Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell ripped into legacy media on Sunday, accusing outlets of fueling the &#8220;Iranian propaganda machine&#8221; because they were so desperate to smear President Donald Trump that they were willing to accept any collateral damage that followed — even if the majority of the damage landed on American service members.
Parnell showcased a headline from The Washington Post that cast doubt on the success of the recent strikes carried out by American service members against Iranian nuclear sites — strikes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump, backed by multiple intelligence sources, had declared to be unqualified successes.
&#8220;The mainstream media is engaging in a weaponized smear campaign against America &amp; our incredible troops. 
The Fake News are knowingly using incomplete, out-of-context &amp; flat-out false intelligence &#8216;assessments&#8217; to seemingly do the bidding of the Iranian propaganda machine,&#8221; Parnell posted along with a screenshot of The Washington Post&#8217;s story. &#8220;This isn’t journalism, it’s political activism.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The mainstream media is engaging in a weaponized smear campaign against America &amp; our incredible troops. 
The Fake News are knowingly using incomplete, out-of-context &amp; flat-out false intelligence “assessments” to seemingly do the bidding of the Iranian propaganda machine. 
This… <a href="https://t.co/fIAScWp4x7">pic.twitter.com/fIAScWp4x7</a>
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanParnellUSA/status/1939396327793963447?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The screenshot he shared read, &#8220;Breaking News: U.S. intelligence obtained private communication among Iranian officials, discussing this month&#8217;s military strikes on Iran&#8217;s nuclear program and remarking that the attack was less devastating than they expected.&#8221;
Defense Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/choose-your-word-hegseth-says-iranian-nuclear-facilities-were-obliterated-destroyed">Pete Hegseth</a> took a similar tone at the press conference he held late last week, sharing detailed information about the strikes and whether or not the intended targets had been &#8220;obliterated&#8221; before he turned on the media.
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&#8220;You, and I mean specifically you, the press corps, because you cheer against Trump so hard, like in your DNA and in your blood, to cheer against Trump. You want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of the strikes,” Hegseth said. “You have to hope they were not effective. Let’s take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it, spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.&#8221;
&#8220;Time and time again, classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad. And what’s really happening is you’re undermining the success of incredible B-2 pilots and incredible F-35 pilots and incredible refuelers and incredible air defenders who accomplished their mission, set back a nuclear program in ways that other presidents would have dreamed,&#8221; he continued.

Republicans Hold Virtual 2020 National Convention

Pentagon Spox Rips Into Media’s ‘Weaponized Smear Campaign’ Against American Troops

Pentagon Spox Rips Into Media's 'Weaponized Smear Campaign' Against American Troops

