Nov. 29 (UPI) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied ordering the U.S. military to “kill everybody” and said news reports claiming such are “fake news.”
Hegseth was responding to a report by the Washington Post on Friday that accused Hegseth of verbally ordering military personnel to kill all 11 crew members by carrying out a second strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel on Sept. 2.
That strike was the first of many targeting drug vessels in international waters, but the Washington Post only cited anonymous sources to back its claim, which the Defense Department has called fabricated and “fake news,” according to The Guardian.
“We told the Washington Post that this entire narrative was false yesterday,” Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said in a social media post on Friday.
“These people just fabricate anonymously sourced stories out of the whole cloth,” Parnell continued.
“Fake news is the enemy of the people,” he added.
Hegseth went further, calling the Washington Post report “fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”
The Washington Post said Hegseth’s alleged verbal order resulted in a second strike on the vessel as two surviving crew members clung to the wreckage, which killed them.
The report on Friday prompted Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to order inquiries into the matter to determine the facts.
Hegseth said every strike carried out against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean has been legal and only targeted members of designated foreign terrorist organizations.
A group of “former military attorneys” on Saturday released a report saying international law prohibits the targeting of attack survivors and requires the attacking force to “protect, rescue and, if applicable, treat them as prisoners of war,” the Washington Post reported.
The U.S. military has struck 21 vessels whose crews were alleged to be smuggling drugs to the United States and killed 83, according to USA Today.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One on Tuesday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
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The Navy is ending its commitment to build the troubled Constellation class frigates, service secretary John Phelan announced today on social media. The move is the first of what Phelan said will be several changes designed to speed up Navy ship production.
“From day one, I made it clear: I won’t spend a dollar if it doesn’t strengthen readiness or our ability to win,” Phelan explained. “To keep that promise, we’re reshaping how we build and field the Fleet—working with industry to deliver warfighting advantage, beginning with a strategic shift away from the Constellation class frigate program.”
“The Navy and our industry partners have reached a comprehensive framework that terminates for the Navy’s convenience the last four ships of the class, which have not begun construction,” Phelan said in a video he posted on X. “We greatly value the shipbuilders of Wisconsin and Michigan. While work continues on the first two ships, those ships remain under review as we work through this strategic shift.”
From day one I made it clear: I won’t spend a dollar if it doesn’t strengthen readiness or our ability to win.
To keep that promise, we’re reshaping how we build and field the Fleet—working with industry to deliver warfighting advantage, beginning with a strategic shift away… pic.twitter.com/pbTpIPDfR8
The Navy first announced in 2020 that it had picked Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, a wholly owned subsidiary of Italy’s Fincantieri, to build the Constellation class, which was to be based on an off-the-shelf design. Construction of the USS Constellation began in August 2022. The Navy currently has a total of six of the ships on order, out of what was expected to be an initial tranche of at least 10 of the frigates. The first example was slated to be delivered in 2029, however, Phelan’s decision means the last four ships in this class will no longer be built.
The design changes have also contributed to major delays and cost growth. The original plan was for USS Constellation to be delivered in 2026. The Navy had also been aiming for a unit cost of $1 billion, or potentially even less, as production of the frigates ramped up. More recent estimates have put the price tag for each of the ships at around $1.4 billion.
An infographic from circa 2021 with details about how significantly the Constellation class design will differ from the FREMM parent. USN via CRS
In an exclusive interview with The War Zone in April from the sidelines of the Sea Air Space conference in Maryland, Mark Vandroff, senior vice president of Government Affairs at Fincantieri Marine Group, confirmed that little progress had been made on the first frigate of the class.
“First ship is under construction up in Marinette, roughly 10 percent done,” Vandroff said at the time. We’re “working to finalize the design with the Navy. That has been progressing. We’ve made a lot of progress in the last year, and we expect to have the functional design wrapped up here in late spring, early summer.”
“What I would say is, with the Navy, we’re converging the design,” Vandroff added when asked specifically for an update on changes to the Constellation class design from the parent FREMM. “You know, we’re responsible for producing the functional design. The Navy has to approve the functional design. So, as we go back and forth to get our design to be fully approved by the Navy, we’re converging on that final design.”
Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, a wholly owned subsidiary of Italy’s Fincantieri. (Fincantieri)
As far as what comes next, Phelan didn’t offer any specific examples.
