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FCC Commissioner Rejects Trump’s Call to Revoke ABC, NBC Licenses · GNN Daily Breaking News

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Federal Communications Commission is pushing back against President Donald
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Trump's latest demand to strip major television networks of their licenses.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: In a rare public rebuke, one of the agency's commissioners
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: said the proposal is unconstitutional and threatens the very foundation
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: of press freedom in the United States. Trump's remarks came
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: after a series of critical reports aired by ABC and NBC,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: which he accused of spreading false information and undermining his administration.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: He suggested that the FCC should revoke their broadcast licenses,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: effectively silencing two of the nation's largest news outlets. But
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: FCC Commissioner Jeffrey Starks responded swiftly, stating that the president's
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: call has no legal basis. The First Amendment prohibits government
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: retaliation against the press for unfavorable coverage, Stark said. He
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: emphasized that broadcast licenses are granted based on technical and
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: public interest standards, not political content. Legal experts agree. They
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: note that the FCC does not have authority to revoke
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: licenses over editorial decisions, and any attempt to do so
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: would almost certainly be struck down in court. The Constitution's
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: protections for free speech and a free press are among
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the strongest in US law designed to prevent government interference
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: in journalism. The controversy has reignited debate over Trump's relationship
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: with the media. Throughout his presidency, he has frequently clashed
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: with major outlets, labeling them fake news and accusing them
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: of bias. His latest comments, however, go beyond rhetoric, raising
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: fears of direct government action against broadcasters. Media organizations and
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: civil liberties groups condemned the proposal, warning that even suggesting
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: license revocation could intimidate journalists and hill coverage. The American
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Civil Liberties Union and called the remarks an attack on
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: democracy itself, while press advocates urged the FCC to reaffirm
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: its independence. Supporters of Trump argue that the networks have
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: long displayed bias and that stronger accountability is needed. They
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: say the president's frustration reflects widespread distrust of mainstream media
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: among his base. Still, even some allies acknowledged that revoking
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: licenses would be legally impossible. The episode underscores the tension
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: between political power and press freedom. While presidents have often
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: criticized the media, Trump's call for punitive action against broadcasters
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: represents a sharp escalation the FCC's rejection of the idea
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: highlights the resilience of constitutional safeguards even amid political pressure.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: As the debate continues, the incident serves as a reminder
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: of the delicate balance between government authority and the free press.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: For now, ABC and nax NBC remain on the air,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: but the controversy has once again placed Trump at the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: center of a national conversation about media democracy and the
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: limits of presidential power.