'Blacklisting', says the New York Times; 'sanctions', says Der Standard; a 'security risk', says UPI: three words for one court ruling on Anthropic
A federal appeals court in Washington let the Pentagon keep Anthropic, which makes the Claude AI models, out of defence contracts. All four reports we hold agree on the outcome. They use three different words for what the Pentagon did, and only one says why the dispute began.
The ruling. A federal appeals court in Washington sided with the Pentagon on Friday, 25 September. UPI reports that the government can designate Anthropic a national security risk and bar it from Pentagon contracts. All four reports agree on that outcome.
Four reports, three words.
| Outlet | Its word for the measure | What only it carries |
|---|---|---|
| The New York Times | "Blacklisting" (headline) | The court's words: the Pentagon had "ample support for its conclusion" |
| Washington Examiner | "effective blacklisting" (body), "designation" (headline) | A 2-1 vote; the listing dated to March |
| UPI | "designate Anthropic a national security risk" | The bar on Pentagon contracts |
| Der Standard | "Sanktionen" (sanctions) | The dispute began in February, after Anthropic "spoke out against military use" |
Why the word matters. A designation is a government finding about risk. A blacklisting, or sanctions, reads as a penalty. Two of the four reports say "blacklisting" and one says "sanctions". Only UPI uses the government's own term.
Missing voices. The text we hold of each report quotes neither Anthropic nor the Pentagon. The Times carries the court's reasoning. No report we hold carries a reply from the company.
What is not settled - The vote. Only the Washington Examiner reports a 2-1 split. - The cause. Only Der Standard says why the dispute began. No second report confirms it. - What comes next. No report says whether Anthropic will appeal. - The cost. No report puts a figure on the contracts involved.
This story is about whether the US government may shut an artificial intelligence company out of military work on national-security grounds, and whether a court will second-guess it.
How it got here. Anthropic is a San Francisco company founded in 2021 by former OpenAI staff. It makes Claude, a family of AI models sold to businesses and governments. Its published usage policy sets limits on how its models may be used, including for weapons. Like its main rivals, it had moved into US government and defence work. According to Der Standard, a dispute with the Pentagon began in February 2026 after Anthropic objected to military use of its products. The Washington Examiner reports that the Pentagon listed Anthropic as a supply-chain risk in March. That listing is what the court has now upheld.
The actors. - The Pentagon. It is the US Department of Defense. Since a September 2025 executive order it also uses the name Department of War, which is why the Examiner writes "War Department". It buys weapons, software and services for the US armed forces. - Anthropic. It is one of a small number of companies that build the most capable AI models. - The court. This is the federal appeals court in Washington, which hears many challenges to decisions by federal agencies. Der Standard reports that the court held this decision belongs to the president and the defence secretary.
What is at stake. Few firms can supply frontier AI models. If the government can exclude one of them, fewer companies can compete for defence contracts. Every supplier also learns how much room it has to put conditions on how its products are used. A ruling the other way would have limited the executive branch's power to choose its suppliers on security grounds.
Where it stands. The Pentagon's designation stands. The reports we hold do not say whether Anthropic will seek a further appeal.