“Shipbuilding is a foremost concern,” he posited. “The Navy needs ships, and we look forward to building them in every shipyard that we can. A key factor in this decision is the need to grow the fleet faster to meet tomorrow’s threats.”
“This framework,” he continued, “puts the Navy on a path to more rapidly construct new classes of ships and deliver the capability our war fighters need in greater numbers and on a more urgent timeline. This is an imperative, and I hope to have more to share very soon.”
We’ve reached out to the Navy for more details.
Update: 5:03 PM Eastern–
A senior Navy official offered some additional context about what might come next.
“The Navy will work with Congress in the coming weeks to seek the reappropriation of a portion of the unspent frigate funds on more readily producible ships in Marinette,” an official confirmed to us. “We do hope to retain the unspent frigate funds, as I mentioned, and have them reallocated to other ships that can be built in Marinette and delivered to the fleet faster.”
Update: 5:16 PM Eastern –
Fincantieri provided the following statement on the program cancellation.
“As part of a general fleet review launched by the U.S. Navy, aimed at transitioning towards a future model focused on technological excellence, manned and unmanned vessels, and long-term sustainability, Fincantieri and the U.S. Navy have reached a significant agreement that provides for reshaping the future of the Constellation class Program, currently under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), in Wisconsin. In this framework, Fincantieri is consolidating its strategic partnership with the Navy, confirming its role as a key player in defining the future of American maritime defense through advanced industrial capabilities and long-term investments.
Working closely with the U.S. Navy, the Group will help deliver new classes of vessels. Fincantieri is expected to receive new orders to deliver classes of vessels in segments that best serve the immediate interests of the nation and the renaissance of U.S. shipbuilding, such as amphibious, icebreaking and other special missions. Fincantieri is in fact ready to execute the contracts planned in coordination with the U.S. Navy. Entering the future and in alignment with the Group’s industrial capabilities and potential, Fincantieri will support the U.S. Navy as it redefines strategic choices in the Small Surface Combatants segment, manned or unmanned.
Considering the above, the agreement encompasses the continuity of work for two Constellation class frigates currently under construction and provides for the discontinuity of the contract for the four other Constellation class frigates already under contract, reflecting the evolving strategic priorities of the U.S. Navy. On top of the aforementioned award of future orders, in order to cover the above, the agreement indemnifies Fincantieri Marine Group on existing economic commitments and industrial impacts through measures provided by the U.S. Navy, and as a result of the contractual decision made for its own convenience.
This new arrangement guarantees continuity and workload visibility for Fincantieri’s personnel and the Wisconsin System of Yards – a vital pillar of the U.S. maritime industrial base – capitalizing on the investments and expertise developed to date. Over the past years, Fincantieri has invested more than $800 million in its four U.S. shipyards, including Marinette, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Jacksonville with the aim of ensuring maximum production efficiency, flexibility, and technological innovation. These investments have enabled the consolidation of an advanced industrial supply chain, capable of meeting the U.S. Navy’s new priorities, including rapid delivery, modularity, and scalability of naval platforms.
Fincantieri Marine Group currently employs approximately 3,750 highly skilled workers in the United States, having recently increased its workforce by 850 workers to meet demand and strengthen its industrial base. This significant expansion underscores the Group’s commitment to supporting the local economy and the broader national maritime supply chain.”
In addition, George Moutafis, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, also weighed in.
“The agreement reached with the U.S. Navy marks a new chapter in our strategic partnership, built on mutual trust, a shared vision and commitment to excellence. The path forward defined on the Constellation class program provides for the necessary stability for our teams and the entire Wisconsin System of Yards, allowing us to continue investing in innovation and skills. As the Navy transitions to new vessel types, we stand ready to support their evolving needs, leveraging the strength of our American facilities and the expertise we have fostered. Our investments in the U.S. shipyards are a testament to our long-term vision: to be a cornerstone of the U.S. maritime industrial base and a driving force to sustain the momentum of the national shipbuilding renaissance, the American shipbuilding renaissance.
