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Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story Hegseth backs Trump on banning media outlets Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that he "fully supports" President Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, claiming those outlets "endangered" U.S. service members with "false stories." AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein "The Department of War fully supports President Trump’s decision to kick CNN, MSN̶B̶C̶NOW and Politico to the curb so they can publish their Fake News from outside the White House," Hegseth said in a statement on Friday. "We are grateful these outlets already chose to self-deport from the Pentagon," the defense secretary added. "They endangered our troops with false stories, leaks, and trafficked in fiction and lies about the President, our Warriors and their mission." Trump said the ban is set to be in effect immediately, happening “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” “It’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it,” the president told reporters at the White House, adding that more news outlets could be banned in the future. Hegseth's endorsement of Trump's decision comes as the defense secretary has imposed his own media restrictions since taking the helm at the Pentagon. His policies have barred journalists from large portions of the department from walking freely without an escort and have prevented reporters from retaining their Pentagon credentials unless they agree to publish only unclassified information approved by current U.S. defense officials. Hegseth and his allies have argued those measures are necessary to safeguard critical national security information and prevent unauthorized leaks. Those opposed to the policies, including news outlets and press freedom advocates, have argued that the Pentagon is stymying independent reporting. Trump's Friday ban was panned by both CNN and Politico, stating they will defend their First Amendment rights. The ban was also criticized by some Fox News contributors, arguing it sets a bad precedent and could backfire in the long-term. Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Pentagon’s count leaves out some deaths in Middle East during Iran war The Pentagon’s public database left out two deaths of U.S. service members deployed in the Middle East during the war against Iran, who took part in missions unrelated to the conflict in the Middle East. Maj. Sorffly Davius, who served in the 42nd Infantry Division at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, died of “undetermined causes” on March 6 this year. The release announcing his death said he deployed to Kuwait in the summer of … Full Story Pentagon’s new UFO file drop includes audio from 1952 Project Blue Book briefing (NewsNation) – The Pentagon’s latest UFO file drop on Friday — its sixth — includes an audio recording and transcript of a Project Blue Book presentation given in March 1952 by U.S. Air Force Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt. The recording includes confirmation that the Air Force worked with the Battelle Memorial Institute as a contractor on UFO investigations and revealed some details on the Air Force’s cooperation with … Full Story Pentagon issues new guidance for testosterone testing after rescinding previous one The Pentagon issued new guidance late Thursday requiring mandatory testosterone deficiency screening for male active-duty and reserve service members over the age of 30 after temporarily rescinding previous guidance earlier this month. The department said the updated guidance will address male testosterone deficiency and establish uniform screening and treatment pathways across the Defense Health Agency (DHA). The Pentagon … Full Story Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump Defense strategy Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike emerged Thursday from a closed-door briefing frustrated by what they said was a lack of clear answers from Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby on the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy and the ongoing Iran war. The briefing with the Senate Armed Services Committee started off rocky, with Colby immediately opening the floor for questions without first giving an opening … Full Story In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Trump: US strikes security deal with Greenland, Denmark President Trump said Friday that the United States has entered a security agreement with Greenland and Denmark that gives America a bigger say in the Arctic territory’s affairs and expands its military presence in the country. Full Story On Tap Tomorrow Events in and around the defense world: The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold a discussion on Monday at 8:30 a.m. ET on "The Implications of the Hormuz Energy Crisis on South Asia." The Asia Society Policy Institute Center for China Analysis will hold a discussion on Monday at 9 a.m. ET on "New Strategic Priorities: How China is Responding to Russia–North Korea Military Cooperation." What We’re Reading News we’ve flagged from other outlets: Exclusive: US military moving drones to South America ahead of anticipated counternarcotics operations, CNN reports. Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem, The Kyiv Independent reports. More than 16,000 troops could face stricter rules with medical shaving waivers, Task & Purpose reports. Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say, CNN reports. Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong, Politico reports. Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Shaheen blocks $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel, joining House counterpart The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has exercised a hold on a $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel, The Hill has learned, allying … Read more Wendy’s franchisee with hundreds of locations across 15 states files for bankruptcy A Wendy’s franchisee that operates 314 of the fast food company’s restaurants in 15 states announced Friday that it will be filing for bankruptcy. Read more Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: 25 years later, President Trump has discarded the lessons of 9/11Trump had to crush Iran instead of making deals. He didn’t — now he pays the price How to fix NATO’s fatal flaw You’re all caught up. See you next week! [sailthru_widget name="Sailthru Widget Block" sailthru_list="Defense and National Security" title="Defense & National Security"]document fetched 2026-09-19 02:57 · canonical https://thehill.com/newsletters/defense-national-security/6099382-hegseth-backs-trump-on-banning-media-outlets