Trump's ban on journalists covering the White House

Sarah Kendzior writes (Gutting the Fourth Estate: The US media were willing cogs in Trump’s machine. Now he’s tearing it down. Sep 23, 2026):

Trump’s first term has been memory-holed. His dirty deeds are treated as discrete acts instead of as a continuum of crime with recurring players. His prior decades of illicit activity have vanished from the public domain: because there is no public domain.

The public domain was purchased and destroyed by oligarchs: purchased to be destroyed. The Thiel example I gave in 2016 was a preview. Musk bought and transmogrified Twitter. Google replaced its search engine with AI. Other outlets, unable to profit off paywalls, sold themselves to plutocrats who erased their archives.

This week, Trump banned CNN, MSNow, and Politico from the White House. The outlets that long acted as Trump’s friend... Trump has long attacked media who support him, creating a mirage of dissent to cloak the reality of compliance. ... This corrupt synergy is one reason Americans stopped watching.

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The real attack is not on these outlets, but on the First Amendment itself.

In 2016, Trump’s goal was to control the media. In 2026, it is to destroy the media. He recognizes it as a depreciated asset. Trump is a corporate raider doing what corporate raiders do. He seeks to destroy the media much as he seeks to destroy the US itself.

Trump has been honest about his goals, stating in 2014 that he sought to destroy the US and then employing the playbook of Project 2025 to do it."

* * *

“Access journalism” is not about the journalist having access to the regime, but the regime having longtime access to the journalist. It is a common prerequisite in mafia states.

* * *

...the ban is wrong on principle, even when the banned lack principles — and because the goal is to supplant everyone with hallucinating robots.

A failed journalist is a human being. One can critique their coverage and parse their propaganda. The goal of a technofascist regime is to replace reporting with sycophancy and silence. The only guaranteed way to do that is to eliminate people.

Banning reporters is wrong. It doesn’t matter which reporters. I don’t care who you are. Let me repeat: I don’t care who you are. No one does anymore. Hallowed halls turned hollow as media institutions were gutted of the bravery that made them real. There is little to admire. But there is something to protect: the potential for change.

A. R. Moxon writes (Thank You For Your Support: Sep 26, 2026):

Most of our legacy media services—print, web, video, cable, what have you—have been bought up by billionaires, and most of the billionaires are becoming more and more open about putting their old thumbs on the old scales, so to speak, to promote their billionaire agenda. Jeff Bezos has the Washington Post. Larry Ellison now owns TikTok. Elon Musk has Twitter. Somebody or other has Newsweek, somebody else or other has TIME. Maybe they're the same somebody. They've hired opinion writers and talking heads who exist only to launder the most retrograde opinions and abject moral complacency into common currency. You've got spectacle of degradation such as centrist-posing right wing troll Bari Weiss running CBS as a far-right conspiracy mill, spiking stories critical of the current fascist regime, and hiring the likes of longtime consent manufacturer Ross "Don't" Douthat as a featured correspondent on the once-respected journalism magazine show 60 Minutes. The billionaire idea doesn't seem so much to get people to believe in the lies their mouthpieces pass into common currency (though they'd be well pleased if people did believe them and a lot of people do) so much as to convince people there's no such thing as truth, or that it's no longer worth the work of trying to figure out the difference.

Plus, Moxon continues:

They've got these machines, the billionaires, word-guessing machines that have sucked up the sum total of human creativity and now are able to output simulacrums of human creativity that are good enough to fool less discerning sensibilities, able to convince people that they too can be creative without engaging in the work of creativity and the craft of creation that makes creativity worthwhile in the first place; to fool people who want to be fooled, that the outputs of the guessing machines are the results of their own work rather than just a flat-soda counterfeit of what others have done.

These days authors are losing big contracts for suspicions of using AI. Are they using AI? Who can say? Maybe so. Some authors surely are. But corporations use AI for anything and everything, and it's not a scandal when they do it. It's almost as if the plagiarism isn't making machines that issue outputs based on everyone else's work, but when anyone else writes something that seems to be aping the style of the plagiarism machine. Isn't that interesting?

Also this performance: 'You Cannot Be Asking Me That!': Trump’s AG Goes Nuclear On Live TV Over Press Ban: Todd Blanche claimed Trump never “denied access” to the outlets during the heated exchange. Jazmin Tolliver, HuffPost, Sep 27, 2026

Now this:

...Paramount and Warner Bros. overcame the key hurdle to closing their deal, when California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 Democratic state attorneys general dropped their opposition... It isn’t quite done, the judge hasn’t agreed to approve the consent decree, and there are amicus briefs and a well-received letter from Senator Cory Booker that the judge will hear arguments about. But it’s hard to imagine this one being paused for legal reasons.

