12:00: The Octagon comes to the White House lawn
1:00: Trump administration threatens broadcasters
On President Trump's 80th birthday, the White House will host the first professional sporting event ever staged at the presidential residence. Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) is staging UFC Freedom 250 — a celebration of not only the president, but the upcoming birthday of the United States. Trump has become very close with UFC's Dana White, as well as other figures from both UFC and the so-called "manosphere." They include podcasters like the Tate brothers, the Paul brothers, and more. We discuss the spectacle, the meaning, and the power of the manosphere in the Trump administration. Our guest:
- Kyle Green, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Sociology at SUNY Brockport
Then in our second hour, FCC chair Brendan Carr recently said that many broadcast companies have their licenses up for renewal, and if they want to keep their licenses, they should change how they're covering the Iran war. On social media Carr wrote, "Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not." Our guests discuss the implications of this kind of threat. In studio:
- Richard A. Dollinger, retired New York Court of Claims judge
- Gary Craig, retired public safety and criminal justice reporter for the Democrat & Chronicle, author of "Seven Million," and co-author of "The Prison Guard's Daughter"
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