In the future development model, Fincantieri positions itself as one of the reference shipyards for the U.S. Navy, confirming its strategic role in supporting the Navy’s evolving needs. The Group is looking forward to working with all stakeholders in the supply chain on the execution of the new redefined path forward, further developing the skills and expertise cultivated in its American facilities and supporting the sustainable growth of the sector.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has denied leaks ahead of the Budget have damaged the economy, following criticism the speculation has “caused paralysis among businesses and consumers”.
Recent months have been dominated by media reports about which taxes could increase, with multiple potential measures floated by the government.
Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme this was “the single biggest reason why [economic] growth has flatlined”.
In response, Alexander said there was always speculation in the run-up to Budgets but the chancellor had been clear about her priorities.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to increase taxes in her Budget on Wednesday to help fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.
Ministers had given strong indications the government was planning to increase income tax rates.
Anonymous briefings to the media from government sources had also suggested Reeves was considering the move – which would have been a clear breach of Labour’s election promise not to raise “the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax”.
Governments sometimes choose to leak aspects of their Budget plans to the media, either to test public reaction or prepare the ground for measures so they do not come as a shock to financial markets or voters.
Haldane branded the months of speculation about potential Budget measures a “fiscal fandango”.
“That’s been costly for the economy,” he told the programme.
“It’s caused paralysis among businesses and consumers.”
He said the Budget process was “too lengthy, too leaky, with real costs”.
Haldane acknowledged this “pantomime” had also happened under previous governments, adding that the “budgetary process has been degraded over many years”.
Challenged over whether the leaks had damaged the economy, Alexander told the programme: “People always speculate in advance of a Budget and we have always said ‘wait until the Budget’.”
Defending the government’s approach, she said the Budget process had taken place “on shifting sands”, with a downgrade to productivity forecasts and “a very challenging global economic environment”.
The Conservatives have called for an investigation into pre-Budget leaks, saying they have “real world consequences including for financial markets”.
In a letter to the Treasury’s most senior civil servant, shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: “Either ministers have approved the widespread briefing of confidential information surrounding the Budget, or serious unauthorised leaks have occurred within your department.”
The chancellor is expected to set out a range of smaller tax rises in her Budget, after backing away from increasing income tax rates.
The freeze means any pay rise would see people paying more tax, with more people dragged into a higher tax band, or having to pay tax on their income for the first time.
There has been pressure from Labour MPs to remove the cap, which was introduced under the Conservatives – a move that could cost more than £3bn, according to estimates by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank.
While she refused to confirm the cap would be scrapped, Alexander said tackling child poverty was “in the DNA of the Labour Party”.
“One of the defining elements of this government for me is about what we can do to ensure that children’s chances in life aren’t determined by the size of their parents’ bank balance,” she added.
The Conservatives have argued against removing the cap, with Stride telling the BBC it was “a matter of fairness” that parents who are on benefits should have to make the same choices about whether they can afford a bigger family as those who are not.
The shadow chancellor told Kuenssberg: “The big choice at this Budget now is does the chancellor have the backbone to control government spending, particularly in the area of welfare where some of those costs are spiralling out of control, take those tough choices and therefore not have to start putting up taxes again in areas that are going to damage the economy.”
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said scrapping the cap would be a “victory” and it was “outrageous that it’s taken the Labour government so long to do it”.
He called for the government to “tax the rich”, rather than hit “people out of work or working people who are working really hard while their wages aren’t going up”.
John McDonnell, the former Labour Shadow Chancellor, said he hoped Reeves would announce a “redistributive Budget”.
“That does mean that the heaviest weight should fall on the broadest shoulders,” he told The Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4.
“That means tax rises for the wealthiest and for the corporations, and for those who are making massive profits at the moment.”
Asked about divisions within Labour, McDonnell said: “What people want is, they want a sense of direction.”
He said Labour has a “massive majority”.
“We can do what we want in terms of getting stuff through Parliament,” he said.
“Yet we seem to be hindered by a lack of direction and some elements of competence as well.”
British Lord High Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, in September. EPA/ANDY RAIN
Nov. 16 (UPI) — Britain’s home secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to unveil plans to overhaul the country’s asylum policy Monday after declaring that illegal immigration is “tearing the country apart.”
The new measures will include a two-decade long wait period after people who are granted asylum are allowed to settle in the country permanently, the BBC reported.
The new plans will also require that people who are granted asylum will have their refugee status reviewed regularly, and those whose countries are deemed safe will be required to return. Mahmood said Sunday that she sees reforming Britain’s immigration system as a “moral mission.”