It’s easy to see this merger fight as a catastrophic loss, which it is. It will combine two of the five major movie studios, CNN and CBS, and major streaming platforms under the control of a highly politically connected owner of Oracle and TikTok. Iconic TV writer Mike Schur basically said it’s game over for Hollywood, and the American news media will likely become more corrupt, feckless, and aligned with capital.

But the merger challenge is also more than that, and it has implications beyond the castle walls of media, as important as those are. This fight was a battle between coalitions, and in some ways, it is a prelude to more of that fight in this election cycle and beyond.

David Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, wasn’t alone in his empire-building ambitions. It takes a village to centralize media. Wall Street was fully on board, as was the defense bar. In August, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that the state challenge to the Paramount-Warner merger has the potential to “deeply damage our capital markets, our dynamic system.” Donald Trump pushed the deal, but so did Democrat Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel. So did Tom Cruise. So did the Director’s Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. So did California Governor Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Karen Bass, incoming Governor Xavier Becerra, and much of the state legislature.

The other group were populists on the left, the anti-monopoly world, artists, the Writer’s Guild of America East and West, and the public itself.

Monopoly Round-Up: Paramount-WB Isn't Just a Loss, It's a Prelude The unorthodox development isn’t that politicians caved; it’s that people noticed it. Plus, bond yields go nuts, and Trump and Xi meet to hash out China-U.S. relations. Matt Stoller and Lee Hepner. BIG by Matt Stoller, Sept 28, 2026

Trump keeps demonstrating that his press ban has nothing to do with the administration’s stated "national security" pretext. www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump...

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— Matthew Gertz (@mattgertz.bsky.social) September 28, 2026 at 12:24 PM

‘Brazen Attempt to Try to Intimidate Journalists’: Trump DOJ Launches Antitrust Probe Into News Networks: “The investigation is nonsense,” said one press freedom advocate. “Trump may view the presidency as a business venture, but news outlets’ standing up for their constitutional rights has nothing to do with antitrust law.” Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, Oct 11, 2026

October 20, 2026: The NYT reports that "President Trump has talked about replacing the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with an indoor swimming pool."

Bari Weiss as CBS president

CBS News boss Wendy McMahon exits amid Trump pressure, Brian Stelter, CNN, May 19, 2025

Denny Carter says:

"The Trump regime announced today that it would dispatch a “truth arbiter” who will monitor all CBS coverage to ensure the network does not criticize the regime’s fascist agenda or broadcast stories that might conflict with the push to unravel democratic self governance in the United States. It’s a sickening turn in our drift toward all-out authoritarianism – I’m begging corporate leaders to read one fucking book – and it’s one born out of the right’s bad faith, like every other major accomplishment their movement has secured in its slow-motion coup." ("The Media Bias Wars Are Over," Bad Faith Times, Aug 8, 2025)

As someone said in a deleted Bluesky post: "...at some point you bend the knee so far that you are just kneeling..."

Kennedy Center Board President weighs in on CBS controversy

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— I. B. Cole (@ibc.bsky.social) December 22, 2025 at 10:53 AM

Stephen Miller is Bari Weiss's boss? "White House official Stephen Miller on Tuesday had an extreme response to what he called a “revolt” at CBS: “Fire” everyone who objected to CBS News boss Bari Weiss yanking a “60 Minutes” segment at the last minute." (HuffPost)

Bari Weiss Is Doing Exactly What She Was Installed at CBS to Do: By pulling a “60 Minutes” segment, the new editor-in-chief is torching the network’s credibility to protect the Ellison family’s interests. Adam Johnson, December 22 2025

This is quite a read about the BW attack on 60 Minutes. I'm glad it also highlights the incredibly solid reporting in the piece, a fact that has been largely overlooked in this red hot debate about Weiss' actions. Yes, what Sharyn Alfonsi & her team did here is journalism. Damn good journalism.

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— @NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) (@newsjennifer.bsky.social) December 31, 2025 at 11:52 AM

Dan D'Addario’s take on the new CBS Evening News is unflinchingly and deservedly brutal. “… a Weissian willingness to bulldoze past that which might seem too untidy for whatever hypothetical viewer he and his editor have in mind.” Good on him and Variety. variety.com/2026/tv/colu...

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— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) January 6, 2026 at 12:06 AM

Read more: David Letterman Wrecks 'Idiots' At CBS News Over Rightward Shift The former "Late Show" host ripped the leadership at his old network's news division. Ben Blanchet, HuffPost, Jan 10, 2026

Sources: Bari Weiss has privately been deeply frustrated by the negative reaction to her CBS tenure and has blamed subordinates for not stanching the criticism (New York Times) Main Link | Mediagazer Permalink

— Mediagazer (@mediagazer.com) January 13, 2026 at 7:50 AM

Tuesday morning: New CBS boss promises “huge emphasis on scoops.” Tuesday evening: CBS Evening News anchor interviews his mom. www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...

