'Grow up, Mr. President'

"Sen. Markey didn't mince words with his answer. You'll hear him compare the Trump administration to the fascist dystopia in Orwell's 1984 and say that democracy itself is on the line. And one of the places that Sen. Markey and I agree that it most seems like democracy is on the line is when it comes to the First Amendment and the increasing pressure the Trump administration is putting on free speech."

"Of course, if you've been listening to this show or The Vergecast this year, you know that I've been particularly focused on the pressure FCC chairman Brendan Carr is putting on free speech. Carr talks like a mobster when it comes to threatening broadcasters with fines and merger conditions - and many media companies, like CBS parent company Paramount, are going along with it to get what they want."

"But there's more: I also have a lot of questions about the supposed TikTok ban, which no one seems to know anything about, even though the House and Senate actually passed a law that would force ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to either sell some assets or stop operating in the United States. The Supreme Court held that law to be constitutional, even though it has profound free speech implications for all of TikTok's users."

Sen. Ed Markey warns that democracy is at risk, likening current governance to Orwell's 1984 and highlighting threats to the First Amendment. The FCC chairman Brendan Carr is accused of pressuring broadcasters with fines and merger conditions, prompting compliance from major media companies such as Paramount. Carr's tactics are drawing congressional attention with a scheduled appearance on December 17. The TikTok situation remains uncertain despite a law requiring ByteDance to divest or cease U.S. operations; the Supreme Court upheld that law, raising substantial free speech concerns while the administration delays enforcement.

Read at The Verge