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WASHINGTON PARK, Ill. - Police are investigating after a man was killed in a dog attack late Thursday night in Washington Park. According to the Washington Park Police Department, the incident occurred around 10:45 p.m. in the 2100 block of N. 49th St. Officers responded to the scene after receiving reports that a man was [...]

ROSLYN, Wash. — Francisco Martinez hefts a canister filled with a mixture of diesel fuel and gasoline. A tongue of flame dances above the nozzle. He tips the drip torch forward — whoosh — and a stream of blazing liquid races across the forest floor. In less than a minute, a long wall of fire […]

Dear Friend of Press Freedom:

We want to see the sealed documents a judge considered when imposing an $800-per-day fine on journalist Catherine Herridge for refusing to identify a source. Plus, a ubiquitous contract clause is making freelancers’ work more risky, the Pentagon has a journalist burn book, and conservatives are sounding the alarm about Donald Trump’s FCC.

FPF demands unsealing of documents in reporter’s privilege case

Investigative journalist Catherine Herridge was held in contempt of court for refusing to divulge sources for her reporting at Fox News on an investigation of a scientist and university president with alleged ties to the Chinese military, leading to a (currently paused) $800-per-day fine. The court’s misguided ruling may have been informed by documents about the FBI’s probe into the scientist that were filed under seal, even though the investigation is over and the documents aren’t classified. This week, Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) filed a motion to unseal those documents.

“The public deserves to see the documents behind this ruling and judge for itself whether the facts warrant undermining journalist-source confidentiality,” FPF Senior Adviser Caitlin Vogus said. “It’s especially galling that while the court demands Herridge reveal her sources, it keeps the basis for its own decision secret.”

• Read more about the motion to unseal

Trump’s new scheme: suing for damages when his policies are criticized

Last week, Trump threatened the Center for American Progress with a $5 billion defamation lawsuit, alleging he was personally defamed by the think tank’s report concluding that his administration’s deployment of the National Guard to various U.S. cities did not reduce crime.

Trump’s attempt to turn criticism of government policy into a personal attack he can profit from in court isn’t just petty and self-involved — it undermines the First Amendment and long-standing principles at the heart of our democracy, FPF’s Vogus writes.

• Read more about Trump’s ridiculous threat

Oppressive clause in freelancer contracts chills journalism

Indemnification clauses are a common feature of freelancer contracts, placing freelancers on the hook for legal fees and judgments arising from their articles, even if they did nothing wrong. These clauses are terrible for journalism — making reporters less likely to submit stories that might aggravate their subjects — and don’t actually do anything to shield outlets from liability.

As more reporters get laid off from their full-time jobs and publications rely increasingly on freelancers, FPF Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern writes that it’s past time for them to cut these clauses out of freelance contracts.

• Learn more about these useless clauses

Pentagon blacklists journalists

The U.S. Central Command maintains a secret blacklist of journalists whose questions the press office has decided to “disregard,” The Intercept revealed this week — one of many steps the Pentagon has taken during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure to vilify the press and obstruct its work.

Stern told The Intercept, “This should put to rest the Pentagon’s prior claims that its anti-press policies — like its infamous requirement that reporters sign pledges to only print authorized information — are somehow content neutral.”

• Read about the blacklist

Why Republicans should hate what the FCC is doing

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a super-loyalist to the president known to wear Trump’s gilded face as a lapel pin, has made clear that he views the agency’s role as furthering Trump’s agenda. But his actions, including threatening ABC’s licenses over their content decisions, shouldn’t just scare those who are anti-Trump — he’s creating a precedent for the next president’s FCC to engage in similar censorship.

FPF Executive Director Trevor Timm runs down the dangers of this FCC’s actions for Americans of all political stripes, and the conservatives who are sounding the alarm about it.

• Watch Timm’s video

Federal health agencies won’t talk to the press

Healthcare reporters have been dealing with widespread stonewalling from government agencies. In a live webinar next Tuesday, Sept. 1, hosted by FPF and the Association of Health Care Journalists, Vogus and three healthcare reporters will talk about why these problems persist, how reporters can overcome the stonewalling to get to the story, and what the public can do to push for greater transparency.

