Reporters for multiple news outlets covering the Pentagon are preparing to turn in their press passes Wednesday, instead of agreeing to a new set of policies the association representing them says “on their face, appear to violate the First Amendment.” The five major broadcast networks released a joint statement Tuesday, saying, “Today, we join virtually…
President Donald Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account Tuesday showing what appears to be a U.S. military strike on a vessel off the coast of Venezuela. The president said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “ordered a lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel that was associated with narcotrafficking and was part of a Designated…
A photo of Donald Trump got a helluva reaction when it was posted to social media on Thursday. The image, taken by photojournalist Jim Watson, shows the president sitting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth discussing the proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. Watson’s camera…
Saturday Night Live‘s season 51 premiere kicked off with Donald Trump and his Federal Communications Commission attack dog warning cast members not to go too far with their jokes—or face the consequences. Trump (James Austin Johnson) began by interrupting Secretary of Defense and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) instructing high-ranking members of…
The expression “stay woke” started out as an affirmation for African Americans. In the past decade it has been used by some Republicans — and some Democrats — as a pejorative for people thought to be too “politically correct,” another term that took on negative connotations as it gained wider use. “Woke” has come up…
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, used Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks about “fat generals and admirals” in the U.S. military to troll President Donald Trump. Speaking to military leaders in Virginia on Tuesday, Hegseth said: “It’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formations, and see fat troops.” Hegseth went on…
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 30) highlighted his self-described peacemaking abilities but acknowledged that major global conflicts remained unresolved. While he projected confidence in America’s military strength — boasting the US was “25 years ahead of Russia and China on submarines” — uncertainty remained over whether his broader agenda would mean another shake-up…
The Pentagon has been looking through dozens of social media posts that appear to come from U.S. service members in the wake of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, brought to the military’s attention through various means. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly warned against any commentary mocking or praising his killing. In a post…
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) raised serious national security concerns this week about the Pentagon’s plans to integrate the controversial “Grok” chatbot into U.S. military operations via a recent high-dollar deal with tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company, xAI. “As Secretary of Defense, you are responsible for protecting highly sensitive and classified information, procuring the best tools…
By Robert Birsel is a Newsweek reporter based in Asia with a focus on political and general news. Robert joined Newsweek in 2025 from Radio Free Asia and had previously worked at Reuters. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics. You can get in touch with Robert by emailing r.birsel@newsweek.com. Languages: English….