Hegseth’s Army Purge, and Polling Chaos in the Midterms

“I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be in my coat of many colors.” Dolly Parton, who died yesterday at 80, turned that one-room Tennessee cabin childhood into a 60-year career that made her one of the most beloved figures in American culture. But the news cycle this Wednesday was dominated first by the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s months-long purge of senior Army leadership has left the military’s largest service with its thinnest bench of four-star generals in decades. Alongside that, a surge of unreliable polling is muddying the picture of the midterm elections, Canada retaliated against new U.S. tariffs, and the Trump administration moved to limit public input on data center construction.

The Army’s Leadership Vacuum

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s purge of senior military leadership has left the Army effectively leaderless at its highest levels. Earlier this year, Hegseth fired General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, in a 15-second phone call with no explanation. Four months later, there are still no signs his position is close to being filled. Hegseth has also forced out at least three other senior officers seen as potential successors. Meanwhile, the Army Secretary, its top civilian leader, is barely on speaking terms with Hegseth and is expected to leave his post in the coming months.