ABC pulls “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air. Israel’s finance minister describes plans to turn Gaza into a “real estate bonanza” as bombs hammer the area. And the ousted CDC director warns of changes in the childhood vaccine schedule ahead of a panel meeting.
Here's what to know today.
'Jimmy Kimmel Live' pulled after host questions Kirk suspect's politics
Disney’s ABC said it pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off air “indefinitely” yesterday following the host’s comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“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 on Monday night's show, before charging documents were released the following day.
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Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had threatened to “take action” against Disney and ABC yesterday, describing Kimmel’s remarks as “the sickest conduct possible”. He said the FCC could move to revoke ABC affiliate licenses as punishment.
Nexstar Media Group Inc. had then announced that the company’s ABC affiliates would pre-empt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for the foreseeable future, beginning with last night’s show. Nexstar, which has more than 200 stations in the United States, is currently waiting on FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna.
Hours later, ABC opted to pull the show off the air. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Kimmel's removal is the highest-profile move yet as White House figures press for people to face consequences for remarks about Kirk's killing. Institutions from airlines to schools have moved quickly to discipline employees accused of celebrating or mocking his death.
Hollywood stars, unions and fans have criticized the Disney-owned network for the decision.
“If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the Constitution,” the Writers Guild of America said.
More on the Kirk assassination:
- The administration is putting together plans to take action against left-wing groups that Trump and his allies accuse of fomenting political violence.
- Suspect Tyler Robinson was afraid of being shot by police and agreed to surrender only if it was done peacefully, a sheriff involved with taking him into custody said.
- Former President Barack Obama condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the spate of political violence that has gripped the country.
Trump's U.K. visit gets political after royal pageantry
President Donald Trump traded pageantry for politics Thursday as he ended a lavish stay hosted by Britain’s King Charles III at Windsor Castle and met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence, Chequers.
Trump praised the “bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom” as “priceless and eternal” during an opulent banquet in Windsor, where Britain’s royals pulled out all the stops to impress their guest of honor on his unprecedented second state visit.
But cold geopolitical reality may set in as he sits down with Starmer, followed by a joint news conference that could test those warm sentiments with a range of thorny issues likely to be raised.
The meeting comes days after Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, was fired following revelations about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a subject that also hangs over Trump.
As Britain looks to deepen its economic ties with the U.S., difficult conversations are likely on Israel’s offensive in Gaza and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump and Starmer are expected to sign a multibillion-dollar “tech prosperity deal” that British officials hope will bring thousands of jobs and sweeping investment to the U.K.
Israeli minister plans to turn Gaza into 'real estate bonanza'
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said there are serious discussions underway to rebuild Gaza as a business enterprise with American help. Speaking at a real estate conference, Smotrich said, "There’s a real business plan … on President Trump's table, and how this thing turns into a real estate bonanza."
His comments came amid Israel's intense new ground offensive in Gaza City that is sending hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing the devastated, famine-stricken area.
Trump made similar remarks earlier this year when he described a possible U.S. takeover of Gaza to turn it into a "Riviera of the Middle East." Any plans to take over the land or property left behind by displaced Palestinians would be a violation of international law, experts said.
More politics news:
- An immigration judge has ordered that Mahmoud Khalil be deported to Algeria or Syria, alleging he omitted information from his green card application.
- First lady Melania Trump has directed her attorneys to take swift action against any platform or person that publishes "falsehoods" or "defamatory" information about her when it comes to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
- Democratic leaders released a competing bill that reflects their vision for how to fund the government, drawing a marked contrast with the Republican proposal.
- New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani scored endorsements from key members of the state party establishment, but he’s still waiting on two of the biggest names from his city.
Former CDC director criticizes vaccine panel ahead of meeting
Susan Monarez, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, described tense meetings with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and warned of changes to childhood vaccine schedules during her testimony at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing.
Monarez was questioned about changes to the childhood vaccination schedule ahead of today's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, where the 12 Kennedy-appointed members are expected to review and vote on shots for measles, Covid and hepatitis B.
The former CDC director said she "got into an exchange" with Kennedy after she expressed willingness to change the childhood vaccine schedule if there were science or evidence supporting such a change. Monarez said she refused the health secretary's demands to sign off on recommendations without seeing any data.
Read All About It
- The Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut of the year, but several prominent economists aren’t convinced it was warranted just yet.
- Three law enforcement officers were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting in Pennsylvania, and the suspect is also dead, the state police commissioner said.
- Jerry Greenfield, a co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, resigned because he felt social campaigns were "muzzled" by parent company Unilever, his co-founder, Ben Cohen, said.
- The decomposed body found in singer D4vd's Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot was identified as that of a 15-year-old girl.
Staff Pick: The world's oldest mummies may not be where you think
Mummies may be most closely associated with Egypt, but scientists say they have found the world's oldest specimens on the other side of the planet.
According to researchers, archaeological sites in southern China and Southeast Asia contain human burials that are between 4,000 and 14,000 years old. The remains, which came from hunter-gatherer communities, were found in tightly crouched or squatting postures and appear to have been smoke-dried over fire before burial in a process of mummification, the researchers said.
I wanted to understand the significance of these findings, and also give context to how old these mummies are in comparison to those found in Egypt and South America. – Jay Ganglani, Asia Desk Fellow
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