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  21. <title>Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human</title>
  22. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/jane-goodall-the-gentle-disrupter-whose-research-on-chimpanzees-redefined-what-it-meant-to-be-human/</link>
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  25. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  26. <pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:49:04 +0000</pubDate>
  27. <category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
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  40. <category><![CDATA[Primatology]]></category>
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  46. <description><![CDATA[<p>Jane Goodall appears on stage at 92NY in New York on Oct. 1, 2023. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Mireya Mayor, Florida International University Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jane-goodall-the-gentle-disrupter-whose-research-on-chimpanzees-redefined-what-it-meant-to-be-human/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  47. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jane-goodall-the-gentle-disrupter-whose-research-on-chimpanzees-redefined-what-it-meant-to-be-human/">Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  48. ]]></description>
  49. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582889/original/file-20240319-8727-oaxgi1.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=3%2C5%2C3100%2C1860&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  50.          Jane Goodall appears on stage at 92NY in New York on Oct. 1, 2023.<br />
  51.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/JaneGoodallInConversationat92NY/f02201f9bee84ed9b3b9852eb1e2cfd5/photo">Charles Sykes/Invision/AP</a></span><br />
  52.        </figcaption><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mireya-mayor-1440254">Mireya Mayor</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/florida-international-university-729">Florida International University</a></em></span></p>
  53. <p>Anyone proposing to offer a master class on changing the world for the better, without becoming negative, cynical, angry or narrow-minded in the process, could model their advice on the life and work of pioneering animal behavior scholar <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jane-Goodall">Jane Goodall</a>.</p>
  54. <p>Goodall’s life journey stretches from marveling at the somewhat unremarkable creatures – though she would never call them that – in her English backyard as a wide-eyed little girl in the 1930s to challenging the very definition of what it means to be human through her <a href="https://janegoodall.ca/what-we-do/africa-programs/gombe-stream-research-centre/">research on chimpanzees in Tanzania</a>. From there, she went on to become a global icon and a <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2023/06/jane-goodall/">United Nations Messenger of Peace</a>. </p>
  55. <p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/jane-goodall-obit-78698397851bc7634717206f7eba07b2">Until her death on Oct. 1, 2025 at age 91</a>, Goodall retained a charm, open-mindedness, optimism and wide-eyed wonder that are more typical of children. I know this because I have been fortunate to spend time with her and to share insights from <a href="https://www.mireyamayor.com/">my own scientific career</a>. To the public, she was a world-renowned scientist and icon. To me, she was Jane – my inspiring mentor and friend.</p>
  56. <p>Despite the massive changes Goodall wrought in the world of science, <a href="https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nat16.sci.lisci.goodall/how-jane-goodall-changed-the-study-of-animal-behavior/">upending the study of animal behavior</a>, she was always cheerful, encouraging and inspiring. I think of her as a gentle disrupter. One of her greatest gifts was her ability to make everyone, at any age, feel that they have the power to change the world.  </p>
  57. <figure>
  58.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rcL4jnGTL1U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Jane Goodall documented that chimpanzees not only used tools but make them – an insight that altered thinking about animals and humans.</span></figcaption></figure>
  59. <h2>Discovering tool use in animals</h2>
  60. <p>In her pioneering studies in the lush rainforest of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Game Reserve, <a href="https://www.tanzaniaparks.go.tz/national_parks/gombe-national-park">now a national park</a>, Goodall noted that the most successful chimp leaders were gentle, caring and familial. Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat <a href="https://news.janegoodall.org/2016/11/02/gombe-gets-new-alpha-fall-ferdinand/">did not last</a>.</p>
  61. <p>I also am <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Mireya-I-Mayor-78099910">a primatologist</a>, and Goodall’s groundbreaking observations of chimpanzees at Gombe were part of my preliminary studies. She famously recorded chimps taking long pieces of grass and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/2011264a0">inserting them into termite nests</a> to “fish” for the insects to eat, something no one else had previously observed. </p>
  62. <p>It was the first time an animal had been seen using a tool, a discovery that altered how scientists differentiated between humanity and the rest of the animal kingdom.</p>
  63. <p>Renowned anthropologist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Leakey">Louis Leakey</a> chose Goodall to do this work precisely because she was not formally trained. When she turned up in Leakey’s office in Tanzania in 1957, at age 23, Leakey initially hired her as his secretary, but he soon spotted her potential and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/jane-goodalls-wild-chimpanzees-jane-goodalls-story/1911/">encouraged her to study chimpanzees</a>. Leakey wanted someone with a completely open mind, something he believed most scientists lost over the course of their formal training. </p>
  64. </p>
  65. <p>Because chimps are humans’ closest living relatives, Leakey hoped that understanding the animals would <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/jane-goodall/">provide insights into early humans</a>. In a predominantly male field, he also thought a woman would be more patient and insightful than a male observer. He wasn’t wrong. </p>
