Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Executive Order Shuts Down VoA Operations — An executive order signed by Donald Trump in mid-March has effectively shut down Voice of America (VoA) operations, taking them off the air and offline. This order has resulted in approximately 1,300 VoA employees being placed on leave. The order is part of a broader effort to dismantle the agency overseeing VoA, which has historically been a pro-democracy voice. A federal judge blocked the order to shutter VoA, but the ruling is currently under government appeal.
• Trump Administration's Executive Order Shuts Down Voice of America — In March, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), effectively shutting down Voice of America (VoA) and placing 1,300 employees on administrative leave. The order also canceled federal grants for sister outlets like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. This move has been criticized as a crackdown on press freedom, with VoA's broadcasts going dark for the first time since World War II. A federal judge temporarily blocked the dismantling, but the situation remains unresolved as legal challenges continue.

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• Trump Administration's Influence on CBS News Coverage — Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global, has reportedly intervened in CBS News' coverage of President Trump to appease FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. This intervention followed Trump's criticism of CBS's reporting and was aimed at facilitating a merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which requires FCC approval. Redstone's actions led to the resignation of 60 Minutes producer Bill Owens. This situation highlights the potential influence of political considerations on media content and editorial decisions.

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• FCC Investigation into CBS News for "News Distortion" — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by Chairman Brendan Carr, has launched an investigation into CBS News for alleged "news distortion" following a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. This investigation mirrors a lawsuit filed by President Trump against CBS, claiming the network's editing decisions constituted "election interference." The FCC's actions mark a departure from its longstanding policy on news distortion, which typically involves gross misrepresentation of significant events. Carr has suggested that CBS's actions could lead to the revocation of its broadcast license.

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• Trump signs executive order to cut funding for public broadcasters — Former President Donald Trump issued an executive order blocking National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) from receiving taxpayer funds through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The White House justified the move by stating that the current media landscape offers numerous news options, rendering government-funded media outdated and potentially harmful to journalistic independence. This decision could significantly impact smaller stations, particularly in rural areas, which rely heavily on federal funding.
• Trump Administration Signs Executive Order to Cut Funding for NPR and PBS — In late April, the Trump administration signed an executive order to slash federal funding for NPR and PBS, accusing them of spreading "radical woke propaganda." This move is part of a broader effort to downsize the federal government and eliminate what the administration describes as frivolous expenditures. The decision has sparked concerns about the impact on public broadcasting and its role in providing independent news and educational content.

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• Appeals court blocks reinstatement of Voice of America employees — A federal appeals court has blocked the reinstatement of over 1,000 Voice of America (VoA) employees, siding with the Trump administration. The court's decision paused a lower court's order that had temporarily stayed an executive order by Donald Trump dismantling the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VoA. The ruling means that VoA employees will not return to work until the case is resolved. The decision was made by a divided DC circuit court panel, with Judges Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas supporting the administration, while Judge Nina Pillard dissented.
• Appeal filed — Abramowitz v. Lake (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-00887 — The D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 decision , granted a stay. The majority held that (1) the district court lacked jurisdiction over agency employment decisions, which should have been brought to administrative bodies for adjudication; (2) the district court lacked jurisdiction over contract disputes, which should have been brought in the Court of Federal Claims (citing the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Department of Education v. California, 145 S. Ct. 966 (2025); and that the government, not the Plaintiffs, would suffer irreparable harm absent a stay. The court left in place the specific part of the district court's preliminary injunction requiring the resumption of VOA's statutorily required programming levels, which the government had not appealed.
• Appeal filed — Widakuswara v. Kari Lake (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-01015 — The D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 decision , granted a stay. The majority held that (1) the district court lacked jurisdiction over agency employment decisions, which should have been brought to administrative bodies for adjudication; (2) the district court lacked jurisdiction over contract disputes, which should have been brought in the Court of Federal Claims (citing the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Department of Education v. California ; and that the government, not the Plaintiffs, would suffer irreparable harm absent a stay.
• Motion granted — Middle East Broadcasting Networks v. United States (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-00966 — The D.C. Circuit issued a stay for the group of consolidated cases included in the May 1 order. But the May 3 order did not include RFE/RL, Inc. v. Lake. The D.C. Circuit stated, “The government has filed a separate motion to stay that order, which we do not resolve here.”
• Motion granted — Radio Free Asia v. United States (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-00907 — In March 2025, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Voice of America (VOA) by cutting off its funding through its parent company, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). This action led to the suspension of VOA's operations, placing its staff on administrative leave and terminating contractors. Patsy Widakuswara, a journalist and the lead plaintiff, has filed a lawsuit against this order, arguing it violates press freedom and the First Amendment. A preliminary injunction was issued to restore funding, but a court of appeals later stayed this ruling.
• Stay motion decided — RFE/RL, Inc. v. Lake (D.D.C.) 1:25-cv-00799 — Following a preliminary injunction that ordered the Trump administration to restore funding to the Voice of America (VOA), a court of appeals issued a stay on this ruling. The court stated it did not have the authority to block Trump's executive order concerning employment matters. This stay prevents the immediate restoration of VOA's operations, leaving its staff and contractors in limbo as the legal battle continues.
• Trump Administration's Executive Order to Dismantle Voice of America
• Court of Appeals Stay on Preliminary Injunction Restoring VOA Funding

