ABC argues Trump administration is trying to chill free speech

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, March 27, 2026. Gabriela Passos/AP hide caption toggle caption Gabriela Passos/AP NEW YORK — In a strongly worded filing, ABC accuses the Trump administration of trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech and hinder open political discussion. The point of contention: The popular show "The View," and whether it's subject to equal time rules. ABC's filing to the Federal Communications Commission, made public Friday, came in a dispute involving one ABC station in Houston, KTRK-TV. But the wording indicated the network was embarking on a broader battle with the administration. "The Commission's actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly," said the filing on behalf of both KTRK-TV and ABC. The commission replied, in a statement emailed to The Associated Press, that equal time law "encourages more speech and empowers voters to decide the outcome of elections. The FCC will review Disney's assertion that 'The View' is a 'bona fide news program' and thus exempt from the political equal time rules." The ABC filing appeared to be the latest volley inside and outside the legal arena between the U.S. …