Justice Department investigating television networks over Trump pool coverage

Key Points:

• The US Department of Justice is investigating several major TV networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News, over potential violations of federal competition laws related to their recent suspension of the White House TV pool coverage of President Trump.
• The networks halted the pool coverage system temporarily after President Trump blocked CNN, MS Now, and Politico from White House access, accusing them of publishing false information about his administration.
• The White House later restored access for the blocked outlets following a judge's ruling, which found that restricting access violated First Amendment protections against government discrimination of the press.
• The Trump administration has taken multiple legal actions against news organizations, including lawsuits and changes to press pool management, such as taking control from the White House Correspondents' Association and restricting Associated Press reporters from certain areas over terminology disputes.
• The DOJ's investigation centers on whether the networks' suspension of the pool coverage constituted an illegal group boycott under the Sherman Act, which prohibits monopolistic business practices among competitors.