  66. <p>Six months in, when Goodall wrote up her observations of chimps using tools, Leakey wrote, “Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or <a href="https://nhm.org/stories/chimpanzees-redefining-what-it-means-be-human">accept chimpanzees as human</a>.” </p>
  67. <p>Goodall spoke of animals as having emotions and cultures, and in the case of chimps, communities that were almost tribal. She also named the chimps she observed, an unheard-of practice at the time, <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/jane-goodall/">garnering ridicule from scientists</a> who had traditionally numbered their research subjects.   </p>
  68. </p>
  69. <p>One of her most remarkable observations became known as the <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/a-brief-history-of-the-gombe-chimpanzee-war">Gombe Chimp War</a>. It was a four-year-long conflict in which eight adult males from one community killed all six males of another community, taking over their territory, only to lose it to another, bigger community <a href="https://news.janegoodall.org/2018/07/10/top-bottom-chimpanzee-social-hierarchy-amazing/">with even more males</a>. </p>
  70. <h2>Confidence in her path</h2>
  71. <p>Goodall was persuasive, powerful and determined, and she often advised me not to succumb to people’s criticisms. Her path to groundbreaking discoveries did not involve stepping on people or elbowing competitors aside.  </p>
  72. <p>Rather, her journey to Africa was motivated by her wonder, her love of animals and a powerful imagination. As a little girl, she was entranced by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 story “<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78">Tarzan of the Apes</a>,” and she loved to joke that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cS3BA0GwWM">Tarzan married the wrong Jane</a>.</p>
  73. <p>When I was a 23-year-old <a href="https://usasciencefestival.org/people/dr-mireya-mayor/">former NFL cheerleader</a>, with no scientific background at that time, and looked at Goodall’s work, I imagined that I, too, could be like her. In large part because of her, I became a primatologist, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-006-9036-1">co-discovered a new species of lemur in Madagascar</a> and have had an amazing life and career, in science and on TV, as <a href="https://explorer-directory.nationalgeographic.org/mireya-mayor">a National Geographic explorer</a>.<br />
  74. When it came time to write <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/title/644663116?oclcNum=644663116">my own story</a>, I asked Goodall to contribute the introduction. She wrote: </p>
  75. <blockquote>
  76. <p>“Mireya Mayor reminds me a little of myself. Like me she loved being with animals when she was a child. And like me she followed her dream until it became a reality.” </p>
  77. </blockquote>
  78. <figure>
  79.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_cS3BA0GwWM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">In a 2023 interview, Jane Goodall answers TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s questions about chimpanzee behavior.</span></figcaption></figure>
  80. <h2>Storyteller and teacher</h2>
  81. <p>Goodall was an incredible storyteller and saw it as the most successful way to help people understand the true nature of animals. With compelling imagery, she shared extraordinary stories about the intelligence of animals, from apes and dolphins to rats and birds, and, of course, the octopus. She inspired me to become a wildlife correspondent for National Geographic so that I could share the stories and plights of endangered animals around the world. </p>
  82. <p>Goodall inspired and advised world leaders, celebrities, scientists and conservationists. She also touched the lives of millions of children. </p>
  83. <figure class="align-right zoomable">
  84.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="Two women face each other, smiling and holding a book" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/595537/original/file-20240521-17-qsw10h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  85.              <span class="caption">Jane Goodall and primatologist Mireya Mayor with Mayor’s book ‘Just Wild Enough,’ a memoir aimed at young readers.</span><br />
  86.              <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mireya Mayor</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span><br />
  87.            </figcaption></figure>
  88. <p>Through the <a href="https://janegoodall.org/">Jane Goodall Institute</a>, which works to engage people around the world in conservation, she launched <a href="https://janegoodall.org/our-work/our-approach/roots-shoots/">Roots &amp; Shoots</a>, a global youth program that operates in more than 60 countries.  The program teaches children about connections between people, animals and the environment, and ways to <a href="https://rootsandshoots.org/our-model/">engage locally to help all three</a>. </p>
  89. <p>Along with Goodall’s warmth, friendship and wonderful stories, I treasure this comment from her: “The greatest danger to our future is our apathy. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other.”</p>
  90. <p>It’s a radical notion from a one-of-a-kind scientist.</p>
  91. <p><em>This article has been updated to add the date of Goodall’s death.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205909/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  92. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mireya-mayor-1440254">Mireya Mayor</a>, Director of Exploration and Science Communication, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/florida-international-university-729">Florida International University</a></em></span></p>
  93. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jane-goodall-the-gentle-disrupter-whose-research-on-chimpanzees-redefined-what-it-meant-to-be-human-205909">original article</a>.</p>
  94. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jane-goodall-the-gentle-disrupter-whose-research-on-chimpanzees-redefined-what-it-meant-to-be-human/">Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
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  103. <title>Medical Costs and Quality of Care</title>
