‘THE CONSTITUTION DEMANDS BETTER’: Ostensibly, the case before Federal Judge Paul Friedman — New York Times v. Department of Defense — is about to what extent the Pentagon has to accommodate reporters who want to be free to have access to the building for the traditional role of journalists — asking questions. The judge ruled last month that Pentagon’s policy — which equated asking questions of anyone but an authorized government spokesman to illegal solicitation of state secrets — was a clear infringement of the Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press. The Pentagon’s response was to expel all reporters who didn’t agree to the policy from the building, except for formal briefings. In yesterday’s ruling, the judge ordered that access be restored “commensurate” with that enjoyed by New York Times reporters, when he overturned the Pentagon policy. “By continuing to impose restrictions on the ability of PFAC holders to engage in the routine, lawful journalistic activity of asking questions, defendants are in violations of the Court’s Order.” In a 20-page opinion Thursday, Friedman made clear what he believes is actually behind the Pentagon crackdown, punishing pesky reporters who keep asking annoying questions that Pete Hegseth believes are unpatriotic attempts to undercut his preferred narrative about how well the war is going. “What this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see,” Friedman wrote. “The Constitution demands better.” ‘AN INDICTMENT FRAMED AS A QUESTION’: Hegseth’s irritation with any question that suggests the U.S. war effort is anything less than a “historic military victory” was on full display at this week’s Pentagon briefing. When Luis Martinez, senior Pentagon reporters for ABC news, asked Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, some routine questions, including whether the “risks of the Strait of Hormuz being closed were mitigated early enough,” or whether “Iran was in control of the Strait,” or whether achieving the military goals amounted to a “strategic victory,” Hegseth went into attack mode. “I try to be nice up here but you did listen to what I said,” he lectured Martinez, calling his line of questioning “typical, of course, it’s ABC.” When Caine attempted to get a clarification to answer Martinez’s question, Hegseth told him there was no need to answer. “Chairman, sorry, it was an indictment framed as a question, so you’re forgiven for not understanding.” “I can rephrase it in a much more concise way,” Martinez said, and Caine started to respond, when Hegseth cut him off, telling Martinez, “No, you’ve had your chance,” and pointing at a more friendly reporter to ask a question. There were plenty of questions left, when Hegseth cut the briefing shot after 35 minutes. US TROOPS DETAIL CHAOS OF DEADLIEST STRIKE ON AMERICAN FORCES DURING IRAN WAR TRUMP: ‘THERE’S NOTHING ‘PREMATURE’ ABOUT IT!’: President Donald Trump continues to flame anyone who publicly questions his repeated claims that the war has already been won, despite Iran’s hard-line religious regime remaining firmly in control of the country, its grip on the Strait of Hormuz still choking oil traffic, and its enriched uranium out of reach of the United States. “Mr. Trump achieved some of his war aims, but the Iranian regime remains a threat,” the Wall Street Journal wrote in an editorial Wednesday. “Count us skeptical,” the editorial, headlined, “Trump Declares Premature Victory in Iran,” said, noting “Tehran is still a threat to the Strait and may retain enriched uranium.” Trump fired back on Truth Social calling the the Wall Street Journal, “one of the worst and most inaccurate “Editorial Boards” in the World,” for accusing him of declaring “premature victory” in Iran. “Actually, it is a Victory, and there’s nothing ‘premature’ about it! “Because of me, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON and, very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran and, to me, it makes no difference, either way.” “The Wall Street Journal will, as usual, live to eat their words,” Trump said. “They are always quick to criticize, but never to admit when they’re wrong, which is most of the time!” Speaking of being quick to criticize, but never admitting being wrong, Trump has made no more mention of his false claim that CNN made up or faked what turned out to be authentic statement from Iran’s Supreme Council which declared the ceasefire agreement, “a great historic victory” for Iran. TRUMP GOES SCORCHED EARTH ON TUCKER CARLSON, MEGYN KELLY, CANDACE OWENS, AND ALEX JONES Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Keely Bastow. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE HAPPENING TODAY: As Vice President J.D. Vance leads the U.S. delegation to Islamabad for tomorrow’s scheduled talks, the status of the peace conference brokered by Pakistan remains uncertain. Iran maintains its control over the Strait of Hormuz, and a social media post this morning cast doubt on whether the Iranians will even show up. “No delegation from Iran has gone to Islamabad for the talks. Iran has informed Pakistan that the Iranian team will not go to Islamabad if Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire,” said the post on X fro Iran News 24. “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!,” Trump posted on Truth Social last night. “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he said in an earlier post. But a later post appeared to show the Iranian delegation arriving. TRUMP SAYS OIL WILL FLOW ‘WITH OR WITHOUT’ IRAN’S HELP, WARNS AGAINST TANKER FEES UKRAINE GAINING THE UPPER HAND: While much of the world, and Trump in particular, has been transfixed by the war in Iran, a surprising trend has emerged in Ukraine. Its increasingly sophisticated drone technology, along with its prodigious production of millions of homegrown drones and missiles, has given Ukraine’s military a demonstrable advantage over its bigger, stronger foe. “I think that what is remarkable is that Russia no longer has the upper hand,” former U.S. Central Commander retired Gen. David Petraeus told CBS news. “On the front lines, which is all important, the Russians have actually achieved less than the Ukrainians have in the last two weeks.” “Ukrainian forces have achieved a drone advantage over Russian forces on the battlefield,” which