Federal agency expedites mail-in voting funds to states

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Monday rejected a petition from an advocacy group calling for an investigation into alleged misinformation being broadcast on news networks during President Trump’s daily briefings about the U.S. coronavirus response.

The group Free Press filed an emergency petition last month seeking a probe into the widespread broadcast of the White House briefings, claiming that it was responsible for the spread of false information about the novel coronavirus pandemic. The group specifically raised concerns over Trump’s promotion of drug combination which includes an anti-malaria drug to treat the virus and alleged “disinformation that broadcast-radio personalities are spreading.”

Health officials have continually warned that not enough is known about the drugs to determine their efficacy, though it hasn’t stopped Trump and his allies from regularly touting their potential.

Free Press asked for emergency guidance “recommending that broadcasters prominently disclose when information they air is false or scientifically suspect.”

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai strongly rebuked the group’s request, saying in a statement that the “federal government will not–and never should–investigate broadcasters for their editorial judgments simply because a special interest group is angry at the views being expressed on the air as well as those expressing them.”