This week the Pentagon disinvited the military’s Star & Stripes publication from attending Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s press conference. That may seem like a minor matter as President Donald Trump and Hegseth have issued broad warnings to the U.S. media about what they characterize as “unpatriotic” coverage of the war in Iran. But it signals a turning point for the newspaper, which has been continuously reporting on military matters since World War II.
The move comes after the Pentagon issued a memo to Stars and Stripes in January outlining new restrictions on content in the newspaper, including a requirement to abide by “good order and discipline.” The newspaper is also expected to “modernize its operations” and “refocus its content away from woke distractions that siphon morale.”
“The Pentagon blackballed its own newspaper from covering its own press conference?” wrote Kevin Baron, a Stars & Stripes reporter. “Reminder, Stars & Stripes employees are US Army civilians. Their editorial independence is protected by Congress specifically to prevent political leaders from feeding troops propaganda.”
The censorship of Stars & Stripes follows the Pentagon’s October 2025 issuance of a new policy for all media. Credentialed outlets must agree to a policy that states reporters cannot gather or publish information from the Pentagon that is not specifically authorized, including declassified information and off-the-record conversations.
Most media outlets refused to sign the agreement, leading to ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, Fox News, the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and countless other outlets losing their Pentagon press credentials.
As media outlets continue to cover the escalating war in the Middle East, Hegseth has bemoaned much of the coverage as “fake news,” taking particular aim at CNN last week. “Fake news from CNN reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz,” he said during a press conference. “Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report. The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”
Hegseth is referring to the billionaire chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance’s buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, in a $111 billion deal. The deal has been the subject of lawsuits and controversy alleging Ellison’s father Larry Ellison, Oracle founder and one of the richest people in the world, and Trump had finessed the deal away from Netflix.
Even Fox News thinks the media is under fire, referencing Hegseth’s characterization of journalists as “unpatriotic” and “anti-Trump” as they ask questions about the war in Iran. Trump, meanwhile, praised FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s warning about media outlets “correcting course” on their war coverage.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” wrote Carr in a post on X. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
Meanwhile the families of U.S. military members killed in Iran have spoken out against claims from Hegseth that bereaved families urged him to “finish” the job in the Middle East. Hegseth told reporters yesterday that he had spoken with the families of all six service members killed in a refueling tanker crash last week.
“What I heard through tears, through hugs, through strength and through unbreakable resolve, was the same from family after family,” said Hegseth. “They said, ‘Finish this. Honor their sacrifice. Do not waver. Do not stop until the job is done.”
Charles Simmons, father of Ohio Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, who was killed in the crash, denied discussing that with Hegseth. “I can’t speak for the other families,” Simmons told NBC News. “When he spoke to me, that was not something we talked about. I didn’t say anything along those lines.”
Stephan Douglas, cousin of Tyler Simmons, one of the three Ohioans killed in the crash, said the conflict was unnecessary in a weekend interview with Columbus news station WCMH. “This could have been prevented,” said Douglas. “We didn’t need to be in this war. This is uncalled for, and this is what we get.”
“Families are suffering right now,” said Bernice Smith, Simmons’ grandmother. “Just to create a war because you want to create a war is not right.”
Liked how the writer used real examples instead of theoretical ones to make the points stick, and a stop at sgeff0 added even more concrete examples, this is the kind of practical approach that respects readers who actually want to apply what they learn rather than just nodding along passively without doing anything useful.
Let me give it to you straight — renting a decent car in Miami is way harder than it should be. Then you actually show up to get the keys. Plus they put a $5000 hold on your card and say “don’t worry about it”. Nineteen years in South Florida and these tricks still surprise me. When you’re hunting for a legit luxury car rental miami. anyone who’s taken the bus here knows what I mean. leather seats that won’t melt your skin in August. most are shiny garbage with fake five-star reviews. no games, no switch, no hidden fees. prices change daily so check it out:
luxury car hire luxury car hire also bring quality shades unless you like driving into the sun. Anyway glad there’s at least one straight shooter left.
I came here looking for a quick answer and ended up reading the whole post because it was actually interesting, and after visiontrajectory I had a much fuller picture, no stress and no confusion just a clear walk through the topic that made everything fall into place without much effort.
Вот уже несколько недель мучаюсь с этим вопросом — какой сервис выбрать для международных транзакций. Эксперты рекомендуют вот этот материал: оплата за границу через агента оплата за границу через агента Суть в том, — комиссии могут сильно отличаться. Да и сами понимаете такая транзакция — это всегда стресс. Обратите внимание — прежде чем платить сравните условия. В противном случае легко остаться в минусе. Как по мне — стоит разобраться заранее.
Честно, задолбался искать нормальный вариант — где условия адекватные, а не грабёж для платежей за рубежом. В одном обсуждении попался дельный совет: трансграничные платежи в условиях санкций трансграничные платежи в условиях санкций Суть вот в чём — банковские комиссии могут быть грабительскими. Потому что любой очередной международный перевод — это постоянный риск переплатить. Обратите внимание, многие не в курсе — перед финальным подтверждением сравните эффективный курс. В противном случае легко потерять приличную сумму. Короче — не ленитесь проверять информацию перед любой отправкой.
Skipped the social share buttons but might come back to actually use one later, and a stop at pujckapropodnikatele extended that share urge, content that triggers genuine sharing impulses rather than performative ones is content that has actually moved me and not many posts in a typical week do that for me actually.