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Trigger-happy Hegseth brings Pentagon to brink of going broke: report

The cost of President Donald Trump's war with Iran, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been blowing through armament stockpiles despite warnings, has the Pentagon close to running out of money, according to a report Tuesday.The Pentagon is hemorrhaging funds at an alarming rate. Critical defense budget lines are set to evaporate within weeks as the escalating conflict with Iran consumes resources at unprecedented speed, lawmakers and Pentagon officials told the Washington Post.The financial crisis is already forcing the military to make devastating choices. Training exercises and maintenance programs essential to military readiness are being slashed or eliminated entirely, according to the report which also noted that equipment maintenance budgets are being "cannibalized" to cover operational shortfalls.Hegseth has publicly dismissed concerns about depleting munitions supplies, claiming during a CBS interview last month that U.S. stockpiles remain "great, and they're only getting stronger." His public bravado starkly contrasts with private Pentagon assessments."In private, Pentagon officials have expressed far greater anxiety, according to current and former officials, arguing that the military desperately needs more money to restock munitions needed to deter U.S. adversaries like Russia and China," the Post reported.The collapsed Iran ceasefire threatens to worsen the crisis. After four U.S. service members died during intensive combat operations, the conflict appears set to escalate with no end in sight.The White House has requested $67 billion in emergency funding from Congress, but lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to proceed. The House is recessing for a month Thursday, pushing any fiscal resolution weeks away at minimum.The Navy and Air Force are particularly stressed. Both services have deployed extensive assets to the Middle East, and portions of their 2026 budgets covering operations are projected to run dry by month's end.

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British leader Burnham gathers his Cabinet after sweeping away Starmer supporters

New U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham gathered his Cabinet for its first meeting on Tuesday and vowed to take a "one-team approach" despite purging allies of predecessor Keir Starmer from the government.

UN says nearly 150 migrants are dead or missing off West Africa in separate incidents

The United Nations refugee agency says it is “extremely saddened” after nearly 150 people died or went missing off Mauritania last week

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Trump promises U.S. help for Lebanon during a White House meeting with its president

President Donald Trump pledged to help Lebanon "a lot" during a White House meeting on Tuesday with the country's leader, Joseph Aoun, who came to push for long-term calm after months of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Ex British politician Widdecombe was hit 21 times with a hammer, prosecutors say

Former British politician Ann Widdecombe was struck 21 times on the head with a hammer as she was eating lunch at home, a prosecutor told a court hearing on Tuesday for the man charged in her murder.