is “likely contributing to the stalling of Russian advances and recent Ukrainian counterattacks,” the Institute for the Study of War says in its latest analysis. “Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on April 9 that Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces performed over 11,000 combat missions per day and struck over 150,000 verified targets in March 2026 — up 50% from February,” the ISW reported. In a post by “Magyar’s Birds,” Ukraine’s premier drone brigade, Syrskyi is quoted as saying that Ukrainian forces have been able to stymie Russian troops who have been attempting to resume a large-scale offensive, and it meeting its goal to kill Russian troops faster than they can be replaced. “For four consecutive months, Ukrainian troops have been neutralizing more Russian personnel than Russia is able to recruit.” “This is truly our shared national success that Russia’s plans for the winter were thwarted,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address last night. “ We have already begun preparing for the next winter. We must not lose time” READ MORE: THE OTHER WAR: VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY NAVIGATES A FUTURE WITHOUT US SUPPORT THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Trump says oil will flow ‘with or without’ Iran’s help, warns against tanker fees Washington Examiner: US troops detail chaos of deadliest strike on American forces during Iran war Washington Examiner: Netanyahu confirms negotiations with Lebanon after deadliest day of Israeli strikes Washington Examiner: Netanyahu trial to resume Sunday following pause in Iran war Washington Examiner: US denies Vatican feud, claims cardinal called report of animosity ‘fabrications’ Washington Examiner: Rutte jokes about calling Trump ‘daddy’ rather than commenting on future of NATO Washington Examiner: Five ways Mullin is already pushing DHS in a new direction Washington Examiner: Illegal immigrant shot by ICE in California denies gang ties: Attorney Washington Examiner: Iran peace talks give JD Vance an opening in 2028 race Washington Examiner: Judge finds Pentagon in violation of court order to restore reporter access Washington Examiner: Pakistani national pleads guilty to planning mass shooting at NYC Jewish center to support ISIS Washington Examiner: Why oil prices are falling faster than gas prices after the Iran ceasefire Washington Examiner: Opinion: Erdogan’s words don’t pull the trigger — but they load the gun Washington Examiner: Editorial: The Iran ceasefire is a pause, and it may be a short one AP: Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones in Middle Eastern countries during Iran war Wall Street Journal: Trump Team Explores Punishment for NATO Countries That Didn’t Support Iran War New York Times: North Korea Tests New Weapons, Drawing Lessons from Iran War Defense One: The Pentagon Claims ‘We Control the Sky’ over Iran. Experts Say the Air War Isn’t That Simple. The War Zone: Inside The Air Force’s Elite Ghost Tanker Unit Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force May Miss Historic Budget Boom With Cautious Proposals, Expert Fears USA Today: Eligible Men Will Soon Be Automatically Registered for Military Draft Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Offering Bonuses up to $600K for Aviators to Stay in Service Breaking Defense: UK Accuses Russia of Covert Submarine Operation Threatening Undersea Cables Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Wargame Assessed USAF Force Mixes for a China Fight SpaceNews A New Kind of Arsenal: Commercial Satellites Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Awards GPS Ground Contract amid OCX Uncertainty Defense One: ‘Hybrid Constellations’ Are Making It Hard for Militaries to Hide Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Picks 14 Firms to Compete to Build Reconnaissance Satellites Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Awards Contract to Develop Small, Disposable Engines for Missiles and Drones THE CALENDAR: FRIDAY | APRIL 10 10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: “The Hypersonic Imperative: Restoring U.S. Advantage in a Contested Battlespace,” with Michael White, former principal director for hypersonics at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/the-hypersonic-imperative-restoring-u-s-advantage 11 a.m. 1763 N St. NW — Middle East Institute discussion: “Iran, Hizballah, and Lebanon’s Future,” with Kenneth Pollack, MEI vice president for policy; Matthew Levitt, senior fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Aram Nerguizian, senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ 11:30 a.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum, “In the Dark and in Danger: Iran’s Internet Shutdown and Wartime Repression,” with Mahsa Alimardani, associate director of technology threats and opportunities at WITNESS; Nazanin Boniadi, human rights advocate, actress, and producer; and Roya Boroumand, co-founder and executive director, Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WEDNESDAY | APRIL 15 3 p.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “FY27 Missile Defense and Missile Defeat Programs and Activities,” with testimony from Marc Berkowitz, assistant secretary of defense for space policy; Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, direct report program manager for Golden Dome for America; Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director, Missile Defense Agency; and Army Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=6463 QUOTE OF THE DAY: “What this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see. The Constitution demands better.” U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman, in an opinion, ordering the Pentagon to restore the ability of credentialed reporters “to engage in the routine, lawful journalistic activity of asking questions.”
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| “What this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see. The Constitution demands better.” |
| U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman, in an opinion, ordering the Pentagon to restore the ability of credentialed reporters “to engage in the routine, lawful journalistic activity of asking questions.” |
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