Donald Trump

Iran

Media

Military

Pentagon

Politics

The legacy media have stonewalled letting President Trump have the win he deserves for his strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities. What President Trump did in Iran is one of the most historic wins of my lifetime.
Just to recap, Israel launched an overwhelming aerial assault on the Iranian facilities, nuclear and missile-based. They were going after ballistic missile development factories in Iran — their ballistic missile stockpiles, their missile launchers — as well as their nuclear facilities.
For nearly two weeks, Israel hammered the Iranians. But there was one facility in particular, Fordo, which was some 250-300 meters underground. And Israel did not have the ordnance capable of penetrating that facility. So President Trump authorized a B-2 strike using 30,000 pound bombs on Fordow, and in his words, “obliterated” the site.
The media won&#8217;t let that be the case, that President Trump used force to end the Iranian nuclear program and then declared the war over — and it was over.
It was, in fact, a historic win, and a win that we haven&#8217;t seen in American foreign policy in my lifetime: One strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities, a complete reshuffling of the deck in the Middle East with Israel as a regional powerhouse and Iran a supplicant, and no continuous war between Israel and Iran, no hot war continuing.
With no American casualties, by the way.
An amazing accomplishment.
But the media just won&#8217;t let President Trump have it. They won&#8217;t. They keep claiming over and over and over that, actually, maybe Fordo wasn&#8217;t destroyed. In fact, Fordo is fine. Maybe the Israeli-American effort was completely for naught, they claim.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2227-member-exclusive?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
They have no basis upon which to say this, other than the word of Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been tweeting that everything is hunky dory from his bunker, presumably in Tehran, <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938180907887698222">claiming</a> with astonishing chutzpah: 
<blockquote>With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.</blockquote>
You have to be high on drugs to believe this. He was literally hiding in a bunker for the entirety of the war. His regime was so weak that the Israeli Air Force was flying continuous sorties unhindered over Iranian airspace, with zero casualties on the IAF side, zero, for two weeks.
And yet <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938184845873844536">he says</a> that, in reality, the “Zionist regime,” Israel, was practically knocked out and crushed:
<blockquote>My congratulations on our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed. It entered the war in an effort to save that regime but achieved nothing.</blockquote>
The Baghdad Bob aspect in the Middle East is always absurd to Westerners. Ayatollah Khomeini trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, at least in terms of public perception, does not mean that he was not, in fact, hammered or that the nuclear program is intact.
But Khamenei <a href="https://x.com/khamenei_ir/status/1938185956793761808">tweeted out:</a>
<blockquote>The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US’s face. It attacked and inflicted damage on the Al-Udeid Air Base, which is one of the key US bases in the region.</blockquote>
Nope. Actually, he called and he whined and begged the Qataris and the Americans to allow him to send a few missiles at the base, none of which actually hit.
Why am I telling you what Khamenei is saying? Because you&#8217;re hearing it echoed by the media. The New York Times and CNN reported that there was a Defense Intelligence Agency estimate that Fordo had not been knocked out, not been obliterated, not even been severely damaged.
It turned out that that was a low-confidence assessment by one of 18 intelligence agencies under the DIA. It didn’t matter. The media ran with it anyway. This became the top story in the media.
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How do we know that it&#8217;s stupid? According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/world/middleeast/centrifuges-fordo-damage-iran.html">UN nuclear watchdog</a> head, the director general of the IAEA, there was “no escaping significant physical damage after the U.S. strike on the Iranian facility.” Barak Ravid of Axios, a front man for Left-wing and isolationist agitprop coming out from various leak-driven parts of various administrations, <a href="https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/1938229914244682140">tweeted</a>, “I told Jake Tapper that a senior Israeli intelligence official told me that other than the word ‘obliterated’ the reality regarding the results of the attack on Iran is much closer to where Trump says it is than to where the initial DIA report said it was.”
All of this came to a head yesterday when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth did a press conference. He crushed the fake news that&#8217;s been targeting President Trump, declaring:
<blockquote>Because you cheer against Trump so hard — it&#8217;s like in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump because you want him not to be successful so bad — you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren&#8217;t effective. Maybe the way the Trump administration represented them isn&#8217;t true. So let&#8217;s take half-truths, spun information, leaked information, and then spin it. Spin it in every way we can to try to cause doubt and manipulate the public mind over whether or not our brave pilots were successful.
This was an historically successful attack. We should celebrate it as Americans, and it gives us a chance to have peace, a chance to have a deal and an opportunity to prevent a nuclear Iran, which is something President Trump talked about for 20 years.</blockquote>
He was correct.
Hegseth wasn’t done. He called on Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, who&#8217;d been one of the people who reported this particular DIA assessment.
<blockquote>Griffin: Do you have certainty that all the highly enriched uranium was inside the Fordo mountain, or some of it, because there were satellite photos that showed more than a dozen trucks there two days in advance. Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?</blockquote>
<blockquote>Hegseth: Of course, we&#8217;re watching every single aspect. But, Jennifer, you&#8217;ve been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says.
Griffin: I was reporting about the ventilation shafts on Saturday night. And in fact, I was the first to describe the B-2 bombers, the refueling, the entire mission with great accuracy. So I take issue with that.
Hegseth: I appreciate you acknowledging that this was the most successful mission, based on operational security, that this department has done since you&#8217;ve been here. I appreciate that. So, we&#8217;re looking at all aspects of intelligence and making sure we have a sense of what was what.</blockquote>
Hegseth got feisty with the media, and a lot of it was deserved. Some of the questions he was asked were absolutely ridiculous. He was asked by a reporter about the fact that he had suggested that it was “brave boys” who flew the plane when one of the people in the plane was a woman, and here was his response:
<blockquote>So when I say something like our boys and bombers, see, this is the kind of thing the press does, right? Of course. The chairman mentioned a female bomber pilot. That&#8217;s fantastic. She&#8217;s fantastic. She&#8217;s a hero. I want more female bomber pilots. I hope the men and women of our country sign up to do such brave and audacious things.
But when you spin it as, because I say “our boys,” — and bombers is a common phrase — I&#8217;ll keep saying things like that, whether they&#8217;re men or women. Very proud of that female pilot. Just like I&#8217;m very proud of those male pilots. And I don&#8217;t care if it&#8217;s a male or a female in that cockpit, and the American people don&#8217;t care. But it&#8217;s the obsession with race and gender in this department that&#8217;s changed priorities. And we don&#8217;t do that anymore. We don&#8217;t play your little games.</blockquote>
You could see how deeply, deeply annoyed Hegseth was along with the entire administration, having to explain that when you drop 12 bunker-busters on an Iranian nuclear site and destroy their nuclear facilities — or at the very least render them completely inoperable — and then the media lie about it and seek any speck of information to discredit that — it is deeply annoying.
And it should be deeply annoying. The media refuse to give President Trump the win he deeply deserves.
Simply put, they are trash.

Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Holds Pentagon Press Conference On Iran Strikes

Hegseth Wrecks Trump-Hating Media

Ben Shapiro

Department of Defense

Iran Airstrike

Legacy Media

Middle East

Opinion

Pete Hegseth

President Trump

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday announced the Pentagon would rename a Navy ship from a gay icon to a World War II hero who gave his life to keep his ship operational during a major battle.
“I’m pleased to officially announce that the Department of the Navy is renaming the replenishment oil formally known as the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson,” Hegseth said. “We are taking the politics out of ship-naming; we’re not renaming the ship to anything political; this is not about political activists, unlike the previous administration.”
“Instead, we’re renaming the ship after a United States Navy Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, as it should be,” he continued. “People want to be proud of the ship they’re sailing in, and so we’re renaming it after a chief, a navy chief, that during the battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, Chief Watertender Peterson led a repair party on the U.S.S. Neosho. The ship was severely damaged by Japanese dive-bombers and the entire repair party was either killed or severely wounded. Peterson himself was gravely wounded, yet he managed to single-handedly close the bulkhead stop valves, thereby helping to keep the ship operational.”
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Peterson suffered third-degree burns to his face, shoulders, arms, and hands after his actions on May 7, 1942; he died on May 13 at the age of 42 and was buried at sea. Peterson and his wife had two sons.
“In performing his historic actions and heroic actions, Peterson received additional injuries, and burns, which tragically resulted in his death, but his spirit of self-sacrifice and concern for his crewmates was in keeping with the finest traditions of the Navy. And for his heroic actions, Oscar Peterson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. So I would like to officially welcome the USNS Oscar V. Peterson to the Navy’s Vessel Register,” Hegseth concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I am pleased to announce that the United States Navy is renaming the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson.
We are taking the politics out of ship naming. <a href="https://t.co/2ypwAQGdAl">pic.twitter.com/2ypwAQGdAl</a>
&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1938568563838886269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In July 2016, during the Obama administration, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced he would name John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oilers after prominent civil rights leaders, then named one after Harvey Milk, a gay San Francisco city supervisor who was assassinated along with San Francisco Democratic Mayor George Moscone in November 1978. “Milk’s naval service was utterly unremarkable,” National Review has <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/harvey-milk-is-undeserving-of-a-ship/">noted</a>.

Pete Hegseth – Dan Caine holds a joint press conference in DC

Hegseth Sinks Woke Symbolism: Ship Named After Gay Icon Renamed To Honor War Hero

