DNC Watch

‘President Trump had no idea’: Karoline Leavitt denies White House role in ABC shelving Jimmy Kimmel; blasts Barack Obama– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that the administration had any role in ABC’s indefinite shelving of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following the host’s monologue on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. She also criticized former President Barack Obama for alleging that the Donald Trump administration “threatens” news organisations critical of the US president.“I can assure you it did not come from the White House and there was no pressure given from the president of the United States. How do I know that? Because I was with the president when this news broke in the United Kingdom,” Leavitt told Fox News Digital.She added that Trump was “unaware” of the decision, which she said was made solely by ABC because Kimmel, a vocal Trump critic, “chose to knowingly lie to his audience” about Kirk’s death during a period of national mourning. Leavitt also echoed Trump’s remarks that the show was taken off air due to poor ratings, which she described as “gutter”.Turning to Obama, Leavitt said, “With all due respect, he has no idea what he is talking about. The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC. That has now been reported.” Obama had criticised the current administration on X, writing that it “has taken cancel culture to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”Kirk, a Trump ally, was shot and killed on September 10 at a university campus in Utah. Kimmel addressed the assassination five days later, criticising Trump supporters for “characterising that the killer (Tyler Robinson) is not one of their own.”Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump earlier this year, had warned of “consequences” for stations that continued to air Kimmel’s programme. ABC’s decision to shelve the show has sparked widespread discussion and controversy.

Why conservatives hate free speech– www.dailykos.com
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The conservative movement has spent the days following the shocking murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk attacking a bedrock American value: free speech.

In the most high-profile incident, the Federal Communications Commission pressured ABC parent The Walt Disney Company to sideline talk show host Jimmy Kimmel after he made a joke mocking President Donald Trump’s response to Kirk’s death. This followed CBS canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” shortly after the network paid a $16 million settlement to President Donald Trump over how “60 Minutes” edited an interview with Kamala Harris.

Vice President JD Vance and senior White House aide Stephen Miller have argued that a crackdown on left-of-center groups is necessary to stop people from telling the truth about what a bigot and conspiracy theorist Kirk was.

And Fox News, the Republican Party’s de facto media arm, has joined the anti-First Amendment crusade as well.

“For all the concern about the ‘the First Amendment, the First Amendment,’ what about all the amendments that Charlie Kirk lost? Because Charlie Kirk has no amendments right now. None,” said Fox pundit and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, exhibiting her lack of knowledge of the U.S. Constitution that has served her so well for years.

TikTok’s Algorithm Will Soon Be “Controlled By America” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com
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After years of bipartisan warnings about TikTok’s potential national security risks, users may soon confront a different kind of threat, perhaps even worse: an algorithm “controlled by America.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the detail on Saturday, a key aspect of the emerging agreement announced by the Trump administration last week between the United States and China. The deal could finally settle TikTok’s fate in the US following months of uncertainty with a brief ban, reversal by the Trump administration, and shifting, self-imposed deadlines for an agreement.

“There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the US, and six of those seats will be Americans,” Leavitt told Fox News. “The data and privacy will be led by one of America’s greatest tech companies, Oracle, and the algorithm will also be controlled by America.”

It’s unclear what exactly a US-controlled algorithm will involve. Right-wing conspiracy theories? Charlie Kirk memorials? Coupons for MAGA swag? Nor did Leavitt specify which American individuals would be involved in determining an algorithm. We also have little details on how Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a Trump loyalist, intends to approach the responsibility for managing TikTok’s data and security while the Trump administration weaponizes everything from voting data to confidential Social Security records.

Media’s Appeal To ‘Free Speech’ Over Jimmy Kimmel Is Fake– thefederalist.com
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Panel after panel Wednesday night on CNN pretended to have a debate over “free speech,” with every anchor and Democrat talking head asking whichever present right-winger or Republican guest why the principle didn’t apply to ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. Yeah, going forward, they can miss me with the “free speech” and other appeals to American principles that I and everyone else know they only fake concern for when their money and power are threatened.

