Statue of Trump and Epstein placed near U.S. Capitol admin - Latest News - September 24, 2025 admin 14 views 7 secs 0 Comments Statue of Trump and Epstein placed near U.S. Capitol Source link PREVIOUS Sept. 23, 2025, 6:05 PM EDTBy Daniel ArkinFour Democratic lawmakers are opening a probe into Nexstar and Sinclair, two major TV station owners that are refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show amid criticism of his on-air comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.In a letter, first obtained by NBC News, the lawmakers asked the corporate heads of both companies for more information about their decisions to pre-empt airings of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “how those decisions may relate to regulatory issues pending with the Trump administration.”“If you suspended a late-night comedian’s show in part to seek regulatory favors from the administration, you have not only assisted the administration in eroding First Amendment freedoms but also create the appearance of a possible quid-pro-quo arrangement that could implicate federal anti-corruption laws,” the lawmakers wrote.Follow live updates here.The seven-page letter was sent by Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. It is addressed to Perry A. Sook, the chairman of Nexstar Media Group, and Christopher S. Ripley, the president and chief executive of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Together, Nexstar and Sinclair account for roughly 70 ABC affiliates across the U.S.The four Democratic lawmakers do not have subpoena power because their party does not have a majority in the U.S. Senate, but they can still demand answers from business leaders and public officials on issues tied to federal law.Nexstar and Sinclair both have pending business before the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the broadcast television industry and other key media platforms. Nexstar is seeking FCC approval for a proposed $6.2 billion merger with a rival, Tegna. Sinclair is exploring merger options for its broadcast business, according to CNBC.The lawmakers outlined eight questions for the heads of Nexstar and Sinclair, including which company executives were involved in discussions about pre-empting Kimmel’s show; what actions the companies are taking to “facilitate the Trump administration’s sign-off” on their pending deals; and whether the companies spoke with the head of the FCC or other Trump administration officials about the Kimmel decisions.Nexstar joins Sinclair in keeping Jimmy Kimmel off ABC affiliate stations03:29Representatives for Nexstar and Sinclair did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Kimmel’s late-night talk show is set to return Tuesday after he was suspended for what Disney, the owner of ABC, characterized as “ill-timed and thus insensitive” remarks about the killing of Kirk, a prominent conservative activist. “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during his Sept. 15 show.Kimmel’s comments set off a political firestorm. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr accused Kimmel of being part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” and threatened to “take action” at the regulatory level against Disney. Nexstar and Sinclair said they would yank the show from their airwaves, and Disney halted production. The suspension drew backlash from Hollywood talent and lawmakers in both parties, stoking a national debate over free speech.Disney announced Monday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return Tuesday night, ending an impasse that riveted Hollywood and Washington alike. But Nexstar and Sinclair said they would continue to pre-empt the show until further notice. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said in its news release.Carr, for his part, denied that he threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcast licenses unless Disney fired Kimmel, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump who has hosted his namesake talk show since 2003. Carr, speaking at a conference Monday, insisted that Disney, “on its own,” made a “business decision” to suspend the late-night host’s show. He also accused Democratic lawmakers of “distorting what happened here” with accusations of government coercion and censorship.Warren, Wyden, Markey and Van Hollen said they request answers to their questions by Oct. 7.Daniel ArkinDaniel Arkin is a national reporter at NBC News. NEXT Sept. 23, 2025, 3:05 PM EDTBy Doha MadaniJimmy Kimmel broke his silence after his brief suspension from the airwaves, posting a picture to Instagram on Tuesday of a Hollywood figure who once described himself as being on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list.”Kimmel shared a photo of himself and Norman Lear, the television producer who was best known for his progressive activism. Lear died in 2023 at age 101. The late-night host captioned the photo, which features his arm around Lear, “Missing this guy today.” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is set to return to ABC on Tuesday night after the network suspended the show over what it described as “ill-timed” comments from Kimmel on the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. During his Sept. 15 show, Kimmel criticized some Republicans for how they were responding to Kirk’s killing.“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said during his monologue. Disney’s ABC said last week that it was pre-empting Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” following threats of regulatory action from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr. Many, including a handful of celebrities, expressed outrage toward ABC for choosing to pull Kimmel’s show following Carr’s threats.After increasing public pressure and calls to boycott, Disney announced Monday that Kimmel would return to late night. In its announcement, the company did not address the concerns that Kimmel’s freedom of speech rights had been violated.Hollywood rallies behind Kimmel, while Trump and supporters cheer suspension03:08Kimmel had not spoken publicly about the suspension since it happened.The late-night host has described Lear as one of his idols. Lear developed now-beloved sitcoms such as “All in the Family” “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons” and “One Day at a Time.” His work was defined by being unafraid to tackle social issues long considered taboo. Over six decades, Lear’s work took up racism, sexism, the women’s liberation movement, antisemitism, abortion, homophobia, the Vietnam War and class conflict. Lear said his work put him on Nixon’s “enemies list” because he was angry about Lear “glorifying” homosexuality on TV, according to Smithsonian magazine. He appeared delighted to learn of Nixon’s reaction to his work after a tape leaked of the president ranting about “All in the Family.” “I thought it was delicious that in the Oval Office — I didn’t care for what he was saying, I didn’t care for that particular president in any shape, way or form — but to hear the president and his confederates talking about that show and at some length, reasoning about it and comparing it to the Greek civilization, that could not have been more interesting,” he told Talking Points Memo in 2015.In a 2016 interview with “Democracy Now!” Lear compared Nixon’s rant about his show in the leaked tapes to being “Trumpish.” He also said that he remembered his civics education as a child, which taught him that he was protected by the Founding Fathers. “But when I was a boy, I learned to love my Declaration of Independence — and I underline ‘my’ — and my Constitution and my Bill of Rights, because they were the protections Americans needed in a free society where everybody is equal under the law,” Lear said at the time.Doha MadaniDoha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. 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