Pete Hegseth wants a war
ALSO INSIDE: With little power in Congress, Dems return to their (grass)roots — and it's working.
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
And if you’re looking for a little more from COURIER, Akilah Hughes goes down the trad wives, MAHA, and Women’s Wellness Pipeline in the latest episode of “How is This Better?
Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
The Trump administration’s decision to close the investigation into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein without releasing the names of any clients has ignited calls for the resignation of some of the president’s top leadership. But throughout this, one man has kept his eyes on the prize.
And that prize is war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has often pined for the days when the US engaged in active wars; when millions of men braved the battlefield; and when the military wasn’t defined by humanitarian efforts or strategic exercises, but by one word: “lethality.”
While the rest of the administration has spent the week scrambling to evade accountability for protecting the rich and powerful by refusing to release the Epstein Files, Hegseth has been warming Trump up to his warrior mentality. The Defense Secretary has advocated time and time again that his agency’s name should revert to the Department of War, and the military should replace any initiative focused on peace and defense with war aggression.
The would-be War Secretary summed it up in his memoir, “War on Warriors:”
“Sure, our military defends us. And in a perfect world, it exists to deter threats and preserve peace. But ultimately, its job is to conduct war. We either win or lose wars. And we have warriors, not ‘defenders. “Bringing back the War Department may remind a few people in Washington, DC, what the military is supposed to do, and do well."
Hegseth doesn’t miss an opportunity to pitch the name change to Trump, a self-proclaimed wartime president who seems to take great joy in the rebrand. He congratulated “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth” Friday morning for a Fox News appearance that didn’t happen (they simply aired a recent DOD propaganda video about drones), and for weeks has tried to soft-launch War Department into reality.
Trump may be in it for the branding — war with political opponents domestically seems to be more his style — but Hegseth is in it for the psychological shift it brings to his department. That’s a dangerous pairing to go with his self-proclaimed Christian nationalism, meaning he believes he has the backing of an all-powerful god, and failure is literally impossible. The mentality can be seen in Hegseth’s careless attitude towards top secret information about military strikes, or his armageddon-like descriptions of the Iran bombing.
He doesn’t particularly seem to care what country the US goes to war with, as long as he can be at the helm. So far, he’s eagerly pushed for conflict of any kind and even gone against Trump to try to end any sort of indirect involvement in conflict, like when he stopped weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Because if it’s not our warriors using the weapons, what’s the point, right?
Attempts to Sanewash
Why did Trump call Hegseth Secretary of War? What it means and when it was last used
Trump expresses interest in rolling back the clock to bring back the ‘Department of War’
Trump wants a renamed War Department. What Pete Hegseth thinks, what it would take
Far-Right Spin
With little power in Congress, Dems return to their (grass)roots
In the aftermath of Trump’s reelection, there’s been a push from voters for Democratic leaders take a stand against his administration — not with floor speeches, or sponsoring dead-on-arrival bills, or telling people to stay strong til midterms — but actual, tangible, real-world actions that would mitigate the harm being caused by the Trump administration right now.
In an interview with Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, he told me that there has been a surge of engagement among voters who want to see their representatives out there representing them — and not just in the halls of Congress.
“We have to use every day we have to actually communicate our values to people,” said Martin. “What it requires of us at this moment is to actually show some fight, get a spine, get out there and communicate with people. “
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
A growing number of elected leaders have been listening to their constituents and acting accordingly. It’s led to elected representatives joining with their communities to protect immigrants from ICE agents at courthouse raids, refusing to back down at detention centers to the point of being arrested, and effectively working with grassroots groups to file comprehensive court challenges that have prevented legally questionable executive orders from going into effect.
Republican leaders have been listening, too. This is why, as I wrote about earlier this week, there’s been a push to turn “violence by ICE” into “violence by Democrats.” It’s led to language like Martin used about fighting for the people being twisted into a call for violence.
And that’s because it’s working.
“We're seeing record energy across the board,” Martin said. “So many of the other groups - No Kings rallies and protests throughout the country, over 5 million people in 2,100 cities, standing up and rejecting this march towards authoritarianism.”
