The Latest: Democrats introduce bill to protect free speech following Kimmel suspension

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AYLESBURY, England (AP) — After ABC suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following a threat from the head of the Federal Communications Commission, congressional Democrats have denounced the Trump administration’s threats against political critics and unveiled a bill that would bolster free speech protections against government officials.

While the bill is unlikely to gain traction in a Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats harshly criticized the Trump administration for pressuring ABC toward the suspension of Kimmel’s show following his comments on how Republicans were responding to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel said earlier this week that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on” the assassination and that President Donald Trump’s political supporters were trying to characterize the man charged in the attack “as anything other than one of them.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr subsequently called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and said his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation. Disney is seeking approval from the FCC for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Carr should be fired.

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Free speech experts said Kimmel could have a strong legal case against Carr, especially after the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in May that public officials can’t use their power to punish speech.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote then that “the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech, directly or...through private intermediaries.”

In comments Wednesday before Kimmel’s suspension, Carr said, “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Alex Abdo of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, said Carr’s comments read like “the definition of unconstitutional coercion.”

But Kimmel may not want to sue for “all kinds of business and even contractual reasons,” said Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor.

Even so, Volokh said, “This just isn’t something the chair of the FCC ought to be doing, policing comedy shows.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is calling for the resignation or firing of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr following his threats that may have led to ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel.

“What Brendan Carr is doing is despicable,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a social media video. “What he did to Jimmy Kimmel he is doing to person after person, to network after network — intimidating them and threatening them.”

Schumer called on President Donald Trump to fire Carr if he doesn’t resign.

The resolution pushes the United States to join a growing list of countries recognizing a Palestinian state as Israel steps up its offensive in Gaza.

“The goal of a Palestinian state can’t be put off any longer if we want the next generation to avoid suffering from the same insecurity and affliction,” wrote Sen. Jeff Merkley, the resolution’s sponsor.

Six other Democrats cosponsored the resolution, in addition to Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who represents Vermont. Sanders on Wednesday declared that a “genocide” was taking place in Gaza.

The resolution is unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Congressional Democrats are denouncing the Trump administration’s threats against political critics in the strongest terms, saying that it strikes at the fundamental right to free speech.

A group of House members and senators unveiled a bill Thursday that would bolster free speech protections against government officials. Though the legislation is unlikely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats at the news conference harshly criticized the Trump administration for pressuring ABC towards the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show after his comments on the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

“It’s repulsive, repulsive that the Trump administration is perversely using this awful death to supercharge their long-standing campaign against political opponents,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, boarded just before 6 p.m. local time in London.

Before stepping inside the plane, Trump pointed at the group of reporters that traveled with him and pumped a fist in the air.

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer told reporters that he wasn’t concerned that a “veiled threat” from the FCC may have led to ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel.

“If that’s what scares off ABC, maybe they need a little bit of a scare,” Cramer said Thursday.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called on networks “to be standing up and showing some backbone.” Blumenthal called Kimmel’s suspension a censorship that could “spread like cancer.”

“It’s the blunt gagging of somebody expressing views in the public square,” Blumenthal said. “And if it’s not halted now, it will just continue to mount and spread, and ultimately we will be the losers.”

Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, will serve as the next leader of his Turning Point organization.

The group’s board announced Thursday that Erika Kirk has been unanimously elected to be the group’s new CEO and board chair.

“In prior discussions, Charlie expressed to multiple executives that this is what he wanted in the event of his death,” The group said in a social media post announcing the decision.

The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear arguments on Trump’s tariffs on Nov. 5, solidifying a lightning-fast schedule by its usual standards.

The tariffs are being challenged by a group of small businesses and states.

They say Trump illegally used emergency powers to set tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world. Two lower courts have agreed the law doesn’t let Trump do that, though they left the tariffs in place for now.

The Trump administration says he can legally use emergency import regulation power for his tariffs, and if the court sides against him it would put the country on the brink of “economic catastrophe.”

Bag pipers played “Scotland the Brave” as the Trumps and Starmers stood at the doorstep of Chequers, Starmer’s official country house, north of London.

Trump and his wife, Melania, took a short ride in the motorcade to board the helicopter for the trip back to Stansted airport in London, where Air Force One is parked.

The Republican administration turned to the high court after an appeals court refused to go along with ousting Cook, part of Trump’s effort to reshape the Federal Reserve’s seven-member governing board and strike a blow at its independence.

The White House campaign to unseat Cook from the board of governors marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history.

