US-Iran hostilities resume amid concerns at Hegseth’s military leadership | First Thing
Leading Democrat accuses secretary of defense of causing ‘lasting harm’ to US forces. Plus, the curious case of the 5,500 missing sheep Good morning. The US has launched more airstrikes on Iranian targets, prompting counterstrikes by Tehran targeting American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. The six-month conflict had shifted into an economic standoff before this weekend’s strikes,…
The United States has resumed hostilities with Iran, escalating the six-month conflict into a new round of airstrikes. In response, Iran has targeted American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq. The Iranian Red Crescent reported civilian casualties, with four individuals, including a child, killed and over fifty injured when shrapnel from a US missile hit a wedding celebration in Kuhestak.
Concerns have arisen regarding the leadership of the US military, with a senior Democrat accusing Pete Hegseth of causing "lasting harm" to the Department of Defense. Senator Jack Reed specifically criticized Hegseth for fostering a culture that punishes dissent and prioritizes personal allegiance over competence. Hegseth has been under scrutiny for hollowing out the army's senior ranks.
In a separate development, Pentagon official Emil Michael, who oversees military artificial intelligence policy, reportedly profited from AI stocks, selling his investments in two AI companies for a combined total of up to $24 million. Additionally, a whistleblower has raised concerns about the reliability of a new system designed to screen mail-in ballots for the midterms. The system, rushed into production with minimal testing, could inadvertently reject entire batches of ballots due to a single scanning glitch.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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