A press ban, a $5,000 promise, and a warning from a conservative judge about January 3, what a nervous president looks like six weeks before the midterms.
Mary, can you address that Medicare Part D premiums are going to skyrocket in January. Mine will increase three fold. I am not sure many.people are aware. Thank you!
the timing having been deliberately chosen by the Republicans to escape notice of the voters in the mid-term elections.
And if the Democrats win this November, they will be blamed for the increase, even though it results from legislation passed with only Republican votes and signed by Trump.
A wise and temperate predecessor of yours, Harry S Truman, famously advised: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
In the banning of CNN, MSNOW and Politico’s reporters from the White House press pool, you’ve indicated, yet again, that you cannot stand the heat and that it is time for you to exit the kitchen.
Collective upside? Multitudes of your fellow citizens will be relieved to know you no longer have access to sharp objects.
My fear is not just Jan. 3 but what Trump might do to Iran afterwards. Use nuclear. Then Putin has permission to nuke Ukraine & then the world will explode.
God willing the Constitution will prevent a full frontal assault on the many legal rulings against him. MAGA Mike already said that the democrats “cannot be allowed to win.” He already plans not to seat the soon to be majority of representatives. This whole regime is outrageously crooked.
Yes, the Constitution is just paper if the elected people don't/won't follow it and enforce it. Checks and balances need some actors motivated and permitted to check and balance.
Otherwise it's just the multi-billion dollar ICE thugs freely and violently enforcing their dictator's orders.
It’s what is accepted today and tolerated tomorrow. The Pentagon gotten away from removing the Free Press since October 2025. The First Amendment was trampled on then.
The press was kicked out in October 2025 of the Pentagon with the exception of One American News (OAN) the only news outlet that agreed to sign the Pentagon's restrictive media access policy, allowing them to retain standard access while major broadcast networks and independent outlets turned in their badges.
Stars and Stripes had operated from inside the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), but it has historically maintained strict editorial independence from Pentagon leadership. Its relationship with the military structure works through a unique dual setup. It is technically a government-owned, non-appropriated fund (NAF) organization. The Pentagon provides roughly 65% of its annual budget, and its staff are officially classified as Department of Defense employees. Despite being part of the Defense Media Activity, Congress mandates that the paper operate as a First Amendment newspaper. By law, it must remain balanced and is suppose to be free from military censorship, propaganda, or official chain-of-command interference.
This dynamic of the Stars and Stripes has caused significant friction recently. In 2026, Defense Department leadership under the Trump administration took aggressive steps to exert direct control over the publication. The Pentagon removed long-standing regulations safeguarding the paper's freedom, banned external wire services, and fired top editors who publicly defended their editorial independence.
The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes announced in August 2026 his retirement, ending a decades-long career with the military newspaper as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions.” Max D. Lederer Jr. announced his retirement, effective at the end of September, in a memo to staff, as well as in an interview with Stars and Stripes. In the memo, seen by The Associated Press, Lederer, the second full-time civilian in the position, wrote that it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”
Then in the next week in August 2026, the Pentagon fired two additional people. Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief of the paper and Lara Korte a journalist who covers the Middle East for alleged insubordination after they spoke publicly about editorial independence and potential censorship. The makes three in just under a week.
Some critics argue the Pentagon is trying to absorb the paper into its public affairs apparatus, while Pentagon officials state they are simply trying to streamline operations and focus strictly on warfighting topics.
On Friday September 18 we are reading that the Pentagon from a wave of media investigations and internal watchdog reports have exposed a severe lack of transparency under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That it now faces intense scrutiny over accusations of withholding critical information, undercounting troop deaths, and suppressing media coverage regarding the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran in the Middle East.
