Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a restful evening, because today’s news is deeply troubling. The federal government has escalated its assault on free speech and a free press. The Pentagon has announced it will strip journalists of access unless their reporting is pre-approved by Secretary Hegseth himself.
This is not just alarming—it’s authoritarian. And it’s not just critics on the left saying so. Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, even Senator Ted Cruz are openly condemning the White House’s brazen censorship. When voices across the political spectrum are sounding the alarm, you know the First Amendment is truly under siege.
I’ve been working tirelessly to gain credentials to cover the Pentagon, State Department, and more. But let’s be honest: as an independent voice, I will never submit to Hegseth’s demands to decide what I can or cannot publish. That’s the point of this platform—it’s free, it’s fearless, and it’s independent.
The First Amendment is on the line. And that means the future of honest journalism in America is on the line. We are growing quickly, reaching millions, and delivering the truth others are too afraid to print. But to keep going—to keep fighting back against censorship—I need your support.
Subscribe today. Stand with independent journalism. Stand with the Constitution. Let’s make sure no one in power ever decides what you’re allowed to read.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
The Pentagon announced that journalists will only be allowed access if they sign an agreement not to publish classified or even certain unclassified materials without prior approval — a sweeping restriction critics say hands the Defense Department unprecedented control over press coverage. The rule, defended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as necessary for security, follows months of shrinking media access and comes amid crackdowns on speech around Charlie Kirk’s killing.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, many conservatives are demanding punishments, firings, and even prosecution for those who speak critically of him—moves critics say mirror “cancel culture” on the left. Figures like Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Ted Cruz have warned that FCC threats and speech crackdowns risk betraying Kirk’s free-speech legacy.
Meanwhile, thinkers such as Jonathan Rauch and Rod Dreher describe this as the rise of a “woke right,” using shaming, purity tests, and regulatory intimidation to control discourse. Some conservatives, like Steve Bannon, defend the tactics as necessary, but others caution that rage-driven overreach could backfire and erode First Amendment protections.
Federal investigators say they have found no evidence linking Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, to left-wing groups despite Trump’s push to target them; Robinson faces state charges including aggravated murder, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.
Disney faces protests, boycott calls, and bipartisan criticism after indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel over remarks on Charlie Kirk’s killing, with celebrities and comedians rallying to his defense while Trump allies celebrate and FCC threats raise free speech concerns.
Matthew Dowd said MSNBC admitted his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing were misconstrued but fired him anyway, calling them “insensitive,” and he accused the network of caving to right-wing pressure while highlighting the inconsistency with outrage over Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.
Reuters reports the Pentagon has told European diplomats the U.S. will partially halt military aid to Baltic nations and NATO states bordering Russia.
US attorney Erik Siebert resigned after Donald Trump demanded his removal for failing to indict New York AG Letitia James, underscoring Trump’s political pressure on the justice system despite prosecutors finding insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
Trump signed a proclamation imposing an unprecedented $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, a move critics warn could devastate the tech industry, which relies heavily on foreign talent from India and China. While Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed “all the big companies” had been briefed and supported the plan, immigration experts argued the executive branch has no legal authority to impose such fees.
Palestinian students accepted to US universities have had their visas revoked under a new Trump administration policy banning non-immigrant visas for Palestinian Authority passport holders, leaving many stranded in Gaza or abroad and forcing them to restart their education plans amid war and displacement.
The Trump administration again asked the Supreme Court to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, filing an emergency application to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked authority to terminate the program. Over 300,000 Venezuelans currently benefit from TPS, which Biden granted in 2021 and 2023; Noem moved to rescind the designation, citing the “national interest.”
A wave of Russian airspace incursions into NATO countries has triggered Article 4 consultations and urgent European calls for action, while Trump has responded cautiously, holding back on new sanctions against Moscow and drawing criticism for lagging behind allies’ tougher stance.
Large taxpayer-funded banners of Trump’s face on federal buildings have sparked Democratic accusations of authoritarian propaganda, while Republicans defend them as no different from past administrations’ signage; the Labor Department says they were tied to Labor Day and America250 celebrations.
Good news:
Aiden Wilkens, a 9-year-old from Pennsylvania, has become the youngest student ever at Ursinus College, balancing high school and college coursework as he pursues his dream of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon to help kids his age with neurological conditions.
Boston is launching affordable housing projects built above public libraries, starting with a 12-story development in Chinatown that restores a long-lost branch and combines homes with community space, with additional sites planned in the West End and Upham’s Corner.
Treworgy Orchards in Maine won USA Today’s “Best Corn Maze in America” for the fourth year in a row with a design honoring the state’s farming and fishing heritage, inspired by Robert McCloskey’s children’s book Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
