{ "schema_version": 1, "site": "https://rerunwire.com", "story": { "slug": "trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers", "title": "The recurring Trump threats and actions against broadcasters and publishers", "type": "recurring_remark", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/", "summary": "Donald Trump has repeatedly answered news coverage he objects to with lawsuits and threats against the outlets involved. In October 2024 he personally sued CBS over a \"60 Minutes\" interview with Kamala Harris, alleging deceptive editing, which CBS denied. He also threatened to revoke CBS's broadcast license. In late 2024 he sued the Des Moines Register, its parent company Gannett and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election poll showing Harris ahead in Iowa, accusing them of fraudulently misleading readers.\n\nThe outcomes have been mixed. Paramount, which owns CBS, agreed to pay $16 million, covering Trump's future presidential library and the plaintiffs' fees, with no apology. That deal mirrored ABC's December 2024 settlement, and settlements are not findings of liability. In September 2026 an Iowa judge dismissed the Selzer suit with prejudice, calling the poll and its reporting \"fully protected political speech.\" Trump's legal team said it would appeal.", "summary_sources": [ "https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/media/cbs-trump-60-minutes-paramount-settlement", "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/", "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-paramounts-multi-million-dollar-settlement-with-trump-means-for-press-freedom", "https://www.yahoo.com/news/paramount-paying-16-million-settle-101026724.html", "https://www.yahoo.com/news/paramount-agrees-pay-16-million-112635098.html", "https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/23/media/trump-j-ann-selzer-des-moines-register-lawsuit-dismissed", "https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/judge-dismisses-trump-lawsuit-against-233131574.html", "https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-suit-against-des-moines-register-dismissed-by-iowa-judge/" ], "reruns": [ { "anchor": "2017-10-11", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2017-10-11", "start": "2017-10-11", "end": "2017-10-17", "title": "Trump asks when it is \"appropriate to challenge\" NBC's license", "why_it_fits": "NBC News reported, citing three officials, that Trump had told top defense officials he wanted \"a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.\" On October 11, 2017, Trump called the report \"Pure fiction, made up to demean\" on Twitter. He then asked, \"at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!\" (CBS News). That night he tweeted that \"licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked\" (TIME). The mechanism was FCC broadcast licensing, but the FCC licenses individual stations, not networks (TIME, AP via Greenfield Recorder). On October 17, Pai said, \"Under the law, the FCC does not have the authority to revoke a license of a broadcast station based on the content of a particular newscast\" (CNN).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-refutes-nbc-story-suggests-challenging-its-broadcasting-license", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://time.com/4979000/donald-trump-nbc-news-network-licenses-revoked/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "time.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://recorder.com/2017/10/11/trump-threatens-nbc-but-experts-see-no-real-risk-to-licenses-13063232/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "recorder.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/17/media/fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-trump-license-tweets/index.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "money.cnn.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-refutes-nbc-story-suggests-challenging-its-broadcasting-license", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://time.com/4979000/donald-trump-nbc-news-network-licenses-revoked/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "time.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://money.cnn.com/2017/10/17/media/fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-trump-license-tweets/index.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "money.cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "I believe in the First Amendment. The FCC under my leadership will stand for the First Amendment,", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2018-01-04", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2018-01-04", "start": "2018-01-04", "end": "2018-01-08", "title": "Trump's lawyer sends a cease-and-desist letter over \"Fire and Fury\"", "why_it_fits": "On Jan. 4, 2018, Trump's personal lawyer Charles Harder wrote to author Michael Wolff and publisher Henry Holt & Co. He demanded that they \"immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination\" of \"Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.\" He also demanded \"a full and complete retraction and apology\" (CNBC, Variety). The letter said the book's \"false/baseless statements\" gave rise to claims including defamation by libel, false light invasion of privacy and tortious interference (Variety). The mechanism was a threatened lawsuit against an author and publisher over a book. On Jan. 8, Henry Holt's lawyer Elizabeth McNamara refused the demands in writing (CNN).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/04/trump-lawyer-demands-a-retraction-over-michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnbc.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/trump-michael-wolff-book-cease-and-desist-steve-bannon-1202653092/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "variety.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/08/media/fire-and-fury-publisher-response-trump-cease-and-desist/index.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "money.cnn.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/trump-michael-wolff-book-cease-and-desist-steve-bannon-1202653092/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "variety.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "Your publication of the false/baseless statements about Mr. Trump gives rise to, among other claims, defamation by libel, defamation by libel per se, false light invasion of privacy…", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/04/trump-lawyer-demands-a-retraction-over-michael-wolff-fire-and-fury-book.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnbc.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "A lawyer for President Donald Trump demanded on Thursday that the author and publisher of an explosive new book about the White House stop releasing material", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/08/media/fire-and-fury-publisher-response-trump-cease-and-desist/index.