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— Bill Grueskin (@bgrueskin.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 9:33 AM

"The White House threatened to take legal action against CBS following anchor Tony Dokoupil's recent interview with the president if their discussion didn't air in full.

"He said, 'If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off,'" Leavitt told Dokoupil, according to The New York Times.

Trump had also told Dokoupil he owes his job to him during the interview."

— HuffPost, Jan 26, 2026

this email offers no details about what the actual offer is and you have to opt in before you find out lol

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— Joshua Erlich (@joshuaerlich.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 7:06 PM

Simply incredible

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— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) February 2, 2026 at 7:43 PM

I'm not saying CBS News is now a pedophile protection racket, just that it wouldn't be doing much differently if it weren't

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— Subscribe to Radio Free America (link in bio) (@kleinman.bsky.social) February 2, 2026 at 9:16 PM

The party against cancel culture loves canceling everyone. deadline.com/2026/02/step...

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— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) February 17, 2026 at 2:46 AM

The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?

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— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) February 26, 2026 at 6:40 PM

This is very bad. Handing CNN to Bari Weiss/David Ellison is very, very bad.

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— Parker Molloy (@parkermolloy.com) February 26, 2026 at 6:07 PM

@semafor.com is such a perfect example of softball brunchlord media and the feckless way it normalizes and downplays radical censorial authoritarians reading this you'd barely be aware that Carr is a free speech trampling extremist (who in his free time guts telecom and media consumer protections)

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— Karl Bode (@karlbode.com) February 26, 2026 at 1:17 PM

March 20, 2026: Layoffs at CBS!

March 20, 2026: CBS News Radio Is Shutting Down After Nearly 100 Years Of Operation, Marita Vlachou

Six months into Bari Weiss’ overhaul of CBS News, new ratings data obtained by Status shows its flagship programs are shedding viewers at an alarming rate, collapsing to historic lows and accelerating the network’s decline. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/cbs-news-r...

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— Status (@status.news) March 24, 2026 at 9:39 PM

David Ellison says 70% of Americans are centrist. Surveys tell a different story: Paramount Skydance CEO has repeatedly cited the statistic when laying out the approach that CBS News and potentially CNN would take, Jeremy Barr, Guardian, 6 Apr 2026

CBS News Streaming Staffers To Walk Out Tuesday

Bari Weiss Dialogue, February 17, 2021

Paramount Officially Acquiring The Free Press and Making Bari Weiss CBS News Editor in Chief: Report, Sarah Rumpf, Mediaite, Oct 2, 2025

CBS settling

CBS News Producer Warns ‘Shifting Set of Ideological Expectations’ In Bombshell Farewell Note: Alicia Hastey wrote that the network’s changes pressure “producers and reporters to self-censor.” Pocharapon Neammanee, HuffPost, Feb 12, 2026

60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley accuses Bari Weiss of ‘murdering’ show: Pelley reportedly rebuked CBS ousting show’s executive producer, executive editor and two top correspondents. Jeremy Barr in Washington, Guardian, 1 Jun 2026

oh no what a terrible and completely unforeseeable thing to happen to one of the leading intellectual lights of her generation

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— Anjali Dayal (@anjalikdayal.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 2:14 PM

1. This is an extremely satisfying read. 2. Pelley is going to be replaced by someone who is at least willing to attest that everything Weiss is doing is great. www.status.news/p/scott-pell...

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— Matthew Gertz (@mattgertz.bsky.social) June 1, 2026 at 12:22 PM

Trump’s War On The Free Press Reaches A Terrifying New Milestone We’re watching a journalistic institution crumble in real time — revealing the chilling cost of the president’s war on media. HuffPost Editors Jun 2, 2026

Scott Pelley fired by CBS after ‘60 Minutes’ clash with management Brian Stelter, CNN, June 2, 2026

What's happening to CBS News is what the tech oligarchs call "parallel" strategy. Buy an existing institution, gut it, and convert it into a right-wing zombie version of itself. They are doing this to media, government, education, biotech, defense tech, etc. Some call it the "Network State."