Cook, who was appointed to the Fed’s board by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said she won’t leave her post and won’t be “bullied” by Trump. One of her lawyers, Abbe Lowell, has said she “will continue to carry out her sworn duties as a Senate-confirmed Board Governor.”

▶ Read more about Trump’s effort to fire Lisa Cook

Making an expanded health insurance tax credit permanent would increase deficits by about $350 billion over the coming decade and grow the number of people with health coverage by about 3.8 million in 2035.

That’s according to the Congressional Budget Office, which put out a new analysis Thursday in response to a request from lawmakers.

The expanded tax credit reduces the cost of premiums consumers pay for health insurance through marketplaces established through the Affordable Care Act. The expanded credit is set to expire at the end of 2025. As a result, premiums will jump for millions of Americans next year if nothing is done.

Democrats are seeking to include the issue in negotiations on a short-term measure to keep federal agencies funded when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Republicans say the issue can be dealt with in December.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said during the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform “political rhetoric notwithstanding, criminal activity has been on the decline, with violent crime dipping to a 30-year low last year and even lower this year.”

Despite pluses on crime and other fronts “we are a city under siege. It is frustrating to watch this committee debate and vote on 14 bills regarding the district without a single public hearing, with no input from district officials or the public without regard for community impact, nor a shred of analysis, including legal sufficiency or fiscal impact bills.”

He called on Congress to help instead, by better resourcing prison-related organizations, fill judicial vacancies and allow the D.C. attorney general to prosecute misdemeanors, which are often overlooked by the U.S. Attorney.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee has kicked off a two-day session focused on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox.

In his opening remarks, committee Chairman Martin Kulldorff defended the group against critics who say it leans toward anti-vaccine views. He said panel members “are committed to reassuring the public and restoring public confidence by removing unnecessary risks and harms whenever possible.”

Votes are expected Thursday afternoon on hepatitis B and a combined shot for measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox.

Some experts are concerned about revisiting these recommendations without new safety data.

The committee will make COVID-19 vaccine recommendations Friday.

Former President Barack Obama said the Trump administration is taking “cancel culture” to a “new and dangerous level,” as he weighed in on the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show for comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Obama said on X that the current administration had complained for years about “cancel culture” from the left, but is now “routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”

The former president shared a news report about how the FCC chairman had said he could hold ABC and network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation.

Kimmel suggested during his Monday evening monologue that the suspect in Kirk’s killing, Tyler Robinson, might have been a pro-Trump Republican. Authorities say the 22-year-old grew up in a conservative household in southern Utah but his parents told investigators he had turned politically left and pro-LGBTQ rights in the last year.

Officials are now confirming that a small number of the advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets have arrived in Puerto Rico as part of an ever-growing buildup of military assets in the region aimed at striking drug cartels.

Two U.S. officials confirmed that a “handful” of F-35 jets are now in the U.S. territory. They spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss ongoing operations.

The confirmation comes amid U.S. plans to move 10 jets to the region and as online plane spotters noticed some jets making the move from U.S. bases over the weekend using tracking websites.

Video and photos of the planes in Puerto Rico have also made their way online.

The jets join a small flotilla of Navy ships, including several ships that are carrying more than 2,000 Marines, as well as maritime patrol aircraft that have been in the region for weeks.

— Konstantin Toropin

The president claimed not to know former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson, but the photographic evidence says otherwise.

Mandelson lost his job due to ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased investor tied to sex trafficking who also had a relationship with Trump.

When asked about Mandelson, Trump said, “I don’t know him actually.”

But Mandelson was standing right next to a seated Trump in the Oval Office on May 8 when the two countries announced a trade framework.

“And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said.

The president was asked if free speech is more under attack in Britain or the United States. He repeated his view that Kimmel isn’t talented. Kimmel has sharply criticized Trump and Trump’s administration in many of his routines.

“He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump said. “So, you know, you could call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.”

The president said at a news conference said that the U.S. was getting a “fee plus” for brokering the sale of TikTok assets to an American buyer, adding that he personally uses the social media video app “very legitimately.”

The China-associated app has raised national security concerns, prompting a law requiring its owner ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations or have the app banned. Trump has extended the ban deadline multiple times since January. Trump is slated to speak Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump said that the assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk first encouraged him to get on TikTok.

“The United States is getting a tremendous fee plus,” said Trump, not defining what that term meant relative to the framework for a deal.

Starmer says the timing of Britain recognizing a Palestinian state — expected within days — has nothing to do with the state visit.

It came after reports that Starmer was waiting for the trip to be over before making the move.

Starmer has defended Britain’s record on free speech, which has been criticized by allies of President Trump.