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "money.cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "My clients do not intend to cease publication, no such retraction will occur, and no apology is warranted", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2018-03-31", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2018-03-31", "start": "2018-03-31", "end": "2018-04-12", "title": "Trump's tweets against Amazon and the Washington Post over the Postal Service", "why_it_fits": "On March 31, 2018, Trump tweeted about the \"Fake Washington Post, which is used as a 'lobbyist' and should so REGISTER,\" and called Amazon's postal deal a \"Post Office scam\" that \"must stop\" (as embedded in CBS News). On April 5 he called the paper \"Amazon's 'chief lobbyist'\" in what CNBC counted as his fifth attack on Amazon in a week. CNBC described the lobbyist claim as false and reported that the Post's management \"has repeatedly denied that Bezos influences editorial strategy and coverage.\" In a follow-up action aimed at the Postal Service and Amazon rather than the Post itself, Trump signed an executive order on April 12 creating a task force to review the Postal Service's finances, operations and pricing. CNBC reported that analysts said this \"may represent an escalation in Trump's attacks on Amazon.\"", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/trump-tweets-fifth-amazon-attack-in-a-week-hits-washington-post.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnbc.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/post-office-lose-money-amazon-contract-usps-fact-check-trump-tweets-again-today-2018-04-03/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/12/trump-issues-executive-order-to-reform-usps.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnbc.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/trump-slams-amazon-again-for-using-post-office-as-delivery-boy.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnbc.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/980065419632566272", "archive_url": null, "kind": "social_post", "outlet": "x.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "This Post Office scam must stop. Amazon must pay real costs (and taxes) now!", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/trump-tweets-fifth-amazon-attack-in-a-week-hits-washington-post.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnbc.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The Fake News Washington Post, Amazon's 'chief lobbyist,' has another (of many) phony headlines,", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/post-office-lose-money-amazon-contract-usps-fact-check-trump-tweets-again-today-2018-04-03/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2018-11-07", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2018-11-07", "start": "2018-11-07", "end": "2018-11-16", "title": "White House suspends CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass; judge orders it temporarily restored", "why_it_fits": "On Nov. 7, 2018, after an exchange with CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta at a news conference, the White House suspended his press credentials. At the news conference Trump told Acosta, \"You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn't be working for CNN\" (ABC News). Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the White House would \"never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern\" (ABC News). According to NPR, Acosta and CNN strongly dispute that description. The mechanism was loss of press access, and the White House acted, with Sanders announcing it. According to the Washington Post, Acosta was the first reporter with a so-called hard pass to be banned. On Nov. 13, CNN sued Trump, senior White House officials and the Secret Service in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The suit argued that the suspension violated Acosta's First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights (NPR). White House Correspondents' Association President Olivier Knox said the president \"should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him\" (NPR). On Nov. 16, Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted CNN's motion for a temporary restraining order (Washington Post). Sanders then said the White House would \"temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass\" (Poynter). CNN said it was \"gratified with this result\" and looked forward to \"a full resolution in the coming days\" (Poynter).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www-cdn.abcnews.com/Politics/white-house-suspends-credentials-cnn-correspondent-jim-acosta/story?id=59045396", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "www-cdn.abcnews.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2018/11/13/667425530/cnn-sues-trump-administration-over-jim-acostas-press-credentials", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/judge-hands-cnn-victory-in-its-bid-to-restore-jim-acostas-white-house-press-pass/2018/11/16/8bedd08a-e920-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "washingtonpost.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2018/judge-orders-jim-acostas-hard-pass-be-restored-in-cnn-lawsuit-against-trump/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "poynter.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www-cdn.abcnews.com/Politics/white-house-suspends-credentials-cnn-correspondent-jim-acosta/story?id=59045396", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "www-cdn.abcnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "I tell you what. CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you working for them,\" Trump said. \"You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn't be working for CNN.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2018/11/13/667425530/cnn-sues-trump-administration-over-jim-acostas-press-credentials", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "an unabashed attempt to censor the press and exclude reporters from the White House who challenge and dispute the President's point of view.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/judge-hands-cnn-victory-in-its-bid-to-restore-jim-acostas-white-house-press-pass/2018/11/16/8bedd08a-e920-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "washingtonpost.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me . . . who made the decision.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2018/judge-orders-jim-acostas-hard-pass-be-restored-in-cnn-lawsuit-against-trump/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "poynter.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "If they don't listen to the rules and regulations, we'll end up back in court and we'll win.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2020-02-26", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2020-02-26", "start": "2020-02-26", "end": "2020-03-08", "title": "Trump campaign sues the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN over opinion pieces", "why_it_fits": "In February and March 2020, Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. filed three defamation suits against major publishers, starting with the New York Times on Feb. 26. Each suit targeted 2019 opinion pieces about Russia and Trump's campaigns: Max Frankel's Times column, Greg Sargent's and Paul Waldman's Post columns, and Larry Noble's CNN.com piece. The mechanism was a lawsuit. The plaintiff was the campaign, not Trump personally, and Charles Harder was its lawyer. The campaign posted on social media that it had \"filed lawsuits against CNN, NY Times, and Washington Post.