Federal Communications Commission and Media

Stephen Colbert accused CBS of blocking him from airing an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico just hours before early voting, while CBS says it did not prohibit the segment but advised that broadcasting it could trigger FCC equal‑time obligations for other Democratic contenders (including Rep. Jasmine Crockett) and therefore ran the full interview only on YouTube with on‑air promotion. The clash stems from a Jan. FCC notice under Chair Brendan Carr reinterpreting the "bona fide news" exemption to potentially cover late‑night and daytime talk shows, spurring accusations of partisan censorship, regulatory questions, political fallout for the Texas primary and CBS requests for FCC and White House comment.