Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo prohibiting Department of War personnel from using nonpublic information to place bets on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, warning that financial stakes could compromise military judgment and operational security. Violations could trigger administrative, disciplinary, or criminal action under military and federal law. The memo follows earlier White House warnings after suspicious, highly-timed bets on an Iran ceasefire and a Trump aide's reported $100,000 win betting on the president's remarks.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-23
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo last month authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to test the military's Active Denial System and develop tactics for potential use at the southern US border, CNN reported. The nonlethal weapon emits an invisible electromagnetic beam reaching over half a mile that causes a burning sensation on skin, producing a tingling effect lasting 10-15 minutes that officials say creates an urge to flee.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-22
A study published in JAMA found that mandatory testosterone screening ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could flag up to a quarter of active-duty Army members as having low testosterone, even though the true prevalence of the condition is likely far lower. Researchers from Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine analyzed blood samples from 479 male soldiers across five Army installations, collected between August 2024 and January 2026.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-15
President Trump reversed Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced the livestream last week without Trump's prior knowledge, triggering bipartisan backlash. Hasan's execution will proceed as scheduled, with families of victims still permitted to view it, but it will not be broadcast publicly.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-15
President Trump announced that the scheduled firing squad execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people, will no longer be livestreamed as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously proposed. Trump said the execution will proceed as planned but without public broadcast, though victims' families will still be permitted to view it.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-15
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would have the final decision on whether to televise the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Carr indicated he would not block any Pentagon decision to air the execution on broadcast television.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-10
The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has announced plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army officer convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. Officials have not specified which platform would host the stream, leaving open questions about whether sites like X would need to apply or waive their own violent-content rules to allow it.
techdirt.com
· 2026-10-09
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a CNBC interview that he would leave it to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to decide whether networks can air the planned firing-squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. The Pentagon has said the execution will be livestreamed, which Carr noted likely places it outside FCC jurisdiction over broadcast TV. Major platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Meta, and X have not yet responded to questions about whether they would carry the livestream.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-09
The Trump administration plans to livestream the military execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the execution will be public, and a Pentagon official told Reuters that streaming details will follow. It would mark the first public U.S. execution since 1936 and the first military firing-squad execution since 1945.
futurism.com
· 2026-10-09
Defense Department officials told the BBC and Associated Press that the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people, will be livestreamed. The execution is scheduled for December 3rd at 2PM ET. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed plans to make the event publicly viewable in an interview with Real America's Voice.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-08
During a recent military address, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a backdrop that many social media users compared to Nazi imagery. Officials from the department dismissed the comparisons as unfounded. The incident has prompted widespread online discussion about the visual choices made for official events.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-05
A US Department of Defence official told the BBC the Pentagon has ceased using Anthropic's products, months after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth labelled the company a national security supply-chain risk in February. Sources told the BBC that until last week Claude was still being used for research, intelligence analysis and operations tied to Iran, and the full cutoff had not previously been reported.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-05
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