Driscoll resigns amid Hegseth tensions; Duane Davis convicted in Tupac murder

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll submits his resignation after months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reportedly raising concerns that Hegseth was blocking efforts to improve Army readiness.

Plus, Duane “Keffe D” Davis has been convicted of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing, delivering the first conviction in a murder case that remained unsolved for nearly three decades.

And the Supreme Court allows construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom to continue, though Chief Justice John Roberts calls the project “likely unlawful.”

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.

Driscoll resigns as Army secretary following months of friction with Hegseth

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced his resignation just 18 months into office, following months of reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The White House confirmed Driscoll’s resignation Monday, but did not give a reason for his departure.

Driscoll has served as the Army’s top civilian leader since his Senate confirmation in February 2025. It was a tenure that has included the war with Iran, the U.S. operation that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and a role in U.S. efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The White House praised Driscoll as “highly effective,” crediting him with improving Army readiness and advancing President Donald Trump’s military agenda.

But behind the scenes, Driscoll and Hegseth had reportedly been at odds. CBS News reported Driscoll raised concerns with the Trump administration about the Army’s transformation efforts, including Hegseth’s removal of generals who had been leading some of that work. That includes General Randy George, the former Army chief of staff and a close ally of Driscoll’s, whom Hegseth ousted earlier this year.

George and Driscoll pushed to expand the Army’s use of drones and other unmanned systems. That effort has since been scaled back.

And Driscoll may not be the only one leaving. CBS News reported Deputy Army Undersecretary Dave FitzGerald is also expected to step down this week.

Trump threatens new Iran strikes as tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz

After the U.S. and Iran traded strikes for the first time in a month, Trump has threatened to hit Iran “hard.”

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump vowed there would be “a response” after Iran retaliated for U.S. strikes with an attack on American forces in Jordan.

But when asked whether the U.S. was headed back to full-scale war, Trump said the response doesn’t need to be that extensive.

“It’s very limited. Look, they’re a failed nation. Yeah. They’re a failed nation,” Trump said. “They’ve got 350% inflation. They have no currency. They’re not paying their soldiers. Their leaders are largely dead. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn’t mean we won’t smack them. We’ll see what happens.”

Meanwhile, new trouble in the Strait of Hormuz.

Two crude oil tankers were struck by projectiles Monday night while traveling through southern shipping lanes the Trump administration has touted as open and safe. According to the Greece-based maritime risk organization Marisk, a South Korean-owned tanker was hit just minutes after a Saudi-flagged vessel.

Renewed tensions have pushed oil prices higher for a second straight day. Both major benchmarks were up more than 2% Tuesday morning, with Brent crude above $92 a barrel and U.S. crude around $88.

‘Keffe D’ Davis faces possible life sentence after jury convicts him in Tupac’s murder

Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur’s Las Vegas murder, a jury convicted a man in connection with his killing.

A jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder, though prosecutors never alleged Davis, 63, actually fired the shot. They said he orchestrated the attack, providing the gun and helping set in motion the ambush that killed one of hip-hop’s most influential artists.

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after a weeks-long trial. Davis did not testify. After the verdict, he told the judge he planned to appeal.

He’s set to be sentenced Oct. 13 and could spend the rest of his life in prison.

“I’m glad they came to a decision. Honestly, before the decision, I felt like ‘Keffe D’ was his own worst enemy; I really do,” said music producer Darryl Harper. “I really feel like his speech and the boasting and the … I think he did it to himself. I’m kind of glad he did it to himself because if he’s responsible for it, somebody just didn’t get away with killing my friend.”

Shakur was riding with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a Cadillac pulled up beside their BMW on the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996, and someone opened fire.

Knight was wounded.

Shakur, 25, died six days later.

Prosecutors said the shooting was retaliation for a fight earlier when Shakur, Knight, and others attacked Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, at MGM Grand.

Much of the case against Davis came from Davis himself. Over the years, he talked about the shooting in a police interview, documentaries and his own memoir. His defense argued those accounts were fiction — stories Davis told for money and attention.

Markey defends seat against Moulton in Massachusetts primary

Massachusetts Democrats will vote Tuesday in a Senate primary that has become a fight over what the party’s next generation should look like.

