Salem News Channel

The head of the Federal Communications Commission urged U.S. broadcasters on Friday to air "patriotic, pro-America content" to mark this year's 250th anniversary of the United States' founding. FCC Chair Brendan Carr suggested broadcasters could voluntarily take part in the semiquincentennial celebrations by running nonpartisan public service announcements, short segments, or full specials promoting civic education and American history. He said they could also choose to start each day's broadcast with "The Star-Spangled Banner" or the Pledge of Allegiance, and could air music by major American composers. The announcement comes as the Trump-led FCC has repeatedly clashed with broadcast networks. Until the 1980s, many local affiliates would play the national anthem when they signed off programming for the day, a practice made obsolete by round-the-clock broadcasting. Carr, who was named FCC chair by President Donald Trump in January 2025, initiated a practice of saying the Pledge of Allegiance - a patriotic oath - before the FCC's monthly meetings. Carr said he hoped broadcasters would pledge to show civics programs to fulfill "their public interest mandate to serve the needs and interests of their local communities as America’s 250th birthday celebration marches on." This week, Carr confirmed that the FCC is investigating ABC's "The View" over whether it violated equal time rules when it aired an interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate. CBS late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert said lawyers for CBS had barred him from airing an interview with Talarico. The FCC said last month that daytime and late-night TV talk shows are no longer considered "bona fide" news programs that are exempt from requirements to give equal air time to views of opposing candidates. For decades talk shows had been exempt from those rules. Carr has repeatedly criticised the news media and suggested that broadcast networks need significant reforms. In January, he reinstated complaints about a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, how ABC News moderated the pre-election televised debate between then-President Joe Biden and Trump and NBC for allowing Harris to appear on "Saturday Night Live" shortly before the election.

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The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to proceed with planning for a potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria, which was shuttered in 2012 during the country’s civil war. A notice to congressional committees earlier this month, which was obtained by The Associated Press, informed lawmakers of the State Department’s “intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume embassy operations in Syria.” The Feb. 10 notification said that spending on the plans would begin in 15 days, or next week, although there was no timeline offered for when they would be complete or when U.S. personnel might return to Damascus on a full-time basis. The administration has been considering re-opening the embassy since last year, shortly after longtime strongman Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024, and it has been a priority for President Donald Trump's ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack. Barrack has pushed for a deep rapprochement with Syria and its new leadership under former rebel Ahmad al-Sharaa and has successfully advocated for the lifting of U.S. sanctions and a reintegration of Syria into the regional and international communities. Last May, Barrack visited Damascus and raised the U.S. flag at the embassy compound, although the embassy was not yet re-opened. The same day the congressional notification was sent, Barrack lauded Syria's decision to participate in the coalition that is combating the Islamic State militant group, even as the U.S. military has withdrawn from a small, but important, base in the southeast and there remain significant issues between the government and the Kurdish minority. “Regional solutions, shared responsibility. Syria’s participation in the D-ISIS Coalition meeting in Riyadh marks a new chapter in collective security,” Barrack said. The embassy re-opening plans are classified and the State Department declined to comment on details beyond confirming that the congressional notification was sent. However, the department has taken a similar “phased” approach in its plans to re-open the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the U.S. military operation that ousted former President Nicolás Maduro in January, with the deployment of temporary staffers who would live in and work out of interim facilities.

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Virginia Democrats have passed a new congressional map that aims to flip four U.S. House seats, but the courts and voters still must have a say before the maps are official. The new gerrymandered map aims to help the party in the national redistricting battle. However, Democrats in Virginia were delivered a setback when a judge blocked the ' proposed voter referendum on redistricting, which was set for April 21. Democrats are appealing that decision and another from the same judge, who said the referendum process was rushed. The state Supreme Court has already taken up that earlier appeal.

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Las Vegas police say they're investigating a car that rammed into a power substation as a possible “terrorism-related event.” There's no ongoing threat to the public, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Friday. The driver of the vehicle was 23-year-old Dawson Maloney from Albany, New York, who was reported missing and is now dead, McMahill said. The man had communicated with family before the crash, referencing self-harm, and said he was going to commit an act that would place him on the news. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to his mother, according to police. Authorities found explosive materials and multiple books “related to extremist ideologies” in Maloney’s hotel room, McMahill said. The books included ones about right and left wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacism and anti-government ideology, he said. Maloney was wearing what police described as “soft-body armor.” Two shotguns, an assault rifle-style pistol, and flame throwers were found in his rental car, McMahill said. Authorities recovered a 3D printer and several gun components needed to assemble a firearm from an Albany residence. Boulder City is a historic town located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Las Vegas and home to the Hoover Dam, which is considered one of the country’s modern civil engineering wonders. The dam provides water to millions of people and generates an average of 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year for Nevada, Arizona and California. The power substation that was rammed is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Boulder City Police Chief Timothy Shea said there is no evidence of major damage to critical infrastructure and no service disruptions. A similar incident occurred in 2023 when a man rammed a car through a fence at a solar power facility in the desert northeast of Las Vegas, setting the car on fire. The solar power facility served Las Vegas Strip casinos. He was declared unfit for trial.

