NY Times dragged for trying to fact-check Hegseth's praise of ‘our boys' flying B-2 bombers — by pointing women can pilot planes, too
The US has officially joined Israel in its battle against nuclear power Iran, and the New York Times was ready and waiting to wag a woke finger in the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his choice of words in a press briefing.
In a Sunday news conference, Hegseth heaped praise on President Trump and the military campaign that saw six 'bunker buster' bombs dropped on key nuclear sites in the country.
'The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back,' he said, warning, 'when this president speaks, the world should listen — and the US military, we can back it up.'
Advertisement
3 Hegseth praised President Trump on the six 'bunker buster' bombs dropped on key nuclear sites in Iran, referring to the B-2 pilots as 'our boys on those bombers,' leading to the news outlet responding to the word choice.
AP
At one point, Hegseth casually called the B-2 pilots who dropped the 15-ton bombs on targets in Iran 'our boys on those bombers,' which instantly got the Gray Lady in high dudgeon.
'In the briefing, Hegseth referred to B-2 pilots as 'our boys on those bombers,' yet both men and women have been trained to fly them,' NYT Pentagon reporter John Ismay corrected the record on the outlet's blog.
Advertisement
Stay up to date on the latest developments in the U.S. airstrike on Iran
3 'Both men and women have been trained to fly them,' NYT Pentagon reporter John Ismay corrected the record on the outlet's blog.
US Air Force
The posting drew hundreds of scornful comments on social media.
'This is why people use the New York Times to line their bird cages,' one poster mused.
Advertisement
3 'This is why people use the New York Times to line their bird cages,' one poster said as the post drew in scornful comments on social media.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
'Yes, let's make sure to be politically correct at this serious time,' another sarcastically quipped.
'What an idiot. We women know exactly what Secretary Hegseth meant,' said an X user.
It's not clear whether any women took part in the 37-hour B-2 bomber raid, which saw the stealth planes take off from and return to Whiteman Air Force Base in western Missouri.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
House Speaker Mike Johnson Opposes War Powers Vote After Attack On Iran
WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) doesn't think the House should vote on a resolution aimed at curtailing President Donald Trump's powers to wage war against Iran without approval from Congress. 'I don't think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don't think it's necessary,' Johnson told reporters at the Capitol on Monday. Democrats have characterized the strike on Iran as yet another Trump power grab, since the Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war. Johnson pointed out presidents have been authorizing military strikes on their own for years under their constitutional authority as commanders of the armed forces. 'President Obama went on an eight-month campaign bombing Libya to take down the regime there. I never heard a Democrat balk about any of that. And suddenly now, they're just up in arms. It's all politics. This is not a time for politics,' Johnson said. The 1973 War Powers Resolution law requires the president to consult with Congress when engaging U.S. forces in hostilities and allows fast-track procedures for votes on resolutions terminating U.S. involvement in armed conflicts. A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in the House, along with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in the Senate, last week introduced resolutions that would terminate hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Democratic leaders still haven't coalesced, however, after Trump authorized bombing raids against Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities over the weekend. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for a war powers vote while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) declined to say Monday if he supported the Khanna-Massie measure. 'Haven't taken a look at it,' Jeffries said in response to a question from HuffPost. Still, Jeffries faulted Trump for failing to seek approval from Congress or even briefing lawmakers in advance of its attack on Iran. He said the House could consider a war powers resolution ― 'whether that's the one that has already been introduced or others that may subsequently be introduced' ― after hearing from administration officials in a classified briefing scheduled for Tuesday. 'Not a scintilla of evidence to date has been presented that I have seen to justify the notion that there was an imminent threat to the United States of America,' Jeffries said. 'If the administration has evidence to the contrary, come up to present it.' Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, testified in March that as far as the intelligence community could tell, 'Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,' but Trump said over the weekend Gabbard was wrong.