Harvey Milk

Heroism

U.S. Navy

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is taking further action to ensure that only the best and brightest applicants enter America&#8217;s military academies.
Beginning with the 2026 United States Military admissions cycle, the Defense Department will not apply race or sex-based preferences during review processes for applicants to the Military Services Academies, Hegseth announced in a memo exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire.
The move is part of the continued pushback from President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration to remove ideological principles from his agencies and to focus hiring and admissions on merit, rather than race or sex. This is particularly important in the United States military, Hegseth said in the memo, which was issued Friday, arguing that &#8220;only the most qualified candidates are admitted, trained, and ultimately&#8221; admitted to lead &#8220;the finest fighting force in history.&#8221;
&#8220;The Military Service Academies (MSA) are elite warfighting institutions with long histories of producing world class military officers,&#8221; the defense secretary said in the memo. &#8220;The Department owes it to our Nation, our Service members, and the young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions to these prestigious institutions are based exclusively on merit.&#8221;
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_918347" style="width: 473px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/?attachment_id=918347" rel="attachment wp-att-918347"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-918347" class="wp-image-918347 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-09-at-2.20.45%E2%80%AFPM-463x576.png" alt="Memo exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire. " width="463" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-09-at-2.20.45%E2%80%AFPM-463x576.png 463w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-09-at-2.20.45%E2%80%AFPM-241x300.png 241w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-09-at-2.20.45%E2%80%AFPM-768x956.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-09-at-2.20.45%E2%80%AFPM.png 1070w" sizes="(max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px" /></a>Memo exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire.</div>
&#8220;Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our Armed Forces,&#8221; Hegseth said.
The memo directs secretaries of military departments to certify within 30 days that Military Service Academies&#8217; admissions offices will apply &#8220;no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex&#8221; and will offer &#8220;admission based exclusively on merit.&#8221;
“Unlike the previous administration — whose policies put immutable characteristics before ability – Secretary Hegseth is requiring our Military Service Academies to base their admissions exclusively on merit, rewarding individual initiative, excellence, and hard work,&#8221; acting Defense Department Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told The Daily Wire.
The Pentagon views the move as necessary to properly defend the United States. The Military Service Academies are a cornerstone in their efforts to produce world-class military officers. After the completion of the 2026 Military Service Academies admissions cycle, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will certify that each of the MSAs are compliant with the new practices prioritizing merit, The Daily Wire has learned.
&#8220;The Department must remain steadfast in its pursuit of excellence and never compromise the high standards at our MSAs,&#8221; Hegseth concluded. &#8220;A strong officer corps is essential to ensuring the United States military remains the most lethal the world has ever known.&#8221;
The directive builds off Trump&#8217;s January executive order &#8220;Restoring America’s Fighting Force,&#8221; which states that &#8220;no individual or group within our Armed Forces should be preferred or disadvantaged on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, color, or creed.&#8221; Trump directed that all DEI offices within the Defense Department be abolished and banned the military from &#8220;promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating the following un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories.&#8221;

President Trump Delivers Speech In Michigan To Mark 100 Days Of His Presidency

EXCLUSIVE: Hegseth Makes Monumental Change To Admissions At Military Academies

WASHINGTON—In a major victory for the White House, the Supreme Court sided Tuesday with President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration, lifting a lower court&#8217;s order pausing the ban on trans-identifying troops in the military from going into effect.
The High Court granted the Trump administration&#8217;s application for a stay on Tuesday afternoon, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissenting. The decision allows Trump&#8217;s order to proceed, at least for the time being.
The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court in late April to allow the Pentagon to enforce its ban on troops who suffer from gender dysphoria or have undergone transgender medical treatments after two federal judges blocked the administration from removing troops who identify as transgender.
Those judges had ruled that the Trump order is probably unconstitutional and motivated by discrimination rather than negative impacts on the military, though the Defense Department’s policy is based on findings during the first Trump administration showing that individuals with gender dysphoria impact “military effectiveness and lethality,” as the appeal states.
Service members who undergo so-called transition surgeries can take a minimum of 12 months to recover, often using heavy narcotics during this time, and are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements, the White House has said. They also require consistent medical care, which is not conducive to deployment or other readiness requirements.
Trump’s executive order on transgender troops not only bans military members from using taxpayer dollars to get gender transition surgeries, but also prohibits males from using or sharing sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities that are designated for females. The order rescinds President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14004, which allowed for all sorts of accommodations of gender identity in the military, and opened wide the door for gender ideology and taxpayer-funded transgender interventions within military ranks.
Trump also issued an executive order, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which banned individuals with gender dysphoria from entering the military. Gender dysphoria is a psychological condition wherein a man might believe he is actually a woman, or a woman might believe she is actually a man.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-COURT-TRUMP

WHITE HOUSE WIN: Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Ban On Trans-Identifying Troops To Proceed