\" A New York Times spokesperson responded that \"The Trump campaign has turned to the courts to try to punish an opinion writer for having an opinion they find unacceptable.\" Courts dismissed all three suits. CNN: Judge Michael L. Brown found that \"actual malice\" wasn't shown but allowed the campaign to amend and refile. CNBC later reported that dismissal as final. New York Times: Justice James d'Auguste dismissed with prejudice. He ruled that the column was protected opinion, that actual malice wasn't alleged, and that the campaign lacked standing because the column was not \"of and concerning\" the campaign. Washington Post: Judge Rudolph Contreras found no actual malice and ruled that Waldman's statement was protected opinion. The dismissal left open the possibility of an amended complaint.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-campaign-sues-new-york-times-over-march-2019-russia-opinion-piece/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/10/judge-dismisses-trump-campaign-lawsuit-against-new-york-times.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnbc.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://variety.com/2020/politics/news/trump-campaign-cnn-libel-suit-1234830487/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "variety.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://reason.com/2023/02/06/a-federal-judge-has-dismissed-the-trump-campaigns-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-washington-post/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "reason.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-campaign-sues-new-york-times-over-march-2019-russia-opinion-piece/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The Trump campaign has turned to the courts to try to punish an opinion writer for having an opinion they find unacceptable,", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://reason.com/2023/02/06/a-federal-judge-has-dismissed-the-trump-campaigns-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-washington-post/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "reason.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "filed lawsuits against CNN, NY Times, and Washington Post (3 suits at present)", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://variety.com/2020/politics/news/trump-campaign-cnn-libel-suit-1234830487/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "variety.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown ruled on Thursday that the campaign had failed to demonstrate \"actual malice,\" and that therefore the suit should be thrown out.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2020-06-16", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2020-06-16", "start": "2020-06-16", "end": "2020-06-20", "title": "Justice Department tries to block John Bolton's book and bind its publisher", "why_it_fits": "On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, the Trump administration's Justice Department sued former national security adviser John Bolton. It said his memoir, \"The Room Where It Happened,\" published by Simon & Schuster, contained classified information and had not finished the required pre-publication review. The suit asked for an order directing Bolton to urge his publisher to delay publication. On Wednesday, June 17, the department asked for an emergency order to stop the release. The suit named Bolton, not Simon & Schuster. But the government argued that any injunction \"should also bind\" the publisher, so the action reached a named publisher as well as the author.\n\nOn Saturday, June 20, Judge Royce Lamberth refused to block publication because copies were already widely distributed, but said Bolton \"may indeed have caused the country irreparable harm.\" On October 1, 2020, he let the suit go ahead, including the government's effort to take the book's proceeds. In June 2021 the Justice Department dropped the lawsuit and closed its investigation of Bolton.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-sues-stop-former-trump-national-security-advisor-john-bolton-n1231227", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://deadline.com/2020/06/john-bolton-donald-trump-memoir-room-where-it-happened-1202962193/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "deadline.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/503695-judge-denies-request-to-block-bolton-book/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "thehill.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/trump-justice-department-john-bolton-book-ruling-20201001.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "inquirer.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-closes-investigation-into-john-bolton-and-drops-lawsuit-over-book-on-trump/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/503695-judge-denies-request-to-block-bolton-book/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "thehill.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "while Bolton's unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the government has not established that an injunction is an appropriate remedy.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-sues-stop-former-trump-national-security-advisor-john-bolton-n1231227", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The lawsuit asked a federal judge for an order directing Bolton to urge his publisher to delay publication until that process is done.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://deadline.com/2020/06/john-bolton-donald-trump-memoir-room-where-it-happened-1202962193/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "deadline.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "Tellingly, the lawsuit was filed against Bolton, and not the publisher of the book, Simon & Schuster.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2023-07-28", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2023-07-28", "start": "2023-07-28", "end": "2023-07-30", "title": "Judge dismisses Trump's $475 million \"Big Lie\" defamation suit against CNN", "why_it_fits": "On October 3, 2022, Trump sued CNN in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, asking for $475 million over CNN's use of \"the Big Lie\" to describe his claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The suit said the phrase created a \"false and incendiary association\" between Trump and Adolf Hitler. On July 28, 2023, U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal, whom Trump appointed in 2019, dismissed the case, ruling that the statements were opinion, not false statements of fact. On November 18, 2025, an Eleventh Circuit panel of Judges Jordan, Newsom and Branch upheld the dismissal and called Trump's other arguments \"likewise meritless\". The wave fits the thread's lawsuit mechanism and is one of the legal outcomes the thread is meant to record.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/29/politics/trump-cnn-big-lie-defamation-lawsuit/index.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnn.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trumps-defamation-lawsuit-cnn-big-lie-dismissed-florida-rcna97172", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/donald-trump-files-475-million-defamation-lawsuit-against-cnn", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "pbs.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://newrepublic.com/post/203350/donald-trump-judges-throw-out-lawsuit-cnn", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "newrepublic.