Feb 19, 2026

Colbert and Talarico vs CBS, Brendan Carr and Bari Weiss

The issue -  CBS blocked Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico, who is running for the U.S. Senate.   The interview was later posted on YouTube, where it gained significant views, breaking a three-year record for Colbert's channel.

To truly see how this played out, I encourage you to watch these videos - 





There has long been an exemption to the F.C.C.’s equal-time rule for “bona fide news” programming, such as evening news programs. Media companies have long taken it as a given that late-night shows qualified for the same exemption, particularly after the F.C.C. ruled in 2006 that interviews on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” were considered bona fide news.  After the F.C.C. issued its new guidance, Mr. Carr underscored that was no longer the case.  “For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late-night & daytime talk shows qualify as ‘bona fide news’ programs — even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes,” he said on X last month. “Today, the F.C.C. reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities.” ~NYT

My question - Is Brendan Carr also going to go after fox news entertainment and other right wing media?

Interesting Side Note 1 - Brendan Carr was a PROJECT 2025 Author.




Interesting Side Note 2 - Anderson Cooper is leaving CBS "to spend more time with his family".  (Anderson Cooper says he’s exiting from ’60 Minutes,’ but staying with CNN - AP News). When asked if Weiss' appointment had anything to do with Cooper's decision to leave 60 Minutes, a rep for the journalist said he had no additional comment.  


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Colbert dismisses CBS statement on Talarico interview: ‘I’m just so surprised’ ~ The Hill. “They know damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers, who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air,” Colbert said during his show Tuesday evening.  Colbert told viewers on Monday that CBS, which is owned by Paramount, said he could not have Talarico on the broadcast over concerns about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “equal time” rule.
The rule requires broadcast stations to provide equal opportunities to opposing political candidates but has historically exempted talk shows.

What to know about the ‘equal time’ rule Stephen Colbert says led CBS to pull his Talarico interview - AP News.What about the Fairness Doctrine? Created by the FCC in 1949, this rule mandated that broadcasters present contrasting viewpoints when covering publicly important and controversial issues. Unlike the equal time provision of the Communications Act, this was an FCC rule, not a law.  It didn’t apply specifically to political candidates, but topics. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the doctrine on a First Amendment challenge in 1969, with the court writing that the limited availability of broadcast spectrum justified regulation.  In 1987, the FCC repealed the rule, arguing that spectrum scarcity was no longer an issue, and then-President Ronald Reagan vetoed Congress’ attempt to codify it into law.

Colbert Says CBS Pulled Senate Candidate Interview - NYT. “Let’s just call this what it is,” Mr. Colbert said. “Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV.”

Who is Bari Weiss? CBS News' new editor-in-chief is a vocal critic of legacy media - NPR. Previously, Weiss, along with her sister Suzy Weiss and her spouse Nellie Bowles, started The Free Press as a newsletter.  The Free Press developed into a full-fledged media company in 2022, expanding its offerings into podcasts and live events. Its investigations and commentaries largely scrutinize political and cultural issues like gender-affirming health care, COVID-19 lockdowns, DEI programs and J.K. Rowling's anti-trans views.


WHO TO CONTACT - 

Your opinion only matters to our lawmakers if you let them know!  The more people who speak up, the more meaningful our opinions will be.   There are people to encourage and people to blast.  

 "SPEAK UP, BECAUSE THE DAY YOU DON'T SPEAK UP FOR THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO YOU IS THE DAY YOUR FREEDOM TRULY ENDS."

Stephen Colbert
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Ed Sullivan Theater
1697 Broadway, New York, NY 10019


James Talarico
James Talarico
Talarico for Texas
PO Box 14508
Austin, TX 78761


CBS 
51 W. 52nd Street 
New York, NY 10019-6188
212-975-4321

CBS is owned by Paramount Global, which is controlled by National Amusements, a holding company owned by the Redstone family. Paramount Global was formed through the merger of CBS and Viacom in 2019.


Remember, bari weiss is the one who pulled the
60 Minutes episode on the El Salvador prison.

Bari Weiss, CBS News Editor in Chief
524 West 57th Street 
New York NY 10019



It seems that Brendan Carr only goes after liberal media.
He's the reason Colbert's contract won't be renewed
 and he tried to get Kimmel fired as well.

Brendan Carr, FCC Chair (Federal Communications Commission)
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE
Washington, DC 20554

You could also contact some of our lawmakers and ask that Brendan Carr be fired - 


Feb 17, 2026

The SAVE America Act

Lawmakers debated over the SAVE Act last year and it stalled in the Senate after major public backlash.  SAVE stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility.  Now, an amended version, which is called the SAVE America Act is coming up for a vote in the senate.  It passed the House on February 11.  The Senate needs 60 votes to pass and Republicans hold only a 53-47 majority.




The updated version of the bill also adds a photo ID requirement for voters and requires states to run their voter rolls through the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to scan for noncitizens. 

The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment.  There are serious questions about whether it’s even possible to implement the requirements in time for the midterm elections. Election officials would have to build out entirely new procedures without the time or money to do so.

The SAVE America Act would affect people registering to vote or those updating their voter registration.  They would be required to show specific documents proving American citizenship.  It's already illegal for non-citizens to vote.  This bill would deter many eligible voters from registering.  

