “DC-area liberal reporter.” After our possible publication date passed, though, he went quiet.

That left my editors and me with a problem. Here was what we believed to be an attempt to strong-arm Mother Jones, and perhaps an expansion of the administration’s war on the press. This was news. But the development also complicated an already tricky story. And if we delayed publication, or decided the story was not important enough to run, we risked leaving the impression that we, and I, had been intimidated into silence.

We knew that we would not drop the article because of Posobiec’s ploy, nor rush into running it before we were ready. Instead, we did what reporters are supposed to do when confronted with a journalism dilemma: more journalism.

My emails to the Pentagon and Geressy were part of an effort to check the information we had gathered. We wanted their side of the story. My questions went largely unanswered, but I kept asking. I talked to more people. And I worked to verify the information we had.

We had linked the Goodreads account to Geressy based on various pieces of identifying information, including an email address he had used. The account was listed under the username Eric J—Geressy’s middle name is Joseph. At one point, the page noted that Eric J lived in a specific Florida town, which matched Geressy’s known residence. Also, some of the non-erotic books displayed on the account were seemingly of interest to him; they included books, like Hegseth’s The War on Warriors, that mention Geressy’s military service. These titles appeared on the page between 2021 and July of this year.

Screenshot of the Goodreads page linked to Geressy’s email address. The page was deleted after we asked him and the Pentagon about it.

The same email address was also linked to other apps, including Yelp and MyFitnessPal, that appeared to be Geressy’s, along with a MySpace page that includes what looks like a photograph of him.

Geressy declined to comment, and did not confirm he had a Goodreads account. In theory that made it possible, if highly unlikely, that someone could have used his email account, obtained through a hack or other means, to set up the Goodreads account. So we tried to rule out that possibility.

I spoke to Nathaniel Fried, the CEO of OSINT Industries. That’s a British organization whose platform matches personal information such as emails and phone numbers to online accounts; we had relied on this platform to connect Geressy’s email address to the Goodreads account. Fried said that while OSINT can’t tell you for sure who signed up, “it’s 100 percent that that email has an account.” In other words, either Geressy or someone using his email and personal information created the account.

I also asked Amazon, which owns Goodreads, about the account. After much back and forth, the company said it did not currently have a record of an account linked to Geressy, or the email address he appears to have used. But they also said that they do not retain identifying information for deleted Goodreads accounts. Since the account linked to Geressy had been deleted weeks before, right after I reached out to the Pentagon and Geressy for comment, this statement gave us little new information. Overall, Amazon’s carefully parsed response did nothing to refute the connection.

“It’s all about whether you are susceptible to a foreign service getting any leverage against you. It may not be disqualifying, but it should be looked at.”

Still, none of that fully bore on the main consideration. That is, whether personal reading tastes, past relationships, or apparent dating habits are worth reporting on. After extensive discussion, we decided that in this case, they are.

For one thing, former national security officials told us that for Pentagon personnel in particular, relationships with foreign partners are a major concern.

Geressy lived in 2016 with a woman who evidence suggests may be a Chinese national. That woman started a limited liability company during that time with a name that references Chinese investment. It was registered at Geressy’s home address, then dissolved a few months later. (I am omitting some specifics to avoid including identifying information.) The Pentagon said that Geressy has never been deemed a security risk. But it did not provide verifiable answers to questions about whether that relationship and company were examined as part of Geressy’s security clearance review. Neither did Geressy.

Geressy has had what appears to be a stormy personal life that has included three marriages. In 1997, a jury acquitted him of a domestic violence charge after an accusation by his then-wife, according to court records.

Email addresses Geressy used, and other identifying information, including his first name and biographical information, also appeared in three data breaches, between 2011 and 2016, of adult websites geared toward finding sexual partners, according to databases that include the hacked data. Those sites are Fling, AdultFriendFinder, which then called itself “the World’s Largest Sex & Swinger Community,” and Ashley Madison, which billed itself as “the most famous name in infidelity.”

The presence of Geressy’s email and other information in these data breaches does not confirm he used these sites, according to cyber researchers.

But as John Sipher, a former senior CIA officer, told Mother Jones, in normal circumstances, a government official who might be involved with such websites and who had romantic relationships with foreigners would draw scrutiny. “It’s all about whether you are susceptible to a foreign service getting any leverage against you,” Sipher said. “It may not be disqualifying, but it should be looked at.”

And there is a second point. Geressy is a top official in a Defense Department that has booted trans people from the military based on President Trump’s executive order that argues that “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” Geressy is not responsible for trans policy, but he is part of a Pentagon leadership that concerns itself with subordinates’ private lives.

Trump’s Pentagon wants reporters to be not just docile recipients of the administration’s preferred narratives but active propagandists. That is a direct attack on the free press. It is also an insidious danger.

In The War on Warriors, one of the books on the Goodreads page linked to Geressy, Hegesth cited his mentor to support the position that women should not serve in combat roles. “From my perspective,” Hegseth quoted Geressy as saying, circa 2007, “overwhelmingly most females want nothing to do with combat arms.” According to Hegseth, Geressy had argued that the Army had unfairly awarded medals to some women who had served in combat. “If SGM Geressy was a transvestite—or gay, or black, or a woman,” Hegseth wrote, “he would have three Distinguished Service Crosses and be on the front of a Wheaties box.”

The Pentagon is already beset by scandals in which top officials, most notably Hegseth himself, have been accused of conduct that falls short of the standards it demands of other Defense Department officials and service members. Critics have argued that for lower-ranking personnel, actions like Hegseth sharing military plans outside of approved channels, or the adultery he during confirmation hearings, would result in firing. The racy selections on the Goodreads account linked to Geressy’s email may be comparatively minor. But that a public page listing such titles existed until we flagged it adds to the impression that the department’s leadership is not only hypocritical, but inept.

Hegseth has reacted furiously to reporting on some of his missteps. He has raged over coverage of his sharing of plans for bombing targets in Yemen with a Signal group that included the editor of the Atlantic. (The department’s inspector general reported that Hegseth’s actions could have put US troops at risk.) He fired aides accused of leaking news of a plan to give Elon Musk a top-secret briefing on US war plans versus China. Posobiec’s email came as the Pentagon took an increasingly hostile stance toward the media.

Kingsley Wilson, a former conservative influencer who is the department’s press secretary, told me that she did not speak to Posobiec about my story and did not believe Parnell did either. Posobiec also denied coordinating with the Pentagon. Geressy did not respond to a question about it.

But it came amid broader pushback to our reporting. “This is a garbage story made up of false allegations, decades-old claims that proved untrue, and disgusting innuendo aimed at smearing a man who was awarded the Army’s second-highest military honor for extraordinary heroism in combat,” Parnell said.

That response is consistent with the combative press relations posture of the second Trump administration. Shortly before, when a reporter asked the White House press secretary to identify who had suggested Trump meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, she responded: “Your mom did.”

Similar truculence drives the Defense Department’s recent decision to force outlets that assign reporters to the Pentagon to agree to a policy that bars reporters from revealing news the department does not authorize. Most news organizations refused. (The New York Times recently sued the Pentagon, arguing that the policy violates the First Amendment.) Posobiec is among a group of pro-Trump influencers who accepted the restrictive terms. The result is that the new press corps the Pentagon grants access to is largely composed of far-right activists.

The Pentagon press shop maintains close ties to its newly constituted press corps. Wilson, the department’s press secretary, occasionally appears on a program Posobiec hosts. In an October episode, she thanked him for agreeing to the department’s restrictions. “Now we get to have incredible journalists like yourself who are going to be here in the Pentagon reporting on what the Department of War is doing every single day,” she said.

On Wednesday night, after weeks of silence, I heard from Posobiec again. He said he was “finalizing my story,” and wanted to know if me, my wife, “or your in-laws” wished to comment. His message arrived an hour and forty minutes after I wrote to Geressy, posing some last questions and telling him I was “finalizing this story.”

Trump’s Pentagon wants reporters to be not just docile recipients of the administration’s preferred narratives but active propagandists. That is a direct attack on the free press. It is also an insidious danger. It threatens to make us bad at our jobs. It can be harder work to treat people whom we cover critically like complete human beings, people who deserve empathy and a real chance to explain themselves. If the department yanks credentials for tough reporting, if a press secretary just attacks a story without engaging with questions, and if inquiries draw personal attacks, why give spokespeople, or the officials they work for, any opportunity to respond at all?

The answer, I think, is that in journalism, like everywhere else, we should treat people the way we want to be treated. This story, with its weird personal twist, drove home that necessity. By proposing to smear me, Posobiec inadvertently provided a reminder of how responsible reporters ought to act.

I have worked to be fair—and honest. This attempt won’t appease the Pentagon or the people who threatened me. And the choice here, between appearing to be coerced into silence or maybe getting slandered, lacks an option that doesn’t feel shitty.

But what I can control are the standards I aim for. Those are ultimately up to me. But they reflect the values of Mother Jones, and the influence of other journalists, one of whom is my wife. She makes the judgment I’ll live with.

[### The Brand-New Pentagon Press Corps Is Gaga for Hegseth

The Intercept

https://theintercept.com › 2025/12/13 › hegseth-new-pe...](https://theintercept.com/2025/12/13/hegseth-new-pentagon-press-reporters/)

2 days ago — After nearly all legacy news organizations declined to sign on to Hegseth's rules, the new Pentagon press corps is all his cheerleaders.

[### Hegseth team invites far-right activist Jack Posobiec on ...

The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com › ... › Military](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/13/pete-hegseth-jack-posobiec/)

Feb 13, 2025 — Trump administration officials at the Pentagon invited a far-right activist, Jack Posobiec, to participate in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's first trip ...See more

AN THE CONV 12 25

News reports about a U.S. military attack on a boat in the Caribbean allegedly carrying drugs have raised critical questions about the military campaign against drug smugglers being carried out by the Trump administration in that region.

Among them: whether Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth or others face criminal liability for any of the attacks. Those attacks killed people alleged to have been involved in illegal narcotics trafficking.

Congressional investigations have begun into allegations that a Sept. 2, 2025, follow-up attack on two survivors of an earlier attack was illegal and ordered by Hegseth. Some legal scholars have cited violations of international and United States criminal law that could come into play.

But as a military law scholar who spent 20 years as a lawyer and judge in the U.S. Air Force, I know that there aren’t enough facts known yet to determine who is responsible for what. There are five investigative mechanisms that could be used to determine the facts and whether there is criminal liability on the part of both senior civilian officials and military members involved in the now extensively reported second strike on the suspected drug boat that resulted in the deaths of civilians.

There are two caveats to this analysis. The first is that the Constitution says a person is to be presumed innocent before being proved guilty. The second is that the story from the White House and the Pentagon has changed over time.

Congressional committees investigate

The first investigative mechanism is the Congress itself.

The House of Representatives and the Senate each have an armed services committee and a foreign relations or foreign affairs committee. In theory, any of these committees can place people under oath and have them testify, as well as issue subpoenas to obtain information.

This concept isn’t new.

Multiple committees examined the country’s lack of preparedness preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other military installations in 1941.

Almost every month during the Vietnam War, one or more of these committees investigated military matters, including one of the most notorious war crimes in U.S. history. In 1968, Army Lt. William Laws Calley commanded a platoon of soldiers who murdered close to 500 villagers in My Lai, including children and the elderly, none of whom posed a threat and none of whom were lawful targets.

But congressional investigations can be highly political. Even during the My Lai investigation, at least one member of the House, Mendel Rivers, a South Carolina Democrat who was at that time chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, attempted to shield officers in the chain of command. There is little reason to believe that a current investigation, conducted by a dramatically polarized Congress, will be free of partisan politics.

Attorney general investigates

A second means of investigating is for the U.S. attorney general to preliminarily conclude that crimes have been committed and to convene a grand jury to investigate. A federal grand jury is a constitutional body consisting of ordinary adult citizens. Its operations are governed by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and its role is to investigate whether there is probable cause to determine that a person has violated the criminal laws.

A federal statute prohibits murder. As far back as 1820, if not before, federal grand juries have investigated the crime of “murder on the high seas.”

No member of the president’s administration is immune from the criminal laws of the country, with the exception of the president himself when he has acted in the capacity of president or commander in chief. The Supreme Court in 2024 determined that the president is mostly immune from prosecution under criminal law.

But I believe this type of investigation is unlikely. That’s because members of the administration have argued that their actions were legal and that the men killed in the second strike were continuing in their mission and posed a threat.

Moreover, the attorney general is supposed to act in an independent capacity from the White House. But Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, has demonstrated her loyalty to the president and his agenda in many instances.

Another consideration is that federal agency heads who rely on their attorneys in good faith are presumed to be immune from the law. This may be why Hegseth has stated that lawyers had advised the mission’s commanders.

Congress and the AG work a case

It is possible that during a congressional investigation one or more witnesses will be accused of lying under oath or accused of contempt.

Congress has the authority to hold individuals in contempt and fine and sentence them, but this is rare. Usually, Congress forwards the claim to the attorney general. Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor offense, meaning a person cannot be sentenced to more than a year. Again, I believe it is unlikely that the attorney general would pursue a contempt charge in a federal court from these events.

Inspector general investigates

The Department of Defense’s inspector general can investigate allegations of wrongdoing in the department, and this includes the secretary. In the past, inspectors general have discovered criminal activity, written a publicly releasable report, and then a senior official was prosecuted.

In 2003, the Department of Defense investigated Darleen Druyun, a senior contracting official, for wrongly steering multimillion-dollar contracts to Boeing. The investigative report resulted in criminal charges from the Justice Department, and Druyun was found guilty in a criminal trial. Boeing officials also left the company, and the company was fined.

The military can investigate its civilian members but cannot prosecute them. The Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to civilians. That includes the president and secretary of defense, even though they are at the pinnacle of the chain of command.

International courts investigate

Finally, an investigation could be mounted through international law as enforced by courts outside of the United States.

Superpowers such as the United States and Russia often get a free pass from international law enforcement. In 1986, the International Court of Justice – a body partly created by the United States – ruled that the United States under the Reagan administration violated Nicaragua’s sovereignty during its civil war.

The Reagan administration’s response was that because other nations had disregarded the court, so too would the United States. No American official was ever held to account for the mining of Nicaragua’s main port or for the arming of rebels that led to the deaths of Nicaraguans.

It’s not clear which, if any, of these mechanisms will be used to hold accountable those who ordered and carried out the September 2025 operation in the Caribbean that killed two survivors of an earlier attack. What is clear is that the methods exist to find the facts – and make judgments based on them.

Joshua Kastenberg, Professor of Law, University of New Mexico

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

see wounded knee medals

Austin Orders Review of Wounded Knee Medals

July 24, 2024 | By Joseph Clark, DOD News |

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Defense Department to review the Medals of Honor awarded to approximately 20 soldiers for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation's highest military honor.

DOD's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will convene a special review panel to conduct an individualized assessment based on standards in effect during that period.

The scope of the panel's review is limited to examining each Medal of Honor awardee' s individual actions during the engagement at Wounded Knee Creek. However, "The [special review panel] may consider the context of the overall engagement as appropriate, including as necessary to understand each [Wounded Knee Creek Medal of Honor] recipient's individual actions," Austin wrote in a memorandum directing the review, which was released today.

Austin signed the memorandum last week following department consultation with the White House and Department of the Interior.

"It's never too late to do what's right," a senior defense official said in an interview this week. "And that's what is intended by the review that the secretary directed, which is to ensure that we go back and review each of these medals in a rigorous and individualized manner to understand the actions of the individual in the context of the overall engagement."

The official noted that the review is warranted based on a range of factors, including a congressional recommendation to review the awards included in the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

The panel will provide Austin with a recommendation to either retain or rescind each Medal of Honor awarded for actions related to the Wounded Knee engagement, which resulted in the death and injury of approximately 350 to 375 Native American men, women and children, according to a 1990 Senate resolution.

That resolution, which marked the 100th anniversary of Wounded Knee, referred to the engagement as a massacre and expressed "deep regret on behalf of the United States to the descendants of the victims and survivors and their respective tribal communities."

The panel will include at least five experts, including two from the Department of the Interior. It will provide a written report of findings and recommendations by mid-October. Austin will then provide his recommendations to the president.

The secretary of the Army will provide historical records for the review no later than July 26. The Army will include everything associated with the award recommendations for each soldier, the personnel file for each awardee, copies of any Army reports into the actions at Wounded Knee Creek and any other known historical documents salient to the engagement.

The secretary of the Army will provide support to the panel throughout the review, including document retrieval and answering requests for information about the events at Wounded Knee Creek.

Defense officials noted that the department regularly reviews awards for upgrades. The Executive Branch has also conducted reviews to determine whether previous awards should be rescinded, including one in 1916 that led to 911 Medals of Honor being revoked.

The officials noted that the standards for awarding the Medal of Honor have evolved over time, and the review would be held in accordance with the standards in place at the time, as well as the context surrounding the actions at Wounded Knee.

The panel will also consider other relevant laws and regulations, such as those relating to fundamental protections for noncombatants.

"This is not a retrospective review," one official said. "We're applying the standards at the time. And that's critical because we want to make sure that as these are reviewed and as a recommendation is made to the secretary and then to the president that we have applied the standards appropriately, while ensuring that we look at the context."

External stakeholders interested in submitting historical documents for consideration by the panel have until September 15th to submit. All submissions should be sent via e-mail to: osd.pentagon.ousd-p-r.mbx.wounded-knee-moh-review@mail.mil.

WOUNDED-KNEE-MOH-REVIEW-SD-MEMO-SIGNED list

:{:{---}:

calvary-soldiers-who-massacred-hundreds-at-wounded-knee-get-to-keep-their-medals-of-honor

by levi Rickert September 26, 2025

Department of War Pete Hegseth used social media on Thursday night to announce that U.S. 7th Cavalry soldiers who massacred hundreds of innocent Lakota during the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre will retain their Medals of Honor. The Medal of Honor, which is the highest award of valor presented to military service members, was given to 20 soldiers.

These medals were given despite the fact that the incident involved the killing of at least 250–300 Lakota people, the majority of whom were women, children, and elders.

“Under my direction, we’re making it clear, without hesitation, that the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 will keep their medals, and we’re making it clear that they deserve those medals,” Hegseth said in a video posted on the social platform X.

In July 2024, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had established a five-member panel to reassess the commendations awarded to troops for their actions at Wounded Knee.

The Biden administration stated that the panel would evaluate each medal recipient’s service and records individually to ensure that “no soldier was recognized for conduct that did not merit recognition under the standards applicable at the time.”

Hegseth did not release the findings of the panel during Thursday’s social media announcement.

“We are not surprised, but disheartened that Secretary Hegseth has decided to follow former Defense Secretary Austin’s footsteps and follow recommendations by what I believe to be a panel that was established to ensure a specific outcome,” O.J. Semans, Sr. (Rosebud Sioux), co-founder and co-executive director of Four Directions, Inc., told Native News Online on Thursday evening.

The violence began when the U.S. Cavalry attempted to confiscate weapons from those taken into custody; a shot was fired, prompting troops to open fire and kill at least 250 Lakota men, women, and children. Around 25 U.S. soldiers also died, likely as a result of friendly fire.

For several years, Native organizations have urged Congress to pass the Remove the Stain Act that would rescind the Medal of Honor to those awarded for their violent deeds at Wounded Knee.

In May 20205,Remove the Stain Act of 2025 was reintroducedby Senators Elizabeth Warren (D–MA) and Jeff Merkley (D–OR), along with Representative Jill Tokuda (D–HI),

"We cannot be a country that celebrates and rewards horrifying acts of violence against Native people," Sen. Warren said when the legislation was reintroduced. "Congress must recognize how shameful this massacre was and take an important step toward justice for the Lakota people."

“We must acknowledge our history and take concrete steps to right historic wrongs from America’s darkest chapters,” said Sen. Merkley. "Moving forward together as a nation demands we remember, reflect on, and work to rectify the abhorrent massacre of hundreds of innocent Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee. This horrific injustice is not deserving of our nation’s highest award for military valor, and our long-overdue bill helps finally set the record straight by revoking these medals.”

Semans still hopes Congress will pass the legislation.

“We will continue to work with Congress to ensure Americans know the truth,” Semans said.

Earlier in the year, Hegseth also directed the restoration and refurbishment of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery that had previously been removed.

WAR CRIMES 2ND STRIKE 12 25

CALLED OUT BY SEN KELLY BOY ON STAGE PLAY ARMY

80TH ANNIV OF UBOAT EXECUTION?

mma

December 5, 2025, edition of MS NOW's Deadline: White House

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.) (GUEST): In the future, there's going to be a lot of young officers and NCOs that are looking back on this and saying, wow, how did all this happen?

NICOLLE WALLACE (HOST): Yeah, because Angelo, I mean, that will happen in the future because what happened in the past resulted in the example in the laws of war manual being this example of how one treats shipwrecked people. That is the line that has been drawn based on the study of history.

ANGELO CARUSONE (MEDIA MATTERS STAFF): Yeah, and I think it's worth noting that -- you know, we talk about that as the study of history. But a big part of what Trump and all the people around him are engaging in, and the right-wing media underneath it, is revisionism. You know, a lot of this started with the revision of what our history is, and that is a big part -- so ignoring it is key. And that's, I think, to me, the biggest piece of all of this, is that the narrative or the story that they're sharing is one in which we've been fundamentally weak and somebody like Hegseth is going to go in there and change the culture, and that is what he promised to do. And that's -- what we're having now is this fantasy, the story that he had been selling for so many months starting to become materialized. And obviously it wasn't well thought out, and you have all these operational issues as a result of it.

And that, to me, then, if you add it all up, if you look at what the coverage is and the right-wing media and Trump supporters, it's either they're ignoring it or they're confused. They don't know whether or not to be upset or to celebrate it, because this is now conflicting with the reality. So, for instance, Hannity wants to give Trump credit for these killings. You know, he's been saying that this is an example --

WALLACE: But Trump doesn't want to take any credit or anything to do with the second strike.

CARUSONE: That's exactly right.

WALLACE: Trump's been asked publicly twice, and once he said if there was a second strike, it wouldn't have approved of that. And when he was told by Jim Himes, when the video released, he said, yeah, I'd release it.

CARUSONE: That should -- and yet, Hannity still wants to give him credit for it, and he still attributes it to him and says, well, this is an example of the kid gloves that Joe Biden put on the military coming off. And, you know, other Fox News hosts like Jesse Watters are giving Hegseth all the credit. The chyrons read, "finish the job," right, so they want to celebrate it. Other parts of the right-wing media are saying, well, we don't like this, this is too far, this is confusing. But the majority are ignoring it. And I think that is, to me, the illustration that they've ignored all the history. They have their own narrative, their own version of it. It's obviously been a fantasy, and now we're seeing that materialize into reality.

rww

12/04/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Dan Diamond, Alec Dent and Katharine Houreld @ The Washington Post: The renamed ‘Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace’ hosts first event

Trump joined leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign an accord — and to marvel at the new name his administration gave the building.

Edith Olmstead @ The New Republic: Did Pete Hegseth Even Read the Signalgate Report?

The Pentagon spokesman insisted the report completely exonerated Hegseth.

Charlie Nash @ Mediaite: Fox Host Tells Women They’ll Get ‘Hotter’ if They Join GOP: ‘All Republican Women Are Hot’

Fox Business host Katrina Campins advised women that they would get “hotter” if they joined the Republican Party on Wednesday, declaring, “All Republican women are hot.”

Moria Donegan @ The Guardian: Rightwingers are trying to destroy women’s right to vote

Calls for disenfranchisement rest on a single assumption: that women’s citizenship is partial and conditional.

Adam Lynch @ AlterNet: Conservative professor warns GOP to stop 'playing footsie' with extremist bigots

Conservative Princeton University professor Robert P. George is warning the Republican Party and the modern conservative movement to jettison its growing bigot wing quickly before they destroy the party.

