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The US government intends to deport a Salvadoran man at ground zero of President Donald Trump’s war on illegal immigration to Uganda next week, his lawyers said Saturday.In a filing, the lawyers asked courts to dismiss the case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on grounds that it is a vindictive attempt to punish him for challenging his initial deportation to El Salvador.The attempt to deport Garcia to far-flung Uganda in East Africa adds a dramatic new twist to a saga that become a test case for Trump’s harsh crackdown on illegal immigration — and, critics say, his trampling of the law.His lawyers’ filing was an addition to an earlier one asking judges to dismiss the case.Word of the new press to deport him came a day after he was freed and allowed to go home to Maryland pending trial on human smuggling charges.This followed a tortuous saga in which he was mistakenly deported to a notoriously rough prison in El Salvador, then returned to US soil only to be detained again.A judge ordered his release Friday but the latest news means he might again be expelled, this time to Uganda under a new, harsh Trump administration scheme of sending undocumented migrants to distant, even war-torn countries where they know no one.Abrego Garcia denies any wrongdoing, while the administration says he is a violent MS-13 gang member who smuggled other immigrants.On Thursday when it became clear Abrego Garcia would be released the following day, government officials made him a plea offer: remain in custody, plead guilty to human smuggling charges and be deported to Costa Rica, his lawyers said in the filing. He declined the offer.”The government immediately responded to Mr. Abrego’s release with outrage,” the filing states.”Despite… assurances from the government of Costa Rica that Mr. Abrego would be accepted there, within minutes of his release from pretrial custody, an (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) representative informed Mr. Abrego’s counsel that the government intended to deport Mr. Abrego to Uganda and ordered him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office Monday morning,” it added.The case has been a messy tug of war.The government admitted it had mistakenly sent him to El Salvador’s notorious maximum security prison in March.The US Supreme Court later ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia.He was returned in June, and then quickly arrested and charged with trafficking undocumented migrants. On Friday, he was released from prison in Tennessee on a judge’s order.At that point he had not seen his family in more than 160 days.The case has become emblematic of Trump’s rough crackdown on illegal migration.Right-wing supporters praise the Republican president’s toughness, but legal scholars and human rights advocates have blasted what they say is a haphazard rush to deport people without even a court hearing, in violation of basic US law.

US President Donald Trump praised a newly passed Texas electoral map Saturday as a “tremendous opportunity” to help his Republican Party retain control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.Texas legislators overnight gave final approval to the redistricting effort engineered to create five new Republican leaning seats, as the state senate voted along party lines to pass the map 18-11, following more than eight hours of heated debate.Last week the state legislature’s lower chamber adopted the bill, after Democrats delayed the votes for weeks by denying Republicans a quorum to do legislative business.Trump, posting on his Truth Social platform, said the new map “will give the wonderful people of Texas the tremendous opportunity to elect 5 new MAGA Republicans in the 2026 Midterm Elections — A HUGE VICTORY for our America First Agenda.”Governor Gregg Abbott said he would swiftly sign the bill into law.Democratic Senator Carol Alvarado’s last-ditch plans to filibuster the map were thwarted when Republicans used a rare procedural motion to halt debate, end the filibuster, and proceed directly to the final vote.Fellow Democrat Sarah Eckhardt said shutting down a filibuster was “unprecedented.””This is not democracy, this is disgraceful,” she posted on X.The vote caps weeks of dramatic political theater that saw Democratic lawmakers flee the state in July to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the redistricting plan, and drew nationwide attention to partisan redistricting, known as gerrymandering.- California countermove -The Democrats claim the new electoral map dilutes the votes of African-American and Hispanic electorates who usually vote for them.The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus said Friday on X that the state “has a shameful history of racial discrimination. These maps are just the latest entry in that history.”That stance echoed in the floor debate.Democratic Senator Borris Miles denounced Republican complicity in “racist actions,” saying the new map “does not reflect the truth of Texas, but instead manipulates and whitewashes it.”Speaking on the floor, Republican Phil King was clear about the redistricting effort: “I’m convinced that if Texas does not take this action, that there is an extreme risk that the Republican majority will be lost.”The cutthroat political gambit spurred California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, to launch a process for redrawing his state’s map — this time creating five potentially new seats for Democrats.”If Texas wants to play hardball, we’ll play hardball right back,” Newsom said in announcing the California initiative.Although Newsom hopes to cancel out the Republicans’ advantages gained in Texas, his plan still requires voter approval in an election this November.Both parties are now looking to other states where the rules might allow hasty redrawing of maps in ways that would create more seats.Beyond Texas, Trump encouraged Florida, Indiana and Missouri to redraw their maps to Republican advantage.The redistricting battle adds a volatile and high-stakes new element to next year’s elections.Republicans currently control the US Senate and the House of Representatives.Beleaguered Democrats hope the unpopularity of many of Trump’s policies will help flip the House. If Democrats did win, they would immediately gain power to investigate Trump and his controversial government members.

