Tonight, something deeply alarming is unfolding. President Donald Trump has openly suggested that he could “just kill them,” referring to Venezuelan residents, without seeking a declaration of war. At the same time, the Pentagon’s press corps, the body responsible for providing accurate information about U.S. military actions in Venezuela, is now led by two infamous conspiracy theorists: Alex Jones and Mike Lindell.
At a moment when misinformation already spreads faster than truth, this convergence of violent rhetoric and disinformation power is a perfect storm. It is also a reminder of why independent journalism is more vital than ever, because it is only through independent media that we can question official narratives and expose the truth behind the talking points. Your support makes this work possible. Subscribe and help break through the echo chambers, because truth has never been under greater assault.
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Speaking about the ongoing U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and the potential expansion of the conflict into mainland Venezuela, Trump made his stance unmistakably clear: “I don’t think we’re necessarily going to ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. We’re going to kill them. They’re going to be, like, dead.”
The comment marks one of Trump’s most explicit endorsements of extrajudicial violence to date, language that blurs the line between national defense and vigilantism, and that could carry serious international consequences.
Adding to the unease, the Department of Defense has unveiled what it calls the “next generation of the Pentagon press corps.” This follows the abrupt departure of numerous veteran reporters who refused to sign a new, restrictive media policy limiting independent access to information and requiring official escorts for certain areas.
According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon’s new corps includes more than 60 journalists, many from far-right outlets with histories of spreading conspiracy theories. Outlets listed include Lindell TV, founded by Trump ally Mike Lindell; The Gateway Pundit, which spread false election fraud claims and later settled a defamation suit; The Post Millennial and Human Events; The National Pulse; Turning Point USA’s Frontlines; and Tim Pool’s Timcast.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the move on X, describing the group as “a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists,” and praised them for “circumventing mainstream media lies.”
Several of these outlets, however, have documented records of misinformation, from election denial to promoting Russian propaganda. The Gateway Pundit falsely accused Georgia election workers of fraud. Lindell was ordered to pay $2.3 million after losing a defamation case. Tim Pool has been linked to a U.S. media operation that received nearly $10 million from individuals connected to Russian state media.
The new Pentagon policy, introduced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, effectively consolidates control over what journalists can see and report.
Reporters must now agree not to obtain “unauthorized material” and cannot move freely through the building without escort. Critics say this undermines one of the last major sources of independent oversight in U.S. defense reporting.
With respected journalists leaving and partisan actors filling their seats, the Pentagon’s credibility, and by extension, the American public’s access to truth, is at stake.
When those in power are no longer held accountable by a free and skeptical press, democracy itself begins to rot. The combination of unchecked military power, extremist rhetoric, and state-aligned misinformation is not just dangerous; it is the definition of authoritarian drift.
That is why independent voices must step up. It is why your support matters. Because in an age where propaganda wears the mask of journalism, the truth still needs defenders.