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Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill to defend Trump’s Iran war as 60-day congressional deadline looms
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to defend the Trump administration’s war in Iran amid intensifying questions from lawmakers as he heads to Capitol Hill for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict.
Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, during which the duo is expected to press for the need to fund the administration’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense request for the upcoming fiscal year.
But the hearing comes just two days before a 60-day deadline that some Republicans say will force the administration to draw down its military campaign in the Middle East absent congressional approval.
Several Senate Republicans, including Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have voiced opposition to extending the war past the two-month mark. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is drafting an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would force the upper chamber to weigh in on the war.
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It remains to be seen whether House Republicans will apply the same pressure on the administration to end the war.
The War Powers Act permits a 30-day extension for the president to continue hostilities without Congress’ sign-off, but it is not clear whether President Donald Trump plans to adhere to that timeline or whether lawmakers will factor in the ceasefire with the looming deadline.
Republicans have rejected myriad attempts from Democrats to curb Trump’s war powers in Iran, arguing such measures would unfairly restrain the president.
Democrats are expected to grill Hegseth about what they claim is limited transparency from the administration about its strategy toward Iran. Lawmakers could also press the Pentagon secretary about diminishing weapons stockpiles as a result of the war and the conflict’s long-term costs.
“What’s his plan for the war?” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services panel, told CBS News on Monday in a preview of his questions for the blockbuster hearing. “Because the other piece of this is the president keeps threatening massive escalation.”
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Hegseth’s visit to Capitol Hill also comes as some lawmakers have voiced concerns about recent high-profile firings, including former Navy Secretary John Phelan. The Pentagon secretary also ousted Gen. Randy George, who was the Air Force’s top officer.
Hegseth could also face questions about the Pentagon formally requesting Congress to codify its “Department of War” name change that is projected to cost at least $52 million.
“The American people can’t afford groceries, gas or rent — and the Pentagon has ALREADY wasted $50 million on renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Now they want more money,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote on social media.
Ahead of the hearing, Hegseth announced a Joint Task Force Audit vowing to deliver a clean financial audit for the Pentagon’s 2028 financial statements after years of failing to pass an audit.
“We need to be brutally honest with ourselves. For far too long, this department’s financial reporting has been nothing short of a disaster,” Hegseth said in a video posted to social media. “Today that changes as it has during this administration, the era of excuses is over.”
Hegseth and Caine will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
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Dana White ‘wasn’t going to see 65’ before longevity expert intervened with strict new regimen
Longevity expert Gary Brecka said his work with Dana White led to startling blood test results, revealing that the UFC CEO may have only had a few years left to live based on his prior lifestyle.
Brecka, who spent 20 years as a mortality-modeling expert in the insurance industry, said on “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” that people in White’s inner circle “quietly” asked him to get ahold of the UFC president, reporting that he was falling asleep during important meetings.
The biohacker said he “tricked” White by telling the UFC boss he needed blood work and a genetic test to predict his life expectancy due to worries over White’s symptoms, while in reality, existing medical records and demographic data could have sufficed.
He said White was experiencing sleep apnea, low blood oxygen levels, aches and pains, among other ailments. But White’s blood test provided cause for concern even before the results were in.
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“His blood coagulated at room temperature. As a percentage, there was more fat in his blood than blood,” said Brecka, due to “lethal” levels of triglycerides.
After sending the blood off to the lab for testing, he got a call at 1 a.m. — a move usually reserved for emergencies. The results were dire, he said.
Given the life-threatening alert, Brecka said he immediately booked a flight to White and was on the ground in Las Vegas by 9 a.m.
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White was floored when Brecka rattled off a list of his symptoms based solely on his test results. It turned out the UFC president had “hyper-homocystinemia,” Brecka said, or the inability to break down an amino acid called homocysteine.
Homocysteine at high levels can irritate the interior lining of the arteries, causing them to “clamp down,” Brecka explained.
“And if you make the pipe smaller in a fixed system, the pressure goes up. So his [blood] pressure wasn’t being driven up because there was a malfunction with the heart. It was being driven because the pipes were too small.”
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Because the vascular system contracted, White began experiencing hypertension. “They start to medicate the heart for a crime it’s not committing,” since the problem actually lay in his arteries, Brecka said.
