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Why Pete Hegseth is Blocking Black Officer Promotions

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has directly intervened to block the promotions of more than a dozen Black and women officers. We talk about those snubs and how the Pentagon's history of prominent Black service members has been scrubbed from public view.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a meeting between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images)

Airdate: Friday, June 26 at 10 AM

During his second term, President Trump has taken aim at DEI initiatives across the federal government, a focus that has been embraced by his cabinet. Deriding “affirmative action promotions,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directly intervened to block the promotions of more than a dozen Black and women officers. The Atlantic’s Clint Smith recently reported on those snubs and how the Pentagon’s history of prominent Black service members has been scrubbed from public view; he joins us to share their stories.

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