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Monday, September 22, 2025 |
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Hey, good morning. Here's the latest on TikTok, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Megyn Kelly, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, Fox News Books, and much more... |
Pentagon demands 'pledge' |
"Should the Pentagon be in charge of deciding what reporters can report on?"
When a White House reporter shouted that question to President Trump yesterday, Trump said, "No, I don't think so."
But that's what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to do. (And it's unclear if Trump knew that context for the question when he answered it.)
Right now, media lawyers and newsroom leaders are evaluating a government memo spelling out new rules that would sharply restrict reporting at the Pentagon. Several of the country's biggest news outlets are publicly pushing back on the rules, foreshadowing a potential legal battle.
"This policy operates as a prior restraint on publication, which is considered the most serious of First Amendment violations," Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told CNN.
The Pentagon emailed the new policy to reporters on Friday afternoon, perhaps attempting a Friday night news dump, and we're leading with it this morning because the restrictions should not get buried. As the NYT said, "asking independent journalists to submit to these kinds of restrictions is at stark odds with the constitutional protections of a free press in a democracy."
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A cause for revoking press creds? |
The policy — seemingly borne out of Hegseth's obsession with stopping leaks — leverages the fact that many reporters who cover the US military have credentials that allow physical access to the Pentagon complex.
Now, according to the new rules, beat reporters will have to sign a pledge not to obtain or use unauthorized material — even though, as Stern said, "the Supreme Court has made clear for decades that journalists are entitled to lawfully obtain and publish government secrets." But the new policy will turn that act into a cause for revoking press credentials. Here's my full write for CNN.com...
>> WaPo's Scott Nover, who broke the news about the new rules on Friday, followed up over the weekend with this story about criticism of the policy.
>> Numerous Democratic lawmakers decried the new policy over the weekend. One (retiring) GOP legislator, Don Bacon, also chimed in, saying, "This is so dumb that I have a hard time believing it is true."
>> Thought bubble: Will Fox News and other Trump-aligned outlets sign the pledge?
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Fox Corp to win a piece of TikTok? |
The Trump White House's plan to keep TikTok operational in the US relies on – and rewards – Trump-friendly media moguls and tech execs. That's even more apparent now that Trump has revealed that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch might be part of the American investor consortium. (As I noted on CNN this morning, however, China has the final say about any TikTok deal, and we have not heard anything definitive from Beijing.)
Trump let the Murdoch detail slip during an interview with Fox's Peter Doocy, and sorta made it sound like the two men would be individual investors in TikTok's US arm, but I'm told by a person familiar with the matter that the talks are about Fox Corp having a stake, not the Murdochs personally. For anyone who worries about how TikTok could be used to influence US elections, though, the effect is the same.
Speaking of billionaires who control incredibly powerful algos...
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Hadas Gold writes: When Trump and Elon Musk's feud reached a fever pitch, Charlie Kirk desperately wanted the two to put their fight to bed and make up. In the end, Kirk succeeded, bringing Trump and Musk together publicly for the first time since their epic blowup. At Kirk's memorial service yesterday, the two men shook hands and talked. Soon after, Musk posted a photo showing him next to the president, with the words, "For Charlie." More here...
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Erika Kirk's unforgettable message |
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet said last night that TPUSA's "production and streaming partners tracked over 100 million overall streams" for the stadium-sized tribute to Charlie Kirk. I'm willing to bet that the most-shared video clips will be from his widow Erika's tribute (and not from the president's "I hate my opponent" remarks afterward).
"My husband wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life," Erika said, referring to the "lost boys of the west" in ways that so many viewers could relate to. Michael Smerconish helmed a special edition of his Saturday CNN show about "the crisis facing young men," and it's well worth reading the transcript or listening to the podcast here...
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Awaiting any word from ABC... |
Here we are on Monday morning, with no new info about the status of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC, nearly a week after the show was suspended.
As I wrote for CNN.com here, Disney CEO Bob Iger is caught in a no-win situation. I'm on the "What a Day" podcast with Jane Coaston this morning, talking about the business complications.
One great unknown right now: How impactful has the Disney+/Hulu boycott push been? The Bulwark's Lauren Egan pointed out that there has been "no organized campaign against Disney," just some "organic" blowback. "This morning, I'm canceling my Disney+," Howard Stern declared last hour on his SiriusXM radio show.
There was also some drama in Hollywood last night: "Sarah MacLachlan, Jewel, and more musicians scheduled to perform" at the premiere for Hulu's ABC News documentary "Lilith Fair" all pulled out "after Disney scrapped the red carpet," Puck's Matt Belloni reported, calling it the "first notable talent consequence of the Jimmy Kimmel situation."
According to THR, MacLachlan told those in attendance, "We have collectively decided not to perform but instead to stand in solidarity in support of free speech."
