
President Donald Trump accused U.S. TV networks that opted not to broadcast his election security speech of being engaged in a “plot” and said they should lose their licenses.
“In a rare move, NBC and ABC 'Fake' News have both said that they would not cover this speech. They knew what it was about,” Trump said during his 25-minute address Thursday night.
As he made a series of allegations about foreign interference in U.S. elections, Trump claimed the major TV networks “are part of a plot, they want to continue this fraud, for whatever reason.”
Doubling down on his stance, he said: “Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses.”
The White House’s Rapid Response social media account also lashed out at CNN for opting against a live broadcast.
NBC and ABC carried Trump’s remarks on their streaming channels, while other networks including CBS, MS NOW, and Fox News chose to broadcast part or all of the speech.
TV networks are not required to provide a live broadcast of Presidential speeches. Some have occasionally opted not to air addresses from former Presidents, including Joe Biden's 2022 speech on threats to democracy.
Broadcasters may also be wary of airing Trump's claims about election interference following Fox News' $787.5 million defamation settlement over false claims related to the 2020 election.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont criticized Trump’s threat against the major TV networks.
“Pathetically, in true authoritarian fashion, he even threatened to revoke the licenses of ABC and NBC because they would not cover his speech. Insane,” Sanders said. “Too many Americans have fought and died to defend American democracy.”
Trump’s lambasting of the TV networks comes after months of tension including threats against late-night TV hosts and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigations led by chairman Brendan Carr.
Last August, Trump signaled his support for revoking the broadcast licenses of ABC and NBC, claiming the media outlets were an “arm of the Democrat party.”
Despite longstanding legal protections for press freedom that limit such action, in December, Trump again argued that certain TV stations should lose their licenses over perceived political leanings.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has also engaged in a long-standing feud with late-night TV.
Last September, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump for his response to a reporter’s question over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. When Trump’s response focused on construction of the White House ballroom rather than the conservative commentator's death, Kimmel joked: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend… This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” The comedian then went on to say that the “MAGA gang” was trying to “score political points” following Kirk’s assassination.
Following his comments, ABC announced it would suspend Kimmel’s show indefinitely—a decision Trump celebrated, saying: “Great news for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is canceled. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
When Kimmel’s show returned to air a few days later, Trump strongly criticized the network over its decision.
More recently, both Trump and First Lady Melania called for Kimmel to be fired over a skit the comedian delivered about the White House Correspondents' Dinner—a bit which was filmed and televised days before this year’s event, which involved a shooting incident.
Trump also celebrated the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show when it was first announced last year.
Colbert’s show was canceled by CBS due to financial reasons, according to the network. But others voiced concerns that it was instead done due to pressure from the Trump Administration, especially given the timing. The cancellation was announced days after Colbert, in his opening monologue, addressed how CBS’ parent company, Paramount, had reached a $16 million settlement with Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Colbert called the settlement a “big fat bribe,” referencing the then-pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media, which required the approval of the Trump Administration.
The FCC under Carr, a Trump ally, has also sparked debate with its investigations.
In February, it was reported the FCC was looking into whether ABC's The View had violated equal time rules for interviews with political candidates after interviewing a Democratic Texas Senate.
ABC has argued it still qualifies as a “bona fide” news program, making it exempt from equal-time requirements for political candidates.
In a filing submitted July 6, ABC argued the issue had already been settled, pointing to a 2002 FCC decision granting the program that exemption.
Carr, however, defended the agency's review during an interview on July 10, stating: “The baseline position is that all political candidates should get equal time on these types of shows. But we'll work through all these issues as they arise.”
Carr added that the FCC had not yet made a decision in regards to The View and whether it is a “bona fide” news program.
Prior to the final episode of his show airing in May this year, Colbert sparred with his then-network CBS, accusing them of refusing to broadcast his interview with Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a U.S. Senate candidate, out of fear of the FCC.
CBS denied this portrayal, arguing that The Late Show had been “provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”
Hitting back, Colbert—who instead opted to release his interview on the show’s YouTube channel—told his viewers: “CBS told me unilaterally that I had to abide by the equal time rules, something I have never been asked to do for an interview in the 21 years of this job.”
“We obeyed our network and put the interview on YouTube, where it’s gotten millions of views,” said Colbert. “I wish we could have put it on the show, where no one would have watched it.”
UK police adviser in the early 2000s and global consultant in ‘no-body’ homicide cases says he has narrowed down the outback search area
The former British government expert who consulted on the search for the remains of the murdered backpacker Peter Falconio says he has now identified a “most likely” potential burial location – an abandoned racetrack only 8km from the scene of the infamous outback attack at Barrow Creek.
