TV News LIES

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth moved on Friday to dramatically curtail press access inside the Pentagon, seemingly punishing the news media for reporting on leaks of classified and unclassified information in recent weeks.

The changes, announced in a two-page memo issued by Hegseth, effectively boxed credentialed reporters into one corner on one floor of the building that houses the press office and spaces used by news organizations.

To walk anywhere else in the Pentagon, including past areas occupied by the joint chiefs and the press office for the joint chiefs, reporters will need to request permission and be escorted by an official, the memo said.

On 20 May, the secretary-general for humanitarian affairs at the United Nations stated that 14,000 babies would be dead unless the blockade was lifted immediately. The day before, the former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin said: “Every child in Gaza is the enemy.” And now, world leaders in the UK and France threaten vague “concrete actions” if Israel “does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid”. But undefined “concrete actions” are woefully insufficient. To those leaders I say: Gaza’s children cannot eat statements.

Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, declared last week: “We are destroying everything in Gaza, the world isn’t stopping us.” So let’s say what must be said, without apology: military intervention to defend Gaza is not only justified – it is required. It is humanitarian. It is overdue. Israel must be stopped.

A no-fly zone must be set up around Gaza to prevent further aerial bombing; and a coalition of willing states should come together to form a corridor to 1) end Israel’s colonial mechanism that is set to take 65% of Gaza’s land and 2) allow for the immediate dispersal of humanitarian aid. Military intervention should not merely be aimed at pausing the killing – it should be used to protect Palestinians’ right to exist as a people, with dignity, sovereignty and full unconditional control over their land and futures.

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Billy Joel is canceling every concert on his itinerary, 17 shows in total booked at stadiums across North America and England, due to a recent diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision, and balance,” reads a statement from Joel’s team. “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.”

“I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience,” Joel says in a statement, “and thank you for understanding.”

Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a brain disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain’s ventricles. “[It] can affect several brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” reads an explainer on the Cleveland Clinic’s website. “The symptoms of NPH look very much like those of dementia, but NPH is sometimes reversible.”

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Neil Young is taking sides in the growing feud between President Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen, placing himself firmly on the side of The Boss.

"What are you worryin' about man?" Young wrote in a post on his website, seemingly directed at the 47th president. "Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin' kids in Gaza. That's your problem."

Young's screed comes after Trump lashed out at Springsteen for criticizing his presidency. In a post to Truth Social last week, the president called the New Jersey rocker "highly overrated" and a "dried out prune."

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Amid “first buddy” Elon Musk’s ongoing public war against Media Matters for America, the Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into the liberal media watchdog over what it says could be illegal collusion with advertisers.

Essentially piggybacking on Musk’s lawsuits against Media Matters over the group’s research into hateful and antisemitic content on the mega-billionaire’s social media platform X, the FTC sent a letter to the organization requiring it to share communications and documents related to its research, as well as copies of its budgets.

President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders May 23 intended to overhaul the regulation of commercial nuclear reactors and speed the process of building and deploying nuclear power.

During the signing, which was attended by the CEOs of major nuclear-related companies, Trump argued the "technology has come a long way, both in safety and cost." The orders realize a long-held Republican goal of deregulating nuclear power.

According to a senior White House official, the four executive orders aim to expedite reactor research & development, streamline regulations to allow the Pentagon and other agencies to build reactors on federally owned land, change the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and sets new timelines for its consideration of construction permits, and expand domestic uranium production and enrichment capabilities.

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Hours after Harvard University sued the Trump administration for revoking its ability to enroll international students, a federal judge temporarily barred the Department of Homeland Security from allowing the change to take effect.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, a Barack Obama appointee, granted the Ivy League school's request for a temporary restraining order on May 23 because, she wrote, the Trump administration's new policy would bring "immediate and irreparable injury" to Harvard's campus.

The provisional ban went into effect immediately and will remain in place until the judge decides whether to issue a broader pause while the two sides battle in court. A hearing to consider a preliminary injunction is set for May 29.

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Four top lawyers at Paul Weiss said Friday they would depart from their roles as partners at the law firm to form their own practice.

“We were disappointed not to be able to tell each of you personally and individually the news that we have decided to leave Paul, Weiss to start a new law firm,” Bill Isaacson, Jeannie Rhee, Jessica Phillips and Karen Dunn said in an email message to the firm late Friday afternoon, according to the New York Times.

The four are widely respected for their legal ventures, which span from representation of corporations including Alphabet, Apple and Amazon to campaign prep for former Vice President Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.