President Trump has pardoned Stephen Buyer, a former Republican representative from Indiana who was convicted of insider trading in 2023.

Hegseth at Normandy: "Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not."

EXCLUSIVE: Navy SEAL family says Hegseth and Trump Jr. ‘ghosted’ them on war-zone death investigation With text messages. Gift link: wapo.st/3RQNsPa

You can send your encrypted news tips at danlamothe.30 With thanks.

NEW: The Pentagon has banned journalists from its press office, designating it a classified space. The change creates a new barrier between journalists and the public affairs officers who have traditionally answered their questions. wapo.st/4fZu2kW

Two UMass alumni softball wins this morning in D.C.'s beautiful West Potomac Park against Johns Hopkins and Texas A&M. It's unclear how long this park will remain available, amid an effort by President Trump to turn it into sculpture garden.

One memo, circulated within the Air Force, stipulates that to be eligible to watch the cage fights, personnel “MUST MEET CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO and current physical fitness standard.” Troops will be required to wear their short-sleeve dress uniforms, the memo adds.

NEW: The Pentagon is moving to recruit hundreds of troops to appear as spectators at Trump’s UFC cage-fighting event at the White House, and requiring those who attend to pay their own way and meet height and weight requirements, memos obtained by @washingtonpost.com show. wapo.st/49wqqDf

"Most transparent administration ever"? In this move, the Trump administration seeks to crack down on the disclosure of *unclassified* information.

NEW: Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

“For love of country they accepted death.” — James A. Garfield

Trump is planning another new addition to the White House: a helipad on the south lawn. Why? Because the long-stalled new Marine One helicopters keep burning the grass. with the estimable @danlamothe.bsky.social

. @moulton.house.gov responds to his dustup with Adm. Cooper today: "If Admiral Cooper is unwilling to ask these questions himself, or is uncomfortable answering them, then he’s not doing his job." Gift link: wapo.st/4dxZ9Bj

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“The president is always going to be the president. He’s always going to say and do things that cause chaos or controversy. That doesn’t mean it’s okay for everybody else to act that way.”

In a statement, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles did not dispute Washington Post reporting that she has had concerns about Hegseth at times. But she credited him with bringing “clarity, strength and leadership” to the Pentagon “at a critical moment for our country.”

One administration official equated the state of play with Pete Hegseth’s job security to that of a grizzly bear chasing a group of hikers. “As long as you don’t run the slowest, you’re safe — and Pete is not the slowest right now.”

NEW: Pete Hegseth tightens control at Pentagon, defiant and more confident than ever Lots of new details here: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

FEMA is working to rehire more than 100 disaster-response employees who had been fired months ago in time for hurricane season, according to officials.

Timeline cleanse: Toweling off the pup tonight after getting caught in the rain.

Pete Hegseth today repeated a false zombie claim to lawmakers that 197 generals were removed from their jobs during the Obama years. That figure: 1) Included many who were NOT generals or admirals 2) Included many officers who were removed for cause for disciplinary issues. It's not the same.

Two weeks ago, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Washington Post that Pete Hegseth “maintains excellent working relationships with the secretaries of every military service branch.” It wasn't true then and it isn't true now, officials say, as Navy Secretary John Phelan exits.

Clearing Strait of Hormuz of mines could take 6 months, Pentagon official tells Congress in classified briefing wapo.st/4eIeBgm

On CNN tonight talking the U.S. naval blockade and Iran:

On @cnn.com tonight talking Iran with @andersoncooper360.bsky.social:

I remain reachable on Signal at danlamothe.30

Lots of back-and-forth over the Iran ceasefire, so putting this front and center: One of Trump’s alternative options likely called for U.S. troops on Iranian soil. The death toll on such a move was almost certainly not zero. Let's see what's still to come.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has been concerned enough about his deteriorating relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he sought assistance last fall from Vice President JD Vance, people familiar with the matter tell me.

“I have no plans to depart or resign as the Secretary of the Army,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in a new statement to The Washington Post. It comes after media reports suggesting that administration officials are considering his exit.

Also new in this story: Gen. Randy George favored the Army letting the investigation of helicopter pilots spotted near Kid Rock's home last month play out. That investigation was announced -- and quickly squashed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

SCOOP: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has no plans to resign or otherwise leave his role at the Pentagon, he said in a statement on Tuesday, after a series of clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have prompted questions about how long they can coexist. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

U.S. rescues missing crew member in Iran after fighter jet shot down www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

"Hegseth can’t fire Driscoll," one administration official told me Thursday. "So he’s going to make his life hell."

NEW: It's not just Gen. Randy George on the way out. Defense officials tell me and Tara Copp that Hegseth also is removing: Gen. David Hodne, commander of Transformation and Training Command Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., head of the Army's chaplain corps www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

How did we get here? Top military commanders required increases to base security because of the Iran war. Marine officials sought outside help to bolster manpower. The help offered came in the form of ICE agents. But they're not doing immigration enforcement, defense officials say.

One defense official told me the handling of the ICE announcement at Parris Island amounted to a “self-inflicted gunshot wound” for the Marine Corps. Another said it was a “step on a rake” moment.

NEW: The Marine Corps is scrambling to reassure military families that there will be no immigration enforcement during boot camp graduation ceremonies, officials said, after an outcry over plans for ICE agents to join security efforts at upcoming events. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Reminder that today is April Fool's Day. Proceed with care in sharing and watch out for banana peels.

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said. It would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials.

Reached out to Pentagon officials today for official comment for this story at 12:51 p.m. and again at 6:20. No response. We published the story at 8:22 p.m. Still no response. I'll incorporate Pentagon reaction should it come.

In response to questions for this story, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision.” That's not a no.

SCOOP: The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Trump escalate. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

This marks the first full week since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began that the Pentagon has done *zero* press conferences. Last briefing was held by Secretary Hegseth and Gen. Caine on March 19. Hegseth's public affairs team itself has not briefed since December.

SCOOP: The U.S. military has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks of war with Iran, burning through the precision weapons at a rate that has alarmed some Pentagon officials and prompted internal discussions about how to make more available. wapo.st/4bDqVNa

NEW TONIGHT: The Pentagon just issued written orders to deploy a couple thousand paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump weighs a significant escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. wapo.st/4d8BZ6e

U.S. ground troops on Kharg Island? “I just think that would be a disaster," Joe Kent told me. “It would essentially be giving Iran a bunch of hostages on an island that they could barrage with drones and missiles.”

“I said, ‘If I ever have a seat at the table, I’m not going to put up with this. I’ll do whatever I can to prevent it,’” Joe Kent said in an hour-long interview with The Washington Post.

NEW: In an interview with me for @washingtonpost.com, Joe Kent describes his new aim: Rallying the MAGA base to make sure President Trump hears dissenting voices about the Iran war. Gift link: wapo.st/4lNnc3d

A lot will be said about former FBI Director Robert Mueller, following his death Friday at 81. In addition to the rest, he was a survivor of a hellacious combat deployment in Vietnam. He suffered a gunshot wound in combat in April 1969 as a member of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.

Per transcript, questions at the Pentagon press conference today went to: Real America's Voice News Just The News RealClearPolitics Daily Caller Gateway Pundit And one or two more that are less clear.