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• FCC investigates NPR and PBS under new leadership — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), now led by a Project 2025 author appointed by Trump, is investigating National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) with the potential to defund them. This aligns with Project 2025's recommendations to scrutinize and possibly defund public media.

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• Executive Order to End Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media — On May 1, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the cessation of federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The order mandates the CPB Board and all federal agencies to stop both direct and indirect funding to these organizations, citing concerns over biased and partisan news coverage. The order requires revisions to funding criteria and compliance checks to ensure no federal funds support NPR and PBS, with a deadline for implementation set before June 30, 2025.
• Trump Signs Executive Order Cutting Public Broadcasting Funds — On May 1, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to cut federal funding for public broadcasters NPR and PBS, a move criticized as "blatantly unlawful" by PBS President Paula Kerger. This order impacts public media funding and independence.
• Trump signs executive order to cut funding for public broadcasters — President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The order accuses these outlets of leftwing bias and claims that government funding of news media is outdated and undermines journalistic independence. The move is part of a broader conservative agenda to defund public media, which has been a longstanding goal. Public media organizations, including PBS, have expressed their intent to challenge the order, citing its potential impact on their ability to provide educational programming and news services.

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• Appeals Court Temporarily Reverses Rulings on Broadcasting Funds — A federal appeals court temporarily reversed parts of two lower-court rulings, allowing the Trump administration to continue withholding federal funds from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. This decision affects international broadcasting operations.

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• Trump Administration Hosts Alternative Press Briefings with Right-Wing Media Figures — The Trump administration, through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has initiated a series of alternative press briefings featuring right-wing media personalities. These briefings have included figures such as Winston Marshall, Tim Pool, and Dominick McGee, who have posed questions that align with conservative and extremist viewpoints. The briefings have been criticized for promoting propaganda and conspiracy theories, with questions often attacking mainstream media and endorsing controversial policies. The administration has expressed openness to expanding access to these new media figures.
• White House Holds Press Briefing for MAGA Influencers — The White House held its first press briefing for "new media," consisting of MAGA influencers and former press secretary Sean Spicer. The event included racially charged comments and questions about media direction. This reflects the administration's media strategy.

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• ABC pays $15 million under threat of a libel lawsuit from Trump administration
• Trump administration launches legal assaults on CBS and Des Moines Register
• Trump administration threatens federal funding for NPR and PBS

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• Trump Bars Associated Press from Oval Office
• Trump administration bars Associated Press from presidential pool

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• WHCA Withdraws Comedian's Invitation Amid Trump Tensions

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• DOJ Rescinds Policy Protecting Journalists from Subpoenas — Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the rescission of policies that previously protected journalists from being compelled to reveal sources in leak investigations. This change allows the Department of Justice to subpoena reporters and potentially jail them for contempt if they refuse to disclose their sources. The policy shift is expected to lead to significant First Amendment legal challenges against the administration.
• Bondi revokes journalists' free-speech protections — Attorney General Pam Bondi has reversed a recent Department of Justice policy by allowing authorities to compel journalists to reveal confidential sources in leak investigations. This move is seen as part of a broader effort to suppress critical reporting on the Trump administration, raising alarms about press freedom and government transparency.