ABC announced Wednesday evening it was yanking Kimmel’s late-night talk therapy sessions — known by some as Jimmy Kimmel Live! — for an indefinite period from the airwaves. That move came after Kimmel delivered what he intended to be a comedic monologue centered on the public execution of Charlie Kirk, an innocent man, less than a week prior. It also came after, as Democrats on CNN hysterically repeated over and over, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said on a podcast in relation to that monologue that TV stations relying on broadcast licenses should recommit themselves to the public interest, as required by existing law, or otherwise potentially face government action.

Because Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested his agencies might do their job and ensure compliance with public broadcasting rules, Democrats are calling the Kimmel suspension a violation of the First Amendment. There’s no reason to take them seriously for it. That party has done nothing in the past five years to hint it cares about the Bill of Rights or any other American ideal. They don’t. It’s the opposite.

ICE offers big bucks — but California cops prove tough to poach– www.latimes.com
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In the push to expand as quickly as possible, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is aggressively wooing recruits with experience slapping handcuffs on suspects: sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and local cops.

The agency even shelled out for airtime during an NFL game with an ad explicitly targeting officers.

“In sanctuary cities, dangerous illegals walk free as police are forced to stand down,” the August recruitment ad warned over a sunset panorama of the Los Angeles skyline. “Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst.”

To meet its hiring goal, the Trump administration is offering hefty signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness and six-figure salaries to would-be deportation officers.

ICE has also broadened its pool of potential applicants by dropping age requirements, eliminating Spanish-language proficiency requirements and cutting back on training for new hires with law enforcement experience.

Pentagon official denies report of Charlie Kirk military recruitment drive | Gun Violence News– www.aljazeera.com
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An NBC news report said the military planned to invoke the activist’s memory to recruit a ‘generation of warriors’.

US network NBC first reported the news on Thursday, citing two officials familiar with the matter, but a Pentagon spokesperson quickly dispelled the report to Fox News.

NBC said the Pentagon was debating slogans such as “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” as part of its campaign drive, although Kirk himself was not a military veteran.

The military also hoped to work with Kirk’s political organisation, Turning Point USA, as part of its recruitment drive, the story said.

Turning Point was credited with helping US President Donald Trump win at the polls in 2024 through its work with young voters on high school and university campuses.

“This is not happening,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News later on Thursday.

Wilson blasted NBC for using anonymous sources to publish “false claims” that were “100 percent wrong”, according to the Fox News report.

The two unnamed Pentagon officials in the NBC report said the recruitment plan had been met with resistance from “some Pentagon leaders” who feared they would be seen as capitalising on Kirk’s murder.

Together For Palestine: ‘How can we live with ourselves and stand by and do nothing?’– www.glamourmagazine.co.uk
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It was exactly 11 years ago that I first joined a protest in support of Palestine. In 2014, tens of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets of London to protest the Gaza War – a 50-day conflict during which 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and 551 children, as well as 66 Israeli soldiers and five civilians, including one child, were killed (per the UN).

Where many might not remember the 2014 conflict, few can escape the current horror in Gaza. Since the Hamas attack on Israel, on October 7th 2023, the Israeli military response has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians (per the Palestinian Ministry of Health), although real figures could be much higher. Many human rights organisations, charities and genocide scholars have described the situation as a genocide.

But while there were politicians such as Diane Abbott speaking out at that first rally I attended back in 2014, many celebrities stayed silent. Those who did show support, such as Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Selena Gomez and Rihanna, were lambasted or ordered to backtrack by industry peers. Speaking out against the injustices in Palestine has always come at a price, but finally, more and more artists are stepping away from silence.

Supporters hail Charlie Kirk as friend of Israel, dismiss false claims– www.foxnews.com
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In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, some critics of Israel have sought to drive a wedge between the conservative activist and the Jewish state, mischaracterizing his recent statements and making wild, unfounded accusations.

Within hours of Kirk’s murder — and before a suspect was identified — unhinged conspiracies spread across social media. The Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism found thousands of posts containing the baseless claims.