Supreme Court

Transgender

White House

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow the Pentagon to enforce its ban on troops who suffer from gender dysphoria or have undergone transgender medical treatments.
The Trump administration&#8217;s appeal comes after two federal judges blocked the administration from removing troops who identify as transgender, ruling that the Trump order is probably unconstitutional and motivated by discrimination rather than negative impacts on the military. But the Defense Department&#8217;s policy is based on findings during the first Trump administration showing that individuals with gender dysphoria impact &#8220;military effectiveness and lethality,&#8221; as the appeal states.
Service members who undergo so-called transition surgeries can take a minimum of 12 months to recover, often using heavy narcotics, and during this time they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements, the White House has previously said. They also require consistent medical care, which is not conducive to deployment or other readiness requirements.
Solicitor General John Sauer argues in the Trump administration appeal that, &#8220;absent a stay,&#8221; the court&#8217;s injunction will remain in place &#8220;for the duration of further review in the Ninth Circuit and in this Court—a period far too long for the military to be forced to maintain a policy that it has determined, in its professional judgment, to be contrary to military readiness and the Nation’s interests.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_911903" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-asks-scotus-to-uphold-his-ban-on-transgender-troops-in-the-military/us-attacks-9-11-anniversary-3" rel="attachment wp-att-911903"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-911903" class="wp-image-911903 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1167378905-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1167378905-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1167378905-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1167378905-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1167378905.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;The government therefore respectfully requests a stay of the injunction in its entirety pending further review,&#8221; he added. &#8220;At minimum, this Court should stay the injunction’s universal scope, so that the injunction blocks the implementation of the 2025 policy only as to the eight individual respondents in this case.&#8221;
The Supreme Court justices <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/trump-asks-supreme-court-to-allow-ban-on-transgender-service-members-from-the-military/">instructed</a> lawyers representing the Trump administration&#8217;s challengers to file their responses by Thursday, May 1, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Trump’s executive order on transgender troops not only bans military members from using taxpayer dollars to get gender transition surgeries, but also prohibits males from using or sharing sleeping, changing, or bathing facilities that are designated for females. The order rescinds President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14004, which allowed for all sorts of accommodations of gender identity in the military, and opened wide the door for gender ideology and taxpayer-funded transgender interventions within military ranks.
He also issued an executive order &#8220;Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,&#8221; which banned individuals with gender dysphoria from entering the military. Gender dysphoria is a psychological condition wherein a man might believe he is actually a woman, or a woman might believe she is actually a man.
&#8220;Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual&#8217;s sex conflicts with a soldier&#8217;s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one&#8217;s personal life,&#8221; the order said. &#8220;A man&#8217;s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.&#8221;
The move stems from a desire to prioritize military readiness and lethality — both of which are seriously impacted by military members who seek transgender surgical procedures. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been vocal about his desire to reform the department towards these priorities, rather than ideology or politics.
“During the Biden Administration, the Department of Defense allowed gender insanity to pervade our military organizations, family, and culture,” a White House document on the executive order states. “This included not only permitting the military to increase the number of individuals not physically or mentally prepared to serve, but also ordering the Department of Defense to pay for servicemembers’ transition surgeries, as well as those of their dependent children—at a cost of millions of dollars to the American taxpayer.”
It continues: “Fitness, health, welfare, and readiness standards must ensure that our military members are able to deploy, fight, and win. On the battlefield there can be no accommodation for anything less than resilience, strength, and ability to withstand extraordinary physical demands.”