— Gil Durán (@gilduran.com) June 2, 2026 at 9:24 PM

she did warn us

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— ryan cooper (@ryanlcooper.com) September 11, 2025 at 11:31 AM

Experience, Knowledge, and Talent Need Not Apply Trump suck-ups are poisoning America — not just inside the U.S. government Robert Reich, Jun 08, 2026

Veteran '60 Minutes' Star Has 'A Feeling' About Bari Weiss' Future — And She Won't Like It "I hope it’s going to come to an end, but I don’t have a great deal of confidence in Bari Weiss to do what she says that she’s going to do,” the "60 Minute" veteran said of the recent turmoil. Pocharapon Neammanee, HuffPost, Jun 12, 2026

Warner on CBS: I was embarrassed that the president went before our country and networks like yours carried this as news as opposed to a rehash of falsehoods. It is incumbent upon you and any responsible journalist to pushback on this.

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) July 16, 2026 at 9:04 PM

CBS claimed “thousands” of 9/11 families wanted Zohran Mamdani banned from the anniversary ceremony. Then a journalist demanded the evidence—and the network quietly rewrote its story. #ZohranMamdani #CBSNews #MediaAccountability

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— Moments to Remember | News (@moments2remember.link) July 28, 2026 at 2:56 PM

Shocked not shocked that Bari Weiss hired yet another right wing opinion writer with no actual news reporting experience. That's her jam. However, I am shocked that Ross is only 46. Wow.

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— @NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) (@newsjennifer.bsky.social) July 28, 2026 at 4:15 PM

While Douthat is a leading authoritarian thinker (he praised Orban for seeking to destroy higher education in Hungary), he -- like Bari Weiss -- is not a journalist.

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— davidrlurie (@davidrlurie.com) July 28, 2026 at 4:34 PM

Had Bari Weiss been hired by CBS-Paramount to secretly run a "Producers" scam and destroy all of "60 Minutes"'s value as quickly as possible it's difficult to imagine what should would've done differently.

— Ken Tremendous (@kentremendous.bsky.social) July 28, 2026 at 4:37 PM

It's fun watch Bari Weiss grasping her way to figuring out what journalism is through her hires at 60 Minutes. Is it when you ask a prominent person a question and nod? Is it when you make sure that something Benny Johnson said on Twitter makes it into a reported story despite it not being true?

— David_j_roth (@davidjroth.bsky.social) July 28, 2026 at 4:02 PM

CBS and Bari Weiss may have created their own biggest competitor. Reports say journalists fired from 60 Minutes are planning to reunite with former exec. producer Bill Owens working bring on Scott Pelley, and other former correspondents/producers. This is how you do it.

— Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 8:53 AM

Bari Weiss’s “60 Minutes” Hires Producer Who Downplayed Gaza Starvation, Justified Killing Journalists: The latest CBS News hire shows that the way to get ahead in journalism is to act as a tool for the powerful. Adam Johnson, The Intercept, August 4 2026

Parker Molloy, Straight Down the Middle, August 6, 2026

I'm not in the habit of suggesting people avoid watching (or reading) the news but it's impossible to trust the new 60 Minutes given everything we've seen happen at CBS over the past year. My latest: jenniferschulze.substack.com/p/dont-watch...

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— @NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) (@newsjennifer.bsky.social) September 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM

A self-deprecating joke cannot implicitly be about your perceived persecutors, or it will fail on the grounds of being humorous. See also: every evangelical pastor. Maybe: "It's great to be here. I needed a short break from destroying 60 Minutes." This not particularly good joke would get a laugh!

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— Emily St. James (@emilystjams.bsky.social) September 24, 2026 at 4:54 PM

Bari Weiss's CBS News rocked by explosive leak of firing threat A senior CBS News editor can be heard threatening journalists that defying management could get them fired in newly released audio from a heated staff meeting, exposing an internal fight over the network's coverage of Israel and Gaza.Sh

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— The Fighting Liberal Texan🌈🌊💙🦋Congress Switchboard 202-224-3121 (@fightingliberal.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 11:54 AM

Exclusive: Hear Bari Weiss' handpicked foreign editor warn CBS News journalists that "insubordination" is "legal grounds for firing." Watch the full episode of Power Lines on YouTube: youtu.be/RcDzn1QP_G4

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— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:23 AM

News just broke that Elon Musk made a $1 billion investment in the Ellison family's Skydance, which owns CBS and CNN. Anoher step toward right-wing "media capture," as I wrote about recently in my Stop the Presses newsletter.

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— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 12:17 PM

A $1bn to make sure that "Musk" the documentary won't be broadcast on any Skydance outlets. www.semafor.com/article/10/2...

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— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) October 22, 2026 at 3:34 PM

Signalgate!

The job of Democrats is so clear right now: It's to do everything possible in the next 48 hours to keep the Atlantic story front-burner and make people understand the issues and the stakes. It couldn't be a simpler test of who gets it and who doesn't.