In July 2001, Falconio and his partner, Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire, were ambushed and attacked by Bradley John Murdoch as they drove along a remote stretch of road in Australia’s Northern Territory, about 300km north of Alice Springs.
Continue reading...One UK man whose bill is usually less than £1 says he ‘almost had a heart attack’ when he saw £5.8bn invoice
People always suspected big tech was greedy, but not quite like this. Patrons of Amazon Web Services have been landed with panic-inducing monthly bills running as high as $1.5tn for subscriptions that usually cost less than the price of a cup of coffee.
From Bangalore to Bolsover, the bills have been causing alarm after a computer glitch resulted in the astronomical invoices being dispatched around the world by Jeff Bezos’s company, which provides data and cloud services to millions of customers, from students and small charities to big businesses.
Continue reading...From mattresses to saucepans, scientists offer tweaks to help detoxify your space
The problem Whenever we burn anything inside our homes, we cause indoor air pollution, whether we’re cooking using gas, frying bacon, lighting a wood burner, an open fire, a cigarette or incense, or ruining the toast. “ We spend 80-90% of our time indoors,” says Prof Francis Pope, chair of atmospheric science at the University of Birmingham. “And there is potential to have quite high concentrations of pollution indoors. This affects your respiratory and cardiovascular systems; certain components are carcinogenic, and there’s a growing body of evidence that air pollution affects cognition. In the long term, you get awful diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. But relatively short exposures to air pollution are linked to things like educational outcome, workplace productivity and general mental wellbeing.”
Continue reading...Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is among first viewers as epic embroidery is unpacked at British Museum, a landmark in Anglo-French diplomacy
In the decade after Brexit, the relationship between Britain and France has been defined by rows over fishing rights, Channel crossings and trade. Boris Johnson even mocked Emmanuel Macron, telling his French counterpart to “donnez-moi un break”.
This week, that fractious chapter gave way to one of the most significant acts of cultural diplomacy between the two countries in decades. Almost 1,000 years after it was created, the Bayeux tapestry arrived at the British Museum, transported from France under cover of darkness, the culmination of years of painstaking negotiations between London and Paris.
Continue reading...One UK man whose bill is usually less than £1 says he ‘almost had a heart attack’ when he saw £5.8bn invoice
People always suspected big tech was greedy, but not quite like this. Patrons of Amazon Web Services have been landed with panic-inducing monthly bills running as high as $1.5tn for subscriptions that usually cost less than the price of a cup of coffee.
From Bangalore to Bolsover, the bills have been causing alarm after a computer glitch resulted in the astronomical invoices being dispatched around the world by Jeff Bezos’s company, which provides data and cloud services to millions of customers, from students and small charities to big businesses.
Continue reading...
As Canadian wildfires spread smoke across the U.S. the air pollution is dangerous to health. But there are ways to protect yourself. Here's what to know.
(Image credit: Scott Olson)
A tournament with more teams and more games has been filled with euphoria, heartbreak, and these weird and wonderful viral moments
As a Japanese supporter exclaimed to a television camera, “Texas is good, everything is big”, we knew the World Cup had started. In those early euphoric moments, seeing the palpable joy when everything is still possible, it seemed Japan fans were the MVPs of memes.
They came in their thousands, dressed in sombreros and Mario outfits, tossed into the air like confetti and line dancing with the Dutch. Then the heartbreak arrived.
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Smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota is sending air quality indexes to record levels, posing a hazard for millions of people. Here are tips for how to breathe easier in your home.
(Image credit: Finn Gomez)
With huge amounts of money at stake and power imbalances in play, the Australian Law Reform Commission is looking at how to better regulate the industry
Over eight years, Ethan and his wife went through nine rounds of IVF in Melbourne.
They travelled to Spain for two more, without success.
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Continue reading...West Indian widely regarded as greatest all-rounder
First to hit six sixes in one over in first-class game
Sir Garfield Sobers, the great West Indies cricketer widely regarded as the finest all-rounder in the sport’s history, has died aged 89. His death at his home in Barbados only 11 days shy of his 90th birthday was announced by Cricket West Indies on Friday, with the simple line: “A great innings has come to an end. In our hearts, now and forever, Sir Garfield Sobers.”
The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, paid tribute to Sobers in a post on social media and said that Friday has been declared a day of national mourning – flags will be flown at half-mast and no official functions will take place. A state funeral will follow in the coming days.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Jeannie-Marie Blake is suing the Australian government over alleged threats, which her department denies making
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A key robodebt whistleblower is suing the Australian government, alleging she was threatened before she appeared at a royal commission and was warned that her testimony “could cost you your job”.