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Grass for gravel: Trump's Rose Garden revamp makes progress
The president has called for a variety of style changes to the White House, inside and out, since taking office again. WASHINGTON - Renovations are underway for the historic White House Rose Garden. Construction crews broke ground on the outdoor area earlier in June after President Donald Trump ordered a major remodel, including replacing the grass with gravel. The president has said in previous interviews he wanted the area paved for the ease of visitors − specifically those in heeled footwear. 'What was happening is, that's supposed to have events. Every event you have, it's soaking wet,' Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham in March. 'It's soaking wet ... and the women with the high heels, it's just too much.' Trump said at the time the grass would go but the flowers can stay. 'I think it's going to be beautiful,' he told Fox. 'I think it's going to be more beautiful.' The Rose Garden was first planted in 1913 during the Woodrow Wilson administration and has regularly hosted a variety of White House events, including speeches, press conferences and even weddings. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy famously brought in landscape designer Rachel Lambert Mellon in 1962 to craft one of the most iconic layouts for the garden outside the Oval Office. In 2020, First Lady Melania Trump oversaw a Rose Garden revamp, including installing an updated irrigation system and replacing the flowers along the perimeter. The move received mixed reactions at the time, with some criticizing the look of the new garden and others condemning the unveiling's timing, months into the coronavirus pandemic. The more recent Rose Garden overhaul is one of several second-term renovations Trump has already launched. Under his direction, an 88-foot flagpole hoisting a massive American flag was recently installed on the south lawn. A second, matching pole was added in front of the White House on June 18 as well. 'How do you like it, everybody?' Trump said to reporters after the flag reached the top of the pole. The inside of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave has been made over as well. Since taking office again in January, Trump has accessorized the executive mansion with splashes of gold trimming. The White House has also added new portraits of Trump to its walls and it recently exchanged a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. for Winston Churchill in the Oval Office. Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Politico
29 minutes ago
- Politico
Lawmakers to Bondi: DOJ funding cuts threaten national security
Attorney General Pam Bondi came under bipartisan pressure Monday from lawmakers who argued that proposed funding cuts to the Justice Department, including the FBI, are unwise as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran intensifies. During Bondi's first congressional testimony since her confirmation hearings, House members said the threat of attacks in the U.S. had risen significantly in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear sites and Iran's apparent retaliation with a missile attack Monday on a U.S. base in Qatar. 'When the DOJ submitted their budget, the United States was a nation at peace, and now we're a nation at war,' Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said. 'I want us to, as much as we can, get ahead of it to give you the resources, the instruments that you need to go out and make sure that we're preventing things from happening, not waiting until after the fact.' Bondi was testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee on DOJ's budget request proposing $33.6 billion for fiscal year 2026 — a $2.5 billion or roughly 7% decrease compared to the current year. About one-third of the total request would support programs directed at reducing violent crime. The difference in funding year over year would also represent a reduction of about 5,000 positions. However, Gonzalez noted that Trump's budget reduces DOJ funding for national security, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, threat screening and efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction. 'Those are the programs that we need more resources [for], more manpower,' he said. Bondi, who used part of her opening statement to urge Americans to 'pray for our troops in Qatar,' was noncommittal about any budget changes related to the intensifying conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Of course, you can always do more with more, but we're doing more with less,' the attorney general said. 'It's a frightening time in which we live right now but President Trump is committed to keeping all Americans safe.' Bondi also said the FBI is on guard against potential Iranian sleeper cells in the U.S., including Iranian citizens who entered the U.S. via the border with Mexico during the Biden administration. 'We are on high alert, and everyone is looking at that very closely,' she said, without elaborating. Democratic Reps. Glenn Ivey of Maryland and Frank Mrvan of Indiana similarly urged Bondi to take another look at her department's budget request in light of escalating tensions with Iran. 'Taking FBI agents off the street now … there isn't a worse possible time you could do it,' Ivey said. Mrvan said the U.S. needs to be bracing for potential Iranian attacks on banking systems and the electric grid. 'That is a new threat,' he said.