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/29/politics/trump-cnn-big-lie-defamation-lawsuit/index.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "But bad rhetoric is not defamation when it does not include false statements of fact.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://deadline.com/2023/07/donald-trump-cnn-the-big-lie-lawsuit-dismissed-1235450835/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "deadline.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "This is a stacking of inferences that cannot support a finding of falsehood.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2023/07/30/1190983801/a-federal-judge-has-dismissed-trumps-defamation-case-against-cnn-over-the-big-li", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The former president claimed that references in news articles or by the network's hosts to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election as \"the Big Lie\" was tantamount to comparing him to Adolf Hitler.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2023-09-24", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2023-09-24", "start": "2023-09-24", "end": "2023-09-26", "title": "Trump pledges to \"scrutinize\" Comcast/NBC/MSNBC if re-elected", "why_it_fits": "On Sept. 24, 2023, Trump was a former president and candidate. He said Comcast, which owns NBC and MSNBC, \"should be investigated for its 'Country Threatening Treason.'\" He also vowed that if he won the presidency, \"they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized\" over their coverage (CNN). In a Truth Social posting quoted by NextTV, he asked why NBC and other media companies should \"be entitled to use the very valuable airwaves of the USA, FREE?\" NextTV described this as renewing his 2017 threat to challenge broadcast licenses. This was a promise of future government action (an investigation, with licenses implied), not an action taken. Trump held no office at the time, so no action followed.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/25/politics/fact-check-trump-treason-nbc-senate-democrats/index.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnn.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.nexttv.com/news/former-president-donald-trump-vows-to-investigate-media-if-re-elected", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "nexttv.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/25/politics/fact-check-trump-treason-nbc-senate-democrats/index.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "There is simply no basis for the claim that news coverage Trump doesn't like is \"treason.\"", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.nexttv.com/news/former-president-donald-trump-vows-to-investigate-media-if-re-elected", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "nexttv.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "Why should NBC or any other of the corrupt and dishonest media companies be entitled to use the very valuable airwaves of the USA, FREE?", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2024-01-12", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2024-01-12", "start": "2024-01-12", "end": "2024-01-16", "title": "Trump ordered to pay the New York Times' legal fees over the tax-records suit", "why_it_fits": "In 2021, Trump sued his niece Mary Trump, the New York Times and three of its reporters over an alleged breach of a confidentiality agreement related to his tax records (ABC). Justice Robert R. Reed dismissed the claims against the Times and its reporters in May 2023, finding the journalists' conduct was protected by the New York Constitution (CNN). On January 12, 2024, he ordered Trump to pay $392,638 of their legal fees under New York's anti-SLAPP law (CNN). He wrote that \"plaintiffs' history of litigation – that some observers have described as abusive and frivolous – inspired the expansion of the law.\" This is the court outcome of a lawsuit Trump filed against a publisher over its reporting.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/media/donald-trump-new-york-times-legal-fees/index.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnn.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-ordered-pay-legal-fees-failed-new-york/story?id=106333806", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "abcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://thedailyrecord.com/2026/06/17/trump-settles-lawsuit-against-niece-over-tax-record-leak/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "thedailyrecord.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/media/donald-trump-new-york-times-legal-fees/index.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The revised anti-SLAPP law was specifically designed to apply to lawsuits like this one", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-ordered-pay-legal-fees-failed-new-york/story?id=106333806", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "abcnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "the court finds that $392,638.69 is a reasonable value for the legal services rendered", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2024-12-14", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2024-12-14", "start": "2024-12-14", "end": "2024-12-17", "title": "ABC settles the Stephanopoulos defamation suit", "why_it_fits": "In March 2024 Trump personally sued ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos in federal court in Miami. The suit was over remarks during a March 10 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's \"This Week,\" in which Stephanopoulos said Trump had been \"found liable for rape\". The Associated Press, in a report published by PBS, called this an inaccurate on-air assertion. Neither civil verdict against Trump involved a finding of rape as New York law defines it. In his complaint, Trump accused Stephanopoulos of acting \"with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth,\" according to CBS News. On Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, Magistrate Judge Lisette Reid ordered Trump and Stephanopoulos to sit for depositions the following week. CBS News reported that the order came before the two sides reached an agreement. Trump, Stephanopoulos and ABC executives signed the settlement that same day, and it was made public on Saturday, Dec. 14. Under the agreement ABC News will contribute $15 million to a non-profit being set up in connection with Trump's future presidential library, which CBS News described as his \"presidential foundation and museum\". ABC will also pay $1 million in legal fees to the law firm of Trump's attorney. As part of the settlement, ABC News added a note to the online article that accompanied the interview, saying that ABC News and Stephanopoulos \"regret statements\" about Trump made during the interview. ABC News spokesperson Jeannie Kedas said, \"We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing.\" A Trump spokesperson declined to comment. The mechanism was a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump personally. It ended in a settlement, which is not an admission or a finding of liability.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/abc-agrees-to-pay-15-million-to-trumps-presidential-library-to-settle-defamation-lawsuit", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "pbs.