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Is it woke to wash your hands? Pete Hegseth seems to think so. Back in 2019 when he was still just a Fox News host rather than the guy in charge of “the Department of War”, Hegseth said on-air that he hadn’t washed his hands for 10 years because “germs are not a real thing.” He added: “I can’t see them; therefore, they’re not real.” Hegseth later claimed he was joking. But even if he was, the defense secretary is never going to be able to wash the blood from his hands. The 45-year-old, one of the strongest backers of the war on Iran, has said he wants “maximum lethality, not tepid legality” to the be the hallmark of the US military, and he’s been making good on that promise. Under his watch, a defense department program aimed at reducing civilian harm has been dismantled, and experts who provide guidance on keeping military operations in line with international law have been fired. And, of course, a school full of little girls has been bombed. Hegseth doesn’t just have a dangerous disregard for rules of engagement, which he’s called “stupid”; he’s brought a disturbing level of bloodlust to his so-called Department of War. The pundit-turned-politician seems to take great delight in violence, imbuing it with a religious righteousness. On Wednesday, for example, Hegseth prayed for violence (as you do) during a Christian worship service held at the Pentagon. “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth said in the prayer service. “Give them wisdom in every decision … and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” The Trump administration has framed the war on Iran as a fight against dangerous extremists who want to bring about end times. “We’re fighting religious fanatics who seek a nuclear capability in order for some religious Armageddon,” Hegseth said of Iranian leaders during a CBS interview, for example. But the religious fanatics are hardly just in Iran, are they? Increasingly they’re at the highest levels of US government. Hegseth is affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, founded by Doug Wilson, who self-identifies as a Christian nationalist. He’s reposted videos of Wilson saying he’d like to see the US become “a Christian nation” and has endorsed the theocratic and authoritarian doctrine of “sphere sovereignty”, which is derived from the extremist beliefs of Christian reconstructionism. These beliefs seem to be seeping into foreign policy: earlier this month, it was reported that US military commanders have been invoking rhetoric about biblical “end times” to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops. While Hegseth is praying for violence abroad, his inner circle is busy praying for violence at home. Hegseth’s closest spiritual adviser, a man called Brooks Potteiger, recently appeared on a Christian nationalist podcast called Reformation Red Pill, where he made comments wishing for the death of James Talarico, Texas’s Democratic nominee for a US Senate seat. “I pray that God kills [Talarico] … Ultimately, that means killing his heart and raising him up to new life in Christ,” the podcast host Joshua Haymes, a former pastoral intern at Potteiger’s church, said. In response, Potteiger agreed, saying: “Right, right … We want him crucified with Christ.” Potteiger, I should note, later released a statement saying that his words, which sound pretty clear to me, had been misinterpreted. “As a Christian, when I pray imprecatory psalms about those who celebrate baby murder, I am not, from my heart, praying for their death. I’m praying for their conversion.” I am not religious, but you know what I’m praying for? For a world where extremists like this are not influencing the government – or sitting in its highest ranks – but back in the fringes where they belong. For the day we can finally wash our hands of wannabe strongmen like Trump and Hegseth. Alas, no saviour is going to come and magically free us from the authoritarian hell we are descending further and further into. No supreme being is going to restore democracy. We will have to do it ourselves. Trump reportedly doesn’t ‘want to stand next to a Black female officer’ When not spending $15m on steak or praying for “overwhelming violence”, Pete Hegseth appears to be very busy making sure Black women don’t get promoted. The New York Times published a report on Friday alleging that Hegseth had struck the names of two Black and two female officers from a military promotions list. According to the Times reporting, Hegseth’s chief of staff told Army Secretary Daniel P Driscoll that Trump “would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events”. Georgia mother charged with abortion-related murder released on bond Last week’s newsletter looked at the case of the 31-year-old Georgia woman Alexia Moore, who was charged with murder after allegedly taking abortion pills. Moore has now been released on bond (set at a symbolic $1) after a superior court judge said it was doubtful there was evidence to move forward with a malice murder charge. Alleged Long Island serial killer intends to change plea to guilty Rex Heuermann is charged with murdering seven women over 17 years in what are known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings. The Olympic committee bans trans athletes from women’s events Competitors in women’s events will now have to undergo a one-time SRY gene screening, which looks for the presence of the “Sex-determining Region Y” gene. (Men will not have to do any genetic testing). NPR reports that the scientist who discovered the SRY gene in 1990 has publicly opposed using the test to determine biological sex. Rather than making sport fairer for women, there are concerns that the cost of this testing could prevent poorer countries from sending women to compete. Maternal mortality rises in US aid-dependent countries under Republican presidents Global family planning aid typically drops under Republican presidents, new research finds. These cuts are linked to an 11% increase in maternal mortality, equivalent to around 45 additional deaths for every 100,000 live births. The party of family values! Israel is following the Gaza playbook in Lebanon and the West Bank There is increasing evidence that Israel is deliberately targeting healthcare workers and medical facilities in south Lebanon, with medics saying there is a systematic use of double-tap strikes in an effort to make the area unlivable. Oxfam has also noted that “Israel’s military blueprint of attacking water infrastructure, used throughout its genocide in Gaza, is now being rolled out across parts of Lebanon.” And, just as happened in Gaza, Israeli soldiers are filming themselves looting homes. Meanwhile, Palestinians in the West Bank are now experiencing multiple violent settler attacks per day, with very little coverage of this in the US media. An OB-GYN accused of sexual misconduct was allowed to keep practicing Between 2022 and 2024, four female patients complained to Washington’s medical commission about irregularities in pelvic exams conducted by Dr Mark Mulholland (he has denied wrongdoing). ProPublica reports that it wasn’t until September 2025 that Mulholland’s license was restricted; meanwhile he kept practicing. The week in pawtriarchy You already know about the brain worm and the dead bear he dumped in Central Park. Now some disturbing new news has come out about Robert F Kennedy Jr – this time involving a raccoon. According to an excerpt from a new book about RFK, the health secretary has a journal where he wrote about “cutting off the penis of a road-killed raccoon in 2001, while his ‘kids waited patiently in the car,’ so that he could examine it later”. There is no clarification about what this examination involved, but the story is yet another reminder that everyone leading the US needs their head examined. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist The assault on freedom with Mehdi Hasan and Arwa Mahdawi On Monday 8 June, join Mehdi Hasan and Arwa Mahdawi to discuss the current seismic changes in geopolitics, the alarming rise of populism and nationalism, and its global implications. Live in London and livestreamed worldwide. Book tickets here or at guardian.live