While the official DCAS database publicly lists 18 U.S. military fatalities, at least six defense officials confirmed that the actual toll is at least 22 or 23 dead. The Pentagon has excluded certain deaths by claiming they occurred during "training incidents" or separate regional operations (like Operation Inherent Resolve), despite the personnel being stationed at bases actively targeted by Iranian forces. Secretary Hegseth fiercely denied the report on social media, calling it "fake" and a "complete lie," though the Pentagon press office declined to provide a formal on-the-record explanation for the numerical gaps.
Independent analysts and news outlets report that the current Pentagon leadership is actively hiding the reality of the war from the American public. This is in stark contrast to previous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, now the Pentagon has banned journalists from embedding with military units in the Middle East. Reporters are not permitted on Navy ships or military aircraft to observe the active hostilities. Over the first six months of the war, the Pentagon held only eight formal press briefings, leaving reporters completely cut off from the traditional channels used to question military commanders.
As previously noted, the Pentagon went so far as to fire top leadership at the military's independent newspaper after reporters exposed grueling shifts, supply shortages, and mental health crises aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln deployment in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has also been accused by lawmakers of withholding basic financial information from Congress. A heavily generalized, one-page financial breakdown sent to lawmakers omitted massive structural damage to U.S. bases in Jordan and other vital locations in the Middle East. Glimpses of the true scope of the war only emerged when the independent Pentagon Inspector General bypassed the defense secretary's office to release a report revealing that Iranian drone and missile strikes had damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures across bases in eight Middle Eastern countries, causing $184 million in damage and critically depleting U.S. missile interceptor stockpiles. Along with reporting coming from the military family members who have been in contact with family members.
Now we have today that CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists have had their credentials pulled from the White House grounds..
Yet we hear continuously this is the most transparent administration ever in history.
There's always a basic problem with the American political system--at least since after the Civil War, Women finally winning the right to vote, and Voting Equality down South; when, finally, Checks and Balances was able to function at, or near, its highest level... The current situation/near disaster with Trump is, unfortunately, the best/worst example of what happens when Checks and Balances stops working effectively and breaks down.
Checks and Balances--based on human aspirations but equally on human weaknesses--was, for all sorts of cultural and historical reasons, the best system the original founders could come up with--a machine that could fix and even reinvent itself as the country changed--one that was always equal to whatever upheavals the country went through. What's happening now is not new, but it is the biggest test this Democracy-Machine has ever had. The Machine was designed to adjust to any catastrophe, including Civil war, riots, incompetent leadership, et. al.--BUT NOT the current perfect storm of a Dictator on top and millions of voting-age cult followers, who, for some combination of reasons, don't understand any more of their own history and basic political system than a two-year old child might (Was this caused by celebrity, technology, the elimination of history teaching in schools...?)
Anyway, everything is set-up for a dictatorship to succeed here and now--for an American version of a fascist ruler to succeed, trash the original machine away, and assume complete power. How big a step is it from banning news media from the White House to consolidating control of all news and eliminating ALL information sources (like Substack and the coming take-over of CNN by Skydance this winter) ... The coming election, the possibility of ICE shutting down polling places and the endless corporate lawsuits will test the system more than anything ever has... But the country will NEVER survive if it can't meet this crisis and come out the other side with its political soul intact-- I'm amazed the American people can stand by and watch such a lunatic almost single-handedly destroy the result of 250 years of struggle... Maybe he's a symptom and not the actual disease-- Getting rid of him (and his Praetorian Guard) and we might just have another one pop right up. The moles are whacking US now--high time to polish off the old machine and get it working correctly again-- I'd hate so shuffle off and leave this mess for my children to clean up all by themselves...
BUT Mike Johnson will no longer be speaker of the House as of 1/31/27. Please read “Responding to Judge Luttig’s latest article” by Robert Hubbell — he explains this situation much more succinctly than I can.
Mary, can you address that Medicare Part D premiums are going to skyrocket in January. Mine will increase three fold. I am not sure many.people are aware. Thank you!
the timing having been deliberately chosen by the Republicans to escape notice of the voters in the mid-term elections.
