Hey, lots to get to. Pete Hegseth is misleading the public about the press corps. Voice of America is expecting another new boss. Meta is giving up on its namesake metaverse. And Disney has a "need for speed." But first...
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States move to block Trump-backed megadeal |
Eight state attorneys general have filed an antitrust lawsuit to block Nexstar's pending acquisition of Tegna, arguing the TV marketplace consolidation would hurt consumers.
The lawsuit is the latest instance of Democratic state attorneys general acting as a counterweight to President Trump, who has publicly endorsed the Nexstar-Tegna deal after previously sounding skeptical of it.
Some of the state AGs are holding a press conference later this morning. And I'm told that other states may join the coalition in the near future. (Here's my full story for CNN.com.)
"This merger is illegal, plain and simple, running contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers," California AG Rob Bonta, said in a statement late last night. "When broadcast media is owned by a handful of companies, we get fewer voices, less competition, and communities lose the critical check on power that local journalism delivers."
The station owners had no immediate comment on the lawsuit. But the state action will likely slow Nexstar's months-long effort to acquire Tegna...
>> Bonta has also vowed to "vigorously" review Paramount's pending deal to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN.
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Media reform group praises the suit |
"If the Federal Communications Commission won't do its job, antitrust enforcers can still do theirs," Free Press general counsel Matt Wood said this morning.
"FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has ignored the law and the facts of this merger, promising to get it done for President Trump while pressuring newsrooms to warp their coverage of the administration. Nexstar has been all too willing to comply with Carr's bullying if it means getting this deal done and cementing its domination over the local airwaves." (That's probably a reference to Nexstar yanking Jimmy Kimmel's show from its ABC-affiliated stations last September.)
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Carr leans into Trump fandom |
The aforementioned Brendan Carr is the subject of an outstanding new profile by Bloomberg's Kelcee Griffis. (Carr claims his efforts are all about a "desire to restore balance to the airwaves.") He also went on NY Post columnist Miranda Levine's podcast after returning from Mar-a-Lago the other day. Among other Trumpy topics, Carr promoted his push to have stations air more "patriotic programming."
Overnight, I noticed a clip of Carr calling Trump "the alpha in every single room, in every single place, all across the world" seemed to be going viral. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu responded, "Dear Brendan Carr: Tell me you’re in a cult without telling me you're in a cult."
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DOJ sorta comments on Paramount-WBD deal review |
"The idea that somehow enforcement has been politicized is ludicrous," acting assistant attorney general Omeed Assefi told Reuters reporter Jody Godoy in an exclusive interview. Godoy said Assefi "declined to comment on ongoing probes," but said Paramount "will 'absolutely not' have a fast track to approval because of political factors."
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'TDS' becomes Pentagon talking point |
As attacks on Middle East gas facilities escalate and military analysts depict Iran as a quagmire for the US, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insists the skeptical coverage and commentary all stem from "TDS," aka Trump Derangement Syndrome.
From his scripted remarks at this morning's Pentagon presser: "A dishonest and anti-Trump press will stop at nothing — we know this, at this point — to downplay progress, amplify every cost, and call into question every step. Sadly, TDS is in their DNA. They want President Trump to fail. But you, the American people, know better."
Hegseth stared into the TV "pool" camera and addressed American viewers directly (which immediately gave me flashbacks to his Fox hosting days).
>> This CNN.com headline feels like the main takeaway from the presser: "Hegseth says US is 'on plan' with war's objectives, but still no definitive timeline for its end."
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Fact-checking Hegseth's 'fall' |
Hegseth falsely claimed that the American news media have fallen for AI-generated propaganda pushed by the Iranian regime. He echoed Trump's lie about this from the other day, stating that Iran wants "to put out fake AI-generated images, which, by the way, sometimes our press happens to fall for, like the Abraham Lincoln on fire."
As CNN's Daniel Dale wrote the other day, "there is no evidence that mainstream US media outlets promoted fake videos of the Lincoln on fire." In fact, several US outlets debunked the videos. Hegseth, like Trump, is claiming the problem-solvers are the problem...
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'Iran maintains near-total internet blackout' |
That's the headline on the story by the NYT's Parin Behrooz. (Here's a gift link.) NetBlocks says the 20-day blackout "is now the longest recorded shutdown in Iran's history, surpassing the blackout imposed during protests in January."
>> Behrooz also notes that "journalists inside Iran face heightened risks when trying to connect with people outside Iran or to document the toll of the war. Iran's Ministry of Culture has restricted press credentials, leaving many reporters to work without authorization or not at all."
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Freedom House describes 'growing shadow of autocracy' |
Yesterday I shared V-Dem's bleak findings about democratic backsliding in the US. Today, Freedom House is out with its annual democracy scorecard and, well... what's a good synonym for bleak?
"Global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2025," the organization says.
"Among countries rated Free, the United States, Bulgaria, and Italy have experienced the year’s largest declines," this year's report states. Among the factors weakening democracy in the US: "Growing pressure on people's ability to engage in free expression." |
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