'I wouldn’t call it a war,' Vance says of Iran

The latest on the war with Iran, the total number of American troops wounded has now topped 790, 18 have been killed. But Vice President J.D. Vance said, quote, he wouldn't call it a war right now, even as the Pentagon extends U.S. troop deployments. Our senior political correspondent, Rachel Scott, is at the White House. Rachel, good morning. Good morning to you. Yes, the vice president wouldn't call it a war. He also wouldn't say whether this conflict would be over by the midterm elections. It comes as some Republicans are questioning whether Pete Hegseth should continue to serve as defense secretary amid a shakeup at the Pentagon. Overnight, President Trump naming a new acting secretary of the army just days after Dan Driscoll resigned amid tension with Secretary Pete Hegseth. The president says Adam Tell will now serve in that role, calling him a great patriot. It comes as the Trump administration downplays the conflict with Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance coming to the podium, insisting it's not a war. I wouldn't call it a war right now. There is no active shooting. I recognize there is there have been places where this is flared up. But just this week, the president saying this. Now we have a war with Iran, and that one's for a different reason, because we're not going to let them have a nuclear weapon. Just days ago, the U.S. carried out a series of strikes on Iran for the first time in recent weeks. The Pentagon now reporting a grim new milestone. Nearly 800 U.S. service members wounded. Eighteen have died. The war stretching into its seventh month, far past the four to six week timeline the president initially laid out. The vice president asked if it will all be over by the midterms. You'd have to ask the Iranians, when will the Iranian shooting at ships stop having an effect on world energy markets? But resources are being stretched with record long deployments. The 82nd Airborne now extended out to a year. And this morning, some Republicans are questioning whether Secretary Hegseth is fit to lead the Pentagon. I hate to tell the president who he should hire and fire. I don't know if it's really my role, but I would say this. I would not. He would not be on my team. And we want to get to another headline. The jobs report is expected to show that 53000 jobs will be added to the economy. That comes after a loss about 23000 jobs from the month prior. The unemployment rate is still low. All right, Rachel Scott for us at the White House. Thank you.