And if the Democrats win this November, they will be blamed for the increase, even though it results from legislation passed with only Republican votes and signed by Trump.
The part D premium increases are another "gift" of the Big Ugly Bill. 😡
"Trump’s explanation makes the constitutional issue considerably more interesting than the usual presidential complaint about “fake news.”
The only "fake news" coming out of Washington is coming out of Trump himself.
My Dear Mr. President:
A wise and temperate predecessor of yours, Harry S Truman, famously advised: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
In the banning of CNN, MSNOW and Politico’s reporters from the White House press pool, you’ve indicated, yet again, that you cannot stand the heat and that it is time for you to exit the kitchen.
Collective upside? Multitudes of your fellow citizens will be relieved to know you no longer have access to sharp objects.
Regards,
My fear is not just Jan. 3 but what Trump might do to Iran afterwards. Use nuclear. Then Putin has permission to nuke Ukraine & then the world will explode.
God willing the Constitution will prevent a full frontal assault on the many legal rulings against him. MAGA Mike already said that the democrats “cannot be allowed to win.” He already plans not to seat the soon to be majority of representatives. This whole regime is outrageously crooked.
Yes, the Constitution is just paper if the elected people don't/won't follow it and enforce it. Checks and balances need some actors motivated and permitted to check and balance.
Otherwise it's just the multi-billion dollar ICE thugs freely and violently enforcing their dictator's orders.
Pass.
.
It’s what is accepted today and tolerated tomorrow. The Pentagon gotten away from removing the Free Press since October 2025. The First Amendment was trampled on then.
The press was kicked out in October 2025 of the Pentagon with the exception of One American News (OAN) the only news outlet that agreed to sign the Pentagon's restrictive media access policy, allowing them to retain standard access while major broadcast networks and independent outlets turned in their badges.
Stars and Stripes had operated from inside the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), but it has historically maintained strict editorial independence from Pentagon leadership. Its relationship with the military structure works through a unique dual setup. It is technically a government-owned, non-appropriated fund (NAF) organization. The Pentagon provides roughly 65% of its annual budget, and its staff are officially classified as Department of Defense employees. Despite being part of the Defense Media Activity, Congress mandates that the paper operate as a First Amendment newspaper. By law, it must remain balanced and is suppose to be free from military censorship, propaganda, or official chain-of-command interference.
This dynamic of the Stars and Stripes has caused significant friction recently. In 2026, Defense Department leadership under the Trump administration took aggressive steps to exert direct control over the publication. The Pentagon removed long-standing regulations safeguarding the paper's freedom, banned external wire services, and fired top editors who publicly defended their editorial independence.
The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes announced in August 2026 his retirement, ending a decades-long career with the military newspaper as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions.” Max D. Lederer Jr. announced his retirement, effective at the end of September, in a memo to staff, as well as in an interview with Stars and Stripes. In the memo, seen by The Associated Press, Lederer, the second full-time civilian in the position, wrote that it had “become clear that my philosophy of leadership, and my understanding of the value and mission of Stars and Stripes, differ in fundamental ways from the direction the leadership of the Department of Defense has for the organization.”
Then in the next week in August 2026, the Pentagon fired two additional people. Erik Slavin, the editor-in-chief of the paper and Lara Korte a journalist who covers the Middle East for alleged insubordination after they spoke publicly about editorial independence and potential censorship. The makes three in just under a week.
Some critics argue the Pentagon is trying to absorb the paper into its public affairs apparatus, while Pentagon officials state they are simply trying to streamline operations and focus strictly on warfighting topics.
On Friday September 18 we are reading that the Pentagon from a wave of media investigations and internal watchdog reports have exposed a severe lack of transparency under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That it now faces intense scrutiny over accusations of withholding critical information, undercounting troop deaths, and suppressing media coverage regarding the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran in the Middle East.
