Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Stars and Stripes staff sue Pentagon for First Amendment violation — Erik Slavin, Lara Korte, and Max Lederer sued Defense Secretary Hegseth, the Defense Department, Principal Deputy Assistant Andrew Brey, and Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, alleging they were fired in retaliation for speaking as private citizens in support of press freedom and for the publication's reporting on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. The suit alleges a "blatant violation" of the First Amendment and "extraordinary censorship efforts."

Supporting reports

• FCC receives petitions to deny ABC license renewals; ex-officials warn of constitutional violation — The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, received petitions from conservative groups (Media Research Center and Center for American Rights) to deny license renewals for eight ABC-owned television stations. The petitions followed an "extremely unusual" early renewal order issued by the FCC in late April after criticism of ABC by Donald Trump. A coalition of former FCC chairs and senior officials from both parties filed a response warning the proceeding is "unprecedented" and violates the Communications Act and Constitution by seeking to censor speech and send a "chilling message" to broadcasters based on editorial content the administration dislikes.

Supporting reports

• New York Times sues Pentagon over press restrictions — On Thursday (December 4, 2025), the New York Times filed suit against the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging that the new press policy "seeks to restrict journalists' ability to do what journalists have always done – ask questions of government employees and gather information to report stories that take the public beyond official pronouncements." The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the restrictions under the First Amendment.
• Reporter ejected from courtroom during Luigi Mangione hearing — During an evidentiary hearing in the Luigi Mangione murder case on December 4, 2025, a veteran female reporter stood to request being heard on a motion to seal evidence—a routine practice protected by law and court procedure. Court officers forcibly removed her from the courtroom without allowing her to be heard. Judge Gregory Carro did not address the incident when ruling to seal materials, and only partially released evidence after journalist pushback, still without acknowledging the ejection.
• New York Times sued Pentagon over reporter access restrictions — The New York Times announced it is suing the Department of Defense, accusing DOD of engineering an unprecedented purge of traditional reporters in favor of pro-Trump digital influencers. The lawsuit names DOD, Secretary Hegseth, and Sean Parnell as defendants and asks a federal judge to strike down new access rules imposed in October. Beat reporters refused to sign the policy and instead surrendered their passes in a mass act of protest, including journalists from conservative-leaning networks like Fox and Newsmax.