A US judicial commission denied parole Friday to Joseph Lyle Menendez, a day after his brother Erik was also ordered to stay in prison for the murder of their parents in a Beverly Hills mansion more than three decades ago.A California panel ordered the 57-year-old, who goes by his middle name, to remain behind bars along with his younger sibling, defying a campaign for their freedom waged by family, friends and celebrities including Kim Kardashian. “Joseph (Lyle) Menendez was denied parole for three years at his initial suitability hearing today,” read a brief statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).The outcome of Lyle Menendez’s hearing is the latest blow to a movement that has swelled in recent years, amplified by Netflix’s smash hit dramatic series “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”The show and myriad documentaries have fixated on the gory details of the 1989 shotgun murders, and the televised jury trial that captivated audiences with accounts of their abusive upbringings and posh lifestyles.Parole commissioner Julie Garland said the panel found that there were still signs that Lyle Menendez posed a risk to the public.She urged him not to give up hope, telling him that the denial of parole for three years was “not the end.””My mom and dad did not have to die that day,” an emotional Lyle Menendez told the parole board, adding that the decision to use violence was solely his and not his “baby brother’s” responsibility.”I am so sorry to everyone, and I will be forever sorry,” Lyle Menendez added in his final remarks to the panel.- An 11-hour hearing -Friday’s hearing came just over 36 years after the deaths of parents Jose and Kitty Menendez, in what prosecutors said was a cynical attempt by their sons to obtain a large family fortune.After setting up alibis and trying to cover their tracks, Erik and Lyle shot Jose Menendez five times with shotguns, including in the kneecaps.Kitty Menendez died from a shotgun blast as she tried desperately to crawl away from her killers.The brothers initially blamed the deaths on a mafia hit, but changed their story several times in the ensuing months.Erik, then 18, confessed to the murders in a session with his therapist. The pair ultimately claimed they had acted in self-defense after years of emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of a tyrannical father.During their decades in prison, changing social mores and greater awareness of sexual abuse helped elevate the men to something approaching cultural icons.Friday’s hearing, which was closed to the public, lasted 11 hours. It was held separately to Thursday’s hearing for his brother Erik, 54.Both brothers appeared by video link from the San Diego prison where they are being held.The panel members, whose identities were not released by CDCR, quizzed them on their behavior and attitude toward the murders.The parole hearings became possible when a judge earlier this year resentenced the men, reducing their original full-life punishment to one of 50 years with the possibility of release.

