Pentagon's Latest Shakeup, Tupac's Murder Verdict & Messi's Farewell - Tuesday, September 1, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Tuesday, September 1st. We're talking about new signs the war in Iran could last for several more months, if not longer, and why another top American military leader is resigning despite having bipartisan support. Also, how a primary election today has become a fight between generations and another victory for the largest expansion to the White House in decades, plus a major development in the murder of Tupac Shakur, who just became the first person ever to get a lifetime ban from a prediction market. And what's being planned to celebrate Dolly Parton in true Dolly style. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
The US and Iran's latest exchange of fire is now raising concerns about a wider escalation, especially since some US troops are being told their deployments will last until next year. That's at least according to family members of American soldiers in at least one Army division who were deployed to the Middle East earlier this year. CBS News says it confirmed the update with US officials. And already, President Trump says he's considering his next strike. He told Fox News the US would respond to Iran's latest attacks and that, quote, we're going to hit them hard. Remember, over the weekend, the US hit Iranian rocket launchers that were apparently set to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran retaliated by firing rockets unsuccessfully at US forces in Jordan and the UAE.
Now Trump is calling the conflict a relatively little war for the US, and that Iran is a failed nation, but that, quote, that doesn't mean we won't smack them. The Trump administration is also still pushing an economic pressure campaign, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the goal is to force Iran back to the negotiating table. But for now, there are no negotiations underway.
The Army's top civilian leader is resigning, leaving the service without several top leaders, even as the conflict with Iran continues. Reports say US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is the latest to submit his resignation, after months of repeated clashes with his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Driscoll and Hegseth have reportedly been at odds over the direction and readiness of the Army, including Hegseth's ouster of several senior Army officers. Driscoll was also close to Vice President JD. Vance, and had been seen as a potential future leader at the Pentagon, since he was well regarded by many Republicans and Democrats. The White House praised Driscoll in a statement last night, saying the Army is, quote, more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside Trump and Hegseth. But it did not say anything about who might take over his role, or what it means for the direction he and Hegseth have been disagreeing on. Meanwhile, some new faces are reportedly being brought into other military roles. The Washington Post is calling them military influencers. The Post reports the Pentagon has quietly hired at least three conservative veterans with large social media followings and put them in civilian government positions. The Pentagon has not disclosed their salaries or exactly what they've been hired to do, but their online commentary has included support for Hegseth and the Trump administration. It comes as the Pentagon has restricted access for the mainstream news outlets that cover it, while also making major changes at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
So far, no comment from the Pentagon on Driscoll's resignation or the new hires.
There is finally a conviction in a case that, until now, has been considered one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in music for three decades. This week, a jury found Dwayne Keefe D. Davis guilty of orchestrating the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis wasn't accused of pulling the trigger. Prosecutors said he got the gun, passed it to the men in the backseat of a white Cadillac, and helped set the attack in motion. They argued it was revenge after Tupac and Death Row Records co-founder Shug Knight had beaten up Davis' nephew. Prosecutors case relied heavily on Davis' own words over the years, including interviews with police, a documentary, and his 2019 memoir. The defense argued Davis had fabricated those stories and pointed out there was no forensic or physical evidence putting him in that Cadillac that night. But jurors deliberated for less than three hours before finding him guilty. And that makes this a pretty extraordinary moment in a case that has been part of pop culture for an entire generation. At this point, Davis is the only person still alive among the four men prosecutors say were in the Cadillac that night. He's now facing a possible life sentence, though he says he plans to appeal.