Seemingly aware of the effort to co-opt Kirk’s legacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized him as a champion of “speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization.”

Hollywood Star John Cusack Reacts to Charlie Kirk Assassination by Calling Him ‘A Fascist’– conservativeroof.com
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Actor John Cusack reacted to the horrific and gruesome assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk by continuing to spread the very hateful rhetoric that likely got him murdered by a deranged lunatic, calling the 31-year-old husband and father or two a “fascist.”

“He was a demagogue — and a fascist,” Cusack wrote of Kirk on the left-wing echo chamber social media platform BlueSky.

As reported, Kirk assassin suspect Tyler Robinson, left behind a message for his transgender roommate and partner, in which he admitted shooting the Turning Point USA founder and said, “I had enough of his hatred.”

Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray read the entire message during a live television broadcast.

Kirk, like many in the conservative space, has been falsely labeled a “fascist,” among other pejoratives, fueling the hate that more than likely led to his murder, resulting in what appears to be a targeted political assassination of a man who was only trying to have a conversation.

Some in society have reacted to Kirk’s assassination by doubling down on their hateful and violent rhetoric, celebrating the Turning Point USA founder’s murder and continuing to smear him.

Charlie Kirk’s True Legacy: A Generation Unashamed– www.standingforfreedom.com
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The statistics should terrify every Christian parent: 66 percent of young people who regularly attended Protestant churches as teenagers drop out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22. Lifeway Research confirms what pastors have witnessed for decades: 70 to 88 percent of youth from evangelical homes abandon their faith after just one year in secular college. By high school, nearly 30 percent of seniors completely dismiss religion as important to their lives.

This is the spiritual battlefield on which Charlie Kirk planted his flag at just 18 years old. While many churches retreated into entertainment and shallow programming, this young warrior marched onto hostile campuses with an arsenal of biblical truth.

In barely 13 years of public ministry, he built what would become the largest conservative youth organization in America, Turning Point U.S.A., and helped untold numbers of young people recognize that eternal truth, not cultural lies, were the key to creating a life of purpose and joy.

His assassination in Utah last week revealed something the secular world cannot comprehend: Charlie Kirk’s greatest victory was not political but spiritual. He reversed the tide of apostasy by raising a generation unashamed of the Gospel.

The world knew Kirk as a political provocateur. But those with eyes to see recognize his true mission. In a candid 2022 interview, Kirk revealed his heart: “Politics is moments in time… I’m more focused on educational, transformational, multi-decade change.”

This wasn’t campaign rhetoric. It was the battle cry of a man who understood that souls matter more than votes and that worldview transformation precedes political victory.

Meta AI Dings Kirk for Supposed Misinformation, Citing ‘Neutral’ Wikipedia– www.newsbusters.org
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Meta AI went after Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk by relying on none other than Wikipedia, exposing the disturbing influence of the online encyclopedia on artificial intelligence.

On Wednesday, the chatbot was quick to accuse Kirk of promoting conspiracy theories and other purportedly false claims when asked, “Who is Charlie Kirk?” Worse still, Meta AI identified Wikipedia as its sole source, justifying its choice by stating it offers a “neutral point of view and comprehensive coverage of current events.”

 

Post-Kimmel, Dems could change the cancel culture narrative– www.politico.com
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Democrats opened investigations, filed motions to subpoena and demanded the resignation of the Federal Communications Commission chair Thursday — a response to the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that represented unusually swift pushback from a party struggling to find its footing.

But it’s not clear how Democrats will translate this relatively united front into an electoral strategy, as the party remains divided over how and how much to talk about threats to democracy ahead of next year’s pivotal midterm elections.

That tension began playing out in their descriptions of Kimmel’s suspension, as some Democrats urged their party to retool its messaging.

At a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce legislation to protect free speech, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) attacked President Donald Trump for “trying to destroy our democracy” and acting like “many would-be despots.” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) cautioned “fascism is not on the way, it is here.” But Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is running for the U.S. Senate in a high-profile primary, warned that language may be “too abstract for people” and urged Democrats to “distill it down to something people get in their everyday life.”

