Lolita Baldor

National Security/Pentagon Reporter with The Associated Press in D.C.; Granite State/Lakes Region native; Proud Michigan State Spartan; Go Sox! Go Pats!

[Tara Copp @TaraCopp]

A security agent for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just warned the reporters here — for Hegseth’s first press conference in 6 months — that we will be physically removed from the briefing room if we are not professional and maintain decorum. We asked if that meant no shouted questions and got no clarity. It’s the first time any of us could ever remember being threatened like this. Shouted questions are normal. “This is crazy town” one journalist said, noting the White House has never threatened reporters like that. We’re in the room, back row:

[Lolita Baldor @lbaldor]

https://t.co/wxJuqvi7VO

[The Associated Press @AP]

AP’s Washington Bureau Chief Anna Johnson takes you behind the scenes with our election night live show hosts Meg Kinnard and Sagar Meghani to show you how they prepare for the show.

Subscribe to The Associated Press on YouTube to tune into our livestream on Tuesday night or watch it on https://t.co/12cfWND9HE.

[The Associated Press @AP]

What does it take to photograph Election Day? AP’s Washington Bureau Chief Anna Johnson goes behind the scenes at the White House with Chief White House Photographer Alex Brandon to talk about the campaign trail and how AP’s photo team is preparing to cover the vote.

[AP CorpComm @AP_CorpComm]

The Associated Press today issued the following statement:

[Lolita Baldor @lbaldor]

Trump’s Name Must Stay Off Kennedy Center, Judge Rules https://t.co/BAfqOXe0io via @NYTimes

[Mark Carney @MarkJCarney]

Le nom du lac Ontario tire son origine du mot wendat « Ontari’io », qui signifie « le lac est beau, le lac est grand ».

Ce nom remonte à plus de 400 ans, bien avant la Confédération canadienne et la Déclaration d’indépendance des États-Unis d’Amérique.

Nous savons que les États-Unis sont en train de changer. Leurs relations commerciales, leur politique étrangère, leurs monuments nationaux, leurs hydronymes.

Les Canadiennes et les Canadiens savent aussi qu’il faut appeler les choses par leur nom, et ce lac se nomme Lac Ontario – aujourd’hui et pour toujours.

[Phil Stewart @phildstewart]

Scoop! - Reuters has seen the terms of reference for the Pentagon's troop review in NATO, which aims to decide how many forces will remain in Europe and where. Here are some key takeaways:
1) Moving fast: Hegseth will get at least four sets of options by Nov. 6. Options will include things like variations in the number of forces, locations of forces, speed of adjustments and the cost of adjustments.
2) By Sept. 18, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby will get a key decision briefing from EUCOM's Gen. Grynkewich where they'll go over options for development.
3) The terms of reference says the review seeks to guarantee reliable U.S. access, basing and overflight rights, called ABO, in allied NATO nations. But they also they examine space, cyber and "intelligence architectures and infrastructure that enable U.S. global power projection," the document says.
4) The document says the Pentagon will seek to determine whether allies have a credible path to meet their NATO spending pledges and fill in gaps to NATO crisis forces — known as the NATO Force Model — after U.S. reductions were announced earlier this year.
And there's more....

[Sen. Elissa Slotkin @SenatorSlotkin]

President Trump is playing right into Kim Jong-Un's hands. Our alliance with South Korea is critical to U.S. security and announcing a decision to unilaterally scale back joint exercises, over social media, all while touting a "very good relationship" with Kim, is a gross miscalculation.

Trump is rewarding a regime that sends weapons and troops to fight for Russia and has a long history of cooperation with Iran. Undermining our allies while making concessions to our adversaries is not a show of strength—it only emboldens those who threaten us.

[Phil Stewart @phildstewart]

BREAKING - (Reuters) - Trump says he has instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea in a social media post that also mentions Seoul's refusal to take part in actions against Iran.

[Lolita Baldor @lbaldor]

U.S. to Withdraw Subpoenas Issued to New York Times Journalists https://t.co/fwoSFSr7Xm via @NYTimes

[Greg Jaffe @GregJaffe]

Hegseth strikes 7 from promotion list:
Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to command one of the Navy’s 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, was pulled off the list.
https://t.co/qwa5jE3Ycc

[Greg Jaffe @GregJaffe]

Hegseth Strikes Female and Black Navy Officers From Promotion List. The result: a slate of 22 new one-star admiral nominees that bears little resemblance to the force these officers will help lead.
Of special note: The list has no women. w/ @katekelly
https://t.co/pUwRkXctH6

[Phil Stewart @phildstewart]

This is the first meeting in memory by a #SOUTHCOM commander and a Cuban military delegation at the edge of Gitmo.

[Elissa Slotkin @ElissaSlotkin]

In December, President Trump called for me to be investigated, arrested, and hanged over a 90-second video that restated existing law.

My lawyer's advice was straightforward: go quiet. Keep your head down. This will blow over.

But in this administration, the reality is that keeping your head down does not keep you safe. Staying quiet when power comes after you does not make the threat go away. It just teaches the people making the threat that it works.

When a president can call for the arrest and execution of a sitting senator for quoting the law, and the expected response is silence, that's a problem that goes way beyond me. That affects every American who works in government, every journalist, every ordinary citizen who might speak up.

A grand jury of ordinary Americans looked at this situation and said no. They understood what was at stake, and I think most Americans do.

We refuse to accept that this is the new normal.

This moment isn't really about me. When the administration is willing to go after a senator this way, it sends a message to every American who might speak up. That should concern people in both parties.

[Scott Nover @ScottNover]

Breaking: The New York Times has filed a second lawsuit against the Defense Department, this time challenging the escort requirement for journalists covering the Pentagon.

[Admiral James Stavridis, USN, Ret. @stavridisj]

I stand with David (AKA "Ed") Sanger. @SangerNYT

[Senator Mark Kelly @SenMarkKelly]

We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago and you said it would take “years” to replenish some of these stockpiles. That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you. This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven’t explained to the American people what the goal is.

[Idrees Ali @idreesali114]

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - Two out of three Americans think President Trump has not clearly explained why the country has gone to war with Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday.

[Phil Stewart @phildstewart]

“The Court cannot conclude this Opinion without noting once again what this case is really about: the attempt by the Secretary of Defense to dictate the information received by the American people, to control the message so that the public hears and sees only what the Secretary and the Trump Administration want them to hear and see. The Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too.”

https://t.co/pbP2GBePIR