Lolita Baldor

@RealestMercury @SeanParnellASW @DeptofWar @SecWar Journalist have ALWAYS undergone a background check in order to get a badge. And that check is renewed every year when the badge is renewed.

@SeanParnellASW @DeptofWar Easy solution. Require every "journalist" entering the Pentagon to pass an FBI background check and at least a screened FS-86. SCOTUS can't do a damn thing about that. Call it a wartime NatSec policy if you will @SecWar

On March 20, 2026, a U.S. District Court judge vacated key security provisions of the Pentagon's October 2025 media access policy. The court removed every provision that allowed the Department to screen press credential holders for security risks and every provision that allowed the Department to deny, revoke, or suspend a press credential based on security considerations — while simultaneously ordering the Department to immediately reinstate press credentials for the New York Times. The Department always complies with court orders but disagrees with the decision and is pursuing an appeal. In the interim, and in compliance with the court's order, I have signed the revised "Pentagon Reservation In-Brief for Media Members," effective immediately. Here is what the revised policy does: Closure of Correspondents' Corridor. In assessing the Department's security posture following the court's removal of all security screening authority, the Department determined that unescorted access to the Pentagon cannot be responsibly maintained without the ability to screen credential holders for security risks. Effective immediately, the Correspondents' Corridor is closed. A new and improved press workspace will be established in an annex facility outside the Pentagon, but still on Pentagon grounds, and will be available when ready. Escorted Access Only. All journalist access to the Pentagon will require escort by authorized Department personnel. Credential holders will continue to have access to the Pentagon for scheduled press briefings, press conferences, and interviews arranged through public affairs offices. The Department remains committed to transparency and to working with credentialed journalists who cover the Department and the U.S. military. The Department is equally committed to the security of the Pentagon and the protection of the men and women who work there. The revised policy reflects both commitments.

Hegseth, during a presser on Iran, goes off topic and says the sooner David Ellison takes over CNN the better. He rails against the press for not reporting positively on the U.S. war against Iran.

John Kirby: Hegseth taking 8+ minutes to address fallen service members ... youtu.be/tlk7oeWcxJc?si… via @YouTube

A Reuters visual investigation raises questions about how the U.S. military could have missed a documented, yearslong online presence for the girls school that was bombed in Iran. This includes dozens of photos of the children and their activities. The U.S. investigation is still ongoing.

Not that anybody cares at this point, but "no quarter" is basically a textbook violation of the law of armed conflict. I know (or at least I hope) he's using this metaphorically, but what a horrible look for an American SECDEF.

@JenGriffinFNC -- Always a true pro who speaks the truth.

@ScottNover Listen up Mr. Defense Secretary. CNN has had personnel in combat zones for decades. CNN has had killed and wounded and all with lives changed forever. You have a legal and moral obligation to defend the free press, even the ones you don’t personally like.

Who does this help? How does this advance the war's aims -- or clarify what the aims are? A SECDEF focused on headlines isn't focused on leading DoD. I can't imagine either of the SECDEFs I worked for thinking a headline was among the top 100 things they had to worry about.

U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth during today’s briefing at the Pentagon.

@alexbward This is extremely important to note because many of Hegseth’s actions and statements now appear to be trying to change the very moral fiber of the US military, at least when it suits him.

Hegseth bars photogs cause he doesn’t like the way he looks!!! Perhaps spend more time protecting American troops from being killed or wounded. Perhaps spend more time actually working to minimize civilian casualties. Can anyone even fathom any SecDef thinking about his own vanity in wartime.

Exclusive: The Defense Department has barred photojournalists from briefings on the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran after they published photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that his staff deemed “unflattering,” according to two people familiar. wapo.st/4bBjNkd

"Gen. Caine hand-delivered memos to Hegseth and the Pentagon’s policy chief Elbridge Colby outlining his disagreements over the new National Defense Strategy that Colby’s office had drafted, one of the sources said. Among Caine’s concerns with the document, which prioritizes homeland defense and the western hemisphere, was that it underplayed the threat posed by China and the US military’s need to prepare for a potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific" cnn.com/2026/02/25/pol…

Mini-scoop! U.S. Vice Admiral Fred Kacher removed from position as director of the Joint Staff after only taking the post in December, two sources tell @ErinBanco and me. One source says Kacher was 'returned to service' because he wasn't the right fit for the job.

A woman who has accused both Trump and Epstein of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor decades earlier gave four interviews to the FBI. Summaries of three of those interviews were not released with the Epstein files. @ByMikeBaker @migold nytimes.com/2026/02/25/us/…

Judge blocks Trump DOJ from reviewing Washington Post reporter's seized data nbcnews.com/politics/justi…

Complaint accuses Gabbard of playing politics with intelligence, which spy agency rejects apnews.com/article/gabbar…

@yjtorbati I’m so so very sorry to hear this! They are losing an amazing reporter. I am sure you’ll land on your feet - media outlets desperately need people with your talent and expertise.

I'm heartbroken to announce that I've been laid off from my position at The Washington Post. Working at this newspaper, and especially being a foreign correspondent covering Iran and Turkey over the last few short months, was a dream come true for me.

NEW - The Trump administration is pressing Mexico to allow Special Operations commandos or C.I.A. officers to fight drug cartels in Mexico w/@Abihabib, @julianbarnes , @tylerpager nytimes.com/2026/01/15/wor…

Pete Hegseth is coming after what I earned through my twenty-five years of military service, in violation of my rights as an American, as a retired veteran, and as a United States Senator whose job is to hold him—and this or any administration—accountable. His unconstitutional crusade against me sends a chilling message to every retired member of the military: if you speak out and say something that the President or Secretary of Defense doesn’t like, you will be censured, threatened with demotion, or even prosecuted. Every servicemember knows military rank is earned, not given. It's earned through the risks you take, the sacrifices you and your family make, the leadership you display, and the respect you earn from the superiors who recommend you for promotion. From the moment I drove through the gates of Naval Air Station Pensacola, to when I was shot at over Iraq and Kuwait, to when I landed Space Shuttle Endeavour on its last mission, I gave everything I had to this country and I earned my rank of Captain, United States Navy. Now, Pete Hegseth wants our longest-serving military veterans to live with the constant threat that they could be deprived of their rank and pay years or even decades after they leave the military just because he or another Secretary of Defense doesn’t like what they’ve said. That’s not the way things work in the United States of America, and I won’t stand for it. In 1986, at just 22 years old, I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. I have fulfilled that oath every day since, but I never expected that I would have to defend it against a Secretary of Defense or President. But I’ve never shied away from a fight for our country, and I won’t shy away from this one. Because our freedom of speech, the separation of powers, and due process are not just words on a page, they are bedrock principles of our democracy that has lasted 250 years and will last 250 more as long as patriotic Americans are willing to stand up for our rights. So today, I filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of Defense because there are few things as important as standing up for the rights of the very Americans who fought to defend our freedoms.