It appears Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is attempting to evade responsibility for the situation that unfolded this week on “The Late Show” — despite the fact that it all unfolded after the FCC launched an investigation into the daytime talk show “The View,” which, like Late Show host Stephen Colbert, had interviewed Democratic Texas Senate candidate and state Rep. James Talarico.
Multiple news outlets reported earlier this month that the FCC was looking into whether “The View” violated equal time rules for political candidates. As we wrote in yesterday’s edition of Where Things Stand, news programs and daytime and late night talk show interviews with politicians have, historically, been exempt from the FCC rule — which requires radio and broadcast television to interview all of a political candidate’s opponents as well, if a candidate is brought on the air for an interview.
“I think yesterday was a perfect encapsulation of why the American people have more trust in gas station sushi than they do in the national news media,” Carr told reporters at an FCC meeting Wednesday. “I think you guys should feel a bit ashamed for having been lied to and then run with those lies.”
Carr is, of course, referencing what unfolded on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” this week, when Colbert announced that CBS’ lawyers told him that the network could not air the live broadcast of his interview with Talarico. Colbert ended up publishing the interview on the show’s YouTube channel and it has amassed almost 6.5 million views as of Wednesday evening. Colbert used the moment to explain the equal time rule and the fact that talk show interviews with politicians have typically been exempt, until recently, when Carr announced that the FCC might reinterpret the rules to begin excluding talk shows from the exemption. By the beginning of February, reports broke about the FCC’s investigation into “The View.” Colbert criticized the Trump administration for changing agency policy in order to crack down on dissent.
CBS put out a vague statement Monday downplaying how explicit the legal advice to Colbert was, saying, “the show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule.” Colbert doubled down during his show on Tuesday, saying he made the network aware that he was going to talk about the issue during the Monday night show and that lawyers for CBS also approved his script for describing the series of events.
“Here’s where I do want to tell the lawyers how to do their jobs: they know damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air,” Colbert said Tuesday. “They told us the language they wanted me to use to describe that equal time exception. So, I don’t know what this is about.”
Carr warned again in talking to reporters at the FCC meeting Wednesday that the exemption for talk shows may be coming to an end.
“The idea is that if you’re a partisan political actor under the case law, then you’re likely not going to qualify under the bonafide news exception,” he said.
— Nicole LaFond
They’re Targeting Blue Cities’ Transit Budgets Now
As part of President Trump’s ongoing hyper-fixation with punishing parts of the country that do not typically support him, the Trump administration has been talking, for some time, about clamping down on sanctuary cities and states around the country. Early last year he threatened to withhold federal funding from places that offer services and protections to undocumented immigrants. That thinking is also baked into his most recent threats to withhold federal funding for social services from a handful of blue states.
It appears his Department of Transportation is getting in on the retribution, too. As part of a proposal obtained by Politico, Trump’s DoT is pushing for language to be included in the highway bill that Congress is set to reauthorize in the fall that would bar states and municipalities from giving undocumented immigrants free transportation. It’s all reportedly being discussed as a measure that would stop local governments from being able to help undocumented immigrants “elude federal immigration enforcement,” in Politico’s words. More from Politico:
But the proposed language could encompass a much broader range of activity, such as any free transportation to migrants, said a person familiar with the plan who was granted anonymity to discuss an internal matter. Such services have typically arisen in Democratic-run cities and states.
The proposal would ensure that “systems that receive Federal funds are not using them to circumvent or break Federal immigration law,” the text reads. It would cover all federal programs the Federal Transit Administration administers, including buses, subways, light rail and ferries.
— Nicole LaFond
Fed Gov’t Union Representation Up Despite Trump Attacks
The share of Americans in unions stayed about steady in 2025 compared to 2024, with one notable area of growth: the federal government.
Union membership was up negligably year over year, from 9.9% in 2024 to 10% in 2025, according to data from the annual Bureau of Labor Statistics Union Members Summary published Wednesday morning. Many historic trends remained true in the new report: union members still earn more money than non-union workers ($1,404 compared to $1,174), the public sector has a far higher share of unionized workers than the private sector (32.9% compared to 5.9%), and men still have higher union rates than women (10.4% compared to 9.6%).
But, interestingly, despite President Donald Trump’s consistent attacks on federal government employees and unions, federal government unions saw a boost in membership even as the number of total federal employees declined in the past year. While the number of federal employees decreased by 0.93% according to BLS data, the total number of federal government union members was up 6.4% between 2024 and 2025.
Trump in March signed an executive order stripping collective bargaining rights from workers at a long list of federal agencies and departments. In August, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower courts injunction which blocked the EO’s enactment, and the Trump administration promptly eliminated collective bargaining rights for 379,000 civil servants, more than 2.6% of all unionized workers in America.
Federal employees unions like the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) have been challenging many of the administration’s actions in court, and have scored a few victories. In December, a federal judge restored union representation for employees at the United States Agency for Global Media. And while not counted in the BLS’s 2025 tally, a district court judge ruled in January that the Trump administration must honor a collective bargaining agreement with TSA while a preliminary injunction remains in place.
— Layla A. Jones
In Case You Missed It
Morning Memo: Trump’s Fave Snarling Spox Exits Stage Right
More from Josh Kovensky: FBI’s Top Influencers Tout ‘Antifa’ Funding Investigations
In case you missed it: Join Us Live to Learn About the Bizarro Characters Behind the Fulton County Raid
Where Things Stand: Colbert Calls Out CBS’ Fear Of Trump Admin, Live
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Guilt by Association: First ‘Antifa’ Case Sweeps Anti-Trump Activists Into One Terrorism Conspiracy
What We Are Reading
Billionaires’ Low Taxes Are Becoming a Problem for the Economy
A Case Against 6 Democrats Lacked Urgency. Then Came a Swift Bid for an Indictment.
“Mister Carr, I know of Barbra Streisand. Although she is not a friend of mine, I know of her legendary Effect. Sir, you have met The Streisand Effect.”
Early last year [TSF] threatened to withhold federal funding from places that offer services and protections to undocumented immigrants. That thinking is also baked into his most recent threats to withhold federal funding for social services from a handful of blue states.
So, after I’ve broken your arm, you’ll vote for me. Right? RIGHT?"
Does this nincompoop know that all his statements are recorded for posterity and that all his scripts are included in these news articles? Does Carr think they make this stuff up?
No one with a right mind could make up the nonsense that came out of this guy’s mouth.
Carr said it; he’s gotta own it, whether he likes it or not.
The bully in the WH will have another tantrum when he finds out that the blue states will vote against him (and his party) because of his antics.