Keyword – US news
Trefwoorden – US news, Mississippi, Donald Trump, US midterm elections 2026, Democrats, Republicans
Title – Hegseth gives medal to guard who reprimanded him at Arlington national cemetery – US politics live | US news | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/joseph-gedeon,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/taz-ali,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/chris-stein,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/fran-lawther,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/robert-mackey,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ariana-baio,https://www.theguardian.com/profile/marina-dunbar
Link – Hegseth gives medal to guard who reprimanded him at Arlington national cemetery – US politics live | US news | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-11-12T21:14:05.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/nov/12/mississippi-scott-colom-ukraine-donald-trump
Hegseth gives medal to guard who reprimanded him at Arlington cemetery
Pete Hegseth has issued a commendation to a US army sentinel who gave him and his entourage a reprimand yesterday, when the defense secretary visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark Veterans Day.
On X , Hegseth posted pictures of him pinning a medal on to the guard’s uniform, and wrote:
We love soldiers.
We love standards.
Well done, Specialist.
Carry on Patriots.
The sentinel, who was not named, shouted at the secretary and those accompanying him when someone laughed during their visit to the tomb. Here’s more about the incident, which was captured by a TV camera:
Democrats from across the country have gathered at the What’s Next conference in Denver to discuss what the party should do moving forward – now that they’ve secured majorities in the US House and Senate, and won control of the governor’s offices in a majority of states.
The conference, hosted by the group Majority Democrats , is bustling with excitement. In the outdoor space, there’s a six-piece jazz band playing upbeat variations of Americana songs, flanked by a colorful food truck.
The main stage event will be livestreamed , starting at 2:30 Mountain Time.
In the further annals of Donald Trump not changing a thing since last week’s midterm election defeat, he also mused earlier today on Truth Social: “Will the Seditious Six ever be prosecuted?”
“What they did was a great violation to our Country and its Constitution!” the president added.
It’s a reference to six Democratic lawmakers who last year published a video reminding members of the military and intelligence community that they can refuse illegal orders, amid concerns that Trump would attempt to use them against his political adversaries.
Here’s what senator Mark Kelly had to say about Trump’s latest threat:
The American people delivered a massive rejection of Donald Trump’s chaos and corruption last week. Now he’s again threatening to prosecute people who stand up to him because he’s afraid of being held accountable. Donald Trump has tried and failed to intimidate me for a year now. His threats won’t stop me from doing my job.
Immediately after Republicans suffered a drubbing in last week’s midterms, Donald Trump made some comments indicating he’d considering working with the incoming Democratic majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Just about everything he’s done since – from appointing immigration hardliner Stephen Miller his chief of staff to threatening one of the top Democratic investigators – indicates he’s not looking to change much at all. Further evidence arrived this afternoon in the form of a Truth Social post , where the president says he’d like to work with Chuck Schumer on fighting corruption – but only in states led by Democrats.
“Billions of Dollars are being stolen on an hourly basis. Hopefully his words will ring true! It will be an honor to work with him on this very big Democrat problem that, when solved, will literally balance the Budget of the U.S.” the president writes.
Little he writes in that sentence appears to be true. There are 8,760 hours in a year, and the Government Accountability Office estimated in 2024 that between $233 bn to $521 bn are lost to fraud annually – so certainly not billions “on an hourly basis,” as Trump wrote. Meanwhile, there are unanswered questions around how Trump has gone about increasing his wealth since he’s been president:
Democrats may have ridden voter concerns over the war with Iran to their largest congressional majority in years in last week’s midterm elections, but Donald Trump today announced that the US is no longer bothering to find peace with its Middle Eastern adversary. Here’s more, from the Guardian’s Andrew Roth :
Donald Trump has said that the US is no longer seeking a deal to end the war with Iran and ordered JD Vance, who had spearheaded recent efforts to restart negotiations with Iran, to focus on domestic politics instead.