What is being argued about
- What to call the measure: a designation, a blacklisting or sanctions
- Whether the court was split, which only one report gives
- Why the dispute began, which only one report says
- Who decides who supplies the military: the court, the president or the defence secretary
Claims and verdicts
Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent
Federal appeals court upholds Pentagon’s supply-chain-risk designation of Anthropic
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Washington Examiner →
What we have measured
Accusation printed unanswered a named candidate is accused of responsibility for murders, with no response carried ×1Accused named Names one accused student, citing the lawsuit; no other report we hold names any of the accused ×1Accused named Names each person charged and gives their nationality. None of the defendants is quoted. ×1Accused named Names one accused student from the civil filing and attributes the claim to the lawsuit ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The New York Times
The New York Times
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent
UPI
UPI
🇺🇸US ·
wire · independent
Appeals court sides with Pentagon on labeling Anthropic security risk
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at UPI →
What we have measured
Actor named in the body the court is the subject and three co-defendants are counted but unnamed ×1Administration named as acting The report states the ruling as the administration's power to designate and to bar, in the administration's own terms. ×1Asserted versus attributed states flat that nothing was revealed, while other reports carry Xi's stated positions ×1Completeness stated flat presents the withdrawal as a full end, with no mention of forces nearby ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
US-Justiz: Pentagon darf Sanktionen gegen Anthropic aufrecht erhalten
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Standard →
What we have measured
Actor named NATO is named as acting; it 'foiled' the manoeuvre ×1Actor named dead uncounted The US is named as the attacker and stated flat, but the dead schoolchildren are neither counted nor named ×1Actors left unnamed the three requesting states are counted, never named ×1Aim attributed and quoted the stated aim is in quotation marks and marked as the service's account ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent
Federal appeals court upholds Pentagon’s supply-chain-risk designation of Anthropic
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Washington Examiner →
What we have measured
Accusation printed unanswered a named candidate is accused of responsibility for murders, with no response carried ×1Accused named Names one accused student, citing the lawsuit; no other report we hold names any of the accused ×1Accused named Names each person charged and gives their nationality. None of the defendants is quoted. ×1Accused named Names one accused student from the civil filing and attributes the claim to the lawsuit ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
US-Justiz: Pentagon darf Sanktionen gegen Anthropic aufrecht erhalten
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Standard →
What we have measured
Actor named NATO is named as acting; it 'foiled' the manoeuvre ×1Actor named dead uncounted The US is named as the attacker and stated flat, but the dead schoolchildren are neither counted nor named ×1Actors left unnamed the three requesting states are counted, never named ×1Aim attributed and quoted the stated aim is in quotation marks and marked as the service's account ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent
Federal appeals court upholds Pentagon’s supply-chain-risk designation of Anthropic
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Washington Examiner →
What we have measured
Accusation printed unanswered a named candidate is accused of responsibility for murders, with no response carried ×1Accused named Names one accused student, citing the lawsuit; no other report we hold names any of the accused ×1Accused named Names each person charged and gives their nationality. None of the defendants is quoted. ×1Accused named Names one accused student from the civil filing and attributes the claim to the lawsuit ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Who wrote it
Washington Examiner
The New York Times
Coverage, outlet by outlet
UPI
UPI
🇺🇸US ·
wire · independent
Appeals court sides with Pentagon on labeling Anthropic security risk
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at UPI →
What we have measured
Actor named in the body the court is the subject and three co-defendants are counted but unnamed ×1Administration named as acting The report states the ruling as the administration's power to designate and to bar, in the administration's own terms. ×1Asserted versus attributed states flat that nothing was revealed, while other reports carry Xi's stated positions ×1Completeness stated flat presents the withdrawal as a full end, with no mention of forces nearby ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— independent
US-Justiz: Pentagon darf Sanktionen gegen Anthropic aufrecht erhalten
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Der Standard →
What we have measured
Actor named NATO is named as acting; it 'foiled' the manoeuvre ×1Actor named dead uncounted The US is named as the attacker and stated flat, but the dead schoolchildren are neither counted nor named ×1Actors left unnamed the three requesting states are counted, never named ×1Aim attributed and quoted the stated aim is in quotation marks and marked as the service's account ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— independent
Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent
Federal appeals court upholds Pentagon’s supply-chain-risk designation of Anthropic
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Washington Examiner →
What we have measured
Accusation printed unanswered a named candidate is accused of responsibility for murders, with no response carried ×1Accused named Names one accused student, citing the lawsuit; no other report we hold names any of the accused ×1Accused named Names each person charged and gives their nationality. None of the defendants is quoted. ×1Accused named Names one accused student from the civil filing and attributes the claim to the lawsuit ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— independent
The New York Times
The New York Times
🇺🇸US ·
newspaper · independent