Government censorship the “easy way or the hard way”.

ABC, a television network owned by Disney, suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night chat show indefinitely after the Federal Communications Commission’s chairman implied ABC’s broadcast licence was at risk. On Monday Mr Kimmel suggested that Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer was a MAGA sympathiser, sparking an outcry from conservatives. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Brendan Carr, the head of the FCC, said on Wednesday. Critics fear that free expression over Kirk is being silenced by firings and threats. — The Economist, The US in Brief, September 18th 2025

ABC pulled **Jimmy Kimmel’s **talk show following comments the American comedian made about the murder of Charlie Kirk. Mr Kimmel said the “MAGA gang” was scoring political points over the shooting of the right-wing activist, and pretending the murderer was “anything other than one of them”. Mr Trump–who is increasingly targeting what he considers left-wing organisations–congratulated the Disney-owned network for its action. — The Economist, The World in Brief, September 18th 2025