Cracker Barrel has a special place in the hearts of many Americans, offering homestyle American cuisine in a folksy “Old Country Store” setting complete with rocking chairs and occasional country music performances.But an attempt to rebrand the storied US chain has sparked a firestorm of opposition online and opened a new front in the culture wars around legacy brands seeking to update their corporate images. It has also hammered the company’s share price, wiping tens of millions of dollars off of its value, and dividing customers and staff.The chain, which has around 660 US branches, removed from its logo the stylized likeness of Uncle Herschel — the uncle of founder Dan Evins — who was shown sitting on a wooden chair in front of the eponymous barrel.President Donald Trump’s son Donald Jr. took to X to demand to know “WTF is wrong with Cracker barrel,” quoting a post by the “Woke War Room” account that claimed the chain had “scrapped a beloved American aesthetic and replaced it with sterile, soulless branding.”The new, simplified logo features just the text of the brand name in a rounded-off yellow hexagon.The furor is just the latest to engulf corporate America, following similar rows when high-end carmaker Jaguar re-branded, removing its iconic “leaping cat” emblem, drawing howls of indignation from core customers, critics and the political right.At the Cracker Barrel in Mount Arlington, New Jersey, a busy lunch rush largely bustled past the only sizable iteration of the new logo, behind the cash register, with the original still adorning old-timey signage, packaging and menus.”They’re taking away Mr Herschel! Am I gonna miss him? Maybe,” said a register operator in the large gift shop who declined to be named. “They’re making everything bland.”Her colleague, who was clearing tables, insisted: “Nothing’s changing — just the logo. The food is still the same, the menu is still the same.” – ‘Hair-trigger social media’ -Longtime customer Kathy Brondolo was visiting the branch with her husband as they were attending a wedding nearby and said the new logo “doesn’t make a difference — as long as we can see it from the road.””How can anybody be down on it? Life is change,” said the retired social worker, 67, as she and her husband sat on the chain’s signature rocking chairs. Inside the restaurant 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Manhattan, diners ate vast platters of meatloaf and fried chicken, rounded off with buttermilk biscuits, surrounded by walls covered with antiques and hunting trophies.Marketing professor David Reibstein at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School said “it is not unusual for a brand to do an occasional refresh. This was not a major shift either.””The traditions have broken for the traditionalists. Apparently, the issue is the core of Cracker Barrel’s customers are traditionalists and they tend to reside mostly in red, conservative states and these are most likely to react. It was almost seen as an abandonment of this segment.”Trump won in 74 percent of counties with a Cracker Barrel in 2024, according to elections analyst Dave Wasserman.Florida congressman Byron Donalds, a Republican candidate for state governor, wrote on X that he had worked in a Cracker Barrel and had even been baptized in the parking lot of one.”Their logo was iconic and their unique restaurants were a fixture of American culture. No one asked for this woke rebrand. It’s time to Make Cracker Barrel Great Again,” he said, echoing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mantra.Marketing expert Tim Calkins wrote on his blog that “in a world with hair-trigger social media and commentators eager to stir up controversy to drive ratings, this is a dangerous area.” He advised that Cracker Barrel should “stick with the program” — even as the business contended with a share price down $7 to $54.40 on the week. “There is no question Cracker Barrel needs some changes and the current moves seem reasonable,” Calkins said. “People will likely move on when the next hot issue comes along.”

Five passengers aboard a tourist bus were killed Friday when their driver got distracted and crashed on a New York state highway, police said.The wreck happened 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Buffalo as the tourists headed back to New York City after visiting Niagara Falls.The passengers were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino origin, authorities said.”It’s believed the operator became distracted, lost control, over corrected and ended up… over there,” said New York state police commander major Andre Ray at the scene Friday evening, giving the toll for the first time.No one else was in a life-threatening condition, Ray said. Several passengers received medical treatment and were released.Fifty-four people were on the bus when it crashed and no children were killed, US media reported, contradicting an earlier police briefing.Six Chinese citizens were aboard the bus, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said quoting the Chinese consulate in New York. Five were treated for minor injuries and discharged, while the sixth was undergoing surgery.The bus had traveled to Niagara Falls, on the border with Canada, for the day and was heading home when the accident took place on a highway near Pembroke.- Mechanical error ‘ruled out’ -“Mechanical error was ruled out as well as impairment or intoxication,” said Ray, who added that no charges had been brought. Translators were sent to the scene to help communicate with the victims.Eight helicopters were involved in the rescue effort, Margaret Ferrentino, president of Mercy Flight, a nonprofit provider of air ambulance services, told AFP. “The driver is alive and well — we’re working with him. We believe we have a good idea of what happened, why the bus lost control. We just want to make sure that all the details are thoroughly vetted,” a police spokesman said earlier.State Governor Kathy Hochul said her team was coordinating with state police and local officials “who are working to rescue and provide assistance to everyone involved.”Blood and organ donor network Connect Life issued a call for blood donors to come forward in the wake of the crash.”I’m heartbroken for all those we’ve lost and all those injured and praying for their families. Thank you to our brave first responders on the scene,” said the senior US senator from New York, Chuck Schumer.Niagara Falls — towering waterfalls that span the US-Canada border — is a popular tourist destination.