While the official DCAS database publicly lists 18 U.S. military fatalities, at least six defense officials confirmed that the actual toll is at least 22 or 23 dead. The Pentagon has excluded certain deaths by claiming they occurred during "training incidents" or separate regional operations (like Operation Inherent Resolve), despite the personnel being stationed at bases actively targeted by Iranian forces. Secretary Hegseth fiercely denied the report on social media, calling it "fake" and a "complete lie," though the Pentagon press office declined to provide a formal on-the-record explanation for the numerical gaps.
Independent analysts and news outlets report that the current Pentagon leadership is actively hiding the reality of the war from the American public. This is in stark contrast to previous conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, now the Pentagon has banned journalists from embedding with military units in the Middle East. Reporters are not permitted on Navy ships or military aircraft to observe the active hostilities. Over the first six months of the war, the Pentagon held only eight formal press briefings, leaving reporters completely cut off from the traditional channels used to question military commanders.
As previously noted, the Pentagon went so far as to fire top leadership at the military's independent newspaper after reporters exposed grueling shifts, supply shortages, and mental health crises aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln deployment in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has also been accused by lawmakers of withholding basic financial information from Congress. A heavily generalized, one-page financial breakdown sent to lawmakers omitted massive structural damage to U.S. bases in Jordan and other vital locations in the Middle East. Glimpses of the true scope of the war only emerged when the independent Pentagon Inspector General bypassed the defense secretary's office to release a report revealing that Iranian drone and missile strikes had damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures across bases in eight Middle Eastern countries, causing $184 million in damage and critically depleting U.S. missile interceptor stockpiles. Along with reporting coming from the military family members who have been in contact with family members.
Now we have today that CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists have had their credentials pulled from the White House grounds..
Yet we hear continuously this is the most transparent administration ever in history.
This is a page from an authoritarian playbook.
There's always a basic problem with the American political system--at least since after the Civil War, Women finally winning the right to vote, and Voting Equality down South; when, finally, Checks and Balances was able to function at, or near, its highest level... The current situation/near disaster with Trump is, unfortunately, the best/worst example of what happens when Checks and Balances stops working effectively and breaks down.
Checks and Balances--based on human aspirations but equally on human weaknesses--was, for all sorts of cultural and historical reasons, the best system the original founders could come up with--a machine that could fix and even reinvent itself as the country changed--one that was always equal to whatever upheavals the country went through. What's happening now is not new, but it is the biggest test this Democracy-Machine has ever had. The Machine was designed to adjust to any catastrophe, including Civil war, riots, incompetent leadership, et. al.--BUT NOT the current perfect storm of a Dictator on top and millions of voting-age cult followers, who, for some combination of reasons, don't understand any more of their own history and basic political system than a two-year old child might (Was this caused by celebrity, technology, the elimination of history teaching in schools...?)
Anyway, everything is set-up for a dictatorship to succeed here and now--for an American version of a fascist ruler to succeed, trash the original machine away, and assume complete power. How big a step is it from banning news media from the White House to consolidating control of all news and eliminating ALL information sources (like Substack and the coming take-over of CNN by Skydance this winter) ... The coming election, the possibility of ICE shutting down polling places and the endless corporate lawsuits will test the system more than anything ever has... But the country will NEVER survive if it can't meet this crisis and come out the other side with its political soul intact-- I'm amazed the American people can stand by and watch such a lunatic almost single-handedly destroy the result of 250 years of struggle... Maybe he's a symptom and not the actual disease-- Getting rid of him (and his Praetorian Guard) and we might just have another one pop right up. The moles are whacking US now--high time to polish off the old machine and get it working correctly again-- I'd hate so shuffle off and leave this mess for my children to clean up all by themselves...
I apologize for the long-winded speech..
BUT Mike Johnson will no longer be speaker of the House as of 1/31/27. Please read “Responding to Judge Luttig’s latest article” by Robert Hubbell — he explains this situation much more succinctly than I can.
I