A little-known drone company backed by Donald Trump Jr has won its largest-ever contract from the Pentagon, as the US government expands its drone procurement. Florida-based Unusual Machines, in which Trump Jr has held a $4mn stake, said it had been contracted by the US army to manufacture 3,500 drone motors, alongside various other drone parts.

“Today, the Department of War is announcing the next generation of the Pentagon press corps,” wrote chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell on Wednesday. He claimed over 60 “journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists,” signed the Pentagon’s access policy.

HuffPost had asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tie that resembled the Russian flag and had won praise from Russian officials.

A court could rule on legal challenges surrounding the National Guard deployments in the coming days. And, a new policy for Pentagon reporters has led many to turn in their press passes.

At present, nobody killed in the Trump administration’s strikes has been independently confirmed to have been involved in drug smuggling. At least one victim’s family has claimed their relative was a fisherman not involved in drug trafficking. The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

The Defense Department announced that more than 60 journalists would be credentialed under its newly restrictive press policy.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has asked the military to explain why cleanup of PFAS chemicals at bases nationwide has been pushed back.

The judge’s decision comes weeks after Hegseth bragged to top generals about eliminating DEI from the military.