Pete Hegseth

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Military's New Facial Hair Rule May Mostly Affect Black Men

Most hair exemptions are issued for condition that disproportionately affects Black men

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered that troops who need an exemption from shaving their facial hair for longer than a year should get kicked out of the service, the AP reports. While commanders are still able to issue service members exemptions from shaving—a policy that has existed for...

Marines Recruiter Ousted Over Charlie Kirk Post

Pentagon warns troops over comments celebrating Kirk's assassination; other firings also emerge

(Newser) - A Marine Corps recruiter has been dismissed after sharing a social media post referring to the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a "racist man" who was "popped," following a wave of online scrutiny and even warnings from the Pentagon. The post, which circulated widely among...

Trump Will Rebrand the DOD the Department of War

President plans to sign an executive order Friday, but will need an act of Congress to make it official

(Newser) - President Trump plans to sign an executive order Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, his latest effort to project an image of toughness for America's military. The Republican president can't formally change the name without legislation, which his administration would request from...

Hegseth Fires Top Pentagon Intelligence Official

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse's agency had said Iran strike damaged but didn't destroy targets

(Newser) - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, in a move officials attributed Friday to a "loss of confidence." The firing continues the Trump administration's purge of top national security officials, the Washington Post reports. Kruse oversaw...

National Guard Troops in DC Will Carry Firearms

Trump calls crackdown on crime a 'miracle'

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, DC, to carry firearms, per the AP . The Pentagon didn't offer further details or explain the move, but Friday's order applies to members of the DC National Guard called up by President Trump as...

Hegseth Shares Clip About Women Needing to 'Submit'

DOD chief retweets video of Christian extremists chatting about repealing women's right to vote

(Newser) - The man who oversees the nation's military reposted a video about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote. The extraordinary repost on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made Thursday night, illustrates his deep and personal connection to a...

Confederate Monument Is Going Back Into Arlington

Restoration will run $10M, Army official says

(Newser) - Restoring a memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery at the recommendation of Congress will cost roughly $10 million, an Army official said Wednesday—the latest development in a Trump administration effort to combat what it calls "erasing American history." Once back in the...

Pope Leo Is Winning the Newsmakers Popularity Contest

Pontiff tops Gallup list of prominent US, world figures, with 57% favorable approval rating

(Newser) - Sorry, Volodymyr—Pope Leo XIV is a bit more popular than you. Gallup has a new survey out listing the favorability ratings for more than a dozen prominent US and world luminaries, and the new pontiff comes in at No. 1, with a 57% favorable rating (11% unfavorable, 31% no...

White House to Hegseth: No More Polygraphs

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

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

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

Army: No More Long-Term Shaving Waivers

Critics say move will disproportionately affect Black soldiers with skin conditions

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

GOP Senator Offers Withering Assessment of Hegseth

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

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

Sources Pin Ukraine Weapons Pause Squarely on Hegseth

CNN cites 5 unnamed sources in its reporting

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

Days After Pausing Weapons to Ukraine, Trump Does a 180

President indicates defensive weapons will be sent to Kyiv

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

Military Chief Wants National Guard Fighting Fires, Not in LA

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

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

Hegseth Unveils New Name for the Harvey Milk

Navy tanker will honor Oscar V. Peterson

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

Trump Loved Hegseth's News Conference on Iran

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

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

Hegseth Scolds Media, a Fox Reporter Especially

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

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

After Leak, Administration to Tell Congress Less

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

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

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

Even as advisers stress nuclear program is the focus

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

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

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

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

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