Overview

• Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the president said networks that give him "only bad publicity" should "maybe" have their licenses taken away and said decisions would be up to FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
• Carr had warned broadcasters over Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue about the Charlie Kirk killing, saying "we can do this the easy way or the hard way," after which Nexstar and Sinclair preempted the show and ABC suspended it indefinitely.
• FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez accused the administration of weaponizing licensing authority and said the agency lacks the power to punish broadcasters for lawful content.
• Democrats in Congress demanded Carr’s resignation and pursued oversight, with Rep. Ro Khanna seeking a subpoena and Rep. Robert Garcia launching an inquiry into the administration’s contacts with broadcasters.
• Industry analysts noted that pending FCC decisions, including Nexstar’s proposed Tegna deal and Disney’s ESPN–NFL Network transaction, may have increased corporate sensitivity to regulatory pressure.