By DAVID BAUDER

News organizations including The New York Times, The Associated Press and the conservative Newsmax television network said Monday they will not sign a Defense Department document about its new press rules, making it likely the Trump administration will evict their reporters from the Pentagon.

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Those outlets say the policy threatens to punish them for routine news gathering protected by the First Amendment. The Washington Post and The Atlantic on Monday also publicly joined the group that says it will not be signing.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacted by posting the Times’ statement on X and adding a hand-waving emoji. His team has said that reporters who don’t acknowledge the policy in writing by Tuesday must turn in badges admitting them to the Pentagon and clear out their workspaces the next day.

The new rules bar journalist access to large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and say Hegseth can revoke press access to reporters who ask anyone in the Defense Department for information — classified or otherwise — that he has not approved for release.

Newsmax, whose on-air journalists are generally supportive of President Donald Trump’s administration, said that “we believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon will review the matter further.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the rules establish “common sense media procedures.”

“The policy does not ask for them to agree, just to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is,” Parnell said. “This has caused reporters to have a full blown meltdown, crying victim online. We stand by our policy because it’s what’s best for our troops and the national security of this country.”

Hegseth also reposted a question from a follower who asked, “Is this because they can’t roam the Pentagon freely? Do they believe they deserve unrestricted access to a highly classified military installation under the First Amendment?”

Hegseth answered, “yes.” Reporters say neither of those assertions is true.

Pentagon reporters say signing the statement amounts to admitting that reporting any information that hasn’t been government-approved is harming national security. “That’s simply not true,” said David Schulz, director of Yale University’s Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic.

Journalists have said they’ve long worn badges and don’t access classified areas, nor do they report information that risks putting any Americans in harm’s way.

“The Pentagon certainly has the right to make its own policies, within the constraints of the law,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a statement on Monday. “There is no need or justification, however, for it to require reporters to affirm their understanding of vague, likely unconstitutional policies as a precondition to reporting from Pentagon facilities.”

Noting that taxpayers pay nearly $1 trillion annually to the U.S. military, Times Washington bureau chief Richard Stevenson said “the public has a right to know how the government and military are operating.”

Trump has applied pressure on news organizations in several ways, with ABC News and CBS News settling lawsuits related to their coverage. Trump has also filed lawsuits against The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and moved to choke off funding for government-run services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

David Bauder writes about the media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

JPMorgan Chase will directly invest up to $10 billion in U.S. companies with crucial ties to national security.

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The investment plan revealed Monday will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing in critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; defense and aerospace; energy independence, with investments in battery storage and grid resilience; and strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing.

The investment is part of the bank’s Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 trillion, 10-year plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries critical to national security.

“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing – all of which are essential for our national security,” Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement. “Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy. America needs more speed and investment.”

This summer, JPMorgan helped put together a deal under which the Defense Department agreed to invest $400 million in U.S. rare earth company MP Materials. The bank is also providing financing for MP Materials’ second magnet producing factory in the U.S.

The nation’s largest bank plans to finance approximately $1 trillion over the next decade in support of clients in these industries. JPMorgan Chase is looking to increase this amount by up to $500 billion, or a 50% increase, with additional resources and capital.

“America needs more speed and investment,” Dimon said. “It also needs to remove obstacles that stand in the way: excessive regulations, bureaucratic delay, partisan gridlock and an education system not aligned to the skills we need.”

JPMorgan says that it serves 34,000 mid-sized companies and more than 90% of the Fortune 500.

It plans to hire more bankers, investment professionals and other experts to help address its investment plan. It will also create an external advisory council that includes leaders from the public and private sectors to help guide the long-term strategy.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A California engineer and gardening enthusiast won the top prize at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,346 pounds.

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Brandon Dawson, of Santa Rosa, California, clinched the victory Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

Dawson pumped his arms in the air and sat his two children on top of the giant pumpkin — roughly the same weight as a small sedan or a large bison — after being crowned this year’s winner.

“My mind is kind of racing because I was in this position last year when I lost by 6 pounds,” he said in an interview.

Dawson, a manufacturing engineer at electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive, said he has been growing massive pumpkins for five years. Precision skills acquired at his job helped him with the right watering and sunlight to help his gourd grow, he said.

He said he enjoys getting his children involved in the process.

“We like to spend time out in the patch and watch the thing grow,” Dawson said about his 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

“My 4-year-old now can really pay attention to the growing process,” especially since the giant pumpkins can grow by 50 to 70 pounds a day, he added.

