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US Lawmakers to Grill Hegseth for 1st Time Since Start of Iran War

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Annabelle GORDON / AFP)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Annabelle GORDON / AFP)
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US Lawmakers to Grill Hegseth for 1st Time Since Start of Iran War

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Annabelle GORDON / AFP)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Annabelle GORDON / AFP)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face tough questions from lawmakers about the Iran war on Wednesday during his first testimony to Congress since the start of the conflict, AFP reported.

Hegseth's appearance before the House Armed Services Committee -- for a hearing on President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request -- comes with the war still unresolved and the economic fallout from it continuing around the globe.

Lawmakers from both parties have previously expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided in classified briefings on the war, setting up a potentially fiery public hearing in which top US military officer General Dan Caine is also set to testify.

"Finally, Secretary Hegseth will come before the House Armed Services Committee this week. It is time to answer for this war of choice," Representative Maggie Goodlander, a Democratic member of the committee, said in a post on X.

Trump and his administration have yet to publicly provide a plan for winding down the war, which has led Iran to close the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway, sending oil prices skyrocketing.

Washington hit back with a blockade of Iran's ports, and now has three aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East for the first time in more than 20 years.

Trump has indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire, but negotiations have yet to yield a breakthrough.

House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this month, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" including waging war on Iran without congressional approval.

More than a dozen Democrats also sent a letter to Hegseth last week demanding a "formal, immediate investigation" into the deaths of six US troops in Kuwait on March 1, saying the Pentagon chief failed to protect American forces and then "misled the public about the circumstances of the attack."

A total of 13 American troops have been killed in the conflict while 400 have been wounded.

In addition to the Iran war, Hegseth may face questions about repeated shakeups of senior Pentagon personnel since Trump returned to office last year.

The Pentagon announced last week that Navy Secretary John Phelan was leaving office "immediately," a move that followed the removal of top US Army officer General Randy George earlier in April.

Lawmakers may also raise Hegseth's conflict with artificial intelligence firm Anthropic, which refused to allow its AI models to be used for mass surveillance of civilians or in fully autonomous lethal military operations.

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World

Colombia Rescuers Find Woman Alive as Quake Death Toll Passes 200

A rescuer sits on the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A rescuer sits on the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Colombia Rescuers Find Woman Alive as Quake Death Toll Passes 200

A rescuer sits on the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A rescuer sits on the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Cali, Colombia on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Colombian rescuers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building Tuesday, sparking cheers and applause as exhausted crews raced to find more survivors from the country's strongest earthquake in a century.

Daniela Largo was carried from the wreckage wrapped in a blue blanket as rescuers embraced and relatives shouted out with joy.

Soldiers, firefighters and volunteers continued to scour collapsed buildings across western Colombia after Monday's 7.4-magnitude quake.

Authorities revised the death toll down to 216 after local officials in Cali corrected earlier figures.

"We were losing hope and then we received a call," said her mother Sandra Milena Perez in Pereira.

Perez said a local resident heard cries for help beneath the rubble and joined neighbors in removing debris before professional rescuers arrived.

"Thanks to him, today we're happy," she said. "At home her 12-year-old son is waiting for her."

In Pereira and in Cali, emergency crews used cranes, dogs and heavy machinery to search ruined buildings while volunteers formed human chains to clear debris by hand, hoping to reach people still trapped beneath collapsed structures.

As darkness fell, families prepared to sleep in parks as aftershocks rattled damaged neighborhoods where entire blocks had been reduced to rubble.

The quake overwhelmed parts of the health system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia's largest disaster responses in years.

"The house came down on top of us. I wasn't able to get out," said Beatriz Arcos, who was trapped with her husband and mother beneath their collapsed condominium.

"It took about an hour to get us out." Arcos said she was hospitalized after a concrete block fell on her back. Her husband and mother were also injured.

In Cali, residents armed with picks, shovels and their bare hands joined firefighters in digging through collapsed buildings.

Rescuers stopped every few minutes to call into the rubble and listen for any response.

"We're doing this with our hands, with gloves," said volunteer Pablo Cesar Ruiz. "It's sad to see time slipping away."

In Pereira, army units and sniffer dogs combed through twisted concrete and exposed steel.

At one site, a rescue squad leader abruptly raised his fist, stopping workers so they could listen for signs of life.

Volunteers formed human chains, passing bricks and chunks of masonry hand-to-hand to clear paths into collapsed structures.

- 'So much effort' -

For many families, the desperate search was becoming a vigil.

"My aunt lived there. She's under the rubble," said Jorge Gonzalez, standing beside a collapsed building in Pereira.

"I arrived yesterday and I haven't left, and until they find her body I don't intend to leave here."

While some families waited for news of missing relatives, others were grappling with the loss of homes, possessions and livelihoods.

"We lost everything," said Stella Galvis, fighting back tears after escaping the collapse of her home.

"We survived by a miracle, since I managed to get my little boy out and my partner managed to get out too."

From the air, neighborhoods in Cali appeared flattened, with piles of grey rubble replacing entire blocks of homes and apartment buildings.

Nearby, cars lay crushed beneath fallen walls and concrete slabs.

On one mound of debris, a young couple climbed over broken masonry searching for belongings.

They recovered a box from inside a child's bright red bedside table.

Many survivors spent the night outdoors, either because their homes were damaged or because they feared aftershocks.

One park in Pereira was transformed into a makeshift shelter with tents and mattresses.

"We lost everything, but we're alive," said 23-year-old John Tabasco, who was camped there with his wife and seven-month-old son.

"We've never had to do this before, to depend on someone else to help us. It's amazing how life can change."

Others struggled to come to terms with losing homes built over decades.

