Media News Daily: Top Stories for 09/02/2026

Tech Group Can Continue Challenge to Tennessee Social Media Law

A federal appellate court has revived NetChoice’s effort to block Tennessee’s Protecting Children from Social Media Act, which requires social platforms to verify users’ ages and bars minors under 18 from creating accounts without parental consent. NetChoice, whose members include Google, Meta, and Snap, argues the law violates the First Amendment rights of both platforms and users. A district judge previously denied an injunction, finding the group had not shown irreparable harm, but a divided 6th Circuit panel reversed that part of the decision. The court did not rule on the law’s constitutionality but said enforcement could cause irreparable harm if NetChoice’s First Amendment claims prove valid. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)

The Intercept Seeks to Block Paid Access to Trump Posts

The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation are asking a federal judge to bar President Donald Trump and close aides from posting official government announcements on Truth Social while the platform sells faster access to his posts through its Truth API product. The lawsuit argues that charging corporate clients and high-frequency trading firms for early access to the president’s market-moving public statements is unconstitutional and unlawfully places a paywall around official government communications. Trump Media has defended the product as a standard commercial data service, while the plaintiffs say Trump and top aides frequently use Truth Social to announce major policy actions, personnel decisions, and military developments. (Read More) (NOTUS Rating)

Joe Rogan Criticizes Trump Over Lake Ontario Rename

Joe Rogan criticized President Donald Trump’s reported move to rename Lake Ontario, suggesting the decision may be intended to distract from U.S. military action in Iran. Speaking with comedian Brian Simpson, Rogan questioned the purpose of changing the name of one of the Great Lakes and argued that the issue diverts attention from what he described as an unwinnable war. The discussion followed U.S. Central Command’s announcement of strikes on Iranian targets after alleged attacks on commercial shipping and U.S. service members in the Middle East. (Read More) (Mediaite Rating)