Hegseth To Cut Top Generals, Admirals 'By 20%' Amid Ongoing Pentagon Shakeup

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is due to announce plans to reduce by 20 percent the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals, according to an exclusive released by Fox News on Tuesday.

"Hegseth approved reduction plans for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military's joint pool earlier this month," the US outlet reported, citing memos.

"The services were directed to implement the plans and complete the reductions by January 1, 2027. The new target doubles the 10 percent overall reduction in general and flag officer positions Hegseth ordered last year as part of his effort to streamline the military's senior ranks," Fox News added.

The announcement will come during a State of the Force address on Wednesday. The earlier directive separately called for a 20 percent decrease in active-duty four-star positions, as well as a 20 percent reduction in National Guard general officers.

A Department of War source told Fox News that "The latest reductions apply to billets – positions designated for generals and admirals – rather than an across-the-board removal of 20 percent of the officers currently serving in those ranks."

Some of the positions will be "downgraded" instead of removed completely, the report goes on to state.

"Hegseth directed officials to establish O-6 requirements for general and flag officer positions identified for downgrade, allowing colonels and Navy captains to fill those jobs," according to a September 16 memo cited by Fox News.

The report follows a string of resignations within the military establishment, the latest of which saw US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll step down. The White House announced his resignation without much elaboration, but reports said the move followed months of "friction" with Hegseth.

The war secretary had ousted former chief of staff General Randy George in April. Additionally, the US military’s Europe and Africa commander, General Christopher Donahue, resigned suddenly in June.

Hegseth had said last year that those who did not support his "reforms" for the military could step down. In late 2026, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Hegseth's "purge" has left the US military "rudderless."

"There were 10 four-star generals on active duty [when Hegseth took office]. The service currently has five, the fewest in decades," that report said.

The war secretary’s reduction plans come as 50,000 US troops are deployed across West Asia.

https://www.zerohedge.com/military/hegseth-cut-top-generals-admirals-20-amid-ongoing-pentagon-shakeup

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Paying Illegals $575 To Become 'Organizers'… And US-Born Residents Are Excluded

Boston taxpayers are funding a program that teaches immigrants how to organize, lobby city officials and advocate for political change, then hands participants $575 for completing it. Illegal immigrants are eligible, while U.S.-born Boston residents are not.

The Immigrants Lead Boston program, operated by Mayor Michelle Wu's Office for Immigrant Advancement, is a 10-week course for what the city calls emerging immigrant leaders.

Candidates must be Boston residents, at least 18 years old and immigrants. Separately, the city states that interested applicants are encouraged to apply "regardless of their immigration status."

So an illegal immigrant living in Boston can apply for the taxpayer-funded program and its $575 scholarship, while a U.S.-born resident cannot qualify under the city's stated requirement that candidates be immigrants.

According to Boston's own description, participants learn:

Civic engagement and community organizing

Public narrative and storytelling

How to build leadership teams to produce community change

How to navigate city government and engage city officials

Immigration issues, racism and equity

Participants also conduct civic activities outside class and are expected to use the skills and relationships developed through the program to advocate for their communities.

"The scholarship rewards participants for their time and commitment to learn, lead, and advocate for their communities," the city says.

Way More Than $575 Each

The $575 is just what Wu is paying the aspiring organizers - while Boston's FY2026 budget documents allocate $100,000 to Immigrants Lead Boston, with the city saying the money will fund training for up to 40 emerging leaders in immigrant communities.

If all 40 positions were filled and every participant received $575, the scholarships themselves would total $23,000. The budget presentation does not itemize where the remaining $77,000 goes.

The program predates Wu. It began under former Mayor Marty Walsh in the fall of 2020, with an inaugural class of 18 participants. Wu's administration has continued and expanded it. The city's own alumni pages provide a fairly good picture of what some graduates have done with the training.

Members of the 2021-22 class advocated for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. Participant Griselda Polanco told the city: "I want to see an opportunity to give driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants."

Another participant, Marie Jacques Toussaint, said she wanted "access to a Driver's License for everyone, including the immigrant community."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/michelle-wus-boston-pays-illegals-575-become-organizers-and-us-born-residents-are

87 Foreign Cruise Ship Employees Removed For Possession Of Child Abuse Material

Federal authorities have now pulled 87 foreign crew members off cruise ships under Operation Tidal Wave, a Customs and Border Protection initiative aimed at child sexual abuse material aboard the vessels.

Six Philippine nationals on a cruise ship at the Port of Boston admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material, according to a Sept. 25 CBP statement. Julio Caravia, CBP's acting director of field operations, said authorities won't tolerate the exploitation of children and that the agency will keep identifying and arresting those involved.

