Published May 24, 2025last updated May 24, 2025US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has introduced new rules limiting reporters’ access to the Pentagon. The move comes after a number of embarrassing leaks during his tenure. DW has more.
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The Pentagon, the US Department of Defense headquarters, is situated in Arlington, VirginiaImage: Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/picture allianceSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to knowUS Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued new orders requiring journalists to have official escorts if they wish to access much of the Department of Defense’s headquarters.
The move is the latest in a growing list of restrictions imposed on the mainstream press by the Trump administration and comes after the Pentagon was embarrassed by several leaks over the past few months.
US President Donald Trump is meanwhile scheduled to address the graduating class from the West Point military academy, his first commencement address since returning to office this year.
Below, you can read a roundup of news from the United States on May 24, 2025:
Skip next section US concerned over “mistreatment” of east African activistsMay 24, 2025
US concerned over “mistreatment” of east African activistsThe 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.
https://p.dw.com/p/4ur0F
Skip next section Syria welcomes formal lifting of sanctions by USMay 24, 2025
Syria welcomes formal lifting of sanctions by USSyria’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.
https://p.dw.com/p/4uqwP
Skip next section Trump to speak to West Point graduatesMay 24, 2025
Trump to speak to West Point graduatesPresident 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.
https://p.dw.com/p/4uqv2
Skip next section Hegseth orders escorts for reporters at PentagonMay 24, 2025
Hegseth orders escorts for reporters at PentagonImage: Kiyoshi Ota/AFP/Getty Images 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.
https://p.dw.com/p/4uqur
Skip next section Welcome to our coverageMay 24, 2025
Welcome to our coverageTimothy Jones | Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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.
Read this blog to keep abreast of these and other stories from the United States.
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