Pentagon plan to livestream Nidal Hasan execution draws bipartisan criticism
publishers 56articles 64first reported 7 Oct, 12:15 UTCdeveloping since 7 Oct · 16 editions
The Pentagon’s plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, has drawn condemnation from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Hasan would be executed at the military base on December 3 at 1 p.m. local time, corresponding with the time of the 2009 attack, and that the execution would be broadcast publicly. President Donald Trump authorized the use of a firing squad. His comments on the livestream evolved Friday: he initially said officials were still deciding whether to show it, while later remarks reported by Newsweek said he had approved the broadcast.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis called streaming the execution “beyond disgusting,” while Republican Representative Austin Scott said public executions are associated with jihadist groups and that “America is better than that.” Other Republican critics included Senator John Curtis and Representative Rob Bresnahan. Democratic Senator Jack Reed called the proposal a “barbaric spectacle” and urged the administration to reconsider. The United Nations said broadcasting the execution would amount to torture, according to The Guardian.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted by a military jury in 2013 of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder and sentenced to death. The 2009 shooting killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and injured more than 30 people. Vice President JD Vance said he would not watch the execution and questioned whether it would ultimately be livestreamed.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 133 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 56
- Source articles
- 64
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 133 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →