“The New York Times is suing the Department of Defense over the Pentagon’s new restrictions on press access. The lawsuit, set to be filed in federal court in Washington, DC, names the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, as defendants. The lawsuit seeks the repeal of a new policy, instituted in October, that prompted Pentagon beat reporters to turn in their press passes rather than sign onto the restrictions. ‘The policy is an attempt to exert control over reporting the government dislikes, in violation of a free press’ right to seek information under their First and Fifth Amendment rights protected by the Constitution,’ Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said.” [editor’s note: The First Amendment doesn’t require “press access” to the Pentagon or anything else – TLK] (12/03/25)
“Israel has identified the remains of the hostage it received from Hamas on Wednesday as Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the prime minister’s office said on Thursday. The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last of the living and deceased hostages to be returned, is still in Gaza. The handover of the last hostages’ bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza war. Rinthalak’s body was transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross, and was handed over to the Israeli military to be sent for forensic identification, a statement from the prime minister’s office said.” (12/04/25)
“Trump Administration Claims to Save Hundreds of Millions of Lives by Blowing Up Drug Boats; Ethan Klein’s Unhinged Vengeance & Lawsuits Against Other YouTubers: With Taylor Lorenz.” (12/03/25)
“Trump appears to understand that a government that tells its citizens to consume more meat should also do its part to make meat more accessible. Two weeks ago, he dramatically reduced a tariff on Brazilian beef imports. His administration has also suggested that it will raise the quota for duty-free imports of Argentinian beef from 20,000 to 80,000 metric tons. Trump’s recent moves are a boon to American meat-packers who can buy more foreign beef on the cheap, but his capricious attitude toward tariffs poses a problem for ranchers, who raise cattle with the expectation of selling them years later. Each calf represents a long-term bet; why should producers invest in growing the herd when crucial policies seem to change every few months?” (12/03/25)
“Members of Congress considered 19 online safety bills Tuesday that may soon have a major impact on the future of the internet as age-verification laws have spread to half of the US and around the world. In response, digital and human rights organization Fight for the Future is hosting a week of events—across Reddit, LinkedIn, and various livestreams—to raise awareness on how it believes these bills are setting a dangerous precedent by making the internet more exploitative rather than safer. Many of the proposed bills include a clause for ID or age verification, which forces people to upload an ID, allow a face scan, or otherwise authenticate that they are not a minor before viewing adult content. Fight for the Future says the policies will lead to increased censorship and surveillance.” (12/03/25)
“President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege to prevent courtroom adversaries from accessing evidence in a long-running lawsuit that accuses him of stoking violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Justice Department disclosed Trump’s secrecy claim Wednesday in a hearing related to that five-year-old lawsuit, brought by police officers injured while attempting to repel the violent mob that day. The officers say Trump’s incendiary remarks to a crowd of supporters — and his direction that they march on the Capitol — fueled the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden and left 140 officers injured. Trump’s decision to assert privilege adds to a concerted push to rewrite the story of his bid to subvert the 2020 election.” (12/03/25)