“This is what we saw in 2024: When you talk about ‘fascism’ and ‘democracy’ and ‘oligarchy,’ it’s too big a concept,” McMorrow said. “People are so overwhelmed and when it’s too big, people just wonder, ‘well, what can I possibly do about it?’”

Here’s Another Big Thing That May Have Factored Into the Kimmel Suspension – RedState– redstate.com
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Jimmy Kimmel has said disgraceful things over the years on his show. But he finally appears to have stepped into it big time with his comments about the accused killer of Charlie Kirk, implying he is MAGA.

ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair found that offensive. ABC decided to suspend his show. Sinclair is demanding that Kimmel apologize before they consider lifting any suspension. They want ABC to take more action on professionalism and accountability.

But there’s another problem that may have factored into the network’s calculus: the program’s plummeting ratings. Ultimately, it’s always about the money.

Nielsen data showed sharp summer declines and a year-long slide that leaves him trailing late-night rivals such as Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld and CBS star Stephen Colbert.

According to monthly Nielsen figures, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” dropped to just 1.1 million total viewers in August 2025, down 43% from January’s 1.95 million. His August household rating of 0.35 marked the weakest showing of the year.

The advertiser-coveted 18–49 demo also cratered. Kimmel averaged only 129,000 viewers in that bracket in August, off from 212,000 in January and less than half his June peak of 284,000.

 

Moral Relativism and the Justification of Political Violence– legalinsurrection.com
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The shocking recent wave of politically motivated violence reveals the radicalization of the American Left. The moderates have been displaced by hard-core radicals who would stop at nothing to destroy the system. History helps us understand the rationale behind the radical Left’s justification of violence.

As early as the 19th century, radical leftist ideologues indoctrinated their followers that violence was unavoidable to destroy traditional society and achieve their utopian vision. They believed in moral relativism and repudiated Judeo-Christian ethics and objective morality. They did not perceive human life as unique and inherently valuable and did not consider murder wrong.

One hundred years ago, radical leftist violence resulted in one of the bloodiest terrorist acts in the world, which happened in my native city of Sofia. Members of the communist party received funding from the Soviet Union to assassinate the Bulgarian government and political elite. The first step was to murder a famous general to ensure a large gathering of prominent figures for his funeral in the church of St. Sunday.

The assassins planted a bomb under the roof of the church and placed it in such a way as to target primarily the government officials present at the ceremony. It so happened that the general’s casket needed to be moved from its original location to accommodate the multitude of attendants. This managed to partially block the blast and spare most of the government members. Unfortunately, hundreds of others were killed or severely wounded.

Jimmy Kimmel | TV Shows, Charlie Kirk, & Facts | Britannica

Jimmy Kimmel | TV Shows, Charlie Kirk, & Facts | Britannica

REPORT: Jimmy Kimmel Loses It After Longtime Show’s Demise: ‘Fu**ing Livid’– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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Jimmy Kimmel is “absolutely f**king livid” over ABC’s decision to “indefinitely” pull Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show from the air. The decision was made after major broadcasters announced that they would not be airing the show in response to Kimmel’s advancement of a blatant lie in which he baselessly claimed the suspected assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter.

The statement came shortly after broadcasting giant Nexstar Media Group, which owns and operates more than 200 television stations in 116 U.S. markets, announced Wednesday that it will be pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its affiliates.

“Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show.  Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the company announced in a statement.

Nexstar’s vast media portfolio reaches about 39 percent of American households, primarily through affiliations with major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox and others. This was followed up by a similar announcement by Sinclair, which controls a significant portion of local television networks themselves.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Kimmel is “absolutely f**king livid” over the network’s abrupt decision, which came just an hour before he was set to tape his next show. “Absolutely f–king livid,” one producer told the outlet about how Kimmel took the news, adding that the late-night host is currently meeting with the network.

“This is clearly the government overreaching. There’s no such thing as free speech in America, if the government can lean on companies to stop any content they don’t like.”

