'Is it Kafka?' US judge baffled by new Pentagon press policy

Deutsche Tageszeitung - 'Is it Kafka?' US judge baffled by new Pentagon press policy

'Is it Kafka?' US judge baffled by new Pentagon press policy / Photo: © AFP

Judge Paul Friedman, in response to a lawsuit filed by the newspaper, ruled this month that new Pentagon policies regarding media access were unconstitutional and Times reporters should have their credentials restored.

The Trump administration has said it will appeal the ruling and the Defense Department responded with even tighter rules, closing a press area in the Pentagon called Correspondents' Corridor and moving reporters to an annex in a separate building.

In addition, under the new policy, "all journalist access to the Pentagon will require escort by authorized Department personnel."

Theodore Boutrous, a Times lawyer, accused the administration at a hearing before Friedman in a Washington court on Monday of "gaslighting" and "bad faith."

"We've seen this movie before," Boutrous said. "They made the press credentials that we fought so hard to get back meaningless."

Julian Barnes, a Times reporter, in a sworn declaration, noted that reporters were unable to access the new press facility on foot and were also not allowed to use a Pentagon shuttle bus.

"How weird is that?" Friedman responded. "Is it Catch 22? Is it Kafka?"

Barnes said Pentagon press accreditation pass holders were ultimately told they would be given permission to ride on the shuttle bus.

The judge, after hearing arguments from the Times and Sarah Welch, a lawyer representing the Justice Department, did not issue an immediate ruling.

US media and a host of other news outlets including AFP declined to sign the new access policy in mid-October, resulting in the loss of their Pentagon credentials.

The restrictions were the latest in a series of measures by President Donald Trump and top officials against journalists and outlets that are often derided as "fake news" when their reporting displeases the administration.

(U.Kabuchyn--DTZ)

Eli Crane Defeats Jonathan Nez in Tight Arizona Congressional Race

Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Eli Crane has retained his seat in Arizona’s second congressional district after defeating former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in an unexpectedly close election. The Associated Press called the race on Monday, confirming Crane’s narrow victory following nearly a week of vote counting.

Economist Testifies Canada Has Limited Power to Alter Global Climate

An environmental economist testifying at Canada’s first youth-led climate trial stated Monday that the federal government has limited power to alter the climate within its borders because global warming is largely driven by the choices of other nations. Professor David Anthoff, appearing as the first witness for the federal government in Vancouver, emphasized that while domestic policy matters, it cannot solve the problem in isolation.

MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road

A SINN FÉIN MLA has condemned reports that loyalist band members made sectarian gestures at the scene of a Troubles massacre where five Catholic civilians were murdered. Deirdre Hargey has now called on police and transport authorities to investigate the claims following Saturday's Belfast Walker Club parade on the Ormeau Road.

Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has dubbed Fine Gael leader Simon Harris a “Thatcherite” after the Tánaiste claimed that long-term unemployment is “not a way of life. ” The Sinn Féin social protection spokesperson stated that the Tánaiste has chosen to “stigmatise individuals on the margins of society and cast them as work-shy, rather than answer for his Government’s failures and the serious problems within his own party.