FCC’s Brendan Carr
PBS defunding reversed — March 31 — A federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.
Pentagon press policy unconstitutional — March 20, 2026 — A federal judge struck down the Pentagon’s prior restraint press policy from September 2025, saying that it violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.
More Threats — March 14-15 2026 — President Trump and FCC chair Brendan Carr threaten to revoke broadcast licenses over what they claim to be incorrect news items. This followed a Trump social media post March 14 and March 15 claiming that damage reports from a minor incident were deliberately distorted. “Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts!” Trump wrote. “They are truly sick and demented people that have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America.” (Note: First Amendment advocates have repeatedly warned that Trump’s “rage rhetoric” is dangerous. )
Is it constitutional to threaten revocation of licenses? In NRA v Vullo, a unanimous May 30, 2024 Supreme Court decision, Justice Sotomayor wrote for the court:
A government entity’s threat of invoking legal sanctions and other means of coercion against a third party to achieve the suppression of disfavored speech violates the First Amendment… Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors. .
Pete Hegseth was not flattered. AFP / Pool photo.
Unflattering photos — March 10 — Defense secretary Pete Hegseth ordered photojournalists barred from Pentagon press conferences. Sources said Hegseth was upset over “unflattering” photos, although its difficult to understand which might have flattered him in the first place.
Deaths of soldiers only reported to make Trump look bad — March 4 — During a press briefing on March 4, Pete Hegseth claimed that the press was only reporting on the deaths of American soldiers in order to “make the president look bad.” Despite his time as a Fox news anchor, Hegseth clearly does not understand the role of the media.
Interview blocked — Feb 17, 2026 — An interview with Texas democratic candidate for senate James Talarico, was blocked from the CBS broadcast of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert under (supposedly) the Equal Time Rule.
Threats — Jan 17, 2026 — The White House threatens a lawsuit against CBS if it edits a Trump interview. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a CBS producer that the network news program had to run a full interview with Donald Trump, without edits, or CBS would be sued. “Not long ago, the notion of a White House press secretary’s casually threatening a lawsuit if a journalist does not obey her orders would be shocking,” the New York Times said in a news article about the threat. “But Mr. Trump has made abundantly clear that he is serious about pursuing legal or regulatory action against media outlets whose coverage displeases him.”
The litigation Trump threatens is nearly always frivolous, capricious, and lacking an any serious merit whatsoever. When not “settled” out of court by media organizations under Justice Department pressure for merger approvals, the suits are thrown out of court. This is an entirely abnormal and unprecedented use of executive power to oppose the spirit and letter of the First Amendment.
Reporter’s home searched — Jan 13, 2026 — FBI agents executed a search warrant on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, whose beat included a wave of firings and layoff of federal workers. The search may well be illegal under the Privacy Protection Act of 1980. UPDATE: Feb. 24 — The judge who approved the search warrant chastised prosecutors who did not tell him about the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, a federal law that limits ex-parte search warrants of newsrooms or reporters working files. Continue reading