In a post to his social media site on Thursday, Trump said he was redirecting the vice-president to focus his “complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S”.
Vance had reportedly been talking to intermediaries in Iran and Qatar about restarting negotiations to end the war, which began in February when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. Iran responded by closing access to the strait of Hormuz, which led to a steep increase for the cost of fuel around the globe.
But on Thursday Trump appeared to shut down the negotiations, redirecting Vance to focus on domestic issues and downplaying the need for a final deal.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran,” Trump wrote. “Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!”
We reported earlier that Ukraine’s president has said that Starlink, the satellite internet service it relies to counter Russian drone attacks, has slowed down, hampering its defenses.
Democrats are already expected to investigate a number of the activities of Elon Musk , who controls Starlink, and whether the service is being deliberately throttled for Ukraine could be on their list. While many of these inquiries are sure to be strictly partisan affairs, Michael McCaul , an outgoing House Republican who supports defending Ukraine against Russia, just signaled his support for this particular line of questioning, writing the following on X:
I am deeply concerned by reports that Ukraine’s access to Starshield has once again been restricted. These capabilities play a critical role in Ukraine’s defense against Putin’s relentless missile and drone attacks, which target civilian homes, parks, hospitals, and energy infrastructure.
With peace negotiations on the horizon, maintaining Ukraine’s momentum and leverage is more important than ever. I urge a full investigation into why these disruptions have now occurred twice and call for measures be put in place to ensure it does not happen again.
Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is facing potential legal trouble after a Democratic senator opened an inquiry into whether the lied to Congress, citing reporting by the Guardian. Here’s more, from the Guardian’s Michelle R Smith :
A top Democratic senator has launched an investigation into evidence that Robert F Kennedy Jr “unlawfully lied” in his 2025 confirmation hearings to become the US health secretary, citing a report by the Guardian .
Ron Wyden of Oregon, the incoming chair of the powerful Senate finance committee, is seeking extensive records from Children’s Health Defense (CHD), the non-profit anti-vaccine group Kennedy has used as a vehicle to fuel his political rise, including all documents related to a 2019 trip Kennedy took to Samoa.
“We are beginning an investigation into evidence that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy, Jr unlawfully lied to Congress on multiple occasions,” Wyden said in a letter to the group that was sent on Wednesday and obtained by the Guardian. The letter was also signed by Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic senator from Maryland.
In the letter, the two lawmakers cited reporting by the Guardian that indicated Kennedy lied about his reasons for going to Samoa in 2019, a trip that occurred just months before a measles outbreak killed 83 people in the Pacific island nation, mostly children under age five.
The trip, which Kennedy made as the chair and chief legal counsel of CHD, became one of the most criticized events in his career before he entered government. Critics, including Samoan officials, have said Kennedy’s presence emboldened anti-vaccine activists in Samoa, worsening a vaccination crisis. Kennedy has denied the allegations, saying he never gave any public statement about vaccines or discouraged Samoans from getting vaccinated.
The Trump administration faces an investigation of its scheme to take a 15% cut from any Nvidia chip sales going to China, as part of a deal to secure export licenses for the semiconductors.
Under the scheme, Nvidia chips made in Taiwan could be sold to Chinese companies if they were imported to the US first for a security review. This also made them subject to a 25% tariff under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which was aimed at dealing with imports that threaten national security. The commerce secretary could then grant an export licence to sell the chips to China.
Two Democratic senators are now demanding Trump officials retain all records relating to the scheme as the fallout from now former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with a suspected Chinese spy continues to grow.
Senate finance committee ranking member Ron Wyden and House ways and means committee ranking member Richard E. Neal said they were beginning to investigate following reports of the affair – which led to Huang’s resignation on Thursday. One focus of the investigation appear to be report that both commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and Donald Trump were briefed about the relationship but granted export approvals anyway.
