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FILE - Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R- Fla. speaks at AmericaFest, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

The new journalism guard is officially in at the Pentagon. And the questions being asked of those running the world's most powerful military range from softballs to pointed queries to performances.

On Tuesday, Defense Department press secretary Kingsley Wilson — focused on her talking points and jabbing at old-guard reporters along the way — held her first briefing since most nonpartisan news outlets were replaced by friendly media representatives willing to accept new rules imposed by department chief Pete Hegseth.

Even before the new rules were in place, Hegseth’s Pentagon struggled to hold televised