Coleman Hughes: Nick Fuentes Knows Exactly What He’s Doing

MMA

Andrew Napolitano says the entire chain of command involved in double tap boat strike “should be prosecuted for a war crime”

12/02/25 9:44 PM EST

2. ### Jesse Watters calls double tap boat strike a “hoax”

12/02/25 6:24 PM EST

3. ### Greg Gutfeld on double tap boat strike: “It's just better for us to kill them in the ocean, make them shark feed, be done with it”

12/02/25 5:59 PM EST

4. ### Scrounging for a Hegseth defense, right-wing commentators seize on NY Times report

12/02/25

Scrounging for a Hegseth defense, right-wing commentators seize on NY Times report

Hegseth’s supporters split hairs over his culpability

Written by Matt Gertz

Research contributions from Rob Savillo

Published 12/02/25

Right-wing commentators have seized upon a New York Times report on the U.S. military’s September 2 extrajudicial killing of 11 people on board a boat the Trump administration alleged was carrying drugs in the Caribbean, claiming that the article “DEBUNKED” a previous Washington Post report that triggered congressional scrutiny over potential war crimes. But the Times actually confirmed, rather than undermined, the Post’s account.

The Post reported Friday that according to its sources, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order “to kill everybody” on board the boat before the attack, and that after confirming that the first strike left two survivors, the Navy special operations commander overseeing the action, Adm. Frank Bradley, “ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions,” killing them. Lawmakers of both parties quickly vowed to aggressively scrutinize the attack, which legal experts argued would constitute, “at best, a war crime under federal law.”

Hegseth, in his prior career as co-host of Fox News’ Fox & Friends Weekend, championed U.S. service members accused or convicted of war crimes. In one 2019 segment discussing a soldier charged over the extrajudicial killing of an Afghan man accused of making bombs for the Taliban, Hegseth said, “If he committed premeditated murder … then I did as well. What do you think you do in war?”

Top Trump administration officials over the weekend denounced the “fake news” Post’s “entire narrative” as “fabricated” with “NO FACTS.” But at Monday’s briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt effectively confirmed — and defended — the actions the Post had reported, including the second strike.

This confusion left President Donald Trump’s most zealous propagandists with few clear pathways to defend the administration’s actions. But after the Times published its own account of the attack on Monday, “plenty of conservatives are now declaring this case closed,” as Politico reported. Indeed, right-wing commentators have claimed that the Times “quietly DEBUNKED” the Post’s “hoax hit piece,” which they said has been exposed as “a genuinely vile slander of both Hegseth and Bradley.”

“Disgrace to journalism that [Post reporters] @AlexHortonTX and @nakashimae got so many details of this story wrong just to smear @PeteHegseth,” posted RedState's R.C. Maxwell, a member of the new Pentagon press corps composed of MAGA shills.

Fox News, Hegseth’s former employer, had devoted 53 minutes of airtime to the story across the four days from Friday through Monday. The bulk of that coverage came from purported “news side” shows; Jesse Watters was the only prime-time host to address the story, while the defense secretary’s old program ignored it altogether. Coverage picked up on Tuesday morning, however: Apparently armed with new marching orders at last, Fox & Friends finally found an angle and reported on how the “New York Times report backs Trump admin’s account of strike on suspected drug boat.”

In reality, the timeline of the September 2 attack laid out in the Times article matches the one provided by the Post.

First, after U.S. intelligence operatives determined that the boat was carrying drugs, Hegseth issued his order to destroy it and kill those onboard.

From The Washington Post:

The longer the U.S. surveillance aircraft followed the boat, the more confident intelligence analysts watching from command centers became that the 11 people on board were ferrying drugs.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. “The order was to kill everybody,” one of them said.

From The New York Times:

According to five U.S. officials, who spoke separately and on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter that is under investigation, Mr. Hegseth, ahead of the Sept. 2 attack, ordered a strike that would kill the people on the boat and destroy the vessel and its purported cargo of drugs.

...

In interviews on Monday, two U.S. officials — both of whom were supportive of the administration’s boat strikes — described a meeting before the attack at which Mr. Hegseth had briefed Special Operations Forces commanders on his execute order to engage the boat with lethal force.

Then, the Navy launched an initial strike, which left two survivors, who were killed after Bradley ordered further strikes.

From The Washington Post:

A missile screamed off the Trinidad coast, striking the vessel and igniting a blaze from bow to stern. For minutes, commanders watched the boat burning on a live drone feed. As the smoke cleared, they got a jolt: Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck.

The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, two people familiar with the matter said. The two men were blown apart in the water.

From The New York Times:

Admiral Bradley ordered the initial missile strike and then several follow-up strikes that killed the initial survivors and sank the disabled boat.

The Times account stresses that Hegseth’s “order was not a response to surveillance footage showing that at least two people on the boat survived the first blast,” and that the defense secretary “did not give any further orders” to Bradley following the first strike — but the Post’s account does not say otherwise.

It is unclear whether the Post’s reporting that Hegseth issued a “spoken directive” to kill those onboard the boat is describing something different from the Times’ reporting that Hegseth briefed commanders on his order to “engage the boat with lethal force.” But both agree that Bradley ordered a second U.S. strike which killed shipwrecked survivors.

That second strike, experts say, constitutes “at best” a textbook war crime (if you accept the administration’s dubious claims that this constitutes a lawful conflict in the first place; otherwise, both strikes are simply murder). Trump said Sunday he “wouldn’t have wanted … a second strike,” though Leavitt defended Bradley ordering one on Monday.

The right-wing complaints amount to hair-splitting over the exact extent of MAGA favorite Hegseth’s responsibility for the allegedly unlawful killings — and it's based on two reports that paint a consistent picture. Did Hegseth cause the second strike with his initial order, or did he merely watch Bradley order it in real time with no apparent qualms about it, then promote Bradley, give a speech urging military leaders to “untie the hands of our warfighters” to ensure “maximum lethality,” and then defend the attack and mock its critics?

Either way, the Times article doesn't vindicate him.

MMA //

1. ### FLASHBACK: When Pete Hegseth endorsed the military executing captured alleged combatants

12/01/25 12:22 PM EST

2. ### A Fox host lobbied Trump to pardon accused and convicted war criminals. Here's how Fox talked about the cases over the last six months.

05/21/19 5:57 PM EDT

3. ### Fox praised and validated Trump's legally questionable boat strikes in the Caribbean

10/29/25

FLASHBACK: When Pete Hegseth endorsed the military executing captured alleged combatants

Written by Matt Gertz

Published 12/01/25 MMA

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, currently under scrutiny for reportedly overseeing “at best” an alleged war crime in the Caribbean, argued from his Fox News perch in 2019 of an American soldier who admitted to the extrajudicial execution of an alleged Taliban bombmaker: “If he committed premeditated murder … then I did as well. What do you think you do in war?”

The Washington Post reported Friday that on September 2, Hegseth gave a spoken order “to kill everybody” on board a boat that U.S. intelligence analysts suspected was carrying drugs off the coast of Trinidad. After confirmation that the first strike left two survivors “clinging to the smoldering wreck,” the Navy special operations commander overseeing the action “ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions,” according to the Post’s sources. The paper further reported that “current and former officials within the U.S. military and DEA have expressed doubt that all 11 people aboard the first vessel were complicit in trafficking.”

The bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees quickly issued statements promising investigations into the report. Legal experts argue the ordered killings would constitute “at best, a war crime under federal law,” as Hegseth’s former Fox colleague Andy McCarthy put it.

“Even if you buy the untenable claim that they are combatants, it is a war crime to intentionally kill combatants who have been rendered unable to fight,” McCarthy wrote Saturday at National Review. “It is not permitted, under the laws and customs of honorable warfare, to order that no quarter be given — to apply lethal force to those who surrender or who are injured, shipwrecked, or otherwise unable to fight.”

Indeed, “orders to fire upon the shipwrecked” are the textbook example of “Clearly Illegal Orders to Commit Law of War Violations” provided in the Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual.

(McCarthy further states that beyond Hegseth’s specific alleged order, “the attacks on these suspected drug boats — without congressional authorization, under circumstances in which the boat operators pose no military threat to the United States, and given that narcotics trafficking is defined in federal law as a crime rather than as terrorist activity, much less an act of war — are lawless and therefore that the killings are not legitimate under the law or armed conflict.”)

Hegseth said Friday that the Post’s story was “fabricated” and that the U.S. operations in the Caribbean “are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict,” but also bragged that “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them,” and subsequently appeared to make light of the allegations. On Sunday, President Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t have wanted … a second strike” and claimed Hegseth “said he didn’t do it.”

Such weak denials are not terribly credible given Hegseth’s infamous support for U.S. service members accused of war crimes in his previous job as co-host of Fox’s weekend editions of its Fox & Friends morning show.

“Put us all in jail”: Hegseth rejects war crimes as a legitimate category

Hegseth, in one particularly striking example, vigorously defended Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn during a February 2019 Fox & Friends appearance.

Golsteyn, who had been charged with murdering a captured Afghan man who was allegedly a Taliban bombmaker during a 2010 deployment, had “allegedly told CIA interviewers that he and another soldier took the alleged bomb-maker off base, shot him and buried his remains,” and replied “yes” during a 2016 Fox interview when asked if he had killed the man.

Referring to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), a fellow veteran who supported Golsteyn, Hegseth said: “If he committed premeditated murder, then Duncan did as well, then I did as well. What do you think you do in war?” He added: “Put us all in jail.”

Video

Citation

From the February 13, 2019, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends

Hegseth repeatedly used his Fox post to endorse presidential pardons for Golsteyn and other U.S. service members accused or convicted of war crimes, hosting their family members or lawyers for softball interviews and vigorously defending their conduct. (At one point, he expressed his disdain for describing such individuals as “service members accused of war crimes,” saying, “They’re not war criminals. They’re warriors who have now been accused of certain things that are under review.”)

The Fox & Friends Weekend co-host also lobbied Trump directly behind the scenes, and the president issued pardons for several of the individuals Hegseth championed and even forced out the secretary of the Navy over his handling of one of their cases.

Hegseth also questioned whether the U.S. military should adhere to international law in his 2024 book, The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, musing that doing so constituted “fighting with one hand behind our back.”

“Should we follow the Geneva Conventions?” Hegseth wrote. “What if we treated the enemy the way they treated us? Would that not be an incentive for the other side to reconsider their barbarism?”

“Makes me wonder, in 2024 — if you want to win — how can anyone write universal rules about killing other people in open conflict?” he continued. “Especially against enemies who fight like savages, disregarding human life in every single instance.”

Hegseth had the opportunity to implement this strategy after Trump plucked him from Fox’s green room and appointed him to lead the Pentagon and his right-wing media allies helped muscle him through Senate confirmation. Amid the chaos that resulted from putting a wildly underqualified individual in charge of the Defense Department, Hegseth has made clear that he views any restrictions of the ability of service members to kill “the enemies of our country” as “politically correct.”

“We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement,” he said in his September 30 speech to the country’s assembled military leaders. “We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement, just common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.”

“Today is another liberation day, the liberation of America's warriors, in name, in deed and in authorities,” he added. “You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don't necessarily belong always in polite society.”

The address came just four weeks after Hegseth reportedly committed “at best” a war crime.

MMA //

1. ### Trump’s pick for secretary of defense has a history of defending war crimes, torture, and more

11/20/24 3:30 PM EST

2. ### A Fox host lobbied Trump to pardon accused and convicted war criminals. Here's how Fox talked about the cases over the last six months.

05/21/19 5:57 PM EDT

3. ### Right-wing media praise Trump’s made-up excuses for war against Venezuela

11/24/25

AN 12 25

Disgraced former congressman mocked for joining Pentagon press pool

AN 12 25

A Canadian publisher of children's books is now issuing a statement denouncing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he posted an unauthorized AI-generated image of one of its most popular characters.

On Sunday night, Hegseth posted a mock book cover image of the character "Franklin the Turtle," which is owned by Kids Can Press, firing a rocket-propelled grenade at several boats from a helicopter. The text at the top of the image reads: "Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists," with "A Classic Franklin Story" written above. Hegseth added the caption: "For your Christmas wish list..." to the post.

Kids Can Press responded to Hegseth's image with the statement: "Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values."

The statement caught the eye of several journalists and commentators. CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter observed that Kids Can Press was "not happy about @PeteHegseth's trolling." Concordia University of Montreal professor Shannon McSheffrey wrote on Bluesky: "Franklin fights back."

"Children's book publisher responds to Trump's defense/war secretary on doctored Franklin the Turtle RPG drug boat strike post ...is a real sentence I just wrote," tweeted Wall Street Journal national security reporter Robbie Gramer.

"It would be hilarious for this to go to copyright court and be the reason the regime falls," quipped search-and-rescue professional Michael Coyle.

"I hope they sue," wrote journalist Morgan Leigh Davies. "That image was grotesque."

"Take over threats. Tariffs. Now MAGA has woken Canada’s sleeping giant: Franklin," author Shawn Micallef wrote on Bluesky.

Hegseth has been subjected to widespread criticism in the wake of a Washington Post report claiming that the defense secretary authorized a secondary attack on survivors of a strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea. The White House has not denied that the secondary strike occurred, but has clarified that the strike was in fact ordered by Admiral Frank M. Bradley, who is the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.

If the Post's report is true, the secondary strike on shipwrecked survivors would likely be considered a violation of Rules 46 and 47 of International Humanitarian Law, which pertain to "no-quarter" orders and orders to attack people considered hors de combat, ("out of the fight") respectively. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees — which are both controlled by Republicans – have launched official inquiries into the attack with the Department of Defense.

AN 12 25

After a series of military strikes against Venezuelan boats that it alleges were smuggling illegal drugs to the United States, the Trump Administration is reportedly pushing for regime change in the South American country and hoping to oust leftist President Nicolás Maduro.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Geoffrey S. Corn, who now serves as director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, offered legal and military analysis of the Trump Administration's Venezuelan policy during a And he laid out a variety of problems with actions that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are taking.

Corn told "Morning Joe" host Mika Brzezinski, her colleague Jonathan Lemire (a former Associated Press reporter) and The New Republic's Michael Tomasky that if an order to "kill the stranded members" of a "ship's crew" in the Caribbean Sea was given after a "first strike," it would indicate "an order to commit an illegal killing,"

"Were you trying to finish off the boat, or were you actually trying to kill the stranded members of the crew?," Corn told the panel. "And if it was the latter, how could you justify that, knowing that once an individual is shipwrecked, they are essentially out of combat? But again, this all goes back to the most troubling aspect of that statement by the White House press secretary (Karoline Leavitt), which is this idea that President Trump can merely designate a narco group as a foreign terrorist organization — and somehow, that authorizes the use of deadly combat power as a measure of first resort, shifting from a law enforcement to a wartime paradigm."

Corn added, "That's a chilling assertion of authority. Why are we even treating this as a war?"

The retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel was vehemently critical of Hegseth for "summarily dismissing," from the Pentagon, "senior military lawyers" — which, he warned, is creating a "shock effect" on the U.S. Armed Forces.

Corn told Brzezinski, Lemire and Tomasky, "There's been a general dismissiveness of the role of law in regulating the use of military force on behalf of the nation. And you see this starting to have its manifestation in incidents like this…. A very good friend of mine is the former judge advocate general of the Canadian Armed Forces, and he told me once, 'I never worried about the meetings I was invited to — I only worried about the meetings I wasn't invited to.'"

Corn continued, "So, have they been marginalized? This is a really important issue because rules of engagement are not stupid. They preserve the legitimacy and the integrity of our military operations."

rww

11/26/2025

When six Democratic senators with military and intelligence community experience posted a video last week calling on people now serving to refuse to carry out illegal orders, President Trump and many of his supporters lost it – even though the video was simply reminding servicemembers of their obligation under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The White House has walked back Trump’s initial outbursts calling for execution of the senators, but he said Sunday he still wants to see “the traitors that told the military to disobey my orders” in jail. He reposted a Truth social post calling the senators “traitorous sons of bitches” and “pompous traitorous communists” who “should be impeached and prosecuted.”

The senators have reported receiving death threats, and Trump allies are fanning MAGA outrage with false characterizations of the senators’ video.

Many MAGA attacks ignored the essential point of the senators’ video, which was to urge servicemembers not to obey illegal orders.

Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who has overseen official brutality against immigrants and their defenders, falsely claimed, “Democrat lawmakers are now openly calling for insurrection” and told Fox News viewers that it was “a general call for rebellion.”

Last week Libs of TikTok posteda claim that “Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and DEFY orders from Trump and Hegseth.”

On Sunday, the Republican National Committee sent an email claiming “Democrats want to stage a military coup” and falsely claiming that the video “called for an all-out coup against President Trump and Pete Hegseth” by “directly asking troops to disobey their orders.”

The RNC called the senators “disgusting socialists” and claimed they were “urging INSUBORDINATION.”

On Monday, the Washington Examiner’s Elizabeth Stauffer wrote that “Democrats are openly calling for a military mutiny.” She said the senators’ video had “all the hallmarks of a psychological operation lifted straight from the CIA’s playbook.”

Political dirty trickster Roger Stone claimed Monday that the video “is a call to arms for a revolt” and complained that “congressional seditionists” were emboldened by the fact that the Justice Department has not moved quickly enough to prosecute former “Deep State” officials.

Gary Bauer—yes, he’s still at it—used his daily newsletter to attack the senators for “stoking division and fueling mistrust in our government, which is the goal of our enemies”—and, let’s be honest, is the hallmark of Trump and the MAGA movement.

The Pentagon announced that Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain, would be investigated and could be recalled to active duty to face a court martial over what Hegseth claimed was a “seditious” video.

Kelly and the other senators made it clear that they were not cowed by Trump’s bluster, and many of their congressional colleagues came to their defense. Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado called it “a decisive moment.” Crow wrote on X, “Trump is trying to incite violence, intimidate, and punish those who speak up to hold him accountable. But the only thing we fear is not rising to this moment and defending the country we love.”

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger said in a videothat military officers are told on “day one” of their training that they are obligated to not follow unlawful or illegal orders. Kinzinger called the Defense Department’s threat “chilling” and said it was designed to strike the fear of God into former officers who are publicly critical of Trump.

A rare critical voice from a sitting Republican came from Rep. Don Bacon who wrote that he thought the senators’ video was a bad idea, but that talk of sedition and threats of court martial were “crazy.”

Pentagon now wants to cut Mark Kelly’s pension in 'downshift' from call for court-martial - Alternet.org

11 25 NOT SO MUCH VIOL UMFC CODE AS CITING IT?

AN 11 25

Steve Bannon urges Trump admin to court martial former NASA astronaut

an 11 25

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Defense is now targeting a sitting U.S. Senator, one of six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video reminding members of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Intelligence Community of their right to refuse to obey an illegal order.

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired astronaut and former naval officer, along with the other five said, “threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home.”

“Our laws are clear,” they added. “You can refuse illegal orders.”

In an official statement on social media, the Department of Defense alleged it has “received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.).”

It added, “a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.” The statement also said, “federal laws such as 18 U.S.C. § 2387 prohibit actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces.”

President Trump last week in a series of social media posts promoted hanging the six Democrats.

“It’s called seditious behavior at the highest level,” the president also charged. “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be Arrested and put on trial. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example must be set.”

“Seditious behavior, punishable by death!” he continued.

Critics blasted the Pentagon’s move.

“Sen. Kelly didn’t tell troops to defy lawful orders, he reminded them of their duty to refuse unlawful ones, which is literally what the UCMJ and decades of military precedent require!” wrote The Bulwark’s Evan Rosenfeld. “Pretending that doing so is ‘misconduct’ is complete propaganda and not rooted in law.”

Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio called it “Pretty extraordinary to call out a sitting senator in this way.”

The Bulwark’s Sam Stein labeled it “ham-handed,” and Bill Kristol of Defending Democracy called it “Naked authoritarianism.”

But The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg noted that the video “looks to have been an official one for which [Kelly] would enjoy Speech or Debate immunity.”

context 11 25

A new report published by former U.S. military officers this week decried president Donald Trump’s politicized use of the military and warned of the “eroding” effects his continued use of it will have, per a report from The Guardian.

Since returning to power in January, Trump has become increasingly reliant on domestic military deployments in furtherance of his agenda. This has most notably included the use of National Guard forces to aid in immigration enforcement efforts, particularly in major cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles, that are run by Democratic elected officials.

His administration has also seen numerous firings of high-ranking officers and lawyers who have been unwilling to support certain parts of the president’s agenda.

All of these issues are at the heart of a new report, titled “The Perils of Politicizing the U.S. Military,” which warned that Trump’s use of the military for partisan purposes are damaging to the separation of the armed forces from political matters and the public’s trust in it to act apolitically.

“The use of troops, bases, and ceremonies in partisan settings has blurred the line between military service and political messaging, eroding morale and public trust in the military’s apolitical character,” the report read.

Released on Monday, the report was authored by retired Navy Admiral Steve Abbot, retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, former Army Secretary Louis Caldera, retired Army General George Casey, former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and former Navy secretary Sean O’Keefe.

The former officials continued: “When service members, senior leaders, or military symbols are perceived as aligned with political agendas, the public begins to see the institution as partisan rather than national – and once eroded, that trust is difficult to rebuild. This loss of trust makes it harder to recruit across the political spectrum, harder to retain talent, and harder to reassure allies and deter adversaries abroad.”

Retired major general 'big time' alarmed by missing military lawyers at critical briefing - Alternet.org

an 11 25

AN 11 25

GOP senators clash with senior Trump Pentagon nominee in 'fiery exchanges' DAHMER?

Scott Nover and Drew Harwell @ The Washington Post: Laura Loomer is now credentialed to cover the Pentagon

The far-right activist and former congressional candidate has repeatedly criticized defense officials on her website and social media accounts while boasting of her close ties to President Donald Trump.

RWW

12/02/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Zack Beauchamp @ Vox: The alt-right won

Trump’s call to ban “Third World” immigration proves it.

Malcolm Ferguson @ The New Republic: Trump Calls Ilhan Omar “Garbage” as His Team Breaks Out in Applause

Donald Trump went on a particularly racist tirade about the Democratic representative. And his entire Cabinet enjoyed it.

Makena Kelly and Vittoria Elliott @ Wired: DOGE Isn’t Dead. Here’s What Its Operatives Are Doing Now

Contrary to popular reports, DOGE has “burrowed into the agencies like ticks,” government sources tell WIRED.

Isaac Schorr @ Mediaite: Highbrow Conservative Organization Had Students Dine With Alex Jones

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), a highbrow educational organization for conservative students with a long history of intellectual activism, invited students to a dinner with Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones this past spring that its president, Johnny Burtka, described as being “unforgettable.”

Brian Kaylor @ Public Witness: Pentagon Preachers Proclaim a Lord of War

The most significant way Hegseth’s establishing his faith is with monthly Christian prayer services held at the Pentagon during work hours. Far from interfaith events, the gatherings have been sectarian and evangelistic. And in a hierarchical structure like the military, when the Secretary of War invites people to come to an event and speaks during it, such an invite might not seem very voluntary.

Will Sommer @ The Bulwark: Here Come the Nick Fuentes Clones.

Given Fuentes’s popularity, it was probably only a matter of time before an outlet asked itself: Rather than tying ourselves into knots about this, what if we instead just got our own Nick Fuentes?

AN 11 25

During Donald Trump's first presidency, he bitterly clashed with a long list of traditional conservatives who pushed back against his proposals — from a secretary of state (Rex Tillerson) to a White House chief of staff (John Kelly) to a national security adviser (John Bolton) to two U.S. attorneys general (Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr). Even one of Trump's White House press secretaries (Stephanie Grisham) ended up giving Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris an enthusiastic endorsement at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

But Trump's second presidency is much different. This time, he has made a point of surrounding himself with unquestioning MAGA loyalists who are anxious to please him.

In an opinion column published on October 18, the New York Times' Frank Bruni stresses that desperation to please Trump is one of the things that makes his current group of allies so dangerous.