— Mark Harris (@markharris.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 10:59 PM

there are like three overlapping scandals with signalgate — illegal distribution of sensitive government materials by top members of the administration, illegal attempt to circumvent records laws and possible unlawful use of military force — and democrats should be screaming about them all

— jamelle (@jamellebouie.net) March 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM

"US airstrikes hit Yemen cancer hospital again as bombing campaign escalates" Liberals are more upset about the platform used to discuss war crimes than the actual war crimes themselves. The discourse has been disgusting, with very little regard to the violence Yemenis are facing.

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— RootsAction (@rootsaction.org) March 26, 2025 at 11:37 AM

massively depressing that the big scandal is that the shithead guy from the atlantic got texted accidentally and not the part where they're raining more death on yemen

— mattie lubchansky (@mattielubchansky.com) March 25, 2025 at 8:05 AM

The chat group, national security breach is not a Washington story. It is GLOBAL. Right now, UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard is in Parliament being grilled by MPs on what military & security operational details are shared with the United States. Trust in the US has been shredded.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 7:06 AM

There's a lot that's alarming in the Trump Team Texts™ but the repeated suggestions that the president was out of the loop on basic facts and unclear about his orders -- and that his underlings were making the decisions for him -- really stands out. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

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— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 8:57 AM

yup and Politico runs the story as, "How secure is Signal.” My guess is they are sliding to say the app was legitimate. It’s freaking laughable.

— usaf1976.bsky.social (@usaf1976.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 8:42 AM

Also, insane as it is, the deeper problem is not *this specific incident*. It’s that the entire top tier of national security officials are routinely violating the most basic protocols for dealing with the most sensitive information in multiple ways.

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— Julian Sanchez (@normative.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 9:05 AM

A reporter got looped into a top secret discussion *by accident*. Do you seriously think sophisticated foreign intelligence services *who are actually trying* don’t have a way in when they’re this sloppy?

— Julian Sanchez (@normative.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 9:07 AM

We know Russia developed at least one successful exploit against Signal recently. You’ve got 17 extremely high value targets in a groupchat, probably on personal devices. Only one of those endpoints needs to be compromised. www.firstpost.com/world/russia...

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— Julian Sanchez (@normative.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 9:13 AM

Jeffrey Goldberg thinking he was being pranked and then realizing he was actually just in the war plans group chat is such a good microcosm of how it feels to be alive right now, everything seems fake until you realize it’s actually real and incredibly stupid

— Yell In a War (@jelenawoehr.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 5:03 PM

I really do love the libs going 'actually Goldberg is a great reporter and The Atlantic is a noble rag we must support'. Gee guys do you think he got on the fascist group chat because he's friends with them and agrees with them, maybe?

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— Liz, like a lizard 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@queerthing.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 1:32 PM

I'm not saying anything novel here but it really is just truly despicable to watch them use THEIR OWN COLOSSAL SCREW UP to slander the reporter THEY INCLUDED ON THEIR CLASSIFIED GROUP CHAT

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— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM

Goldberg could be prosecuted, says Asha Rangappa, because "the Espionage Act makes no mention of “classified” information. It’s national defense information (NDI) which could cause harm to the U.S. if disclosed. Which it clearly was in this case, regardless of classification." Of course, "3 of the highest-ranking national security officials publicly stated none of it was officially classified," as someone else pointed out in a reply, which makes it a hard case to win.

Dan Crenshaw dismisses Hegseth texting war plans to a Signal group that included a journalist: "We gotta move on. If Secretary Hegseth says there was no classified information, I'll take him at his word."

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 25, 2025 at 9:15 AM

‘Huge Screwup’: Republicans Give Group Chat Breach A Thumbs Down Emoji: "You got to know who you're sending your text to," one Republican advised after Pete Hegseth accidentally leaked classified information to a reporter. Igor Bobic, HuffPost, Mar 24, 2025

Atlantic Editor Names The 1 Thing He Struggled To Explain In Bombshell Group Chat Report: Jeffrey Goldberg reflected on the "most improbable" part of his reporting after he was inadvertently added to a group chat where Trump officials discussed war plans. Ben Blanchet, HuffPost, Mar 24, 2025

Dems Aghast After Trump Brass Accidentally Texted War Plans To Reporter: "Only one word for this: FUBAR," said Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.)., Ryan Grenoble, HuffPost, Mar 24, 2025

Warning over privacy of encrypted messages as Russia targets Signal Messenger: Russia is using phishing attacks to compromise encrypted Signal Messenger services used by targets in the Ukraine. Experts warn that other encrypted app users are at risk. Bill Goodwin, Computer Weekly, 19 Feb 2025

Hillary Clinton Responds To Trump's Admin Using Signal To Discuss War Plans: Trump's administration included a journalist on a group text that discussed national security matters. Paige Skinner, HuffPost, Mar 24, 2025

