Latest news with #PBS
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
PBS Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding
Days after National Public Radio (NPR) sued the Trump administration over attempts to cut off its federal funding, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has also filed a lawsuit, claiming that the proposed cuts violate the First Amendment. Trump signed an executive order earlier this month ordering the government 'to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS, alleging 'bias' in their reporting. Trump has also been looking to rescind federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 'Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage,' the executive order read. On Tuesday, NPR and its member stations sued the Trump administration over the executive order, with PBS and a Minnesota public television station following Friday with a lawsuit filed at a federal court in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit objected to Trump's executive order that called PBS 'corrosive' as well as 'biased and partisan. 'PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,' the lawsuit states. 'But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' The lawsuit continued, 'The [executive order] makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech. That is blatant viewpoint discrimination and an infringement of PBS and PBS Member Stations' private editorial discretion.' PBS said in a statement, 'After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations.' In response to the PBS lawsuit, a White House spokesperson accused the CPB of 'creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime.' 'Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement (via NPR). 'The President was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective.' NPR and PBS receive about $500 million annually through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, publicly funded nonprofit created by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Trump has been attacking the CPB since taking office, including by trying to fire some of its board members, prompting a lawsuit. The administration has also been looking to cut the CBP's federal funding. Trump will reportedly formally request Congress in early June to rescind the next two years of CPB funding, or $1.1 billion. More from Rolling Stone NPR Sues Trump for Trying to Strip Its Funding Trump Pumped and Dumped His Crypto Backers With Dud Dinner Party 'He Is Working to Erase Us': A Trans Activist on the Real Reason Trump's Budget Bans Trans Care Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Leader Live
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
PBS sues Trump administration over defunding
In the claim, PBS relies on similar arguments, saying Mr Trump was overstepping his authority and engaging in 'viewpoint discrimination' because of his claim that PBS' news coverage is biased against conservatives. 'PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,' lawyer Z W Julius Chen wrote in the case, filed in a US court in Washington. 'But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our constitution and laws forbid the president from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' It was the latest of many legal actions taken against the administration for its moves, including several by media organisations impacted by Mr Trump's orders. A PBS spokesman said that 'after careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations'. Mr Trump's order 'would have profound impacts on the ability of PBS and PBS member stations to provide a rich tapestry of programming to all Americans,' Mr Chen wrote. PBS said the US Department of Education has cancelled a 78 million dollar grant to the system for educational programming, used to make children's shows like Sesame Street, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Reading Rainbow. Besides Mr Trump, the claim names other administration officials as defendants, including US education secretary Linda McMahon, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and homeland security secretary Kristi Noem. PBS says its technology is used as a backup for the nationwide wireless emergency alert system. The administration has fought with several media organisations. Government-run news services like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are also struggling, The Associated Press has battled with the White House over press access and the Federal Communications Commission is investigating television news divisions.
South Wales Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
PBS sues Trump administration over defunding
In the claim, PBS relies on similar arguments, saying Mr Trump was overstepping his authority and engaging in 'viewpoint discrimination' because of his claim that PBS' news coverage is biased against conservatives. 'PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,' lawyer Z W Julius Chen wrote in the case, filed in a US court in Washington. 'But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our constitution and laws forbid the president from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' It was the latest of many legal actions taken against the administration for its moves, including several by media organisations impacted by Mr Trump's orders. A PBS spokesman said that 'after careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations'. Mr Trump's order 'would have profound impacts on the ability of PBS and PBS member stations to provide a rich tapestry of programming to all Americans,' Mr Chen wrote. PBS said the US Department of Education has cancelled a 78 million dollar grant to the system for educational programming, used to make children's shows like Sesame Street, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Reading Rainbow. Besides Mr Trump, the claim names other administration officials as defendants, including US education secretary Linda McMahon, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and homeland security secretary Kristi Noem. PBS says its technology is used as a backup for the nationwide wireless emergency alert system. The administration has fought with several media organisations. Government-run news services like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are also struggling, The Associated Press has battled with the White House over press access and the Federal Communications Commission is investigating television news divisions.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The best streaming deals for Memorial Day: Find out how to save on YouTube TV, Peacock and more
With so many streaming services out there, it can be overwhelming from both a content perspective (so many original shows to binge! And why do the biggest ones always seem to drop at once?) and a budgetary one (so many monthly fees!). If you're trying to find ways to make your monthly bills a little less painful though, you've got a few options. There are all kinds of streaming bundles available right now, so whether you're interested in the best deals on live sports, the best way to watch all your favorite shows, or some combination of both, we can help. (And help save you money in the process.) This week, there are tons of great deals to choose from. From discounts on YouTube TV to more niche subscriptions like DAZN, PBS Masterpiece, and PBS Documentaries there's something for everyone, and it's all on sale. Oh, and if you think there are no discounts for Netflix, we've got the scoop on how to subscribe to them for less, too. We've narrowed down a list of the best streaming bundles and deals in one place so you can decide which one works best for your viewing habits. Among the best streaming deals this week, you can subscribe to Starz for just $3 per month, get a deal on YouTube TV, or snag a great discount on DIRECTV. If you're a student (and aren't already on a family streaming plan), a few services offer great limited-time discounts, including Max, which offers 50% off their ad-supported plan (so you'll pay $4.99, though the offer is only good for one 12-month period), and Peacock, which costs students $2.99/month. (And note that you can often find a similar deal on Peacock around Black Friday even if you're not a student.) But the best streaming offer for students might just be Hulu's: They offer students a rate of just $1.99/month for as long as you offer proof of enrollment. Some of the best discounts around aren't through special sales, they're through your cell phone provider. T-Mobile offers discounts or free subscriptions to Apple TV+, Hulu, and Netflix (Standard with Ads), Verizon offers discounted $10 subscriptions to the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle, a Netflix/Max bundle, and YouTube Premium, and select Cricket Wireless plans get Max (with Ads) for free. If you have or want to switch to Xfinity for your internet or cable provider, you can add a $15 streaming bundle into the mix, the Xfinity Streamsaver bundle, which includes three streamers putting out some of the best original content around: Apple TV+, Netflix (Standard with ads) and Peacock. Xfinity internet plans start at $30/month, bringing your total for the Streamsaver bundle to $45/month (that's $10 of savings vs. subscribing to all those services individually). If you're a Spectrum customer, there's a similar cable and streaming bundle available as well and it won't even cost you anything: If you subscribe to Spectrum and opt for a TV Select cable plan or higher, you'll receive free ad-supported subscriptions to Disney+, ViX, Paramount+, as well as Max, which was just recently added to their offerings.
