'BradCast' 4/3/2018 (Guest: Pam Vogel of Media Matters)
A remarkable viral video montage of dozens of local TV news anchors all reading the same script decrying "fake news" has focused intense scrutiny on rightwing Sinclair Broadcast Group, which forced local stations it owns to produce the promos. Sinclair currently owns nearly 200 local TV stations and seeks to acquire many more. Media Matters' researcher PAM VOGEL explains the concerns behind trusted local media outlets becoming little more than propaganda outlets for the Trump Administration, and how Sinclair has been misusing our public airwaves for several years, forcing their stations to run "must-run" commentaries (like those from former Trump Campaign official Boris Epshteyn) and promos like the "hostage video" that went viral over the weekend. Vogel also details what is known about the FCC Inspector General's reported investigation into whether Trump Administration officials and his FCC Chairman Ajit Pai improperly colluded with Sinclair executives to change long-standing FCC media ownership rules. Also today: breaking news on yet another mass shooting, this time at the YouTube headquarters building in San Bruno, California. In Texas, a federal judge rules in favor of the Texas Civil Rights Project in their lawsuit to force the state to comply with the National Voter Registration Act (\u201cthe motor voter law\u201d) by registering voters online, which affects some 1.5 million Texans annually. In Florida, a federal judge rejected a lawsuit brought by rightwing groups under a different provision of the NVRA, and in her ruling seriously undercut one of the major claims by the longtime GOP "voter fraud" fraudsters. Plus Desi Doyen with the latest \u2018Green News Report', on the EPA's reversal of fuel economy standards for cars and trucks enacted by the Obama Administration, and much more...