Hegseth’s dubious low-T screening may flag up to 25 percent of the Army 15 October 2026 at 17:09

Hegseth’s dubious low-T screening may flag up to 25 percent of the Army

15 October 2026 at 17:09

Up to a quarter of active-duty Army members could receive a low testosterone result from mandatory military screening, despite the true prevalence of the condition likely being a tiny fraction of that figure, according to a study published Thursday in JAMA.

The finding adds to concerns that the mandatory screening announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July will lead to a cascade of unnecessary medical evaluations for military members. Those evaluations could result in inappropriate testing, inaccurate results and diagnoses, and overtreatment that could cause harm, including infertility. Medical experts, including the Endocrine Society and the American Urological Association (AUA), have recommended against blanket screenings for these reasons. Still, the Pentagon has moved forward with the plans, releasing clinical guidance in September.

The JAMA study highlights the reasons why testosterone levels are not measured in men without symptoms—and also offers a glimpse of how many Army members could become ensnared in the clinically dubious screenings.

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Wes Streeting urges US to back Ukraine on Washington visit after Starlink row 15 October 2026 at 19:49

Wes Streeting urges US to back Ukraine on Washington visit after Starlink row

The Guardian

By: Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

15 October 2026 at 19:49

UK defence secretary says he has been ‘reassured directly’ counterpart Pete Hegseth that Starlink system has been restored as he seeks to cool tensions

Wes Streeting urged the US to stand by Ukraine on his visit to the American capital and sought to cool tensions between the two countries in the wake of the Starlink row that is threatening to set back Kyiv’s war effort.

The British defence secretary, giving a speech before a meeting with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, argued that supporting Ukraine was in the long-term interests of Washington, and a business opportunity.

Trump cancels plan to livestream execution after global condemnation 15 October 2026 at 13:03

Trump cancels plan to livestream execution after global condemnation

The Guardian

By: Anna Betts in New York

15 October 2026 at 13:03

Soldier who killed 13 people in 2009 will still be executed, but president said ‘people would rather not watch him die’

Donald Trump has shelved a widely condemned plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people at a military base at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009.

In a social media post on Thursday, Trump argued that broadcasting such an execution “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan” but said that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device”.

How Top Trump Officials Stoked Fears of a Nuke That Could Fry the Power Grid 14 October 2026 at 12:59

How Top Trump Officials Stoked Fears of a Nuke That Could Fry the Power Grid

NYT: Science

By: William J. Broad

14 October 2026 at 12:59

For more than a decade, conservative activists held that a single atomic bomb could, without killing Americans directly, lay waste to the country — a claim that built fervor for war with Iran.

The test detonation in 1962 of a hydrogen bomb lit up the night sky over Honolulu and knocked out some of the city’s electrical systems. Experts linked the unanticipated damage to what they came to call the electromagnetic pulse.

Archbishop of US military condemns Pentagon plans to livestream execution 12 October 2026 at 16:33

Archbishop of US military condemns Pentagon plans to livestream execution

The Guardian

By: Guardian staff and agency

12 October 2026 at 16:33

Timothy Broglio says Catholics on army firing squad should ask to be excused since it clashes with church teachings

The archbishop who oversees the spiritual care of Catholics serving in the US military condemned the Pentagon’s proposed plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan later this year.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio also stipulated in a Monday statement that any Catholic soldier assigned to the US army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the live stream plans.

‘Barbaric’ firing squad livestream ordered by Pete Hegseth - The Latest 9 October 2026 at 13:27

‘Barbaric’ firing squad livestream ordered by Pete Hegseth - The Latest

The Guardian

By: Presented by Lucy Hough with Austin Sarat · produced by Angus Neale · senior producer Ryan Ramgobin · executive producer Zoe Hitch

9 October 2026 at 13:27

The execution of a former US army psychiatrist by firing squad is to be livestreamed after Pete Hegseth said it would be a public event. Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death after killing 13 people at a military base in Texas in 2009. There has been widespread condemnation of the decision, including from the UN which said it would ‘amount to torture’. Lucy Hough speaks to US academic and capital punishment specialist Austin Sarat, the author of Life After Death: Surviving Execution