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/abc-news-trump-15-million-settle-defamation-suit/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-deposition-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-lawsuit/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-suing-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-defamation/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/abc-agrees-to-pay-15-million-to-trumps-presidential-library-to-settle-defamation-lawsuit", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "pbs.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "ABC News has agreed to pay $15 million toward Donald Trump's presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit ...", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/abc-news-trump-15-million-settle-defamation-suit/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace ...", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-02-11", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-02-11", "start": "2025-02-11", "end": "2025-02-21", "title": "AP barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One over \"Gulf of America\"", "why_it_fits": "On Tuesday, Feb 11, 2025, the White House turned an Associated Press reporter away from an Oval Office event. The AP said this was because its style had not changed to follow Trump's Jan. 20 executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico. In a statement, the AP's Julie Pace said limiting AP's access \"plainly violates the First Amendment,\" and the White House Correspondents' Association called the decision \"unacceptable\" (VOA). Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich wrote that the AP's choice \"exposes the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation.\" On Feb 18, Trump told reporters, \"We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America.\" The tool used was press access, applied by Trump and White House staff. The AP said its journalists were still blocked from major events at the Oval Office, on Air Force One and at Mar-a-Lago. On Feb 21 the AP sued. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung called the case \"frivolous and demented\" (NPR). On Apr 8, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered the White House to let AP journalists back in. He ruled that it was unlawful to block the news service over its choice of words, and the administration then filed a notice of appeal (NPR).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/white-house-blocks-ap-reporter-from-oval-office-event-over-gulf-of-america-policy/7972268.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "voanews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305226/ap-sues-white-house-gulf-of-america-mexico-trump", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5342369/ap-white-house-court-ruling-oval-office-gulf-of-mexico-america", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.voanews.com/a/white-house-blocks-ap-reporter-from-oval-office-event-over-gulf-of-america-policy/7972268.html", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "voanews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday because the news agency has not altered its style on the Gulf of Mexico...", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/02/21/nx-s1-5305226/ap-sues-white-house-gulf-of-america-mexico-trump", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich wrote last week that the AP's decision on the Gulf \"exposes the Associated Press' commitment to misinformation.\"", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5342369/ap-white-house-court-ruling-oval-office-gulf-of-mexico-america", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere — it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of those viewpoints", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-06-06", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-06-06", "start": "2025-06-06", "end": "2025-06-10", "title": "Appeals court lets the White House keep limiting AP access (AP v. Budowich)", "why_it_fits": "On February 11, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the AP it would not be allowed in the Oval Office or the press pool unless it changed its Stylebook to say \"Gulf of America.\" According to Judge Pillard's dissenting statement, the President and three other senior White House officials publicly said that was the reason. AP sued three White House officials on February 21, 2025. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden issued a preliminary injunction on April 8, 2025. On June 6, 2025, a 2–1 D.C. Circuit panel paused that injunction except as it applied to the East Room. Judge Rao wrote the concurring statement, joined by Judge Katsas, and Judge Pillard dissented. The ruling let the White House keep AP out of the Oval Office, Air Force One and Mar-a-Lago while the appeal continued. The defendants are White House officials, sued in their official capacities. Leavitt responded on social media that the AP \"is not guaranteed special access\" to those spaces. The mechanism is press access. This wave is a court ruling on an action already taken, not a new threat.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/orders/docs/2025/06/25-5109LDSN3.pdf", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "media.cadc.uscourts.gov", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.rcfp.org/briefs-comments/associated-press-v-budowich/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "rcfp.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/appeals-court-allows-trump-to-ban-ap-from-white-house-press-pool-for-now/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/orders/docs/2025/06/25-5109LDSN3.pdf", "archive_url": null, "kind": "statement", "outlet": "media.cadc.uscourts.gov", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The White House therefore retains discretion to determine, including on the basis of viewpoint, which journalists will be admitted.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/orders/docs/2025/06/25-5109LDSN3.pdf", "archive_url": null, "kind": "statement", "outlet": "media.cadc.uscourts.gov", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "participation in the Press Pool or the broader White House press corps has never been conditioned on the viewpoint expressed outside the Pool by any participating news organization—until now.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/appeals-court-allows-trump-to-ban-ap-from-white-house-press-pool-for-now/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "As we've said all along, the Associated Press is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-07-01", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-07-01", "start": "2025-07-01", "end": "2025-07-03", "title": "Paramount settles Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit during the Skydance merger review", "why_it_fits": "The lawsuit: Trump sued CBS in October 2024, while still a candidate. He objected that CBS aired one part of Kamala Harris's answer on \"Face the Nation\" and a different part on \"60 Minutes.