Defense secretary offers alternative TV headlines to reporters to more favourably reflect US military campaign in Iran – key US politics stories from 13 March 2026
Pete Hegseth has used a press conference at the Pentagon to criticize journalists over their coverage of the war in Iran, at one point proposing alternative TV headlines.
The US defense secretary claimed Iran had been left without a functioning air force, navy or missile defense network after 13 days of strikes, and said the combined US-Israeli air campaign had hit more than 15,000 targets since the war began.
“What should the banner [on TV] read?” he said. “How about ‘Iran increasingly desperate’?”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has warned that Iran could be hit hard in the coming days, as the US president described the leaders of the Iranian regime as “deranged scumbags”.
Here are the key stories at a glance.
Pete Hegseth on Friday again claimed the US military campaign against Iran has been an unprecedented success, using a Pentagon press conference to accuse journalists of downplaying Washington’s supposed gains on the battlefield.
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Donald Trump has said Iran will be hit “very hard” in the coming days, describing leaders of the regime as “deranged scumbags” who it was a “great honor” to kill, as Tehran residents reported relentless bombing and violence continued to spiral across the Middle East.
The US president’s comments, which signaled an intensification of the US-Israeli campaign, came as Israeli and US warplanes launched successive waves of attacks on the Iranian capital and elsewhere on Friday.
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US immigration agents in Oregon used a custom-made app to identify neighborhoods and people to target, and had daily arrest quotas they sought to meet during operations, courtroom testimony has revealed.
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A federal judge ruled on Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must release a Minneapolis man and asylum seeker who has been unlawfully detained for 50 days.
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Seven in 10 Americans say Donald Trump’s tariffs have led to them paying higher prices, according to an exclusive new poll for the Guardian. The Harris Poll survey presents Republicans with a major problem in the battle for the upcoming midterm elections. The majority of all voters (72%) believe Trump’s tariffs have had a negative rather than a positive impact and 67% said tariffs aren’t the right solution for improving the economy.
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A rising number of US airports are asking for donations to support employees affected by the partial government shutdown with airport security officials missing their first full paychecks Friday. Transportation Security Administration employees have been working in airports around the US without pay since a shutdown began in February after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a funding agreement.
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A federal judge on Friday blocked the justice department from serving subpoenas to the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, in an inquiry purported to be about the management of the central bank’s renovation.
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A group of protesters in Texas was found guilty of providing support for terrorism and other charges on Friday in a closely watched case in which prosecutors alleged anti-ICE activists were actually part of an antifa cell.
The “racist hate speech” being used by Donald Trump and other US political leaders, along with the country’s intensified crackdowns on migration, has led to “grave human rights violations,” a UN watchdog warned.
Cuban officials have held talks with the US government to seek solutions to the blockade imposed on the Caribbean nation, Cuba’s president said in a video.
Donald Trump’s policies are likely to drive soaring rates of lung disease and premature death, according to a wide-ranging new study by pulmonary specialists and public health experts.
Catching up? Here’s what happened Thursday 12 March.