He put White on a strict keto diet and blood pressure monitoring regimen.
“He wasn’t going to see 65,” said Brecka, based on his preliminary evaluation of White’s lab results.
Ultimately, he was able to extend White’s predicted lifespan from his initial assessment of 10.4 years.
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ACTING LABOR SECRETARY SONDERLING: A fast-track way to get a job without college debt
Hollywood actor Patrick Ball recently made headlines for calling his $80,000 in student loan debt a “huge burden.” In an interview with Cultured magazine, Ball said he believes he would have died in debt if not for landing a starring role in the award-winning drama “The Pitt.”
Ball lucked out, but for most Americans, there’s no such happy ending. More than 42 million Americans have student loans, bringing the total outstanding federal-student-loan debt to over $1.6 trillion. The average borrower has an outstanding balance of around $40,000.
Pursuing a college degree makes sense for many individuals, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Too many students graduate to discover a drought of job prospects in their field while simultaneously struggling to afford student-loan payments. Even if they manage to land a job, the average annual salary of a recent college graduate is barely enough to sustain one person, let alone a family. The result is paralyzing debt and a stalled future.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the Department of Labor (DOL) is working hard to create alternative pathways for Americans seeking secure, family-supporting, in-demand careers. As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we’re spotlighting programs that offer hands-on training, strong mentorship opportunities, and credentials that benefit workers and employers alike.
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Last year, Trump issued an executive order titled “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future” and set a goal of securing more than 1 million active apprentices. To achieve this mission, DOL partnered with the Departments of Commerce and Education to develop America’s Talent Strategy.
For too long, there’s been a mismatch between the training workers receive and the skills that employers seek. America’s Talent Strategy aims to change that by meeting the needs of employers and preparing more Americans to access high-wage careers. We’re realigning federal workforce programs with investments in private sector training and evolving skill demands as well as partnering with American businesses who are dedicated to employing new apprentices as key pieces of their talent pipelines.
That’s not all. The Labor Department has committed $3,500 incentive payments to partner employers for every registered apprentice hired. Under Trump’s leadership, we’re also streamlining the process for potential partner companies and slashing the red tape that discourages organizations from creating similar programs.
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Additionally, we’re breaking down the silos that have hampered how America prepares its workforce. Last year, DOL signed a historic partnership agreement with the Department of Education. Under this arrangement, DOL can support and influence a broader set of workforce programs previously spread across federal agencies. That means cutting redundant efforts, shrinking bloated government bureaucracy and giving more flexibility to states.
All of this has empowered the Labor Department to add more than 386,000 apprentices and more than 3,300 new Registered Apprenticeship programs since Trump took office last January. Apprentices enjoy an “earn while you learn” model, and those who complete their program can land an average starting salary of $86,000 per year — $20,000 more than that of recent college graduates.
These are significant steps toward closing our nation’s skills gap of approximately 700,000 jobs. But it’s also significant because of the lives we’re impacting.
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Brent Davis is one such example. For years, Brent struggled to provide for his family — until a friend urged him to apply to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Apprenticeship Program in Virginia. Brent was accepted as a boilermaker apprentice, eventually becoming a journeyman in the shipyard and then an official Shop 41 Boilermaker. Brent graduated with glowing marks across the board for his workmanship. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, he was nominated for the Department of Labor and Industry’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship Outstanding Apprentice of the Year.
Shane Siler of Wyoming has a similar story. For 15 years, Shane worked in the food industry and dabbled in drilling and construction. But after he became a single father, he realized he needed to pursue a more stable and promising career path. Shane was attracted to the trades because they offered the opportunity to earn a full-time wage while still attending school. He joined a Registered Apprenticeship Program, and today he works as an Industrial and Heavy Commercial Electrician. The Registered Apprenticeship Program has empowered Shane to build a better life for himself and his son.
These stories are exactly what National Apprenticeship Week is all about. Our task is to equip Americans to find their place in an evolving economy so that testimonials like Brent and Shane’s are the standard — not the exception. Registered Apprenticeships have the power to strengthen our supply chains, fill skill gaps in industries critical to our national security, and ensure America stays on the cutting edge of innovation and industry.
Most of all, they empower hardworking Americans to achieve the American Dream. That’s something truly worth celebrating.
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