Pentagon Issues Ultimatum on New Press Rules; Major News Organizations Refuse to Sign

The Pentagon has given beat reporters until Tuesday to sign restrictive new press access rules or surrender their credentials by Wednesday. Major news organizations across the political spectrum are rejecting the ultimatum.

The policy, championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has drawn sharp criticism from the Pentagon Press Association, which represents defense beat reporters. The association stated the new rules "gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release."

News organizations refusing to sign include CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and NPR. Newsmax, the pro-Trump outlet, also said its reporters will not sign the new paperwork. Fox News has not yet commented on the matter.