Bruni specifically points to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.

"There’s no team of rivals around Trump, no constructive dissent, no battle of ideas from which the best one emerges," Bruni warns. "There’s just flattery and more flattery. Tribute upon tribute. Hyperbole atop hyperbole. Of course, telling bosses how effective, charismatic and visionary they are is a tried-and-true route to advancement…. But the sort of fanboy fan dances that Vance and Patel routinely perform? That's extreme. As was Attorney General Pam Bondi's pathetic effort, during a Senate hearing in which she was fielding questions, to make Democrats on the panel answer for their supposed crimes against Trump. How, she wondered, could they be so mean to him? How, I wondered, does she keep a straight face?"

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Bondi, Patel and Hegseth, according to Bruni, are dangerous not only because of their extreme rhetoric, but because they are willing to back it up with actions.

"If that lip service were merely the ceremonial price that Trump's aides paid to be able to attend to the rest of their jobs in a serious manner," Bruni argues, "it would be little more than embarrassing. But it's part of a broader servility, a more profound humiliation. Their deeds must match their diction. So Bondi has either encouraged or indulged nuisance investigations and malicious prosecutions of Trump's enemies, including (former FBI Director) James Comey and (New York State Attorney General) Letitia James. Patel expanded polygraph tests at the FBI — to prevent pejorative portrayals of the administration from leaking out."

Bruni continues, "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth channeled Trump's contempt for independent journalists and emulated Trump's attacks on the media by laying down new rules that essentially forced self-respecting reporters to hand in their Pentagon press credentials. The president was pleased: He wondered aloud about doing something similar at the White House. Maybe Patel and Hegseth were always this paranoid and petulant, but Bondi seems to have grown crueler and coarser in direct relation to her time with Trump. And Vance's cartoonish sycophancy is the convenient inverse of his past statements that Trump was 'America's Hitler' and an 'idiot.'"

AN 11 25

Founded in Nigeria in 2002 — the year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon — Boko Haram has been a frequent source of violence in that country for 23 years. The far-right jihadist group, often compared to al-Qaeda, favors overthrowing Nigeria's democratic republic and replacing it with an Islamist dictatorship governed by strict fundamentalist Shariah law — specifically, a Sunni version. Boko Haram has a long history of violent attacks on both Christians and Muslims (including Shiites as well as fellow Sunnis they consider too liberal).

U.S. President Donald Trump is now threatening military action against Boko Haram, vowing to "protect Christians." And his messaging is specifically focused on Christianity, not Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Nigeria who fear Boko Haram.

In an article published on November 4, Salon's Heather Digby Parton examines the influence that far-right white fundamentalist evangelicals and "Christian nationalists" are having on Trump's Nigeria policy. And one of them is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"Whatever the case, this appears to be based upon misinformation," Parton explains. "Nigeria is dealing with the Boko Haram extremist group, which does target Christians. But it also threatens Muslims who don't accept its radical form of Islam, as well as those who are sympathetic to the Nigerian government. Most experts and analysts reject the assertion that this is some kind of Christian genocide. Trump may have wanted to give a little something to his 'cherished Christians,' as he sometimes refers to his evangelical supporters, but Hegseth is a much more interesting case."

Parton continues, "This is, after all, a man who wrote a book called 'American Crusade,' which The Guardian described as 'depicting Islam as a natural, historic enemy of the west; presents distorted versions of Muslim doctrine in Great Replacement-style racist conspiracy theories; treats leftists and Muslims as bound together in their efforts to subvert the U.S.; and idolizes medieval crusaders."

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Parton warns that evangelical Hegseth embraces an extreme form of far-right Christian fundamentalism. In this book, the former Fox News host calls for "followers of Christ to take up the sword in defense of their faith."

"Hegseth is also a member of an extreme far-right sect called the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches that also believes in militant Christianity," Parton warns. "It's heavily influenced by reconstructionism, a theology that religion scholar Julie Ingersoll describes as believing 'it's the job of Christians to exercise dominion over the whole world.' In short, Hegseth is a serious Christian nationalist, and there could be nothing more satisfying for him than to muster a fighting force to wage war against Muslims in a foreign land in the name of Jesus Christ."

Parton continues, "It sounds medieval, and it is…. Whether they will follow through on this is anyone's guess. At some point, one might hope that a few of the Christians who are clamoring for the U.S. to go into Nigeria with 'guns-a-blazing' might spare a thought for their fellow followers of Christ who are being terrorized every single day right here in America at the hands of an oppressive government that is deporting them to face certain persecution."

MMA

Pete Hegseth is replacing the Pentagon press corps with MAGA propagandists

Written by Matt Gertz

Published 10/27/25

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is stifling the Pentagon’s channels for public information and cutting off avenues for accountability as U.S. forces deploy on missions of dubious legality that are fraught with potential danger.

President Donald Trump has sent federalized National Guard troops to multiple U.S. cities since the summer and threatened to send troops to many more. The U.S. military is massing forces in a potential precursor for regime change operations in Venezuela and recently began the extrajudicial killing of individuals on offshore vessels that officials claim, without evidence, are engaged in drug trafficking.

The public has a right to know about these deployments, which raise grave legal and constitutional questions.

But on Wednesday, Defense Department press secretary Sean Parnell announced “the next generation of the Pentagon press corps,” which he described as “over 60 journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists.”

That a government official trumpeted the debut of the new people who will be covering his department is a signal of just how much that press corps has been corrupted. Its new members are a motley crew predominantly composed of right-wing influencers and Trumpist outlets. Representatives of organizations like The Gateway Pundit and Infowars will replace what Parnell termed the “activists who masquerade as journalists” who turned in their passes last week rather than accepting his department's new restrictions on the press.

Credible defense reporters will continue striving to provide the public with information and insight on Pentagon operations. But they will do so in the face of Defense Department leaders who clearly prefer working with politically sympathetic conspiracy theorists and propagandists. The “new” Pentagon press corps’ coverage will likely range from pliant to sycophantic as its members seek to comfort their MAGA audiences.

The press isn’t the only target of the Pentagon’s campaign against transparency: Hegseth, driven by an apparent urge to limit the effectiveness and volume of oversight, has also launched an overhaul of the inspector general complaint system to curtail its investigations, and he issued a new policy that prevents military leaders from talking to members of Congress without prior approval.

Together, it amounts to an information silo around the Pentagon as U.S. troops deploy abroad and at home.

A DOD campaign to hamstring Pentagon reporting

Hegseth lacked anything resembling traditional qualifications for his post when President Donald Trump appointed him, having instead spent years working for Fox News. And while his most extensive work experience is at a media company, he was by no means a reporter. A right-wing host of the network’s weekend morning show, Hegseth shared the contempt for journalists that permeates much of the network’s programming, urging readers of his 2020 book to “disdain, despise, detest, [and] distrust” the news media.

As defense secretary, Hegseth has effectively made that comment the mission statement for the department’s press relations. He has mocked and derided reporters and torn apart his senior staff in search of media leakers. Soon after he took office, the department punished national news outlets by kicking them out of their Pentagon work spaces and handing them off to right-wing publications. A few months later, new rules banned reporters from much of the Pentagon unless they were escorted by an approved member of the department.

Hegseth and his department are historically lax in sharing information with the press and thus the public, as NPR reporter Tom Bowman, a 28-year veteran of the Pentagon press corps, noted:

Now, we're barely getting any information at all from the Pentagon. In the 10 months that the Trump administration has been in office, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given just two briefings.

And there have been virtually no background briefings, which were common in the past whenever there has been military action anywhere in the world, as there has been with the recent bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities and of boats off the coast of Venezuela alleged to be carrying illicit drugs. In previous administrations, Defense Department officials — including the acerbic [Don] Rumsfeld — would hold regular press briefings, often twice a week. They knew the American people deserved to know what was going on.

But limiting access for reporters and starving them of information was apparently not enough.

Last month the Pentagon rolled out strict new guidelines for the press corps which warned that “information must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if it is unclassified,” and threatened to strip access from anyone who violated that stricture. On the October 15 deadline to sign their acknowledgement of the new guidelines, journalists for dozens of outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal instead turned in their press passes and left the building en masse.

“Signing that document would make us stenographers parroting press releases, not watchdogs holding government officials accountable,” Bowman noted.

But for Hegseth, that was the point — he wanted stenographers rather than watchdogs, and following the establishment of the new guidelines and the ensuing walkout, that’s exactly what he’s gotten. All the reporters who might consider themselves watchdogs have left the building. Even right-wing outlets Fox, Newsmax, The Daily Caller, The Washington Times, and the Washington Examiner drew a line and refused to sign the new guidelines to retain their access.

Those that did sign are, almost by definition, the type of willing administration lapdogs Hegseth wanted covering him from inside the building. They are, at times by their own admission, woefully incapable of doing investigative work that holds him to account — but they have the skills to promote his talking points and puff him up to their right-wing audiences.

Meet the MAGA propagandists the Pentagon is empowering

Hegseth and the MAGA right enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. When his nomination appeared in jeopardy following allegations of misconduct that included sexual assault, workplace drunkenness, and financial mismanagement, Hegseth benefited from the furious support of MAGA influencers. Upon taking office, he then offered access to the likes of Pizzagate enthusiast Jack Posobiec and presidential daughter-in-law Lara Trump to burnish his image.

A rundown of those who will now make up the Pentagon press corps — either rare holdovers willing to sign the guidelines or new outlets that announced their involvement after Parnell’s announcement — suggests that one hand will continue to wash the other. The “next generation of the Pentagon press corps” features a host of representatives from MAGA outlets, many of which publish deranged conspiracy theories, Trumpist hagiography, or extremist commentary.

They include:

Infowars, the internet home of Alex Jones, a pro-Trump radio host and conspiracy theorist who has accused the U.S. government of perpetrating the 9/11 attacks and a host of other mass shootings and terror strikes. The site, which faces liquidation to pay Jones’ $1.4 billion defamation judgement for claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax staged by crisis actors, promotes similarly deranged content. Over the past few years it ran headlines about the Pentagon’s purported role in the “COVID Attack Plan” and “Nanotech Mind Control of Society” before pivoting to pro-Hegseth content in the second Trump term.

The Gateway Pundit, website of the right-wing blogger Jim Hoft, whose credulous promotion of hoaxes earned him the description “dumbest man on the internet.” The Gateway Pundit became a clearinghouse for election denial and voter fraud conspiracy theories amid and following the 2020 vote (and a key news source for Trump in the leadup to the January 6 insurrection, which the site initially celebrated), as well as a font of Kremlin propaganda after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Lindell TV, the pro-Trump outlet of pillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell, among the most vociferous members of the election denial community, who has lost multiple lawsuits over his various false claims about fraud in the 2020 vote.

One America News Network, a third-tier Fox competitor with an obsessive focus on pushing false claims about election fraud and a penchant for promoting particularly wild conspiracy theories, including airing content which matches the description of a 2020 documentary the federal government warned had been produced by Russian proxies.

The Federalist, a virulently anti-LGBTQ MAGA website which recently published a piece arguing that Democrats “need to be treated like the domestic terrorists they are.” Its editor-in-chief, Fox contributor Mollie Hemingway, has accused various news outlets of “perpetuating” a “seditious conspiracy,” while its CEO Sean Davis regularly accusesDemocrats and Trump opponents of “treason.”

The Epoch Times, an online publication closely linked to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which was founded in China and banned by its government. Epoch Times became a notorious pro-Trump publication following his 2016 election and a leading outlet for “Stop the Steal” content around his 2020 reelection defeat.

Timcast, the outlet of MAGA influencer Tim Pool, who unwittingly received millions of dollars that originated with the Kremlin. It was part of what federal officials described as a scheme to boost videos “consistent with the Government of Russia’s interest in amplifying U.S. domestic divisions in order to weaken U.S. opposition to core Government of Russia interests.”

Human Events, an online outlet which employs Posobiec as its senior editor.

Frontlines, the media outlet of Turning Points USA, a right-wing nonprofit organization with deep ties to the Republican Party and Trump administration.

Hegseth’s restocking of the Pentagon press room with shills and sycophants aligns with similar efforts underway at the White House, as well as an administration-wide war on journalism which includes defunding public media; suborning once-critical media owners; aiding sales of outlets to friendlier ownership; and filing lawsuits that punish news outlets for reporting that displeases the president.

this fucking guy 10 25 fail up, slept to top; 5 affairs w 1st of 3 wives, 2nd ultimate

singer alito astroturf vet orgs and koch, 1st 3

not spec ops 101st? ; war crimes in his unit;

10 25

43:37

Now playing

Pete Hegseth: Everything You Didn't Know About His Sh*tty Past

Hysteria

•

:{:{75K views}:

Oct 12, 2025

In our 26th episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin and Alyssa dive deep into the past of United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. From his sexist ideologies, drunken antics, cheating scandals and Fox News career to his embarrassing failures to incompetent leadership, this is definitely our most inebriated and moronic fcking guy of all time.

Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b...

CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

1:10 - Pete's childhood

3:38 - Pete's early bad ideas

6:38 - Pete's first marriage and military career

15:45 - Pete on Fox News and drinking problems

21:00 - Ad break

22:54 - Pete gets into politics (and more drinking)

32:49 - Trump picks Pete for Secretary of Defense

harv ret to sender

princeton tory funder?

...

3:41

the Tories March 2002 issue that the reason that some Americans sympathized with the Taliban was because they lacked

3:47

a male disciplinary figure. Later in that article, Hexath advocated parental discipline that included spanking and

3:54

shoving soap in children's mouths. Hot take for the ages. Of course, there was

3:59

the requisite railing against DEI. Back then, it was just called diversity. Here's what Hegsth wrote about that.

4:06

Quote, "Race can be a legitimate part of what makes up a diverse campus, but it also doesn't define anyone. Allan Keys

...

them. So theatrical. He loves drama. Hexath also got himself into some hot water over publishing

5:19

claims that having sex with an unconscious woman was not rape. I'm sorry, what? Here's the exact quote

5:25

from an opinion column that ran in the Tory. The columnist is describing a session he had to attend during college

5:30

orientation where attendees had to determine whether a sketch mentioning a man having sex with a passed out woman

5:36

counted as rape. Quote, "The actual instance portrayed in the skit was in fact not a clear case of rape, at least

5:42

not in my home state. In short, though intercourse was not consented to, there was no duress because the girl drank

...

7:27

questioning the value in offering up human lives in defense of American business interests, he found meaning

7:32

again in advocating for more war. In 2006, he started working with a pro-war veterans organization called Veterans

7:39

for Freedom. VFF was meant to appear like it was a grassroots movement for pro-war American troops who just wanted

7:45

to get themselves and all their friends and colleagues blown up in the Middle East as soon as possible. But it was actually what's known as an astroturf

7:52

organization. Oh, Alyssa. Astroturf fake grass. I just got that like right now.

7:59

VF was actually founded with money from three conservative billionaires who are

8:04

now dead. Bernard Marcus, the founder of Home Depot. Jerry Parentio, a longtime Univision executive who lived in the

8:11

mansion from the Beverly Hillbillies, and businessman and former neighbor of Oprah Winfrey, Harold Simmons. Between

8:17

the three of them, they've been married a total of eight times. Just a fun fact about these boosters of conservative

8:22

family values. Journalist Jane Mayer also found ties between the organization and other shadowy right-wing moneymen

8:28

like Paul Singer. You might remember Paul Singer as the guy standing to the left of Supreme Court Justice Samuel

8:33

Alto wearing pristine waiters and holding a giant salmon in this photo which is from a ProPublica story about

8:39

how Paul Singer paid for Samuel Alito to go on a luxury Alaskan fishing trip.

8:44

Alto did not disclose it and later did not recuse himself from Supreme Court cases directly involving Paul Singer's

8:50

companies. These [ ] guys. In 2007, Hegth became the leader of VFF. He was a

8:55

dog [ ] leader running the financials of the organization into the ground even as it raised more money than ever. Pete

9:01

mismanaged the money the organization did manage to raise with financial records indicating that by the end of

9:06

2008 VFF was nearly broke. And by broke, I mean deep enough in a hole to consider

9:13

jumping from a Vegas hotel window with under $1,000 in the bank and more than $400,000 in liabilities. donors

9:20

commissioned a forensic audit that confirmed that this was a Pete Hexth problem. The group's options were give Pete more

...

7

at the Republican Federation of Republican Women's Convention in Monterey, California. After his speech,

23:12

of course, Hexath couldn't wait to start throwing him back. At the after after party, the woman who would later accuse

23:19

Hegth of sexual assault intervened to protect another woman he was getting handsy with. Surveillance footage showed

23:25

the accuser escorting Hexath away from the bar and soon after hotel staff reported a loud argument between them by

23:31

the pool. Hegath was very drunk and yelling about what a good guy he was, which is definitely a thing that actual

23:37

good guys do all the time. I'm a good guy. Meanwhile, the accuser was texting her husband, who was staying in the same

23:43

hotel with her two small children and calling Hexath a creeper. Hours later, she returned to the hotel room she

23:49

shared with her husband and kids, but later had flashbacks and nightmares about the encounter. She recalled

23:54

Hegathth blocking the door and assaulting her despite her saying no multiple times. She remembered his dog

24:00

tags jangling above her. 4 days later, the woman went to a hospital for a rape exam, suspecting she had been drugged.

24:06

She initially did not want to include Hegs's name on the report because of his fame. There were no criminal charges

24:12

filed, but in 2020, Hexath secretly reached a $50,000 settlement with the woman who also signed an NDA. When all

24:19

this, including the police report, resurfaced when he was being considered for Secretary of Defense, HG said he

24:24

wasn't drunk, he was buzzed. Oh, okay. Well, then it's fine. And that the criminal investigation resulting in no

24:30

charges totally exonerated him. Although he did acknowledge having consensual sex with a woman, he hadn't told the Trump

24:37

transition team that this incident had happened in the first place. Meanwhile, Hexath was still being booked to speak

24:43

at conservative conferences without the people booking him knowing about what had happened in California. In January

24:48

2019, for example, he was the keynote speaker at Liberty University's convocation. So, he was around literally

24:54

thousands of college-age women. And at other events, he ostensibly had access to an open bar. Like if I were somebody

25:00

who had booked him to speak at my event and not known that there was a police report about an alleged rape at another

25:06

similar event, I'd be pretty pissed. Apparently, Jennifer Rocher was able to move past it. And after Jennifer left

25:13

her husband and Hexa's messy divorce was finaliz

...

three sons and two stepsons all serve in the military, and that when they do, they take it all the way. He fantasizes

29:10

about them joining the Navy Seals, the Army Rangers, the Green Beretss, the Marine Raiders, because quote elite

29:16

units usually skip most of, excuse my language, but it's true, the [ ] Now, keep in mind, Hagsth was not in an

29:23

elite unit. He does not have a Ranger pin. He did not attend SEAL training. He is not a Marine. He's not a Green Beret,

29:30

but he sure feels strongly about barring women who are physically capable of meeting the standards that he never

29:36

could meet himself from being able to serve in those roles. Also, in 2022, Hexath donated $1,000 to the

29:42

congressional campaign of a New Jersey gym owner and frequent Fox News guest named Ian Smith. A few weeks after,

29:48

Smith's second drunk driving arrest became public. Smith's first drunk driving incident came when he was 20

29:54

years old, drank 10 to 12 beers, and killed somebody with his car. He was sentenced to 5 and a half years in

30:00

prison for vehicular manslaughter. Great place to put your money, Pete. Unrepentant booze hounds got to stick together. On Fox and Friends in 2022, he

30:07

wrote returned to sender on his graduate degree from Harvard in response to DEI initiatives in the Ivy League.

30:14

By the way, Harvard University. Let's see. Let's do that. Oh my god. I think we'd go with u critical theory.

....

operation rough rider yemen wife bro signal chat

TFG Pete Hegseth Sources

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-pick-for-defense-sec-spent-his-college-years-crusading-against-glorification-of-diversity-and-the-homosexual-lifestyle

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/bio//id/1506/pete-hegseth_

https://www.theprincetontory.com/archive-of-past-issues/2001-02-issues/

https://www.theprincetontory.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2002-0203.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20060906061815/http://prince-web1.princeton.edu/archives/2002/04/17/opinion/4942.shtml

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/princeton-pete-hegseths-views-feminism-100200035.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGVycGxleGl0eS5haS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEdD-QaGi5WlZLvE8gowkG7Ad14X48zhy4R2qInWb7qkj9dlc6uVsoC5KsGVkX4mdzcY07MiMmLRCWW5v2TynNakZoZBPEyxCqteSC6qqLjihEHDlF3tSrgP74u69sm4NURXA50GsmA6xfxFrKcN-BZDzpQCVMYshgqhZbnMA2tk&guccounter=2

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025/05/princeton-news-pete-hegseth-senior-thesis-plagiarism-allegations

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA1uD2gR

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fox-friends-co-host-faces-lawsuit-man-he-hit-axe-n883291

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseths-drinking-worried-colleagues-fox-news-sources-tell-nbc-ne-rcna181471

https://archive.is/lSPf9#selection-601.0-641.3

https://archive.is/1GJOj

https://archive.ph/20250101060614/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/us/trump-pardons.html

https://archive.is/T8nCv#selection-2646.0-2646.1

https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth/fox-news-host-pete-hegseth-donated-ian-smith-candidate-who-killed-someone-drunk

https://www.foxnews.com/media/pete-hegseth-vows-send-back-harvard-university-degree-writes-return-sender-diploma

https://wng.org/sift/doug-wilson-responds-to-pete-hegseth-affiliation-reports-1755021501

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/politics/video/christian-nationalist-doug-wilson-pam-brown-digvid

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-02-05-pete-hegseths-venmo-defense-contractors-unitedhealth/

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/metallica-pentagon-pete-hegseth-video-b2788101.html

https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast/415145/women-in-combat-ranger-school-pete-hegseth-fitness-standards

https://www.whro.org/military-veterans/2025-05-07/the-uss-truman-loses-a-second-fighter-jet-in-just-over-a-week**}:

AN 10 25

When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanded journalists agree not to report anything without formal authorization from the Defense Department, he sent a mass evacuation of legitimate media from the press corps.

What’s left, writes Slate reporter Molly Olmstead, is … really something.

“The Pentagon has remade its press corps, and we’re starting to get an understanding of which people now are allowed access to the halls of power,” said Olmstead, who included a list of the “top hits” that Hegseth’s considers “valid journalism of interest to the public.”

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell “peddled his 2020 election conspiracy theories through a number of avenues, including his video streaming site,” wrote Olmstead. “As a result, LindellTV has been subject to the same defamation lawsuits that Lindell himself courted, but it carries on with a host of right-wing shows, including the signature Mike Lindell Show.”

LindellTV’s reporters frequently pester Democrats with MAGA lies dressed up as legitimate questions, prompting Nancy Pelosi to publicly snap at them for churning nonsense and MSNBC hosts to blast them for spreading lies to a LindellTV audience that is “too stupid to know the truth.”

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And when their reporters are not spouting lies, Olmstead says they’re fawning over President Donald Trump’s “fitness plan” and asking press secretary Karoline Leavitt when Trump plans to go public with it.

Another sycophantic organization still hanging around is The One America News network, which Olmstead describes as “about as extreme as it gets without tipping fully into Alex Jones lizard-people territory.”

“It has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a ‘miracle cure’ for COVID; spread ominous conspiracy theories about George Soros; speculated that Michael Cohen, not Donald Trump, had an affair with Stormy Daniels; and declared that Roy Moore was innocent and actually wonhis election,” said Olmstead. “It has also hired Matt Gaetz as a host.”

“Human Events” is another example of the lingering press corps flotsam, said Olmstead.

“This is the latest home for Jack Posobiec, a content creator so inflammatory that being seen as cozy with him — as Hegseth was, in inviting Posobiec on an overseas trip — can lead to major scandal,” said Olmstead. “Posobiec, who has connections to various hate groups, is known primarily as the man behind Pizzagate. … He remains extreme: “Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely,” he said at last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference.

