Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under public fire for publicly endorsing the misogynistic views of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson and his colleagues in a CNN interview. But Hegseth’s support for Wilson and his ultra-conservative theology is not new information….
Trump 2.0: Hymn sings, prayer meetings and ‘biblical’ deportations
Pentecostal pastors laying hands on the president in the Oval Office. Prayers to open cabinet meetings. Hymn sings in the Roosevelt Room. Cross necklaces as faith-forward fashion statements. A prayer meeting at the Pentagon. Such public expressions of faith are…
Most books banned from Naval Academy are back on shelves
Nearly all the 381 books pulled from the U.S. Naval Academy Library in April are back on the shelves after the Pentagon instituted its own criteria for banning books. “I am thrilled to report that, as a result of the…
Pete Hegseth Leads Christian Prayer Service in the Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth led a Christian prayer service in the Pentagon’s auditorium on Wednesday morning, during working hours, in which President Trump was praised as a divinely appointed leader.
Hegseth shuts down Women, Peace and Security program
It’s hard to surprise me these days. Still, even I was stunned to learn the U.S. Department of Defense is shutting down the “Women, Peace and Security” program — a bipartisan initiative signed into law in 2017, by President Trump….
Trump 2.0: 100 days of Orwellian Newspeak
Every presidential administration uses messaging to manipulate facts and explain inconvenient truths. But Trump 2.0 rivals the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s 1984 in its assaults on language, logic and memory. Winston Smith and the other dedicated messengers who…
Fear and loathing of history led to Hegseth’s book ban, authors say
The fear and loathing of history motivated the banning of nearly 400 books at the U.S. Naval Academy, according to a panel of scholars whose works were included in the purge. “I think very clearly that my book was taken…
Hegseth bans books by Jones, Butler, Wallis, Angelou and Kendi
Books by Robert P. Jones, Anthea Butler, Jim Wallis, Maya Angelou and Ibram X. Kendi are among the 381 volumes banned from the U.S. Naval Academy library by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week. “It is heartbreaking and frightening…
Defense Secretary Hegseth’s New ‘Kafir’ Tattoo is the Perfect Encapsulation of Trumpish Foreign Policy
Just when you thought you’d talked enough about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s tattoos for one lifetime, this week Hegseth revealed a new one: a tattoo on his left bicep of the Arabic word “kafir,” which is usually translated as “infidel” or “unbeliever.”
A Catholic vice president shouldn’t bless war crimes
Officials in the Trump administration are facing intense scrutiny this week after it was revealed that National Security Adviser Michael Waltz accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a group chat on the Signal encrypted messaging app. The…
Judge appears skeptical of Trump ban on transgender service members
A federal judge appeared reluctant March 12 to comprehend the legality of a Trump executive order that bans transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes repeatedly questioned the government’s lawyers for what she…
Donald Trump’s January 6 insurrection is now a coup
On Feb. 2, private actors reportedly employed by Elon Musk took over U.S. Treasury computer systems that control the nation’s payments for government benefits. That action followed a Trump-ordered takeover of the USAID independent federal agency responsible for distributing foreign…