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Pete Hegseth faced Pentagon revolt before the Iran ceasefire announced: insiders
If the Pakistan-brokered Iran ceasefire had not been announced shortly before Donald Trump’s deadline that included a threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would have been confronted by a revolt inside the Pentagon, according to new reporting.That is according to MS NOW’s David Rohde, who told “Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire that a handful of Pentagon lawyers were committed to refusing to approve some of the targets the White House wanted to destroy.Speaking moments after the former Fox News personality-turned Pentagon head once again battled with reporters at a press availability, Rohde was asked about the aftermath of the ceasefire with Iran.After noting that Vice President JD Vance was tangentially involved in ceasefire negotiations, he veered off and told Lemire, “And just my last thought: this war was a test of how we wage war as a democracy. We are a democracy. And I feel like as a journalist, that is our, that's my core belief and it's the most defining trait we have. So I completely agree with you in terms of Congress not playing a role.”"We were going to take out all these bridges and that somehow the regime was profiting from bridges and power stations,” he continued. “You know, I had military, former military lawyers saying they were talking to current military lawyers, and these lawyers were going to resist inside. They were not going to sign off on a target list that involved war crimes.”“And I can just tell you from embeds and my own time in the military and embeds, and the people I've known in the military, the United States military does not intentionally commit war crimes, period,” he added. “It does not engage in that kind of war fighting; That's one of our qualities as a democracy. And so this administration was testing that and flirting with that –– we have killed civilians. There's no question we've made huge mistakes in war. But I just, you know, so I don't know how we did as a democracy.” - YouTube youtu.be
Fox News explains how Trump got played by Iran: 'Not reached any of those objectives'
Fox News host Lawrence Jones pointed out that Iran achieved a ceasefire without giving in to many of President Donald Trump's demands."You said it perfectly, talking about the Iranian demands," Jones told Ainsley Earhardt on Wednesday. "All of them, all 10 of them, are non-starters for the United States.""But I will say that the president's demands, we have not reached any of those objectives," he continued. "But he said that we want to dismantle all major nuclear facilities. That has not happened. The end of uranium enrichment on the soil, they're still wrenching. The transfer of the enriched uranium stockpiles out of Iran; that hasn't happened.""The acceptance of intrusive international inspections. They're still not willing to do that. And they have not suspended their ballistic missiles program. They're still firing them off to stop the production of the long-range missiles."Jones questioned whether Trump had a plan to pressure the Iranians during the ceasefire."The question is, is the president using this two weeks to give our soldiers a break, a rest to see if we can get this ultimately done?" he asked. "We'll see."
Angry Hegseth interrupts to save general from tough ABC News question about Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insulted and cut off ABC News reporter Luis Martinez during a press briefing on Wednesday morning after the Senior Pentagon journalist put Gen. Dan Caine on the spot with a probing question about the Iran war.After earlier calling another reporter “rude” for attempting to ask a question during the press availability, Hegseth broke from his usual habit of calling on friendly reporters from conservative outlets to allow Martinez to ask the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about the Iran ceasefire.“First, a question to the general,” the ABC journalist began. “Sir, in your personal opinion, were the risks of the Strait of Hormuz being closed because of the conflict? Were they mitigated early enough in part of the decision-making process that led up to the decision to take action against Iran? And in your opinion, is Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz? We just heard the secretary say that Iran is letting ships through.” He continued by asking, “In your opinion, sir, how can the US ensure safe passage?”Speaking to Hegseth, he asked, “And also, you said earlier that the president ‘chose mercy,’ but you yourself had said three weeks ago that we will give no quarter; no quarter to Iranian troops. How do you correlate those two?”Hegseth shot back, ”I try to be nice up here, but you did listen to what I said, right? I laid out the objectives. We believe we accomplished them. And it's a historic military victory. And President Trump has the option, as the commander in chief, to compel an adversary to the table, which is precisely what he did.”Given his chance to answer, Caine replied, “There's a lot in that question. I'd love to take that offline and answer it, but it was... I'm struggling to find exactly what your question was. And that's probably me, not you. Okay?”As Martinez attempted to re-frame his question, Hegseth sneered, “It was an indictment framed as a question. So you're forgiven for not understanding,” to Caine before turning to another reporter with “Go ahead.”As Martinez protested, Hegseth snapped, “No, you've had your chance.”In a following segment, MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire called the back and forth a “complete meltdown” by Hegseth. - YouTube youtu.be
