What 1st Amendment? Kimmel silenced after FCC threat; bizarre behaviors in groups; cognitive decline from artificial sweeteners; the Art of Dog Acting
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Knee Deep in the Hoopla
“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.”
They weren’t kidding; the Trump administration vowed to use Kirk’s death as an excuse to crack down on dissent even as it lionizes him for defending it. ABC’s indefinite suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel for comments over the Charlie Kirk assassination came after Trump’s FCC chairman threatened to take action against the network. The non-goverment rationalization: ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair and Nexstar threatened to pre-empt the show. In a move resembling CBS’ action to cancel Stephen Colbert while its parent, Paramount, was waiting for government approval for a merger with Skydance, Nexstar is asking the Trump administration for merger approval and also lobbying the Trump FCC to end local ownership rules so that the company can buy up more markets.
Latest updates on Kimmel here.
Various reports (with free links):
ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off air for Charlie Kirk comments (NY Times).
ABC takes Jimmy Kimmel off the air over remarks on Charlie Kirk’s killing. (Washington Post).
Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel. Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.
Jimmy Kimmel shocker: Ben Stiller, Chris Hayes, Gov. Newsom and more criticize ABC for pulling Late Night Show over Charlie Kirk comments.
Don Lemon called the decision “some scary shit” and said that “the folks that are complaining about canceling people are canceling people. What does that tell you? That they don’t believe in anything they’re saying. This is a very dangerous, scary moment.”
Actor and podcaster Paul Scheer wrote on Threads, “So let me get this straight. Kimmel is off the air for his comments about the politicization of an assassination but this is totally fine.” He linked to a video of Fox commentator Brian Kilmeade calling for homeless people to be killed.
MSNBC commentator Chris Hayes said, “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I've ever seen in my life and it's not even close.”
CNN Video.
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ replaced with Charlie Kirk tribute on Sinclair’s ABC stations; company demands Kimmel apologize and donate to Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA. ABC aired an episode of “Celebrity Family Feud” in Kimmel’s place tonight.
Kash Patel gets grilled on Epstein and Trump lives out his king fantasies in the U.K. | The Daily Show (Video)
When people gather in groups, bizarre behaviors often emerge': How the rise of online social networks has catapulted dysfunctional thinking.
What the Fed’s rate decision means for your finances. TLDR: Not much.
Consumer Reports calls on Microsoft to extend support for Windows 10. “Microsoft should do the right thing and continue supporting Windows 10 without charging consumers.”
New study links six artificial sweeteners to faster cognitive decline. The study, published Sept. 3 in Neurology, found that people who consumed the highest amounts of six artificial sweeteners also had the greatest declines in thinking and memory, as compared to those who consumed less. Those declines amounted to 1.6 years of additional brain aging.
Invisible husband takes the wheel (a Florida woman story).
A palate cleanser: The Art of Dog Acting (Video)
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Quote of the Day:
A democracy survives when its citizens have access to trustworthy and impartial sources of information, when it can discern lies from truth. Take this away and a democracy dies.
--Chris Hedges (Wikipedia link)
(More Chris Hedges quotes from the KGB Quotations Database)
Today’s holidays:
Chiropractic Founder's Day, First Love Day, Free Queso Day, Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day, International Equal Pay Day, International Read an eBook Day, National Cheeseburger Day, National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day, National Pawpaw Day, National Red Velvet Cake Day, National Respect Day, Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome Awareness Day, Rice Krispies Treats Day, U.S. Air Force Birthday, World Bamboo Day, and World Water Monitoring Day.
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA.
On This Day:
2014 – Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom, by 55% to 45%.
2001 – First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
1987 – The film “Fatal Attraction” was released. (Video)
1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.
1978 – The sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” premiered on CBS. (Video)
1977 – Voyager I takes the first distant photograph of the Earth and the Moon together.
