Just when it seemed the Trump administration couldn’t be any more brazen in its attacks on the media, it went even further.
Now comes word that the administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists as it tried to identify the sources behind reporting on security concerns involving President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One.
The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum reports that the administration even sought the phone records of one reporter’s mother.
Grynbaum wrote, “The Justice Department told The Times late last week that it had issued subpoenas to third-party phone service providers seeking several journalists’ phone and text messaging records. That effort was in addition to the subpoenas issued on July 10 that sought to compel reporters to testify before a federal grand jury.”
He added, “The government’s actions amount to an extraordinarily aggressive and unorthodox attempt by the Trump administration to unearth the confidential sources of independent journalists whose reporting had angered the president.”
Seth Stern, the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s chief of advocacy, said in a statement, “Even the Mafia says families are off limits. It’s gross that the administration — in its never-ending effort to harass and intimidate reporters who reveal its incompetence — is going after the communications of journalists’ relatives. The administration’s own guidelines say pursuing journalists is a last resort. But instead, it’s looking for any excuse to snoop on reporters and their relatives, because this has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with chilling journalism. They’re even seeking records from months before the report they claim they’re investigating. The Times’ reporting actually bolstered national security by ensuring that Trump and those who travel with him, including journalists, aren’t flying on an unsafe plane to serve the president’s personal vanity. Trump’s hangers-on should be sending the Times thank- you cards, not subpoenas.”
Trump is reportedly both furious and embarrassed over stories published two weeks ago about security concerns involving the new Air Force One gifted to him by Qatar. Instead of flying the new plane back to Washington from the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump took the old Air Force One. He told reporters that it was because the new plane was going to visit military bases in Europe so soldiers could see it — a story that didn’t pass the smell test.
Shortly after, The New York Times and other media outlets reported concerns about the security of the Qatar-gifted plane. The administration responded by subpoenaing several Times reporters in an effort to discover who leaked that information. The Times has filed a motion to quash the subpoenas, which a judge will rule on Thursday.
Grynbaum wrote, “In its motion on Saturday, The Times said that the Justice Department had violated its own guidelines for media subpoenas when it waited a week to notify The Times about the phone record requests, calling the delay ‘deeply concerning.’ The news outlet also laid out a series of events that it said amounted to a ‘bad-faith effort to intimidate the journalists and chill their ability to report on the administration.’”
That includes two subpoenas seeking phone records dating back to Jan. 1, which is well before the Times’ reporting on the new Air Force One.
The Times wrote in its motion, “That time frame strongly suggests that the department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the journalists’ source relationships more broadly.”
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Speaking of the Air Force One story …
Trump himself seemed to confirm the reports about security concerns involving the new Air Force One.
After returning to Washington on Sunday night after attending the World Cup final in New Jersey, Trump told reporters that the Qatar-gifted plane was being “maxed out” — which suggests its security measures were being updated.
A reporter in the presidential media pool pointed at the Qatar-gifted plane and asked Trump, “Mr. President, this plane does not have antimissile defense systems on it. Why are you flying it?”
Trump answered, “Well, it has — it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out. So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”
Neither Trump nor the White House commented on what “maxed out” means.
“Nonetheless,” The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman wrote, “it appeared to be an admission from the president that the plane’s security measures are not as extensive as the models that have been designed to be built from the ground up to serve as Air Force One.”
This may not be the last we hear about Trump’s comments.
CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote, “The NYT may use these new Trump comments as a defense as it fights those subpoenas in court later this week.”
The Pentagon’s silence
Stelter had another interesting item in his Reliable Sources newsletter from Monday, this one about the U.S. war with Iran.
Stelter noted, “The Pentagon hasn’t held a press briefing in two and a half months. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hasn’t explained the military strategy behind the renewed air strikes. His department hasn’t revealed the circumstances that led to the recent deaths of US service members. It’s all indicative of a larger effort to control information, limit access and avoid difficult questions about the war.”
Hegseth and the Pentagon have been in a showdown with the press pretty much since Hegseth took the job as Defense Secretary. He has been successful in getting respectable news outlets kicked out of the Pentagon, and now the Pentagon and the press are locked into courtroom battles that, so far, have mostly sided with the press.
Stelter wrote, “Military beat reporters tell me they’re having to rely more heavily on anonymous sources — the same sources that Hegseth wants to prosecute. He announced a new anti-leaker task force last week.”
Paramount-Warner Bros deal put on pause
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery $110-billion megadeal is on hold.
For the moment.