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
BROADCAST BIAS: Media coverage of NPR lawsuit against Trump hides what public media really is
National Public Radio started out its typically partisan week by filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump over his attempts to defund NPR and PBS. Their lawyers arrogantly argued that Trump's actions violated the First Amendment. Somehow, freedom of speech requires conservatives to fund speech they oppose. Trump voters must fund virulently anti-Trump "journalism." Surprisingly, the morning and evening newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC didn't report on this. But their streaming channels did. On the streaming CBS "Daily Report," they brought on legal expert Jessica Levinson to buttress the free-speech argument. "The First Amendment arguments that NPR brings up here, I think, are quite strong … because what's in the public record is the Trump administration saying, we don't like the content of what NPR is disseminating." At least CBS anchor Lindsey Reiser quoted from the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which clearly states that there should be "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." That passage has been ignored on a daily basis since 1967. NPR was mentioned in passing on Wednesday's "CBS Mornings." Reporter Jarred Hill cited, "On NPR Tuesday, Harvard`s president said the university has made real progress dealing with antisemitism." This was an interview with Harvard President Alan Garber where NPR morning host Steve Inskeep threw anti-Trump softballs, including: "Is the administration trying to damage, destroy or capture your university?" If you would like to count ABC's "The View" as a news show – and it's technically a product of ABC News, which is perpetually embarrassing – on Thursday, May 29, they celebrated NPR "founding mothers" Susan Stamberg and Nina Totenberg for Jewish American Heritage Month. Over treacly music, Sarah Haines hailed Stamberg as the first female anchor of a national broadcast news program with a "neutral and relatable tone." Then she gushed over Totenberg for winning seven awards from the American Bar Association, as if that group isn't a gaggle of Democrats. Haines oozed that "Nina was dubbed the Queen of Leaks by Vanity Fair for her award-winning reports on top secret Supreme Court Watergate deliberations and for breaking the bombshell story of sexual harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas – which he has denied." In reality, Totenberg has been a queen of leaks from Democrats seeking to damage Republican Supreme Court picks. She succeeded in ruining Douglas Ginsburg in 1987, failed to get Thomas in 1991, and she relished the unproven claims of Brett Kavanaugh's accusers in 2018. But she wrote an entire book relating how she and leftist Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg were the best of pals titled "Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships." The "PBS News Hour" came to NPR's defense with a softball interview on May 27 that included more bias-denying absurdity from NPR CEO Katherine Maher. PBS host Geoff Bennett mentioned that Republicans accuse NPR of a liberal bias, and longtime NPR editor Uri Berliner "accused the network of having what he called a lack of viewpoint diversity. How do you respond to those critiques?" Mayer unleashed the chutzpah: "Well, I first of all, respond by saying we're a nonpartisan news organization. We seek to be able to provide a range of different viewpoints in terms of who we bring on air, the stories that we tell. ... My view is that that is a mischaracterization of our work. We do not seek to favor any political party at all." Bennett didn't note that Berliner investigated NPR news employees who registered to vote in the District of Columbia and found 87 Democrats and zero Republicans. That might make Maher look foolish. This was like CBS's "Face the Nation" hosting Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger on May 4. [Host Margaret Brennan helpfully suggested that when the president described the networks as "radical left monsters," she could only think of Cookie Monster from "Sesame Street." These networks are just like cute and fuzzy Muppets.] Brennan gently asked Maher about complaints about fairness: "How do you respond to the implication that your news coverage is not?" Maher typically claimed "We have an extraordinary Washington desk, and our people report straight down the line, and I think that not only do they do that, they do so with a mission that very few other broadcast organizations have, which is a requirement to serve the entire public.." Calling NPR "straight down the line" makes about as much sense as claiming the Rocky Mountains are a prairie. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik was ordered to cover this lawsuit in the most one-sided way, both on "Morning Edition" and the very inaccurately titled evening newscast "All Things Considered." They didn't consider offering a conservative critique of the NPR lawsuit. At least CBS anchor Lindsey Reiser quoted from the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which clearly states that there should be "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature." That passage has been ignored on a daily basis since 1967. Folkenflik also appeared on the NPR talk show "Here & Now," where co-host Scott Tong intoned the usual silly corporate language: "No NPR official or news executive has had any influence on this story." And then the entire interview could be summarized as "So tell us what NPR's CEO said about this?" In other words, "No NPR executive viewed this beforehand" and ... it would pass with flying colors if they did. The idea that there is any objectivity or balance on this network is easily shattered by listening to it.
