Mourning Michelle Obama Rebukes Trump for Psychotic Rob Reiner Post; The Daily Beast, December 16, 2025

Meera Navlakha, The Daily Beast; Mourning Michelle Obama Rebukes Trump for Psychotic Rob Reiner Post

[Kip Currier: Democratic societies are strengthened by those who have the courage and conviction to speak out against hatred, cruelty, and divisiveness and those who traffic in such toxic behaviors.

Hans Christian Andersen's (1837) The Emperor's New Clothes is as timely as ever.]

[Excerpt]

The former first lady said that Rob and Michele Reiner were nothing but decent and courageous people.

"Michelle Obama calmly slammed President Donald Trump’s deranged comments on the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. 

In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the former first lady said the 78-year-old film director and his 68-year-old wife were courageous people who cared about their country.

“Let me just say this, unlike some people, Rob and Michelle Reiner are some of the most decent, courageous people you ever want to know. They’re not deranged or crazed,” Obama said, referring to Trump’s descriptions of the couple in the wake of their gruesome slaying, allegedly at the hands of their 32-year-old son. 

“What they have always been are passionate people, in a time when there are not... there’s not a lot of courage going on. They were the kind of people who were ready to put their actions behind what they cared about, and they cared about their family, and they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity,” she said. 

“That is the truth,” Obama, 61, concluded. “I do know them.”

Trump has been condemned for his bizarre comments on the Reiners’ murder. The president said the director suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a term often used by Trump and his supporters to undermine his critics."

John Oliver Wants Disney CEO to Tell Trump ‘Four Key Words’; The Daily Beast, September 22, 2025

Sean L. McCarthy , The Daily Beast; John Oliver Wants Disney CEO to Tell Trump ‘Four Key Words’

"John Oliver made a direct plea to Disney’s CEO to stand up to Donald Trump with “four key words” in the wake of ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Oliver used his Last Week Tonight monologue on Sunday night to encourage viewers to cancel their Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. He blasted the “laughably weak” reason for pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air on Wednesday, after Kimmel had enraged MAGAworld and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr with his monologue about their reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week.

“At some point, you’re going to have to draw a line,” Oliver said directly to Iger. “So I’d argue, why not draw it right here? And when they come to you with stupid, ridiculous demands, picking fights that you know you could win in court, instead of rolling over, why not stand up and use four key words they don’t tend to teach you in business school. Not ‘OK, you’re the boss,’ not ‘Whatever you say goes,’ but instead, the only phrase that can only genuinely make a weak bully go away, and that is ‘F--- you! Make me!’”"

Trump Snaps at Ted Cruz’s Shock Warning About Free Speech; The Daily Beast, September 19, 2025

Farrah Tomazin, The Daily Beast; Trump Snaps at Ted Cruz’s Shock Warning About Free Speech

[Kip Currier: The President of the United States takes the oath of office to defend the Constitution of the United States.

Does the individual quoted below -- in his own verbatim words -- sound like someone who understands the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?]

[Excerpt]

"But speaking in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon, Trump described Carr as “an incredible American patriot” who had shown courage for taking on broadcast networks that criticized him. 

“I disagree with Ted Cruz,” he told reporters.

“I think Brendan Carr doesn’t like to see the airwaves be used illegally and incorrectly, and purposely horribly.

“He doesn’t like to see a person that won the election in a landslide get 97% bad publicity before the election.

“(The networks) have to show honesty and integrity... When they take a great success, like you often do, and you make it into like it’s a loser, or you put a negative spin on it, I don’t think that’s right. So I think Brendan Carr is a great American.”

‘Dangerous as hell’: Ted Cruz compares FCC chair’s threats against ABC to mob tactics; CNN, September 19, 2025

Michael Williams, CNN; ‘Dangerous as hell’: Ted Cruz compares FCC chair’s threats against ABC to mob tactics

"GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday denounced Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats to pull ABC’s broadcast license as “unbelievably dangerous” and compared some of his rhetoric to “mafioso” tactics.

In an episode of his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” released on Friday, the Texas Republican said he was “thrilled” Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air by ABC over his comments about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. But he said he strongly disagreed with the government policing speech, asserting it could come back to bite conservatives when Democrats retake power.

“I hate what Jimmy Kimmel said. I am thrilled that he was fired,” Cruz said. “But let me tell you: If the government gets in the business of saying, ‘We don’t like what you, the media, have said. We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives.”

Though Carr’s comments have drawn widespread condemnation on the left, Cruz’s remarks represent one of the strongest denunciations of the threats against broadcasters by an elected conservative. Cruz also chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has broad authority over the FCC."

Jon Stewart Goes Full State TV to Nail Trump on Kimmel; The Daily Beast, September 19, 2025

Matt Wilstein  , The Daily Beast; Jon Stewart Goes Full State TV to Nail Trump on Kimmel

"Jon Stewart showed the world what it would be like if Donald Trump got his wish to remake all media in his image Thursday night with a 23-minute satirical rebranding of The Daily Show as full-on state TV. 

In a last-minute return to the desk outside of his usual Monday night gig, Stewart introduced the “new government-approved Daily Show.” It was his unique way of commenting on ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel from the air following direct threats from Trump’s FCC Chair Brendan Carr. 

“We have another fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show,” Stewart said, surrounded by Trumpian gold flourishes. Throughout a monologue dominated by MAGA talking points, the host repeatedly shushed the laughing crowd, telling them, “You’re gonna blow this for us!”...

Despite the over-the-top MAGA-friendly act, Stewart still managed to use clips to catch Trump and his cohort in all sorts of blatant hypocrisy when it comes to the type of free speech they used to defend when it was targeted at the other side...

The Daily Show closed out its marathon opening segment with all seven co-hosts and correspondents reciting a pro-free speech message in terrified unison."

‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech; The Guardian, September 17, 2025

Jonathan Yerushalmy, The Guardian ; ‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech

"Politicians, media figures and free speech organisations expressed anger and alarm at the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show, warning that critics of Donald Trump were being systematically silenced."

ABC yanks Jimmy Kimmel’s show ‘indefinitely’ after threat from Trump’s FCC chair; CNN, September 17, 2025

Brian Stelter, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Liam Reilly , CNN; ABC yanks Jimmy Kimmel’s show ‘indefinitely’ after threat from Trump’s FCC chair

"Disney’s ABC is taking Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show off the air indefinitely amid a controversy over his recent comments about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said, declining to share any further details.

A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The stunning decision came just a few hours after the Trump administration official responsible for licensing ABC’s local stations publicly pressured the company to punish Kimmel."

ABC, Kimmel Defeat George Santos Cameo Video Copyright Suit; Bloomberg Law, August 19, 2024

 Kyle Jahner , Bloomberg Law; ABC, Kimmel Defeat George Santos Cameo Video Copyright Suit

"Jimmy Kimmel and ABC defeated former Rep. George Santos’ copyright lawsuit as a New York federal court found use of his Cameo videos on television constituted fair use."