\" He first sought $10 billion, then $20 billion in February 2025 after adding a federal claim (CBS News). The FCC: FCC Chair Brendan Carr reopened a \"news distortion\" complaint about the same interview days after Trump took office. In an April Truth Social post, Trump urged Carr to \"impose the maximum fines and punishment\" against CBS (CBS News). The merger: Paramount needed FCC approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance. The FCC had not decided by its informal 180-day review deadline (CBS News). The settlement: Paramount agreed to pay $16 million toward Trump's future presidential library and the plaintiffs' fees. It included no apology, and 60 Minutes agreed to release transcripts of future interviews with eligible presidential candidates (CBS News). Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation criticized the settlement (TheWrap).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/freedom-of-the-press-foundation-paramount-settlement/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "thewrap.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "Paramount will settle President Trump's lawsuit over a \"60 Minutes\" interview with Kamala Harris for $16 million, the company announced late Tuesday.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/freedom-of-the-press-foundation-paramount-settlement/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "thewrap.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/freedom-of-the-press-foundation-paramount-settlement/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "thewrap.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "Paramount's spineless decision to settle Trump's baseless and patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the journalists of ‘60 Minutes’…", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2RT8nAqXi8", "archive_url": null, "kind": "video", "outlet": "youtube.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": null, "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-07-17", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-07-17", "start": "2025-07-17", "end": "2025-07-18", "title": "$10 billion suit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over the Epstein birthday letter", "why_it_fits": "After the Wall Street Journal reported on a 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein that the paper said bore Trump's signature, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would \"sue his ass off,\" referring to Murdoch and his \"third rate newspaper\" (CNN). He filed a $10 billion defamation suit against the Journal and Murdoch in July 2025, and denied writing the letter, calling the story \"false, malicious, and defamatory\" (NPR/AP). On April 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida dismissed the suit but let Trump file an amended complaint (NPR/AP; PBS/AP).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/media/trump-rupert-murdoch-wsj-epstein-story-lawsuit-threat", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnn.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/g-s1-117248/judge-dismisses-trump-lawsuit-epstein-letter-wsj-story-murdoch", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-dismisses-trumps-10-billion-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-reporting-on-epstein-ties", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "pbs.org", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/media/trump-rupert-murdoch-wsj-epstein-story-lawsuit-threat", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cnn.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn't print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I'm going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper,", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/g-s1-117248/judge-dismisses-trump-lawsuit-epstein-letter-wsj-story-murdoch", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "whether President Trump was the author of the Letter or Epstein's friend are questions of fact that cannot be determined at this stage of the litigation", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-dismisses-trumps-10-billion-lawsuit-against-wall-street-journal-over-reporting-on-epstein-ties", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "pbs.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "We stand behind the reliability, rigor and accuracy of The Wall Street Journal's reporting.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-09-17", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-09-17", "start": "2025-09-17", "end": "2025-09-26", "title": "Trump threats and actions against broadcasters and publishers: ABC/Disney's Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspension and FCC Chair Carr's license warning", "why_it_fits": "In his Monday opening monologue, Kimmel said that \"the MAGA gang\" was \"desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them\" (NBC News). On Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson's podcast, called the remarks \"the sickest conduct possible\" and said the FCC could revoke ABC affiliates' licenses (NBC News). After that appearance, Nexstar said it would pre-empt the show \"for the foreseeable future,\" and ABC then suspended it \"indefinitely.\" NBC notes that Nexstar's $6.2 billion Tegna deal needs FCC approval. Trump called the suspension \"Great News for America,\" and Carr said on CNBC the next day, \"We're not done yet\" (NBC News). Disney said it had suspended production \"to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country\" and confirmed the show would return on Tuesday (NPR). The ACLU reports that ABC announced the return six days after the suspension. It also says Nexstar and Sinclair, which own about 25% of local ABC affiliates, refused at first to air it on their stations. According to the ACLU, Kimmel said on his first show back that \"a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American.\" On Friday, Sept. 26, Nexstar and Sinclair announced they were ending their pre-emptions that evening (ABC News).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/business/media/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-brendan-carr-trumps-fcc-chair-rcna232091", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/government-pressure-to-suspend-jimmy-kimmel-was-an-abuse-of-power", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "aclu.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/09/22/nx-s1-5550330/jimmy-kimmel-back-suspended-disney-trump", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/culture/story/sinclair-announces-end-jimmy-kimmel-live-preemption/?id=125975076", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "abcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/business/media/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-brendan-carr-trumps-fcc-chair-rcna232091", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/business/media/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-brendan-carr-trumps-fcc-chair-rcna232091", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "We're not done yet", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/government-pressure-to-suspend-jimmy-kimmel-was-an-abuse-of-power", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "aclu.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti-American.