"You buy a little house with so much effort, spending 40, 50 years struggling to get yourself that house, you finally get it and in just a few days it all goes down the drain," said 79-year-old Jaime Alzate.

In Cali, part of the Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed during the quake, forcing doctors to move patients into a parking lot and treat some in the open air.

Yet amid the destruction, many Colombians mobilized to help.

Thousands brought water, food and supplies to affected neighborhoods, while long lines formed outside blood donation centers.

"It's about wanting to help your community, your city and your country," said blood donor Ferney Cabrera.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and promised rent subsidies for affected families Tuesday during a visit to Pereira.

The United States announced $15.5 million in emergency aid, while messages of support and offers of assistance arrived from around the world.

As aftershocks continued to rattle damaged cities, rescue crews pressed on through the ruins, hoping more voices, taps or whistles might still emerge.

World

Taiwan Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Planned Chinese Navy Drill with Indonesia to Its East

Taiwanese soldiers carry fuel supplies towards AH-64E Apache Guardian and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters during a refueling drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
Taiwanese soldiers carry fuel supplies towards AH-64E Apache Guardian and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters during a refueling drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Taiwan Condemns ‘Dangerous’ Planned Chinese Navy Drill with Indonesia to Its East

Taiwanese soldiers carry fuel supplies towards AH-64E Apache Guardian and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters during a refueling drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
Taiwanese soldiers carry fuel supplies towards AH-64E Apache Guardian and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters during a refueling drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Taiwan's government has condemned "dangerous" planned Chinese navy drills with an Indonesian warship off the island's east coast, saying Beijing was trying to create a false impression to the international community that it controls those waters.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and in June began coast guard patrols off the island's east coast, causing anger in Taipei and concern in Washington and some other Western capitals.

China's defense ministry said on Tuesday the drill, to take place in mid-August ‌at a location ‌east of Taiwan it did not detail, would be a "navigation exercise" ‌with ⁠an Indonesian navy ship, ⁠a highly unusual move given China does not generally hold exercises with foreign militaries near Taiwan.

The Indonesian navy and defense ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Late on Tuesday, Taiwan's China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council said the drill was a "military provocation" and Beijing should "immediately stop this dangerous behavior that undermines the status quo."

Following a recent series of Chinese actions, including so-called "routine law-enforcement patrols" to the east of Taiwan, China is now attempting to conduct military exercises with "relevant countries" in waters ⁠east of Taiwan, it said in a statement.

"This is, in reality, ‌political manipulation, 'exercises in name, expansion in fact', aimed at ‌creating a false impression before the international community that the Chinese communists have jurisdiction over waters east ‌of Taiwan," it added.

Taking lawmaker questions at parliament in Taipei on Wednesday, Wu Tien-jen, ‌assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, said the Indonesian warship China said would take part was on its way back from Japan rather than coming specifically to drill with the Chinese navy.

The ship was some 70 to 80 nautical miles off Taiwan's east, in the Pacific, he ‌added.

"Militarily this does not have a direct impact on Taiwan," he said. "It has a geopolitical significance." Taiwan's foreign ministry said separately that ⁠it had asked for a "clarification" ⁠from Indonesia on its taking part in the drill.

TAIWAN HOLDING ANNUAL WAR GAMES

Taiwan is in the midst of its annual Han Kuang war games, where it simulates how to beat back an attempted Chinese attack.

China's announcement came as US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin at his Jakarta office on Tuesday.

Sjafrie told Colby that expanding defense cooperation with the United States is not intended to establish a US military base in Indonesia, his office cited him as saying.

China recognizes no sovereignty claims by Taiwan's government and its military operates around the island on an almost daily basis.

Like most countries, Indonesia has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but the island is home to more than 300,000 Indonesian migrant workers.

Taiwan's government says only the Taiwanese people can decide their future and has repeatedly denounced Chinese military pressure.

World

Palestinian Students and Staff Sue Columbia University Alleging Discrimination

Protestors gather at the gates of Columbia University, in support of student protesters who barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, despite orders from university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, April 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Protestors gather at the gates of Columbia University, in support of student protesters who barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, despite orders from university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, April 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Students and Staff Sue Columbia University Alleging Discrimination

Protestors gather at the gates of Columbia University, in support of student protesters who barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, despite orders from university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, April 30, 2024. (Reuters)
Protestors gather at the gates of Columbia University, in support of student protesters who barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, despite orders from university officials to disband or face suspension, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, April 30, 2024. (Reuters)

A ‌group of current and former Palestinian students and staff have sued Columbia University, alleging discriminatory treatment by the school against its Palestinian community since late 2023, according to a court filing in New York.

The lawsuit said the university failed to protect its Palestinian members from harassment and targeted them through what it cast as "unfair and biased disciplinary hearings."

Columbia has previously denied being discriminatory and has ‌condemned hate. ‌Local media reported that it declined ‌to comment ⁠on pending litigation. ⁠It did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Protests took place at Columbia and around the US after the start of Israel's assault on Gaza following a deadly Palestinian Hamas attack in October 2023.

Protesters demanded an end ⁠to US support for its ally and ‌called for the divestment ‌of funds by universities from companies supporting Israel.

In ‌May 2025, Columbia suspended more than 65 students ‌for their role in shutting down the university's main library in a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

That demonstration came as the university was negotiating with President Donald Trump's administration, which ‌had cut its federal funding after accusing the university of tolerating antisemitism during pro-Palestinian ⁠protests.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say opposing Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories is not antisemitic and advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be conflated with supporting extremism.

Columbia agreed to pay over $200 million to the US government to resolve federal probes and restore most of the federal funding in July last year.

Free speech groups condemned Columbia's protest crackdown in which students faced arrests, suspensions, expulsions and degree revocations.