Conservatives would deport undocumented migrants “within a week,” while Liberal Democratic Party leaders have called for asylum seekers to have the right to work.
Mahmood said the changes are designed to make the country less attractive to illegal immigrants, and lead to fewer dangerous small boat crossings across the often turbulent English Channel, and asylum claims.
She said the new plans will also end visas for people from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo if those countries do not quickly improve their cooperation on removing people from Britain.
These countries have been selected “for their unacceptable low co-operation and obstructive return processes,” the BBC reported.
Enver Soloman, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the 20-year wait period for permanent residency would “leave people in limbo for many, many years.
“We need a system that is controlled and fair, and the way you do that is you make decisions fairly, in a timely fashion, and if someone is found to be a refugee they go on and they contribute to our communities and they pay back,” he said Sunday on BBC Breakfast.
At least 109,343 people claimed asylum in Britain in the last 12 months, a 17% increase over the year before, according to government figures. At least 1,069 migrants have arrived in the country in the last 7 days, the data show.
Mahmood is set to unveil her plans in the House of Commons on Monday.
There have already been numerous flight delays as the FAA slows down or stops traffic when it is short of controllers.
Published On 4 Nov 20254 Nov 2025
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United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck.
Duffy made his comments on Tuesday as the US government shutdown dragged into its 35th day, matching the shutdown in US President Donald Trump’s first term as president and which was the longest at the time.
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There have already been numerous delays at airports across the country — sometimes hours long — because the Federal Aviation Administration slows down or stops traffic temporarily anytime it is short on controllers. Last weekend saw some of the worst staff shortages, and on Sunday, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
Duffy and the head of the air traffic controllers union have both warned that the situation will only get worse the longer the shutdown continues and the financial pressure continues to grow on people who are forced to work without pay. FAA employees already missed one paycheck on October 28. Their next payday is scheduled for next Tuesday.
“Many of the controllers said, ‘A lot of us can navigate missing one paycheck. Not everybody, but a lot of us can. None of us can manage missing two paychecks,’” Duffy said. “So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have air traffic controllers.”
Most of the flight disruptions so far during the shutdown have been isolated and temporary. But if delays become more widespread and start to ripple throughout the system, the pressure will mount on US Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.
Normally, airlines strive to have at least 80 percent of their flights depart and arrive within 15 minutes of when they are scheduled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that since the shutdown began on October 1, the total number of delays overall has not fallen significantly below that goal because most of the disruptions so far have been no worse than what happens when a major thunderstorm moves across an airport.
But on Sunday, only about 56 percent of Newark’s departures were on time, and the Orlando airport reported that only about 70 percent of its flights were on time, according to Cirium.
As of midday Tuesday, there have been 1,932 flight delays reported across the US, according to www.FlightAware.com. That is lower than what is typical, although the FAA did say that flights in Phoenix were being delayed on Tuesday morning because of staffing shortages. Strong winds are also causing delays at the Newark and LaGuardia airports on Tuesday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that SNAP benefits may be restarted by mid-week after two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must use emergency funds to make the benefits available. Christian clergy, faith leaders and others are pictured during a vigil at the U.S. Capitol in June to rally against cuts to social service benefits. File photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Nov. 2 (UPI) — At least 42 million Americans could begin receiving SNAP benefits by the middle of the week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. Funding for the program was set to run out Saturday amid the government shutdown, now in its sixth week.
Two federal judges ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must use emergency funding to pay for the social service during the budget impasse that led the government to shutter services, many of them critical for tens of millions of Americans.
While the judge’s order narrowly averted the suspension of SNAP benefits, it could take as long as two weeks before the benefits resume.
“There’s a process that has to be followed,” Bessent said Sunday on CNN”s State of the Union. “So, we’ve got to figure out what the process is.”
Bessent acknowledged that two weeks is a long time for people who need food, and added that the administration would not appeal the ruling.
He blamed Democrats for the prolonged shutdown, despite both parties refusing to reach a deal to end it.
“The best way for SNAP benefits to get paid is for Democrats, five Democrats, to cross the aisle and reopen the government,” he said.
The judges’ rulings mean, however, that the benefits will resume even without a vote.
