Dogs soaking in the sun

I was on the phone with Trump as CENTCOM announced US retaliatory strikes against Iran. Here's what he said: "I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak." He added: "This is a response to what they did they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is."

New: On April 1, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George requested an in-person meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — an effort to calm months of tension between Hegseth and senior Army leaders, three officials said. The meeting never came. The next day, he was fired in the middle of a meeting with Army staff. “The staff proceeded to, one by one, either go and give him a handshake or a hug,” a Pentagon official recalled. By the next morning, George’s office had been emptied. Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon, where distrust and suspicions of loyalty are rampant cnn.com/2026/06/09/politics/…

A US Navy boat drone rescued the two-person crew from the Apache attack helicopter crash near the Oman coast in the first rescue of its kind for the Navy.

Just days after announcing a drastically reduced list of recognized religions for service members, the Pentagon is doing an about-face after backlash from the Mormon Church. abcnews.link/DlrBbij

The Army has a plan to execute its death row inmates should Trump give the order. It would be the first US military executions in a half century. abcnews.com/US/army-lays-gro…

HASC's #FY27NDAA markup has begun. When will it end? Probably not for a while.... FY26 -- 11:37 PM FY25 -- 10:17 PM FY24 -- 12:15 AM FY23 -- 2:13 AM FY22 -- 2:33 AM FY21 -- 11:47 PM FY20 -- 6:53 AM FY19 -- 12:37 AM FY18 -- 11:59 PM FY17 -- 2:34 AM FY16 -- 4:39 AM FY15 -- 12:19 AM

The Pentagon is feeling the pain of surging fuel costs abcnews.com/Politics/higher-…

The Pentagon is increasingly strained by a growing list of unplanned and rising expenses over the last year, with fuel costs emerging as one of the most significant pressures. abcnews.link/aSlnyct

When I was a reporter at the @postandcourier, I covered Elias Irizarry case. He was a cadet at the Citadel, and was kicked out of the senior military college’s Republican Society post-Jan. 6. When I called him for comment, he gave the phone to his mom. postandcourier.com/politics/…

Meet Bilyash (Billy for short) 🥰 he had a challenging few years growing up in Ukraine but now he owns my apartment and everything in it. A million thanks to @HomewardTrails for helping me bring this cutie home!!

JUST IN: Iran is stopping "dialogue and exchange of texts through mediation” due to Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, Iran’s semi-official news agency, Tasnim, reported. Iran is also blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim reported. Read more: abcnews.link/dZwXXC0

.@Militarydotcom, which is under new Canadian ownership, removed bylines for a lot of reporters, including me, on stories that include some of our most profound and award-winning stories.

This event will take place almost a year after soldiers were used as a backdrop for a partisan speech given by Trump at Ft. Bragg. @StevenBeynon and I reported there was similar vetting for those soldiers based on political leanings and physical appearance for Military dot com

👋 Personal news: I was one of the people to take the POLITICO buyout — my last day was Friday. It’s bittersweet to end my seven years here this way, but I’m grateful for all the great stories I got to report, the impact my work had and the great reporters and editors I got to work alongside. I’m not sure what’s next, but if anyone has leads for a policy or politics reporter, I come with a pretty versatile set of skills from the seven years I spent covering Congress, state governments, policy and campaigns for POLITICO & POLITICO Magazine. I’m also open to freelancing in the meantime!

US forces launched what was described as "self defense" strikes in southern Iran earlier today. Targets include Iranian boats trying to place mines and missile sites, according to a spokesperson.

The Army has canceled dozens of medical training courses as the service moves to manage a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall that is rippling across the force, according to multiple U.S. officials and internal documents reviewed by ABC News. abcnews.link/5aNbh3b

A new permanent presence of a brigade would likely require an enormous investment in infrastructure and community resources for military families.