The US federal government on Friday ordered all construction be halted on a massive wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that is 80 percent complete.It was the latest in a series of orders blocking climate-friendly wind power from the administration of US President Donald Trump, who said on Thursday that “wind doesn’t work.”The Revolution Wind project, which started construction last year after receiving all the necessary permits, is intended to power more than 350,000 homes in the US state of Rhode Island, according to its builder, Danish renewables firm Orsted.Matthew Giacona, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), issued a letter on Friday ordering the project to “halt all ongoing activities” to allow time for a review.”In particular, BOEM is seeking to address concerns related to the protection of national security interests in the United States,” the letter read, without elaborating.”You may not resume activities until BOEM” has completed the review, it added.Orsted said in a statement it is “evaluating all options to resolve the matter expeditiously,” including engaging in “potential legal proceedings.”The wind farm is 80 percent complete, with 45 of its planned 65 wind turbines installed, the company said, adding it hopes to finish the project by late next year.The entire wind power sector has faced a major challenge in the US since Trump replaced renewables-friendly Joe Biden in the White House in January.Trump has frozen federal permitting and loans for all offshore and onshore wind projects — and repeatedly expressed his distaste for wind power.”It destroys everything, it looks terrible, it’s a very expensive form of energy — and we’re not doing the wind, we’re going back to fossil fuel,” Trump said in Washington on Thursday.As the United States has been blocking and stalling wind power, China and Europe have been breaking records in their embrace of the green energy.Orsted, once considered a success story, said last week it is planning to raise $9.4 billion by selling shares after the US setbacks. Empire Wind, another massive wind power project off New York being constructed by Norway’s Equinor, was also temporarily halted by the Trump administration in April.

Netflix’s gargantuan hit film “KPop Demon Hunters” has captured the global zeitgeist this summer, smashing streaming and music chart records. Now it is coming for movie theaters.An animated musical about a trio of Korean pop starlets who fight demons with infectious songs and synchronized dance moves, “Demon Hunters” has been watched 210 million times and currently has five of the global top 10 songs on Spotify.In an unlikely journey, the streaming mega-hit is tipped by analysts to hit number one at the box office this weekend, with thousands of cosplaying fans headed to sold-out “singalong screenings” in theaters across five countries.”Insane, crazy, surreal,” singer EJAE, who co-wrote the film’s biggest track “Golden” and performs heroine Rumi’s songs, told an advance screening at Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters this week.”I’m just really grateful I’m able to be part of this crazy cultural phenomenon.”For the uninitiated, the film’s premise is bizarre yet simple.Demons who feed on human souls have been trapped in another realm by the powerful voices of girl group HUNTR/X.To fight back, the demons secretly send their own devilishly handsome boy band to steal HUNTR/X’s fans and feast on their essences.Rivalries ensue, loyalties fray, and an unlikely romance evolves over 90 minutes of power ballads and pop earworms, all against anime-style backdrops of Seoul’s modern skyline and traditional bathhouses and thatched hanok homes.Released in June, “KPop Demon Hunters” is already Netflix’s most-watched animated offering, and sits second on the all-time chart for any original film. It is likely to take the top spot within the week.”This movie is a triple threat. It’s got fantastic writing. It has got stunning animation. And the songs are bangers,” said Wendy Lee Szany, a Los Angeles-based movie critic and KPop devotee.Indeed, songs by the movie’s fictional HUNTR/X and boy-band rivals Saja Boys occupy three of the Billboard top 10 — a feat no movie soundtrack has achieved since the 1990s.- ‘Memes’ -While combining the global KPop craze with sexy supernatural monsters might sound like an obvious recipe for Netflix’s much-vaunted algorithm, nobody expected “Demon Hunters” to take off on this scale.It was made by Hollywood studio Sony Pictures, intended for the big screen, but sold to Netflix during the pandemic when many theaters were shuttered.That may have worked to the film’s advantage, said John Nguyen, founder of pop culture website Nerd Reactor.”If Sony had released it in theaters, I don’t think it would have been as big,” he said.”It’s word-of-mouth. People shared it, talked about it, posted videos on social media of fans and families singing along in their living rooms.”Endless homespun TikTok dance videos have added to the momentum.”People who haven’t seen the movie yet are seeing these memes, they can’t escape it, so they just end up like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna sit down this weekend (and watch) on Netflix,” said Szany.”And then they fall in love with it.”