Key things to know about the Senate hearing where top intel officials were grilled on group chat fallout. From CNN's Michael Williams, Hannah Rabinowitz, Ted Barrett, Alison Main Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer and Antoinette Radford. March 25, 2025

Reporter’s inclusion in Signal group chat was "of course not" appropriate, CIA director says. From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Michael Williams, March 25, 2025

Mike Johnson Downplays Group Chat Leaks As 'Officials Doing Their Job,' Gets Torched On X. The House speaker told reporters Monday that Trump officials were merely "executing on a plan with precision," despite their messages going public. Marco Margaritoff, HuffPost, Mar 25, 2025

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— Daniel Harder 🇺🇦 (@danielharder.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 7:33 PM

I haven't. Because I have anxiety. I check my emails like 14 times. GTFOH carrying water for these fools.

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— Cheryl Lynn Eaton (@cheryllynneaton.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM

Sen. Mark Warner: "Putting aside for a moment that classified information should never be discussed over an unclassified system, it's also just mind boggling to me that all these senior folks were on this line, and nobody bothered even check." "Security hygiene 101: Who are all the names?"

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM

They were intentionally using Signal to avoid accountability for the discussion. If by chance any of them thought they were on Signal for other reasons, and they realized the discussion was not appropriate for Signal, they should have bowed out.

I’m old enough to remember when Secretary Hegseth tried to publicly mock Judge Reyes—suggesting that she didn’t know what she was doing when it comes to protecting our national security. It was … two days ago.

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— Steve Vladeck (@stevevladeck.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM

JUST IN: American Oversight is suing Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe et al, saying their messaging via Signal is a violation of the Federal Records Act. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney.bsky.social) March 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM

Yesterday, Gabbard testified: “There was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat.” So the Director of National Intelligence lied to the US Senate.

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— Katie Phang (@katiephang.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM

If this isn’t classified, it should be, and regardless, there is no way in hell it should have been discussed during a Signal chat. Trying to place the blame on Goldberg and the Atlantic and LIE about what was in the chat won’t change the facts.

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— HawaiiDelilah™ 🌊 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@hawaiidelilah.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:16 PM

Hegseth should be done for. "The information ... Hegseth disclosed in the Signal chat of top Trump national security officials was HIGHLY CLASSIFIED at the time he wrote it ... according to a US defense official familiar with the operation and another source who was briefed on it afterward."

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— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:07 PM

Why were senior Trump administration officials using Signal in foreign countries to communicate about sensitive national security matters? We need answers and accountability. Urgently.

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— Sen. Adam Schiff (@schiff.senate.gov) March 26, 2025 at 2:26 PM

The Trump administration claimed their actions deporting immigrants to El Salvador was a state secret Even though they posted videos of it to social media But their “Houthi small group” Signal chat, which includes-in advance-times, weapons and information about the target Somehow it WASN’T secret

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— Adam Cohen (@axidentaliberal.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:19 PM

Let’s make something clear: The Trump cabinet’s shocking leak of its plans to bomb Yemen raises myriad confidentiality and legal issues. The security of the encrypted messaging app Signal is not one of them.

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— WIRED (@wired.com) March 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM

Circling back to this. This is the Joe Kent who was on the Signal group chat. He’s a Gabbard confidant and Trump’s nominee to lead the NCTC. He thinks the FBI did January 6th.

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— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:01 PM

SCOOP: A House Democrat's long-shot bill to criminalize the sharing of classified information through unsecured messaging systems like Signal will be called the "HOUTHI PC SMALL GROUP Act"

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— Axios (@axios.com) March 26, 2025 at 2:18 PM

NEW: Rubio asked if the information on the group chat was classified. RUBIO: “Well, the Pentagon says it was not.” Hegseth is the fall guy isn’t he? He’s career kryptonite to the rest. There’s a Signal group somewhere called “Pete Takes The Heat small group” Everyone’s on it. Except Pete.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM

"Obviously someone made a mistake, someone made a big mistake." Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the Signal group chat leak of military plans. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

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— MSNBC (@msnbc.com) March 26, 2025 at 2:11 PM

Government officials often work in the ‘high side’ — a classified system, and the ‘low side’ — an unclassified government system. The entire Signal conversation took place in neither the ‘high side’ nor the ‘low side,’ but in a publicly available messaging app. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

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— Stephanie Kennedy (@wordswithsteph.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 1:47 PM

WELKER: Do you believe that Ratcliffe and Gabbard were truthful when they testified before your committee? BENNET: No. I think they lied repeatedly to our committee and to the House committee.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 30, 2025 at 9:34 AM

Every single Democratic lawmaker should be calling for Hegseth's immediate resignation right now. Not just some. Not just a few dozen. Every single one, starting at the top with Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries. And the fact that it hasn't happened yet is nearly as shocking as Hegseth's conduct.