Sen. Ed Markey, 80, is seeking a third full term and faces a challenge from 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton.

Moulton has made generational change the centerpiece of his campaign, arguing that Democrats need younger leaders and calling for age limits for members of Congress. Markey has pushed back on that and has some of the party’s biggest progressive names behind him, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Markey also enters primary day with a big lead.

A new Emerson College poll has Markey at about 65% and Moulton at 35% among likely Democratic voters. But Moulton has the backing of the Boston Globe editorial board, which argues he can bring “new vision and vigor to an aging, ailing, and deeply unpopular Democratic Party.”

The board acknowledged Markey still “looks and sounds sharp” and brings valuable experience, but added, “this is no ordinary time.”

Markey has been in Congress for nearly 50 years — first in the House, then in the Senate. That’s longer than Moulton’s been alive. Moulton argues that’s exactly why it’s time for a change.

Markey’s supporters say his long record and progressive positions are exactly why he should stay.

Supreme Court lets Trump ballroom project move forward, even as Roberts deems it ‘likely unlawful’

The Supreme Court has allowed Trump to continue building his $400 million White House ballroom for now.

However, Chief Justice John Roberts is among the strongest critics, dissenting in the 5-4 decision made Monday that permits construction during the ongoing legal dispute. Roberts, along with the court’s three liberal justices, stated that the project is “likely unlawful.”

The majority did not decide whether Trump has the legal right to build the ballroom without congressional approval. Instead, they ruled that the preservation group suing to halt the project probably lacks the legal standing to bring the case.

Roberts sharply criticized this ruling, emphasizing, “The White House is not just any building. It is an iconic American building whose symbolism and history are wrapped up in its architecture.”

He contended that the court’s decision could infringe on Congress’ constitutional authority over federal property and budget.

Earlier, a lower appeals court found that Trump unlawfully initiated the project, violating laws requiring congressional approval.

Although the legal battle continues, the Supreme Court’s decision allows construction to proceed while it unfolds. Court documents have revealed crews are working 20 hours daily, with plans to complete the ballroom by 2028.

Humanoid robots could be the future of cleaning. Just look at Tau Robotics in San Francisco.

A San Francisco startup’s new house-cleaning robots are bringing us closer to the future once envisioned by “The Jetsons” over fifty years ago, even though they aren’t quite Rosie.

Tau Robotics’ humanoid cleaners have been operating in San Francisco homes for about a month, and there’s already a waitlist. They perform many everyday chores like vacuuming, mopping and cleaning toilets — at a cost similar to hiring a human cleaner, about $30 an hour.

However, the robots are not flawless.

“Over time, we make it more and more autonomous, so humans can just relax and observe or intervene if needed. Eventually, they’ll be fully autonomous, eliminating the need for human labor,” CEO and co-founder Alex Koch said. 

Plus, customer Tammie Siew said she’s willing to wait a little longer for someone else to clean her toilet.

“I don’t want to clean the toilet. I’m willing to wait a little bit more and read a book or do some work. So I’m very excited. It’s like a glimpse of the future,” Siew said.

Tau has much bigger plans for the robots, hoping to expand into home repair, maintenance and elder care.

More from Straight Arrow:

Want to manipulate hearts and minds online? Amazon sells just the bot farm you need

These days, social media feeds are heavily exploited by monied interests. Even the Defense Department is amassing an army of slick-talking influencers to manipulate feeds and, if successful, capture hearts and minds. 

With the rise of artificial intelligence, researchers have sounded the alarm about how foreign adversaries could deploy “AI bot swarms” to undermine democracy and disrupt elections. 

But online influence campaigns aren’t exclusive to politicians and foreign adversaries, and just about anybody can set up a bot farm for a few hundred dollars. Perhaps one of the biggest tells: The internet is overrun with spam, with legions of social media bots pushing crypto schemes, fake product reviews and politically motivated rage bait.

Taken together, the inauthentic accounts seek to shape public narratives about everything from hot-button political issues like data centers to the glowing, too-good-to-be-true reviews for the newest restaurant on Main Street. 

For people looking to buy online clout, look no further than Amazon. The globe’s largest online retailer sells just about everything: Funky socks, kangaroo meat and, yes, bot farms. 

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