On Monday, a federal judge halted the deal for 14 days while she considers a lawsuit that claims the deal violates antitrust laws. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order after 12 Democratic states, including California and New York, sued to stop the deal.
Martínez-Olguín said the states’ attorneys general presented “compelling evidence that the combined firm resulting from the transaction will possess substantial market share in the wide-release theatrical distribution market.”
The potential Paramount-WBD deal would be one of the biggest media deals of all time, combining two major Hollywood studios and many noted cable networks and franchises. The new company would take control of Paramount+ and HBO Max, CBS and cable networks such as TNT, TBS, Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, HGTV, Discovery and more. The company would also own both CBS News and CNN.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the states’ lawsuit, said in a statement, “This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day. History tells the tale of what happens when a few people have great power over markets that are central to Americans’ lives: fewer opportunities for more people, worse products and services for all people. With our lawsuit, we’re fighting for a free and fair market and a thriving film and television industry that serves creatives and audiences alike.”
A spokesperson for Paramount said, “This merger is lawful, pro-competitive, and will benefit consumers, creators, workers and the entertainment industry.”
Paramount has argued that the arrival of tech and streaming companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Apple has shifted the entertainment industry and lessened the influence of traditional companies — such as Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
So now the question is: Is this really the first step in eventually killing the deal, or is it a mere blip for a deal that will eventually go through?
Axios’ Sara Fischer noted, “In her order, Martínez-Olguín set a preliminary injunction hearing for Aug. 3 to determine whether the temporary restraining order needs to be extended. That date could be delayed if the parties agree. The judge notes that the temporary restraining order can be extended for good cause. The order could be extended to as long as 28 days.”
Fischer also added, “Not only does the pause create uncertainty for Paramount and WBD shareholders as they look to get the deal over the finish line, but any delay could also cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars. Paramount promised WBD shareholders a 25-cent-per-share ticking fee for every quarter the deal doesn’t close by Sept. 30, totaling around $650 million per quarter.”
Ryan Clark out at ESPN
ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, shown here in October of 2025. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports ESPN has cut ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark in the first of what is expected to be a series of imminent layoffs.
Clark was one of ESPN’s more prominent NFL analysts, but he also had a couple of high-profile public dustups, including one with a fellow ESPNer.
On the show “Get Up,” Clark undercut fellow analyst Peter Schrager. Clark dismissed Schrager’s analysis by, essentially, saying Schrager had never played the game. (Clark spent 13 years in the NFL.) Clark publicly and privately apologized to Schrager.
But that incident happened way back in September, making this move a big surprise. Marchand noted that Clark was expected to be a “large part” of ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage as the network hosts the big game for the first time this upcoming season. Clark has been with ESPN since he retired from playing in 2015.
Marchand also reported that Clark was informed of his firing while taping “NFL Live” on Monday, and did not finish the show. Marchand wrote, “Sources at ESPN say the reason they told Clark during the show was due to media inquiries into his departure and a fear that the news would leak out before they could inform him.”
This appears to be a budget decision. There have been rumors of layoffs, and Marchand reports that Clark was making $2 million a year. ProFootball Talk’s Mike Florio wrote, “Clark is among the first wave of ESPN layoffs that are expected to happen later this week.”
Marchand added that ESPN and its sister platform, NFL Network, are expected to have more layoffs, possibly as soon as today.
Media tidbits
- Sylvia Bugg, PBS‘ chief programming executive and general manager for general audience programming, died over the weekend. She was 55. PBS CEO Paula Kerger said Bugg died “unexpectedly.” Here’s more from The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio. And here’s a statement from Kerger.
- Mediaite’s Stephanie Kaloi with “Meet the SiriusXM Host Whose Top-Tier Political Guests Are the Envy of Bookers Everywhere.”
- Former college football star Tim Tebow has signed a contract extension with ESPN. Tebow, who joined ESPN in 2014, will continue as a college football analyst on SEC Network’s traveling pregame show “SEC Nation.” He will also continue to appear on ESPN shows such as “College Football Live” and “SportsCenter.”
- Tashan Reed, who covered the Washington Commanders for The Washington Post, was among the massive layoffs that essentially gutted the Post sports section back in February. On Monday, Reed announced that he was returning to the Post to once again cover the Commanders. Awful Announcing’s Sam Neumann has more.
Hot type
- The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich writes about Arizona senator and possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Mark Kelly in “The Wingman.”
- Wall Street Journal sports columnist Jason Gay with “America Is Going to Really, Really Miss the World Cup.”
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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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