Joined By Elon Musk, Trump Holds First Cabinet Meeting Of His Second Term

Trump Asks SCOTUS To Uphold His Ban On Transgender Troops In The Military

The Defense Department and the White House, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth himself, fired back over an anonymously-sourced New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/hegseth-yemen-attack-second-signal-chat.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">piece</a> claiming that Hegseth had shared &#8220;highly sensitive military information&#8221; in a second Signal chat group that allegedly included his wife, his brother, and his attorney.
The story comes on the heels of a previous incident in which The Atlantic&#8217;s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a different Signal chat group — and an attack on Houthi terrorists was described in some detail before Goldberg went public with both his presence in the group and the contents of the conversation. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz ultimately took responsibility for Goldberg&#8217;s accidental inclusion, which may have been linked to his iPhone&#8217;s algorithm that populates &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-damn-dangerous-signal-chat-breach-linked-to-automated-suggestion-feature-on-iphone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automated contact suggestions</a>.&#8221;
The second chat group, according to the NYT, was nicknamed &#8220;Defense | Team Huddle&#8221; and was accessed via Hegseth&#8217;s personal phone rather than his government phone. Citing several anonymous sources, the NYT stated that the private Signal chat had included at least two of three DOD officials who were recently relieved of duty amid an investigation into &#8220;unauthorized disclosures&#8221; to media. The article offered no evidence suggesting that Hegseth had ever discussed anything of a sensitive nature in that group.
On Sunday, Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell released a statement responding to the story:
<blockquote>Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article. They relied only on the words of people who were fired this week and appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President&#8217;s agenda. There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump&#8217;s agenda. We’ve already achieved so much for the American warfighter, and will never back down.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 4/20/25
STATEMENT:
Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda. This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their…
&mdash; Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanParnellATSD/status/1914135704101175583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Hegseth, who was present at Monday&#8217;s Easter Egg Roll at the White House, responded directly to the story as well:
<blockquote>What a big surprise that a bunch of leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax.
This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former employees, and then they try to slash and burn people and ruin their reputations. Not going to work with me.
We&#8217;re changing the Defense Department, putting the Pentagon back in the hands of warfighters — and anonymous smears from disgruntled former employees on old news doesn&#8217;t matter.</blockquote>
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Pete Hegseth shuts down the fake news media:
&quot;What a big surprise that a bunch of leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled the Russia hoax.&quot;
&quot;This is what the media does. They take anonymous sources from disgruntled former… <a href="https://t.co/H4AmR88BJR">pic.twitter.com/H4AmR88BJR</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1914322833506697713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also defended Hegseth during a Monday morning appearance on &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends,&#8221; telling anchor Brian Kilmeade that the president was standing behind Hegseth, &#8220;who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &quot;The President stands strongly behind <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeteHegseth</a>, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8exZQSJr5a">pic.twitter.com/8exZQSJr5a</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1914299932854407660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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National Public Radio (NPR) followed up the NYT report with an anonymously-sourced story claiming that the White House was already looking for a replacement for Hegseth — a claim that Leavitt immediately disputed.
&#8220;This @NPR story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about. As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind @SecDef.&#8221;
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This ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/NPR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NPR</a>⁩ story is total FAKE NEWS based on one anonymous source who clearly has no idea what they are talking about. 
As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a>⁩. <a href="https://t.co/5Npig8968v">https://t.co/5Npig8968v</a>
&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1914371752685076757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Defense Department And White House Fire Back After Latest Hegseth Hit Piece

Karoline Leavitt

A second Defense Department official — this time the Pentagon&#8217;s Deputy Chief of Staff — has been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave amid a probe into &#8220;unauthorized disclosures&#8221; regarding key figures within the department.
Darin Selnick, DoD deputy chief of staff, was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/15/caldwell-pentagon-leaks-00291735" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly suspended</a> and escorted from the Pentagon just one day after Dan Caldwell, an aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was also removed from the building under suspicion that he was involved in leaking information. Both Selnick and Caldwell have previously worked with Hegseth at a veterans group the defense secretary headed, Concerned Veterans for America.
An <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2025/Mar/21/2003674265/-1/-1/0/EFFORTS-TO-COMBAT-UNAUTHORIZED-DISCLOSURES-OSD002809-25-RES-FINAL.PDF">investigation</a> into the matter was announced last month, citing &#8220;recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information,&#8221; which, according to reports, included revealing details regarding billionaire Elon Musk&#8217;s visit to the Pentagon and the defense secretary&#8217;s recent trip to Panama.
DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper said when the probe was announced, &#8220;The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy. This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.&#8221;
The Defense Department is not alone in its struggle to uncover those who would leak unauthorized information.
Homeland Security Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hegseth-adviser-placed-on-leave-amid-defense-department-leak-probe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kristi Noem</a> announced a similar probe in March, with DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin telling <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/noems-homeland-security-unapologetic-about-using-lie-detector-test-suspected-intel-leakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a> that the Department of Homeland Security would also utilize polygraph testing in its effort to root out any potential leakers.
&#8220;Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security. We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment or status as a career civil servant – we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,&#8221; McLaughlin said at the time.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also vowed to hold leakers accountable, saying, &#8220;Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people and will not be tolerated. Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now.&#8221;

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Second Hegseth Advisor Booted From Pentagon Amid Leak Probe