• Register for the webinar here

What we’re reading Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders who criticized DOD’s interference The Washington Post

Hegseth’s conduct is unbecoming of the First Amendment. Stars and Stripes exists to produce independent journalism. When their team expressed concern over government censorship, the Pentagon went to war ... with the truth.

Mark Ruffalo links Paramount to Oracle’s Israeli military ties. The studio calls remarks ‘antisemitic’ The Hollywood Reporter

Larry Ellison said he wants to surveil everyone — Jewish, Palestinian, or neither — to keep us on our best behavior. It’s not antisemitic to talk about how his government-subsidized surveillance, war, and “scary technology” businesses may impact his family’s media outlets.

AP, Reuters call for accountability on anniversary of Gaza strike that killed journalists The Associated Press

Israel is killing journalists for exposing its atrocities in Gaza, while the money and weapons to do it keep flowing from the U.S. News outlets need to keep pushing for accountability and access.

This mysterious ‘astroturf’ group popped up to defend the Paramount merger The Intercept

There is no real grassroots support for Trump steering more media outlets to the Ellison family, but an astroturfing firm that previously partnered with Flock Safety wants you to believe otherwise.

ChatGPT gets all up in your iMessages FPF Digital Security Digest

ChatGPT can now send messages on your behalf, using Messages for macOS. Our security training team digs into how it works, and what it all means for the privacy of our conversations.

Back in June, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission that federal limits on coordinated expenditures by political parties violate the First Amendment. Which is every bit as stupid and corrupt as it sounds. Previously, under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), political parties were subjected to strict […]

The trailer for Fjord has arrived. The film comes from two-time Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu and stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. It follows what happens to a Norwegian…

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“It has to get done,” said Aldermanic President Megan Green. “There’s a North Side data center chomping at the bit.”

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service took another step Thursday in implementing a Trump administration policy to restrict mail-in voting, even as a high-stakes legal battle plays out and midterm elections approach. The agency published an FAQ about its new rule that compels states to send their voter rolls to the federal government and only deliver […]

Why are so many people mourning Dolly Parton?

Kathleen Logan Smith says that the Board of Adjustment ignored physics, biology, and engineering in its decision to grant a conditional use permit to the proposed Armory hyperscale data center project.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Officials are responding after a vehicle struck a utility pole Friday morning, leaving hundreds without power in Bellefontaine Neighbors. The crash occurred in the area of Bellefontaine and St. Cyr. Roads. Wires could be seen on the roadway after the crash and the vehicle appeared to be overturned. More than [...]

The St. Louis City Board of Aldermen is scheduled to meet Friday at 10 a.m. to discuss Board Bill 49, which would establish the city's first comprehensive zoning regulations for data centers.

The man came into O'Fallon City Hall shortly after the City Council meeting began at 7:30 p.m. He was stopped by three O'Fallon Police Department officers.

A coalition of Missouri labor unions and reproductive rights groups announced a $1 million campaign this month aimed at defeating Republican lawmakers who voted to repeal the state’s paid sick leave requirement. Not long ago, such a partnership would’ve seemed unusual and unlikely. But years of organizing — and repeated battles with the Republican-controlled legislature […]

A federal judge is being asked to decide whether Missouri’s new law banning intoxicating hemp products is clear enough to enforce in November or so contradictory that a constitutional challenge to it should move forward. At the center of the dispute is the question of whether Missouri calls a product legal “hemp” in one part […]

St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, also known as “The Rock” officially welcomed its newest priest this month. One of the few majority-Black Catholic parishes still in existence now has its first Black priest in over 20 years. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson reports, Father Royce Thomas says he has big plans to revitalize the church.

ST. LOUIS - Quiet weather is here and sticking around. Two more days of comfortable summer before we crank up the heat. Friday and Saturday’s highs will be in the mid to upper 80s. High temperatures will jump into the 90s for Sunday. By Monday, highs are back in the mid to upper 90s and [...]