House halts Hegseth impeachment; Trump calls effort a failure

The Republican majority in the US House of Representatives has halted an impeachment attempt against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with a 211-204 vote failing to advance the measure. President Donald Trump celebrated the outcome, calling the effort a "miserable failure." The motion, introduced by Republican Thomas Massie, was referred to committee before a full vote on allegations against Hegseth. These include unauthorized military actions in the Iran war and disregard for laws minimizing civilian casualties, as well as claims of unlawful killings in anti-drug operations. Democrats, who will gain majorities in January, vowed to continue pursuing the matter. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promised "very, very many investigations," though Senate conviction would require a two-thirds majority, considered unlikely. Hegseth dismissed the proceedings as a "farce."