The multiagency operation, led by CBP, targets crew members tied to the possession, production, procurement, distribution, or use of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

As the Epoch Times notes further, the current phase of the operation has been in effect since mid-August, with 41 crew members removed in two previous phases.

In phase 1 of Operation Tidal Wave, which took place in San Diego in April, administrative enforcement actions were taken against 27 crew members from six vessels. These people were processed for removal and sent back to their home nations.

In phase 2, which took place in San Juan during June-July, enforcement actions were taken against 14 crew members from three vessels.

In the case of the Philippine nationals, they were processed for removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision makes foreign nationals who admit to committing acts involving moral turpitude inadmissible into the United States.

CBP clarified that under federal law, people involved with child sexual exploitation material can face severe penalties, including removal from the country, 10-year inadmissibility into the United States, and criminal prosecution.

In addition to CBP, Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were also part of the operation.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), its CyberTipline received more than 21 million reports last year related to child exploitation. CyberTipline receives reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from the public and electronic service providers.

More than 19 million reports were related to the manufacture, possession, and distribution of child pornography. Other reports included child sex trafficking, child sexual molestation, online enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene material sent to children.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/87-foreign-cruise-ship-employees-removed-possession-child-abuse-material

>>25090460

Călin Georgescu is the first political prisoner since the 1989 Revolution.

Let this be clear to everyone: today, the system is PSD–PNL–USR. All appointments to leadership positions within the prosecutors’ offices and the police are politically driven.

After reading the judge’s reasoning for refusing the arrest, I tend to believe that Călin Georgescu is the first political prisoner in Romania since 1989.

These parties, which are part of the coup d’état of December 2024, deserve to be and must be punished at the ballot box 🗳️ for the disgraceful actions they have taken today.

Anyone who turns a blind eye to this abuse is, through their silence, complicit in this great injustice done to this man.

In my opinion, this was Cătălin Predoiu’s final blow before being removed from office.

https://x.com/chiroban_r/status/2104969132957438397/video/1

>>25090499

The porno I made with ya mom

>>25090503

1320

May 08, 2018 7:44:19 PM EDT

Q !2jsTvXXmXs ID: 000000 No. 68

Today, EVIL lost control/ leverage of IRAN.

Today, POTUS took control of IRAN.

Today, w/ pending sanctions and military action(s), POTUS will gain more ammunition/ intel against THEM.

Suicide watch.

The deal kept IRAN quiet.

The goal was to keep POTUS in until impeachment/ term end.

Bigger than people can imagine.

Treason is 1/10th.

Ask yourself, why are they panicking?

Ask yourself, why is UK, France, and Germany so involved?

Trips to the WH?

What are they hiding?

Why is HRC in NZ?

Is NZ part of 5 Eyes?

Why is that relevant?

Suicide watch.

Q

World champion sentenced to seven years in prison for child sex abuse

The sickening details of the horrific sex crimes were recounted by the distressed victims — who were abused over a 17-year period when the star was at his peak in the sport.

World champion snooker star Graeme Dott has been sentenced to seven years in prison for child sex abuse.

The Scot, 49, who won his only world title in 2006, was found guilty last month of the historic abuse of a primary school boy and girl between 1993 and 2010.

The Glasgow court heard he exposed himself to the children, touched them inappropriately, and kissed them.

On Tuesday, Lord Harrower said Dott’s behaviour was a “gross breach of trust”, adding: “You robbed the complainants of a significant part of their childhood.”

https://www.news.com.au/sport/world-champion-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison-for-child-sex-abuse/news-story/701b25a76d0110c18fafef70388e26d6

Queensland government department loses $800,000 in cyber attack

The Queensland government department delivering the state's first cyber security strategy lost more than $800,000 in a cyber attack, a new report has revealed.

The Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business department plays a lead role in strengthening the state government's cyber security capabilities.

In the department's latest annual report, the entity noted it lost $809,000 in public money as a result of an external cyber attack in July 2025.

A department spokesperson said no payment was made "to those responsible".

"The systems of a third-party telecommunication provider were accessed illegally for financial gain," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"Immediate steps were taken to contain and investigate the incident, and security controls have been further strengthened."

The review, released on Friday, said no government data or sensitive information was compromised during the incident.

"The department blocked the attack and engaged a third party to mitigate any further exposure," the report said.

The entity is responsible for setting the cyber security policy and guidance for the state's public sector and for managing whole-of-government cyber security services.

"The Queensland government is committed to protecting the security and resilience of its systems and services," the spokesperson said.

Thousands of cyber security events

In the Transport and Main Roads Department's annual report, the entity said it reviewed more than 9,000 suspicious activities in the last financial year.

The department also investigated more than 3,000 cyber security events.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-30/qld-government-customer-services-department-cyber-attack/107207128