Hegseth censures Kelly after Democrats’ video warning about complying with illegal orders

Hegseth censures Kelly after Democrats’ video warning about complying with illegal orders

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he is issuing a letter of censure to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the lawmaker’s participation in a video calling for troops to resist illegal orders. Hegseth said the censure was “a necessary step in the process” for proceedings that could lead to … Read more

Senate GOP grows restless as Pentagon Kelly probe escalates

Senate GOP grows restless as Pentagon Kelly probe escalates

Senate Republicans are growing uneasy about the Pentagon’s investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his office is stepping up its investigation into him. The Defense Department announced Monday that the Kelly review had escalated to a “formal command investigation,” intensifying the dispute between the two sides over Kelly’s role … Read more

Troops self-censor and purge social media amid Pentagon crackdown on political speech

Troops self-censor and purge social media amid Pentagon crackdown on political speech

Troops are cleaning up their social media amid fears of a Pentagon crackdown on political speech. “I had to get my nickname off LinkedIn,” a Marine sergeant told Business Insider. Pentagon leaders have said their moves are aimed at depoliticizing the military. Pentagon leadership’s increasingly tight grip on speech critical of conservatives and the Trump … Read more

Hegseth told congressional leaders he was weighing releasing a video of the boat strike

Hegseth told congressional leaders he was weighing releasing a video of the boat strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told congressional leaders Tuesday that he is still considering whether to release the full video of an attack on a suspected drug boat that killed two survivors, even as he faces intensifying demands from Congress for disclosure. Hegseth gave a secret briefing to congressional leaders alongside Secretary of … Read more

Trump stops pushing back when White House insiders say Hegseth isn’t ready for the job because he’s tired of controversy: report

Trump stops pushing back when White House insiders say Hegseth isn’t ready for the job because he’s tired of controversy: report

President Donald Trump is growing tired of the ongoing controversies surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a new report. While the president stood by Hegseth in public, he showed less enthusiasm behind closed doors, The Atlantic reported Friday, citing multiple unnamed sources familiar with the White House discussions. “[Trump] is growing weary of the … Read more

A wild incident at sea

A wild incident at sea

The implications are vast and serious WaPo’s explosive holiday story — that, at the behest of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military deliberately killed survivors of one of the Trump administration’s lawless high-seas raids on suspected drug traffickers — may have finally roused congressional Republicans to at least pantomime Article I lawmakers. From a … Read more

Scribbles, sleepiness and an obvious misspelling highlight Trump’s last cabinet meeting of 2025

Scribbles, sleepiness and an obvious misspelling highlight Trump’s last cabinet meeting of 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Tuesday’s White House Cabinet meeting ticked past two hours, President Donald Trump’s eyes fluttered and closed. His budget director busied himself scribbling a fluffy cloud. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was lucky enough to speak early, but the title on his plaque was misspelled. The sleepy and sometimes sloppy meeting ended with … Read more

White House throws admiral under the bus in killing alleged drug boat survivors

White House throws admiral under the bus in killing alleged drug boat survivors

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a briefing at the U.S. Capitol with congressional leaders and Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, November 5, 2025. Tom Williams via Getty Images WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday shifted the blame for the killing of survivors of … Read more

Experts explain what the law says about killing boating survivors

Experts explain what the law says about killing boating survivors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The second strike on survivors of an initial attack on a suspected drug boat may have been murder, legal experts say. It doesn’t matter if the US is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels, as the Trump administration claims. Such a fatal attack would have violated peacetime laws and those governing armed … Read more

Experts doubt the Pentagon can punish Kelly for the “illegal orders” video.

Experts doubt the Pentagon can punish Kelly for the “illegal orders” video.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly over a video urging U.S. troops to defy “illegal orders” has raised questions and some criticism from legal experts. Some say the Pentagon is misinterpreting military law to pursue Kelly as a retired Navy fighter pilot. Others say the Arizona Democrat cannot be prosecuted as … Read more