‘Medieval’ and ‘disturbing’: US plan to livestream execution elicits global condemnation 9 October 2026 at 12:32

‘Medieval’ and ‘disturbing’: US plan to livestream execution elicits global condemnation

The Guardian

By: David Smith in Washington and Ariana Baio in New York

9 October 2026 at 12:32

Pentagon said execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, would be broadcast live

US politics live – latest updates

The US is facing worldwide condemnation over a “barbaric” plan to execute a disabled man by firing squad and livestream it to the public, with critics comparing the Trump administration to dictatorships in Iran and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at a military base at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, would be livestreamed on 3 December.

UN says Pentagon plan to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter would amount to torture – US politics live 9 October 2026 at 08:36

UN says Pentagon plan to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter would amount to torture – US politics live

The Guardian

By: Shrai Popat (now) and Tom Ambrose (earlier)

9 October 2026 at 08:36

Condemnation comes amid fierce backlash from US lawmakers who branded the move ‘grotesque’ and compared it to actions of some terror groups and oppressive governments

While there has been bipartisan backlash to Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the Department of Defense plans to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution in December – some hard-right Republicans have welcomed the news.

“Public execution is what this terrorist deserves,” said Andy Ogles, a GOP congressman from Tennessee. “We will be watching.”

Digested week: Don’t worry about the plague, go and read some Anne Carson | Emma Brockes 9 October 2026 at 07:25

Digested week: Don’t worry about the plague, go and read some Anne Carson | Emma Brockes

The Guardian

By: Emma Brockes

9 October 2026 at 07:25

The world may be going to hell in a handcart, but at least now I get to say I know a Nobel prize winner

“Anyone worried about pneumonic plague?” This is a friend – a medic – texting me after reading reports at the weekend of the 28-year-old Russian woman who died while working at a “plague research lab” in Siberia. Relying on details from the famously open Russian state guaranteed the presence of a certain dark subtext to the tantalisingly short news item. Namely: lab-grown disease cultivated for reasons unknown and with a 100% mortality rate escapes Russian facility into general population, eight hours’ flying time from London. In other words, we’re all going to die.

Execution TV? Pete Hegseth has taken the once ‘greatest democracy’ to a horrific new low | Paul Daley 8 October 2026 at 21:19

Execution TV? Pete Hegseth has taken the once ‘greatest democracy’ to a horrific new low | Paul Daley

The Guardian

By: Paul Daley

8 October 2026 at 21:19

A proposal to livestream the killing of Nidal Hasan by firing squad opens a window ever wider to the Trump administration’s complete moral vacuity

More fool me! Here I was thinking nothing that America’s Trump administration could do or say, no matter how politically and morally bankrupt, no matter how venal or violent, was capable of shocking me any longer.

Then I woke to today’s news that one of the Trump cabinet’s bigger boofheads – the uber Christian nationalist, crusader-fantasist and “secretary of war” Pete Hegseth had announced that America would have a public firing squad execution of murderer Nidal Hasan.

Paul Daley is a Guardian Australia columnist

Pentagon says execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed 8 October 2026 at 19:18

Pentagon says execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed

The Guardian

By: Joseph Gedeon in Washington

8 October 2026 at 19:18

Nidal Hasan, army psychiatrist who killed 13 people, will be executed by firing squad on 3 December

Pete Hegseth has said the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, will be a public event when the sentence is carried out later this year. A defense department official later confirmed the execution will be livestreamed.

In an interview with Real America’s Voice, the Pentagon secretary said the firing squad will carry out the sentence at Fort Hood, Texas, at 1pm on Thursday, 3 December. This would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years.

Anthropic’s Blacklisting by the Pentagon Was Legal, Federal Judges Rule 25 September 2026 at 22:48

Anthropic’s Blacklisting by the Pentagon Was Legal, Federal Judges Rule

NYT: Technology

By: Sheera Frenkel

25 September 2026 at 22:48

The Pentagon had “ample support for its conclusion” that the A.I. company’s products could pose a national security risk, according to a Washington appeals court.

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