The Navy revoked Posobiec’s security clearance as a U.S. naval intelligence officer on reserve, after his involvements with the Unite the Right white supremacist rally.

The list continues with spurious far-right networks like the National Pulse, whose leader was so inflammatory that Australia’s Labor Party asked to ban him from the country, Olmstead reports. Another is The Epoch Times, which Olmstead points out has been charged with money laundering and is “a dedicated promoter of right-wing conspiracy theories, going so far as to create a network of YouTube channels amplifying hoaxes and election misinformation.

The list goes on, and Olmstead said all will “inevitably benefit from a veneer of legitimacy from the credentialing and from the ‘scoops’ they’re given.”

Read the Slate report at this link.

FAIL ON PENTA PRESS 10 25

10/22/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Matthew Chapman @ Raw Story: Trump's embattled watchdog nominee withdraws after pro-Nazi texts leaked

Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, has withdrawn from consideration after a series of bombshell scandals that rendered Republican senators unwilling to advance his nomination.

Media Matters: Nick Fuentes: “If we can get very far-right people in the bureaucracy … eventually they will be the deep state”

Fuentes on Paul Ingrassia: “He seemed to me to be pretty far right. ... It says something about the face and the landscape of the Trump administration that a guy like that is tolerated.”

Pema Levy @ Mother Jones: As Trump Plans to Steal $230 Million From Taxpayers, You Can Thank John Roberts

President Donald Trump is demanding that the Justice Department transfer $230 million in taxpayer dollars into his own personal bank account. He can do this, because thanks to the Supreme Court’s recent decisions, the executive branch could accurately be described by King Louis XIV—L’état, c’est Trump.

Zachary Leeman @ Mediaite: Pentagon Announces ‘Next Generation’ Press Corps That Includes Gateway Pundit and LindellTV

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell introduced the “next generation of the Pentagon press corps” on Wednesday, referencing those media outlets that have accepted the Pentagon’s new controversial press policy.

Gabe Ortiz @ Combating Nativist Narratives: Speaker Johnson Claims He Hasn’t Seen ICE ‘Cross The Line Yet.’ Maybe He Should Open His Eyes

The growing list of ICE violations against U.S. citizens wrongfully detained by ICE includes nearly 20 American children—including two with cancer.

Pete Hegesth’s Venmo is publicly viewable and showing his full list of friends and contacts, according to a report.

While Hegseth’s transactions are private, his list of friends on the mobile payment service isn’t—and it’s a who’s who of Washington bigwigs, defense contractors, and healthcare executives, The American Prospectreported.

A name appearing on Hegseth’s friends list could mean he has transacted with the person, but Venmo also has an option to automatically add phone contacts as friends in the app. At the very least, it suggests that the two people are in touch.

All over the list are executives from up-and-coming Silicon Valley defense contractors Palantir (founded by Republican superdonor Peter Thiel) and Anduril, both of which already have multimillion-dollar contracts with the DOD. They could be poised for additional deals under Hegseth’s regime.

Hegseth’s rolodex appears to include executives from Palantir, a defense contractor founded by major GOP donor Peter Thiel. / Marco Bello / Getty Images

His other ties to Silicon Valley include Google’s former director of law enforcement and information security, a former advisor to Thiel’s hedge fund, and former Sen. Scott Brown—who since leaving Congress has become the leader of Competitiveness Coalition, a group that advocates against anti-trust action.

In addition to defense and tech, the healthcare industry is well represented in Hegseth’s contacts. The friends list features executives at UnitedHealth Group, including a vice president, product director, and public affairs consultant.

Hegseth has long pushed for the privatization of Veterans Affairs, the government agency that supplies health insurance for military veterans. As an advisor to the White House during Trump’s first term, he even reportedly advocated outsourcing more of the agency’s work.

While Hegseth doesn’t oversee VA as defense secretary, he could directly attempt to privatize Tricare, the health insurance option for active duty military members.

:{:{The Senate confirmed Hegseth as defense secretary by a single vote last month.JDV BROKE TIE?}:

The media figures in Hegseth’s rolodex appear to span the political spectrum. Right-wing outlets like The Daily Wire, The Washington Free Beacon, and Fox News (where Hegseth used to work) are better represented in the friends list. But there also journalists from Politico and The New York Times, too.

Hegseth also appears to be chummy with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, retired mixed martial artist Nik Lentz, and George W. Bush’s former national security advisor Mark Pfeifle.

The Department of Defense declined to comment to the Daily Beast on The American Prospect’s report.

Hegseth is a former Fox News host who sparked controversy as Trump’s pick for defense secretary after a number of scandals broke, including an allegation of sexual assault (which Hegseth repeatedly denied).

Nevertheless, the Senate confirmed Hegseth by a single vote last month.

10/06/2025 RWW

by

Kyle Mantyla

Liberty Counsel declares that "the 'queer' movement seeks to silence and punish ALL Christians for their faith, and Obergefell is the source of their attacks": "Obergefell is the cancer, and it must go. It is incompatible with reality, biology, and religious freedom."

Todd Starnes claims that Democrats "wish they could kill Republicans, piss on their graves and then force Republican mothers to watch as their children are slaughtered": "The Democrat Party is the Party of Satan."

Mario Murillo says that "convincing preachers to stay out of politics was the masterstroke of the Devil."

Tyler O'Neil of The Daily Signal reports that he has been speaking with member of Congress about launching investigations into the Southern Poverty Law Center, which MAGA has been targeting in the wake of the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Finally, Hung Cao, who asserted that Wiccans had taken over California and brought "a lot of witchcraft" to the state while warning that "we can't let that happen in Virginia" during his failed Senate campaign in 2024, is now Under Secretary of the Navy.

hegsCALL ALL SR OFFICERS TO MTG 9 25TRUMP ENEMY WITHIN, INVASION FROM WITHIN, USE DEM CITIES TO TRAIN SOLDIERS TO KILL, PETE SAYS = MISSION // MILLER TROOPS TO PORTLAND

women recruit bd set up by truman cut 9 25

AN 10 25

During his Tuesday, September 30 speech before a gathering of U.S. military generals, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth railed against "woke" policies in the military and vowed to bring a "warrior ethos" back to the Pentagon. Similar culture-war themes came from President Donald Trump when he spoke after Hegseth at the event.

Hegseth's speech drew a lot of criticism from retired military veterans, who stressed that military preparedness isn't a matter of machismo. And the defense secretary's critics are also sounding the alarm about all the firings at the Pentagon.

In a biting opinion column published on October 6, MSNBC's Steve Benen warns that Hegseth's "purges" are "destabilizing" the U.S. Armed Forces.

The firing of former U.S. Navy Chief of Staff Jon Harrison, Benen laments, wasn't the first Pentagon firing under Hegseth's watch and won't be the last.

"Hegseth is not exactly open to engaging with military leaders whose views differ from his own," Benen warns. "On the contrary, he's proven himself eager to purge the (U.S.) Armed Forces of those he deems unworthy — a campaign that's still ongoing….. Harrison's ouster roughly coincided with two high-profile military retirements — Gen. Bryan Fenton, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Gen. Thomas Bussiere, a top Air Force commander — though it's unclear if their departures had anything to do with Hegseth. There was no ambiguity, however, in late August when the defense secretary fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversaw the Naval Special Warfare Command."

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Benen continues, "Four days earlier, Gen. David Allvin, the chief of staff of the Air Force, was also shown the door. The broader purge also includes Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, who was both the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency; Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. James Slife, former vice chief of staff of the Air Force; Adm. Linda Fagan, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; Adm. Lisa Franchetti; Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short; Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, the Army’s top military lawyer; Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer, the Air Force's top military lawyer; and Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO's military committee. Each of these instances is important in its own right, but let's not miss the forest for the trees: A scandal-plagued former Fox News host is destabilizing the U.S. military."

The MSNBC columnist and "Rachel Maddow Show" producer stresses that the "purge" at the Pentagon is "ongoing" and showing no sign of slowing down.

"Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who served as a Marine officer in Iraq and who now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, spoke to Politico about Hegseth's purges, which the congressman described as politically motivated," Benen observes. "'That's a recipe not just for a politicized military, but an authoritarian military,' Moulton said. 'That’s the way militaries work in Russia and China and North Korea.'"

Benen adds, "The Massachusetts Democrat made those comments in May. The problem is worse now."

AN 9 25

Experts are raising the alarm on the United States' three recent attacks onVenezuelan ships, saying that military lawyers would have advised against them. The incidents raise "serious questions about the availability and effectiveness of government lawyers," according to former judge advocate officer Dan Maurer in Lawfare.

"I have grown increasingly concerned," Maurer says. "When those bulwarks are removed or ignored, force is used in criminal ways that delegitimize the armed forces."

Although Trump insists that Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is attempting an "invasion," experts and intelligence officials say the gang is weak and decentralized, according to theLA Times.

Maurer says the framing of Trump's Tren de Aragua boat attack as a strike on a terrorist group in a foreign country during Congress-sanctioned military operations is a dangerous one. Military lawyers, he says, "should have raised red flags before this operation commenced."

He also says that the undermining of judge advocates general (JAGs) — commissioned military officers licensed to practice law and assigned to positions where that knowledge, skill and expertise is used to counsel commanders and represent the interests of the Department of Defense — is dangerous.

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TheDepartment of Defense must, Maurer explains "comply with applicable laws and regulations when executing missions for the latter."

"If these lawyers were kept in the dark during the strike, it would reflect a serious breach of a norm (and established administrative and military doctrinal processes) meant to ensure U.S. military operations are vetted for legality constantly," Maurer says.

He also points to what he calls Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's "notable contempt for JAGs" as cause for alarm.

Hegseth's "unprecedented relief of the top JAG generals in the Army and Air Force in February, and the current plan to shift 600 JAGs out of their military assignments and into temporary immigration judge robes justifies suspicion that either JAGs in the chain of command were not invited to the planning of this attack or their legal advice — which surely would have pushed back on this plan — was ignored," Maurer says.

The administration's sidelining of or disregard for military legal advice, Maurer notes, is doing serious damage to U.S. military operations, he says.

It "bodes ill for the perceived and actual legitimacy of U.S. military operations, diminishes trust that the military follows the rule of law over the rule of command and erodes confidence in the nonpartisanship of the armed forces," Maurer says.

Former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Corn calls it a "dangerous precedent."

"If ‘principled counsel’ is steamrolled in this new Department of War, what will constrain the future abuse of military power?” Corn asks in a thinkpiece for national security website The Cipher Brief.

"That this attack occurred at all, under the conditions Trump himself admits, should give all Americans reason to be skeptical that the life-and-death decisions and actions taken by the U.S. military will continue to have the basic protections of thorough, unbiased legal analysis by the very officers that commanders have long trusted for that counsel," Corn adds

MMA

September 25, 2025, edition of Vigilance Elite's The Shawn Ryan Show

SHAWN RYAN (HOST): What does it look like if they get into, I mean — I don't even know what we would call it here. I was just gonna call it a TIC, a troops in contact. But I mean, you know, with the MS-13 gangs, the cartels, the Bloods, the Crips, I mean, you know, Hell's Angels, I don't know. You know, there's gang members all over the place, you know, tons of different gangs — I mean, what does it look like if MS-13 pushes back against the National Guard and happens to fire upon them? I mean, do they have ROEs or?

DANIEL DRISCOLL (SECRETARY OF THE ARMY): Yeah, I mean, I think, I think they would see the full might and fury of our United States Army. They would see the full might and fury of the most powerful government in the history of the world. And, I think the president and secretary of war have been very clear that we — they are taking a hard line, and that kind of violence is no longer acceptable in our nation.

--

an 9 25

National Security Leaders for America, a bipartisan organization comprising former senior military, diplomatic and intelligence officials, has strongly condemned the Pentagon’s recent directive imposing restrictions on journalists. Thenew policymandates that journalists sign a pledge agreeing not to report any information — even if unclassified — unless it has been authorized by a Pentagon official, under the threat of losing their press credentials.

In a statement releasedto the press Monday, the organization's president and founder, Rear Admiral Mike Smith (Ret.) said: “Demanding journalists adhere across the board to state edicts about what may — or may not — be reported to the public does not project strength. To the contrary, it betrays unsettling insecurities about the legality and effectiveness of Pentagon actions, plans and priorities."

“Our membership includes many former senior Department of Defense political appointees, as well as general and flag officers; we know how frustrating it can be when plans get out before they’re ready. We know how crucial it is to protect classified information and material, especially when its release could put sources and methods at risk. But the idea that only state sanctioned information is all that can ever be reported to the public flies in the face of the crucial role journalism plays in ensuring our armed forces are accountable to the American people," Smith added.

Rear Admiral Tom Jurkowsky (Ret.), former Chief of Navy Information, said: “Journalists at the Pentagon play a critical role, and Secretary Hegseth is being shortsighted in demanding journalists make this pledge. The public has a right and a responsibility to understand what the military is doing in their name, and that is not possible without an aggressive, sometimes adversarial press.”

The statement from the organization called for a "healthy relationship between the fourth state and Pentagon officials," which it said was "essential to communicating critical information about American national security to the public and has, in rare circumstances, uncovered unacceptable activities that might have otherwise remained hidden." The group asserted that "unprecedented disregard for the Constitution, absent any national security considerations, undermines law, good order and effectiveness."

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Several journalists' groups and press freedom organization have sounded the alarm over the recent policy.

The Society of Professional Journalists called it “alarming” and said the move “reeks of prior restraint — the most egregious violation of press freedom under the First Amendment.”

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press pointed out ambiguous language in the policy: what counts as “authorized information,” what is “a security or safety risk,” which areas in the Pentagon are covered, etc. The organization warned that such vagueness can lead reporters to self‐censor rather than risk losing access.

Some groups are explicitly calling for the Pentagon to rescind the policy. Others are saying the implementation should at least be paused until the vague terms are clarified and possibly narrowed to avoid overreach.

Meanwhile on Sunday, President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter whether the Pentagon should decide what reporters can report. “No, I don’t think so," he replied.

He added, “Nothing stops reporters.”

Trump's statements appear to express disagreement with the Pentagon policy, but there is no public indication he has ordered it rescinded or formally intervened.

Last week, Trump escalated his rhetoric against media outlets he accused of bias, suggesting that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should revoke the broadcast licenses of networks that provide "negative" coverage.

This comment came a day after ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" following remarks by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's murder.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, had earlier hinted that ABC's broadcast license could be at risk if the network did not take action against Kimmel.

But on Monday, Disney announced that Kimmel would returnto the air on Tuesday, six days after the suspension, citing internal discussions and business considerations. The decision to reinstate the show followed public backlash, including boycotts and protests, and concerns over press freedom and censorship.

 ===

Trump teases threat to defund NYC after governor’s endorsement for mayor

9 25 an

SEC OF WAR

cancel cult scalps?

hegseth huntS at DoD

an 8 25

The administration of President Donald Trump reacted badly to a Washington Post story reporting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quadrupled his security detail over that of past administrations to guard his multiple homes and properties.

The Post reported Wednesday that “Hegseth’s unusually large personal security requirements are straining the Army agency tasked with protecting him as it pulls agents from criminal investigations to safeguard family residences in Minnesota, Tennessee and D.C., according to numerous officials familiar with the operation.”

Described by the Post as a “sprawling, multimillion-dollar initiative” the security team has forced the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division to staff weeks-long assignments in each location and monitor residences belonging to Hegseths’ former spouses, say officials.

READ MORE: Aides sat 'helpless' as 'incoherent' Trump displayed 'stunning ignorance': biographer

“I’ve never seen this many security teams for one guy,” said one official, speaking anonymously to reporters. “Nobody has.”

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Sources told the Post about 150 agents typically serve on VIP security details, but one source said Hegseth team is “400 and going up,” while another claimed it was “over 500.”

Trump administration officials pounced the Post for publishing the revelation.

“By publishing details about Secretary Hegseth’s security protocols, the Washington Post is actively putting him and his family in danger for clicks, posted Department of Defense Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson on X.

READ MORE: 'Keeps me up at night': Veterans fear Trump is gunning for another 'Kent State' massacre

Several people working with the Department of Defense’s Press Secretary joined in and slammed the info, including Assistant Press Secretary Jacob Bliss, who called the Washington Post “scum” for publishing the embarrassing numbers. Bliss also claimed reporting the staff increase put “numerous lives and families at risk.”

“How do these reporters sleep at night,” asked Assistant Press Secretary Riley Podleski on X.

Acting Deputy Press Secretary Joel Valdez claimed the Post “intentionally published sensitive details of [Hegseth’s] security detail for him and his family — putting their safety at risk.” He even called for “severe punishment for what [reporters] are doing.”

“President Trump was SHOT and nearly KILLED just last year—yet the corporate media STILL plays reckless games with people’s lives,” posted the Department of Defense “Rapid Response” account on X.. “Have they learned NOTHING?”

READ MORE: 'Good Luck to JD Vance': CNN data guru says Trump’s signature bill is worst in decades

None of the Department of Defense commenters explained in their posts how citing the size of Hegseth’s detail endangered lives as of early Wednesday morning.

an dn 8 25

As President Trump threatens to use U.S. special forces against drug cartels abroad, a new book, The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, reveals some of the most secretive and elite special forces in the Army are heavily involved in narcotrafficking themselves. “There’s at least 14 cases that I’m tracking of Fort Bragg-trained soldiers who have been either arrested, apprehended or killed in the course of trafficking drugs in the last five years or so,” says author Seth Harp. The book also looks at “how U.S. military intervention often stimulates drug production,” including in Afghanistan, which he says became the biggest narco-state in the world during the 20-year U.S. occupation. “Most of the drug trafficking and drug production was being carried out and done by warlords, police chiefs, militia commanders, who were on the U.S. payroll in a corrupt structure,” says Harp.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

As the National Guard expands its presence in Washington, D.C., President Trump says he’ll seek long-term federal takeover of the D.C. police force.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C. It’s almost — we’re going to use it as a very positive example. And we’re going to be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions, because you can’t have 30 days. Thirty days is — that’s — by the time you do it — we’re going to have this in good shape.

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AMY GOODMAN: Earlier this week, Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C., even though violent crime in the city is at a 30-year low. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has denounced Trump’s takeover of the police force as an “authoritarian push.” At least 800 National Guard troops are being deployed in D.C., alongside 500 federal law enforcement agents.

The Washington Post revealed Tuesday the Trump administration is also planning a so-called Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force composed of hundreds of National Guard troops set to rapidly deploy to other U.S. cities targeted by Trump, including Democratic strongholds of Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Oakland. The force would be comprised of two groups of 300 soldiers permanently assigned to the force, stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona.

This comes after Trump earlier deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids and arrests by masked, unidentified agents who also targeted U.S. citizens when they were making their arrests.

Rolling Stone reports, quote, “One of Trump’s biggest regrets from his first term in the Oval Office, according to former and current senior Trump advisers, is that he didn’t use military forces and other federal assets to crack down harder than he ultimately did in the summer of 2020” on racial justice protests. Trump’s secretary of defense at the time did not agree with the president’s idea to shoot Black Lives Matter protesters near the White House.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Trump secretly signed a directive approving the Pentagon’s use of military force on foreign soil to target drug cartels, especially in countries like Mexico.

All of this comes as Trump is due to meet Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, where the U.S. has also sent troops.

Today, we take a rare look at U.S. special forces deployed around the world, whether we’re talking about Mexico, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan or here at home. They’re stationed at the most populous military base in the country, which was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023, until Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Army to change the name back to Fort Bragg, saying, “Bragg is back.” Fort Bragg is home to Delta Force, the most secretive black ops unit in the military, which carries out classified assassinations and other clandestine missions and is also heavily involved in drug trafficking, as our next guest reveals in his new book.

Rolling Stone investigative reporter Seth Harp is a foreign correspondent who’s reported from Iraq, Mexico, Syria and Ukraine, also an Iraq War veteran. His new book, out this week, is titled The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces.

I don’t think people usually expect to see, when talking about a cartel, the largest U.S. military base, Fort Bragg. So, if you can talk about drug trafficking and murder in the Special Forces? Begin with what Fort Bragg is, who the Special Forces are, especially Delta Forces, and who these dead bodies are that are turning up all over Fort Bragg and the surrounding area.

SETH HARP: Well, Trump says he wants to deploy military forces to countries like Mexico to crack down on drug cartels there, but I think he should look closer to home, because there’s at least 14 cases that I’m tracking of Fort Bragg-trained soldiers who have been either arrested, apprehended or killed in the course of trafficking drugs in the last five years or so, often in conjunction with those very same Mexican drug cartels.

This is especially concerning because of what Fort Bragg is. It’s not only the largest U.S. military base, but it’s central to U.S. operations and special operations. It’s the home of the 82nd Airborne Division, which is the United States’ main contingency force. It’s also the headquarters of the Green Berets, the Special Forces, as well as the Joint Special Operations Command, which includes Delta Force, which is the most —

AMY GOODMAN: That’s JSOC?

SETH HARP: That’s JSOC. That’s the most secretive and elite component of the U.S. military. And as you said, there have been some members of Delta Force who have been involved in trafficking drugs recently.

AMY GOODMAN: So, you begin this book with the discovery of two bodies. Tell us when they were discovered and who those men were.

SETH HARP: In December of 2020, two dead bodies were found in a remote training range of Fort Bragg. One of them was a member of Delta Force. They had both been shot to death. And the limited information from police at that time was that it was believed to be a double homicide from a drug deal gone wrong. The other person who was killed at that time was Timothy Dumas, who was a support officer, a logistics officer, for JSOC. The other one, the Delta Force operator, his name was Billy Lavigne. And my book mostly is, or at the core of it, it’s an investigation into who committed these murders.

AMY GOODMAN: So, Billy Lavigne, Delta Force. Talk about the Delta Force operations. And you just mentioned that people are being killed in Fort Bragg, and part of the killing responsibility is the Mexican drug cartels, but those cartels, you talk about being trained at Fort Bragg?

SETH HARP: Mm-hmm. Well, it’s unclear who committed the murders of Billy Lavigne and Timothy Dumas, I’ve got to say. Certainly, we might suspect that it could have been some of their associates in the drug trafficking industry. I did learn in the course of researching the book and reporting it that Lavigne and Dumas were buying cocaine through the Los Zetas cartel in Mexico, which, in fact, was trained in the United States. It began as a project, a joint project, between the U.S. Special Forces and the Mexican government to create an elite paratrooper unit of the Mexican Army, and later went rogue and became one of the most feared cartels in Mexico, Los Zetas.

AMY GOODMAN: So, you’re talking about a kind of Mexico Delta Force.

SETH HARP: You could say that. You could say that, or Mexican Green Berets.

AMY GOODMAN: The numbers that you’re talking about of soldiers who have died at Fort Bragg, in a couple years over 100?

SETH HARP: A hundred and nine from 2020 to 2021. And only four of those deaths took place in foreign combat zones, in Afghanistan and Syria. All the rest took place stateside, either on Fort Bragg itself or in Fayetteville, which is the town right by Fort Bragg.

AMY GOODMAN: So, can you talk about, with this number of deaths, how does it compare, for example, to Fort Hood? And talk about what happens when you have this massive number of deaths. Who is held responsible? And how are they dying?

SETH HARP: Well, so far, nobody has been held responsible. Fort Bragg is the largest military base; however, the number of deaths there, on a per capita and absolute basis, outstrips any other that you might compare it to. For example, we’re well aware that in Fort Hood in 2020, 38 soldiers died. That led to extensive news coverage, as well as two congressional investigations, which ultimately concluded with the entire chain of command at Fort Hood being fired. Even though the situation at Fort Bragg is objectively worse, and has been for years, so far, to my knowledge, nothing has been done about it.

AMY GOODMAN: You say that “Fort Bragg has a lot of secrets. A lot of underground narcotics secrets. It’s its own little cartel.” That was Freddie Huff, who is the ex-DEA agent, talking about Fort Bragg. What exactly does that mean?

