US updates: Hegseth restricts Pentagon reporting

In his first military commencement address of his second term, President Donald Trump congratulated West Point cadets on their academic and physical accomplishments.

"In a few moments, you'll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history," Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium.

"And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known," Trump added, while falsely claiming that he "rebuilt the military."

In February, Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, in a major shakeup of military leadership. Five other admirals and generals were also pushed out.

In reference to the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, Trump said that the job of the US Armed Forces "is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures."

"The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America, anywhere, anytime, in any place," he said.

He said he was clearing the military of transgender ideas, "critical race theory" and trainings he called divisive and political.

In a nod to presidential tradition, Trump also pardoned about half a dozen cadets who had faced disciplinary infractions.

The US expressed concern over "reports of mistreatment" of two east African activists in Tanzania.

"We call for an immediate and full investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses," the US Bureau of African Affairs said on X.

Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire of Kenya and Uganda respectively had traveled to Tanzania earlier this week in support of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who has been detained on charges of treason. 

Mwangi and Atuhaire were detained and deported before being found bear the Tanzanian border. They were reportedly tortured for days, said rights groups.

Atuhaire is the recipient of the International Women of Courage Award by former US First Lady Jill Biden and also the 2023 the EU Human Rights Defender Award due to her work in Uganda. 

Mwangi is a strong critic of the Kenyan government.

Tanzania and Uganda have cracked down on dissident voices as they are heading for presidential elections soon, say rights groups.

Syria's Foreign Ministry welcomed the formal lifting of sanctions by the US as a "positive step" on Saturday.

"The Syrian Arab Republic welcomes the decision from the American government to lift the sanctions imposed on Syria and its people for long years," a statement by the ministry said. 

It added that this was a "positive step in the right direction to reduce humanitarian and economic struggles in the country."

On Friday, the Trump administration effectively lifted sanctions on Syria.

The US Treasury Department issued a license that authorizes transactions with the Syrian government, central bank and state enterprises.

President Donald Trump is set to speak to the graduating class from the United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point, in what will be his first military commencement address of his second term in office.

The military academy educates cadets to become commissioned officers in the US Army. About 1,000 graduate each year.

Trump gave the commencement address at West Point in 2020, among other things urging the graduating cadets to "never forget" the soldiers who fought a war over slavery.

He also acknowledged the academy's long history and paid tribute to some of its most famous graduates, who included Douglas MacArthur, a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, and former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
 

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday issued new regulations under which journalists will be required to have official escorts if they wish to access much of the Pentagon building.

Under the new rules, accredited reporters will not be allowed into most of the Department of Defense headquarters without official approval and a government escort.

Members of the Pentagon press corps are also soon to be issued with new credentials that, according to the order, will identify them more prominently as press representatives.

"While the Department remains committed to transparency, the Department is equally obligated to protect CSNI (classified intelligence) and sensitive information — the unauthorized disclosure of which could put the lives of US Service members in danger," Hegseth said in a memorandum.

The new restrictions follow several leaks from the Department of Defense that caused considerable embarrassment to the administration.

Under previous US administrations, the press had had easy access to non-secured and unclassified swaths of the building.

The Pentagon Press Association criticized the move by Hegseth, characterizing it as an attack on press freedom.

"There is no way to sugarcoat it. Today's memo by Secretary Hegseth appears to be a direct attack on the freedom of the press and America's right to know what its military is doing," it said in a statement.  

New rules imposed on journalists reporting from the Pentagon have drawn criticism that the Trump administration is intent on repressing press freedom in the US.

The move by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth comes a day after dozens of staffers were fired from the White House National Security Council as President Donald Trump moves to reduce the influence and scope of what was once a powerful body.

Trump is also to hold his first commencement address of his current term before graduates of the West Point military academy.

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