Washington Post

President Trump again calls for reexamining NBC’s TV license, despite the fact it doesn’t have one

President Donald Trump suggested that NBC's television license should be “look[ed] at” in a tweet that called the network “FAKE NEWS.” But the Federal Communications Commission does not issue TV licenses to TV networks and cannot legally revoke an individual TV station's license based on the content of its programming. President Trump's tweet took aim at NBC's handling of journalist Ronan Farrow's reporting on Harvey Weinstein.

President Trump’s latest rally rant is much more alarming and dangerous than usual

At his rally on Aug 30 in Indiana, President Donald Trump unleashed his usual attacks on the news media, but he also added a refrain that should set off loud, clanging alarm bells. President Trump didn’t simply castigate “fake news.” He also suggested the media is allied with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe — an alliance, he claimed, that is conspiring not just against Trump but also against his supporters. “Today’s Democrat Party is held hostage by left-wing haters, angry mobs, deep-state radicals, establishment cronies and their fake-news allies,” President Trump railed.

Twitter rolls out new political ad policies, will exempt news outlets

Twitter said that it would begin requiring some organizations that purchase political ads on topics such as abortion, health-care reform and immigration to disclose more information about themselves to users, part of the tech giant’s attempt to thwart bad actors, including Russia, from spreading propaganda ahead of the 2018 election. The new policy targets promoted tweets that mention candidates or advocate on “legislative issues of national importance,” Twitter executives said. To purchase these ads, individuals and groups must verify their identities.

Sinclair Broadcast Group files countersuit against Tribune Media over failed merger

Sinclair Broadcast Group filed a countersuit in an escalating legal battle with Tribune Media, after the two companies' proposed merger fell apart this month under federal scrutiny. The counterclaim maintains that Sinclair “pushed hard" to secure regulatory approval for the proposed tie-up and called Tribune’s subsequent attempt to distance itself from Sinclair “self-serving.” Sinclair is asking a Delaware court to find that it was Tribune that broke the terms of the merger agreement.

President Trump’s economic adviser: ‘We’re taking a look’ at whether Google searches should be regulated

The Trump administration is “taking a look” at whether Google and its search engine should be regulated by the government, said Larry Kudlow, President Trump’s economic adviser. “We’ll let you know,” Kudlow said. “We’re taking a look at it.” The announcement puts the search giant squarely in the White House’s crosshairs amid wider allegations against the tech industry that it systematically discriminates against conservatives on social media and other platforms.

FBI's encryption fight with Facebook could have broad impact on smartphone users' privacy

The FBI is asking a federal judge in CA to force Facebook to break the encryption on its Messenger app so investigators can listen in on an alleged MS-13 gang member's voice conversations. The case, which remains under seal, raises some of the same privacy concerns as the FBI’s unsuccessful effort to force Apple to engineer a way into the encrypted iPhone of one of the San Bernardino (CA) mass shooters. But the FBI’s request in the Facebook case could have a broader impact, since the bureau reportedly wants to intercept communications in real time.