The military’s own newspaper just sued the Pentagon. Three journalists at Stars and Stripes… editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer Jr., and Middle East reporter Lara Korte… filed a 45-page lawsuit in D.C. federal court on Thursday. They say they were fired for doing their job.

CBS News confirmed the lawsuit names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and aide Andrew Brey. The suit calls the firings “extraordinary censorship efforts” that violate the First Amendment. The reason given for firing all three was “insubordination.”

Axios reported that Slavin was fired for a CBS interview he gave on July 5 about press freedom at the paper. The firings came after Stars and Stripes published reporting on poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The president called that reporting “fake news.” The defense secretary called it “misrepresented.” And the people who wrote about it were let go.

Stars and Stripes was first published during the Civil War. Half its $29 million annual budget comes from taxpayers. A federal rule from the 1990s says the paper is editorially free from the Pentagon. The paper’s own website says it is “governed by the principles of the First Amendment.”

The military has its own newspaper. Its reporters wrote about what was happening on a ship. The government fired them for it. And now the newspaper is suing the Pentagon. The machine does not tolerate a mirror.

BREAKING

The Pentagon Said Its Interceptor Shortage Is “Beyond Critical” — Six Months into the War That Burned Through Them

Democracy Now reported Friday that the Pentagon now describes its missile interceptor supply as “beyond critical.” The war with Iran has burned through more than half the country’s Patriot and THAAD interceptors in six months.

In August, the Pentagon sent defense contractors a memo with a 21-day deadline to submit plans for faster production. A CSIS analysis found that Patriot interceptor stocks dropped from 2,330 before the war to 1,030 at the April ceasefire. Since then, strikes have resumed and supplies have dropped further. The Pentagon now says the situation has moved past critical.

The president said in July the U.S. has “massive amounts” of weapons. The Pentagon’s own assessment says “beyond critical.” One of those statements is in a social media post. The other is in a classified readiness report.

The machine started the war, fired the reporters who covered the cost, and now admits the shelves are past empty. And the only people who got the 21-day deadline to fix it are the companies the Pentagon pays to build the missiles.

EXPOSED

The Navy Is Considering Naming an Aircraft Carrier After the President — Replacing the Name of a Black War Hero

Democracy Now reported Friday that the Navy is considering a plan to name an aircraft carrier after the president. The carrier in question was previously designated to honor a Black war hero whose name has not been publicly confirmed.

Aircraft carriers have historically been named after presidents, but also after military leaders, battles, and service members who earned the highest honors. Renaming a carrier that was set to honor a decorated Black veteran would replace a story of sacrifice with a story of power.

The same week, the president ordered Lake Ontario renamed “Lake America.” The same administration tried to put the president’s name on the Kennedy Center. The pattern is consistent: the machine replaces other people’s names with one name.

The machine fires the reporters, empties the missile supply, and then puts its name on the ship. That is not vanity. It is territory.

DEVELOPING

The DOJ Suggested Tearing Down the Kennedy Center So the President Can Put His Name on the Replacement

Democracy Now reported Friday that the Department of Justice suggested demolishing the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The reason: the president wants to put his name on a new building in its place.

The Kennedy Center was built in 1971. It was named after President John F. Kennedy and serves as the country’s national cultural center. It hosts the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and hundreds of events a year. It sits on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

DN reported that this is the second time the president has tried to put his name on the building. The DOJ’s role in suggesting the demolition is itself extraordinary. The Department of Justice is supposed to enforce the law… not advise on which buildings to tear down so the president can rename them.

The machine fires the military’s own reporters, runs out of missiles, tries to rename a carrier after itself, and now wants to demolish a national landmark to put a new name on it. The war costs $250 million a day. The missiles are “beyond critical.” And the DOJ is working on demolition plans for a concert hall.

They rely on the shadows.
It’s time to turn on the lights.