Everything about Trump & Company is geared toward one goal... power!
They weaponized grants... changed the name of the railroad station and I'll release the money!
If you don't turn over your voter rolls… we invade your state with ICE & DHS!
Then of course there is us... stop trans healthcare with we cut funding!
The Justice Department... DEI lawsuits.
And now the FCC!
The patterns you're seeing—leveraging federal funds or regulatory power to secure specific political or cultural outcomes—have indeed become a central part of the administration's "America First" strategy... extortion!
ReutersBy David ShepardsonFebruary 7, 2026Summary• FCC said in January late-night, daytime talk shows were no longer exempt from equal time rules• Trump has repeatedly pushed FCC to go after broadcast networks• FCC chair said in September he was considering probe into ABC talk showThe Federal Communications Commission is opening an investigation into whether ABC's "The View" daytime talk show violated equal time rules for interviews with political candidates after an appearance by a Democratic Texas Senate candidate this week, a source told Reuters on Saturday.[…]President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed Carr to take action against U.S. broadcasters and criticized networks for what he views as one-sided coverage. The move is the first significant step by the FCC to go after networks for interviews with political candidates.
Gee… are they going after any conservative talk shows? Nope! The Hill writes,
TALK SHOWS WERE PREVIOUSLY EXEMPTUntil January, talk shows have qualified for the equal opportunities exemption as genuine news interviews, ever since the FCC Media Bureau granted an exemption to the interview portion of Jay Leno’s "The Tonight Show" in 2006. Networks have relied on the ruling as a precedent for recent interviews with political candidates.
[...]"Like many other so-called 'investigations' before it, the FCC will announce an investigation but never carry one out, reach a conclusion, or take any meaningful action," she said. "This is government intimidation, not a legitimate investigation."
But is anyone surprised Trump & Company are attacking liberal shows? The LA Times reports,
For years, hosts of “The View,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” have freely parried with high-profile politicians without worrying about being subjected to the so-called “equal time” rule, which requires broadcasters to bring on a politician’s rival to provide balanced coverage and multiple viewpoints.With the new guidance, the FCC appears to take a dim view of whether late-night and daytime talk shows deserve an exemption from the “equal time” rules for stations that transmit programming over the public airwaves. The move comes amid FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s campaign to challenge broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC in an effort to shift more power to local broadcasters, including conservative-leaning television station groups such as Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group.
But the FCC seems to be blind to talk radio! Talkers writes about the FCC ignoring talk radio.
According to a piece in , the Federal Communications Commission’s recent Guidance on Equal Opportunity Issues was pointed toward broadcast TV license holders and not radio is because, as FCC chairman Brendan Carr states, “There wasn’t a relevant precedent that we saw that was being misconstrued on the radio side asimg that wasn’t part of anything in that decision. It was focused on the potential misreading of precedents on the broadcast TV side. Of course, as you know, the rule applies to broadcast, radio and TV, but that one was focused on those TV precedents.” The memo to broadcast TV was relative to the 1996 bona fide news interview exemption that came about in the wake of an interview Jay Leno did with then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on “The Tonight Show.” The FCC Media Bureau ruled that “The Tonight Show” did not have to give Schwarzenegger’s opponent equal time because that interview segment qualified as a bona fide news interview. This matter doesn’t seem to be a big one for news/talk radio since news/talk stations are viewed as news outlets, on top of the fact that most talk radio hosts would love the opportunity to interview candidates with whom they might not personally agree.
I think that it is only the FCC thinks talk-radio as news!
Talk radio isn't a target of FCC's 'equal time' notice, Brendan Carr saysThe FCC chair says the problem lies with TV broadcasters' interpretation of the rules.Politico ProBy: John Hendel01/29/2026FCC Chair Brendan Carr said he’s not worried about enforcing political fairness from radio stations the same way he is with late-night and daytime TV.Carr made waves last week by saying TV hosts must comply with rules requiring they give similar airtime to candidates of both parties. Lawyers have been puzzling over whether, or how, it would apply to talk radio, a traditional bastion of conservative voices. On Thursday, Carr said he didn’t see any reason to similarly press radio stations — although the same underlying rules apply.TV broadcasters have spent years claiming an exemption from these rules in a way Carr hasn’t seen in the radio world, according to the agency leader.“If you're fake news, you're not going to qualify as the bona fide news exception,” Carr said during a press conference after the agency’s monthly meeting?
And why is it? Is it because most talk radio shows are conservative?
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) writes on his government web-site,
In his letter to Webre and Boone, Blumenthal highlighted eight recent investigations and complaints by the FCC under Chair Brendan Carr that appear to focus on newsrooms and broadcast stations that may be disfavored by President Trump.“Each of these eight actions single out media broadcasters that faced the wrath of President Trump during his Presidential campaign, including actual litigation or outright threats of investigations in retaliation for perceived negative coverage,” Blumenthal wrote. “This exclusive targeting to the apparent benefit of the President is further reflected in the fact that other media broadcasters, particularly allies of the President, have not faced any similar scrutiny.”Blumenthal’s letter describes Carr’s apparent break from FCC’s past legal interpretations and guidance, including Carr’s own positions prior to becoming Chair of the FCC. The letter requests information and seeks documents about the legal standards that the FCC is now operating under. The letter also asks for information about what investigations the Commission has recently opened, including whether there are inquiries focusing on media entities favored by President Trump that have engaged in the same activities as those targeted by Carr.
It seems that Trump & Company have a very narrow definition of news based on political views.