Court Backs Pentagon's Escort Rule for Journalists

0:00It's April 27. Welcome to U.S. News Today, powered by AI and covering the nation. A federal appeals court just ruled that the ward department can keep requiring escorts for journalists on Pentagon grounds. This comes while the Trump administration appeals a lower judges' block on their new press-access policy challenged by the New York Times. It's a two-to-one decision from the D.C. Circuit, saying the government is likely to win on the merits. Here this month, on April 9, District Judge Paul Friedman struck down the policy. He said it violated reporters' free speech and due process rights, basically dodging his earlier March 20 order to restore access. The new rules kicked out unescorted journalists from the building. Judge J. Michelle Chow's dissented, arguing escorts' chill sources and candid talks. She's one of the three judges, nominated by Biden, along with Bradley Garcia, who joined the majority. Justin Walker, a Trump pick, was on the winning side too.

1:00Ward department's spokesperson, Sean Parnell, cheered the ruling online. He claims unescorted access led to leaks of sensitive info, endangering lives, and the S.Core policy has cut those incidents way down. This stays in place for now, but the full case heads back to that same panel soon. Others might still hustle for access, but the feds hold the line on security.