  104. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/medical-costs-and-quality-of-care/</link>
  105. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/medical-costs-and-quality-of-care/#respond</comments>
  107. <dc:creator><![CDATA[ROBERT A. LEVINE, TMV Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  108. <pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:42:57 +0000</pubDate>
  109. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  110. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
  111. <category><![CDATA[high mark-ups]]></category>
  112. <category><![CDATA[hospitals]]></category>
  113. <category><![CDATA[medical costs]]></category>
  114. <category><![CDATA[poor care]]></category>
  115. <category><![CDATA[private equity]]></category>
  116. <category><![CDATA[surgery]]></category>
  117. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287408</guid>
  118.  
  119. <description><![CDATA[<p>Medical costs in the United States are higher than any other nation in the world. Yet, the life span of Americans is below that of all advanced nations. In addition, infant mortality is among the highest of advanced nations. These figures are contradictory. If we are paying more for health care, one would expect that<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/medical-costs-and-quality-of-care/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  120. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/medical-costs-and-quality-of-care/">Medical Costs and Quality of Care</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  121. ]]></description>
  122. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dreamstime_s_690678-e1759376988973.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="504" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-287414" /></p>
  123. <p> <img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/bbbbb-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-285622" />Medical costs in the United States are higher than any other nation in the world. Yet, the life span of Americans is below that of all advanced nations. In addition, infant mortality is among the highest of advanced nations. These figures are contradictory. If we are paying more for health care, one would expect that our outcomes would be better than those countries that are spending less instead of the opposite. Why are our lifespans shorter than other developed countries and our infant mortality higher. There are a number of reasons for these disparities, some of which have to do with our society and some of which are due to the quality of our health care. </p>
  124. <p>Deaths of despair as described by Case and Deaton is one major cause of decreased life span. Poor people who are unemployed mainly in rural areas and see no future for themselves do not avail themselves of much mental or physical health care. They also abuse drugs and alcohol and have a high rate of suicide. Government agencies are not aggressive enough in trying to help these individuals, and indeed health care outreach is being cut back by the Trump administration. In addition, vaccine protection is being avoided by large parts of our population, with vaccine skepticism being pushed by Robert Kennedy, Jr and HHS. Routine infant care is not being given to many newborns and young children, Trump reducing social workers who would be helping to oversee the care of these infants. Poor care is particularly prevalent in single parent families.</p>
  125. <p>Surgical care represents almost 20 percent of yearly health care costs in the United States, with total health care costs responsible for one fifth of our GDP.  Though cost containment of medical costs are imperative, there are no federal or state regulation of hospital costs. Increased costs are passed on by insurance companies to consumers. This is resulting in bankruptcy by people who cannot afford to pay the deductibles or co-pays for hospital care or for medical insurance itself.</p>
  126. <p>A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association involved 1600 hospitals across the U.S. and four surgical procedures. Hospitals with the highest mark-up in cost for these procedures were found to be associated with the highest morbidity and rates for readmissions. The article concluded that high-cost hospitals were associated with significantly inferior quality and value of care, when one would have expected the opposite to be true.</p>
  127. <p>Other studies have shown that the highest markup hospitals are three quarters owned by private equity firms that cut costs by cutting personnel and providing lower quality or fewer supplies. They are always looking for ways to cut costs. These hospitals tend to have the poorest outcomes for patients with higher morbidity and rates of readmission. More monitoring and government regulation is needed of high markup hospitals that may be more profitable but have poorer outcomes for their patients. There is really no role for private equity in ownership of hospitals or medical facilities where profit should not be a driver of medical care. But quality of medical care does not appear to be one of the Trump administration’s priorities<br />
  128. www.robertlevinebooks.com<br />
  129. Buy The Uninformed Voter of Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your local bookstore.<br />
  130. <em><br />
  131. PHOTOS: Dreamstime</em></p>
  132. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/medical-costs-and-quality-of-care/">Medical Costs and Quality of Care</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  133. ]]></content:encoded>
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  141. <title>Sinclair still remains a font of Trump propaganda</title>
  142. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/sinclair-still-remains-a-font-of-trump-propaganda/</link>
  143. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/sinclair-still-remains-a-font-of-trump-propaganda/#respond</comments>
  145. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dick Polman, Cagle Cartoons Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  146. <pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 22:37:42 +0000</pubDate>
  147. <category><![CDATA[Authoritarianism]]></category>
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  172.  
