The Hound | Sept. 22

Hi there,

It’s Tuesday. What a week. When Trump banned CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House, the rest of the press pool had a choice. They made the right one. The five major TV networks refused to reassign CNN's pool camera to another outlet — meaning Trump's UN General Assembly trip went without independent broadcast video. A president who craves television coverage suddenly found himself without it — that is solidarity in action.

🖊️ Sign the petition to thank every outlet that has refused to break ranks, file into line, or accept a replacement credential in exchange for another outlet's silence. The press pool's decision to go dark rather than go along is exactly the kind of collective courage this moment demands.

CNN, MSNBC, and Politico filed suit the same day their credentials were revoked, calling the ban an illegal assault on First Amendment rights. The AP's ongoing lawsuit over the Gulf of Mexico naming dispute remains in court. His attacks on the press are growing more frantic — not more powerful. Keep holding the line — the public is watching, the midterms are coming, and history will remember who stood up when it mattered most.

In addition, California AG Rob Bonta gives up and settles the Paramount-Warner Bros. lawsuit, allowing the monopolistic merger to move ahead. And Trump unveils his backup plan after banning media from the White House — a state-run propaganda app.

Read about these, and more, in today’s stories:

Trump’s Desperate for TV Cameras Until They Tell the Truth (Mother Jones)

The Washington press corps needs to boycott White House events (The Guardian)

Bonta Gives Up on the Paramount Case (The American Prospect)

Trump Unveils His Backup Plan After Banning Media From White House (The New Republic)

If the Democrats Win These Three Senate Seats, an Earthquake Happened (The New Republic)

“A Clear Watering Down”: Drug Transparency Bill Stripped of Critical Provisions Ahead of Senate Vote (ProPublica)

How Florida Ties Localities’ Hands on Everything from Environmental Regulation to Worker Protections (Inside Climate News)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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