What happens when the largest bureaucracy in America gets remade around a fragile idea of masculinity? On this revealing episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, journalist Jasper Craven, author of God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood, breaks down how toxic masculinity has seeped into the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The conversation traces the evolution of military culture from aspirational ideals to a warped emphasis on brawn over brains, the rollback of programs elevating women, the quiet dismantling of sexual assault response efforts, and Hegseth's personal history—from a straight-edge Princeton student to a figure fixated on aggression, body counts, and sidelining women in combat. Craven details how one woman's Silver Star in Iraq still haunts Hegseth, how institutional misogyny enables impunity, and what unchecked impulses could mean for warfare, accountability, and even domestic politics in the months ahead. What signs will show that Pentagon culture is sliding further into this outdated warrior mentality over the next year? For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-epstein-story-isnt-just-americanits https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/live-with-tara-palmeri-to-talk-epstein https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-vanity-fair-link-fixed To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Jasper’s book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/God-Forgives-Brothers-Dont-Education/dp/1668087197 Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Listen to the 'Tara Palmeri Show': Apple https://apple.co/4lWeFuo iHeartRadio https://iheart.com/podcast/273622585/ Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cdfe747e-54a2-47ae-9ec5-15957642e533/the-tara-palmeri-show Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3kgamV3lbZIGIHW2H0XUTR?si=1ffdbb566a964bc1 Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #PeteHegseth #Pentagon #USMilitary #Military #Defense #ToxicMasculinity #TrumpAdministration #Warriors #Veterans #NationalSecurity #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon: Misogyny Goes Mainstream Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 00:51 Jasper Craven joins the Tara Palmeri Show 01:40 Origins of the book and military's toxic masculinity 03:14 How Cold War lies warped warrior ideals 05:32 Pete Hegseth's discomfort with modern warfare 09:46 Hegseth's personal evolution and daddy issues 13:16 From straight-edge Princeton to frat-boy aggression 17:16 Leanne Hester's Silver Star vs Hegseth's jealousy 20:42 Rollback of women in combat and sexual assault programs 25:16 Daddy issues in power and risks to the Pentagon 30:18 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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