FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcasters' licenses over Iran war coverage, a day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth singled out CNN and rooted for a friendlier owner.The big picture: President Trump has taken credit for "reshaping" the American media landscape via intimidation, regulatory leverage and policy pressure that's cast a shadow over newsroom autonomy.Now, facing a war with dismal polling and a muddled message, the administration is turning its fire on reporters and threatening news outlets.Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth scolded reporters during his Friday briefing on the war and targeted CNN, saying "the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better."Ellison's Paramount is seeking to acquire CNN parent Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that requires the Trump administration's approval. Hegseth criticized a CNN story that cited multiple sources who said the administration underestimated Iran's willingness to close the critical Strait of Hormuz.What they're saying: CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in a Friday statement that the network stands by its journalism."Politicians have an obvious motive for claiming that journalism which raises questions about their decisions is false," his statement read.Zoom out: Carr has emerged as a top regulatory attack dog for Trump, re-upping his threats to strip licenses from broadcasters who are not operating in the "public interest."He warned broadcasters "running hoaxes and news distortions" to "correct course" Saturday, resharing the president's claim on Truth Social that The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the broader "Media" want the U.S. "to lose the war." In an exclusive interview with CBS News on Saturday, Carr doubled down, saying that licenses are not a "property right." Friction point: "Let's be direct: what Chair Carr is describing is government control of the press," said Tara Puckey; CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association."Journalists aren't intimidated by a bully with a briefcase," she added in a statement, urging reporters to keep doing their jobs.The FCC and White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.Context: Though the FCC does not license national networks, it does license the local stations that carry their programming. Cable networks like CNN fall outside the FCC's authority.Between the lines: Public interest communications attorney Andrew Jay Schwartzman tells Axios license revocation carries a great legal burden and is not "a feasible mechanism." But at the end of their eight-year license terms, he explains, broadcasters have to apply for renewal. That has a "lesser standard," he says, "but even that takes years." And on top of that, he emphasizes, "licenses are not lifted by revocation or renewal or anything else for the content of news programming."He says Carr's "real hammer" is the "implicit threat" of not giving broadcasters regulatory relief that they want.The other side: FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat on the commission, has maintained the FCC lacks the authority to revoke licenses over content the administration dislikes.But the threat itself "is the point," she told Axios last fall.It's evident the pressure alone can shape corporate decisions, especially as massive media mergers come before federal officials.Trump shared a graphic on Truth Social Saturday gloating over media world changes under his watch, including the appointment of a CBS News bias ombudsman — a commitment Skydance made when seeking approval to merge with Paramount.Threat level: First Amendment advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression also denounced Carr's "warning" as "outrageous."The organization cautioned in a statement that "[w]hen the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong."Go deeper: White House outraged over new CBS News hire