The pumpkin champ won a $20,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin.

Dawson’s pumpkin was the runner up in last year’s contest at Half Moon Bay when the winning gourd grown by Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Gienger came in at 2,471 pounds.

Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota, set a world record at the California contest in 2023 for the heaviest pumpkin when his giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighed 2,749 pounds. Gienger’s pumpkin was damaged earlier this season and he couldn’t enter this year’s contest in California.

Two brothers in England earlier this month broke Gienger’s record with a gourd that weighed 2,819 pounds.

By SARAH TETAUD and GERALD IMRAY

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina left the country after an elite military unit turned against the government in an apparent coup that followed weeks of youth-led protests, an opposition lawmaker in the Indian Ocean country said Monday.

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The lawmaker’s comments came shortly before Rajoelina was due to appear on national television and radio to make a speech to the people of Madagascar. The president’s office said his speech was scheduled to be broadcast at 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), but was delayed after a group of soldiers attempted to take over the state broadcaster.

His office didn’t say if he was still in Madagascar amid reports he had fled on Sunday on a French military plane.

The anti-government protests, which were initially led by Gen-Z demonstrators, began on Sept. 25 but reached a turning point on Saturday when soldiers from the elite CAPSAT military unit accompanied protesters to a square in the capital, Antananarivo, and called for Rajoelina and several government ministers to step down.

The unit, which helped Rajoelina first come to power as transitional leader in a military-backed coup in 2009, said that it had taken charge of all the armed forces in Madagascar.

Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, the leader of the opposition in parliament, said that Rajoelina “ran away” from the country after soldiers turned against him.

President’s whereabouts are unknown

Rajoelina’s office had said Sunday that “an attempt to seize power illegally and by force” was underway in the nation of 31 million off the east coast of Africa. He has not appeared in public since the revolt by soldiers and his current whereabouts are unknown.

FILE – President Andry Rajoelina addresses a state ceremony, Sept. 2, 2025, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. (AP Photo/Alexander Joe, file)

A spokesperson for the president didn’t respond to phone calls and messages.

Following a report that France had flown Rajoelina and his family out of Madagascar on one of its military planes, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux declined to comment.

Madagascar is a former French colony. Rajoelina reportedly has French citizenship, a source of discontent among Madagascans.

Madagascar’s former prime minister under Rajoelina and one of the president’s closest advisors had left the country and arrived in the nearby island of Mauritius in the predawn hours of Sunday, the Mauritian government said, adding it was “not satisfied” that the private plane had landed on its territory.

Elite military unit

Rajoelina hasn’t identified who was behind the attempted coup, but the CAPSAT military unit appeared to be in a position of authority and on Sunday appointed a general as the new head of Madagascar’s armed forces, which was accepted by the defense minister.

A commander of CAPSAT, Col. Michael Randrianirina, said that his soldiers had exchanged gunfire with security forces who were attempting to quell weekend protests, and one of his soldiers was killed. But there was no major fighting on the streets, and soldiers riding on armored vehicles and waving Madagascar flags were cheered by people in Antananarivo.

Randrianirina said that the army had “responded to the people’s calls,” but denied there was a coup. Speaking at the country’s military headquarters on Sunday, he told reporters that it was up to the Madagascan people to decide what happens next, and if Rajoelina leaves power and a new election is held.

The U.S. Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place because of a “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation. The African Union urged all parties, “both civilian and military, to exercise calm and restraint.”

Weeks of protests

Madagascar has been shaken by three weeks of the most significant unrest in years. The anti-government protests, which erupted over water and electricity outages, were led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar.” The United Nations says the demonstrations left at least 22 people dead and dozens injured. The government has disputed this number.

The protests snowballed into larger dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of Rajoelina. The demonstrators have brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials, as well as their families and associates.

Civic groups and trade unions have also joined the protests, which resulted in nighttime curfews being enforced in Antananarivo and other major cities. Curfews were still in effect in Antananarivo and the northern port city of Antsiranana.

The Gen Z protesters, who started the uprising, have mobilized over the internet and say they were inspired by other protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

History of political crises

Madagascar has had several leaders removed in coups and has a history of political crises since it gained independence from France in 1960.

The 51-year-old Rajoelina first came to prominence as the leader of a transitional government following a 2009 coup that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to flee the country and lose power. Rajoelina was elected president in 2018 and reelected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties.

Gerald Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. John Leicester contributed to this report from Paris.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa