Archbishop Broglio Opposes Nidal Hasan Execution
The military archbishop urges Catholic troops to refuse roles in Nidal Hasan’s execution.
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Updated Oct 13, 8:05pm ETEvery side, every morning
A free recap of the day’s biggest stories and how each side covered them.
What happened
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholics in the U.S. military, urged Catholic soldiers assigned to Nidal Malik Hasan’s planned firing squad to seek an exemption. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the military plans to execute Hasan at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 and livestream it, an unprecedented plan for a U.S. execution. Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting; officers shot him during the attack, leaving him paralyzed. Broglio said participation conflicts with Catholic teaching and questioned a broadcast. Trump supports the execution but is reconsidering the livestream amid concerns about its imagery and propaganda use. The Pentagon has not explained how the firing squad would handle Hasan’s wheelchair use.
How each side covered it
From the left
Left-leaning outlets framed the plan as a test of national values, stressing spectacle and propaganda risks over closure. The Los Angeles Times cast a public execution of a paralyzed prisoner as “grotesque entertainment,” not strength. CNN focused on Trump’s sensitivity to imagery and on Catholic resistance inside the ranks.
From the right
Right-leaning outlets emphasized moral limits on punishment, leading with spectacle concerns while tying objections to faith and security. Fox News highlighted family fears that a broadcast would make punishment a public show, and cited Broglio urging Catholic soldiers to refuse participation. The New York Post leaned on warnings that the video could become terrorist recruiting material.
Headlines
Left15
Los Angeles Times · Oct 13Contributor: Public execution? This really is who we are
Daily Beast · Oct 12Loomer Attacks Pentagon Peteâs TV Firing Squad With Twisted New Demand
Boston Globe · Oct 13Experts urge parents to prepare kids for possible livestreamed execution - The Boston Globe
MS NOW · Oct 13Opinion | Pete Hegseth and Markwayne Mullin changed my mind about public executions
Mother Jones · Oct 12Pete Hegseth's firing squad livestream has fans in the defense industry
Center10
CBS News · Oct 13Trump officials now leaning against livestream of execution, sources say
NPR · Oct 13Why does Pete Hegseth want to livestream an execution?
The Hill · Oct 13Fort Hood massacre survivor weighs in on possible Hasan execution livestream
Axios · Oct 13TikTok, Newsmax say they won't air possible livestreamed public execution
Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 13Trump weighs a public execution, which once elicited delight — and revulsion
Right10
New York Post · Oct 13The Fort Hood killer’s execution: Letters to the Editor — Oct. 14, 2026
Daily Mail · Oct 12Daughter of Fort Hood victim blasts plan to livestream execution
Breitbart News · Oct 12Archbishop of the U.S. Military: Catholics Cannot Serve on Firing Squad
The Blaze · Oct 13The Fort Hood shooter is the ‘victim’ now as media compares execution to ‘lynchings’
Just the News · Oct 12US military archbishop urges Catholic soldiers to recuse themselves from firing squad
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