Category World News

A leak from the inspector general of the Pentagon reportedly points to Pete Hegseth’s use of the messaging app Signal, which was used to communicate sensitive information, putting in danger a military operation.

A preview of the inspector general’s report, which was made available on Wednesday, was provided by media reports that were scheduled to be released in full on Thursday.

According to anonymous sources close to the document, Hegseth’s use of a personal device to transmit sensitive information was deemed to be against Pentagon policy.

The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote an article describing an extraordinary series of events that dominated the inspector general’s report.

According to Goldberg, he described how, on March 11, he was allegedly invited by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz to a Signal chat.

Despite not knowing whether the message was a hoax, Goldberg accepted the invitation. He claimed that he was caught in the middle of a conversation with some of the most senior officials in the administration two days later.

Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and State Secretary Marco Rubio were just two of the participants.

Trump defends Signal conversation.

Hegseth reportedly provided information in advance about a Yemeni Houthi rebel attack on March 15. In the Signal chat, it was reported that he had already disclosed details. The F-18 planes would launch at what precise time, when the drones would arrive, and when both parties would launch airstrikes, were given.

The Trump administration, particularly Waltz and Hegseth, were outraged by Goldberg’s reporting on the conversation.

Some critics criticized the dangers that the messages to US military installations abroad posed, with some expressing concern that if the Signal chat had been intercepted, it might have endedanger service members’ lives.

In order to ensure compliance with operational security standards, this week’s inspector general report recommends more training.

However, it is left to wonder whether the information Hegseth transmitted over Signal was actually classified at the time.

Instead, the inspector general makes the case that Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has the authority to set the classification level of military intelligence and could have declassified it if he so desired.

Hegseth’s office’s spokesperson, Sean Parnell, described the finding as a victory for the troubled defence secretary, who has long denied that “war plans” were shared over the messaging app.

No classified information was shared, Parnell wrote in a statement, arguing that the Inspector General review is “a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along.”

The case is now complete and the issue has been resolved.

Parnell also criticized the media for highlighting the dangers the information posed to US military personnel.

“This conclusion is supported by no evidence,” the statement continues. In response to a New York Times article that highlighted the potential risks, Parnell wrote, “No”.

Parnell argued that no troops were in harm’s way because of Operation Rough Rider’s “flawless execution &, success” (the name of the Yemen bombing campaign).

President Trump has previously referred to the aftermath of the scandal as a “witch-hunt” and questioned whether Signal itself was “defective.”

The scandal, known as Signalgate, has been referred to as “case closed” by administration officials on numerous occasions. In contrast, Hegseth hasn’t been subjected to any public reprimands for his participation in the conversation.

A “breach in protocol”

However, Chuck Schumer, the head of the Senate Democratic Party, has criticized the conversation as one of the “most stunning breaches of military intelligence” in recent memory.

Some claimed that the Signal messages had been intercepted by foreign intelligence agents. Some people claimed Signal’s auto-delete feature violated government transparency guidelines, which call for secure storage of documentation.

Democrats and some Republicans pressed for Hegseth’s actions to be investigated. Gerald Connolly, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee at the time, echoed that request in a letter from March 26.

He wrote, “I request that you launch an investigation into this grave lapse in protocol and national trust.”

“The use of Signal to communicate this information embarrassed our adversaries by exposing the careless behavior of our nation’s senior leaders.” “The use of Signal jeopardized the lives of men and women in the military.

The Pentagon’s acting inspector general, Steven Stebbins, responded to the outcry on April 3. He explained that the Senate Armed Services Committee’s leadership had prompted him to launch a probe.

In a brief, one-page memo, Stebbins wrote, “The purpose of this evaluation is to find out how closely the Secretary of Defense and other DoD [Department of Defense] personnel adhered to DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business.”

Additionally, we will examine whether the classification and records retention requirements are met.

In January, Stebbins took over the position of acting inspector general under Trump’s leadership of a government watchdog purge.

More than a dozen inspectors general, the nonpartisan officials tasked with overseeing various executive agencies, were fired on January 24 just before the start of his second term.

