Title Trump’s FCC Pressures Late Night — Even as Resistance Wins
The Oath and The Office
Corey Brettschneider
4.9 • 591 Ratings
🗓️ 19 February 2026
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In Minnesota, democratic guardrails held. A far-right witness was exposed in a Senate hearing and a judge blocked cuts to critical public health funding. Proof that pushback can succeed.
Then the counter-move. Under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission has signaled it will enforce the equal-time rule against late-night and daytime talk shows — a shift that made CBS lawyers nervous about Stephen Colbert’s interview with James Talarico, a Texas Senate candidate. Colbert has blasted the move as political intimidation, and critics argue it reflects a broader effort to chill speech rather than a neutral application of regulatory fairness rules. What happens when government doesn’t censor speech outright — but makes networks afraid to air it?
Plus: a Presidents’ Day special — five presidents who threatened democracy and the warning signs we’re seeing again. Drawing on The Presidents and The People, Corey Brettschneider connects today’s battles to the deeper history of democratic erosion — and what it takes to stop it.
📘 Get The Presidents and The People:
https://www.amazon.com/Presidents-People-Threatened-Democracy-Citizens/dp/1324006277
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to another episode of The Oath in the Office. I'm John Fuglesang, proud and thrilled to be joined by author and Ivy League Professor extraordinaire, Professor Corey Brechtniter. |
| 0:18.0 | Hello, Professor, thank you very much for being here. I have many, many questions |
| 0:21.4 | about a democracy in trouble. We had a great show plan today, this controversial Senate confirmation |
| 0:26.4 | hearing that shows just how white supremacists some of this administration really are. A federal |
| 0:31.9 | judge blocking the White House's attempt to rescind hundreds of millions in public health funding, |
| 0:36.7 | the FCC pressuring CBS over a |
| 0:39.4 | Stephen Colbert interview, and in honor of President's Day, we're going to look at five times |
| 0:43.8 | American presidents threatened the Constitution and how the American people saved it. |
| 0:49.3 | Corey, it's been pretty crazy, and congratulations on the podcast getting so popular. |
| 0:53.4 | I want to thank all of our new |
| 0:54.5 | listeners for all the great reviews. Just great. And I believe we were. I tweeted out the Apple |
| 1:01.0 | rankings. I think we were three last week. And it's just, you know, more and more we build and build. |
| 1:06.9 | And as people listen to this show, what they repeatedly say is it's informative, but it also gives us hope. |
| 1:12.4 | And in addition to the stories that you talked about, we'll discuss Minnesota and the way that ICE has actually been pushed back |
| 1:19.4 | by exactly the kind of citizen action that we are always praising and talking about. |
| 1:23.5 | It's important. |
| 1:24.1 | So this is not over by any means. |
| 1:26.8 | Donald Trump has not become the authoritarian |
| 1:29.1 | leader that will shut us all down. We're still speaking out and will continue to do so. And as people |
| 1:35.2 | subscribe and spread the word, that helps our voice be amplified. So thank you to the listeners. |
| 1:40.4 | And John, what a pleasure to speak with you every week. I'm really looking forward to this episode. |
| 1:44.6 | Well, thank you, Professor. And, you know, what an amazing thing to witness the people of Minnesota. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Corey Brettschneider, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Corey Brettschneider and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.