Trump threatens TV broadcast licenses after networks skip speech

President Trump threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC and NBC after they declined to preempt their regular programming for his speech on election integrity. Per Axios, Trump called the decision 'fraud' worthy of license revocation, though CBS and Fox did carry the address while ABC and NBC offered only streaming coverage. The networks' caution reflects Fox News' seven hundred eighty-seven million dollar settlement over airing election falsehoods, and concern around the speech's unverified claims about Chinese interference in the twenty-twenty election. The Trump administration has accelerated regulatory pressure through FCC investigations led by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally, with ABC facing a license renewal fight.

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