  173. <description><![CDATA[<p>Lest we be tempted to applaud the Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s Friday decision to put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air in cities like Seattle and St. Louis and Tulsa and Birmingham and Little Rock and Roanoke and Washington D.C. – thus lifting its blackout at 38 ABC affiliates – it behooves us to remember this<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/sinclair-still-remains-a-font-of-trump-propaganda/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  174. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/sinclair-still-remains-a-font-of-trump-propaganda/">Sinclair still remains a font of Trump propaganda</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  175. ]]></description>
  176. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/michael-de-adder_jimmy-kimmel-back-on-the-air-e1759271533705.png" alt="" width="760" height="760" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-287401" /></p>
  177. <p>Lest we be tempted to applaud the Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s Friday decision to put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air in cities like Seattle and St. Louis and Tulsa and Birmingham and Little Rock and Roanoke and Washington D.C. – thus lifting its blackout at 38 ABC affiliates – it behooves us to remember this company’s “news” operation is a font of right-wing disinformation in service to the MAGA mission.</p>
  178. <p>I’ve been writing about Sinclair on and off since 2018, fascinated as I am with its confluence of capitalism and authoritarianism. Sometimes its MAGA messaging has all the subtlety of a military jackboot marching across one’s skull.  Sometimes – as we just saw the other day, on a story of serious national import – Sinclair simply lies by omission, secure in its quest to keep millions of Americans egregiously ill-informed.</p>
  179. <p>On Thursday, Trump’s toadying Justice Department, acting at his specific behest, indicted James Comey, the ex-FBI director and longtime Trump foe, for allegedly making several false statements in a Senate hearing five years ago.</p>
  180. <p>Sinclair has something it calls “The National Desk,” which writes stories for the websites of its 294 TV stations, and its Comey indictment story was classic Sinclair – not for what it said, but for all the relevant facts that were left unsaid.</p>
  181. <p>That story featured two long quotes from Trump’s social media account and finished with a predictable comment from Trump’s press secretary. That was all.</p>
  182. <p>But here’s the crucial factual material that somehow did not make the cut:</p>
  183. <p>1. The story didn’t mention the original federal prosecutor – a Trump appointee – quit his job rather than push for an indictment on charges he believed were baseless or insufficient to indict.</p>
  184. <p>2. The story didn’t mention his successor, an insurance attorney who has never prosecuted a single case, was appointed by Trump just days ago, and rushed the criminal charges in front of a grand jury despite fervent opposition from her subordinates, career professional prosecutors who believed the charges were baseless or insufficient to indict.</p>
  185. <p>3. The story didn’t say this new prosecutor had been working in the White House staff secretary’s office when Trump plucked her for the big job.</p>
  186. <p>4. The story didn’t mention she moved to indict Comey at Trump’s command despite the fact Trump had preemptively declared on social media Comey is “guilty as hell” – a prejudicial statement that Comey’s lawyers can cite as evidence their client can’t get a fair trial.</p>
  187. <p>5. The story didn’t mention the indictment is itself unprecedented, that the norm ever since Watergate 50 years ago is the Justice Department operates independent of the White House, free from extreme presidential pressure.</p>
  188. <p>Nor did the story say that even if Comey’s indictment is ultimately dismissed, the fact it even happened sends a message to others who dare to dissent, that they too could wind up on trial if they displease a “leader” who deems vengeance to be more important than evidence.</p>
  189. <p>So that’s Sinclair at its most insidious. More often, it prefers the frontal assault.</p>
  190. <p>Sinclair has a “National Desk” TV show that runs on a wide swath of Sinclair affiliates. In January 2024 it lost its lead anchor, Eugene Ramirez, who quit because he could no longer abide the stories he was required to put on the air. The stories, often inaccurate or tilted rightward without proper context, were typically culled from Republican and conservative group press releases. (Example: Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill would cost “$400 trillion.” That lie was off by $399 trillion.)</p>
  191. <p>Ramirez was also admonished by corporate higher-ups for disputing dubious claims made by the show’s right-wing guests; Ramirez was ordered not to interrupt them.</p>
  192. <p>Such episodes are too numerous to list. In 2017, Sinclair HQ ordered its local outlets to air thrice-weekly segments starring “political correspondent” Boris Epshteyn, a Russian-born Trump apparatchik who parrots MAGA. In 2018, people at HQ wrote Trump promotional pieces and ordered the local outlets’ anchors to read the pieces on the air “exactly as they are written” – prompting angry employees at one Sinclair station to warn, in an article posted on Vox, that “Sinclair management is turning up the heat on pro-Trump content and we, the journalists at this station are the frogs in the pot.”</p>
