Breaking: Kimmel Live to return to the air on Tuesday
Last week, the White House executed a rapid fire volley on traditional media organizations and people he perceives as enemies, like New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Monday, President Trump sued the New York Times and Random House for defamation, asking $15 billion in damages. (On Friday, the Florida federal judge struck down the suit; Trump’s lawyers have 28 days to respond.)
In addition, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ would “absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”
Tuesday, Bondi walked back her podcast comment. (“Move fast and break things.”) Bondi: ‘I didn’t mean what I said’ (paraphrased).
Bondi told Axios in a written statement that she was talking about criminal groups or people that incite violence, not those who said hateful things about the slaying last week of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a friend of Bondi’s.
Nevertheless, Trump responded to a question about Bondi’s comment from ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl by attacking the journalist:
“She’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly,” Trump replied, speaking over Karl as he asked if that would be appropriate. “You have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they will come after ABC. ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech. Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they will have to go after you.”
Wednesday was Jimmy Kimmel day. First, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr addressed Kimmel’s Monday night monologue on right-winger Benny Johnson’s podcast:
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
In short order, Nexstar told ABC (the parent broadcast company) that it was pulling Kimmel Live from its local ABC licensees. Nexstar has a pending acquisition that requires the FCC approval and for the agency to vacate its ownership rule. Then ABC said Kimmel Live was indefinitely suspended (not cancelled, despite Trump’s glee).
Thursday, Trump threatened that Carr might take licenses away from local stations because TV news hadn’t kowtowed to him:
“I have read someplace that the networks were 97% against me again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily,” Trump said abroad Air Force One. “I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.”
He was on a roll that continued on Friday:
Trump:
"The newscasts are against me… They'll take a great story and they'll make it bad. I think that's really illegal".
— Adam Schwarz (@adamjschwarz.bsky.social) September 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The strangest muttering happened Saturday, when Trump appeared to write a direct message to Bondi but instead posted it publicly. In a reality-based world with a Congress equipped with backbones, this would be grounds for immediate impeachment (never mind the Twilight Zone of governing via TruthSocial):
The diatribe followed his pushing out a career DOJ lawyer for failing to prosecute James.
Finally, at Sunday’s memorial to Chalier Kirk, Trump continued to engage in hateful speech, speech that is escalating almost daily. From Alexander Howard, an open government strategist:
It is extraordinary that a President explicitly embraced hatred for his perceived political opponents — American citizens he serves — at a religious memorial event oriented around a gospel that explicitly centers love for neighbors, even after decades of demonstrating who he is, & what he believes.
As Jeff Jarvis says, Saturday’s directive to Bondi to prosecute a hit list regardless of evidence may be the most critical of the week’s imperatives. And we cannot expect the Supreme Court to corral him as they prepare to overturn 90 years of precedent in his firing of the Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com