He was asked about people being arrested for posts on social media. The U.K. has laws that seek to limit online hate speech and try to stop children seeing suicide sites and other harmful content.

Starmer said the U.K. is proud of its centuries-old tradition of free speech. He said “I am all for free speech. I am also for protecting children from things that will harm them.”

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said in an aside as he lamented the difficulty of solving wars that weaved into him slamming President Joe Biden for how he carried out the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump described his call for the U.S. military to re-establish a beachhead in Afghanistan as “breaking news” but he has previously raised the idea.

The president repeated his view that a U.S. presence at Bagram is of value because of it’s proximity to China, the United States most significant economic and military competitor.

A judge is blocking the Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S. alone back to their home country.

The Thursday decision by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly comes after the Republican administration’s Labor Day weekend attempt to remove Guatemalan migrant children who were living in government shelters and foster care.

Immigration and children’s advocates immediately sued to prevent the children’s removal, arguing that many of these children were fleeing abuse or violence and the government was bypassing longstanding legal procedures meant to protect them. Kelly’s decision extends a temporary order while the case plays out.

▶ Read more about the Trump administration’s deportation efforts

Asked by a reporter how he would advise the British prime minister to handle the migration issue in the United Kingdom, Trump said he told him “I would stop it.”

“It destroys countries from within,” Trump said during a news conference Thursday.

The U.S. president said it doesn’t matter what means, including the military, a leader uses to control migration — remarks that come as Trump has deployed federal law enforcement in the District of Columbia.

“I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” Trump said.

Starmer acknowledged that he and Trump discussed the issue at some length during their private talks.

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly last week to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and urge Israel to commit to a Palestinian state, a move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposed and that the U.S. was one of the 10 countries to vote against.

The issue is expected to be on the forefront of next week’s gathering of world leaders at the United Nations for annual General Assembly.

“Some people said he might be president someday. I told him, I said, ‘Charlie, I think you have a good shot at someday being president.’”

Trump said the conservative activist was “heinously assassinated for speaking his mind.” He plans to attend his memorial service Sunday in Arizona.

Trump said he thought the war in Ukraine would be the easiest conflict to resolve “because of my relationship with President Putin.”

“But he’s let me down. He’s really let me down.”

Trump’s outreach to Putin, including a summit in Alaska, has failed to produce a diplomatic breakthrough on the war that began with a Russian invasion.

Trump opened by thanking Starmer and his wife for their hospitality and also praised the U.S.-U.K. relationship.

“The bond between our countries is like no other anywhere in the world,” Trump said. He said both countries have “done more good for the planet than any other nation in history.”

The prime minister lashed out at Putin as Russia has stepped up its assault on Ukraine in recent weeks.

“These are not the actions of someone who wants peace,” Starmer said.

Trump after hosting talks with Putin in Alaska and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House last month confidently announced that he was arranging for one-on-one talks between the two leaders aimed at ending the war.

But Putin, thus far, has shown no interest in holding peace talks.

Starmer opened by saying, “We’ve renewed the special relationship for a new era” during Trump’s visit.

“We’re taking the next logical step with a historic agreement in science and technology partnerships,” Trump said at the signing ceremony with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Among the local winners was Nscale, a little-known London-based data center startup that was at the center of several of the announcements. Chipmaker Nvidia said it’s investing 500 milllion pounds ($680 million) in the company and, with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, is working with Nscale to develop the U.K. branch of Stargate, the Trump-backed AI infrastructure project.

Microsoft said separately that it’s investing $30 billion in the U.K. through 2028, with half of that for building out cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. That includes a project with Nscale to build the nation’s largest supercomputer, running on more than 23,000 advanced graphics processor chips.

At a moment of growing international alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, more U.S. adults view Israel’s military action in the Palestinian territory as excessive than at the beginning of the war, according to the new poll.

About half of Americans say the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up from November 2023, when 40% said Israel’s military action had gone too far. That AP-NORC poll was conducted shortly after Hamas started the conflict by launching an Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

But at the same time, Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say negotiating a ceasefire should be a high priority for the U.S. government than they were just a few months ago when the U.S. was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.

House Democratic leaders are calling for the resignation of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and accusing him of “bullying” ABC into suspending the late-night host.

In a joint statement, the leaders — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — said the move was part of Trump and Republicans’ effort to wage a “war on the First Amendment.”

“The censoring of artists and cancellation of shows is an act of cowardice,” the statement read.

They also vowed to investigate the suspension, even if it requires the “unleashing of congressional subpoena power.”

The British prime minister underscored he and Trump are “leaders who respect each other and leaders who genuinely like each other.”

