Overview

• Senator Tammy Duckworth called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s resignation, labeling him the least qualified to hold the post and condemning the Quantico event as a waste of military time and taxpayer money.
• Hegseth declared an end to diversity and anti-discrimination programs, set stricter fitness and grooming rules, and said gender‑neutral standards could exclude some women from combat roles.
• President Donald Trump described a “war from within” and suggested using “dangerous” U.S. cities as training grounds for the military and National Guard.
• Portland and the state of Oregon are moving in court to block a planned deployment, and legal scholars point to recent rulings and longstanding statutes that restrict military roles in domestic law enforcement.
• The push follows leadership shake‑ups, a plan to cut four‑star billets, and renewed scrutiny from an earlier Signal chat scandal in which Hegseth shared sensitive information.