The last surviving Native American World War II D-Day veteran, Charles Shay, passed away on Wednesday at his French residence. He patched up US soldiers in Normandy’s beaches in 1944 while serving as an army medic. He was given three Bronze Stars and three Silver Stars. He was 101.

President Trump has proposed a proposal to ease regulations governing car manufacturers’ ability to regulate pollution from gasoline-powered vehicles and trucks.

On Wednesday, the plan was revealed. The 2031 model year’s fuel economy requirements, which establish guidelines for how far new cars must travel on a gallon (3. 8 litres) of gasoline, would be significantly reduced if finalized next year.

According to officials, the regulations will give Americans more access to the full line of gasoline vehicles they need and can afford. According to the administration, the new standards will set the average mileage for light-duty vehicles in the fleet for the model year 2031 set at roughly 34.5 miles (65. 5 km/gallon). That frees up car manufacturers to produce more profitable vehicles, such as sports utility vehicles.

The Trump administration’s latest move is to reverse policies that promoted cleaner-running vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs), from the era of former Democratic President Joe Biden. The US has the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions emissions, followed by burning gasoline in vehicles.

Top executives from the three largest US automakers, who have praised the planned changes, were present for Trump’s announcement at a White House event. The Biden-era rules have been challenging to adhere to, according to the auto industry.

Trump has repealed fines for automakers who do not adhere to federal mileage standards, as well as repealing consumer credits worth up to $7,500 for purchases of electric vehicles since taking office in January.

split response

The planned rollback was “a win for customers and common sense,” according to Ford CEO Jim Farley in a statement.

We applaud President Trump’s efforts to align market realities with fuel economy standards as America’s largest auto producer. While still giving customers choice and affordability, Farley claimed that we can make real progress in carbon emissions and energy efficiency.

Antonio Filosa, the automaker’s CEO, expressed gratitude for the administration’s efforts to “realign” the standards “with real-world market conditions.”

Environmentalists decried the choice.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign director, Dan Becker, claimed that Trump is “in one stroke worsening three of our nation’s most perplexing issues: the need for oil, high gas prices, and global warming.”

According to Katherine Garcia, director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All program, “Gutting the]petrol-mileage program will make American families burn more cash and cars burn more gas.”

She said, “This rollback would move the auto industry backwards, keeping polluting cars on our roads for years to come, and putting a health risk on millions of Americans, especially children and the elderly,” in danger.

According to the Trump administration, major carmakers will reduce their technology costs by more than $35 billion through 2031 as a result of a general rollback of standards for fuel economy.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), General Motors would save $8.7 billion between 2027 and 2031, while Stellantis, owned by Ford and Chrysler, would each save more than $5 billion. Hyundai would save $4.6bn, Subaru $3.8bn, and Toyota $2.3bn, it said.

However, according to the NHTSA, fuel costs for drivers are expected to rise, and US drivers are projected to spend up to $85 billion more through 2050.

False EV claims

Trump has repeatedly pledged to end what he falsely calls an “EV mandate,” incorrectly referring to Biden’s goal of having half of all new car sales by 2030. In the US in 2024, EV sales accounted for roughly 8% of new vehicle sales, according to Cox Automotive.

Although California and other states have passed laws mandating that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035, no federal policy has ever required auto companies to sell EVs. Trump and congressional Republicans earlier this year blocked the California law.

Soon after taking office, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged his organization to revers the corporate average fuel economy requirements that are currently in place. He claimed in June that the calculations that were made under Biden included using electric vehicles. EVs don’t use gasoline. The traffic safety agency was given the authority to change the requirements after the June rule revision.

By 2031, automakers would be required to travel an average of 50 miles (81 kilometers) per gallon of gasoline, compared to the current average of about 39 miles (63 kilometers) per gallon.

Additionally, the Biden administration increased the fuel economy requirements for light-duty vehicles from 2027 to 2031 by 2 percent annually, and for SUVs and other light trucks from 2029 to 2031. It called for stringent tailpipe regulations to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles at the same time.

According to the NHTSA’s calculations for 2024, 14 billion gallons of gasoline would have been saved from burning by 2050.

Cars could produce 22, 111 more tonnes of carbon dioxide annually than they could before, according to the Biden-era regulations, if they were to be abandoned in 2035. Additionally, there will be an additional 90 tons of deadly soot particles and more than 4,870 tons of volatile organic carbons entering the air in the upcoming years.