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Kimmel's cousin: 'There are a couple bombshells still there' |
David Goldman writes: Sal Iacono, Kimmel’s cousin and a long-time writer and performer on the show, suggested Sunday that the show may not be coming back on the air. Speaking with Bill Simmons last night, Iacono said significant news could come out this week, and he believed Kimmel will land on his feet no matter what the outcome is. Here are the key quotes...
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Peter Baker frames it perfectly |
As Trump "threatens a wide-ranging crackdown on mainstream media institutions and political opponents, his aides and allies have cast the administration’s moves as critical to stanching misinformation and hate speech that could lead to political violence," Baker wrote over the weekend. "But Mr. Trump himself has repeatedly made clear in recent days that he has a different goal. For him, it's not about hate speech, but about speech that he hates — namely, speech that is critical of him and his administration." Read on...
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More Kimmel notes and quotes |
>> "In media, even at the highest of perches, there's a new sense of vulnerability," Charlotte Klein writes. (NYMag)
>> On "Last Week Tonight," John Oliver expressed solidarity with Kimmel and said Iger should use "the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away. And that is, 'fuck you, make me.'" Here's the 27-minute YouTube video.
>> On "Meet the Press," PA Gov. Josh Shapiro shared that a local Spanish language radio host "said something really chilling to me — that he now has to think about what topics he's going to discuss because he's fearful he might offend federal regulators of the president."
>> Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez replied and told me, "I've heard the same chilling message from broadcasters across the country. This is what government censorship looks like."
>> Correction: On Saturday, I wrote that Iger's wife, Willow Bay, is the chair of the International Women's Media Foundation, but she actually chairs the foundation's Los Angeles Advisory Committee.
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Updates on Sacramento shooting suspect |
The California man charged with firing into the lobby of KXTV, a local TV station in Sacramento, was released after posting bail on Saturday, then almost immediately arrested again, "this time by the FBI," as CNN's team reports here. The suspect is due in court Monday morning.
KXTV, which is owned by Tegna and affiliated with ABC, is covering the aftermath of the shooting in detail; here's some of the weekend coverage. The station's story notes that "Facebook and X accounts matching the suspect's name and picture posted frequently, criticizing the Trump administration." Authorities "have not released a motive for the shooting," and thankfully no one was hurt.
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Will Trump really refile NYT lawsuit? |
ICYMI on Friday, a federal judge rejected the president's 85-page defamation suit against The New York Times for being "improper and impermissible." He gave the lawyers four weeks to refile and added a word count: 40 pages or fewer. Trump's legal team indicated the lawsuit will continue, "in accordance with the judge's direction on logistics," so I'm making a mental note to follow up in three and a half weeks...
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MSNBC breaks Tom Homan news |
"In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts" when Trump took office again, Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian report for the new MSNBC's bona fide first bombshell scoop. The key, as the NYT and others reported in followups, is that Trump's DOJ killed the probe. But here's the part that stood out to me...
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Megyn Kelly says 'WE DO NOT CARE' |
Seriously, that's what she shouted on X in response to Leonnig. "Don't bother @RealTomHoman," she added, "he's a national treasure." It's the perfect distillation of America's hyperpartisan media mess, right? As Sonny Bunch sarcastically wrote, "The Tom Homan thing is perfect. He’s accused of a thing, but who can say, and look even if he took bags of cash, well, probably some other person did a bad thing, and besides, he's hurting Bad People. Only a nerd could care about this! You’re not a nerd are you?"
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Harris starts TV tour for '107 Days' |
Tonight, Kamala Harris will sit down with Rachel Maddow for what MSNBC is billing as her "first full-scale news interview since the 2024 election." The live interview comes one day before Harris publishes "107 Days." Her TV tour will also include a visit to ABC's "The View" on Tuesday... |
Don't miss these five great reads |
>> Patrick Healy led a really helpful and revealing Q&A with several NYT reporters and editors to shed light on The Times' judgment calls about covering Kirk. (NYT)
>> "The 2028 presidential primaries are already unfolding on YouTube," Adam Wren pointed out in a weekend edition of Playbook. (Politico)
>> With America "in a literacy crisis," Gordon Ebanks asks, "Is AI the solution or part of the problem?" (CNN)
>> Every book released by the Fox News Books imprint has become a national best seller, Alexandra Alter and Liz Harris report. (NYT)
>> Rob Picheta's latest: "Ellen DeGeneres says she was 'kicked out of show business.' Is it time to welcome her back?" (CNN)
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Entertainment notes and quotes |
>> "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" has broken another record, topping the domestic box office for a second weekend, Auzinea Bacon reports. (CNN)
>> Tom Holland "has been hospitalized after sustaining an injury while shooting Spider-Man: Brand New Day." (EW)
>> Christopher Nolan will be the next president of the Directors Guild of America. (THR)
>> The "official release party" for Taylor Swift's new album will take place at movie theaters across North America. (Variety)
>> "Red Alert," a "four-part scripted series depicting Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel, will premiere on Paramount+ Oct. 7 to mark two years since the tragedy." (Variety)
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