The Pentagon threatened AI company Anthropic with either cutting ties and declaring it a supply chain risk or invoking the Defense Production Act to force tailoring of its Claude model to military needs, according to an Axios exclusive reported at 7:15 PM UTC on February 24, 2026, within the 30-minute reporting window from 6:45:32 PM to 7:15:46 PM UTC. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic until Friday to back down on its AI safeguards. Axios detailed the ultimatum in an article timestamped during the window, quoting sources on the administration's push for military access to Anthropic's technology. Separately, the administration appealed Judge Leon's decision blocking Hegseth's punishment of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), as reported by Kyle Cheney in a post at 7:10 PM UTC within the window. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), facing scandal over alleged texts and an affair with a staffer, told Manu Raju he will not resign and plans to speak with Speaker Mike Johnson today, according to Raju's X post at 7:05 PM UTC. Gonzales stated the public texts do not represent all facts but did not confirm their authenticity. President Trump provided a U.S. Air Force 757 plane for the USA Men's Hockey team en route to an event, as announced by Outkick in a post at 6:50 PM UTC during the window.
