Donald Trump’s Pentagon stopped answering questions about his war, so the troops and the accountants answered for him.
The Congressional Budget Office says the Iran war has cost $38 billion through August 1, and it noted the Defense Department refused to answer its questions. The report found the war has used at least half of the missile interceptors the country keeps for a fight with China, and replacing them will take at least five years. Active-duty service members went further. They sent CBS News photos the Pentagon never showed the public, a destroyed radar plane in Saudi Arabia and burned-out barracks in Kuwait.
Trump called the war “small potatoes” last week. One of the soldiers who sent the photos put it differently: “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) says HUD Secretary Scott Turner "maybe went for a high-five" after video shows him reaching for her backside at GOP convention.
Today’s GovBrief News
Trump administration readies $2.8 billion sale of 40,000 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, mostly paid with US aid, the class Biden held back over Gaza civilian deaths.
Source: Euronews
September 15, 2026
Congressional Budget Office puts the Iran war at $38 billion through August 1, growing up to $3 billion a month, with interceptor stocks depleted for years.
Source: UPI
September 15, 2026
Unvaccinated 18-year-old dies of measles in Pennsylvania, the state's fourth death, as Gov. Shapiro accuses HHS Secretary Kennedy of ordering CDC not to report them.
Source: WGAL Lancaster PA
September 15, 2026
House Oversight Committee votes unanimously to hold Apollo co-founder Leon Black in contempt after he sues to block his Epstein deposition and skips it.
Source: The Hill
September 15, 2026
Treasury Secretary Bessent tells Congress Trump's $5,000 checks won't add to the $40 trillion debt but refuses to say how, calling the plan "in process."
Source: The New York Times
September 15, 2026
Pentagon asks commanders to screen troops by waist size and "impeccable" grooming for Defense Secretary Hegseth's September 30 address, a year after his "fat generals" speech.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
September 15, 2026
Trump calls his own Supreme Court appointees "not the people I interviewed" after the mail-ballot loss, but Attorney General Blanche says the administration will comply.
Source: The Associated Press
September 15, 2026
Federal judge refers Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner for criminal investigation, saying he may have pushed prosecutors to give a false account in a murder case.
Source: WPVI Philadelphia
September 15, 2026
FBI Director Patel won't rule out agents at Election Day polls or say whether 2020 was rigged, yelling at a senator pressing him on interference.
Source: The Independent
September 15, 2026
Senate Democrats block the Clarity Act crypto bill, far short of the 60 votes needed, after Republicans refuse ethics rules covering Trump family crypto profits.
Source: CNBC
September 15, 2026
Federal watchdog finds paid administrative leave hit $9.5 billion last year, up 435% since 2023, mostly for 144,000 employees paid not to work before resigning.
Source: Federal News Network
September 15, 2026
Trump calls the 2024 Butler shooting a "Democrat Plot" the same day his FBI director testifies the gunman spoke to no one but his parents.
Source: ABC News
September 15, 2026
Interior Department plans to post a dozen signs costing $84,000 outside the National Museum of American History warning visitors of Smithsonian leaders' "anti-white animus," The Atlantic reports.
Source: Mediaite
September 15, 2026
Kennedy Center board votes to close an hour after a judge blocks Trump's inscription a second time, and Trump says renovation won't happen without his name.
Source: CNN
September 15, 2026
Kentucky Gov. Beshear erases $250 million in medical debt for more than 130,000 residents by spending $2.5 million in state housing money.
Source: Louisville Public Media
September 15, 2026