The easiest way to show proof of citizenship is with a passport. However, only about half of Americans have a valid U.S. passport.  Getting one typically takes four to six weeks and costs around $130.

Another acceptable document is a birth certificate. If your current legal name doesn't match your birth certificate name, this poses a problem.  Approximately 69 million married women took their spouse’s last name, which means the name on their birth certificates don’t match their current legal name. You would think bringing along a marriage certificates would solve the problem, but no.  Marriage certificates aren’t listed in either the original bill or the amended bill as an accepted form of additional documentation if you don’t have a passport.




If the bill passes, states would have to make major changes to their voter registration process and they would not be given any additional funding to do it.

The Act would require states to share voter information with the Department of Homeland Security.   Voting rolls can contain information you might not want shared. Depending on your state, your voting roll might contain your party affiliation, your date of birth, your address, phone number, and email. This could benefit politicians who could use the information to their advantage at the polls, and could also increase the risks of identity theft.


The SAVE America Act probably won't pass, but maybe that's not the point.

"The bill wasn’t introduced with the goal of making elections run more smoothly; it was introduced to make the point that elections aren’t as secure as they could be. If, as expected, the bill fails and voters don’t have to prove their citizenship or show photo ID in 2026, it could make it easier for Trump and his allies to claim that the results are tainted by fraud. That could be a different type of nightmare scenario." Vote Beat






READ MORE 

Why The SAVE America Act Could Create New Obstacles For Millions Of Voters ~ Forbes. "Proponents of the SAVE Act say the bill will help prevent non-citizens from voting and “protect federal elections from fraud and abuse,” but opponents point out that the bill is trying to solve a problem that does not actually exist. It’s already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, and research finds just 0.04% of voter verification cases are returned as non-citizens. At the same time, the SAVE America Act could actually prevent millions of eligible voters who don’t have immediate access to the specific documents required in the bill from being able to exercise their right."


What if everyone had to prove their citizenship to register to vote? ~ Vote Beat  "According to a 2023 survey conducted by SSRS on behalf of the University of Maryland and three voting-rights groups, 9% of voting-age citizens don’t have easy access to a document that proves their citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate."

WHO TO CONTACT

Your opinion only matters to our lawmakers if you let them know!  The more people who speak up, the more meaningful our opinions will be.  Don't wait to figure out the perfect people to contact or the perfect thing to say.  Just start!!!

Feb 4, 2026

Republican Senate Wannabe's - Buddy Carter, Derek Dooley, and Mike Collins

Trump has endorsed a number of US House Reps in Georgia, including  Brian Jack (Peachtree City), Rich McCormick (Suwanee), Austin Scott (Tifton) and Rick Allen (Augusta).  

The Senate republican primary race (May 19, 2026) is a bit more complicated and as of this moment, trump hasn't chosen which candidate he will endorse.    Rep. Buddy Carter (district 1) is running against Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins (GA district 11).   

Most of the polls show Mike Collins as the current frontrunner for the Republican candidates.




Derek Vincent Dooley is a former lawyer turned college football coach and his dad was the mega famous head Georgia football coach for many years.  Brian Kemp is endorsing Derek.  

Mike Collins has a famous dad as well - his father was Mac Collins, who served as a U.S. Representative for Georgia's 8th congressional district from 1993 to 2005.  

Buddy Carter is currently the Congressman for Georgia's district 1 in the Savannah area.  Buddy is hoping to out maga them all by going all in on ICE support.  There is a huge immigrant detention center in his district - one of the largest in the nation - which Carter is super proud of.  Carter still defends ICE, even after the recent murders in Minnesota.  He recently called for a major surge of ICE in Atlanta, much like what they are doing in Minneapolis.  He's apparently decided the way to win is to go full-on right wing.  He even lays the blame for the murders on politicians like Ossoff for demonizing ICE.  He's been meeting with trump hoping (begging?) for his endorsement.

All of our candidates need to understand how unpopular ICE is in Georgia!!!!  Contact them and let them know!  


READ MORE 

US Rep. Buddy Carter urges ICE expansion to Georgia - WABE/PBS/NPR.  "A growing number of Republicans are distancing themselves from federal immigration operations following the fatal weekend shooting of a 37-year-old nurse by border patrol officers in Minneapolis. Coastal Georgia’s Congressman Buddy Carter isn’t one of them."



WHO TO CONTACT

This is his contribution address - the only address I could find.  There's no harm in sending postcards there.
Dooley for Georgia
Post Office Box 250086
Atlanta, GA 30325

Mike Collins

Washington DC Office
2351 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-4101

Monroe District Office
100 Court St.
Monroe , GA  30655
Phone: (770) 207-1776

Buddy Carter

Brunswick Office
777 Gloucester Street 
Suite 410 
Brunswick, GA 31520 
Phone: (912) 265-9010 
Fax: (912) 265-9013 

Savannah Office
6602 Abercorn Street 
Suite 105B
Savannah, GA 31405
Phone: (912) 352-0101 
Fax: (912) 352-0105 

Washington, DC Office
2432 Rayburn House Office Building 
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5831 
Fax: (202) 226-2269
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