Pentagon erupts over classified leak of Iran war dissent

▪ U.S. strikes Iran after monthlong pause

The Pentagon is seething over a Washington Post report that top military leaders recently warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending large-scale Iran war operations.

People familiar with a classified assessment prepared for Hegseth told the Post that several combatant commanders have advised the Defense chief that prolonging operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening the U.S.’s ability to address threats elsewhere, including on U.S. soil.

The warnings appear in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB), detailed by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America, the Post reported Sunday.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell lambasted the report in a post on the social platform X .

“Publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime. It’s a betrayal of the force,” he said. “And much of what they’re publishing is inaccurate.”

Parnell said the Pentagon wants “candid” advice and disagreements are common.

“The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military. We are in great shape around the world. This story isn’t about readiness,” he said, alleging it is about “TDS,” an acronym that President Trump and his allies often use to mean “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Washington Post military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe defended his colleagues’ work with a response to Parnell.

“Fact check: Independent journalism is not a crime,” he said. “It’s also especially important at a time when government officials are withholding key details and concerns about a war being fought on behalf of the American people with their taxpayer dollars.”

The Aug. 14 SDOB directs some U.S. forces currently deployed in the Middle East to remain through September and others into 2027, those familiar with the document told the Post.

The heads of U.S. European, Pacific and Southern Commands, along with the Navy’s top admiral, responded with a “non-concur” — signaling their disagreement with Hegseth’s order to extend their forces, the Post reported.

The report comes as the U.S. and Iran traded fire for the first time in almost a month. The war, now in its sixth month, has drained the Navy’s budget and significantly depleted U.S. stockpiles of missile interceptors and long-range precision missiles.

Throughout the conflict, U.S. ships, personnel, aircraft and equipment have been redirected from various parts of the world to the Middle East. The sources told the Post that this has limited the military’s ability to conduct missions and ensure proper training.

In addition to Parnell, other accounts on X with links to the Pentagon weighed in to slam the Post for reporting on classified information.

The account DataRepublican, which is run by Utah software engineer Jennica Pounds , a special government employee at the Defense Department, responded to Lamothe.

“This is one of the most serious leaks I have ever seen, and you are using this to score partisan points against Hegseth,” the account posted .

“The one without ethics here is the entire staff of the Washington Post who did not immediately turn in this traitor as soon as they received the material,” Pounds continued.

Adam D’Ortona , an active-duty Army lieutenant colonel who runs the account InfantryDort, accused the Post of working for the “enemies of the United States.”

“Worse, this isn’t gossip. Revealing where senior commanders believe forces are stretched, where they perceive risk, and which commitments they consider unsustainable gives an adversary information it can immediately exploit,” he wrote.

USA Today reported last year that D’Ortona works in Hegseth’s office.

In recent weeks, Trump has shifted from military threats to economic pressure against Iran, as the U.S. Navy has slowly expanded its control over the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating steady oil tanker traffic and keeping gas prices stable, though still high.

Centcom said last week that the U.S. had cleared the strait of all sea mines along internationally recognized transit routes.

U.S. forces late Sunday struck Iranian rocket launchers in waterway. U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins , a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command (Centcom), said two launchers were hit on Lark Island after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were seen preparing to launch rockets with sea mines in the strait.

Iran retaliated for the attack by launching missiles toward U.S. military sites in Jordan. The United Arab Emirates said it also intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.

▪ The Washington Post : Pentagon secretly installs influencers in civilian roles.

▪ NBC News : Iranian supreme leader urges Gulf leaders to fight ‘real enemy.’

▪ CNN : A power struggles in Iran could decide when Trump’s war ends.

A major flash flood has forced dozens of people to evacuate from the Grand Canyon , with water sweeping over large boulders, metal structures and debris. At least one person has died, and officials said about 15 people “may be missing or unaccounted for.”