  193. <p>As are we all.</p>
  194. <p>And stripping stories of factual context – to wit, its coverage of the Comey indictment – dumbs down the citizenry and ups the ambient heat. Putting Kimmel back on the air was just a strategic concession; Sinclair plays the long game and remains staunchly on the march.</p>
  195. <p><em>Copyright 2025 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes the Subject to Change newsletter. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com</em></p>
  196. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/sinclair-still-remains-a-font-of-trump-propaganda/">Sinclair still remains a font of Trump propaganda</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  197. ]]></content:encoded>
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  205. <title>Trump’s targeting of ‘enemies’ like James Comey echoes FBI’s dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover</title>
  206. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/</link>
  207. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/#respond</comments>
  209. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  210. <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:02:37 +0000</pubDate>
  211. <category><![CDATA[Authoritarianism]]></category>
  212. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  213. <category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
  214. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  215. <category><![CDATA[COINTELPRO]]></category>
  216. <category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
  217. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  218. <category><![CDATA[FBI]]></category>
  219. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
  220. <category><![CDATA[J. Edgar Hoover]]></category>
  221. <category><![CDATA[James Comey]]></category>
  222. <category><![CDATA[Jr. (MLK) J. Edgar Hoover Cointelpro Kash Patel Stephen Mille]]></category>
  223. <category><![CDATA[Kash Patel]]></category>
  224. <category><![CDATA[Martin LutherKing]]></category>
  225. <category><![CDATA[National Archieves]]></category>
  226. <category><![CDATA[Stephen Miller]]></category>
  227. <category><![CDATA[surveillance]]></category>
  228. <category><![CDATA[University of California]]></category>
  229. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287393</guid>
  230.  
  231. <description><![CDATA[<p>The building in Media, Penn. where burglars in 1971 found evidence of decades of FBI abuses against citizens. Betty Medsger Betty Medsger, San Francisco State University As a candidate last year, Donald Trump promised retribution against his perceived enemies. As president, he is doing that. At the Department of Justice, a “Weaponization Working Group” has<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  232. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/">Trump’s targeting of ‘enemies’ like James Comey echoes FBI’s dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  233. ]]></description>
  234. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692029/original/file-20250921-56-uz5wrz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=0%2C53%2C1090%2C613&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  235.          The building in Media, Penn. where burglars in 1971 found evidence of decades of FBI abuses against citizens.<br />
  236.          <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Betty Medsger</span></span><br />
  237.        </figcaption><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/betty-medsger-874382">Betty Medsger</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/san-francisco-state-university-3297">San Francisco State University</a></em></span></p>
  238. <p>As a candidate last year, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/06/trump-retribution-enemy-list-00187725">Donald Trump promised retribution</a> against his perceived enemies. As president, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/list-individuals-including-lisa-cook-targeted-trump-administration/story?id=124968309">he is doing that</a>.</p>
  239. <p>At the Department of Justice, a “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/us/politics/justice-department-weaponization-group.html">Weaponization Working Group</a>” has a long list of Trump’s perceived enemies to investigate. And on the evening of Sept. 25, 2025, former FBI Director – and one of Trump’s prime targets – James Comey was indicted by a grand jury <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/us/politics/trump-retribution-comey-indictment.html">at the behest of a Trump loyalist</a>, his former personal lawyer who was appointed a prosecutor less than a week before, despite no experience as a prosecutor, and who pushed for the charges against the advice of career prosecutors who said there was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/25/james-comey-indictment-fbi-director-justice-department/">no basis for bringing them</a>. The charges came after <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/20/trump-bondi-truth-social-00574380">Trump publicly urged</a> the Department of Justice to indict his adversaries, saying, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.” </p>