— Charlotte Clymer (@charlotteclymer.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 10:14 PM

I mean very obviously Hegseth should resign, and if it were a Democratic administration this would be quickly be a consensus position.

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM

Collins: Do you think someone should be fired over this? Buttigieg: Absolutely… if there’s not accountability for a screw up like this, especially from a president who used to fire people on television for sport, what are we even doing here..

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:46 PM

That’s not a concern, now that we’ve spurned all our allies.

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM

Goldberg said the level of detail in the targeting package that he received via Signal was down to the *names of individuals* to be killed. That’s the good stuff that includes all kinds of sources and methods and never should have been outside a SCIF. I’d be in prison if I fucked up that bad.

— Angry (@angrystaffer.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM

the scandal is not that goldberg was added to the chat. that's just a dumbfuck being a dumbfuck, and sure, fire Waltz. the scandal is that a national security conversation is on a cellphone groupchat. and since no one commented on it, presumably it's a regular occurrence.

— David M. Perry (@lollardfish.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM

Seems extremely obvious that the "none of it was classified" line is 100 percent about covering their asses and 0 percent about the actual dissemination of attack plans on a third-party app with an unverified distribution list. The 2025 variant of "it's not illegal if we say it wasn't illegal."

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— Philip Bump (@pbump.com) March 25, 2025 at 10:14 AM

KELLY: The deliberation as to whether we should launch a strike on another country. Would you consider that classified information? GABBARD: The information was not classified RATCLIFFE: Pre-decisional strike deliberations should be conducted through classified channels

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 25, 2025 at 10:52 AM

The latest crazy just proves what we all know. They are discussing everything on Signal to avoid any discovery or FOIA or archival laws. So illegal but here we are.

— Joe Beda (@h.olysh.it) March 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM

Trump Throws Absolute Fit Over 1 Simple Question: ‘Don’t Bring That Up Again’ The president’s critics urged reporters to ignore the demand and keep bringing it up. Ed Mazza, HuffPost, Apr 4, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the consumer messaging app Signal set up on a computer in his office at the Pentagon so that he could send and receive instant messages in a space where personal cellphones are not permitted, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) April 24, 2025 at 7:25 AM

"Were any of the Houthi Signal group members compromised at the time they discussed the Yemen attack plans? Frankly, it would be shocking if they were not." My latest in @foreignaffairs.com on "The Real Lessons of SignalGate" www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

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— Ron Deibert (@rondeibert.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 6:52 AM

Hegseth Had Unsecured Internet Line Set Up In His Office To Connect To Signal, AP Reports: The defense secretary had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office, allowing him to use Signal on a personal computer. Tara Copp, AP, Apr 24, 2025

Oh, it didn't get fixed yet (Oct 2025)

this is wild: while Stephen Miller's guy was in Minnesota for his uncle's funeral, somebody was able to see his entire phone and take pictures of his Signal group chats talking about military deployments to Portland, and brought them to the Strib (gift link: www.startribune.com/trump-offici...)

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— taber (@kvetch.gay) October 3, 2025 at 8:12 PM

👇👇

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) October 11, 2025 at 3:35 PM

Pentagon Watchdog Finds Hegseth’s Use Of Signal Posed Risk To U.S. Personnel, AP Sources Say: The initial findings ramp up the pressure on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers had called for the independent inquiry into his use of the commercially available app. Lisa Mascaro and Ben Finley, AP, Dec 3, 2025

It appears Hegseth’s response to the watchdog report finding that he directly endangered U.S. troops is just lie & say he didn't. “This Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth @PeteHegseth," spokesperson Sean Parnell said, per Trump acolyte Laura Loomer. trib.al/QxJPk4u

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— The New Republic (@newrepublic.com) December 3, 2025 at 7:24 PM

The report: December 4, 2025

Puppygirl hackers

NEW: A group known as the 'puppygirl hacker polycule' has leaked thousands of police training & policy manuals from departments across the country www.dailydot.com/debug/lexipo...

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— Mikael Thalen (@mikaelthalen.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 10:10 AM

The thousands of leaked files come from Lexipol, a company that develops policy & training manuals for first responders. "We took matters into our own paws,” a member of the puppygirl hacker polycule told the Daily Dot. www.dailydot.com/debug/lexipo...

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— Mikael Thalen (@mikaelthalen.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 10:28 AM

As always, puppygirls, furries, and everyone else can send me leaks & story tips via Signal signal.me#eu/HNer9mVMN...

