Trump news at a glance: Hegseth attacks media over war coverage as Trump calls Iran leaders ‘scumbags’

Defense secretary offers alternative TV headlines to reporters to more favourably reflect US military campaign in Iran - key US politics stories from 13 March 2026

Pete Hegseth has used a press conference at the Pentagon to criticize journalists over their coverage of the war in Iran, at one point proposing alternative TV headlines.

The US defense secretary claimed Iran had been left without a functioning air force, navy or missile defense network after 13 days of strikes, and said the combined US-Israeli air campaign had hit more than 15,000 targets since the war began.