SETH HARP: So, Freddie Huff was a corrupt North Carolina state trooper and DEA task force agent who became a high-level drug trafficker in North Carolina. He was the connection between Los Zetas in Mexico and this group of Special Forces soldiers on Fort Bragg who were trafficking and distributing drugs in the area. And that quote was from Mr. Huff. And, you know, he was alleging that he sold, you know, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine to this group.

AMY GOODMAN: How many people die of suicide, and how is that dealt with, in the military at Fort Bragg?

SETH HARP: A shocking and depressing number. You know, the Army is well aware that it has a suicide problem. It has for a long time. But the numbers at Fort Bragg are really extreme, and it’s the number one cause of death at Fort Bragg by far. And many of those deaths are also drug-related, regrettably.

AMY GOODMAN: So, why isn’t there investigation going on? As President Trump tariffs Mexico and increases tariffs on Canada, talking about fentanyl, talk about what’s happening at Bragg.

SETH HARP: Well, on the contrary, there haven’t been. Not only has there not been any sort of reforms or any crackdown on this, but Trump and Hegseth, they make a big show of their support for Fort Bragg, changing the name back to Fort Bragg from Fort Liberty, giving speeches there, touting the Special Forces and the Airborne Corps, without really taking seriously some of these underlying and systemic issues, which are quite troubling.

AMY GOODMAN: One of the ways you use these murders to talk about U.S. presence in the military around the world is when you talk about Timothy Dumas — you say he was a quartermaster with the Special Forces — and how he used his position — was it in Afghanistan? — to bring drugs into the United States. Now, this is the guy who was murdered.

SETH HARP: Yes, that’s the allegation. Not only did — not only was he involved in that, actually, Timothy Dumas, before he died, wrote a letter, a blackmail letter. It was with the intention of blackmailing the Special Forces, because he had been kicked out of the Army for his misbehavior and his crimes and had been deprived of his pension as a result of that. In order to — in a stratagem to exert leverage on the Special Forces and get his pension reinstated, he composed this document, which purported to name the members of what Mr. Huff called the “Fort Bragg cartel.” But before he was ever able to release that letter, he himself was murdered.

AMY GOODMAN: So, let’s talk about Afghanistan for a moment. Talk about the U.S. presence there, the forever war, and talk about heroin, drugs and how they became so critical to the Afghan economy. And did the Taliban have anything to do with that?

SETH HARP: It’s really shocking, the degree to which the war in Afghanistan had to do with drugs and drug production. It’s an aspect of the war that was never covered to the degree that it ought to have been. Afghanistan under U.S. occupation became by far the biggest narco-state in the world, producing more heroin than the entire planet could absorb. Most of the drug trafficking and drug production was being carried out and done by warlords, police chiefs, militia commanders, who were on the U.S. payroll in a corrupt structure, which you could plausibly describe as a cartel, that went all the way up to the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, and his brother, as well as Ashraf Ghani. During the entire time that the U.S. occupied the country, it was turning out staggering quantities of very high-potency heroin, which flooded the entire planet and caused terrible heroin crises all over the world, including in the United States.

AMY GOODMAN: You write, “No person in any position of influence dared to suggest that the scourge of opiate addiction then afflicting the poor and working class across the United States might have resulted from the wartime narcotics bonanza.”

SETH HARP: Right. And part of that has to do with the DEA’s assertion that only 1% of heroin in the United States comes from Afghanistan. This is something that we were told by the DEA during the course of the war, and which was duly repeated by many media outlets. But I go into some detail in my book about why I believe that that number was fictitious. And in fact, just as in Canada, just as in Australia, Russia, wherever you look in the world, by far the majority of heroin in the United States, I believe, came from Afghanistan.

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to move over to Ukraine. You have the summit that President Trump is holding with Vladimir Putin in Alaska tomorrow. You spent a good amount of time in Ukraine. Talk about where you were, when you were there, and what the U.S. Special Forces were doing there.

SETH HARP: I was in Ukraine at the start of the war. I was in Kyiv during the Battle of Kyiv. And at that time, we had been told that there were no U.S. military forces in Ukraine, that they had all been withdrawn on orders of President Biden before the Russian invasion. However, I was the first to report that, in fact, there were members of the Joint Special Operations Command active in Ukraine from day one, including members of the Delta Force, as well SEAL Team Six. And that reporting was subsequently confirmed by other media outlets. They may not have specified what units they came from, but certainly the presence of U.S. special operators in Ukraine has been confirmed.

AMY GOODMAN: So, talk more about the significance of this, where they came from in the United States, what they were doing.

SETH HARP: Well, they all come from Fort Bragg. And the conventional troops that were there in Poland to back up the Ukrainian army also came from Fort Bragg, the 82nd Airborne Division. That’s an illustration of the centrality of Fort Bragg to all U.S. military operations. Now, where are they in the country of Ukraine right now? That’s not — I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know that anybody knows that. But certainly, it is concerning that we have our U.S. military personnel there in a conflict with another nuclear-armed power.

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go to President Trump’s relationship with the military. There’s the op-ed in The New York Times today talking about how it was thought it would ultimately, interestingly, be the military that would stop Trump from using it on the ground in the United States. The headline is “We Used to Think the Military Would Stand Up to Trump. We Were Wrong.”

And I wanted to go back to — well, we’ve talked about The New York Times revealing a trove of confidential military interviews with the Navy SEALs who accused Chief Edward Gallagher of war crimes. He met with President Trump at Trump’s private resort in Mar-a-Lago weeks after Trump overruled his own military leaders and blocked them from disciplining Gallagher, despite him being — despite him being convicted of posing with a teenage corpse in a high-profile war crimes case. He was also accused of fatally stabbing the captive teenager in the neck and shooting two Iraqi civilians, but he was acquitted of premeditated murder. In the never-before-released videos, the soldiers tell Navy investigators Gallagher was “toxic” and “freaking evil.” So, he was a Navy SEAL. You served in Iraq. You also report on Iraq. Talk about the significance of this pardoning, ultimately, that Trump did of Gallagher, and who exactly he was, and where he was found guilty of committing these crimes in Iraq.

SETH HARP: Trump’s cozying up to war criminals like Eddie Gallagher is the one — one of the most deplorable features of his administration and is an illustration of the incredibly deleterious effect that Trump’s malignant command influence has had on the entire special operations community, because Eddie Gallagher is somebody who was turned in by his own teammates, who were far from bleeding-heart liberals. These are active-duty Navy SEALs fighting in Mosul, in Iraq, who see their chief murdering people right and left, men, women, children, unarmed people. He was caught on video about to stab that teenage ISIS fighter in the neck. His teammates wanted him gone. The Navy SEAL command wanted him gone.

But Trump saw an opportunity to make guys like Eddie Gallagher part of his personal political brand. And that is — he also pardoned people like Mathew Golsteyn, who was the Green Beret officer who admitted to committing murder on live television. Other people that Trump has made part of his retinue, some of the craziest people in the special operations community.

All of this has had the effect of — you know, there are people in this community who do go by a sense of ethics and who are not so criminally inclined, and the more Trump is in office and doing things like this, the fewer you have of those people, and the more you have of the sort of piratical types like Eddie Gallagher staying in and rising higher in the ranks. And you see that in the kind of fallout of the domestic crime that I describe in my book.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re talking to Seth Harp. He is the author of The Fort Bragg Cartel. It’s out this week. The subtitle, Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces. What did you discover, Seth, about the intelligence role of Delta Force and its covert actions in countries where the U.S. is not at war?

SETH HARP: It’s really incredible how little we know about the Delta Force. I believe my book is the only sort of serious investigative look at the unit, despite the fact that it is the most elite unit in the U.S. military and has been at the forefront of all U.S. wars since at least 2001. So, Delta Force, I’d be happy to tell you anything about the unit. What was your — what should I say?

AMY GOODMAN: You tell us. You did the — you wrote the book.

SETH HARP: The intelligence gathering, you said.

AMY GOODMAN: Yes.

SETH HARP: So, it’s interesting, because a lot of people are not aware the extent to which these type of units, Delta and JSOC, which Delta is a part of JSOC, are — besides their paramilitary capacities, besides their operations doing assassinations and abductions in war zones, they also have strong intelligence-gathering capabilities and are — they have troops that are overseas, that are active-duty U.S. military members who are not wearing uniforms, who are not carrying IDs, who are operating under cover identities, sometimes pretending to be American businessmen, other times pretending to be State Department employees, but, in fact, are carrying out military operations in countries with which the United States is not at war, including things like bugging missions, other things that we don’t know about.

And I think what’s most crucial to emphasize in this context is that, unlike the CIA, unlike other civilian intelligence agencies that are subject to congressional oversight and must report their covert actions to Congress, the military is largely exempt from that type of oversight. And so, I think that’s one reason why you have seen a lot of the authority over covert action shift from civilian agencies to JSOC over the last 20 years.

AMY GOODMAN: Before we wrap up, I wanted to go to these latest moves by Trump, I mean, that special secret directive. We’re using it today to talk about what’s happening at home when it comes to drug cartels. But what about — and you’ve reported from Mexico. What about what Trump is saying, that the Pentagon can deploy in countries like Mexico? The Mexican president said — you know, had a very fierce reaction against this, going after drug cartels there. You started talking about Fort Bragg being a place where some of the most dangerous of these cartels were actually trained.

SETH HARP: Mm-hmm, that’s right. Los Zetas were trained at Fort Bragg, at Fort Benning, and they also received training from Israeli instructors, before they went rogue — another indication or another illustration of how U.S. military intervention often stimulates drug production. What was the second part of your question? Or what was the —

AMY GOODMAN: Well, talking about Mexico, and the U.S. deploying troops there.

SETH HARP: I mean, it’s complete — to the extent — in these days, with the genocide in Gaza and so many other things going on, we almost have lost sight, and it seems like nobody cares about international law. But I just want to point out kind of the obvious, that using military force against drug traffickers, however bad you think drug traffickers are, that’s a total violation of the laws of war. They’re not combatants in war; they’re criminals. So, that’s one thing.

Another aspect of it is, you know, the sort of typical Trump showmanship. It’s not clear to me, having worked in Mexico as a reporter for years, that the sort of cartels that the DEA creates organization charts to illustrate and tout and purport — I don’t know that those really are such coherent organizations as they might imagine, and I question whether they have the intelligence on these purported organizations where they could actually carry out military strikes on them. I don’t know that they actually have the targeting intelligence for that to become a reality. But in any event, they ought to look more closely at the drug crime that’s taking place in the United States and even on our own military bases.

AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about the long U.S. history, military and clandestine operations and drug trafficking in Southeast Asia, for people who are not aware of what happened, as well as in Latin America, for example, the illegal funding and support of the Contras in Nicaragua, and the thousands of Nicaraguans who were killed?

SETH HARP: Sure. There is a long pedigree of this kind of thing, covert alliances between U.S. Special Forces and paramilitaries and intelligence agencies and foreign forces that are implicated in the international drug trade. As you indicate, one of the first examples of that was in Laos and in Cambodia and Vietnam during that era, as well as in Central America, the case of the Nicaraguan Contras.

However, I must say, all of it pales in comparison with the complicity of the — practically the whole of the U.S. government with heroin cartels in Afghanistan during the war there. The amount of drugs that were produced, the openness of the alliance between the United States and known drug traffickers in that country surpass anything that we had previously seen in American history.

AMY GOODMAN: What most surprised you, Seth, in your research for this book? You, as a member of the military, but then stepping outside, you became a lawyer. You were an assistant attorney general in Texas, but a longtime investigative journalist around the world.

SETH HARP: The stuff about Afghanistan, I think, was the most shocking to me, because it was one country where I had not worked, and I really wasn’t aware of the degree to which the U.S. client state was the entity responsible for producing most of the drugs in Afghanistan. I have been kind of snowed, like everybody else, with this narrative that it was the Taliban that was doing it. But in the course of writing the book, the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Taliban in 2023 had completely eradicated all drug production from Afghanistan. So, seeing the Taliban come into power and totally eliminate that massive drug-producing industry that the U.S. had not only tolerated, but supported for 20 years, really showed — I guess, really belied the claim, until then, that it was either the Taliban or it was both sides, when, in fact, it was really our guys that were doing it the entire time.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you think with this special directive, a secret directive that Trump has signed, that special forces operations in Latin America will increase under the guise of fighting cartels?

SETH HARP: It’s possible. I find that to be a very complicated prospect. So many of the drug traffickers in Latin America are military or police forces that are allied with the United States. Things are changing in Mexico and in Colombia, but, historically, the biggest drug traffickers in the Americas have been, let’s say, the Colombian Army and right-wing paramilitaries affiliated with the Colombian military, as well as, you know, you see the same type of phenomenon in Honduras and El Salvador and also in Mexico. So, when they talk about targeting these people, who exactly are they talking about?

AMY GOODMAN: Well, you’ve set us up well for our next segment. I want to thank you so much, Seth, for joining us. Seth Harp, Rolling Stone investigative reporter, his new book is just out. It’s called *The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces

WATCH THE SEGMENT BELOW OR AT THIS LINK:

HEGS AT PRESS CONF FOR DC DEPLOY

PUT CONFED STATUE BACK AT ARLINGTON “RECONCILIATION”?

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As the Trump administration continues to push the boundaries of centuries-old constraints on domestic power, the Pentagon is reportedly developing a multi-million-dollar plan to create a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force”—armed with weapons and riot gear, ready to be deployed instantaneously to quell civil unrest anywhere in the nation.

An exclusive Washington Post report reveals that two National Guard teams of hundreds of troops, designed to be ready around the clock, would be stationed on opposite sides of the country, able to cross state lines on command.

“The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at all times so they can deploy in as little as one hour, the documents say. They would be split into two groups of 300 and stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona, with purview of regions east and west of the Mississippi River, respectively,” the Post reported on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Trump Melts Down Over Elizabeth Warren’s Accusations

The price tag? Potentially hundreds of millions of dollars.

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The Post calls it “another potential expansion of President Donald Trump’s willingness to employ the armed forces on American soil,” and notes that once again, the Trump administration is on “shaky” legal ground.

Legal experts are warning against the plan.

“You don’t want to normalize routine military participation in law enforcement,” Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice, told the Post. “You don’t want to normalize routine domestic deployment.”

“When you have this tool waiting at your fingertips, you’re going to want to use it,” Nunn added. “It actually makes it more likely that you’re going to see domestic deployments — because why else have a task force?”

READ MORE: ‘All of Christ for All of Life’: Hegseth Under Fire for Endorsing Christian Nationalist

The news follows President Trump’s unprecedented decision on Monday to federalize the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police force to combat what he claims is out-of-control violence, despite the nation’s capital city having decreased violent crime by double digits in 2024 and again in the first half of 2025.

In response to the Post’s report on Tuesday, The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol noted, “So of course it’s not just D.C.”

Former constitutional law professor David Wemhoff, now the editor of The American Proposition, wrote that President Trump’s “purpose is to crush, fight Americans. He has no interest in fighting much less opposing China and Russia.”

“Ah, yes,” remarked former Trump national security official Miles Taylor, “nothing says ‘land of the free’ like a standing army ready to put down the people who disagree with you.”

Progressive researcher Derek Martin, formerly of the National Security Agency (NSA), commented: “President Trump is so afraid of protests he’s preparing to use the military to suppress them. Only tyrants think this way.”

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08/08/2025

by

Peter Montgomery

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is promoting a CNN interview with Christian nationalist Douglas Wilson in which Wilson asserts that women should not have the right to vote. Hegseth boosted the interview on social media, adding “All of Christ for All of Life.”

Notorious for publishing a book downplaying the evils of slavery, Wilson publicly stakes out extreme Christian nationalist positions. As People For the American Way President Svante Myrick noted in a recent column for The Hill, in the kind of Christian nation Wilson wants the U.S. to be, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and other non-Christians would not be allowed to hold public office — not even liberal Christians. There would be no public expressions of other faiths allowed, because “the public spaces would belong to Christ.” He would like sodomy to be a felony in all 50 states and have the Apostles’ Creed inserted into the U.S. Constitution.

Hegseth, who seems intent on purging women from the top ranks of the military, belongs to a Wilson-affiliated church in Tennessee, and he has attended the new church Wilson has planted in DC to boost his influence over the conservative Christians who work in the Trump administration.

The Idaho-based Wilson already exerts influence nationally through the Canon Press publishing house, the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a network of “classical” Christian academies, and a cadre of far-right “theobros” like Joel Webbon who promote a similar patriarchal Christian nationalist ideology.

Hegseth has begun hosting monthly Christian prayer services during working hours at the Pentagon. Brooks Potteiger, the pastor of his Wilson-affiliated church in Tennessee, was the main speaker. Joshua Haymes, another pastor at the church, has claimed that the Founding Fathers had not envisioned “mosques being erected” and publicly asserted, "The First Amendment was designed to ensure that every American can be any kind of CHRISTIAN he wants. It was not designed to ensure every American has the right to publicly worship demons. False religion can and should be banned from public life."

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New reporting based on a leaked briefing memo from a recent meeting between high-level officials at the Department of Homeland Security and Defense Department sparked fresh warnings on Saturday about the Trump administration's internal plans to increase its domestic use of the U.S. military.

According to Greg Sargent of The New Republic, which obtained the memo, the document "suggests that Trump's use of the military for domestic law enforcement on immigration could soon get worse."

The "terrifying" memo—which the outlet recreated and published online with certain redactions that concealed operational and personnel details—"provides a glimpse into the thinking of top officials as they seek to involve the Defense Department more deeply in these domestic operations, and it has unnerved experts who believe it portends a frightening escalation."

Circulated internally among top Trump officials, TNR reports the memo was authored by Philip Hegseth, the younger brother of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The younger sibling, though lesser known by the public than his controversial brother, currently serves as a senior adviser to Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem and acts as DHS liaison officer to the Pentagon.

The meeting between DoD and DHS officials and the memo centers on Philip Hegseth's push for closer collaboration between the two departments, especially with regard to operations on the ground, like those that happened earlier this year in Los Angeles when National Guard units and later U.S. Marines were deployed in the city to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and local law enforcement put down local protests sparked by raids targeting immigrants and workers.

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As Sargent noted in a social media post:

Strikingly, the memo says straightforwardly that what happened in Los Angeles is the sort of operation that may be necessary "for years to come." As one expert told me: "They see Los Angeles as a model to be replicated."

"To Make America Safe Again, DHS and DoD will need to be in lockstep with each other, and I hope today sets the scene for where our partnership is headed," states the memo, which also compares transnational criminal gangs and drug cartels to Al Qaeda.

Lindsay Cohn, an associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, was among the experts TNR spoke with who called that comparison particularly worrying. "The conflation of a low-level threat like transnational criminal organizations with Al Qaeda, which was actually attempting to topple the United States government, is a clear attempt to use excessive force for a purpose normally handled by civil authorities," said Cohn.

Sociology professor Kim Lane Scheppele, a scholar who studies the rise of autocracy at Princeton University, was among those who raised alarm in response to the published reporting and the contents of the memo.

"Here it comes," wrote Kim Lane Scheppele. "The worst we've been waiting for."

According to TNR:

The memo outlines the itinerary for a July 21 meeting between senior DHS and Pentagon officials, with the goal of better coordinating the agencies' activities in "defense of the homeland." It details goals that Philip Hegseth hopes to accomplish in the meeting and outlines points he wants DHS officials to impress on Pentagon attendees.Participants listed comprise the very top levels of both agencies, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several of his top advisers, Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine, and NORTHCOM Commander Gregory Guillot. Staff include Phil Hegseth and acting ICE commissioner Todd Lyons.

"Due to the sensitive nature of the meeting, minimal written policy or background information can be provided in this briefing memo," the memo says.

Joseph Nunn, counsel for the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, told TNR it was "disturbing to see DHS officials pressuring the U.S. military to turn its focus inward even further." Nunn added that the memo suggests that "military involvement in domestic civilian law enforcement" is set to become "more common" if the policy recommendations put forth by Phillip Hegseth take hold.

Following publication of his reporting, Sargent said he wanted to flag something specific for readers.

"It looks plausible that the Hegseth brothers are trying to push military leaders further on involving military in domestic law enforcement," he noted. "Two experts I spoke with read the memo that way. There may be a bigger story here to get."

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[## Fox News gave new classified email revelation in Hegseth Signal scandal just 40 seconds of airtime 07/25/25

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A network of former intelligence, military, and national security officials on Tuesday launched the Profiles in Cowardice Award and urged the public to vote for nominees who are "silent in the face of the country's descent into fascism," a march led by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We are in a constitutional crisis," says the Eisenhower Media Network's (EMN) website for the award. "Trump is amassing power in the executive branch, ignoring Congress and the courts. Meanwhile, leaders who have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution are sitting on their hands."

The new honor is the inverse of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, created by the late president's family "to recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most." This year's recipient is Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, "for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021," when Trump incited an insurrection and his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

"We, the American people, are here to remind them of who they serve, and that it's time to do their constitutional duty by standing up to this administration and its authoritarian bent."

Nominees for the inaugural Profiles in Cowardice Award are former President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), retired Gens. David Petraeus and Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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"The 'Profiles in Cowardice' Award was created to call out those weak souls who are failing to engage in efforts to keep our country from sleepwalking into fascism," said EMN's director, retired Maj. Gen. (ret.) Dennis Laich, in a statement.

"These leaders, both past and present, took an oath to 'support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,'" he noted. "Through their actions, or inaction, they are violating that oath. We, the American people, are here to remind them of who they serve, and that it's time to do their constitutional duty by standing up to this administration and its authoritarian bent."

The public can vote at ProfilesInCowardice.org until August 1, after which the award will be presented to the winner "at the most inconvenient time possible," according to the website.

The site lays out why people were nominated as "cowards." For example, "Bush has a long and storied history of cowardice" and "is solidifying his legacy" by retreating rather than serving as a leader in the Republican Party and standing up to Trump.

In Congress, "Mace is a one-woman culture war content machine—exactly how the military-industrial complex and mainstream media like it," the site continues. Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, "has chosen to push through Trump's agenda of unfettered militarism and confirm unqualified MAGA loyalists like Pete Hegseth," the defense secretary. Republicans on that committee also "rubber-stamped Pete Hegseth to cater to Trump and his blindly loyal MAGA cronies."

Among former military leaders, the site says, "Milley attempted to make a principled stand after the January 6th insurrection—but cowardice won out in the end," and Petraeus said at a conference that "the world was in for 'exciting times' under Trump."

"The Joint Chiefs of Staff are tasked with defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic," the site notes. "But as reckless U.S. military actions push the world closer to nuclear catastrophe, they've chosen silence over service. No resignations. No public warnings."

As for Blinken, who served under former President Joe Biden, "he ignored a flood of real-time reports detailing Israeli human rights violations—and now we know his public claims of 'working overtime' on cease-fires were outright lies," the site adds. "With American diplomacy in free fall, Blinken chose complicity and cover stories over truth and action."

Christian Sorenson, EMN's associate director, said that "it takes courage to do the right thing... It takes even more courage to do the right thing when the system itself fosters militarism and war profiteering."

"Targeting 'leaders' in the nation's capital, Profiles in Cowardice highlights the craven and the pushovers, as well as those who eagerly abet authoritarianism and nonstop war for personal and professional gain," Sorenson added. "Virtue and public service will arrive in D.C. one way or another. Profiles in Cowardice is part of that broader effort."

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Military officer slams 'racially motivated' policy that enables Army to kick out Black men

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Home | Trump just got a wake up call as he tries to escalate his war on defiance

Sabrina Haake, Raw Story June 15, 2025

Ever since he was ignominiously blocked from shooting George Floyd protesters, Donald Trump has been itching to sic the military on U.S. citizens. Seizing California’s National Guard and sending U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to deliberately escalate violence brings his long-festering fever dream closer to life.