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• Trump demanded Fox News fire its pollster — Trump called on Rupert Murdoch to fire Fox News's pollster after a poll showed Trump's approval rating at 44 percent at the 100-day mark. Trump criticized the pollster for getting him and MAGA "wrong for years" and also called for changes at the Wall Street Journal. The Fox poll showed 72 percent of Americans believe tariffs make products more expensive, and 55 percent believe tariffs hurt the economy.

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• Judge rules Palestinian-American student eligible for deportation based on political beliefs — A federal judge ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia graduate student, is eligible for deportation. The Trump administration has argued that Khalil's political beliefs regarding Palestinian issues are counter to U.S. foreign policy interests. Khalil has been detained for over a month and missed the birth of his first child while in custody.

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• Congressional delegation visits ICE detention facilities; lawmakers denounce detention of student activists — A bipartisan congressional delegation led by Rep. Troy Carter visited two ICE processing centers in Louisiana on April 22, 2025, to inspect conditions and meet with Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, graduate students detained for pro-Palestinian activism. The lawmakers denounced their detention as unconstitutional, describing it as political imprisonment and a "national disgrace." Neither detainee has been accused of criminal conduct. The delegation included Reps. Bennie Thompson, Ayanna Pressley, Jim McGovern, Senator Ed Markey, and ACLU officials.

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• Sarah Palin retrial in defamation suit against New York Times begins following appellate reversal — Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times entered retrial after the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 2024 found that Judge Jed Rakoff committed procedural errors in the original 2022 trial. Rakoff had signaled to jurors he would set aside a verdict in Palin's favor and withheld information about whether the Times editorial page editor knew the disputed editorial was incorrect. The retrial, which began in April 2025, addresses the same underlying claim that a 2017 Times editorial incorrectly linked Palin's political rhetoric to a 2011 mass shooting.

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• Trump dismissed Hegseth Signal reports as "fake news" — Speaking to reporters, Trump dismissed reports about Hegseth's Signal group chat as "fake news" from "disgruntled employees." The dismissal contradicted reporting from major news outlets and attempted to discredit legitimate journalism about potential security breaches.

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• Rep. Marjorie Greene posts about Pope's death as divine judgment — Representative Marjorie Greene (R-GA) posted on social media that major shifts in global leadership represented evil being defeated by the hand of God, in reference to Pope Francis's death occurring one day after his meeting with Vice President JD Vance.
• Right-wing figures promote conspiracy theories about Pope's death — Following Pope Francis's death one day after meeting with Vice President JD Vance, conspiracy theories circulated among right-wing figures about whether Vance was responsible. Right-wing talk show host Ann Coulter posted "Good work, JD." Representative Marjorie Greene posted that major shifts in global leadership represented evil being defeated by God's hand. These statements reflect MAGA's historical opposition to Pope Francis's positions on immigration and church reforms.

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• FBI arrests Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan on obstruction allegations related to immigration enforcement — The FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan on Friday, April 18, 2025, alleging she obstructed federal immigration officers attempting to arrest a defendant in her courtroom. According to the criminal complaint, Dugan directed the defendant and his attorney to a private exit to evade the arrest team. FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photograph of Dugan in handcuffs on social media. Republicans called for her removal; Democrats condemned the arrest as an attack on judicial independence and weaponization of federal law enforcement by the Trump administration.
• FBI Director Kash Patel posts photograph of arrested judge on social media — FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photograph of Judge Hannah Dugan in handcuffs on Twitter/X on Friday night with the caption "No one is above the law." The post served as a public signal that the Trump administration welcomed a political confrontation over the judge's arrest and framed the arrest as enforcement of equal accountability.

