Is Trump About to Control the News?

The potential for presidential control over the FCC and the future of free press in America spark intense debate. On this revealing episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, media law expert Stuart Brotman joins to examine whether the Trump administration is poised to exert unprecedented influence over broadcast news through FCC actions. The discussion covers selective enforcement on programs like Colbert and The View, the ongoing Supreme Court case that could end FCC independence by allowing the president to fire commissioners at will, and the chilling effect on agency staff fearing dismissal. Brotman analyzes the Don Lemon prosecution under the FACE Act as an assault on journalism, DHS subpoenas targeting critics of ICE on social platforms under national security pretexts, and aggressive lawsuits against outlets like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and pollsters as textbook lawfare designed to intimidate and exhaust independent reporting. He highlights anti-SLAPP protections in most states as a key defense and notes how rising insurance costs and exclusions make journalism riskier and more expensive. The conversation also explores how platforms like YouTube evade traditional FCC oversight, potentially shifting audiences toward alternative sources where equal time rules hold less sway. What steps can protect journalistic independence when government tools target critical coverage? For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/is-trump-about-to-control-the-news https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/what-did-the-royals-know-about-epstein https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/breaking-ex-prince-andrew-arrested To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Stuart Brotman's book 'Free Expression Under Fire: Defending Free Speech and Free Press Across the Political Spectrum': https://a.co/d/02sOt8sG Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Listen to the 'Tara Palmeri Show': Apple https://apple.co/4lWeFuo iHeartRadio https://iheart.com/podcast/273622585/ Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cdfe747e-54a2-47ae-9ec5-15957642e533/the-tara-palmeri-show Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3kgamV3lbZIGIHW2H0XUTR?si=1ffdbb566a964bc1 New videos from Tara are released 5PM EST on weekdays and Sunday https://www.youtube.com/@TaraPalmeri Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #Trump #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment #Censorship #TrumpNews #FakeNews #Media #PressFreedom #Lawfare #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri Is Trump About to Control the News? Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 00:07 Stuart Brotman joins the Tara Palmeri Show 03:23 YouTube as alternative to FCC-regulated broadcast 04:12 Don Lemon prosecution under FACE Act 07:28 DHS subpoenas targeting ICE critics 10:32 Lawfare and anti-SLAPP protections 12:41 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show