Trump’s former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has recounted how, during a White House meeting in 2020, Trump looked at Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and asked why he couldn’t just shoot protesters, adding, “It was (both) a suggestion and a formal question. And we were just all taken aback at that moment as this issue hung very heavily in the air.”

Milley pushed back on that suggestion and other illegal Trump impulses, eventually leading Trump to call for Milley’s execution and revoke his security detail. During Trump 1.0, Trump apparently suggested shooting protesters enough times that Esper issued a public statement opposing the use of the Insurrection Act against protesters, enraging Trump.

Trump made sure that would not happen again in his second administration by appointing a dangerously unqualified defense secretary with few moral qualms. As a Fox News host, Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s desire to deploy the military against protesters. He defended war criminals who ‘killed the right people in the wrong ways,’ advocating “total war against our enemies… All of ’em, you stack bodies, and when it’s over, then you let the dust settle and you figure out who’s ahead.”

A trillion-dollar defense budget to kill whom, exactly?

Even though the U.S. is not at war, and Trump has shamefully abandoned our NATO military alliances, Hegseth waxes hard on “lethality,” and rails against “woke” laws that punish soldiers for indiscriminate killings. Trump/Hegseth seek a trillion-dollar defense budget, not to defend America from foreign enemies who are now Trump’s mentors, but to attack “enemies within,” i.e., Americans who oppose Trump’s agenda.

None of this, including Trump’s deliberate escalation of violence in LA, was unforeseen. Who can forget how Kamala Harris was panned as histrionic when she said Trump would sic the military on U.S. citizens, following his promise to do just that? In October, 2024, Trump said he’d use the military against the biggest threat to America — Americans who don’t support him.

“I think the (main problem we face) is the enemy from within,” Trump said, adding: “We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the big — and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”

Both he and Hegseth have already weeded out military officers who would honor their oaths to the Constitution over illegal orders from Trump. This week, Hegseth inadvertently confirmed that the military, under Trump, will become a domestic force when he testified before Congress, saying, “We’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland.”

It’s galling that no congressman has connected the dots and asked about explosive military spending that Trump/Hegseth have signaled will be used against Americans.

Dubious legal grounds

As of this writing, Trump has not declared martial law, but recent Trump history, paired with his glaring mental illness, suggests it’s “when,” not “if.”

Trump’s plan to use troops to impose his domestic agenda is decidedly un-American. Today it includes deportations and manufacturing civil unrest; tomorrow, Trump’s goons will round up journalists who criticize him, judges, Democrats, and political opponents, as just happened Thursday when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was tackled to the ground for trying to ask Kristi Noem questions.

If you have any doubt, watch Trump’s illegal and partisan address at Ft. Bragg, where he led troops in uniform to wildly “boo” journalists, California’s governor, and LA’s mayor. If you have any lingering naivety, still hoping soldiers will honor their oaths and not follow America’s Hitler, that speech will erase it.

For now, Trump is acting in LA pursuant to a presidential memorandum deploying the National Guard under a rarely used federal law, 10U.S.C.§12406. Under that code, a president possesses the power to federalize the National Guard only when there is “a rebellion or danger of rebellion” against federal authority, or when the president cannot execute federal laws. As Trump sees it, this assessment depends on his own untrained and undisciplined opinion. Under that statute, however, the National Guard can only support other law enforcement officers and defend federal property.

The Posse Comitatus Act also remains in effect, prohibiting the use of the military as a domestic law enforcement agency, except in extraordinary circumstances not yet present in LA despite Trump’s best efforts. The Insurrection Act of 1807, the authority under which Hegseth sent active Marines to LA, is a broader set of statutes granting Trump the power to use military force in specific circumstances, including suppressing armed rebellion, civil disorder, or other extreme circumstances where the states are unable to maintain public order.

Gov. Gavin Newsom formally objected to Trump sending troops, because California in general, and LAPD in particular, have sufficient resources to maintain order. Newsom knows that when US Marines start shooting civilians, whether in LA, Chicago, or New York, violence will ratchet up to the necessary threshold to circumvent Posse Comitatus and allow Trump to declare martial law.

Sabrina Haake is a 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. Her columns are found @ Alternet, Chicago Tribune, Howey Political Report, Indiana Democrats’ Kernel of Truth, Inside Indiana Business, MSN, Out South Florida, Raw Story,Salon,Smart News, South Florida Gay News, State Affairs, and Windy City Times. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.

AN 6 25

'Garbage': Pentagon chief defends renaming USNS Harvey Milk during Pride Month

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an 6 25

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem reportedly requested that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grant law enforcement powers—including the authority to detain and arrest—to the thousands of military troops President Donald Trump deployed to Los Angeles to suppress anti-deportation protests. Such powers are typically barred under federal law, and experts warn the move marks another step toward the administration invoking the Insurrection Act.

In a memo, Secretary Noem alleged protestors included "invasive, violent, insurrectionist mobs that seek to protect invaders and military aged males belonging to identified foreign terrorist organizations, and who seek to prevent the deportation of criminal aliens,” as the San Francisco Chronicle first reported.

"The military is generally barred under federal laws from taking part in domestic law enforcement. Noem’s request may be a step toward the administration sidestepping those laws by invoking the Insurrection Act, two legal experts said in interviews," the Chronicle added.

RELATED: ‘Looking for an Excuse’: Trump Under Fire for Violent Slogan as He Sends Marines to LA

Syracuse University Professor of Law Emeritus William Banks told the Chronicle that Noem's move is "a grave escalation" that "may presage the invocation of the Insurrection Act.” Professor Banks is an internationally recognized scholar on constitutional law, national security and counterterrorism law, as well as emergency powers and government surveillance and privacy, according to his biography.

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Secretary Noem also requested “drone surveillance support” and weapons and logistics assistance. President Donald Trump has ordered 700 U.S. Marines and federalized up to 4,000 National Guard troops to go to Los Angeles to help tamp down the protests.

The Associated Press on Monday suggested the protest area itself was small: “Protests over the president’s immigration crackdown spared much of Los Angeles from violence. Weekend clashes swept through several downtown blocks and a handful of other places.”

Other experts weighed in as well.

READ MORE: House Republicans Quietly Slip Anti-LGBTQ ‘Religious Freedom’ Clause Into Funding Bill

Vermont Law and Graduate School professor emeritus Stephen Dycus, an expert in national security law and the Insurrection Act, told the Chronicle that "this could be viewed as a preparation for invoking the Insurrection Act, or it could be viewed as part of a larger effort to frighten people who otherwise would exercise their first amendment guarantee of free speech and protest.”

California Democratic state Senator Tom Umberg, a retired Army colonel and JAG officer, "said he found the letter’s requests alarming."

“It looks like a preparation for a military assault,” Umberg said. “This looks like a subterfuge to create some sort of rationale for some sort of invocation of the Insurrection Act.”

Attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration expert and senior fellow at the American Immigration Council explained that the "reason that there is civil unrest in multiple cities throughout the country is because the Trump administration ordered ICE to engage in near-indiscriminate arrests, rounding up otherwise law-abiding people with no criminal records."

Political scientist Dr. Norman Ornstein, a contributing editor for the Atlantic, wrote, "this is a prelude to invoking the insurrection act and declaring martial law."

READ MORE: ‘Completely Obliterated’: Trump Claims LA Saved From Ruin by His National Guard Action

AN 6 25

President Donald Trump's critics, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, are deeply troubled by his response to the tense protests that are rocking Downtown L.A. in response to immigration raids being carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

Trump ordered 2000 California National Guardian troops to the area, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is talking about sending in 500 U.S. Marines. According to Trump's critics, he is crossing a dangerous line by federalizing National Guard troops — whose deployment to Downtown L.A., they argue, should only be ordered by Newsom if he decides it is necessary.

New York Times national security reporter Helene Cooper discussed the [VID] volatile situation during a expressing fears that things could turn ugly if Trump uses the military against civilians.

READ MORE:'Can't you just shoot them?' Inside Trump's threat to deal with 'radical left thugs' in America

During his first presidency, Cooper noted, traditional conservatives in the White House would push back against his worst ideas—whereas now, he is surrounded by loyalists who encourage him.

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Cooper told "Morning" host Mika Brzezinski, "I'm a little worried this is not heading anywhere good…. President Trump doesn't have (former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman) Mark Milley or (Defense Secretary) Mark Esper or any of the people from his previous administration who sort of acted as the brakes on this. Pete Hegseth…. sort of made up that Marines are on high alert, which is not necessarily a formal thing. He tweeted that on Saturday, (June 7) and then doubled down on Sunday, saying Marines are standing by."

The Times reporter continued, "We know that to put active-duty troops on the streets…. President Trump would have to — most likely have to — invoke the Insurrection Act, which to my knowledge, he has not done yet."

During the interview, Cooper drew a distinction between the "political Pentagon" and Trump loyalists like Hegseth and the "military people and career Pentagon."

READ MORE:Trump's latest move is a danger to all of us

Cooper told Brzezinski, "The Pentagon was sort of scrambling last night to figure out what to do. The last thing they want is active- duty troops taking on protesters on American streets. They fought mightily against that during the George Floyd protests…. There's a very real worry, again, among the career and professional military of this sort of look that we are militarizing the country…. If you get to the point where American troops are being asked or tasked with shooting protesters, you will then see this discomfort manufacture in public."

Cooper noted that Los Angeles is heavily Latino and that the military is also racially diverse.

Cooper told Brzezinski, "Right now, the orders are lawful. Right now, they have not been asked to do anything that I can see that could be interpreted as an unlawful order, but I think things could come to a head pretty quickly. You talk about the demographic demographics of Los Angeles — well, the demographic of the American military is pretty diverse, despite all of Pete Hegseth's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and DEI and so-called woke policies. You're looking at one of the most, if not the most diverse, institutions that America has. So, you know, there's going to be a lot of conflict there when you start dragging troops who are not prepared to do law enforcement, domestic law enforcement on the streets of America into this."

READ MORE:'It's pathetic': Right-wing red state Republicans are being ripped apart — by football

*Watch the full video below or at this link.

NO LNX

The man-babies of MAGA never grew up because they never had to

John Stoehr April 26, 2025

Recall that the week began with news that the US secretary of defense had been involved in a second Signal chat in which he shared the same war plans he shared in the first one. This time, Pete Hegseth set up the chat himself and included his wife, his brother and his attorney. Oh, and he used his own phone, not the government’s.

Last weekend, in an opinion piece for Politico, a former Pentagon spokesman warned that “there are very likely more shoes to drop in short order, with even bigger bombshell stories coming this week.”

And lo, a voice came:

Wall Street Journal: “Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon”;

Associated Press: “Hegseth had an unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal”;

Times: “Hegseth’s Personal Phone Use Created Vulnerabilities”;

National Public Radio: “Former Pentagon official on Hegseth turmoil: ‘It looks like they actually broke the law’”;

CBS: “Hegseth orders makeup studio installed at Pentagon.”

Unfortunately, we are where we were at the beginning of the week. Hegseth isn’t going anywhere. Yes, he is “embattled,” as we say in the news, but every story about him says that Donald Trump has his back.

The closest we’ve come to accountability was in the Journal: “Trump has begun to ask people around him about Hegseth’s performance, and his advisers have closely watched his recent media appearances.”

Until he’s gone, there’s going to be lots more to say about Hegseth. I want to focus on an aspect about him and the maga movement that can be found in the opening scene from the Journal article above.

In it, he reacts after being “rattled” by the fact that someone had leaked word of his classified briefing on China with Elon Musk.

“I’ll hook you up to a f—ing polygraph!” Hegseth shouted at Adm. Christopher Grady, the then-acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to two people familiar with the exchange. Hegseth demanded proof that Grady hadn’t leaked news of the March 21 briefing.

Grady was never subjected to a polygraph, and Hegseth would go on to accuse a number of other people for the leak, including Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, whom Hegseth also threatened with a polygraph test.

I mean, I get it.

The secretary of defense is America’s highest ranking military official. In theory, Hegseth can talk to anyone at the Pentagon in any way he wants to, no matter how accomplished they are, no matter how much older they are. But we’re not talking about what you can do. We’re talking about what you should do among men of honor and distinction.

And there’s your problem.

Admiral Grady’s resume is so deep and long, and so full of achievement and military jargon, that it would be almost discourteous of me to copy and paste excerpts of it. (You can find his bio here, courtesy of Bill Grueskin.) He has seen some things and done some things, with the ultimate cost of failure being that someone under him could have died.

Meanwhile, Hegseth’s resume for the job is nearly as thin as mine.

He’s a 44-year-old former TV personality with a drinking problem and a history of indiscretion with women, shall we say, as well as no experience running anything of size, much less the planet’s biggest bureaucracy. Since taking the job, he has compromised national security, broken dozens of laws, conduct that would get anyone else at the Pentagon court-martialed if he were not Donald Trump’s No. 1 yes-man, and on top of all this, he feels justified in throwing fit with a man who was answering the call of duty when he was still in diapers.

Again, Hegseth has the right to say what he wants to Admiral Grady. He outranks him. No doubt Grady accepts that. But no man of honor would cuss out an admiral out, question his honesty, doubt his loyalty, impugn his character – and do it in front of witnesses, for God’s sake.

But if we leave it there, we’re missing the larger picture.

Hegseth’s dishonorable conduct is shared by the whole regime, including the president. There’s an attitude that respect is owed but not in return. This is borne of the belief that they have the right to rule by race and blood – not by law, not by merit, not by anything other than the accident of their birth. Indeed, anyone who has earned his authority, as Admiral Grady has, is a natural target of their contempt.

This attitude may seem invulnerable, but it’s not. It is weakness personified. When respect is not forthcoming in the way they expect, they fall to pieces. They get emotional, perhaps hysterical. They might even start accusing everyone around them of being against them. As it happens, that describes Hegseth to a T. NBC News reported Friday that he’s growing paranoid, “erratic” and “insecure.” When you act like you’re infallible, you can’t stand it when anyone anywhere disagrees.

If this sounds childish, it is, and there’s a reason for it. It is rooted in the political tradition of venerating above all others the common folk of the American heartland, which is to say, the common white folk. Unlike multiracial populations in cities or on the coasts, people get educations, acquire skill and knowledge, and strive, these are God’s chosen. They are the most authentic, the most real of Americans.

And one way or another, they are always at the center of our time and our attention, as they are the main characters in tales of morality told about America, in which some kind of great sinner is forever trying to take advantage of them, cheat them out of their money and their hope, and these crimes against the blood and bone of the nation demand a champion to come forth and save God’s chosen from this villainy.

They are pure and innocent and just. They never do wrong, they are only wronged, because they are not asked to make choices. Choices are made for them as a consequence of being God’s chosen, which is to say, of being white in a country that was made for white people.

It should be no surprise that men like the secretary of state, or the president, who believe they have the right to rule by race and blood, not by law, not by merit, not by anything other than the accident of their birth, are also some of the most childish people. They inhibit a world in which they never had to grow up. They can be boys forever.

And when man-babies like Pete Hegseth encounter someone who did grow up, who did make something of himself through merit and hard work and determination – when they encounter men of honor like Admiral Christopher Grady – they seem to explode on contact.

For that small justice, I’m grateful.

AN 5 25

Former Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.), who served as an advisor to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said Monday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plan to reduce the number of four-star admirals and generals by 20 percent indicates there is a "deeper problem" within the Department of Defense (DoD).

"I don't think it's actually connected to a strategic imperative, but rather to the fact that they are looking for constant destruction,".

The defense analyst strongly criticized the former part-time weekend Fox News host-turned-defense secretary, saying the generals he is choosing to fire are better and more experienced than him.

READ MORE:Jim Jordan silent after critics hurl accusations of corruption on behalf of billionaires

"And these generals are intimidating to folks like Pete Hegseth because they have what he doesn't, which is experience and good instincts," Rose continued.

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Earlier on Monday, Hegseth instructed top Pentagon officials to reduce the ranks of four-star generals and admirals by at least 20%, CNN reported Monday.

This cut applies across all branches of the military, which currently has 37 four-star officers. The directive also mandates a 20% reduction in National Guard generals and a 10% overall decrease in all general and flag officers (those ranked one-star and above), who currently number around 900.

In a video posted on the social platform X, Hegseth introduced the "historic" policy and said it is about "Less generals, More GIs."

READ MORE:'What do you mean you don't know?' Tapper slams Trump over reply to Constitution question

Watch the video below or at this link.

an 5 25

...Griffin stated that U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, “believes that that more shoes could drop, is suggesting that there are more firings to come.”

Kaine also talked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Griffin said, and “had expressed extreme concern about a late night tweet by defense Secretary Hegseth, in which he threatened Iran with potential military action, if they don’t control the Houthies.”

AN 4 25

Discussing the history of conservatism in the United States, veteran Washington Post columnist George Will used the word "bookish" to describe Republicans of the past. And Will, who is very much a Never Trump conservative, meant that in a good way.

Will was applauding those conservatives of yesterday for, as he saw it, their detailed focus on policy. And he is no fan of the performative theatrics of the MAGA movement.

Salon's Amanda Marcotte cites three recent examples of such theatrics in an article published on April 28, calling out "performative temper tantrums" by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-Georgia), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller.

READ MORE:Meet Ed Martin: The Missouri lawyer weaponizing the DOJ for Trump

"If there were an Oscar for the category 'hard to watch,'" Marcotte argues, "I'd have to nominate the video of Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., barking expletives at a constituent after he asked her if she would have a town hall soon. It's produced in a beauty supply store instead of a movie studio, but in a brief minute and 42 seconds, the video finds its place in the canon of horror films shot from the villain's perspective…. Most adults who act like Mace in public immediately wish to disappear off the face of the Earth in shame. But not our Nancy! No, she's the one who posted this video online, proud of her emotional incontinence."

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Marcotte adds, "She even offered a homophobic gay panic defense, by describing the man as 'wearing daisy dukes, at a makeup store'….. To people outside the MAGA bubble, it's a baffling choice. She's not even a fun villain."

Marcotte laments that "what most adults find embarrassing, the MAGA base will eat right up."

"Despite this effort, Mace didn't even come close to nabbing last week's gold star for the most histrionic MAGA performance," Marcotte observes. "She was outdone by Stephen Miller, whose usual register on TV is 'verge of a nervous breakdown,' but got so shrill on Fox News Tuesday that Lauren Tousignant at Jezebel worried she'd soon have to 'look at Stephen Miller's face as he pops a dozen blood vessels as his brain explodes'…. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth turned in two performances that would cause Al Pacino to tell him to settle down."

READ MORE:'Ready to fight': How one major firm refuses to be bullied by Trump

Marcotte adds, "While carping about "the fake news media" during the White House Easter egg roll, Hegseth's whining got so pitched his voice started to crack, while his children stood behind him, embarrassed at the spectacle….. All this yelling and bellyaching serves a pragmatic purpose: to distract from how what they're saying makes no sense.

READ MORE:'Was it?' Republican CNN analyst rendered speechless when challenged on Trump spending

*Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.

like mad king, increasingly erratic

mma

April 23, 2025, edition of Loomer Unleashed on Rumble

LAURA LOOMER (HOST): And we're also going to address the recent allegations coming out of the Department of Defense that there is a soft coup taking place against Pete Hegseth, our defense secretary. And this is something that I've been reporting on. As we know, there were a lot of GOP senators who didn't want to necessarily confirm Pete Hegseth for his position of defense secretary.

I've always been an adamant supporter of Pete. He's somebody that I've known for a long time. He's a personal friend of mine, and I think he's going to do a great job as defense secretary. But it's not a surprise to anybody, or it shouldn't be a surprise at least that the deep state and all of these RINO obstructionist senators want to have control over the military industrial complex.

mma

WSJ pundits demolish right-wing talking points defending Hegseth: “It all comes back again to this basic point that something's wrong at the top levels”}:

04/24/25

fox stars pass on defending Hegseth amid Pentagon “chaos”

Written by Matt Gertz

:{:{Published 04/25/25}:

Fox News’ biggest stars have stopped defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid the weeklong firestorm over their former colleague’s dysfunctional management of the Pentagon and his potentially illegal handling of classified information.

Three months after Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 Senate tie to install the historically underqualified Hegseth at the Pentagon, journalists routinely describe a department in “chaos.” Five top Hegseth aides have left the department since last Friday amid reports of “vicious rivalries,” and a “leadership vacuum.” Reporters further revealed that Hegseth had shared details about U.S. strikes in Yemen in a second unsecured Signal chat, potentially endangering U.S. service members, and had the app installed on his Pentagon computer.

Hegseth responded to his growing list of scandals with a combative Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends, whose hosts defended his conduct.

But other Fox hosts have been silent, even after rallying to support Hegseth when his nomination came under fire and again following the first revelation of his use of Signal to share attack plans.

Fox’s evening lineup of The Ingraham Angle, Jesse Watters Primetime, Hannity, and Gutfeld!have ignored Hegseth’s struggles this week (a passing remark from guest Jimmy Failla to host Laura Ingraham was the only mention of the story on any of those shows).The Five, the Fox panel show which features Jesse Watters, Greg Gutfeld, Jeanine Pirro, and Dana Perino, also has not covered the subject.

Even Will Cain, who spent years sharing the couch with Hegseth as co-hosts of Fox & Friends’ weekend edition, hasn’t mentioned his former colleague’s name on his afternoon show this week. (He did not comment on Fox correspondent Kevin Corke’s report about the Signal story during Monday’s program.)

As Fox’s stars take a pass, full-throated defenses of Hegseth’s leadership are coming from the likes of MAGA stalwarts like Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, and Laura Loomer, while their corporate cousins at The Wall Street Journal editorial board savage his handling of the Pentagon.

Two explanations seem plausible for why Fox’s biggest stars have gone silent as their former colleague comes under fire:

They’ve decided that the best way to help Hegseth is to keep pretending the Signal story is over, hide other damning reports about his leadership from their viewers, and hope the firestorm dies out.

They think Hegseth’s performance is so bad and the stakes of his failure at the Defense Department are so high that they are unwilling to keep sticking their necks out for him.

Either way, this disaster was the predictable result of President Donald Trump putting a former Fox weekend host with little relevant experience in charge of the Pentagon. The secretary of defense oversees a massive budget and bureaucracy and has the authority under certain circumstances to launch nuclear weapons and end human civilization. The risks of handing the position over to someone because of their takes on TV are almost incalculably high.

Hegseth is currently struggling to manage the Pentagon when its biggest problem is a costly, ineffective, and apparently unending bombing campaign in Yemen. How will he respond if India and Pakistan start trading fire?

1. ### Fox stars pass on defending Hegseth amid Pentagon “chaos”

04/25/25

//

1. ### Trump used Fox to vet his defense secretary. It isn’t going well — but now the network is fighting back.

:{:{12/04/24}:

2. ### Fox propagandists scramble to explain former colleagues texting war plans to a reporter

:{:{03/25/25}:

3. ### The Pete Hegseth debacle was inevitable

04/23/2

AN 4 25

The Pete Hegseth debacle was inevitable

Hiring a Fox host to lead the Pentagon was a bad idea

Written by Matt Gertz

Published 04/23/25

President Donald Trump’s second administration hasn’t yet hit the 100-day mark, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is already being routinely described as “embattled.” On Friday, Hegseth fired three of the top aides he had brought with him to the Pentagon amid an investigation into unauthorized leaks. Sunday brought two new body blows: News that Hegseth had shared details about U.S. strikes in Yemen in a second unsecured Signal chat — this one including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer — and a scathing op-ed from a former top Pentagon spokesperson who accused Hegseth of creating “total chaos” at the department.

It’s unnerving to see the management of the world’s most powerful military described as “a run of chaos that is unmatched in the recent history of the Defense Department,” or to read reports about how the internal dysfunction is leading some officials “to wonder how the Pentagon would function in a national security crisis.” Trump, however, is standing by Hegseth — apparently the only reporting that can get high-level figures removed in this administration is that of conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer.

