On a Tuesday in mid-May, the nation's defense chief returns to a room of lawmakers to answer for a war that most of them never voted to begin. Some of the sharpest questions come from members of the president's own party, uneasy about how long the fighting has dragged on and about the absence of congressional approval. Behind the hearing lies a familiar human pattern: a conflict abroad that reaches into the kitchen, where the closed Strait of Hormuz and rising prices make the distant feel immediate. The ceasefire holding the war in check is, in the president's own words, barely alive, and the
The Latest: Hegseth faces a new round of questioning from Congress on the Iran war
A ceasefire on "massive life support," and a strait effectively shut
Mark
Why does it matter that Republicans are among the ones questioning Hegseth?
Mimi
Because the concern isn't only partisan opposition. Some lawmakers in the president's own party are raising the length of the war and the lack of congressional approval.
Luke
Worth being precise: the reporting says "some Republicans" expressed concerns. It doesn't name them or say how many, so we can't call it a broad revolt.
Mark
And the ceasefire? Trump said it's on "massive life support."
Mimi
That's his characterization. He tied it to Iran's latest proposal and to his demand that Iran significantly limit its nuclear program.
Luke
Right, and we don't know what the proposal actually contained. We only have the president's criticism of it, not Iran's text or Iran's side.
Mark
What about the economic pressure?
Mimi
The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and 20% of the world's oil normally passes through it. A headline reports consumer prices up 3.8%.
Luke
I'd hold that number loosely. The body text under it is scrambled, so I can't tell you the time period or how much is attributable to energy versus other causes.
Mark
So what's solid?
Luke
The hearing, the congressional concerns, the closed strait, and Trump's ceasefire comment. Everything else is headline-level at best.
Il Polso
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces another round of pointed questioning from lawmakers, including Republicans voicing doubts about the war's length and its lack of congressional approval.
- Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the channel carrying roughly a fifth of the world's oil, and the disruption is rippling far beyond the Middle East.
- Trump calls the ceasefire 'on massive life support' and rejects Iran's latest proposal, insisting on significant limits to its nuclear program.
- Consumer prices are reported up 3.8% as energy costs climb, pressing the White House to choose between a deal and renewed fighting.
On a Tuesday in mid-May, the nation's defense chief returns to a room of lawmakers to answer for a war that most of them never voted to begin. Some of the sharpest questions come from members of the president's own party, uneasy about how long the fighting has dragged on and about the absence of congressional approval. Behind the hearing lies a familiar human pattern: a conflict abroad that reaches into the kitchen, where the closed Strait of Hormuz and rising prices make the distant feel immediate. The ceasefire holding the war in check is, in the president's own words, barely alive, and the gap over Iran's nuclear program remains unbridged.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for another round of questions about the war with Iran. This time some of the most pointed voices are Republicans, who have grown uneasy about how long the conflict has run and about the fact that Congress never gave its approval.
The scrutiny arrives as President Donald Trump faces mounting pressure from the war's economic fallout. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping route that normally carries about 20% of the world's oil, and the effects are being felt well beyond the region.
On Monday, Trump said the ceasefire is on "massive life support" and criticized Iran's latest proposal for ending the fighting, pointing back to his demand that Tehran significantly limit its nuclear program. The two sides remain far apart on the central issue, and the truce holding the war in check is, by the president's own account, barely alive.
The cost is showing up in household budgets. One headline reports that US consumer prices rose 3.8% as energy costs climb. Other details on the page are garbled and cannot be confirmed here.
What to watch next is how Hegseth answers the Republicans in the room, whether Iran revises its nuclear position, and whether energy-price pressure pushes the White House toward a deal or back toward fighting.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth goes back before lawmakers on Tuesday for another round of questions about the war with Iran. Some of the people asking are Republicans, and they have raised concerns about how long the conflict has run and about the fact that Congress never approved it.
The questioning arrives as President Donald Trump deals with mounting pressure from the economic fallout of the war. Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping corridor through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows. Its closure has been felt well beyond the region.
On Monday, Trump said the ceasefire is on "massive life support." He criticized Iran's latest proposal for ending the fighting, pointing back to his demands that Tehran significantly limit its nuclear program. In other words, the two sides remain apart on the central issue, and the truce that has held the war in check is described by the president himself as barely alive.
The cost is showing up in American household budgets. A headline attached to the coverage reports that US consumer prices rose 3.8% as the Iran war sends energy prices higher. That figure is the only inflation number in the readable portions of the material, and the surrounding text on the page is garbled, so the month-by-month detail and the breakdown behind it cannot be confirmed here.
The same page carries two other headlines worth noting, though the text beneath them is scrambled and cannot be relied on. One says the Supreme Court halted an order that would have required Alabama to use a US House map with two largely Black districts. The other says Trump and Xi appear intent on keeping their deep differences over the Iran war from overshadowing a China summit. Both are listed as related coverage, and the details of each are not recoverable from what was provided.
What can be said with confidence is narrow but clear. A defense secretary is facing congressional scrutiny over a war that lacks formal congressional approval. Members of the president's own party are among those with concerns. A ceasefire is fragile by the president's own account, and the oil chokepoint at Hormuz remains effectively shut.
What to watch next is how Hegseth answers the Republicans in the room, whether Iran's proposal gets any revision on the nuclear question, and whether the pressure on energy prices pushes the White House toward a deal or toward renewed fighting.
Citazioni salienti
The ceasefire is on "massive life support."— President Donald Trump, Monday
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