Inside the Government’s Crackdown on TV

The Daily

03/18/26

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40m

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This past weekend, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war in Iran.

Last month, Stephen Colbert said he had to drop an interview with a Senate candidate because of F.C.C. guidance that targeted political interviews on late-night shows.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times, explains how the Trump administration is trying to shape media coverage to fit its agenda.

Guest: Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine.

Background reading:

Under President Trump, the F.C.C. has used obscure regulatory powers to crack down on network TV.
How a century-old rule is scrambling late-night TV.

Photo: Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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Previous Episode

Chosen by War: The Rise of Iran’s New Supreme Leader

March 17

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33m

At the heart of the Iranian regime’s defiant stance toward the United States and Israel in the war is Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader and a son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the regime’s longtime ruler.

Farnaz Fassihi, who covers Iran for The New York Times, discusses the extraordinary jockeying that led to his selection and whether the United States and Israel helped motivate Iran to replace one hard-line leader with another.

Guest: Farnaz Fassihi, the United Nations bureau chief for The New York Times. She also covers Iran and how countries around the world deal with conflicts in the Middle East.

Background reading:

Inside the deliberations, power plays and rivalries that led to the ascension of the younger Khamenei.
Who is Iran’s new supreme leader?

Photo: Saeid Zareian/picture-alliance/dpa, via Associated Press Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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Next Episode

Who Is Winning the War in Iran?

March 19

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37m

Nearly three weeks into the war in Iran, the United States and Israel have largely decimated the regime’s missile capacity, taken out key leaders and disrupted its central command.

Yet, the regime in Iran has become more hardened and is wreaking more havoc than ever.

Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the state of the war and President Trump’s options for getting out of the conflict.

Guest: Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times based in Washington.

Background reading:

Photo: Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.