Hegseth’s disastrous run at the Pentagon is entirely predictable, the natural result of elevating a co-host of Fox & Friends’ weekend edition to sixth in the line of succession because the president liked his Fox News hits.

Hegseth lacked anything resembling the traditional qualifications to lead the Defense Department. Other recent picks have leaned on their experience at the top levels of the military, the Pentagon bureaucracy, or congressional oversight of the department, but Hegseth had none of these — he led a platoon in the Army National Guard and oversaw small right-wing veterans organizations before joining Fox as a contributor in 2014. His elevation might nonetheless be explicable if he had unique personal virtues or strong outside-the-box ideas for how to manage the Pentagon, but he’s been dogged by reports of public drunkenness, sexual assault, and financial mismanagement, while his vision for the military seems to begin and end with the notion that it had become excessively “woke.”

What Hegseth had in spades was the one attribute Trump seems to value above all others — years of expressing sycophantic public support for the president on Fox. For Trump, a Fox obsessive who stocked both of his administrations with familiar faces from the network’s green rooms, that was enough.

Trump reportedly considered Hegseth to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in his first term but ultimately retained him as an outside adviser — one whosecounsel he took in offering clemency to several accused and convicted war criminals the Fox host boosted. But for his second time in the Oval Office, Trump tapped Hegseth to run the DOD.

Asking a Fox & Friends weekend host to oversee a massive bureaucracy with millions of military and civilian employees and a budget in the hundreds of billions is obviously stupid, and Hegseth’s nomination appeared to be in jeopardy amid a series of damning reports. But Trump’s MAGA media supporters decided to lay down a marker, threatening Republican senators with primary challenges if they did not support Hegseth’s confirmation, and he ultimately squeaked through as Vice President JD Vance voted to break the Senate’s 50-50 tie.

Hegseth’s actions in office quickly vindicated his critics and forced his defenders to scramble on his behalf. March’s revelation that Hegseth had shared detailed information about imminent U.S. military strikes over a commercial messaging app led to days of strained explanations from his former Fox colleagues and others in the MAGA media.

The response has been somewhat different following Sunday’s revelation of the second such set of messages. Some on Fox have offered defenses for Hegseth, while a Media Matters review found the network’s popular panel show The Five and evening hosts Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, and Sean Hannity have ignored the story on their programs. Other MAGA media figures have blamed the report on the “deep state,” with that Hegseth has been targeted as part of a struggle within the Trump administration over Iran policy.

The defense secretary, meanwhile, has responded to the string of damning reports by leaning into what got him the job in the first place: He has publicly lashed out at his critics and lavished praise on the president.

“They've come after me from day one, just like they've come after President Trump,” Hegseth said in a Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends. “I've gotten a fraction of what President Trump got in that first term. What he has endured is superhuman.”

Hegseth isn’t the only right-wing media star turned top Trump appointee to struggle in the administration’s early days, and we should expect more such stories in the days to come. The president has prioritized hiring people who are adept at throwing red meat to the MAGA base. While that may help them weather scandals that would doom a member of a normal political movement, it is not a skill that translates to overseeing complicated bureaucracies.

//

Trump used Fox to vet his defense secretary. It isn’t going well — but now the network is fighting back.

12/04/24 1:27 PM EST

2. ### A comprehensive review of the revolving door between Fox and the second Trump administration

11/13/24 11:34 AM EST

3. ### Pete Hegseth reportedly used Signal to send secret war plans to his family. Right-wing media blame the “deep state” for the report.

04/22/25

an 4 25

'Chaos at the Pentagon': Memo authorizing defense missile 'went unsigned for 3 weeks'

4 25 ANOTHER SIGNAL W/ WIFE, LIAR; EASTER EGG CALLED PRESS HOAXSTERS, DISGRUNTLE BS

cos reassigned; 3 fired? caldwell?

aha leaker devil term used to excuse firing? 4 25 dod hegseth

//'Incompetent. Irresponsible. Negligent': Calls mount for Hegseth’s ouster or prosecution

an 4 25

Kristina Wong, a correspondent for the far-right Breitbart News who has publicly glorified the January 6, 2021 insurrection, was appointed chief spokesperson for the Department of the Navy, where she will also serve as Director of Communications for Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan.

In a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, Phelan announced her appointment.

Social media users including journalists and commentators raised concerns over Wong's old Jan. 6 posts from the Capitol where she appeared to cheer on the rioters who stormed the state building.

ALSO READ:Jan. 6 defendant caught with child porn argues Trump’s pardon should include that too

Defense One reporter Meghann Myers wrote, "It should be noted that it’s pretty unusual for a service secretary to have a civilian PAO. They are usually O-6s."

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Content creator Peston Steward shareda screenshot of Wong mocking him with an insulting image and wrote, "Would not have guessed a few months ago that this person was about to become the official Navy spokesperson."

Capitol Hunters, an account dedicated to sharing information about Jan 6. insurrectionists, posted a thread with screenshots of Wong's old X posts in which she appeared to celebrate the Capitol attack while covering it for her news outlet.

"Her worst post might be this one: she flippantly captioned a video of people attacking the North Doors: 'Things got a lil sporty here'. To her it was a joke," the account said.

ALSO READ: 'Desperate': Ex-White House staffer rips Miller for saying J6ers were denied 'due process'

Earlier this month, CBS reported that Wong is under consideration to become the chief spokesperson for Phelan.

The CBS report pointed out that Wong filed a story for Breitbart on April 15 on the removal of Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But Wong's article failed to mention that she was under consideration for a role at the Pentagon while serving as a Pentagon correspondent for Breitbart, violating standard ethical practices in journalism.

Jim LaPorta, the CBS reporter who wrote the story, also took to X and said, "The Navy Secretary just confirmed my @CBSNews scoop from last week which means while actively covering the Pentagon as a reporter for a news outlet, Wong was interviewing for a role at the Pentagon which was not disclosed to readers of her publication."

ALSO READ:'Get your weapon!' Violent MAGA man launches run for Congress

AN 4 25

Army suspends first female base commander after Trump’s photo found improperly displayed

AN 4 25

An exodus of top staffers reporting directly to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is apparently roiling the Pentagon as part of a growing investigation into potential leaks.

Politico reported Friday that three senior Pentagon officials have now been fired as part of the leak investigation: Hegseth senior advisor Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll — who was Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg's chief of staff — have all been officially terminated. And Joe Kasper, who was Hegseth's own chief of staff, is now leaving the Pentagon for a separate job in the Pentagon.

With these staffing changes, the top United States military official is now without a chief of staff, a deputy chief of staff and a senior advisor, less than 100 days into his tenure. An unnamed "senior defense official" suggested to Politico that Hegseth made poor choices for who to trust in his inner circle, with another source saying there would likely be more "chaos" to follow in the coming days.

READ MORE:'Fascist tactics': Trump's top prosecutor slammed over ominous letter to medical journal

“There is a complete meltdown in the building, and this is really reflecting on the secretary’s leadership,” the source said. “Pete Hegseth has surrounded himself with some people who don’t have his interests at heart.”

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Additional firings may be announced soon. According to CBS senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, "at least one uniformed Pentagon official" was also fired in addition to Hegseth's top aides. Chris Meagher, who was assistant Defense secretary for public affairs during former President Joe Biden's administration, opined that the exodus of top staff at the Pentagon was proof that the former part-time weekend Fox News host may not be capable of heading the Department of Defense.

"Everyone knew that Pete Hegseth did not possess the leadership qualities, background, or experience to be Secretary of Defense,” Meagher told Politico. “Everything we’ve seen since then — the firing of several American heroes because of perceived lack of loyalty, the sloppiness of Signalgate, the complete lack of transparency, and now several political staff being shown the door — has only confirmed he doesn’t have what it takes to lead."

As Meagher mentioned, the current leak investigation isn't Hegseth's first scandal as secretary of defense. In March, Hegseth shared highly sensitive attack plans for airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen on a Signal group text thread with other top administration officials. The details of that chat were made public by Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was inadvertently added to the chat by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

READ MORE:George Conway predicts Trump's 'inner rage' will make him 'lose again and again' in court

Click here to read Politico's article in its entirety.

mma

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has repeatedly supported using the National Guard to crack down on protests

Hegseth has demonized protesters in the past, claiming they “hate America,” and suggested that police be “allowed to take the actions necessary” to quell demonstrations

Written by Jack Winstanley & Payton Armstrong

Published 04/04/25 mma

When major protests swept the country in 2020, then-Fox host Pete Hegseth cheered President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard as a “show of force” and praised Trump’s threat to send “federal reinforcements” to quell demonstrations. Hegseth has also specifically criticized peaceful protesters and suggested police should be “allowed to take the actions necessary to take on antifa, domestic terrorist groups like that.”

As demonstrations against Trump’s actions in his second term continue to ramp up, here’s a look at what the new secretary of defense said about protests in 2020 and beyond.

Trump almost deployed U.S. troops to suppress protests in 2020 and has already started cracking down on protesters in his second term

Thousands of people have gathered at rallies to protest the Trump administration’s recent actions, including the mass firing of federal workers, with a nationwide protest planned for April 5.The administration’s move to fire federal employees at several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Agency for International Development, have already sparked protests outside of government buildings and inside the Capitol. Yahoo News, [3/25/25; The Guardian, 2/26/25; Fox5 Atlanta, 3/19/25]

Pro-Palestinian activists and other protesters have been targeted by the administration, which has revoked more than 300 visas and detained current and former students and professors.“The Trump administration is trying to deport pro-Palestinian students and academics who are legally in the United States,” noted The New York Times. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that “the State Department under his direction had revoked the visas of possibly more than 300 people and was continuing to revoke visas daily” and “there’s a lot of them” who had “taken part in campus protests or acted to support Palestinians.” The New York Times, [3/27/25]

The Washington Post reported Trump’s first administration considered deploying the military against civil protesters by invoking the Insurrection Act, and members of Project 2025 developed “a plan, to include draft executive orders, that would deploy the military domestically” in his second term under the same authority.In June 2020, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy U.S. troops if states did not call up the National Guard to quell protests. He later told two Washington Post reporters, “I think if I had it to do again, I would have brought in the military immediately.” The Washington Post, [11/6/23; Business Insider, 7/19/21]

During the 2020 George Floyd racial justice protests in the capital, Trump deployed the D.C. National Guard — including Hegseth himself — and active duty troops were ready to step in if needed.According to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, National Guard members from 11 states came to D.C., and active duty troops were ready on “the outskirts (of Washington).” He told reporters, “We came right up to the edge of bringing active duty troops here, and we didn't.” CNN, [12/3/24; NPR, 6/7/20]

Hegseth supported Trump deploying the National Guard in D.C. and threatening “federal reinforcements” in U.S. cities to suppress protests in 2020

Hegseth praised Trump’s use of the National Guard against protesters in D.C. as a “big show of force,” saying the Guard’s presence was “why you saw it evolve into more peaceful protests.”Hegseth added: “That show of force was part of why we got to Wednesday, the last night that I was there, where it was largely peaceful. Because it was understood we have the numbers and the ability to contain this. You are allowed to peacefully protest, you are not allowed to loot and riot.” Fox News, Fox & Friends, [6/5/20]

Hegseth cheered the deployment of National Guard units to U.S. cities, including Trump sending the National Guard into D.C., saying “that is a signal that anarchy will not be tolerated.”Hegseth added, “Antifa running the streets is not OK — the National Guard is here to restore order for the law-abiding citizens who live in those places.” Hegseth also criticized Portland’s mayor and Oregon’s governor for not deploying the National Guard and emphasized that Trump “has said time and time again, ‘I will.’” Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, [8/30/20]

Hegseth: “You have to get serious, whether it’s on the statues or sending in the National Guard, for people to realize that unless the consequences are tangible, their actions won’t change.”Hegseth was replying to then-Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who said, “When he [Trump] signed an executive order to institute a 10-year prison term on those who tear down statues, almost immediately, those incidents stopped happening. I think if we do something like this it will have the same effect because people will think twice about the activities they're engaged with on a nightly basis if we take away the extra $600 a week.” Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, [8/30/20; CNN, 6/26/20]

Discussing the 2020 protests in Portland, Oregon, Hegseth claimed that Trump’s threat to send in “federal reinforcements” was “the only reason” state police started taking action against protesters.He said, “We may get the National Guard, but the only reason we got the Oregon State Police is because the president was willing to send federal reinforcements because the state wasn't taking control of it.” Fox News, Fox & Friends, [7/31/20]

While discussing an “autonomous zone” established in Seattle during the 2020 protests, Hegseth said, “The question is do you send in the troops, do you say, ‘Hey, this isn't going to happen anymore,’ or do you let Seattle sort of implode on itself?”Hegseth continued, “It's the idea if you caught your kids with cigarettes under age, and do you take them away right away or force them to smoke every cigarette in front of you in the entire pack to learn the lesson of what's not going to work?” Fox News, Fox & Friends, [6/12/20; The Seattle Times, 6/10/20]

Hegseth: “Without what the president did in calling in the National Guard and the other people, Washington, D.C., would be a very different place tonight.”Hegseth stated, “If the National Guard had not been there, every single monument would have been defaced, every single business would've been looted, and they would've laid siege to the White House in an unending fashion. If not for the National Guard, the mayor in Washington, D.C., would've had no way out of the mess that she and others have helped create.” Fox News, Hannity, [6/5/20]

Hegseth praised Trump for offering “federal support and the National Guard” to cities.Hegseth said “the First Amendment affords you the right to peaceful — peaceable assembly. That's not what we are talking about.” He concluded, “Ultimately for peaceful assembly to exist, the people — the lawbreakers have to be held accountable.” Fox News, Hannity, [9/2/20]

In 2020, Hegseth applauded Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) New York Times op-ed that called for the military to break up nationwide protests around the country, calling it a “very mainstream idea.” CNN, [12/3/24]

Hegseth has criticized peaceful protesters and suggested police should be “allowed to take the actions necessary to take on antifa, domestic terrorist groups like that”

Amid protests following the police murder of George Floyd, Hegseth asked whether law enforcement needed to be “allowed to take the actions necessary to take on antifa, domestic terrorist groups like that.” Fox News, Fox & Friends Weekend, [5/31/20]

Hegseth suggested there is not a difference between peaceful and violent protesters, arguing, “The ones who are peaceful, and they are peaceful, agree completely with the people that are tearing down the statues, they're just not tearing them down.” Hegseth stated, “I have been on that riot line too, with a riot shield, and I actually don't think they're all that much different. The ones who are peaceful, and they are peaceful, agree completely with the people that are tearing down the statues, they're just not tearing them down. To Katie's point, they are Che Guevara, they are Marxist, they hate America, that's their view, they are using this movement to advance it.” Fox News, Outnumbered, [6/24/20]

Last year, Hegseth declared, “If you are stopping traffic, you ought to be arrested, and quickly …. there’s no question there. And if you're waving flags of the enemy, you shouldn't be here.”After Fox host Brian Kilmeade mentioned “Hezbollah and Hamas flags” at pro-Palestine protests, Hegseth said: “Anti-American Islamists, that’s what they are, who are in our country — who knows how they got here, by the way. Do we even know who they are? That is a fair question after three and a half years of an absolutely wide-open border — who have been pumped anti-American views — listen, if you are breaking — if you are stopping traffic, you ought to be arrested, and quickly, and with — there’s no question there. And if you're waving flags of the enemy, you shouldn't be here, it’s fair and especially if they’re a deemed terrorist organization. So we just have lost our minds and so we let all these things go.” Fox News, Fox & Friends, [4/16/24]

//

1. ### Trump’s pick for secretary of defense has a history of defending war crimes, torture, and more

11/20/24 3:30 PM EST

2. ### Trump picked Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense. Here's some of what he's said on the air.

11/13/24 12:22 PM EST

3. ### Pete Hegseth's book includes complaints about “Muslims’ birth rates,” praise for “crusaders who pushed back the Muslim hordes”

11/12/24

maya angelous bk gone but not mein k at mil acad anapolis?

AN 3 25 HAD TO PUT JACKIE ROBINSON BACK? NAVAJO CODE TALKERS

Army erases WWII vet Medgar Evers from Arlington National Cemetery website

omg

an 3 25

South African centibillionaire Elon Musk — one of President Donald Trump's closest advisors — is now reportedly scheduled to receive a top-secret briefing involving the United States' top-secret plans in the event the nation goes to war with China.

The New York Times reported Thursday evening that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO will be visiting the Pentagon on Friday to get "access to some of the nation’s most closely guarded military secrets." Those war plans are detailed in "20 to 30 slides" that reveal exactly how the U.S. would plan to fight a war against the world's most populous nation and second-largest economy. The Times Julian E. Barnes, Maggie Haberman, Eric Lipton, Ryan Mac and Eric Schmitt noted that the briefing comes despite Musk having "extensive financial interests in China."

"If a foreign country was to learn how the United States planned to fight a war against them, it could reinforce its defenses and address its weaknesses, making the plans far less likely to succeed," the reporters wrote.

READ MORE:'We're against it': Fox host says the quiet part out loud in segment about disabled kids

Some Musk critics expressed worry that China has significant leverage over the centibillionaire. Progressive activist Murshed Zaheed opined that the Times' reporting included "bats--- crazy" details about Musk's potential conflicts of interest toward the end of the report. In the final five paragraphs of the article, the Times reported that the Tesla factory in Shanghai — which was "built with special permission from the Chinese government" — is responsible for "more than half of Tesla's global deliveries." Tesla also has a $2.8 billion loan agreement with Chinese lenders "for production expenditures."

Consultant Matt Ortega pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping could simply tell Musk to "provide us with the U.S. war plan or we will close your Shanghai factory." Journalist Radley Balko exclaimed that Musk getting access to Chinese war plans was "insanity." Former FBI counterterrorism official Frank Figliuzzi called Musk getting the war plans a "clear and present danger." And author and journalist Tim Weiner reminded his followers that Vivek Ramaswamy — who co-founded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Musk — once said in 2023 that the tech billionaire would "jump like a circus monkey when Xi Jinping calls in the hour of need."

"If you give the war plans to Musk, you might as well give them to China," Weiner wrote on Bluesky.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell implied to the Times that Musk's visit was merely casual, saying: "The Defense Department is excited to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday. He was invited by Secretary Hegseth and is just visiting."

READ MORE:'Mob boss government': Trump deal with law firm over executive order ripped as 'shakedown'

Click here to read the Times' report in full (subscription required).

==

OMFG // BONDI LIFT SANCTIONS USSR DAY ONE?!

A prominent Republican congressman, the former House Intelligence Committee chair, appeared shocked on national television when he learned that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a top Pentagon agency, U.S. Cyber Command, to suspend operations and planning against Russia’s cyber offensives.

Secretary Hegseth’s “stand down” order, while allegedly temporary, is expected to “last for the foreseeable future,” according to The Record, a cybersecurity news site which first reported the news.

CNN reported that a senior U.S. official called Hegseth’s order “a major blow.”

According to the network, “planning for such operations takes time and research to carry out. The concern, the official said, is that the pause on offensive cyber operations against Russia will make the U.S. more vulnerable to potential cyberattacks from Moscow, which has a formidable cadre of hackers capable of disrupting U.S. critical infrastructure and collecting sensitive intelligence.”

READ MORE: World Leaders Rush to Support Zelenskyy as Americans Debate Trump’s Allegiance

The development has received widespread coverage over the weekend.

“Russia is not a significant cyber threat to the U.S. anymore, Trump’s new Defense Secretary says,” the science and technology website Gizmodo reported. “The policy shift represents a complete 180-degree turn from America’s posture over the past decade, which has consistently considered Russia one of the top cybersecurity threats. Credible reporting and government investigations have shown that Russia has hacked into U.S. systems countless times.”

Experts were also stunned.

Veteran cyber expert James Lewis, formerly of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said “it’s delusional to think” the stand down order “will turn Russia and the FSB [the Russian security agency] into our friends,” The Guardian reported. “They hate the U.S. and are still mad about losing the cold war. Pretending otherwise won’t change this.”

The order appears to extend past the Department of Defense, suggesting it may have originated at the highest levels of the executive branch.

Analysts at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) received a new priorities directive that included China, but not Russia, The Guardian also reported. One source “said analysts at the agency were verbally informed that they were not to follow or report on Russian threats, even though this had previously been a main focus for the agency.”

“Russia and China are our biggest adversaries,” that source said. “With all the cuts being made to different agencies, a lot of cybersecurity personnel have been fired. Our systems are not going to be protected and our adversaries know this.”

READ MORE: ‘What the Hell Is This?’: GOP Group’s Andrew Tate Invitation Draws Bipartisan Outrage

“People are saying Russia is winning,” they added. “Putin is on the inside now.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) has decades of defense experience in Congress, having served on several committees on the armed forces and veterans affairs, and as Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence until January—when Speaker Mike Johnson unexpectedly removed him from that critical position. He is a strong supporter of Ukraine and opposes Russia.

At the time of his removal, The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol remarked, “If you’re going to sell out Ukraine to Putin, makes sense to get Turner out of the way first.”

Last year, Turner was also one of a few House Republicans who “were warning about how elements of their party had been infected by Russian propaganda,” The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake noted on Monday. (Video of Turner from last year here Turner, he added, “was removed 7 months later as chair of the House intel committee.”

In February 2024, Turner issued a “national security threat” warning on Russia’s activities in space so dire that President Biden’s National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby was forced to deliver a statement from the White House press briefing room.

On Sunday’s “Face the Nation,” CBS News’ Margaret Brennan told Congressman Turner (video below), that “CBS has confirmed these reports that Defense Secretary Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to temporarily halt cyber operations and planning against Russia. The Washington Post reports that that’s as long as the negotiations continue. There are no negotiations under way. Does this concern you? Have you been briefed on this?”

A stunned and stammering Rep. Turner delivered his response.

“I can’t – I don’t – no, I’m not – unaware of that. And I don’t believe that that would be – there are too many, I’m certain, considerations there for that to be an accurate statement, so blanket,” he said, according to the official CBS transcript.

“But they have ordered Cyber Command to halt cyber operations,” Brennan reiterated.

“Considering what I know that – that – considering what I know what – what Russia is currently doing against the United States, that would, I’m certain, not be an accurate statement of the current status of the United States’ operations,” Turner insisted, despite multiple news reports confirming the stand down order.

“I’m confident, considering what Russia is currently doing against the United States, that the United States, the status against Russia would not be that, considering what we are facing from Russia operations,” Turner added.

Watch the video below or at this link.

03/05/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Andrew Prokop @ Vox: Trump’s (very long) speech to Congress, explained in 500 words

In the first major speech to Congress of his second term, President Donald Trump made clear that he intends to barrel ahead with the MAGA agenda.

Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog: Trump’s address to Congress was built on a foundation of lies

The problem is not just that Trump lied throughout his national address. The problem is made worse by the apparent fact that he felt like he had to lie.

Kate Riga and Josh Kovensky @ Talking Points Memo: Trump Loses On USAID Spending Freeze At Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberals Wednesday in reining in some of the Trump administration’s effort to block foreign aid that had been appropriated by Congress.

Leah Feiger, Louise Matsakis, and Jake Lahut @ Wired: People Are Paying Millions to Dine With Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Business leaders are paying as much as $5 million to meet one-on-one with the president at his Florida compound, sources tell WIRED, while others are paying $1 million apiece to dine with him in a group setting.

Rebecca Hopkins @ The Roys Report: Pastoral Team Recommends IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle Be Banned from ‘Public’ But Not ‘Informal’ Ministry

International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) Founder Mike Bickle is a “chronic sexual predator” who should never serve in paid public ministry again, according to recommendations released yesterday, following an independent investigation by Firefly.