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• FBI Director Kash Patel posts photograph of arrested judge on social media — FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photograph of Judge Hannah Dugan in handcuffs on Twitter/X on Friday night with the caption "No one is above the law." The post served as a public signal that the Trump administration welcomed a political confrontation over the judge's arrest and framed the arrest as enforcement of equal accountability.

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• Immigration judge denies bail to Turkish PhD student detained for op-ed on Gaza — Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University and former Fulbright scholar, was detained by ICE agents on 25 March after co-authoring a campus newspaper op-ed about Gaza. An immigration judge denied her bond on 16 April, ruling her both a "flight risk" and "danger to the community," despite DHS only arguing flight risk. Her visa was revoked based solely on a one-paragraph State Department memorandum citing the op-ed's association with an organization temporarily banned from campus. She faces deportation without being charged with any crime.

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• Students sue Defense Secretary Hegseth over Pentagon school book bans on race and gender — Twelve students enrolled in Pentagon schools filed a federal lawsuit through the ACLU challenging book removals ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The suit alleges systematic censorship across Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools serving 67,000 children, targeting titles addressing race, gender, and LGBTQ+ topics. The complaint argues the removals violate First Amendment rights and prevent students from accessing critical information on health, biology, and abuse. The lawsuit also challenges curriculum changes including cancellation of Women's and Black History months.

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• FCC Chair Carr threatens action against Comcast over coverage of Kilmar Garcia story — FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to take action against Comcast, the parent company of MSNBC and CNN, over what he characterized as biased coverage of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia story. Carr stated that Comcast outlets "spent days misleading the American public—implying that Abrego Garcia was merely a law abiding US citizen, just a regular 'Maryland man'" and claimed that when the truth emerged, they ignored it. Carr asserted that Comcast knows federal law requires its licensed operations to serve the public interest and that "news distortion doesn't cut it."
• FCC Chair Carr launched investigations of ABC and NBC at Trump's direction — FCC Chair Brendan Carr, demonstrating his MAGA credentials, launched FCC investigations of media outlets ABC and NBC that Trump had derided, as part of a pattern of Trump encouraging his appointees to apply government pressure against his critics.

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• ICE detention of Mohsen Mahdawi, Palestinian green-card holder and Columbia student — Mohsen Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident and Columbia University student, was arrested by ICE agents on Monday morning in Colchester, Vermont, while attending a naturalization interview. His attorneys argue the detention violates his First Amendment rights and constitutes retaliation for his pro-Palestinian activism and speech. Mahdawi's lawyers filed a habeas petition and sought a temporary restraining order to prevent his removal from the jurisdiction or country. DHS has not confirmed his whereabouts or responded to requests for comment.
• Judge orders bail hearing for detained Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi — Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder and Columbia University student, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 14 while attending a naturalization interview in Vermont. The Trump administration is seeking to deport him, claiming his pro-Palestinian activism could "potentially undermine" Middle East peace efforts. On April 23, a federal judge extended a temporary restraining order keeping Mahdawi in Vermont and scheduled a bail hearing for the following week, rejecting ICE's apparent plan to transfer him to a detention center in Louisiana.
• Mohsen Mahdawi released from ICE detention and graduates from Columbia University — Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi, arrested by ICE in Vermont on 14 April while attending a naturalization interview, was detained and ordered deported by the Trump administration without being charged with a crime. A federal judge released him two weeks later, likening the government's actions to McCarthyist repression. Mahdawi graduated from Columbia University on Monday to a standing ovation. He remains in legal limbo as the administration attempts to deport him using a statute allowing the secretary of state to revoke legal status based on perceived threats to foreign policy.
• Palestinian student Mohsen Mahdawi arrested by ICE at citizenship interview — Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student and green card holder who led demonstrations at Columbia University, was arrested by ICE agents when he went to a citizenship interview. Later that day, a federal judge temporarily blocked Mahdawi from being deported or removed from Vermont while his lawyers challenge the legality of his deportation.