For many people, this is their first time attending a protest, and seeing their elected leaders there with them makes a difference. It’s translated into dozens of electoral wins for Democrats in off-year, local elections. The DNC is building on this momentum, leading up to the ‘26 midterms, with what Martin called “Organizing Summer.”
“We're doing nontraditional organizing. We're showing up at sporting events. We're showing up in union halls and rural communities, suburban communities,” said Martin. “Doing our part to be where people are gathering in person. And then to do the same in online and digital spaces — wherever people are gathering — places like Discord and Twitch and other spaces like that to make sure that we're meeting voters where they're at.”
So far, that momentum has won Democrats upset victories in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and Martin hopes the Organizing Summer program can help create a pathway to Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress next year.
US Secretary of State, Archivist, and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio
Since his appointments in January, February, and May 2025, Rubio:
Has a net worth of around $3 million
Advocated for a military-forced acquisition of Greenland, the Panama Canal, and a US takeover of the Gaza Strip
Brokered a contract with El Salvador for the US to use its mega-prison, CECOT
Issued sanctions against four judges on the International Criminal Court for investigating US war crimes in Afghanistan
Froze all passport applications that marked “X” for sex
Expelled South Africa’s US ambassador after Trump accused the country of white genocide
Role in ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’
Marco Rubio is both Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, but his main role is the president’s fall guy.
Rubio developed a reputation for being skilled in international relations during his time in the US Senate, but that’s taken a backseat to staying in Trump’s good graces. He was a war hawk, then shifted to be less of an interventionalist when Trump erroniously campaigned as a “no wars” president, and has maintained a fluid stance to mirror whatever Trump wants.
This has worked well for him in the sense that he simultaneously holds two of the most important diplomatic positions in the country, but only because he’s a rubber stamp, offering no real intel or insight beyond what Trump wants to hear.
Special Mention: John Ratcliffe
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s background in intelligence dates all the way back to the last year of Trump’s first term, when Ratcliffe had his boss Tulsi Gabbard’s job for about six months.
He landed the Director of National Intelligence role by lying about his experience taking on terrorists as a federal prosecutor. He didn’t, and still doesn’t, have much experience in that realm. Most of what he did in 2020 was use his access to international intelligence to spread Russian disinformation in an effort to help Trump’s reelection campaign. That didn’t work out, but he’s very loyal, so this time around, Ratcliffe’s been demoted from running the entire US intelligence apparatus to head of the CIA.
Latina vendor faces Broadacres shutdown amid ICE raids
Written by Jannelle Calderón, reporter for COURIER’s The Nevadan
*To protect the interviewee’s safety and privacy, a pseudonym has been used in place of her real name.
Esperanza*, who has sold hats and toys at Broadacres Marketplace for 15 years, never imagined she’d have to shut down her booth out of fear of an immigration enforcement raid. But like hundreds of other vendors, her income has come to a halt after the popular North Las Vegas outdoor market announced it would close temporarily.
Last weekend, when Broadacres Marketplace would normally be filled with hundreds of visitors dancing, shopping, and enjoying themselves, the market announced it would temporarily shut down “due to ongoing ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids” and the “fear and uncertainty at an all-time high among the immigrant community in Las Vegas.”
“We don’t want any of our customers, vendors, or employees to be detained at our business or for us to be a beacon of shopping and entertainment while our federal government is raiding businesses and detaining its people,” Broadacres said in its statement. “We are heartbroken to announce this temporary closure, but we cannot in good conscience continue operations while our vendors, customers, and community members are under threat.”
Since 1977, the swap meet has served as a community gathering space with live music, food, games, and unique bargains on tools, toys, and clothes.
Broadacres Marketplace is also one of the largest employers in North Las Vegas, behind institutions like the Clark County School District and Nellis Air Force Base.
According to the statement, Broadacres does not have an estimated reopening date.
Read Calderón’s full story here.
Advertise in this newsletter
Do you or your company want to support COURIER’s mission and showcase your products or services to an aligned audience of 190,000+ subscribers at the same time? Contact advertising@couriernewsroom.com for more information.
A war monger leading the Department of Defense.
🥺😢😢😢😭😭😭😭😭