Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ debacle is no joke – this is how authoritarians get started
guardian.co.uk (nprofile…z4y7)
The move has disturbing historical precedents, and retaliation against the Associated Press signals more restrictions to comeLast week, the Associated Press sued White House officials for violating its free press rights by punishing the organization for defying Donald Trump’s executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. Unfortunately, on Monday, a federal judge refused to immediately strike down the White House’s retaliatory treatment of the AP. But the case is far from over.Granting access to the White House on the suppressive conditions set by the Trump administration is a blow to the first amendment and the free press. If the retaliation against the AP is allowed to stand, more restrictions on the press are certain to follow, creating Kremlin-like conditions that will affect all Americans who might question, or be suspected of questioning, the Trump party line. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/26/trumps-gulf-of-america-authoritarians
The move has disturbing historical precedents, and retaliation against the Associated Press signals more restrictions to comeLast week, the Associated Press sued White House officials for violating its free press rights by punishing the organization for defying Donald Trump’s executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. Unfortunately, on Monday, a federal judge refused to immediately strike down the White House’s retaliatory treatment of the AP. But the case is far from over.Granting access to the White House on the suppressive conditions set by the Trump administration is a blow to the first amendment and the free press. If the retaliation against the AP is allowed to stand, more restrictions on the press are certain to follow, creating Kremlin-like conditions that will affect all Americans who might question, or be suspected of questioning, the Trump party line. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/26/trumps-gulf-of-america-authoritarians