In a statement, Wyden and Neal said:
The Trump administration’s ostensible attempt to mask an unconstitutional export tax as a national security tariff action – benefitting both Nvidia and the Chinese government – raises serious concerns within our committees’ jurisdiction over matters relating to taxation and tariffs.
Congress wrote Section 232 to give the president a tool to take action against imports he has determined to pose a national security threat; Trump’s use of the statute appears to have done the opposite, undermining US national security and putting Americans at risk.
Trump’s commerce secretary faces being dragged into fallout from Nvidia scandal
Senior White House officials are discussing whether commerce secretary Howard Lutnick should be pushed out in the wake of the spy scandal surrounding Nvidia’s now former CEO Jensen Huang, two people familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.
Here’s more from the Reuters report:
A growing number of lawmakers criticized Lutnick over the administration’s refusal to add dozens of Chinese companies to a key US trade blacklist, and over whether the government was properly overseeing Nvidia’s exports to China.
Criticism of Lutnick’s actions predates Thursday’s resignation of Nvidia’s Huang, who announced he would step down as CEO of the leading AI chipmaker after revelations of an affair with Alice Huang, whom US authorities suspect of spying for Beijing. But the charge that Lutnick has not done enough to restrict AI chip shipments to China has bubbled up as the fallout of Jensen Huang’s actions grows.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lutnick’s future.
A White House official said of criticism of Lutnick that President Donald Trump “maintains complete confidence in the secretary and his ability to carry out the position.“
Here’s a bit more on the story of Pete Hegseth awarding a medal to the soldier who reprimanded him and his aides for breaking the silence around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington cemetery on Veterans Day. A Pentagon official confirmed to CNN that Hegseth hosted members of the 3rd infantry regiment, known as the Old Guard, at the Pentagon “where he proudly awarded Specialist Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026”.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell addressed the incident in a statement: “The secretary and the entire department have always honored – and will always honor – the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington national cemetery is one of the most sacred war memorials in the country, marking the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in the first world war.
Soldiers from the Old Guard have maintained a round-the-clock watch over the tomb since 1948. Part of their responsibility includes enforcing strict standards of silence and respect, and correcting visitors whose behavior disrupts the solemn atmosphere.
The Joint Service Commendation Medal is awarded to members of the US armed forces who distinguish themselves by “meritorious achievement or service while serving in any specified activity”, according to the air force’s personnel center.
When will the Alaska Senate race be called?
With Mississippi Democrat Scott Colom ’s election confirmed yesterday , there is just one Senate race outstanding: Mary Peltola ’s bid to oust Alaska’s incumbent Republican senator, Dan Sullivan .
Alaska typically takes a long time to count its ballots, due to the complicated logistics of elections in a massive state that’s home to many communities inaccessible by road. Thus far, things are looking good for Peltola: she is in the lead over Sullivan, with 86% of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press .
We may know the final result in the next few days. According to Alaska’s division of elections , tomorrow is the deadline for them to receive absentee ballots mailed in the US, while next Wednesday is the date they have targeted to receive overseas absentee ballots. On that day, they also plan to review races to see if any candidates have not reached 50%, and, if not, run ranked-choice tabulation.
Should Peltola win, Democrats will have won 56 seats in the US Senate, their largest majority since the 111th Congress that began in 2009 and ended at the start of 2011.
Speaking of things Democrats want to investigate, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Starlink, the satellite internet service his armed forces rely on to counter Russian drones, is once again unusably slow.
“We have detected speed restrictions on Starshield on our Ukrainian territory – in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine. The speed limit is back at 161 kilometers per hour – that’s 100 miles per hour,” Zelenskyy wrote on X earlier today.
“This directly affects our ability to intercept Russian jet-powered ‘shahed’ drones. These drones come from those areas, and because of the speed restrictions, we simply cannot catch up with them in time.”
Starlink is a project of Elon Musk , who Democrats will undoubtedly haul before Congress next year over an array of matters, including his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative that made widespread cuts to federal staffing and funding. Expect the Starlink throttling to come up at some point as well.
