Friday, September 19, 2025

September 19, 2025

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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Trump floats yanking broadcast network licenses after Kimmel ouster . . . President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that news organizations broadcasting over public airwaves should have their operating licenses revoked by the Federal Communications Commission for unfavorable coverage. "I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me," Trump said. "They're getting a license. I would think, maybe, their license should be taken away." The president added that the decision "will be up to Brendan Carr," the FCC chairman. Washington Examiner

FCC chair thinks investigating 'The View' 'worthwhile' after Jimmy Kimmel suspension . . . Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday he believes it would be "worthwhile" to investigate whether ABC's daytime talk show "The View" is violating broadcast rules in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's suspension. Carr argued on "The Scott Jennings Show" that the left-leaning talk show could be violating the commission's "equal time" rule, which requires broadcasters to provide equal opportunity to all political candidates except for a "bona fide news show." Fox News

Jon Stewart leads late night defense of Jimmy Kimmel with mockery . . . Jon Stewart united with his late night comrades in a show of solidarity with Jimmy Kimmel as the Daily Show host delivered a satirical 'administration compliant' show. Stewart returned for an unscheduled appearance on The Daily Show just one day after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended indefinitely due to remarks he made about Charlie Kirk's death. He began Thursday night's episode by promising a 'fun, hilarious administration-compliant' program. 'Our great administration has laid out very clear rules on free speech,' Stewart said sardonically. Daily Mail

FCC should not be threatening action against ABC based on Jimmy Kimmel being a jackass: Ben Shapiro . . . Social censure is perfectly appropriate. The blowback from the public is totally natural and good because Jimmy Kimmel is a schmuck who should have been taken off the air ten years ago. But I do not want the FCC in the business of telling local affiliates that their licenses will be removed if they broadcast material that the FCC deems to be false. Why? Because one day the shoe will be on the other foot. Daily Wire

Kimmel's future at ABC was already up in air before Charlie Kirk uproar as contract came to close . . . Jimmy Kimmel's future at ABC was up in the air even before his incendiary TV comments. The multi-millionaire late night host had just months left on his deal with Disney, and was set to start negotiations with bigwigs later this year. However, we're told that ABC may have been getting ready to push him out after this season. Sources said the network could've used the furor over his outspoken nightly monologues. New York Post

Kimmel's chances of returning to ABC post look increasingly slim

Politics

Erika Kirk to succeed late husband at helm of Turning Poinst USA . . . The board of Turning Point USA has named Charlie Kirk's wife, Erika, as his successor as CEO after he was assassinated on Sept. 10. Erika Kirk was unanimously elected as chair of the board and CEO of the conservative youth outreach organization. "In prior discussions, Charlie expressed to multiple executives that this is what he wanted in the event of his death," TPUSA said on the social media platform X. Daily Signal

Biden Chief of Staff Had Suggested Cognitive Exam, Recalls Concerns From Cabinet . . . Former President Joe Biden's White House chief of staff told a congressional panel Thursday that he spoke with the White House physician about conducting a full medical and cognitive exam after Biden's disastrous June 2024 debate with Donald Trump. Jeff Zients said that Dr. Kevin O'Connor told him he would take the suggestion under advisement, according to a person familiar with Zients' closed-door interview with the committee. Daily Signal

Hunter Biden weighed in on pardons . . . Troubled former first son Hunter Biden weighed in on pardons his dad Joe Biden signed before departing the presidency, ex-White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told a House committee Thursday, according to sources familiar with his testimony. "Toward the end of the Biden administration, Hunter Biden was involved with the pardon discussions and attended a few meetings," the source revealed of Zients' comments, confirming prior reports about how much influence the first son exerted amid a firearms felony conviction and pleading guilty to tax evasion. New York Post

The Running Mate Kamala Harris Didn't Dare Choose . . . As Kamala Harris rushed to pick a running mate last year, her "first choice" was her close friend Pete Buttigieg, but she decided that it would be "too big of a risk" for a Black woman to run with a gay man. Buttigieg "would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man," Harris writes in a passage of her soon-to-be-released book, 107 Days, that I saw. "But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. The Atlantic

House will vote on a CR in race to avoid government shutdown . . . The first partisan showdown over an end-of-month government funding deadline is set to take place on the House floor on Friday, with a vote on a stopgap to fund the government through Nov. 21. Republican leaders who crafted the partisan bill aim to set up a repeat of their funding strategy from March: Cut Democrats out of the talks, dare Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to force a government shutdown — and hope he will fold as he did before. The Hill

