ABC News has abruptly agreed to a $15 million settlement with Donald Trump in his lawsuit against the network. Coming after Trump raged at ABC throughout the campaign, some experts and observers see this as a sign of broader capitulation to him. Indeed, it comes as Trump just openly boasted that he’s “tamed” the media. We talked to The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc., who explains why this outcome has “really disturbing” implications, how Trump is conditioning Americans to accept authoritarian rule, and what the prognosis is going forward. It’s not great. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
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ABC News’ Sudden Surrender to Trump’s Fury Stuns Experts: “Disturbing”
As ABC News agrees to a $15 million settlement with Trump, journalist Anne Applebaum explains why this carries unnerving echoes of what’s unfolding in places like Hungary—and what could happen next.
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