Here’s the latest on the conflict in Ukraine:
Top Senate Democrat Schumer calls for investigation into Nvidia scandal
The Senate’s Democratic minority leader, Chuck Schumer , has called for an investigation both into former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang ’s ties to an alleged Chinese spy, and the Trump administration’s handling of the matter.
The White House reportedly knew about Huang’s involvement with a woman said to be linked to Chinese intelligence, but still let him accompany Donald Trump on an official visit to China. Here’s what Schumer – who may be the Senate majority leader in about two months – had to say about all that:
Despite Jensen Huang’s resignation, Congress must demand answers from Mr. Huang and others at Nvidia about how they may have put U.S. national security at risk.
The Trump administration must also answer for what it did once it learned about Mr. Huang’s relationship with a suspected Chinese intelligence asset. Were government officials told not to investigate because of Trump’s relationship with Mr. Huang? What did Trump know when he personally invited Mr. Huang aboard Air Force One?
Americans deserve to know that those at the highest levels of power are putting America first, not their bottom line or their personal friendships.
Hegseth gives medal to guard who reprimanded him at Arlington cemetery
Pete Hegseth has issued a commendation to a US army sentinel who gave him and his entourage a reprimand yesterday, when the defense secretary visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark Veterans Day.
On X , Hegseth posted pictures of him pinning a medal on to the guard’s uniform, and wrote:
We love soldiers.
We love standards.
Well done, Specialist.
Carry on Patriots.
The sentinel, who was not named, shouted at the secretary and those accompanying him when someone laughed during their visit to the tomb. Here’s more about the incident, which was captured by a TV camera:
The Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is in line to become speaker when his party takes the majority in the chamber next year.
But it won’t be without controversy. Democrats have faced calls from activists and constituents to find another candidate, and a Change.org petition (started by someone who gets paid for such efforts) has received more than 1.15m signatures.
Asked about these tensions at his press conference, Jeffries issued a lengthy recap of his accomplishments while leading the party in the House during their soon-to-conclude period in the minority. He ended with:
The record speaks for itself. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important to talk to every single member of the House Democratic Caucus family about what the future looks like and how we can build upon this record where everyone doubted our ability to aggressively fight back and continue to bring about the type of bold, dramatic, and decisive change that the American people deserve.
Which is a pretty good sign that Jeffries has no intention of going anywhere next year but the speaker’s office.
For what it’s worth, Donald Trump thinks Apple CEO Tim Cook should take over as head of Nvidia.
“NOW THAT Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place – TIM COOK of Apple. A Legend replaces a Legend!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Top House Democrat calls for classified briefing on Nvidia scandal
The Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries just said lawmakers should receive a classified briefing on the scandal surrounding chipmaker Nvidia.
The company is seen as among America’s most important, because it makes advanced chips that are powering the AI boom. Recently, it was revealed that its CEO, Jensen Huang , had an affair with a woman alleged to be a Chinese spy, leading to his resignation today.
“We need a classified briefing made available to members of Congress as it relates to the Nvidia situation and to the extent that our national security has been compromised,” Jeffries said at his ongoing press conference. “The American people deserve answers, and we’re going to work to make sure that happens.”
Here’s more about Huang’s resignation:
The Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, began his press conference today with a few words about the mass shooting in Washington DC.
“Our prayers and our thoughts certainly go out to anyone who has been victimized or hurt by this tragedy, all of the family members and loved ones,” said Jeffries, who is set to become speaker next year, when Democrats take the majority in the House.
“Our thanks go out to the Capitol Police, as well as of course the Metropolitan DC Police Department, and all of our law enforcement professionals [who] continue to work incredibly hard to keep the American people safe, and we’re grateful for their service, encourage their bravery, and their work.”
Here’s the latest on the shooting in the Logan Circle neighborhood: