![]() We're offering a 2-week trial of WrapPRO for $1. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time. Greetings!Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday manifested into reality what was a vague threat by Melania Trump, then echoed by President Donald Trump, over a joke made by ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel. The agency sent a letter to Disney asking for its eight local ABC broadcast stations to apply for an early renewal for broadcast license. “The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communications Act’s public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations,” David J. Brown, the chief of the FCC’s video division, wrote to Disney, ABC and the stations in a letter. “Therefore, Disney’s ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days–in other words, by May 28, 2026.” For Disney, this is an early, serious challenge for new CEO Josh D'Amaro: how will he thread the needle between a threatening government and his high profile talent? As our Kayla Cobb and Jose Alejandro Bastidas write, first amendment advocates are already lining up in defense. Any capitulation by the company will invite scrutiny and, no doubt, condemnation. The First Lady is taking issue with a crack made by Kimmel on an episode that aired Thursday — two full days before the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. While a Secret Service agent was injured, no one else sustained serious injuries. This action gets us deep into thought police territory here, which is ironic given the WHCD was held to celebrate the first amendment. That's something the White House has clearly shown little regard for. Roger Cheng Before we move on, be sure to follow me on my socials linked below for the latest updates. DMs are open for tips.
It's been less than seven months since the last Kimmel incident, in which ABC pulled its late night host off the air following similar moves by affiliate owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group and set off a firestorm and nationwide debate about free speech under Trump...
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