Dan Caldwell, adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on leave pending an ongoing investigation into leaks in the Defense Department, The Daily Wire has confirmed.
An official within the Defense Department confirmed the report to Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Tuesday.
&#8220;NEW: Defense Department official confirms to @realDailyWire that Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on leave related to an investigation into DOD leaks,&#8221; Olohan shared via X.
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NEW: Defense Department official confirms to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> that Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on leave related to an investigation into DOD leaks.
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1912233949281071239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/top-hegseth-advisor-dan-caldwell-put-leave-pentagon-leak-probe-2025-04-15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a> reported earlier in the day that Caldwell had been escorted out of the Pentagon over what an anonymous source had described as &#8220;an unauthorized disclosure.&#8221;
Hegseth has not yet commented publicly on the situation, and no reports have surfaced yet regarding what the &#8220;unauthorized disclosure&#8221; may have been.
Officials across President Donald Trump&#8217;s first presidential administration were plagued with leaks, prompting several of those with key positions in the current administration to strike proactive poses regarding those who might leak information to media outlets.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has employed polygraph testing in her efforts to root out suspected leakers within the DHS. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS&#8217; assistant secretary for public affairs, issued a statement to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/noems-homeland-security-unapologetic-about-using-lie-detector-test-suspected-intel-leakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a> on that initiative, saying, &#8220;Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security. We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment or status as a career civil servant – we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.&#8221;
Director of National Intelligence <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gabbard-aggressively-pursuing-intel-community-leaks-to-legacy-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tulsi Gabbard</a> has also taken a hardline stance on potential leakers in the intelligence community, saying in a statement, &#8220;Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people and will not be tolerated. Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable.&#8221;

Hegseth Adviser Placed On Leave Amid Defense Department Leak Probe

Executive

Trump Administration

U.S.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon&#8217;s independent watchdog announced on Thursday that it is reviewing how Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used Signal in a group chat with top National Security officials as they discussed military strikes against the Houthis.
Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2025/Apr/03/2003681607/-1/-1/1/EVALUATION%20OF%20THE%20SECRETARY%20OF%20DEFENSE'S%20REPORTED%20USE%20OF%20A%20COMMERCIALLY%20AVAILABLE%20MESSAGE%20APPLICATION%20FOR%20OFFICER%20BUSINESS%20(PROJECT%20NO.%20D2025-DEV0PC-0095.000).PDF">shared the news in a letter to Hegseth</a>, noting that the evaluation is in response to a request from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who asked for an investigation into Hegseth&#8217;s use of &#8220;an unclassified commercially available messaging application,&#8221; as Stebbins wrote.
&#8220;The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business,&#8221; Stebbins said in the letter. &#8220;Additionally, we will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements. We may revise the objective as the evaluation proceeds.&#8221;
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm91owy4k00063b6m21cns9v1@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true" data-analytics-observe="off">Both the White House and Hegseth himself have maintained that the information shared in the Signal chat was not classified.
In mid March, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, a journalist known for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-acknowledges-journalist-was-inadvertently-added-to-high-level-chat-on-houthi-strikes">his critical pieces</a> on Trump, revealed that he had been inadvertently added to a national security group chat in which top Trump officials discussed airstrikes in Yemen. That chat included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other members of Trump’s inner circle on March 15, as the national security team deliberated launching airstrikes on the Houthis.
The White House confirmed shortly after Goldberg published his story that the chat appeared to be authentic, and has since said that no classified information was shared. Hegseth has also pushed back against the notion that “war plans” were shared, and the entire Trump team has aggressively messaged that The Atlantic is a liberal, anti-Trump publication — and that Goldberg himself is a hack.
<div id="attachment_902761" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-ig-to-investigate-pete-hegseths-signal-use/president-trump-meets-with-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-in-the-oval-office-of-the-white-house-3" rel="attachment wp-att-902761"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-902761" class="wp-image-902761 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2204329121.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
The evaluation will be performed in accordance with the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency &#8220;Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation,&#8221; Stebbins said, and it will be performed in Washington, D.C., and at the U.S. Central Command Headquarters in Tampa, Florida — though they may identify additional locations during the evaluation.
&#8220;We request that you designate two points of contact for this evaluation within 5 days of this memorandum,&#8221; the letter states. &#8220;One point of contact should be a Government employee—a GS-15, pay band equivalent, or military equivalent—who is knowledgeable of the subject. The second point of contact should be a member of the Senior Executive Service or a General/Flag Officer who is familiar with the subject and could serve as a point of engagement with DoD Office of Inspector General senior leaders, if necessary.&#8221;

President Trump Holds “Make America Wealthy Again Event” In White House Rose Garden

