When will the GOP study that the media doesn’t exist to advertise their draconian agenda—or any politician’s agenda for that matter?
A federal decide struck down Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon Basic Joseph Ladapo on Thursday for attempting to block native TV stations from operating advertisements for abortion rights.
Ladapo and DeSantis have been threatening stations with stop and desist letters for airing advertisements in favor of poll measure Modification 4, Floridians Defending Freedom, which might broaden entry to abortion rights. That is in response to the Sunshine State implementing a strict 6-week abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Courtroom.
“To keep it simple for the State of Florida, it’s the First Amendment, stupid,” U.S. District Decide Mark Walker wrote in his ruling.
In the meantime, you have got creeps like Christian anti-abortion activist Randall Terry exploiting the First Modification. Terry, who’s on the presidential poll in 12 states, paid for a grotesque political advert that the community was required to run underneath federal legislation. ABC issued a content material warning for viewers earlier than airing the advert throughout a reside episode of “The View.” Terry’s political anti-abortion advert displayed graphic photographs of bloodied, useless fetuses and in contrast journalists to Nazis.
And in his echo chamber—ahem—social media web site, Fact Social, former President Donald Trump has been threatening all of the networks, calling for CBS’ broadcast license to be revoked as a result of Vice President Kamala Harris retains making him look dangerous with info. Earlier within the marketing campaign cycle, he did the identical factor to ABC and NBC/MSNBC.
On Thursday, Trump continued flailing, posting screenshots of a submit on X and a hyperlink to the Fox Information article that bolstered his idea of CBS’ “significant and intentional news distortion” made by a conservative legislation agency, the Middle for American Rights, over Harris’ “Face the Nation” and “60 Minutes” appearances.
There’s a sample right here—when networks don’t bow to Trump’s falsehoods and tantrums, like a petulant toddler, he makes use of the one factor he is aware of—cash—to attempt to litigate others into oblivion. Besides, the legislation and the Structure are on the facet of the First Modification.
Trump tried it once more on Friday morning. On “Fox & Friends,” Trump mentioned after his look on the present, that he had one other “big event” with right-wing media tycoon and Fox Information community founder Rupert Murdoch. He mentioned they’d talk about preserving unfavorable advertisements about Trump off of Fox’s airways within the lead-up to Election Day.
“I’m going to tell him something very simple because I can’t talk to anybody else, but don’t put on negative commercials for 21 days,” he mentioned. “Don’t put on the air. There are horrible people that come on and lie. I’m gonna say, Rupert, please do it this way, and then we’re gonna have a victory.”
After which, naturally, there’s his latest feedback from final Sunday with Fox Information’ Maria Bartiromo, the place he mentioned he’d use the “National Guard” on “the enemy from within.” Regardless of many Republicans attempting to defend and clarify his feedback, it’s fairly laborious to justify a U.S. president wanting to make use of the army towards political opponents.
And let’s not neglect his unusual, opaque remarks earlier this month, when he advised he’d punish the New York Occasions.
“The New York Times is one of the most dishonest of all,” Trump mentioned to right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro. “I watched this New York Times, and it’s a classic. Wait until you see what I’m going to do with them. You’re going to have so much fun.”
The ultraconservative second Trump administration blueprint, Venture 2025, created by 140 of Trump’s allies and colleagues, particulars plans to defund PBS, NPR, and every other public broadcasting.
Trump’s ongoing threats to media networks and calls by these like DeSantis to stop and desist what they don’t like and revoke licenses, solely reiterate the GOP’s broader technique of controlling narratives and silencing any voice that doesn’t placate their lies.
