Trump cheers suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after host’s Charlie Kirk comments | First Thing
The two largest Hollywood unions voiced support for Kimmel. Plus, Bernie Sanders becomes first US senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza
Good morning.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended “indefinitely” after comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk, ABC has announced, hours after the Donald Trump-appointed chair of the broadcast regulator threatened broadcasters’ licenses if action was not taken against the late-night host.
The network, owned by Disney, announced on Wednesday night that it was removing Kimmel’s show from its schedule for the foreseeable future, with another show to be broadcast in the slot instead.
What did Kimmel say? During his opening monologue for Tuesday night’s show, Kimmel said: “Many in Maga-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” He accused the US vice-president, JD Vance, of blaming the left for Kirk’s death without evidence. “Here’s a question JD Vance might be able to answer: who wanted to hang the guy who was vice-president before you? Was that the liberal left? Or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6?” Kimmel said.
How are people reacting? Trump celebrated the suspension on social media, calling it “great news for America”. But the two largest Hollywood unions – the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild – as well as several Democratic lawmakers voiced support for Kimmel.
Bernie Sanders becomes first senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza
Bernie Sanders said yesterday that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, calling the conclusion “inescapable” and becoming the first senator to use the term. “Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas,” Sanders wrote. “Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”
Sanders had long received flak for avoiding the term, which he previously said made him “queasy” when protesters chanted it last year during a speech in Ireland.
What’s the context? It comes after an independent UN commission of experts concluded that Israel’s actions “meet the criteria set forth in the genocide convention”. It said: “Explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and the pattern of conduct of the Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.”
What’s the latest in Gaza City? The Israeli ground operation, which began on Tuesday morning, continues with Israeli troops pressing ahead yesterday, making further efforts to force more people to flee their homes and travel to overcrowded and unsafe areas in the south of the devastated territory. Read our coverage here.
Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil to be deported, citing ‘misrepresented facts’ on green card form
An immigration judge in Louisiana has ordered the deportation of the pro-Palestinian protest leader Mahmoud Khalil to Algeria or Syria, ruling that he failed to disclose information on his green card application.
Khalil’s lawyers said they intended to appeal against the deportation order and that a federal district court’s separate orders remain in effect prohibiting the government from immediately deporting or detaining him as his federal court case proceeds. The lawyers submitted a letter to the federal court in New Jersey overseeing his civil rights case and said he will challenge the decision.
What has Khalil said in response? In a statement to the American Civil Liberties Union, he said: “It is no surprise that the Trump administration continues to retaliate against me for my exercise of free speech. Their latest attempt, through a kangaroo immigration court, exposes their true colors once again.”
In other news …
Donald Trump continues his UK state visit today with a press conference alongside the prime minister, Keir Starmer. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation says its accreditation was withdrawn, days after Trump clashed with an ABC reporter.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point on Thursday, setting rates at range between 4 and 4.25%, with the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, citing slowing job gains and unemployment risks as motivating reasons.
Venezuela said it had begun three days of military exercises, as tensions soar amid US military activity in the region after US strikes on Venezuelan boats.
France is braced for one of its biggest strike days in recent years as trade unions exert pressure on the new prime minister to cancel budget cuts.
Stat of the day: Florida puts man to death in state record 12th execution this year
A Florida man convicted of killing his estranged wife’s sister and parents and setting their house on fire was put to death last night, a record 12th execution in the state in 2025. David Pittman, 63, was executed by lethal injection under a death warrant signed by the governor, Ron DeSantis.
Don’t miss this: ‘AI could never replace my authors. But, without regulation, it will ruin publishing as we know it’
AI is the “single biggest threat to the livelihood of authors and, by extension, to our culture”, writes Jonny Geller, the chief executive of the Curtis Brown Group. He argues that two basic principles – on permission and attribution – need to be enshrined to protect the sacred craft of storytelling from an automated onslaught.
Climate check: Trump DoJ seeks to kill Vermont law that makes big oil pay for climate harm
Donald Trump’s justice department asked a federal court on Monday to shut down a Vermont law that holds major polluters financially responsible for climate damages. The Climate Superfund Act, passed in 2024, requires major polluters to pay for their carbon emissions, which are heating the planet.
Last Thing: How the Jumbotron claimed another unwitting victim
The Jumbotron has struck again. Football fan Jeff Comeaux’s facial expressions were so entertaining that the camera couldn’t stay off him, and he went viral. But it turned out he had called in sick so he could attend. “I got Coldplayed,” he said. Read pass notes here.
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