Pentagon IG To Investigate Pete Hegseth’s Signal Use

President Donald Trump blasted The New York Times on Thursday, refuting a story published by the newspaper that claimed Trump&#8217;s adviser Elon Musk will receive a Pentagon briefing on U.S. military plans should a war break out with China.
In a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/musk-pentagon-briefing-china-war-plan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published on Thursday, the Times — citing &#8220;two U.S. officials&#8221; — wrote that Musk would be briefed on the U.S. military&#8217;s top-secret strategy in preparation for a potential war with China. The paper cited two additional anonymous sources who said the briefing would be &#8220;China focused&#8221; and held at the Pentagon on Friday, but the sources did not provide any more details.
In a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114198186465713235" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on Thursday night, Trump said the report is &#8220;completely untrue,&#8221; adding that &#8220;China will not even be mentioned or discussed.&#8221; On Friday morning, Trump again addressed the Times&#8217; report, <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114200175082806882" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> that Musk &#8220;is NOT BEING BRIEFED ON ANYTHING CHINA BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR!!!&#8221;
&#8220;Their FAKE concept for this story is that because Elon does some business in China, that he is very conflicted and would immediately go to top Chinese officials and &#8216;spill the beans,'&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;RATINGS CHALLENGED FAKE NEWS CNN immediately picked up on this absolutely ridiculous and false story, which is probably libelous, and went heavy with it. Fortunately, nobody was watching!&#8221;
Musk, who has been Trump&#8217;s right-hand-man throughout the first two months of his second term, also slammed The New York Times on his social media platform, X, and said that those at the Pentagon &#8220;leaking maliciously false information to NYT &#8230; will be found.&#8221;
&#8220;The New York Times is pure propaganda. Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT,&#8221; Musk wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The New York Times is pure propaganda.
Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. 
They will be found. <a href="https://t.co/xANvLMOH5j">pic.twitter.com/xANvLMOH5j</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1902977556329931052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In its report, the Times raised concerns that Musk, through his company Tesla, &#8220;has extensive financial interests in China.&#8221; Over the years, the CEO has developed business relationships with Chinese government officials as China <a href="https://insideevs.com/news/715427/tesla-ev-production-shanghai-vs-global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">manufactures</a> hundreds of thousands of Teslas each year. China has also become a growing market for Tesla as the electric vehicle company&#8217;s sales in China hit an all-time high in 2024, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/teslas-china-sales-rise-record-high-83000-december-2025-01-03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>.
The Wall Street Journal also published a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/musk-to-receive-top-secret-briefing-on-u-s-war-plans-for-china-922eafdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on Thursday night citing U.S. government sources who said, &#8220;Musk is expected to be briefed on how U.S. forces would fight in a potential China war, including maritime tactics and targeting plans.&#8221;
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1902911311102820635" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> that Musk would be at the Pentagon on Friday but said the meeting &#8220;is NOT a meeting about &#8216;top secret China war plans.'&#8221; Rather, Musk will be meeting with Defense officials to discuss &#8220;innovation, efficiencies &amp; smarter production,&#8221; according to Hegseth — areas Musk has focused on improving in numerous government departments. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell added that the Times&#8217; report is &#8220;brazenly &amp; maliciously wrong.&#8221;
&#8220;Elon Musk is a patriot,&#8221; Parnell said. &#8220;We are proud to have him at the Pentagon.&#8221;

Donald Trump, Elon Musk

Trump Refutes NYT Report Claiming Musk Will Receive Pentagon Briefing On China

China

Elon Musk

New York Times

President Donald Trump fired Air Force Gen. Charles Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday and tapped retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to replace him.
Trump announced the move on social media, ousting Brown, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, after 16 months in the role.
“I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” Trump said.
In the same post, Trump announced his nomination of Cane, who the president credited as being “instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.” Trump added that Biden “passed over” the “highly qualified and respected” Cane for chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
“But not anymore!” Trump said. “Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military.”
Trump added that Defense Secretary Hegseth would “solicit nominations for five additional high level positions,” signaling more senior positions to turn over, as well.
After Trump’s post on social media, Hegseth made a <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4074482/secretary-of-defense-pete-hegseth-statement-on-general-officer-nominations/">statement</a> from the Pentagon that he is looking for replacements for Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife.
“I am also requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. The incumbents in these important roles, Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife, respectively, have had distinguished careers. We thank them for their service and dedication to our country,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth had previously said in a podcast appearance in November that Brown should be fired because of his focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the military. Hegseth has been adamant that social justice and engineering practices in the military corrode the service’s core function of warfighting.
Brown and Franchetti had, in part, been celebrated in their elevations to their former positions because of their identities. Brown was the second black person to chair the Joint Chiefs; Franchetti was the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/21/cq-brown-trump-fired-joint-chiefs-general-00205593">Politico</a>.

Trump Fires Joint Chiefs Chair, Taps Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine As Replacement

Trump Fires Joint Chiefs Chair, Taps Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine As Replacement

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