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-10-14", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-10-14", "start": "2025-10-14", "end": "2025-10-16", "title": "Pentagon credential rules and the press walkout", "why_it_fits": "The Pentagon, led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made keeping a press credential depend on signing a new policy. The mechanism is press access, and the Pentagon was the one that acted. NPR reported that the policy bans disclosure of information that is not authorized by the Pentagon for public release, even if that information is not classified. Speaking at the White House, Hegseth said: \"So it's common sense stuff, Mr. President, we're trying to make sure national security is respected, and we're proud of the policy.\" Trump backed the rules before the walkout. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Oct. 14, he said: \"I think he finds the press to be very disruptive in terms of world peace.\" Nearly every news outlet refused to sign, and dozens of reporters turned in their badges on Oct. 15. ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News said jointly that \"the policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.\" ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz wrote on Instagram that she had turned in her pass after 30 years. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the policy asks reporters only \"to acknowledge that they understand what our policy is.\" In March 2026, after a lawsuit by The New York Times, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman struck down the policy, ruling that it violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Parnell said the Pentagon disagreed with the decision and was \"pursuing an immediate appeal.\"", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/10/15/nx-s1-5574312/journalists-to-turn-in-press-passes-after-news-outlets-reject-new-pentagon-rules", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/journalists-turn-in-access-badges-exit-pentagon-rather-than-agree-to-new-reporting-rules/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "firstamendment.mtsu.edu", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/pentagon-reporters-journalists-turn-in-press-badges-pete-hegseth/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "thewrap.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.axios.com/2025/10/14/pentagon-press-restrictions-trump-journalists-news-outlets", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "axios.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/federal-judge-strikes-pentagons-press-access-policy/story?id=131271115", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "abcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/journalists-turn-in-access-badges-exit-pentagon-rather-than-agree-to-new-reporting-rules/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "firstamendment.mtsu.edu", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "The nation’s leadership called the new rules “common sense” to help regulate a “very disruptive” press.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/pentagon-reporters-journalists-turn-in-press-badges-pete-hegseth/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "thewrap.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "I turned in my Pentagon pass today after 30 years because like all major news organizations ABC will not sign the new restrictive pentagon requirements", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2025/10/15/nx-s1-5574312/journalists-to-turn-in-press-passes-after-news-outlets-reject-new-pentagon-rules", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "So it's common sense stuff, Mr. President, we're trying to make sure national security is respected, and we're proud of the policy.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.c-span.org/clip/white-house-event/president-trump-defense-secretary-defend-press-restrictions-at-the-pentagon/5175599", "archive_url": null, "kind": "video", "outlet": "c-span.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": null, "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2025-11-09", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2025-11-09", "start": "2025-11-09", "end": "2025-12-16", "title": "BBC Panorama edit: threat, apology, then a $10 billion suit", "why_it_fits": "On Nov. 9, 2025, Trump's lawyers sent the BBC a letter demanding that it retract its Oct. 28, 2024 Panorama episode \"Trump: A Second Chance,\" apologize and pay compensation. The letter warned of \"legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000\" if the BBC did not comply by Friday. On Nov. 13 the BBC apologized and said the episode \"will not be broadcast again in this form,\" but refused to pay. It said it \"strongly disagrees there is a basis for a defamation claim.\" On Dec. 15, 2025, Trump sued in the Southern District of Florida: one defamation count and one count under Florida's deceptive trade practices law, at $5 billion each. The BBC said it \"will be defending this case.\" The mechanism is a personal lawsuit brought by Trump.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-files-10-billion-lawsuit-against-the-bbc/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/09/uk/bbc-leaders-resign-amid-scandal-over-trump-speech-latam-intl", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cnn.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bbc-apologises-trump-over-panorama-220610377.html", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "yahoo.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-sit-deposition-10-billion-defamation-lawsuit-bbc-jan-6-rcna605034", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "nbcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bbc-lawsuit-threat-january-6-panorama-editing/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages. The BBC is on notice.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-files-10-billion-lawsuit-against-the-bbc/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "I'm suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth, literally.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-orders-trump-to-sit-for-a-deposition-in-his-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-bbc-by-dec-11", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "pbs.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2026-03-31", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2026-03-31", "start": "2026-03-31", "end": "2026-04-01", "title": "Judge rules Trump's NPR/PBS funding order unconstitutional", "why_it_fits": "On May 1, 2025, Trump signed an executive order (Executive Order 14290). The White House said it ended \"the taxpayer subsidization of National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)\" and stopped federal funding to them \"to the maximum extent allowed by law.\" It also cut off indirect funding by barring local public radio and TV stations, and any other recipients of CPB money, from using taxpayer dollars to support NPR and PBS. This was an action Trump took personally, using a funding mechanism against two named outlets. CBS reported that Trump had called them \"arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party.\" On March 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss permanently blocked the administration from enforcing two provisions of the order. He wrote that it \"singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs.