1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, then pulled CNN out of the TV pool rotation. That prompted a united response from the five networks. They briefly stopped providing pool coverage. And they released a joint statement: “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” Now Trump is opening yet another revenge campaign. The New York Times reports that the Justice Department’s antitrust division hit all five networks with formal orders to hand over documents. The DOJ’s theory is that the networks staged a coordinated boycott, the kind of collusion that’s illegal under the Sherman Act. In a statement, a Justice Department spokeswoman described the five networks as “having proudly boycotted covering White House events.” She added that the department is simply investigating the violation of antitrust laws. Let’s be clear about what this actually is. Five news organizations said the government doesn’t get to pick which reporters cover the president. Trump responded like he always does, by turning the federal government on his perceived enemies. Legal experts told the Post that deciding what to cover is protected speech. As the Freedom of the Press Foundation put it: “Depriving Trump of the attention he craves is not a competitive harm.” Antitrust law, the group added, has long made room for First Amendment exceptions. But winning was never the point. The point is the hassle. The legal bills. And the message sent to every newsroom: going against Trump comes at a price. So far, the networks haven’t backed down. They’re defending the First Amendment from a president who treats the Constitution like it’s a suggestion.