Approximately 85 Americans are still missing following flash flooding on the border between Nepal and Tibet , a State Department spokesperson said Sunday. More than 900 people have been confirmed dead in the flooding. The spokesperson said the department isn’t aware of any confirmed U.S. citizen deaths so far.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying a report from The New York Times that migrants in immigration detention facilities have faced abusive or violent treatment or been denied medical care while in detention. DHS accused the Times of “fueling” an increase in assaults against immigration officers.

A pedestrian walks past a mural featuring oil wells in Caracas, Venezuela, on Aug 29, 2026. President Trump announced a deal giving the United States a stake in Venezuela’s oil reserves the day before.

FILL IT UP : Trump said he will “fill up” the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) following his deal for the U.S. to assume control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil.

“The ‘topping out’ process will begin very shortly, and is a Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.

The president announced on Friday that he reached the deal with the Venezuelan government , which has been led for months by interim President Delcy Rodríguez since the U.S. operation to capture former leader Nicolás Maduro .

The planned U.S. stake represents about 21 percent of Venezuela’s total proven oil reserves, which are the largest in the world. Trump said he the deal comes at “no cost” to U.S. taxpayers.

A U.S. official told The Hill that Rodríguez granted a private company 100-year “concessions” for oil fields containing 63 billion barrels of proven reserves. The company is reportedly a joint venture between the U.S. government and Alejandro Betancourt López , whose heads Venezuela’s second largest private oil producer, North American Blue Energy Partners.

The official said the U.S. government will get 55 percent of the “effective output” from the joint venture.

Rodríguez shared more details of the deal in a late-night speech to her nation on Saturday, heralding the deal as “historic” and key to reviving Venezuela’s economy and increasing government revenue. She said it will lead to the development of 17 strategic oil fields and more than $200 billion in tax revenue.

Allies of Trump praised him for the agreement, while Democrats expressed skepticism that it would cause consumers to see a reprieve from the high gas prices that have been in place for months.

“Will prices come down for Americans? Who knows but likely not as much as Trump has forced them up thru his idiotic Iran War,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

▪ The Hill : Freedom Fuel gas stations sold stolen fuel, lawsuit claims.

▪ The Associated Press : What we know about Trump’s deal.

LOOK WHO’S BACK : The House is returning to Washington this week after a monthlong recess, as lawmakers are hoping to pass legislation averting a government shutdown.

The top item on the House’s agenda is the Senate-passed continuing resolution to keep the government open beyond the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. If passed, the bill would fully fund government departments and agencies through Dec. 11, after the midterms.

House Republican leaders are hoping to bring the bill to the floor under a fast-track process known as a suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority. The legislation is expected to have wide support from Republicans and Democrats, as it did in the Senate.

The House previously passed its own stopgap funding measure that would keep the government open through Dec. 4.

▪ Roll Call : Stopgap funding bill’s hemp troubles aren’t over.

▪ NOTUS : Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) mounts his defense.

‘REBUKE OR PUNISHMENT’ : Trump said on Sunday that “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker will be reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for saying that Trump-endorsed candidates have had “mixed results” in GOP primaries this year.

Welker reportedly discussed Trump’s endorsement record during a preshow live shot on NBC’s Washington, D.C., affiliate. Trump pushed back in a post on Truth Social, noting the successes last week of Sen. Darline Graham (R) in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei (R) in Oklahoma’s GOP gubernatorial runoff.

“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached. Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,” Trump said.

Trump has sparred with Welker before, ending an interview with her early in June as she pressed him on his unfounded claim of the California gubernatorial primary being “rigged.”

The president’s endorsed candidates have overwhelmingly won their primaries, though he has taken several high-profile losses this year, including in five GOP gubernatorial primaries.

▪ The Hill : GOP soul-searching for life after Trump ramping up.

▪ The Hill : Trump attacks New York Times over 9/11 remembrance report.

The president will make an announcement on healthcare affordability at 3 p.m. and participate in signing time at 4:30 p.m.

The Senate will meet at 11:30 a.m. for a pro forma

President Trump gives a thumbs up after arriving on Air Force One on Aug. 28, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.

‘TRUMP-A-PALOOZA’ : Details are finally starting to come out about the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) midterm convention that it plans to hold next week, and some party members are expressing frustration with the logistics.

The Hill’s Julia Mueller and Helen Huiskes report some Republicans are quietly upset that the event came together so quickly and that lawmakers are reportedly expected to contribute $25,000 to attend.

A GOP operative told The Hill that while Trump has been talking about the convention for a year, lawmakers and candidates haven’t had long to plan for it.

“Lot of things made this very hasty that didn’t need to happen,” the operative said.

The convention is set to take place in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10. The Republican Party hasn’t held a midterm convention before. The Democratic Party did hold midterm conventions a few times in the 1970s and 1980s and considered holding one this year but ultimately decided against it.

While Trump and the GOP are hoping that the convention can be a rallying point for the party ahead of the midterms, Mueller and Huiskes note a few other points of concern for the party.

The convention is scheduled to take place simultaneously with the first two NFL games of the season and runs up against the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, raising questions about whether it will ultimately get enough attention to be worthwhile. The event also risks pulling candidates away from the campaign trail during a key stretch.

Dallas’s city agencies, meanwhile, are working quickly to ensure security is running effectively for the convention.

▪ The Hill : The Memo: GOP sees risks in Trump’s midterm strategy.

▪ The Hill : Minnesota high court rejects Mike Lindell ’s recount push.

▪ The Hill Insider : Jewish Democrats in Michigan question place in party.

Sima covers her face at the grave of her six-month-old granddaughter who died during the winter, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 12, 2026.

A GRAVE PICTURE : Afghans both inside and outside the United States are facing a difficult reality five years after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban as U.S. forces withdrew from the country.

The Trump administration has drastically reined in the pathways for Afghans to arrive in the U.S. over the past year and a half. In one of its first moves, the White House suspended refugee processing except for white South Africans.

DHS has moved to strip temporary protected status for Afghans, which ended protections for more than 8,000 people.

The administration also began the process of reviewing and revoking some special immigrant visas (SIVs) for Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military and government as interpreters, special operations partners and local embassy staff.

The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports that things have gone from bad to worse for Afghans and their advocates.

As the U.S. evacuated in August 2021, the Taliban quickly returned to power and now controls the country. Afghan women, who were previously able to attend school and pursue careers, are now shut off from most parts of public life.

Afghans who have made it to the U.S. live in a precarious state, Beitsch notes. Those who have received an SIV or green card have received letters warning them that the basis for that status has been revoked .

“Five years ago, this was a crisis. Everything was on fire, nobody had a plan, and the failures were failures of capacity. That is not what this is anymore,” Shawn VanDiver , the president and founder of #AfghanEvac, told reporters.

“It is a deliberate choice, grounded in policy this government has not had the courage to verbalize or brief,” he said.

▪ CBS News : Trump administration deports Afghans, others to Africa.

▪ The New York Times : Inside Afghanistan ’s secret schools for girls.

Who are the elites? Everyone, depending on who you ask , Megan McArdles writes in The Washington Post.

Kevin Warsh said the right things. Now what? Jonathan Levin writes in Bloomberg.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket with the space observatory Roman Telescope lifts off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 30, 2026.

And finally … NASA has launched a new space telescope considerably more powerful than the famed Hubble that’s been in orbit around the Earth since 1990.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is designed to survey the universe a thousand times faster than Hubble, according to NASA . It will also capture panoramic images with a field of view about 100 times larger, Accuweather reports .

The telescope is named for Nancy Grace Roman , the first female chief of astronomy at NASA who is known as the “mother” of Hubble for her key role in planning for it. It will remain in orbit for at least five years, with a possible five-year extension.

NASA expects to release the telescope’s first images by early next year.