Anna Merlan @ Mother Jones: This Pentagon Press Secretary Has a Long History of Bigoted and Xenophobic Posts

On Donald Trump’s first day in office, the Department of Defense announced a spate of hires, including 26-year-old Kingsley Wilson, who will serve as the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary. Wilson is the daughter of Steve Cortes, a longtime Trump advisor and right-wing commentator who promotes Latinos moving to the political right. Wilson is also a Trump 2020 campaign alum, and until taking the job at the DoD, ran digital media and communications for the Center for Renewing America, a pro-Trump think tank founded by Project 2025 architect Russell Vought. She’s also an overt internet troll with a long history of bigoted, xenophobic, and deliberately provocative shitposting.

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rww 3 25 Trump has named Hung Cao to serve as undersecretary of the Navy.

Republican candidate Hung Cao tells Christian nationalist Sean Feucht that he's running for the US Senate in Virginia because wiccans have taken over parts of California and now there is "a lot of witchcraft" and "we can't let that happen in Virginia."

rww

02/27/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Malcolm Ferguson @ The New Republic: Andrew Tate Is on His Way to the U.S. Thanks to Trump

The misogynist facing charges of human trafficking is on a plane back to the United States.

Angry White Men: Christian Nationalist Podcasters Interview Holocaust Denier Ron Unz

As part of a new interview series, white Christian nationalists C. Jay Engel and Andrew Isker spoke with Ron Unz about Charles Lindbergh and World War II. A well-known Holocaust denier, Unz has written that the Holocaust was a “hoax” and that Jews have a “notorious tendency to lie and dissemble.”

Hemant Mehta @ Friendly Atheist: GOP Congressman: It's OK if Elon fires you since "God has a plan and purpose for your life"

Republican Congressman Mark Alford of Missouri offered thoughtless religious platitudes to his constituents.

Janna Brancolini @ The Daily Beast: Johnson Tries to Shrug Off Anti-DOGE Town Halls as the Work of ‘Paid Protesters’

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed Wednesday that Americans who attended recent rowdy Republican town halls were “paid protesters.”

Ahmad Austin Jr. @ Mediaite: Trump Says He Doesn’t Remember Calling Zelenskyy a Dictator When Confronted in Oval Office: ‘Did I Say That?’

President Donald Trump on Thursday acted as though he had no recollection of calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

Annabelle Timsit @ The Washington Post: Transgender troops will be removed from U.S. military, Pentagon says

The previous Trump administration effectively banned transgender people from joining, but the new memo says currently serving transgender troops will be discharged.

mma

Trump “meme team” leader Brenden Dilley: “There’s going to be nobody left doing podcasts soon because the top people are all going to work for the government”

Dilley hyped Trump administration appointments for right-wing podcasters Dan Bongino and Graham Allen

Written by Alex Kaplan

:{:{Published 02/26/25}:

Brenden Dilley, a far-right podcaster and leader of a pro-Trump “meme team,” highlighted the role of right-wing podcasters in the Trump administration, saying there would be “nobody left doing podcasts soon” because “the top people” would all be working for the administration and specifically hyping the appointments of Dan Bongino and Graham Allen for deputy director of the FBI and digital media director of the Department of Defense, respectively.

Podcasts played a role during the election, with UFC President Dana White praising several podcasters for their role in helping to get Trump elected. “I want to thank the boys Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin' with the Boys. And last but not least, the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan,” he said.

On February 24, Dilley praised Bongino’s appointment as “beyond exciting” and said he “was texting him congratulations.”

“We literally went from, like, ‘Oh noes, the FBI is gonna arrest all the memers,’ to … the most senior cabinet position at the FBI is a guy that I fucking made cry at his birthday with a meme from the Dilley meme team because it was so touching,” Dilley said. “Like, just wrap your mind around what just shifted. Like, our guy, my neighbor and friend, is now the second most powerful man at the FBI.”

Dilley previously said Bongino pledged to help get his show promoted on right-wing streaming platform Rumble’s front page and in its “editor picks” section. Bongino is reportedly a Rumble shareholder.

In addition to Bongino, Dilley hyped fellow right-wing podcaster Graham Allen’s appointment to the Department of Defense, marveling, “There’s going to be nobody left doing podcasts soon because the top people are all going to work for the government.”

Video

Citation

From the February 24, 2025, edition of The Dilley Show, streamed on Rumble

BRENDEN DILLEY (HOST): I mean, one of the other moves that was made was that — I don’t know if people familiar — I don’t know how familiar you guys are with Graham Allen. He’s another podcaster and kind of a media guy, new media guy. He just got hired by Pete Hegseth over at the Department of Defense. I don’t know what the hell’s going on. It’s all — there’s going to be nobody left doing podcasts soon because the top people are all going to work for the government.

MMA

Daily Wire host suggests women should not be allowed to be in military combat or fighting fires

Daily Wire host suggests women should not be allowed to be in military combat or fighting fires

Michael Knowles: “The moment that you say I think men and women can do exactly the same things. And, of course, women should be in military combat ... women should be fighting fires and carrying people out over their backs. And, of course — hold on. No.”

02/26/25

caine jcs loyal

AN 2 25

Trump’s Friday night firing of the nation’s highest-ranking military official, coupled with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s sweeping purge of senior military leaders and top military attorneys—removing a total of six of the Defense Department’s most experienced officials—has sparked serious concern among experts.

On Friday night, Trump terminated the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, from his four-year appointed term. No reason was given.

Immediately after, Secretary Hegseth dismissed Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of the Navy, and Air Force Vice-Chief General James Slife.

He also fired all three of the Judge Advocates General (JAGs, or TJAGs), the top attorneys for the Army, Navy, and Air Force — a move some experts say should be the greatest cause for concern.

READ MORE: ‘I’m — We Are the Federal Law’: Trump Blasted for Attack on Dem Governor

On “Fox News Sunday,” Secretary Hegseth explained his reasoning for the JAG firings.

“We want lawyers who give sound constitutional advice,” Hegseth told host Shannon Bream. “And don’t exist to attempt to be roadblocks to anything that happens in their spots.”

As Law & Crime reports, “Bream brought up an X post, specifically, from Georgetown Law professor Rosa Brooks, which said: ‘In some ways that’s even more chilling than firing the four stars. It’s what you do when you’re planning to break the law: you get rid of any lawyers who might try to slow you down.'”

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Indeed, The New York Times calls the firings “an opening salvo” in Hegseth’s “push to remake the military into a force that is more aggressive on the battlefield and potentially less hindered by the laws of armed conflict.”

“Mr. Hegseth, in the Pentagon and during his meetings with troops last week in Europe, has spoken repeatedly about the need to restore a ‘warrior ethos’ to a military that he insists has become soft, social-justice obsessed and more bureaucratic over the past two decades.”

Experts on the law, the military, and authoritarianism and democracy are raising the alarm.

“The purge of senior officers at DOD is deeply troubling, but purging JAG officers worries me the most,” warned U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a former Army Captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. “JAG officers interpret law for our commanders. They help determine what’s lawful and constitutional. Replacing these military lawyers with [Trump] loyalists is so dangerous.”

Professor of history Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a scholar of fascism and authoritarian leaders, responded to Hegseth’s “roadblocks” remark:

“Well that is the truth. All of this is a process of rearranging government for an accelerated transition from democracy to autocracy. That includes a new domestic role for the military and new autocratic allies abroad.”

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a former CIA analyst and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, called the firings a “purge of senior officers who have served with distinction on the battlefield and off,” and said it “should send a shiver down the spine of any American who cares about an apolitical military.”

“No matter how they try and spin it,” she added, Trump and Hegseth “have brought their political retribution to the very warfighters they claim to care about. And we are no safer for it.”

Describing the firings as “an unprecedented shakeup of senior military leadership,” Associate Professor of Law Mark Nevitt—a former Distinguished Military Professor of Leadership and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy—warns at Just Security of “Trump’s purge of apolitical career officers.”

READ MORE: Trump’s USPS Takeover Plan a ‘Reckless Power Grab’ Endangering Mail-In Voting: Critics

“Make no mistake,” Nevitt writes in a lengthy and detailed explainer, “these firings are extraordinary and destabilize a longstanding norm of separating uniformed military members from politics. It is not an overstatement to characterize these firings as unprecedented and dangerous. What’s more, this purge is occurring against a backdrop of massively complex national security challenges in Ukraine, the Middle East, and beyond.”

On Trump’s firing of the JAG lawyers, Kevin Barron, the founding executive editor of Defense One writes: “Trump is also replacing the military’s top lawyers, who swear to defend the Constitution, with loyalists who will defend him. That’s Hegseth building in pure cover fire for ‘King’ Trump. If Trump has automatic SCOTUS immunity, so could his retribution orders to the military.”

Fred Wellman is a graduate of West Point and the Harvard Kennedy School, an Army veteran of 22 years who served four combat tours, and is now a political consultant and the host of the podcast and Substack newsletter, “On Democracy.”

“They fired the top lawyers of all three service branches. That’s the really dark part,” Wellman declared, referring to the JAG firings. “This is the most dangerous move yet,” he wrote, calling it a “Friday Night Massacre.”

“When I was the Public Affairs Officer for six different general officers in the latter part of my career in the Army, my best friend was always the Judge Advocate General of the command,” Wellman explained. “The good JAGs are unafraid to speak truth to power and ensure the law is followed to the letter. Pete Hegseth hates those JAGs. This is a man that openly supported and campaigned for the pardons of multiple war criminals who were justifiably prosecuted and convicted based on evidence from fellow service members for the torture and murder of civilians in combat.”

Wellman appears to suggest that firing the JAG attorneys could precede possible enactment of the Insurrection Act.

“When you run out the reasons to fire the lawyers by a SecDef and President who do not respect the rule of law, it is clear that the intent is to remove barriers from breaking the laws and military regulations,” he said. “The obvious reason is usually the right one.”

“We know that Project 2025 and Agenda 47 both included references to enacting the Insurrection Act and using military forces to put down public protest and assist in mass deportations and interments. Lawyers with a loose relationship with the law would happily approve actions that skirt the letter of the law and provide legal cover for outrageous uses of our apolitical military against our own people.”

And he suggests those three fired JAG lawyers could have been the “guardrails” to stop a possible invasion of Mexico, Canada, Greenland, or Panama — or the use of the military against American citizens, should Trump choose to do so.

“Who do you think are the people that would have interpreted international law, military regulations, and treaty obligations when the military is ordered to carry out air strikes and raids in Mexico against the newly designated ‘international terrorist’ drug cartels?” Wellman posits. “Who do you think will be advising the service chiefs on use of their forces for seizing the Panama Canal, Greenland, or the utterly comical, but entirely real chance of an invasion of Canada?”

“What about looking at the law and military regulations on the use of force against civilians? Remember, the former SecDef refused to order troops to shoot protestors in the legs under Trump’s first regime. I have no doubt that Hegseth with the right lawyers won’t share that restraint next time.”

Watch the video above or at this link.

AN 2 25

Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, attempted to deliver a “civics lesson” to U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), but his move quickly backfired, prompting what appears to be a quiet retreat.

Congresswoman Sherrill is an attorney, former federal prosecutor, and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. She earned her law degree from Georgetown, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and her bachelor’s from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

On Saturday, Sherrill blasted President Donald Trump’s and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s firings of six of the nation’s top military officers, including top JAG lawyers — firings that have been widely condemned.

RELATED: ‘Accelerated Autocracy’: Why Hegseth’s Firing of Top Military Attorneys Is Raising Alarms

For example, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, called the firings, “foolish and a disgrace,” and added: “What frightens me even more is the removal of three judge advocates general, the most senior uniformed legal authorities in the Defense Department. Their removal is one more element of this administration’s attack on the rule of law, and an especially disturbing part.”

“So much for a ‘meritocracy,'” Sherrill wrote, an apparent reference to Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), during which he vowed his administration would only hire and promote based on merit.

“Last night at the Pentagon, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismantled a core principle of American democracy: the apolitical military,” she wrote, remarks substantiated by experts.

“You don’t rise to our military’s highest positions without decades of leadership and commitment to serving missions across the globe. Four-star General C.Q. Brown has been serving our nation since 1984. Four-star Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been serving since 1985. Both of these individuals earned their barrier-breaking positions because they devoted their lives to taking on our nation’s toughest challenges — and they have the resumes to prove it,” Sherrill explained.

“Yet, Secretary Hegseth called Admiral Franchetti a DEI hire in his book, and criticized General Brown because of his commitment to promoting diversity in our armed forces. This move isn’t about strengthening our armed forces, and it isn’t about merit. It’s about Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump implementing their political agenda,” she continued.

“Additionally, Trump and Hegseth fired the top Judge Advocates General, who are the military’s top lawyers. These are the individuals who interpret law for our commanders, and ensure that we’re fighting in accordance with our values,” Sherrill added. The JAG firings, some experts warn, are the ones that should be of the greatest concern to Americans.

READ MORE: ‘I’m — We Are the Federal Law’: Trump Blasted for Attack on Dem Governor*

Explaining how the military’s top brass usually are not replaced by incoming Commanders-in Chief, Sherrill warned: “Trump and Hegseth are trying to gut the military’s leadership so they can use the armed forces to carry out their personal, political agenda. This move will threaten America’s national security, show weakness to dictators worldwide like Vladimir Putin, and give Donald Trump unchecked power to abuse our military.”

She called Hegseth’s firings a “brazen, dangerous abuse of power.”

“In the United States Armed Forces, you swear an oath to the Constitution — not a person, not a political party. It’s an oath I took for the first time at age eighteen when I entered the Naval Academy, and have taken numerous times throughout my career. I will never abandon that oath, and I will always fight to protect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country,” Sherrill vowed.

Miller, who was not named in Sherrill’s remarks, decided to jump in and launch an attack.

“Quick civics lesson: a core principle of American democracy is civilian control of the military,” declared Miller, a former Trump speechwriter.

Sherrill shot back.

“Gee, thanks Stephen. Here’s a civics lesson for you,” she offered.

“10 U.S.C. § 152 lays out the qualifications for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. These guidelines ensure the most experienced, capable officers (like General Brown) are protecting our national security and our country. Ignoring the guidelines and firing JAGs suggests the administration is attempting to build a military of loyalists focused less on our safety and more on loyalty to MAGA and Trump.”

“I know you haven’t served and your experience is mainly in speechwriting, so hopefully this is helpful,” she added.

Miller does not yet seem to have responded over the past 14 hours or so.

an 2 25

On Friday night, February 21, the Pentagon was rocked by a major bombshell when President Donald Trump fired Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump, on his Truth Social platform, announced that he was "nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan 'Razin' Caine" as a replacement.

Trump, despite having fired Brown, didn't say anything insulting about him in the Truth Social post. The president wrote, "I want to thank General Charles 'CQ' Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family."

Trump did, however, insult former President Joe Biden in his post, writing, "Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military."

READ MORE:From 'American Apocalypse' to 'Golden Age': Behind Trumpworld's dramatic narrative shift

The purge was detailed in Tom Nichol's "A Friday Night Massacre at the Pentagon.'

The firing of Brown also inspired a great deal of reactions on X.com, formerly Twitter.

Democratic consultant David Axelrod tweeted, "So the president who dodged the draft with 'bone spurs' fires the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — a decorated fighter pilot and Four-Star General — because he's not a 'warfighter?'"

Journalist Tara O'Grady, formerly of KTVN Channel 2 News in Las Vegas, wrote, "Trump fires top military leaders in unprecedented shakeup. The Friday night terminations include Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown. The firings are so Trump can replace them with Generals that will place loyalty to him over loyalty to the Constitution."

O'Grady also said of Trump, "He's taking control of the military so he can eventually use them against American citizens."

READ MORE:'Tax Elon!' Irate crowd shouts down GOP congressman during town hall in deep-red county

CNN's Anderson Cooper noted Rahm Emanuel's reaction, posting, "'I think it's very, very reckless'" Former Ambassador to Japan and WH chief of staff @RahmEmanuel reacts to President Trump firing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, his top military adviser."

Gopal Sengupta, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, tweeted, "Trump fires senior military leadership in unprecedented Pentagon purge. The president fired Joint Chiefs chairman moments before his defense secretary fired the Navy chief and others."

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jurgen Blick commented, "Trump you are starting to show your colors. I bet trump you haven't got a clue how hard this General worked to get where he saw your lies."

Gavin Barrett, a law professor at University College Dublin in Ireland, commented, "Trump’s political purge of potential opposition spreads to the military Trump/Hegseth -fire the top US military officer for political reasons. -fire the top military lawyers for political reasons. -fire thousands of civilian staff (as a start)."

Politico's Paul McLeary posted, "WIPED OUT: Trump gutted the Joint Chiefs Friday night, firing Chairman Gen. CQ Brown - while he was visiting troops in Texas - and @SecDef said he will also replace Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti and UASF vice chief Gen. James Slife."

Democratic activist/content creator Harry Sisson wrote, "Donald Trump just fired Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown and provided no reason for doing so. This is part of Trump’s attempt to purge the military of anyone who isn’t loyal to MAGA. Absolute insanity."

Former Pentagon official Chris Meagher tweeted, "Sad day for America. Trump fired CQ Brown and several other proven warfighters and leaders of the US military. Glad to join @kaitlancollins to discuss what our country will be losing in Chairman Brown - a calm, prepared, focused mil advisor on critical natl security matters."

Political strategist Chris D. Jackson lamented, "BREAKING: President Trump just fired Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown—no reason given. That’s another highly qualified African American official ousted, only to be replaced by a white guy. This is what "America First" looks like? So sad."

READ MORE: 'Unacceptable misconduct': Trump DOJ files official complaint against Biden-appointed judge

AN 2 25

Last month, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who has on rare occasions stood up to Donald Trump, cast the deciding—and, to some, unexpected—vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. Now, a report reveals that Tillis says the FBI had informed him of “credible” death threats before his vote. This revelation has led some to question whether he voted under duress, while others accuse him, and other Republicans, of caving to pressure.

“In private,” Vanity Fair‘s Gabriel Sherman reports, “Republicans talk about their fear that Trump might incite his MAGA followers to commit political violence against them if they don’t rubber-stamp his actions.”

“They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,” a former Trump official told Sherman.

“Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about ‘credible death threats’ when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary,” Sherman reported. “According to the source, Tillis has said that if people want to understand Trump, they should read the 2006 book Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work. (When asked for comment for this story, a spokesperson for Tillis said it was false that the senator had recommended the book in that capacity. The FBI said it had no comment.)”

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In his article at Vanity Fair, Sherman serves up numerous other examples detailing the threats of violence Republican lawmakers have allegedly been facing. On social media, he writes, “GOP Senators and House members are scared of being murdered by Trump supporters if they don’t support Trump. This is fascism in America.”

It’s not the first death threat Tillis received, and some critics say that if Senators can’t do the job they were elected to do, and swore an oath to perform, they should quit.

Some responded to this post from Sherman:

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“I was also scared for my life when I came forward with harassment allegations against Fox News’ Roger Ailes —- but I still did the right thing. Courage isn’t easy. Most Republicans still need to figure that out,” wrote former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, who became one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

John Jackson is a veteran and former Republican who says he fought in Ukraine for nine months, thanks in part from motivation he got from Ronald Reagan.

“There are millions of children in Ukraine who go to school under missile attacks, daily,” Jackson wrote, in response to Sherman’s social media post. “They are far braver than our politicians. If U.S. Senators aren’t willing to risk life and limb to perform their Constitutional duties, they should resign.”

“This is exactly what Trump was counting on when he pardoned everyone for the 6 January insurrection,” noted Jonathan Z. Ludwig, an Associate Professor of Russian at Oklahoma State University.

Others responded to the article in general.

Tim Marksman, an editor for Wired, writes that “there are a lot of legislators, academics, activists, journalists, medical workers etc. who follow their conscience in their work despite death threats and despite not having the protections afforded members of Congress.”

“I have long believed that not enough has been written about how GOP members have felt physically intimidated by Trump supporters,” noted attorney George Conway. “It doesn’t excuse their cowardice, but it still deserves more attention.”

READ MORE: ‘Chamberlain’ Trump Sparks International Condemnation: ‘First Anti-American US President’

Senator Tillis’s vote to confirm came after an event that had given Hegseth’s critics hope he would not be confirmed.

“Before Senator Thom Tillis voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, he worked with accusers to make the case against him in a bid to get G.O.P. leaders to scrap the vote altogether,” The New York Times reported last week, noting how Hegseth’s nomination had been “teetering on the brink of defeat on the Senate floor.”

“Turning to a group of North Carolina lawmakers who were flying with him to survey storm damage in their state, Mr. Trump noted Mr. Tillis’s impending defection and posed a question: Which of them wanted his endorsement for a primary challenge to the senator next year?” the Times added.

“Tillis personally assured Danielle Hegseth in a call on Jan. 19, witnessed by two other people, that if she signed the statement testifying that she believed her former brother-in-law Pete Hegseth has an alcohol abuse problem and was abusive to his second wife, it would carry weight, and potentially move three votes-his own, along with the votes of Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska),” The Wall Street Journal reported.

Tillis voted to confirm. Two weeks later, in a rare social media post, the Republican Senator from North Carolina proudly posted photos of his impending trip with the President aboard Air Force One:

AN 2 25

A federal judge sharply criticized an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice over Pentagon policy asserting that the U.S. Armed Forces could somehow be compromised simply by requiring service members to use a colleague’s preferred pronoun.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, appeared skeptical of both the President’s and the Department of Justice’s stance on transgender service members during Tuesday’s hearing.

Reyes “asserted flatly that the idea that the greatest fighting force in the history of the world would be adversely effected by the need to use specific pronouns for a few thousand members of the military is, ‘Ridiculous,'” Fox News producer Jake Gibson reported.

READ MORE: ‘Bloodbath by Design’: Trump’s Russia Negotiators Criticized for ‘Almost No Experience’

According to Politico’s Kyle Cheney, this is how the exchange went:

“REYES: Can we agree that the greatest fighting force… is not going to be impacted in any way by less than 1 percent of the soldiers using a different pronoun than others might want to call them?

DOJ ATTORNEY: I can’t agree with that here.

REYES: Would you agree with me that if our military is negatively impacted in any kind of way that matters… We all have a lot bigger problems than pronoun use. We have a military that is incompetent. Any common sense rational human being knows that it doesn’t. It is pretext. It is frankly ridiculous. If you want to get me an officer of the U.S. military who is willing to get on the stand and say that because of pronoun usage the U.S. military is less prepared because of pronoun usage. I will be the first to give you a box of cigars.”

An estimated 15,000 service members are transgender.

In another striking exchange, Judge Reyes also called Trump’s executive order on transgender service members “unadulterated animus.”

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Currently, the Pentagon has ordered service branches to stop accepting new transgender recruits into the military, and to pause any gender-affirming medical care for transgender troops.

READ MORE: ‘Sociopathic’: USAID Worker Sues Alleging State Dept. Medevac Refusal for Pregnant Wife

“One of the plaintiffs,” in the case, WUSA9‘s Jordan Fischer reports, “Koda Nature, a 23-year-old transgender man from Texas, said he had been working with a recruiter to join the U.S. Marine Corps when he was informed last month he would no longer be able to enlist. Nature said joining the military had been his dream since he was 5 years old – a dream to follow in the footsteps of 17 generations of his family.”

President Donald Trump has signed at least four executive orders restricting the civil rights of transgender people in the United States, including one that could be used to ban open service by transgender troops, under the guise of prioritizing military excellence, readiness, and “unit cohesion” — tropes that for decades were also used to try to prevent lesbian, gay, and bisexual troops from serving openly in America’s armed forces.

“Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” Trump’s January 27 executive order reads. Trump also alleged that “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life. A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”

That order specifically targeted the use of preferred pronouns, which he called, “invented and identification-based pronoun usage.”

“It is the policy of the United States Government to establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity. This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria. This policy is also inconsistent with shifting pronoun usage or use of pronouns that inaccurately reflect an individual’s sex.”

FAIL

SEV AN NOT HERE

2 13 25 trump talks to putin fo 90 min war crim invite to US, he to russia

vuln to flattery, putin ex kgb handler

no nato crimea

'Palpable harm': Hegseth slammed for 'screwup' of 'biggest foreign policy issue'

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