Sen. Mike Lee takes down X posts after widespread criticism ...

Sen. Mike Lee takes down X posts after widespread criticism ...

Senate unanimously passes Mike Lee’s resolution condemning Charlie Kirk’s death– www.yahoo.com
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WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a resolution by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to condemn the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a voice vote on Tuesday.

Lee introduced the resolution shortly after Kirk’s death last week, calling on his colleagues to condemn his assassination “in the strongest possible terms” while also honoring his life and “commitment to the constitutional principles of civil discussion and debate between all people in the United States regardless of political affiliation.” The resolution passed in a unanimous voice vote when it was brought to the Senate floor for consideration.

“This is just a flag, planted on a hill,” Lee said of his resolution. “What matters is where we carry it next.”

The resolution was filed in conjunction with the House by Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy, who represents the district where Utah Valley University, the site of Kirk’s death, is located. That version has not yet been scheduled for a vote.

The resolution comes just days before Kirk’s family will hold a memorial service for the conservative activist in his home state of Arizona, which is expected to attract a large number of high-profile politicians and celebrities.

Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll work hard to elect Harris — but he ...

Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll work hard to elect Harris — but he ...

Sanders the first senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) became the first senator to declare Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza a genocide on Wednesday.

He began his essay saying Israel had a right to defend itself after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, but took the conflict to “an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”

“Many legal experts have now concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars concluded that ‘Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,’” Sanders wrote.

“The Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have reached the same conclusion, as have international groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,” he added.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 65,000 Palestinians have died so far in the Israel-Hamas war.

“Just yesterday, an independent commission of experts appointed by the United Nations echoed this finding. These experts concluded that: ‘It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention,’” Sanders continued.

Leftism (album) - Wikipedia

Stop Asking Me To ‘Unify’ With The Violent Left– thefederalist.com
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We’ve entered a very dangerous time in our country. That should be clear to everyone — political violence is a sign of a deep and corrosive sickness in any society.

In America today, the problem is not political violence in the abstract. It is a specific kind of political violence which is overwhelmingly driven by a specific set of actors and groups. None of this emerged out of thin air.

Over the past week, leaders from across the political spectrum have come out and forcefully condemned Charlie Kirk’s murder and political violence more broadly. For that, we’re all very grateful. We should be grateful. There have been calls to unite and come together in the wake of Charlie’s murder, and I want to do that. I do.

Someday, I pray that we can be united as a country again and go forward together as one people, under one flag. But we are not united.

Upstream from the dehumanization and demonizing, political violence and rhetoric tearing apart our country, there is a divide on how we view America and Americans. Is America good? Is America evil? Is there something inherently special about Western civilization, or is this 2,000-year project rotten to the core?

Cillian Murphy, Billie Eilish Among The Stars In Cringey Pro-Palestine Video– dailycaller.com
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Cillian Murphy and Billie Eilish were among the big names that banded together to create an awkward pro-Palestine video promoting the “Together For Palestine” benefit concert.

Nothing says “solidarity” like a painfully staged celebrity PSA – and Joaquin Phoenix, Javier Bardem, Annie Mac, Peter Gabriel, and a few of their famous friends just proved it. The stars released a video ahead of the September 17 “Together For Palestine” concert, but the clip that was meant to inspire support left viewers squirming in secondhand embarrassment. With overly dramatic stares, slow pauses, and scripted lines delivered like high school theater, the video tried hard to be powerful but landed squarely in cringe territory.

Celebrities attempting activism struck serious tones, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza while urging fans to “stand in solidarity,” but the delivery came off more like a forced PSA than a heartfelt call to action. Critics have accused the group of using a humanitarian crisis as a stage for self-importance, pointing out that they came to the party far too late.

Social media users called out the stars for lending their voices to the pro-Palestine organization a full two years into Gaza’s crisis.

Instead of heartfelt, the campaign felt forced and oddly scripted, ultimately reminding viewers that not every global issue needs celebrity voices attached to it.