Hegseth Sanctions US' First Public Execution in 90 Years

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sanctioned the US' first public execution in 90 years on Thursday. Nidal Malik Hasan – who opened fire on Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding over 30 in 2009 – is now scheduled for execution in the same place, during the same time of day, and in the same method as he carried out his attack, on December 3, 2026.

Hegseth Announcement: "It hasn't been since World War II since we've done that," Hegseth said during an interview with Jack Posobiec (Right), "And I kind of like the mentality that we had in World War II, which was WIN. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground." He also criticized former President Barack Obama's alleged comments about the attack: "Remember what Obama called it? Workplace violence? I mean, that's what we're up against. That's the world view we're up against… We know what it is, it was a radical Islamist attack." The Guardian (Left bias) refuted this claim.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum cited both Republicans' and Democrats' prompt and staunch criticism of Hegseth's announcement. Many highlighted Vice President JD Vance's choice to opt out of viewing the execution in particular, with some attributing it to his Catholic faith. Outlets in the center and on the right, such as The Hill (Center) and Fox News (Right), highlighted Vance's doubt that the execution will be livestreamed at all.

Outlets on the left often criticized potentially harmful and broad side effects of the livestream. The Guardian, for example, said, "Livestreaming an execution could [reportedly] cause post-traumatic stress disorder in the viewing public." CBS (Lean Left) furthered that only Afghanistan and Iran held known public executions in 2025, according to Amnesty International. This is a true, but slanted statistic, given that public data on the issue is limited or altogether censored in many countries – a fact noted later in the article. HuffPost (Left) more sensationally stated that Hegseth "couldn't contain his bloodlust" – a bias of mindreading.

The Daily Wire (Right) framed Hasan's execution as "mirror[ing] his deadly attack," echoing Hegseth's narrative. The outlet cited Hegseth's comments at length but did not give voice to opposing viewpoints – a bias of omission. It also contextualized that Hasan yelled "Allahu Akbar" while carrying out his attack – a bias of omission by many outlets in the center and on the left.

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