  240. <p>At the FBI, director Kash Patel has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/former-fbi-leaders-accuse-kash-patel-of-carrying-out-political-purge-84f6c361?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">conducted a political purge</a>, firing <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-agents-on-jan-6-capitol-riot-trump-investigations-to-be-fired-sources-say/">the highest officials at the bureau and thousands of FBI agents</a> who investigated alleged crimes by Trump as well as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/04/g-s1-46460/fbi-lawsuit-agents-january-6">investigated participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots</a>.</p>
  241. <p>It marks the first time since <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/09/01/fbi-burglary-hoover-cointelpro/">J. Edgar Hoover’s 48-year reign as FBI director</a> that the FBI has targeted massive numbers of people perceived to be political enemies.</p>
  242. <figure class="align-center zoomable">
  243.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="A social media post by Trump thanking current FBI director Kash Patel for his 'brilliant work' on the Comey indictment." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=320&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=320&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=320&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=402&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=402&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/693171/original/file-20250926-56-or2i4m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=402&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  244.              <span class="caption">A Truth Social post by President Donald Trump, the day after James Comey was indicted.</span><br />
  245.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115273002921064922">Truth Social Donald Trump account</a></span><br />
  246.            </figcaption></figure>
  247. <p>Trump’s recent fury showed how much he expects top officials in federal law enforcement to carry out his retribution. </p>
  248. <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/us/politics/erik-siebert-comey-letitia-james.html">He was enraged</a> when Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, decided there was insufficient evidence to charge two people Trump regards as enemies: Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. </p>
  249. <p>“<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">I want him out</a>,” Trump angrily told reporters on Sept. 19, 2025. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/us/politics/erik-siebert-comey-letitia-james.html">Siebert resigned</a>, although Trump claimed he had fired him. </p>
  250. <p>Trump’s most recent demands for retribution came soon after top adviser Stephen Miller’s vow to prosecute leftists in the “<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/stephen-miller-vengeance-charlie-kirk-murder-rcna231329">vast domestic terror movement</a>” – that the administration blames, without evidence, for Charlie Kirk’s assassination – using “every resource we have.” </p>
  251. <p>As the director of the FBI, Patel will likely be in charge of the investigations of perceived enemies generated by the Department of Justice and the White House. He already has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/10/g-s1-87947/fbi-lawsuit-firing-retribution">sacrificed the bureau’s independence</a>, making it essentially an arm of the White House. </p>
  252. <p>This isn’t the first time an FBI director has been driven by a desire to suppress the rights of people perceived to be political enemies. Hoover, director until his death in 1972, operated a secret FBI within the FBI that he used to destroy people and organizations whose political opinions he opposed.</p>
  253. <figure class="align-center zoomable">
  254.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="A man with a beard and glasses and dark hair standing and appearing to almost be praying." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692026/original/file-20250921-56-7bhcvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  255.              <span class="caption">FBI Director Kash Patel reacts to Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025.</span><br />
  256.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=Kash%20Patel%20Donald%20Trump&amp;mediaType=photo">AP Photo/Ben Curtis</a></span><br />
  257.            </figcaption></figure>
  258. <h2>A burglary’s revelations</h2>
  259. <p>Hoover’s secret FBI was revealed, beginning in 1971, when a group of people called the <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2014/1/8/it_was_time_to_do_more">Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI</a> broke into an FBI office and removed files. </p>
  260. <p>This group suspected Hoover’s FBI was illegally suppressing dissent. Given Hoover’s enormous power, they thought it was unlikely any government agency would investigate the FBI. They decided documentary evidence was needed to convince the public that suppression of dissent – what they considered a crime against democracy – was taking place. </p>
  261. <figure class="align-right zoomable">
  262.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="A blue historical marker on a pole outside of a building, that commemorates 'FBI OFFICE BURGLARY.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692025/original/file-20250921-56-s1ghj7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  263.              <span class="caption">A historical marker commemorates the site of the burglary that exposed COINTELPRO.</span><br />
  264.              <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Betty Medsger</span></span><br />
  265.            </figcaption></figure>
