US politics live: Major twist in alleged ‘war crime’ case as Admiral says Hegseth did not issue ‘kill everybody’ order

Donald Trump’s Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has been exonerated by bombshell testimony from a top admiral.

Welcome to our live coverage of US politics. The week is almost over.

Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California who has spent months positioning himself as a possible presidential nominee for the Democrats in 2028, has been eviscerated by the actress Halle Berry, an activist in Democratic politics.

While speaking at the DealBook Summit this week, an event hosted by The New York Times, Ms Berry had a go at Mr Newsom for using his power as Governor to veto a bill that would expand medical care for women going through menopause.

The bill would see California go through the classic US healthcare policy dilemma: better coverage for people who need it, but higher costs for people who don’t.

“Back in my great state of California, my very own Governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” Ms Berry told the audience.

“But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be Governor forever, and with the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us in midlife, he probably should not be our next president either.

“Just saying,” she added, after the crowd gasped.

Elswhere, Donald Trump’s decision to put anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr in charge of his country’s health system continues to cause drama.

Today officials delayed a vote that could roll back existing recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines to be given to newborns - that vaccination is routine across the Western world - after a meeting on the matter was hijacked by anti-vaxxers.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) had been due to make a decision. Generally, the committee looks at new vaccines but under US Health Secretary and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr. it has begun looking at vaccines that have been used for decades with little concern.

Read on for more updates.

Originally published as US politics live: Major twist in alleged ‘war crime’ case as Admiral says Hegseth did not issue ‘kill everybody’ order