Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized the media for reporting on the deaths of six U.S. service members killed in an Iranian drone attack, claiming the press wants to make President Donald Trump look bad, according to his statements. Hegseth said that the media misses that the U.S. has taken control of Iran's airspace and waterways without boots on the ground, but when tragic things happen, it becomes front page news, and he added that the press only wants to make the president look bad and should try to report reality.
Hegseth claimed that U.S. and Israeli forces would soon be in control of Iran, but acknowledged that Iran will still be able to shoot some missiles and attempt to attack U.S. embassies and bases, he said. He stated that Iran are terrorists who need to target civilians because they can't fight toe to toe, but the U.S. will find and kill them.
They are terrorists, after all, and they need to target civilians because they can't fight toe to toe, but we will find them, and we will kill them.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Dan Caine paid tribute to six fallen soldiers and identified four as Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, Capt. Cody Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens and Sgt. Declan Coady, according to his remarks. Two other soldiers have not been identified until officials inform their families, he noted. Caine said that to Gold Star families and wounded warriors, the military will never forget their sacrifice.
The Pentagon has banned photographers over 'unflattering' images from Pete Hegseth's briefings, with Hegseth's staff livid over photos from a hearing on March 2, sources reported. It is unclear exactly which images Hegseth's aides objected to, but several show the Pentagon chief with a furrowed brow and holding his hands out as he responds to a reporter's question, according to reports. The briefing was Hegseth's first in more than eight months after the U.S. killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an airstrike on February 28.
This is what the fake news misses. We’ve taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways without boots on the ground. We control their fate. But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen, it’s front page news.
Major news agencies, including Reuters, Getty Images and the Associated Press, all covered the first briefing with Hegseth and General Dan Caine, but they were banned from attending two subsequent briefings on March 4 and March 10, according to media reports. The Pentagon denied that the photographers' exclusion was related to the substance of their images, instead claiming that there is limited space inside the briefing room, spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson said. Wilson added that to use space effectively, they are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool, and if that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential. The Pentagon refused to issue passes to media who refused to sign a new contract last year, with dozens of major outlets rejecting the strict terms, though since the Iran war started, a special arrangement has been made to allow reporters from certain outlets in spite of the contract dispute, officials stated.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly turned down the chance to comment on Hegseth and his aides' decision to block photographers, according to reports. Kelly took to X, calling the Post journalist Scott Nover who reported the story a 'fake news reporter,' pushing back that she declined to comment for the story, she wrote. Kelly stated that it was not true and that the reporter didn't like her comment because it exposes how little the Washington Post cares about access for photographers, noting that the Post fired all of its White House photographers, and she attached a screenshot of the exchange showing her response to a request for comment asking if the Washington Post just fired all of its White House photographers.
I get it. The press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality.
The Pentagon denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was chewing gum on Wednesday ahead of a dignified transfer ceremony for troops who died in the Iran war, though Hegseth was seen chewing as he arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, according to officials and observers. Hegseth was on hand, alongside the president, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Den Caine, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, among others, to honor the arrival of six fallen service members who died in a plane crash last week above Iraqi airspace. The dignified transfer ceremony was reportedly closed to the media at the request of family members of the deceased, though the White House later published photos of it on X, sources said.
Officials said six crew members were aboard the KC-135 refueling plane that went down: Maj. John A. Klinner; Capt. Ariana G. Savino; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt; Capt. Seth R. Koval; Capt. Curtis J. Angst; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons. Retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos said in a text message to The Associated Press that every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized. The military is investigating the cause of the incident, which was not a result of 'hostile or friendly fire,' according to officials.
In order to use space in the Pentagon Briefing Room effectively, we are allowing one representative per news outlet if uncredentialed, excluding pool.
The Trump administration was criticized for its handling of a previous dignified transfer ceremony earlier this month for soldiers killed in a drone attack in Kuwait, the first U.S. deaths in the Iran war, according to reports. The president was photographed wearing a white baseball cap with the letters ‘USA,’ prompting criticism from those who saw the choice as disrespectful. Fox News was later drawn into the criticism for airing old footage of Trump at a different ceremony on a broadcast about the commemoration, a mistake the network said happened 'inadvertently,' though some online speculated the network was trying to cover for the president. A political action committee supporting the president later used a photo of the ceremony in a fundraising email, prompting a fresh wave of outrage.
Overall, 13 U.S. service members have died in the Iran conflict, and around 200 have been injured, officials reported. The USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, meanwhile, has begun sailing to Crete for repairs after a string of mechanical issues, including a fire onboard. The administration is grappling with growing criticism of the war, including from inside its ranks, with Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigning this week, saying Iran posed no 'imminent threat' to the U.S., according to his statement.
If that hurts the business model for certain news outlets, then they should consider applying for a Pentagon press credential.
Abby Hunstman was pressed five times on whether she thinks Pete Hegseth is unqualified for his role as Secretary of Defense on The View, according to the show. Hunstman said that Hegseth is a smart guy and a perfect Fox News host. After the fifth question, she replied that she doesn't think Pete is qualified for the job.
Not true! He just didn't like my comment because it exposes how little the Washington Post cares about access for photographers… They just fired all of their White House photographers! Fake outrage.