How we know Donald Trump is freaking out about his disastrous poll numbers
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What historical court precedent explains Trump’s media bans?
Hi there, everyone. It's Nicole Wallace. I'm here to tell you about the MS Now membership. You'll be able to connect directly with all your favorite hosts. You can stream live TV and find a community that cares as much as you do. Visit ms.now membership to join us.
A lot of news to get to tonight, including what I just mentioned with Jacob, including some more big news involving this network and Donald Trump's ongoing assault on the free press. That's not to mention that we're also awaiting a court's decision on Trump's media ban that could literally come at any time. And we will bring you any news of that if we get any of that as well. To really understand what is at stake here, to really understand just how much the president is trying to undo, because this is definitely not a one off. I want to start tonight with a story that appeared in The New York Times on May 14th, 1970. And here's the headline. Witness presents pornography commissioner with a pie in the face.
I know, I know, but stay with me here, I promise you. Here's more from that particular story, a direct quote from that story. The last day of public hearings by the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography was disrupted today when a radical witness dumped a cheese pie, how quaint, on the forehead of one of the commission members. Thomas K. Forsad, project coordinator of the underground press syndicate, had just finished a denunciation of the commission when he was asked what he meant by calling the commission a, quote, keystone committee engaged in a blatant McCarthy-esque witch hunt. Now, Mr. Forsyth answered by getting out of his seat and dumping the wet pie on Commissioner Otto Larson and exclaiming pie power as the solution to pompousness.
This is the moment as captured by the Associated Press when Mr. Forsyth got out of his chair and dumped said cheese pie on said pornography commissioner. You can see the commissioner turn his head when the cheese pie is dumped on him, and then the other commissioner, you can also see in that photo, holding up the pie in frustration. Now, I can't tell you exactly what a cheese pie is made of. I'm intrigued by it, though, and why Thomas Forsad had one with him. But it's important to know a bit more about his background because Thomas Forsad was not only a radical pie-throwing witness, he was also a radical journalist. He ran a network of counterculture magazines called the Underground Press Syndicate.
And he would go on to found the pro-cannabis magazine High Times, which is very much still in circulation today, I would note. There he is on the cover of that magazine in 1993. But back in the early 1970s, Thomas Forsyth decided to apply for a White House press pass. He wanted to be a part of the press corps that covered the president of the United States. And in 1971, the Nixon White House denied Thomas Forsyth his press pass that he really wanted. The Secret Service barred him from the White House, citing certain information that came up in his security check. Now, at the time, the Secret Service told The New York Times it was thought best to deny him admission to the White House. It was simply a case of what's in the interest of our protective mission.
And this next part is where it gets really interesting because Thomas Forsyth, along with another journalist, sued the White House over their exclusion from the press corps. And it was revealed in court filings that one reason the Secret Service deemed Thomas Forsyth at security risk was, of course, because of that infamous cheese pie incident I showed you all the photos of. They thought that the court would surely agree that some radical hippie journalist to assault public officials with pie props could be excluded from the White House press room. But here's the thing. The court didn't agree. A federal judge found that the government's failure to devise, publicize, and utilize narrow and specific standards for the issuance or denial of press passes infringes on plaintiffs' First Amendment right to freedom of the press.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What historical court precedent explains Trump’s media bans?
0:00–6:49
2
How did the Jim Acosta press‑pass case revive First Amendment protections?
6:49–12:15
3
Why are Trump’s current poll numbers considered a political nadir?
12:15–16:14
4
What does the Xi‑Jinping red‑carpet visit reveal about Trump’s media strategy?
16:14–20:39
5
How does Trump’s “ballroom” project illustrate his vanity‑driven governance?
20:39–26:27
6
What constitutional violations does Rep. Jamie Raskin highlight about Trump’s actions?
26:27–31:36
7
Why are advisers pushing Trump to declare a national emergency or martial law?
31:36–37:14
8
What can be done to protect press freedom and the rule of law moving forward?
37:14–43:06
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from The Briefing with Jen Psaki
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Psaki: Trump can't hide by attacking the free press
Alarming new disclosures highlight dangers of A.I. as Trump turns his back on regulation
Fear of HEGSETH IMPEACHMENT sends Congress to early vacation
Psaki: Trump does not sound like he knows what A.I. is
Another Trump prosecutor quits as another conspiracy theory fails