British pastor charged with manslaughter after man drowns at baptism
A British pastor faces manslaughter charges in the drowning of a 61-year-old man during a backyard baptism
Officials scramble to find 'positive' news to 'soothe' Trump after Iran reversal: report
Trump administration officials are scrambling to find “positive” media coverage of President Donald Trump regarding his decision to accept a tentative ceasefire agreement with Iran, with one senior official fearing the president’s hatred of “being humiliated” may lead him to reignite the conflict and spark an “Iran-war apocalypse,” Zeteo reported on Wednesday.“A problem is Donald Trump hates being humiliated,” a senior Trump administration official told Zeteo, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He is going to see coverage that he was beat by the Iranians. I am expecting that to change his thinking.”The senior official said that they and other aides were working to “get a bunch of ‘positive’ media coverage” of Trump “to soothe his ego,” Zeteo reported. The official added that they also planned to engage MAGA influencers and other right-wing media figures to help shape favorable coverage of Trump’s decision to halt plans to destroy Iran’s entire civilization.Portraying Trump’s agreement to a ceasefire as a victory, however, will be “hard to support,” Zeteo argued, given that the conflict has sent prices soaring across the globe, resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, and failed to topple Iran’s government – a frequently but inconsistently cited objective of the war.“The attack on Iran was based on lies, it was completely unnecessary, and no one wanted it – other than Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly sold the U.S. president on a rosy and deeply misguided vision of how the war would play out, per a deep dive from the New York Times on Tuesday,” Zeteo’s report reads. “Netanyahu got to brief Trump in the White House Situation Room, and Trump opted not to sit at the head of the table as he did so.”
Chile’s far-right government rips up plan for memorial at Pinochet torture site
New administration reverses expropriation of property founded by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer, leaving victims in limboWith its Germanic crosses and colourful toy-town facades, the village square of the tiny Chilean settlement of Villa Baviera gives little indication of the horrors of its past.Until 1991, this cattle town of a few hundred people was a compound known as Colonia Dignidad. Its leader, Paul Schäfer, a former Nazi and weapons smuggler, bought a swathe of land in the valley in 1961, eventually holding as many as 300 people in a fenced enclave with minimal contact with the outside world. He sexually abused and even tortured the children in the camp. Continue reading...
Hong Kong firm files arbitration against Maersk, saying it schemed with Panama
A subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based conglomerate started arbitration proceedings against Danish logistics and port group Maersk, accusing the company of aligning with Panama and scheming to replace its port operation on the Central American country’s cri...
North Korea fires missiles toward sea after ridiculing South's hopes for better ties
South Korea’s military says it detected North Korea firing several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea
China says Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to explore a 'comprehensive solution'
China’s government has said that Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed not to escalate their conflict and to “explore a comprehensive solution” after several weeks of cross-border fighting between the two countries that has left hundreds of people killed
Rwanda tries to protect farmland in Africa's most densely populated nation
Rwanda has started to use satellite imagery and strict land rules to protect farmland in its capital, Kigali, as development expands
Explainer: What is in Iran’s 10-point ceasefire plan and will the US agree to it?
Two-week ceasefire comes after Trump spoke to Pakistan’s leaders, with China also believed to be exerting influence over TehranMiddle East crisis – live updatesUS and Iran agree to provisional ceasefire with Tehran saying it will reopen strait of HormuzThe US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday barely an hour before Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire, with Tehran agreeing to temporarily reopen the strait of Hormuz.Israel also agreed to the ceasefire, the White House said. As Trump announced he was suspending his plans to escalate attacks across Iran, the US president said he had received a 10-point proposal from Iran which was a “workable basis on which to negotiate”. Continue reading...
US seeks to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Liberia despite new Costa Rica deal
Man born in El Salvador has been fighting removal to series of ‘third’ countries after mistaken deportation last yearUS government attorneys on Tuesday told a federal judge the Department of Homeland Security still intends to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Liberia, despite a new agreement with Costa Rica to accept deportees who cannot legally be returned to their home countries.The Salvadorian national’s case has become a focal point in the immigration debate after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year. Since his return, he has been fighting a second deportation to a series of African countries proposed by homeland security officials. Continue reading...