Elected officials among dozens of protesters arrested at a Manhattan immigration holding facility . . . More than a dozen elected officials were arrested Thursday while protesting conditions at a New York City immigration holding facility where a federal judge this week extended a court order requiring the government to shape up its treatment of detainees. The officials — including the city's fiscal watchdog and state lawmakers — were among 77 people detained during protests at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. Associated Press

Culture

TikTok flags tributes to Kirk . . . The Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok temporarily banned an independent news outlet after flagging two videos in which lawmakers pay tribute to Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination. TikTok flagged two videos from Off The Press, an independent news brand "for Americans who feel the mainstream media ignores the stories they care about most," as violating "Community Guidelines." Daily Signal

Columbia University Climate Lecturer Calls Charlie Kirk a 'Dead Nazi' . . . The lecturer, Hadeel Assali, shared a photo from a self-described "queer, trans, black, indigenous, and person of color" graffiti artist showing a wall in Los Angeles defaced with the message, "2 black men were lynched & the media is mourning a dead Nazi." Assali added her own message: "And Columbia university has flags at half mast for the dead nazi." Washington Free Beacon

National Security

Trump says U.S. troops could return to Afghanistan, eyes taking control of Bagram Air Base . . . President Trump on Thursday said the U.S. is working to return troops to Afghanistan by reestablishing a presence at Bagram Air Base, four years after the Biden administration's bungled withdrawal left the base in Taliban hands. Mr. Trump said returning troops to Afghanistan is critical to combat Chinese aggression while adding that his plan to withdraw from Afghanistan would have included keeping the base. Washington Times

The Shifting Ideology Behind Political Violence . . . For decades, right-wing extremists or jihadists have been responsible for the bulk of America's deadly political violence and domestic terrorism, from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, according to researchers. But those tracking such violence say more acts are being committed by those holding either explicitly leftist views, no dominant political views or a mix of fringe ideologies, including the alleged gunman in the fatal shooting of a UnitedHealthcare executive in December and the suspect in the killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington in May. Wall Street Journal

International

Trump diverted and forced to swap helicopters on way to Stansted . . . The helicopter carrying US President Donald Trump was forced to divert to Luton Airport as he finished his state visit to the UK. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said "due to a minor hydraulic issue", the aircraft landed at a "local airfield" before later reaching Stansted around 20 minutes behind schedule. She said the decision was taken "out of an abundance of caution" adding that the president and first lady "safely boarded the support helicopter". BBC

You should also know

Charlie Kirk's final moments emotionally detailed by mentor Frank Turek: 'He was with Jesus already' . . . Christian apologist and author Frank Turek was just feet away when Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. In a new podcast episode, he recounted the Sept. 10 shooting and the frantic rush to the hospital where doctors pronounced the 31-year-old dead. As they frantically raced to the hospital, Turek tearfully said he realized Kirk was gone. "Charlie wasn't there. His eyes were fixed," he said. Fox News

Clause-by-Clause Analysis of Constitution in New Heritage Guide . . . The Heritage Foundation announced Wednesday the upcoming release of its newly revised "The Heritage Guide to the Constitution." Set to come out Oct. 14, the fully revised third edition features 216 essays from over 150 contributors, providing a clause-by-clause analysis of the Constitution. First published in 2005 by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III and then republished in 2014, the guide is intended to provide a starting point for those seeking to interpret the Constitution under an originalist framework. Daily Signal

Kennedy's advisory panel recommends restrictions on MMRV vaccines . . . U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee on Thursday recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopt new restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella. The panel advised that the vaccine known as MMRV not be given before age 4 and that children in this age group instead get separate vaccines — one against MMR and another for varicella, or chickenpox. The vote was 8-3, with one member abstaining. Associated Press

MAHA Changes Are Coming To McDonald's . . . McDonald's USA announced this week that it's pouring $200 million into regenerative farm practices — the largest McDonald's investment in regenerative agriculture to date. The move has been hailed as a win for the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, since these practices enhance soil health and make synthetic chemicals and fertilizers far less necessary. Daily Wire

Guilty Pleasures

Chimps consume the equivalent of two alcoholic drinks per day . . . Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found chimpanzees eating fermented fruit in their native habitats consume the equivalent of nearly two alcoholic drinks per day. "Across all sites, male and female chimpanzees are consuming about 14 grams [about half an ounce] of pure ethanol per day in their diet, which is the equivalent to one standard American drink," Aleksey Maro said in a news release. "When you adjust for body mass, because chimps weigh about 40 kilos [88 pounds] versus a typical human at 70 kilos [154 pounds], it goes up to nearly two drinks." UPI

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