Tootfinder

Sources: Google dropped out of a $100M Pentagon challenge to create tech for voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarms, following an internal ethics review (Katrina Manson/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

Space Force guardians provided critical support during high-profile U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela
— experience that underscores the need for additional resources to prepare the service for future conflicts,
a senior official told DefenseScoop in an exclusive interview Friday.
Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Absolute Resolve were carried out by the joint force in June 2025 and January 2026, respectively.
Pentagon leadership have touted the rai…

EXCLUSIVE: Space Force’s role in Iran, Venezuela raids fueling push for more resources
Space Force guardians provided critical support during high-profile U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela — experience that underscores the need for additional resources to prepare the service for future conflicts, a senior official told DefenseScoop in an exclusive interview.

“The U.S. military used a laser Thursday to shoot down a ‘seemingly threatening’ drone flying near the U.S.-Mexico border. It turned out the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said.”
https://apnews.com/article/military-la

US military uses laser to down drone and FAA closes more El Paso airspace, officials say
Members of Congress say the U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone. The Federal Aviation Administration responded Thursday by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. No commercial flights were affected this time. The FAA shut down the El Paso airport and the surrounding area just over two weeks ago after another use of an anti-drone laser. The Defense Department and Transportation Department referred questions to the FAA. The FAA, CBP and the Pentagon …

In a legal filing, NYT accuses the DOD of defying a court ruling that declared parts of its press rules unconstitutional, after the DOD issued new rules Monday (Erik Wemple/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/business/media/new-york-t…

New York Times Accuses Pentagon of Defying Court Order
The company said in a legal filing that the department sought to fashion an “end run” when it issued revised media rules on Monday.

Based on reports as of March 2026,
the U.S. and Ecuador are collaborating on "Operation Total Extermination"
against, targeting, and destroying "narcotics-related sites" in South America.
While offering further strikes, this strategy faces criticism for failing to reduce urban insecurity and surging homicide rates within Ecuador, despite the military operations
Critics argue this strategy prioritizes
"videos that the Pentagon could shar…

The Holes in Trump’s ‘Shield of the Americas’
Military operations won’t produce real security for Latin America if there is no strategy beyond targeting cartel leaders with lethal force.

After markets rattle, Trump once again punts on following through with threat on Iran power plants (Aamer Madhani/Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-hormuz-markets-bd5ad0e6999abf1cbdf1e7cfb8ea5109
http://www.memeorandum.com/260326/p163#a260326p163

Press freedom is further going down the drain in Trumpistan.
(Sorry, behind a paywall. But the first few sentences are the most important anyway.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/23/pentagon-press-annex-policy-defeat/

Source: Anthropic has no intention of easing Claude usage restrictions for military purposes, following Dario Amodei's meeting with Pete Hegseth (David Jeans/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/anthropic-digs-heels-dispute-with-pentagon…

Q&A with TPM founder Josh Marshall on the rise of independent journalism, early blogging vs. newsletters, and feeling bullish about the media ecosystem (Thor Benson/Long Lead Presents)
https://depthperception.longlead.com/p/tpm-josh…

TPM’s Josh Marshall on blogs, newsletters, and independent journalism's resurgence
Talking Points Memo founder Josh Marshall says independent journalists’ success is the "sustainable" solution to traditional media’s woes.

Filing: the Pentagon says Anthropic's use of foreign workers, including from China, poses security risks and that its case is "different" from other companies' (Maria Curi/Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/pentagon-anthropic-foreig…

Pentagon: Anthropic's foreign workforce poses security risks
The Defense Department is raising red flags about a key element of the AI industry — its reliance on global talent — as it moves to dismiss Anthropic's lawsuit.