As Starmer wrapped his remarks to reporters, he underscored the friendship once again, saying “it is my pleasure” to give “the floor to my friend, our friend, President Trump.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is touting the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the U.S. at the start of a business roundtable attended by tech bosses including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Starmer said the ties come down to leaders who respect each other and genuinely like each other, leaning over and patting Trump on the shoulder as he addressed reporters.

Starmer added that the deals and investments that they are announcing break all records. He called it “the biggest investment package of its kind in British history by a country mile.”

Trump echoed his comments, saying the U.K. and U.S. have an “unbreakable bond.”

The president said the countries’ “historic agreement on science and technology partnerships will create new government, academic work and private sector cooperation in areas such as AI, which is taking over the world.”

The first lady set off on her own itinerary Thursday to view Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and a display of miniature books at the Royal Library.

Accompanied by Queen Camilla, Melania Trump looked at teeny volumes including “Winnie the Pooh” and Arthur Conan Doyle’s “How Watson Learned the Trick.”

“That’s incredible,” the first lady said while she admired the work on the miniature books. “That’s beautiful.”

The two also met with a half-dozen children at the library who were writing and drawing pictures.

“This is beautiful,” Melania Trump remarked to one child, who was drawing an animal. “Is that a fox?”

The U.S. president’s helicopter has touched down on the lawn of the prime minister’s estate, in the countryside northwest of London.

Trump then got into his motorcade for a short ride to the house. He waved at reporters waiting outside as he drove by.

The leaders will discussion trade and geopolitical issues in bilateral talks, and a news conference is planned for later Thursday.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have goodbye to the president, who is heading to Chequers, the prime minister’s country estate.

After saying a private goodbye to the king and queen inside Windsor Castle, Trump walked outside with Charles.

They spoke for a few minutes and Trump touched Charles lightly on the arm. They shook hands, and Trump clasped his other hand on top of the king’s.

Trump then turned to reporters and called Charles, “a great gentleman, and a great king.”

They shook hands again, and Trump walked to his presidential limousine, climbed in and was driven away.

The Trumps are formally bidding their farewells at Windsor Castle, but the first lady will get a chance to spend a little more time with Queen Camilla.

The two plan to tour Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, built a century ago for a consort of King George V. The Windsor Castle attraction is described as the largest and most famous dolls’ house in the world.

After their visit to the doll house, they are expected to head to the Royal Library to meet with local school children.

Following the Royal Library visit, Trump will be joined by Kate, the princess of Wales, for a tour of Frogmore Gardens where they will meet with a group of 4-to 6-year-old Squirrel Scouts.

No state visit is complete without gifts.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s offerings to U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife include a taste of the English countryside and a touch of silk diplomacy.

Starmer will be giving the Trumps a picnic basket with homemade jams made from strawberries and raspberries grown on the grounds of his country retreat and shortbread created by the estate’s chef.

The first lady will be given a colorful silk scarf based on art created by Ukrainian children as a tribute to her effort to draw attention to their plight.

Melania Trump wrote a letter her husband hand delivered to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Alaska last month, urging him to consider the children as the leaders discussed a peace plan with Ukraine.

Starmer has led European efforts to end the conflict and has tried to cajole Trump into being a stronger supporter of Ukraine.

The prime minister is giving Trump a custom-made red box that is typically given to government ministers and filled with official papers. The box with the presidential seal and title on it symbolizes the special relationship between the two countries.

The final day of U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K. turns from pomp and pageantry to politics and policy as he meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump and first lady Melania are due to bid farewell to King Charles III at Windsor Castle and then fly by helicopter to Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat where the agenda will include a heavy dose of tech investment talk.

The leaders are expected to sign a “tech prosperity deal” bringing jobs and investment in AI and nuclear energy. Starmer faces potentially awkward discussions on Ukraine and the Middle East, amid domestic political challenges.

Beefeaters in traditional red uniforms and ruff collars lined the entrance to St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night as Britain brought out its royal finery for the state banquet honoring U.S. President Donald Trump.

Inside, the grand Waterloo table was set with 1,462 pieces of silver that sparkles in the light from 139 candles. Seasonal flower arrangements, handpicked from the castle grounds only hours before, made the hall smell like an autumnal garden.

About 100 staff members are on hand to serve 160 guests, who include tech leaders, athletes and Britain’s top political leaders.

Each place has several glasses so the guests can sample a variety of wines. The wine list includes Wiston Estate Cuvee 2016, Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2000, Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve 1998, and Domaine Bonneau de Martray Corton-Charlemagne grand cru 2018.