Podcast Summary: "Doesn't mean you can pick and choose"
Podcast: Deadline: White House
Host: Nicolle Wallace
Date: October 14, 2025
Main Theme:
An urgent, in-depth discussion about the Trump Pentagon’s new restrictions on press access and reporting, the broader attack on the First Amendment, escalation of government propaganda, and the chilling consequences for democracy, transparency, and civil rights in America.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Pentagon Press Restrictions: A Historic First Amendment Crisis
- [00:49] Nicolle Wallace opens by highlighting the contradiction between the Trump administration’s rhetorical embrace of free speech and new Pentagon rules that would drastically restrict reporting, by labeling journalists as security risks—even for revealing unclassified information.
- All major news organizations—including MSNBC, The New York Times, Fox News, Newsmax, and the Associated Press—have refused to sign onto this policy. Only One America News has agreed (parallels drawn to authoritarian state media).
- Quote:
"You can't have it both ways. Free speech doesn't mean you can pick and choose just the speech that you like."
— Nicolle Wallace [00:49] - The Pentagon Press Association released a statement refusing a policy "that gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release."
- Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense) reacted dismissively, responding to pushback with a “hand-waving” emoji.
2. Historical & Comparative Context: Echoes of Autocracy
- [05:25] Oliver Darcy draws a sharp analogy:
"It's like Pete Hegseth wants these reporters to be North Korean style propagandists..." [05:25]
- The panel notes the policy is so draconian even Fox News is on the side of press freedom.
- Nicolle and Anne Applebaum relate this to tactics of Viktor Orbán and other autocrats, noting Trump is moving "faster than Orban did" in consolidating control over media.
3. Intentional Expulsion of the Free Press
- [08:46] Anne Applebaum observes that the ultimate aim is to effectively expel all but one compliant news outlet, creating a Soviet-style information monopoly:
"...it took many years before there’s only one official news outlet allowed... This is a very, very fast way to get rid of everybody, even Fox."
— Anne Applebaum [08:46]
4. Eroding Civilian-Military Connection & Internal Checks
- [10:08] Nicolle voices concern for the military and civilian relationship when public scrutiny is cut off.
Anne Applebaum highlights danger: “It cuts the Pentagon, it cuts the military off from... the people who pay for it and in whose name it acts.” [10:43] - [12:31] Angelo Carusone stresses that removing both internal government guardrails and the free press creates "a backup is also gone," accelerating unaccountable power.
5. Rise of Official Propaganda Channels
- [15:42] Discussion on how the Trump administration builds a new propaganda infrastructure:
- One America News, uniquely compliant, now has a contract with the hollowed-out Voice of America.
- Social media supercharges new influencers who act as administration mouthpieces on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
"They are actively propping up actual propagandists inside this country..."
— Oliver Darcy [16:13] - The danger is an "emerging asymmetry": as fact-based information is suppressed, propaganda is being algorithmically boosted.
6. Americans’ Responsibility in the Coming Information War
- [17:37] Anne Applebaum emphasizes a new civic duty:
"...you are responsible for making sure that everything you pass on or publish or print is true. I think that's now a part of what it means to be an American if you want America to stay a democracy." [17:37]
7. The Fracturing of Consensus on Democratic Principles
- [22:24] Applebaum and Clinton remark that core freedoms (the right to vote, free speech) have become partisan divides, a historic shift.
"...these were not ideas or principles that divided our country. It wasn't as if we always had one side on the side of free speech and another group of people battling against it..."
— Anne Applebaum [22:24]
8. Public Response to ICE Violence and Escalating State Force
- [32:02] Doc Rivers (NBA coach) denounces ICE abuses in Chicago:
"My dad would not be proud of this. I know that my dad would have a major problem. I couldn't imagine my dad going to work right now..." [32:02]
- [34:47] Jacob Soboroff and Ed Yanka (ACLU) describe how ICE is “crafting a story divorced from the reality on the ground” through slick propaganda videos, while indiscriminately detaining people, including the innocent.
- Federal courts have repeatedly called out the administration's dishonesty and excessive force.
"What we're seeing is this effort to repeatedly and continually make up a story to justify an action that just doesn't make sense..."
— Ed Yanka [41:00] - Public is not buying the propaganda, as evidenced by massive protests.
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On information control:
"Controlling of information... is taking place right at the same time that they're talking about the Insurrection Act and deploying the troops domestically and using the military in ways that we've never really seen before..."
— Angelo Carusone [12:31] -
On propaganda & truth:
"It feels like the speed with which they're pulling down truth and facts and evidence-based content is being sort of outgunned."
— Nicolle Wallace [17:11] -
On press solidarity:
"...there are not a lot of examples of everyone standing together. But... not a lot of examples of something so egregious that the North Koreans would blush..."
— Nicolle Wallace [00:49] -
On media responsibility:
"I don't think [the media] are doing a great job... there's a lot of room where they can improve... If you were to watch the evening newscast or read the major newspapers... you wouldn't walk away thinking we have an autocrat wannabe in the White House."
— Oliver Darcy [28:11]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [00:49]—Nicolle Wallace begins analysis of Pentagon press restrictions, highlights the First Amendment crisis.
- [05:25]—Oliver Darcy draws parallels to North Korea, explains the hypocrisy of current policy.
- [08:46]—Anne Applebaum warns about Soviet-style information monopoly.
- [10:08]—Role of generals and civilian-military relationship under threat; risk to basic democratic oversight.
- [12:31]—Angelo Carusone links loss of internal checks to full information control.
- [15:42]—Discussion of new state-sanctioned propaganda networks and social media disinformation strategies.
- [17:37]—Anne Applebaum on citizen responsibility against propaganda.
- [22:24]—Applebaum on historical unity around free speech now shattered.
- [32:02]—Doc Rivers denounces ICE abuses; growing bipartisan outrage.
- [34:47]—Jacob Soboroff and Ed Yanka detail ground realities in Chicago, pushback against propaganda; legal challenges.
- [28:11] & [29:26]—Brutal grading of media’s performance, need for sharper journalism.
Conclusion
This episode stands out as a sobering, deeply informed warning about the rapid erosion of bedrock democratic norms in the United States. The panel draws unmistakable connections between Pentagon press bans, the rise of official propaganda channels, and the historic weaponization of "free speech" rhetoric to justify suppression. Guests agree: Americans must become vigilant consumers of information, defend the press, and resist normalization of autocratic behaviors before "game over" for democracy.