Live updates: Trump quashes Hegseth’s plan to livestream execution

President Trump on Thursday said the livestreamed execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former U.S. Army major who killed 13 people in the 2009 attack on Fort Hood, would not go forward.

Trump cited the substantial criticism that had accompanied Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan, saying that while Hasan deserved to be executed, it would not be public.

The president, in a separate post Thursday, also dismissed any notion that the job of his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was in jeopardy after a report indicating as much.

Another White House staffer who’s in the spotlight is press secretary Katie Zacaria, who in her first week is finding herself explaining her legal background. Read more here.

Ukraine attacked a Russian refinery early Thursday with its drones, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “Russia continues its bloody terror” in a post online. The attacks came a day after Ukraine raised alarm after losing access to Starlink services that power its drones. Ukrainian defense adviser Serhii Beskrestnov described the situation as a speed limit placed by SpaceX on Starlink terminals.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday night said the Starshield loss may have been caused by a “snafu” within the systems operated by the Pentagon. He said he’d ask for a probe into it.

Trump late Wednesday rallied voters in Montana, following a separate campaign stop in Arizona.

On Thursday, the president takes a day at the White House in between campaign trips. He’ll join two telerallies later in the day, one for Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who is running for a full term.

Vice President Vance on Thursday travels to Monroe, Mich., for a rally. He’ll also tape a town hall that will air on CBS News on Saturday.