\"", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/npr-pbs-federal-funding-trump-first-amendment/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2026/03/31/g-s1-115996/federal-court-delivers-victory-for-press-freedom-and-the-first-amendment-in-nprs-challenge-to-executive-order", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "npr.org", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ends-the-taxpayer-subsidization-of-biased-media/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "whitehouse.gov", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://au.variety.com/?p=34801", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "au.variety.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/npr-pbs-federal-funding-trump-first-amendment/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "The message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their 'left wing' coverage of the news.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ends-the-taxpayer-subsidization-of-biased-media/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "statement", "outlet": "whitehouse.gov", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "The Order ceases federal funding to NPR and PBS to the maximum extent allowed by law.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.npr.org/2026/03/31/g-s1-115996/federal-court-delivers-victory-for-press-freedom-and-the-first-amendment-in-nprs-challenge-to-executive-order", "archive_url": null, "kind": "statement", "outlet": "npr.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "Today's ruling is a decisive affirmation of the rights of a free and independent press", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2026-07-27", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2026-07-27", "start": "2026-07-27", "end": "2026-07-28", "title": "Trump v. New York Times Company: Judge Merryday postpones ruling on motion to dismiss and allows another amended complaint (Wave B)", "why_it_fits": "Trump sued the New York Times Company and Penguin Random House in the Middle District of Florida, seeking $15 billion. The original suit also named Times reporters Peter Baker, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig and Michael Schmidt. It is over Times articles and the book \"Lucky Loser\" by Craig and Buettner (ABC News; Clearinghouse). The mechanism is a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump personally, through private lawyers (Clearinghouse). On Sept. 19, 2025, Judge Steven Merryday struck the complaint for breaking federal pleading rules and gave Trump 28 days to refile. ABC News reported that he did not weigh in on whether the claims had merit. Trump filed a 40-page amended complaint on Oct. 16, 2025. It dropped Schmidt as a defendant, along with all claims tied to the article he wrote (Clearinghouse). On July 27, 2026, Merryday postponed ruling on the Times' motion to dismiss or transfer the case. He allowed another amended complaint by Aug. 27 and gave the Times 21 days to respond (NOTUS; Colorado Politics). Trump praised the ruling on Truth Social. A Times spokesperson said the decision \"makes no statement in support of the frivolous accusations in Mr. Trump's earlier complaint\" and that \"The Times stands by our journalism\" (Colorado Politics).", "sources": [ { "url": "https://clearinghouse.net/case/46972/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "clearinghouse.net", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.notus.org/courts/judge-trump-amend-refile-15-billion-new-york-times-defamation-lawsuit", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "notus.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/07/28/judge-allows-trump-to-refile-15-billion-lawsuit-against-the-new-york-times/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "coloradopolitics.com", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://abcnews.com/US/judge-tosses-trumps-15b-defamation-suit-new-york/story?id=125739539", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "abcnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/07/28/judge-allows-trump-to-refile-15-billion-lawsuit-against-the-new-york-times/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "coloradopolitics.com", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "The Failing New York Times, after 10 years of harassment, slander, and libel, just failed again in their desperate attempt to have our powerful Defamation Lawsuit against them dropped", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.notus.org/courts/judge-trump-amend-refile-15-billion-new-york-times-defamation-lawsuit", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "notus.org", "captured": "2026-10-26", "quote": "The amended complaint must be filed by Aug. 27, United States District Judge Steven D. Merryday ruled Monday.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] }, { "anchor": "2026-09-23", "url": "https://rerunwire.com/s/trump-threats-against-broadcasters-and-publishers/#2026-09-23", "start": "2026-09-23", "end": "2026-09-25", "title": "Des Moines Register / J. Ann Selzer suit dismissed", "why_it_fits": "In December 2024 Trump sued the Des Moines Register, its parent company and its former pollster J. Ann Selzer. He accused them of \"fraudulently publishing inaccurate poll results to damage him and help Democrats\" (CBS/AP). The poll in question was published before the 2024 election and showed Kamala Harris leading Trump 47% to 44% among likely Iowa voters. Trump won 56% of the Iowa vote. On September 23, 2026, Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie dismissed the suit. He found the poll and the coverage of it were protected political speech, not a commercial product, and that each of the three counts failed even if the allegations of a skewed poll were assumed true (CBS/AP). This is the outcome of one of Trump's personal lawsuits against a named publisher, which is the lawsuit form of the thread.", "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/trump-des-moines-register-lawsuit-dismissed-ann-selzer/", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "reliability": "reliable" }, { "url": "https://www.fire.org/news/victory-iowa-judge-dismisses-trumps-lawsuit-against-pollster-j-ann-selzer", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "fire.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" }, { "url": "https://www.iowapublicradio.org/political-news/2026-09-24/trump-lawsuit-des-moines-register-kamala-harris-poll", "archive_url": null, "outlet": "iowapublicradio.org", "reliability": "needs_second_source" } ], "items": [ { "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/trump-des-moines-register-lawsuit-dismissed-ann-selzer/", "archive_url": null, "kind": "article", "outlet": "cbsnews.com", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "is too great and the reach is too far. The case must therefore be dismissed.", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} }, { "url": "https://www.fire.org/news/victory-iowa-judge-dismisses-trumps-lawsuit-against-pollster-j-ann-selzer", "archive_url": null, "kind": "statement", "outlet": "fire.org", "captured": "2026-10-28", "quote": "This lawsuit was laughable from the beginning and never should have been brought", "timestamp": null, "engagement": {} } ], "corrections": [] } ] } }