30 January, 2026

Don Lemon Arrested: Best Newsletters To Track Trump’s War On Press Freedom

Don Lemon,Press Freedom

Don Lemon Show - Don Lemon

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” his attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”

Trump has escalated a crackdown on the press. Earlier the FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and seized her devices ... Arresting Lemon, who appeared to be conducting himself as a reporter, including interviewing church members and and activists, runs the risk of criminalizing journalism. - The Wrap

Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon - NY Times

Trump tried to charge Mr. Lemon, citing a law that protects people seeking to participate in a service in a house of worship.

Trump tried to charge Don Lemon, "but the magistrate judge who reviewed the evidence approved charges against only three of the people, rejecting the evidence against Mr. Lemon and the others as insufficient. The Justice Department then petitioned a federal appeals court to force the judge to issue the additional warrants, only to be denied.

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Mr. Lemon, vowed to fight the charges. “Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” Mr. Lowell said in a statement on Friday. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.” Mr. Lowell added, “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.” - NY Times

Find the best newsletters to cover Don Lemon and other vital pro democracy Issues here.
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Top Newsletters

The Parnas Perspective - Aaron Parnas

The precise charges against Lemon were still unclear at the time of his arrest. What is clear is the extraordinary path the Trump Justice Department took to get there. Just days earlier, a magistrate judge refused to sign a criminal complaint against Lemon, finding the evidence insufficient.

Rather than respecting that judicial determination, the administration appears to have deliberately maneuvered around it—either by seeking a grand jury indictment or shopping the case to another magistrate judge. This is not normal law enforcement. It is the weaponization of prosecutorial power to punish a reporter whose coverage the government did not like.

Xavier Plisset - Xplisset Voice of America

Xplisset Voice Of America - Xavier Plisset

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on the night of Thursday, January 29, 2026, in Los Angeles, where he was on assignment covering the upcoming Grammy Awards.

After CNN, Lemon launched “The Don Lemon Show” streaming on YouTube to cover hot-button issues. As an independent journalist with a camera crew, he followed a group of activists into the St. Paul church on January 18 and broadcast the protest in real time. The incident tapped into several flashpoints of immigration enforcement, sanctuary churches, and the role of media in social activism.

Defiance News - Miles Taylor

Federal agents arrested journalist Don Lemon in Los Angeles last night, according to a statement released by his attorney, Abbe Lowell, marking a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s long-running conflict with the press — and signaling that his war against reporters who report what he doesn’t like is now shifting to major figures in “new media.”

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Billionaire owned media serves billionaires' interest - not yours

Billionaires seem to have a thing for media ownership. Deep-pocketed, high-profile investors have spent fortunes acquiring mass communication platforms, including newspapers, magazines, and even social networking services. - Investopedia

Paramount Global, CBS' parent company, that it had settled President Trump's private lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview was welcome news for its controlling owner, Shari Redstone... another bitter pill for independent journalism to swallow.
The Washington Post — a newspaper whose motto is "Democracy Dies in Darkness" — has pulled its editorial punches.
The Los Angeles Times's owner has thrown in his lot with those who say the media — including his own paper — is too liberal.
A number of corporate and individual owners of media that promise to hold power to account have instead bowed to it. So too have the chiefs of two major social media platforms — among the richest people on the planet. - NPR
Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos axed the Common Cause “Fire Elon Musk” ad.
Trump has signed an executive order to defund PBS and NPR, a direct attack on fact-based and free public media.
Mark Zuckerberg owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced that it was ending fact-checking on its platforms.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page owned Google said it wouldn’t integrate fact-checking into its search engine or YouTube.

Take Away: Subscribe to independent newsletters for the facts - not billionaire generated B.S.

Deepak
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