Pentagon curbs press again after losing in court |
What is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth so afraid of? That's the question you might ask after reading about yet another set of restrictions on the press corps that regularly covers the US military.
Under the new rules, announced last night, the "Correspondents’ Corridor" inside the Pentagon building — where journalists have worked for decades — has been shut down. The Pentagon says replacement workspace will be set up at a faraway "annex" location at some point, which almost sounds like a plotline from "Veep" or "In the Loop." Here's my story on the changes.
Some longtime Pentagon reporters immediately suggested the changes were retaliatory, since The New York Times just won a permanent injunction against an earlier set of Pentagon restrictions.
In that order, senior US District Judge Paul Friedman said the Pentagon had violated the First Amendment. Now Hegseth's inner circle is attempting "an end run around" the judge's ruling, Washington Post deputy national security editor Andrew deGrandpré wrote on X.
The Times responded, "We will be going back to court." The Pentagon Press Association also called the changes "a clear violation of the letter and spirit" of last week's ruling.
"At such a critical time, we ask why the Pentagon is choosing to restrict vital press freedoms that help inform all Americans," the association said.
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The 'security' smokescreen |
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claims the Defense Department has "security considerations" in mind. He used the word security seven times in his X post last night. But critics say his rhetoric masks an ongoing effort to attack the messenger and limit scrutiny.
Aaron Mehta, editor in chief of Breaking Defense, said Parnell lied when he claimed that the judge had removed the Pentagon's ability to "screen press credential holders for security risks:" Members of the media "have always been screened before getting badges — that's been the case for decades."
As the AP's Jonathan J. Cooper wrote here, many arms of the Trump administration have "limited legacy media while boosting conservative and pro-Trump outlets." At the Pentagon, Hegseth made a big show of welcoming MAGA media personalities last fall. But now the new rules will hinder everyone, including the supposed "new" press corps.
Here's the thing: Having workspace inside the Pentagon's fabled five walls isn’t just a matter of convenience; it allows reporters to maintain regular contact with military officials. Past defense secretaries of both parties recognized the value of such interactions. Hegseth can't or won't.
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Notice what we're not seeing... |
During wartime, we usually see correspondents' live shots from broadcast booths inside the Pentagon. But not this time. Those booths were shuttered last year.
During wartime, we usually see near-daily briefings from top military officials who feel an obligation to update the public. But not this time. There have only been six briefings since the strikes started.
So let's notice what we're not seeing right now.
"Independent reporting on the U.S. military is not optional," the National Press Club said overnight. "It is essential to accountability, transparency and public trust. Any policy that curtails that access should concern everyone who values a free and informed society."
And CNN alum Barbara Starr said it best: "What I will guarantee however is even though Pentagon leadership appears overwhelmingly angry and fearful, the press corps would still welcome a productive and professional relationship."
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Anthropic fights 'supply chain risk' label |
Hadas Gold writes: Anthropic and the Pentagon will be in a California court this afternoon, as Anthropic seeks an injunction against the government's designation of the American AI company as a "supply chain risk" after it refused to back down in negotiations with the Pentagon over the use of AI in autonomous weapons and in mass surveillance. "Supply chain risk" is a designation that's only previously been used for companies connected to foreign adversaries.
>> Ahead of the hearing, the judge sent a list of questions to both parties that, for the most part, seemed directed towards the government. The judge appeared to question whether Hegseth followed proper protocol for the designation...
>> Anthropic claims the government's label — which they say could cost them billions in revenue — is illegal retaliation and violates the First Amendment...
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Today's new nonfiction releases |
PBS "NewsHour" anchor Geoff Bennett is out today with his debut book, "Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms." Bennett told me it "captures the totality of those iconic shows, their imprint on the culture, and a larger truth I've seen covering national politics: cultural change often proves more powerful, and certainly more durable, than policy."
I'm also excited to start reading "The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control," a new book by Jacob Siegel exploring how "the technological infrastructure built to make society safer and more rational has steadily replaced democratic freedoms with systems of digital control."
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Tonight: 'White With Fear' |
This Boston Globe headline tells the story: "A new PBS doc explores how politicians use race to make Americans 'White with Fear.'"