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— Mikael Thalen (@mikaelthalen.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM

Free speech threat: Associated Press must use the language the Trump administration wants

The Trump administration sets conditions on the Associated Press being allowed access to cover an official event in the Oval Office: the AP must use the language the Trump administration wants.

"Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office." www.ap.org/the-definiti...

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— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) February 11, 2025 at 4:32 PM

The AP didn't comply.

"The Associated Press was shut out of an executive order signing Tuesday because of their refusal to call the body of water to the west of Florida the 'Gulf of America.'" — Paige Skinner, Trump Punishes The Associated Press For Not Calling The Gulf Of Mexico 'The Gulf Of America': The White House told AP to call the body of water the Gulf of America or they would be banned from an event at the Oval Office. HuffPost, Feb 11, 2025

"On Wednesday afternoon it happened again. The AP reporter was banned when Trump held a swearing-in for ceremony for Tulsi Gabbard, his new director of national intelligence." — Brian Stelter, Trump White House bars Associated Press reporter for a second day. AP signals legal action, CNN, February 12, 2025

The White House press secretary accuses resisters of "lying." Trump is president, his word is truth, and anyone who disagrees with him or does not submit to him is a liar.

“I was very upfront in my briefing on Day 1 that if we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America,” [White House press secretary Karoline] Leavitt said at an afternoon press conference.

— Nina Golgowski, White House Defends Barring AP From Press Events Over 'Gulf Of America' Decision: "If we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. HuffPost, Feb 12, 2025

Encyclopedia Britannica won't comply either.

Encyclopædia Britannica will continue to use ‘Gulf of Mexico’ for a few reasons: -We serve an international audience, a majority of which is outside the U.S. -The Gulf of Mexico is an international body of water, and the U.S.’s authority to rename it is ambiguous. 🧵⬇️

— Encyclopaedia Britannica (@britannica.com) February 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM

Google Maps Is Deleting Negative 'Gulf Of America' Reviews: Google Maps deleted 1-star reviews of the renamed body of water and has turned off the ability to leave reviews. Sebastian Murdock, HuffPost, February 13, 2025

The White House bans the AP indefinitely over the use of ‘Gulf of Mexico’, Brian Stelter, CNN, February 14, 2025

OPINION: Trump Trying To Force World’s Biggest News Org To Bend To His Will: Maybe you don’t care that the president of the United States is punishing The Associated Press, but you should. S.V. Date, HuffPost, Feb 14, 2025

Counting down the days until the white house conditions access on how trans people are referred to or how democrats are referred to. This fight isn't really about the name of a coastal sea.

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— Katelyn Burns (@katelynburns.com) February 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM

Even the right-wing pro-Trump propaganda outlets realize that this will come back to bite them in the ass:

Fox News And Newsmax Sign Letter Urging Trump To Rescind Ban On The AP: The president has called the news agency a “radical left organization.” Marita Vlachou, Medium, Feb 21, 2025

"The core principle of free speech is a prohibition on government interference. And Trump has been more than willing to use the power of the federal government to curb speech he disfavors.

* * *

In April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it was reversing a policy from the Biden administration that prohibited government officials “from seeking journalists' records and compelling their testimony in leak investigations." A memo by Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated that “reporters’ records could be subpoenaed for reasons broader than unauthorized disclosures of classified information,” CBS News reported. The memo “decried leaks that ‘undermine’” Trump’s agenda."

— Rebecca Crosby and Judd Legum, The state of free speech in Trump's America, Popular Information, Jun 10, 2025

Trumpist government deleted records of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as they believe "black smokers" (left) and "white smokers" (right) on the ocean bottom are DEI and "fake science" 🙈

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— Arseny Khakhalin (@khakhalin.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 6:49 AM

THEY LITERALLY PUT "BLACK" AND "WHITE" IN THE BANNED WORDS LIST Colors. THOSE ARE JUST COLORS. Ordinary words that are part of the English language, that don't have any political or racial connotation when being used to describe the COLOR of LITERAL PHYSICAL OBJECTS. This is completely mental.

— Invalid Hamdle (STOVE TOUCHED I REPEAT STOVE TOUCHED 👉♨️) (@invalidham.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 7:19 AM

In 2021, I made a slideshow based on 50+ incidents of police misconduct toward journalists. It covered all California over a 12 month period. The legislature responded with new laws to protect press. I just made a new one. It's bigger. It's worse. And it's just one week in Los Angeles.

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— Adam Rose (@adamrose.bsky.social) June 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM

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‘Should Shock the Conscience’: Trump Admin Escalates War on Press With Subpoena of New York Times Reporters: “This brazen act should be seen as nothing more than an attempt to prevent the public from knowing what is happening in their country by intimidating journalists from doing their jobs.” Brad Reed, Common Dreams, Jul 11, 2026