Since the energy crisis of the 1970s, mileage regulations have been in place, and automakers have gradually increased their vehicles’ average efficiency.

In an effort to update outdated laws, India introduces simplified labor codes.

The US-chaired ceasefire monitoring committee’s session in Naqoura brought together civil representatives from Lebanon and Israel, marking the first direct exchanges between the two nations in more than 40 years.

Nawaf Salam, the leader of Lebanon, stated on Wednesday that Beirut is willing to engage in negotiations that go beyond security concerns and that normalization is dependent on a peace process.

According to Salam, these discussions are merely aimed at “the cessation of hostilities,” the release of Lebanese hostages, and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanese territory.

Salam claimed that Lebanon had no intention of striking a separate peace agreement with Israel despite its continued support for the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which demands a full normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for its complete withdrawal from the 1967 occupied territory.

He claimed that the presence of civilian envoys could “defuse tensions,” noting recent Israeli airstrikes as a sure sign of rising escalation.

Along the Blue Line, the border between Israel and Lebanon, the committee met for roughly three hours.

The committee hoped to “nurture peace” along the long-volatile border, according to a statement released afterward that praised the addition of civilian envoys as an “important step” in “lasting civilian as well as military dialogue.

Renewed escalation

The committee’s role should go beyond just overseeing the 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, as has been urged by the United States for months. The most recent meeting comes amid growing concerns that Israeli airstrikes may have continued into the capital of Lebanon.

Despite the ceasefire’s stipulation that it withdraw entirely, Israel has continued to launch regular air strikes in Lebanon, frequently claiming that it is attacking Hezbollah members and facilities. It has also kept troops in five areas in the south.

In an online press release, Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesman for the Israeli government, described Wednesday’s meeting as “historical development.”

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to change the face of the Middle East led to this direct meeting between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. There are unique opportunities to make peace with our neighbors, Bedrosian said, as the prime minister has stated.

Appointment is subject to investigation.

In the afternoon session, Lebanon’s presidential office announced Morgan Ortagus and Simon Karam, a lawyer and former US ambassador to Washington in the early 1990s, would represent Beirut.

According to a statement, the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker discussed his appointment after consultations.

Some Lebanoni political actors criticized the inclusion of Karam, who saw the move as a concession. Salman defended the decision, claiming that it had national support and was politically sound.

He claimed that Netanyahu had overstated the appointment’s significance and that Beirut had not yet engaged in peace talks.

After the Lebanese presidency made the announcement, Netanyahu had previously referred to Karam’s participation as “the first attempt to lay the groundwork for relations and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.”

Netanyahu’s office claimed that Israel had invited the deputy head of its foreign policy division to the meeting, citing the ongoing US-mediated dialogue.

Hezbollah de-armament

Salam said Lebanon is open to expanding the committee’s scope to include direct investigation into Israeli allegations that Hezbollah is re-arming and to monitor Lebanese army counterterrorism efforts.

When he inquired whether there might be French or US troops stationed there, he said, “of course.”

Political and diplomatic pressure is mounting on Hezbollah to disarm. After Israel launched attacks on Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 70, 000 people have been killed by Israel’s genocidal war, the group is being pressured to hand over its weapons by Israel and the United States.

Hezbollah has rejected calls for disarmament, citing them as part of a joint US-Israeli effort to stifle Lebanon. Naim Qassem, the head of Hezbollah, suggested that the Lebanese state had failed to protect the country’s southern from Israeli bombardment.

Qassem asserts that the organization has the right to react to the assassination of its top military officer by an Israeli airstrike last week in southern Beirut. The Lebanese organization has repeatedly criticized any “trap” negotiations with Israel.

According to Salam, “We have received Israeli messages suggesting a possible escalation, but without specific dates,” in response to Israeli calls for Hezbollah to cease operations.

He reaffirmed that Hezbollah must give up its weapons, calling it “one of the essential components” for its participation in state-building. He claimed that the government has “regained the decision over war and peace” and that Israel’s arsenal has not “deterred Israel and has not protected Lebanon.”