The film, written and directed by Andrew Goldberg, has its TV premiere tonight at 10 p.m. ET. It has been in the works for years; I know it because Goldberg taped an interview with me back in 2022. I talked with him about the "white fear industrial complex" — the web of politicians and media personalities who stoke fear of the "other" to advance their own agendas. Other interviewees include Steve Bannon (!) and ex-Fox correspondent Carl Cameron. If you catch the film, let me know what you think...
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The 'Linda from Arizona' effect |
Yesterday's newsletter led with the story of "Linda from Arizona." When Kaitlan Collins asked Trump whose idea it was to deploy ICE to airports, Trump said, "Mine. That was mine." But I'm with Clay Travis, who said on his radio show later in the day, "I don't think there's any doubt" that Linda's call to the show inspired Trump to take action.
By nightfall, Travis had procured an autographed Trump hat from the president. Trump wrote, "To Linda, love!"
>> I appreciated Travis's candor about this: "I try to say yes to every Fox News invite," he said on air. "I'm on Fox News almost every day. Because so many people inside of Republican politics watch Fox News, and if you have good ideas, you can help to direct the trajectory of decision-making." (Of course, some would dispute the word "good" in that sentence!)
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Bob Woodward announces memoir full of 'secrets' |
This morning, Simon & Schuster announced a forthcoming memoir by Bob Woodward. The book, titled "Secrets: A Reporter's Memoir," will come out on September 29.
>> "I never planned to write a memoir," Woodward told Axios' Mike Allen. "But I'm 83 years old on Thursday, and it was time to put some of my best reporting stories and details of my longest reporting relationships on paper."
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Meet the new Kennedy Center boss |
"The new director of the Kennedy Center is a young, well-liked facilities manager who most recently was 'in charge of HVAC and toilets' — as one former colleague put it — at the renowned performing arts institution," CNN's Sunlen Serfaty and Betsy Klein write in this new profile of Matt Floca.
>> One more link from Klein: "A consortium of the nation's top architectural and historic preservation groups" has filed a lawsuit to block the KenCen renovation...
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Buying time for local media |
CNN's Liam Reilly checked in with some of the most vulnerable NPR and PBS stations as the Public Media Bridge Fund races to offset local budgets gutted by last year's rescission. The philanthropic effort, famously supported by John Oliver and his Bob Ross painting auction, has helped stabilize dozens of rural outlets, but execs warn it's only buying time, with longer-term stability and local journalism itself still very much at risk. Read the full story here...
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>> Former CBS correspondent Scott MacFarlane's deal with MeidasTouch was the talk of many media types yesterday. Ted Johnson interviewed him about the arrangement. In short: MeidasTouch gets original reporting, MacFarlane gets distribution. (Deadline)
>> "Multiple staffers at The Ringer were laid off on Monday as Spotify reportedly cut 15 staffers from its podcast division," per Corbin Bolies. (TheWrap)
>> The Atlantic has struck "a first-of-its-kind, three-year partnership" with the luxury cruise line Seabourn, "which will bring its writers, editorial programming, and subscription access aboard Seabourn voyages starting this fall." (Adweek)
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One: The Supreme Court declined to hear citizen journalist Priscilla Villarreal's bid "to revive her lawsuit accusing authorities in the Texas city of Laredo of wrongful arrest after she asked for and obtained from police nonpublic information about cases." Justice Sonia Sotomayor wanted to take it up because, she said, by turning away the appeal, the court "leaves standing a clear attack on the First Amendment's role in protecting our democracy."
Two: The FCC "broke the law when it waived the 39% ownership cap that limits broadcasters to a certain share of the national market in order to approve Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, according to two new appeals," Law360's Nadia Dried reports. One of the challenges was filed by a coalition represented by Democracy Forward.
Three: A group of Democratic Senators has written to the FCC calling for "a full review" of foreign investments in the Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery deal, "which they say could influence editorial decisions at news outlets owned by the combined company," THR's Winston Cho reports.
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More of today's tech talk |
>> Someone "made nearly $1 million on Polymarket with remarkably accurate Iran bets," CNN's Marshall Cohen scoops. This mystery trader has a "93% 'win rate' for Iran bets over $10k since 2024, raising insider trading concerns." (CNN)
>> OpenAI "has hired Dave Dugan, a former top advertising executive at Meta Platforms, to lead ad sales as the AI startup works to strengthen its ties with major advertisers." (WSJ)
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