Pete Hegseth's plan to livestream the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan has blown up into a political mess, with even Trump and Vance backing away from it.

• Hegseth announced Hasan will be shot by soldiers at Fort Hood in December, and that the public will be able to watch it.
• Trump has privately told people he has doubts, after pushback from lawmakers in both parties and his own advisers; Vance said he would not watch.
• The plan looks like it was made up on the fly, with no clear sign-off from the White House.
• Broadcasting a killing puts the U.S. in company with North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran — the only countries that still hold public executions.
• The military's Catholic archbishop said Catholic soldiers should be excused from the firing squad, and the Pope has spoken out against the death penalty in this case.

Outlook: The livestream will probably be dropped before December, even if the execution itself goes ahead.