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Josh opens the show by breaking down Friday’s major Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and what the decision could mean moving forward. He shares where he believes the administration goes from here and why he hopes the president has a backup plan. He then dives into what he calls the latest examples of blue-state dysfunction, including reports that the Chicago Bears could consider moving to Indiana amid Illinois’ high tax environment, and the growing outrage in New York City over the possibility of yet another mayoral tax hike. Later, Jillian Michaels joins the program to discuss the MAHA movement and how RFK is performing in his first year in the administration. They examine what has been accomplished so far, what still needs to be done to put Americans back in control of their health, and whether California can change course politically under Governor Gavin Newsom and current leadership.

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Iran is Weak, It's Time to Strike

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The American People Deserve Clarity from Trump on Iran

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Does Congress Need to Confirm a Declaration of War?

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Authorities looking into the deadly avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada will investigate whether criminal negligence played a role in the tragedy. A sheriff’s office leading one of several investigations said Friday that it couldn’t share more details, saying it is an open investigation. A California state agency that regulates workplace safety also is investigating Tuesday’s avalanche that killed eight. One other person remains missing and is presumed dead. Among the questions being considered is why the tour company that organized the backcountry ski trip moved forward in the face of a powerful storm. Crews are hoping to make progress Friday in their efforts to recover the victims.

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Is the Supreme Court Ruling a Blow to Trump's Agenda?

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President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would impose a 10% global tariff for 150 days to replace some of his emergency duties that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump said that his order would be made under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and the duties would be over and above tariffs that are currently in place. The statute allows the president to impose duties of up to 15% for up to 150 days on any and all countries related to "large and serious" balance of payments issues. It does not require investigations or impose other procedural limits. The Supreme Court declared illegal his broad global tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, ruling that he had overstepped his authority under that law. "We have alternatives, great alternatives" Trump said. "Could be more money. We'll take in more money and we'll be a lot stronger for it," Trump said of the alternative tools. Trump said his administration also was initiating several Section 301 unfair trade practices investigations "to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies." Trump's decision to lean on other statutes, including Section 122, while initiating new investigations under Section 301 had been widely anticipated. But the 10% tariffs he announced Friday can only remain in effect for 150 days, and Section 301 investigations generally take months to complete.

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President Trump Holds a Press Conference Regarding SCOTUS Tariff Ruling

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BREAKING - SCOTUS Rules Trump's Tariffs Are Illegal

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Iran's foreign minister said on Friday he expected to have a draft counterproposal ready within days following nuclear talks this week as U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering limited military strikes. Asked if he was considering a limited strike to pressure Iran into a deal on its nuclear program, Trump told reporters at the White House, “I guess I can say I am considering" it. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that U.S. military planning on Iran has reached an advanced stage, with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and even pursuing leadership change in Tehran, if ordered by Trump. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in an interview earlier on Friday on MS NOW, said his draft counterproposal could be ready in the next two or three days for top Iranian officials to review, with more U.S.-Iran talks possible in a week or so. Military action would complicate efforts to reach a deal, he added. On Thursday, Trump gave Tehran a deadline of 10-15 days to make a deal or face "really bad things" amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East that has fueled fears of a wider war. Araqchi gave no specific timing as to when Iranians would get their counterproposal to U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but said he believed a diplomatic deal was within reach and could be achieved "in a very short period of time." During talks in Geneva this week, the United States did not seek zero uranium enrichment and Iran did not offer to suspend enrichment, he told MS NOW, a U.S. cable television news network. "We have not offered any suspension and the U.S. side has not asked for zero enrichment," Araqchi said. "What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever." He added that technical and political "confidence-building measures" would be enacted to ensure the program would remain peaceful in exchange for action on sanctions, but he gave no further details. “The president has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them, and that they cannot enrich uranium,” the White House said when asked about Araqchi's comments.

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The Supreme Court has struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda. The decision on Friday centers on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country. It’s the first major piece of Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before the nation’s highest court, which he helped shape with the appointments of three conservative jurists in his first term. The Republican president has been vocal about the case, calling it one of the most important in U.S. history. But legal opposition crossed the political spectrum.

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SCOTUS Delivers Unjust Blow To Trump's Tariffs

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Susan Rice's Chilling Threat: Dems Vow Retribution Against Trump Allies

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With Chris Mitchell, Middle-East Bureau Chief for CNB News.

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With Speaker Mike Johnson, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

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