This is not the first time that gunfire has been aimed at U.S. personnel in Port-au-Prince this year, but it is the most significant, I'm told.

NEW: U.S. Marines in Haiti exchanged gunfire this week with suspected gang members, U.S. military officials said Saturday, in an incident that highlights the precarious security environment in the island nation. wapo.st/3LFc3Dw

Trump, in comments tonight, says he has "sort of made up my mind" about how to proceed with Venezuela, without specifying what he meant. Comes after days of deliberations that include an array of military options, officials say.

NEW: Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine returned to the White House on Friday for a second consecutive day of deliberations centered on potential military action in Venezuela, as U.S. forces in the region prepared for possible orders. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Exclusive: U.S. troops are not liable in the deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin America, a new classified Justice Department memo announced.

U.S. troops are not liable in boat strikes, classified Justice Deptartment memo says Another WaPo SCOOP: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

A happy 250th to all the Marines out there. Covering your institution over the years has been a privilege and adventure.

The Pentagon press corps has taught me so much in my career. @sirenspod.bsky.social extended our chat with @valerieinsinna.bsky.social to explore what makes it different, what DOD owes Americans in terms of transparency and access, and where we go from here. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

What. A. Game.

The @washingtonpost.com in just the last day:

As of today, the following U.S. Navy warships are in the Caribbean: USS Iwo Jima USS San Antonio USS Stockdale USS Jason Dunham USS Gravely USS Lake Erie USS Wichita USS Gettysburg There's also the MV Ocean Trader, a special operations vessel, and the USS Newport News, a submarine.

I remain reachable on Signal at danlamothe.30

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Israel, official says. Visit had been anticipated this week.

U.S. military officials with Southern Command are making plans to deploy an assessment team to Jamaica, I'm told. State Department has received a formal request for assistance from the Jamaican government, and also is beginning to deploy a disaster response team and search-and-rescue squads.

Hurricane Melissa collides with U.S. military mission in Caribbean www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Just an absolutely incredible game of baseball tonight

“If it chooses to keep the naval force focused on Venezuela rather than disaster response, it would certainly show how the administration wants to exercise its defense priorities.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

President Donald Trump’s military campaign against drug cartels in Latin America could soon collide with a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean Sea, as Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with a fleet of U.S. military ships deployed nearby. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

A catastrophic forecast for Hurricane Melissa with a lot of U.S. military assets already in the Caribbean. Will the Trump administration assist regional neighbors? To what degree?

SCOOP: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has restored but downgraded the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, the independent, internal think tank focused on future wars, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post and people familiar with the matter. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Infowars is joining the Pentagon press corps:

Media in the Pentagon. Marines on I-5. The military and politics. Touched on all those things with @rieckhoff.bsky.social on his latest podcast episode: youtu.be/Do7lnEscHqU?...

The Pentagon press corps has walked out. The briefings have stopped. And the most powerful military in the world is being wielded in ways few Americans understand. Washington Post national security reporter Dan Lamothe returns to break down an unprecedented crisis of transparency inside the DoD.

Who's joining the Pentagon press corps after most of us departed the building last week due to new restrictions? Gateway Pundit, Human Events, and other right-wing sites, mostly. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

In which the Pentagon continues to clamp down on communication of all kinds while falsely claiming increased transparency. breakingdefense.com/2025/10/pent...

Significantly *more* live artillery rounds were launched over Interstate 5 during Friday’s rehearsal, defense officials said, with one estimating the number at 30.

NEW: Marines launch investigation of errant live-fire blast over California’s I-5 www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

In a WaPo article by @danlamothe.bsky.social & @taracopp.bsky.social, there's this: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

NEW TODAY: A deep dive on Tim Parlatore, Pete Hegseth’s longtime personal attorney. He has a key role in Hegseth’s efforts to restrict news reporting in the Pentagon, and a history that includes defending alleged mobsters, accused war criminals, and President Donald Trump. wapo.st/4h8hTsC

Turned in the badge today. My colleagues and I will stay on the beat, but in a new way. The work continues. Danlamothe.30

NEW TODAY: A deep dive on Tim Parlatore, Pete Hegseth’s longtime personal attorney. He has a key role in Hegseth’s efforts to restrict news reporting in the Pentagon, and a history that includes defending alleged mobsters, accused war criminals, and President Donald Trump. wapo.st/4h8hTsC

Turned in the badge today. My colleagues and I will stay on the beat, but in a new way. The work continues. Danlamothe.30

Not signing Pete Hegseth’s new media restrictions at the Pentagon: Washington Post New York Times Wall Street Journal CNN AP NPR The Atlantic Washington Times Washington Examiner Newsmax There are others. Signing: OANN. End of list, at least so far.

I'm not signing, and neither are my colleagues. But the work continues. Danlamothe.30 on Signal.

I can now share that Washington Post journalists will not be signing the new media policy at the Pentagon. I can also share that Secretary Hegseth already is aware of that:

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans — latest from me @taskandpurpose.com One soldier messaged USAA’s chatbot about his denied loan. It pushed a credit card, then said to consider opening an account with Navy Fed. taskandpurpose.com/military-lif...

It's close. Give or take, yes.

And so concludes yet another week w/ no routine news briefing at the Pentagon. Previously: March 17: Sean Parnell & Lt. Gen. Grynkewich June 22: SECDEF Hegseth, Gen. Caine June 26: Hegseth, Caine July 2: Parnell Aug 7: Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson Aug 14: Wilson

ANOTHER WAPO SCOOP: Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

During the fall of Afghanistan, a free press repeatedly surfaced new info about how U.S. troops were in danger and coping w/ an unprecedented situation, prompting adjustments in a crisis. That's the job. Not repeating talking points.

By law, that's what it remains. "The Department of War" is a secondary title, even in Trump's executive order.

Urgent new statement from the Pentagon Press Association, on Pete Hegseth’s new, forthcoming media restrictions:

Some 400 members of the *Texas* National Guard are getting deployed to the Chicago area against the wishes of state and local officials, @govpritzker.illinois.gov says in new statement: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker...

NEW TONIGHT: Judge temporarily blocks Trump from deploying troops in Portland www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Trump dministration planning for a military deployment to Chicago extends back at least to the summer, as the Washington Post scooped in August: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Statement from Gov. Pritzker anticipating federalization of 300 members of the Illinois National Guard by the Trump administration. Similar efforts in other states have led to lawsuits:

This story shows Trump administration officials: - Continuing to use Signal casually for sensitive discussions - Discussing sending the 82nd Airborne to Portland - Suggesting that Hegseth was reluctant to do so without Trump top cover

I remain reachable on Signal at danlamothe.30

This move, cast here as a response to some sort of uprising, actually includes about 200 Oregon National Guard members, according to a memo that Pete Hegseth sent state officials. Guard likely will be limited to protecting federal personnel, property. Legality of even that will be contested.