- ‘Shattered’ -Seeking to capitalize, Netflix — usually averse to movie theaters — is hosting “singalongs” at 1,700 North American cinemas this weekend.Fans are invited to dress up, whip their phones out and film themselves singing at their top of their voices.The approach has cinema traditionalists despairing, but earned Taylor Swift’s concert movie $260 million at the box office in 2023.Early estimates suggest “KPop Demon Hunters” could make $15 million in domestic theaters and top this weekend’s box office.Analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said that figure seemed “reasonable… for now,” but could get “shattered” if a rush of demand causes theater owners to add extra screenings. That would be a welcome shot in the arm for movie theaters, after the bleak years of Covid-19, Hollywood strikes, and younger audiences migrating to — ironically — streaming.”There were literally so many kids singing their hearts out,” said Szany, who attended Netflix’s advance singalong, and has watched the film at least eight times.”I was like, wow, they know all the lyrics better than I do.” 

A wrongly deported Salvadoran man sent back to the United States during a fierce row over President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies was released Friday from prison, where he had been detained on human smuggling charges.The US Supreme Court had ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after the government admitted it had mistakenly sent him to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador in March.He was returned in June, and then quickly arrested and charged with trafficking undocumented migrants. On Friday, he was released from prison in Tennessee at the order of a US judge.Migrant rights organization CASA released a statement quoting Abrego Garcia as saying it was a “very special day” after seeing his family for the first time in more than 160 days.”We are steps closer to justice, but justice has not been fully served,” the Salvadoran said, according to CASA, which hailed him as a “symbol of strength, resistance and hope.”The case has become emblematic of Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration.Right-wing supporters praise the Republican president’s toughness, but legal scholars and human rights advocates have blasted what they say is a haphazard rush to deport people in violation of basic US laws.Abrego Garcia’s attorney Sean Hecker, who earlier confirmed that his client was heading home to the eastern US state of Maryland, accused Trump’s government of a “vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the administration’s continuing assault on the rule of law.”Hecker said his client was “grateful that his access to American courts has provided meaningful due process.”But the saga may not be over for the Salvadoran, who is married to a US citizen.- Uganda deportation threat -The Trump administration is not barred from initiating “lawful immigration proceedings upon Abrego Garcia’s return to Maryland” — provided it gives 72 hours’ notice before deporting him to a third country — under a July federal court ruling.Multiple US media outlets reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had notified his legal team that he had been ordered to report to immigration officials in Baltimore on Monday, and may be sent to the East African nation of Uganda.DHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the reports, but the State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken on Thursday with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.US relations with Uganda deteriorated under Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden over its anti-homosexuality law, which in some cases allows for the death penalty. But the State Department under Rubio has sharply curbed criticism.The White House called Abrego Garcia’s release an “insult,” describing him as a “criminal illegal alien, wife-beater” and member of Salvadoran gang MS-13. “Garcia will be subject to ankle monitoring to ensure the safety of the American public until further action can be taken,” Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson posted on X.Abrego Garcia had been living in the United States under protected legal status since 2019, when a judge ruled he should not be deported because he could be harmed in his home country.Then he became one of more than 200 people sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison as part of Trump’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.But Justice Department lawyers admitted that the Salvadoran had been wrongly deported due to an “administrative error.”Abrego Garcia — who denies wrongdoing — now stands accused of involvement in smuggling undocumented migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and other countries into the United States between 2016 and earlier this year.His trial in his human smuggling case is set to begin in January 2027.