1968 – The film “Funny Girl” premiered. (Video)
1965 – The sitcom “Get Smart” premiered on NBC. (Video)
1965 – The sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” premiered on NBC (Video)
1964 – The sitcom “The Addams Family” premiered on ABC. (Video)
1964 – The animated adventure series “Jonny Quest” premiered on ABC. (Video)
1961 – U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in an air crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
1951 – US Western TV drama "Wagon Train" premiered (Video)
1951 – The film “A Streetcar Named Desire” premiered in New York City. (Video)
1951 – The film “The Day the Earth Stood Still” was released. (Video) (A clip from the movie appears in the opening scene of the first episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds", which takes place in 2259, 308 years after the film’s release. Captain Pike calls the film "a classic.")
1948 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate without completing another senator's term.
1947 – The National Security Act reorganizes the United States government's military and intelligence services.
1928 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first Autogyro crossing of the English Channel.
1927 – The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air.
1919 – Fritz Pollard becomes the first African American to play professional football for a major team, the Akron Pros.
1906 – The 1906 Hong Kong typhoon kills an estimated 10,000 people.
1899 – Scott Joplin was granted a copyright for his “Maple Leaf Rag” (Video)
1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickamauga begins between Confederate and Union forces. It involves the second highest amount of casualties for any American Civil War battle apart from Gettysburg.
1851 – First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which later becomes The New York Times.
1850 – The U.S. Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
1837 – Tiffany & Co. (first named Tiffany & Young) is founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young in New York City. The store is called a "stationery and fancy goods emporium".
1809 – The Royal Opera House in London opens.
1793 – The first cornerstone of the United States Capitol is laid by George Washington.
(For comprehensive lists of the day’s historical events, check here, here, and here.)
Some Birthdays:
1973 – James Marsden, American actor
1971 – Jada Pinkett Smith, American actress
1971 – Lance Armstrong, American cyclist
1970 – Aisha Tyler, American actress, television host, and author
1961 – James Gandolfini, American actor and producer (died 2013)
1956 – Chris Hedges, American journalist and author
1954 – Tommy Tuberville, American football player, coach, and Senator
1950 – Anna Deavere Smith, American actress and playwright
1945 – John McAfee, British-American computer programmer and businessman, founded McAfee (died 2021)
1945 – P. F. Sloan, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2015)
1940 – Frankie Avalon, American singer and actor
1933 – Fred Willard, American actor and comedian (died 2020)
1933 – Jimmie Rodgers, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2021)
1933 – Robert Blake, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2023)
1927 – Phyllis Kirk, American actress (died 2006)
1924 – J. D. Tippit, American police officer (died 1963)
1922 – Grayson Hall, American actress (died 1985)
1920 – Jack Warden, American actor (died 2006)
1917 – June Foray, American actress and voice artist (died 2017) (Video)
1916 – Rossano Brazzi, Italian actor (died 1994)
1905 – Greta Garbo, Swedish-American actress (died 1990)
1905 – Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American actor (died 1977)
(A more complete list of today’s birthdays.)
Some Deaths:
2020 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court justice (born 1933)
2013 – Ken Norton, American boxer (born 1943)
2004 – Russ Meyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)
1970 – Jimi Hendrix, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1942)
1961 – Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist and diplomat, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905)
1949 – Frank Morgan, American actor (born 1890)
1830 – William Hazlitt, English philosopher, painter, and critic (born 1778)
1783 – Leonhard Euler, Swiss mathematician and physicist (born 1707)
(A more complete list of today’s deaths.)
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I don’t know the terms of his contract but while Jimmy Kimmel may be off ABC I seriously doubt he’s been silenced for long. I saw a post from Meidas Touch Network inviting him there and I’d love to see him do videos on Substack on his own channel.
Thank you for the links to current news on this. I’m going to be interested to see how Celebrity Family Feud and a tribute to Charlie Kirk go over in Kimmel’s time slot this week, as I learned are the plans from a couple of the links in your article. I’m also hoping for large demonstrations outside the studio on Hollywood Blvd. I had planned to buy myself a Disney+ subscription so I can watch the various Star Wars TV shows. That ain’t be happening now. More money for NPR and Substack I think.
I also hope we’ll see congressional hearings from the respective sub committees that oversee the communications portion of the commerce committees, although I’m not holding my breath.