Services Australia whistleblower Jeannie-Marie Blake has filed proceedings in the federal court, alleging her department made repeated threats against her before and after her explosive evidence to the robodebt royal commission.
Continue reading...Two minutes and 55 seconds. That’s how long I really had hope of reaching the World Cup final. And it didn’t kill me
In her book Hope in the Dark the author Rebecca Solnit examines if it is possible to have hope when you consider all of human suffering. She quotes the Bulgarian writer Maria Popova: “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking is naivety.” By all accounts it is a compelling argument for hope as a catalyst for social change.
Meanwhile, Graham Burrell wrote: “It is the hope that kills you” following Lincoln City’s 2-1 home defeat to Wigan in 2024. “I feel perhaps our playoff push was finally killed off yesterday.”
Continue reading...Dying is difficult, a nurse told me. It might have been even more appalling had Dad not been clear about his wishes. Yet most of us remain deeply reluctant to outline how we want the end to go
My father spent the last 12 days of his life unconscious, unresponsive, in a hospital bed on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
My mother sat beside him night and day, holding his hand. I massaged Dad’s legs, horribly swollen, the effects of oedema – a buildup of fluids. His mouth fell open, dried out; I swabbed it constantly in an attempt to keep it wet. Sometimes his breath was a gurgle. My brother and I took turns sleeping on a stretcher in his room – the “dying room” was what hospital staff called it.
Continue reading...Shift in pecking order illustrates that investors are reassessing outlook for artificial intelligence
Apple overtook Nvidia on Friday to become the world’s most valuable company, reshuffling the top ranks of tech heavyweights as investors reassess the outlook for artificial intelligence.
Apple was last valued at $4.88tn as its shares held steady, while Nvidia was roughly at $4.86tn, after a 3.5% decline.
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On a recent episode of Today, Explained, I explored Donald Trump’s ongoing succession wars, and whether the president that’s upended the Republican Party is taking an active role in deciding who might replace him.
The short version: The race to inherit MAGA, already underway, runs through Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump has every incentive to keep everyone guessing about how it ends.
As a guest host of Today, Explained, I talked to my former colleague, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who has covered Trump for years, and recently released a new book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, which she co-wrote with Times reporter Jonathan Swan.
Here are three things that stuck out:
“Vance is the presumptive frontrunner right now, and it’s hard for me to see who else that could be,” Haberman said. Rubio, Donald Trump Jr., and the Turning Point network have all signaled they’re lining up behind the vice president as Trump’s heir. Rubio has gone as far as telling Vanity Fair that if Vance runs, “he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.”
But being the frontrunner isn’t the same as having been anointed. Regime Change lays out real fault lines between Trump and his vice president; over the Iran strikes and the Epstein files, Vance repeatedly landed on the opposite side of the president. On the decision to go to war, Haberman reported, Vance “was the only one who really argued forcefully with the president,” and “it cost him with Trump.”
That offense could be remembered when the next Republican primary arrives.
The biggest obstacle to a clean handoff may be that Trump doesn’t want one. “Trump doesn’t want to cede the stage to anybody,” Haberman said. “The second that he anoints somebody or backs somebody or whatever, the clock starts ticking on his own relevance.”
And there’s nothing in his history, she added, to suggest he’ll ride quietly into retirement: “There is nothing in his history that suggests that he’s just going to go off and do paintings like George W. Bush.” Whoever wins the Republican nomination in 2028 should expect Trump to still be standing next to them — and still expecting credit.
Even with the field seemingly settled, Trump keeps reminding Vance that it isn’t. The most vivid scene in Regime Change comes from an October dinner in the White House Blue Room, with Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. executives at the table alongside the Vances and Rubio. Trump turned to Murdoch and asked what he thought of JD. “JD has the potential to be great,” Murdoch offered — a pointed answer from a man who had tried to talk Trump out of picking Vance in the first place. “Thanks a lot, Rupert,” Vance said.
Then Trump asked, “Well, what about Marco?” Murdoch’s reply, according to Haberman: “Marco is brilliant.” After that, Haberman says, the table got “uncomfortable.”
There’s no evidence Rubio is actually running — “quite the opposite,” Haberman said. But Trump has always pitted rivals against each other, and by Haberman’s account, he simply has better personal chemistry with Rubio than with Vance — a striking turn given the “Little Marco” cruelty of 2016.
So will Vance get the endorsement he needs? “I think anybody who is counting on Donald Trump’s anything often ends up pretty disappointed,” she said.
There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.