Chipmaker Intel has agreed to give the US government a 10-percent stake in its business, the company and President Donald Trump announced Friday.The deal came after Trump’s administration said Intel should give Washington an equity stake in exchange for large grants committed when Joe Biden was president.Under the agreement, the US government will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock, representing a 9.9 percent stake in the company, Intel said in a statement.This amounts to an $8.9 billion investment, funded partially by $5.7 billion in grants awarded but not yet paid under the CHIPS and Science Act — a major law passed during Biden’s term that Trump has criticized.The other $3.2 billion comes from an award to the company as part of the Secure Enclave program, Intel said.The $8.9 billion investment would be in addition to $2.2 billion in CHIPS grants Intel has already received, taking the full amount to $11.1 billion, the company added.”The United States of America now fully owns and controls 10% of INTEL,” Trump posted on Truth Social.He claimed that the country “paid nothing for these shares” after negotiations with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.Intel noted in its statement: “The government’s investment in Intel will be a passive ownership, with no board representation or other governance or information rights.”Referring to a meeting with Intel last week, Trump told reporters Friday: “I said, I think you should pay us 10 percent of your company.””I said, I think it would be good having the United States as your partner… they’ve agreed to do it, and I think it’s a great deal for them.”Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Friday on X: “This historic agreement strengthens US leadership in semiconductors.”- ‘Slippery slope’ – Intel is one of Silicon Valley’s most iconic companies, but its fortunes have been dwarfed by Asian powerhouses TSMC and Samsung, which dominate the made-to-order semiconductor business. The CHIPS and Science Act was aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry, and the Biden administration had unveiled billions in grants through it.It finalized a $7.9 billion award in direct funding to Intel in November 2024, according to a US Department of Commerce statement.”This is a slippery slope,” independent tech analyst Rob Enderle said of the United States taking a stake in Intel. “This is one of those things that kind of brings chills because it’s a step toward nationalizing private business.”Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute, a Washington think tank that promotes limited government, said on X Friday that the government having a stake in Intel would be “a terrible decision, bad for almost everyone.”He said it would be “bad for Intel’s long-term viability, as politics, not commercial considerations, increasingly drive its decisions” and that “foreign governments might also target it.”In a statement, Tan of Intel said it is “deeply committed to ensuring the world’s most advanced technologies are American made.”The company said it is investing more than $100 billion to expand its US sites.Earlier this month, Trump had demanded Tan resign after a Republican senator raised national security concerns over his links to firms in China.Japan-based tech investor SoftBank Group also recently said it would invest $2 billion in Intel.

The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and two other senior officers are being removed, officials said Friday — the latest in a series of military firings this year.The removal of Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, who led the DIA since early 2024, comes after the agency produced a preliminary assessment that said US strikes on Iran set back Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months.The assessment — which was widely reported on by US media — contradicted claims from President Donald Trump that the strikes totally destroyed the nuclear sites, drawing the ire of both him and officials within his administration.Kruse “will no longer serve as DIA director,” a senior defense official said on condition of anonymity, without providing an explanation for the general’s departure.Prior to becoming director of the DIA, Kruse served as the advisor for military affairs for the director of national intelligence, and also held positions including director of intelligence for the coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group.A US official separately said on condition of anonymity that two other senior officers — Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, chief of Navy Reserve, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command — were also leaving their positions.- Series of top officers fired -In June, the United States launched a massive operation against three Iranian nuclear sites, an effort that involved more than 125 US aircraft as well as a guided missile submarine.Trump called the strikes a “spectacular military success” and repeatedly said they “obliterated” the nuclear sites, but the DIA’s preliminary assessment raised doubts about the president’s claims.The Trump administration responded with an offensive against the media, insisting the operation was a total success and berating journalists for reporting on the assessment.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted the assessment was “leaked because someone had an agenda to try to muddy the waters and make it look like this historic strike wasn’t successful,” and slammed “fawning coverage of a preliminary assessment.”Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff general Charles “CQ” Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February.Other senior officers dismissed this year include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.The chief of staff of the Air Force also recently announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term.Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.Earlier this year, the Pentagon chief additionally ordered at least a 20 percent reduction in the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the US military, as well as a 10 percent cut in the overall number of general and flag officers.