1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

The Trump administration's FCC is using regulatory threats to silence political speech on broadcast television, and you need to call it out publicly and act to stop it. Jimmy Kimmel announced this week that his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on TV because the FCC threatened his show, ABC, its affiliates, and local stations. This is the second time Talarico has been blocked from a major broadcast — Stephen Colbert faced the same pressure months ago on CBS. This is not a gray area. Using a federal regulatory agency to punish broadcasters for booking political candidates is a textbook First Amendment violation. Kimmel has interviewed candidates from both parties for over 20 years, including Trump himself in 2015. The only thing that changed is who holds power. Voters in Texas and across the country deserve to see candidates on the air, not just on YouTube because the president dislikes the guest list. Demand a congressional investigation into the FCC's conduct and make clear that this kind of political intimidation has no place in a democracy.