  266. <p>In my book “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/224642/the-burglary-by-betty-medsger/">The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover’s Secret FBI</a>,” I describe how these eight people decided to risk imprisonment and break into the FBI’s office in Media, Pennsylvania. </p>
  267. <p>The files they stole and made public <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/unlikely-group-changed-face-fbi-retold-burglary">confirmed the FBI was suppressing dissent</a>. But they revealed much more: Hoover’s secret FBI and the startling crimes he had committed. These secret operations had become so extensive that they eventually diminished the bureau’s capacity to carry out its core mission: law enforcement.</p>
  268. <p>Hoover, one of the most admired and <a href="https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/j-edgar-hoover-the-librarian-who-became-americas-most-powerful-man">powerful officials in the country</a>, had secretly conducted a wide array of operations directed against people whose political opinions he opposed. </p>
  269. <p>The files revealed that agents were instructed to “enhance paranoia” and make activists think there was an FBI agent “<a href="https://www.npr.org/2014/01/07/260302289/the-secret-burglary-that-exposed-j-edgar-hoovers-fbi">behind every mailbox</a>.” Questioning Vietnam war policy could cause anyone, even a U.S. senator, Democrat J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, <a href="https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Vietnam_Hearings.htm">to be placed under FBI surveillance</a>.</p>
  270. <p>It was the revelation of Hoover’s worst operations, <a href="https://vault.fbi.gov/cointel-pro">COINTELPRO – what Hoover called The Counter Intelligence Program</a> – that made Americans demand investigation and reform of the FBI. Until the mid-1970s, there had never been oversight of the FBI and little coverage of the FBI by journalists, except for laudatory stories.</p>
  271. <figure>
  272.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQk5cUMhI8k?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">A video chronicle about the 1971 break-in at an FBI office in Media, Pa., that uncovered vast FBI abuses.</span></figcaption></figure>
  273. <h2>‘Almost beyond belief’</h2>
  274. <p>The COINTELPRO operations ranged from crude to cruel to murderous. </p>
  275. <p>Antiwar activists were given oranges <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/just-being-black-was-enough-get-yourself-spied-j-edgar-hoovers-fbi/">injected with powerful laxatives</a>. Agents hired prostitutes known to have venereal disease to infect campus antiwar leaders. </p>
  276. <p>Many of the COINTELPRO operations were almost beyond belief:</p>
  277. <p>· The project conducted <a href="https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/winter-2013-information-issue/nsa-fbi-and-cal/">against the entire University of California system lasted more than 30 years</a>. Hundreds of agents and informants were assigned in 1960 to spy on each of Berkeley’s 5,365 faculty members by reading their mail, observing them and searching for derogatory information – “illicit love affairs, homosexuality, sexual perversion, excessive drinking, other instances of conduct reflecting mental instability.”</p>
  278. <p>· An informant trained to give perjured testimony led to the murder conviction of Black Panther Geronimo Pratt, a decorated Vietnam War veteran. He served 27 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-05-30-mn-64015-story.html">He was exonerated in 1997</a> when a judge found that the FBI concealed evidence that would have proved Pratt’s innocence.</p>
  279. <p>· <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/arw/king/d1.html">The bureau spied for years on Martin Luther King Jr</a>. After it was announced King would receive the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, Hoover approved a particularly sinister plan that was designed to cause King to commit suicide.</p>
  280. <figure class="align-center zoomable">
  281.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="A letter to 'KING' urging him to commit suicide, calling him 'filthy, abnormal, fraudulent.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=780&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=780&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=780&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=980&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=980&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692014/original/file-20250921-56-25033m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=980&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  282.              <span class="caption">A letter sent anonymously by the FBI to Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964 urging him to commit suicide.</span><br />
  283.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mlk-uncovered-letter.png#/media/File:Mlk-uncovered-letter.png">Wikipedia</a></span><br />
  284.            </figcaption></figure>
  285. <p>· What one historian called Hoover’s “savage hatred” of Black people led to the FBI’s worst operation, a collaboration with the Chicago police that resulted in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/04/police-raid-that-left-two-black-panthers-dead-shook-chicago-changed-nation/">the killing of Chicago Black Panther Fred Hampton</a>, shot dead by police as he slept. An FBI informant had been hired to ingratiate himself with Hampton. He came to know Hampton and the apartment very well. He drew a map of the apartment for the police on which he located “Fred’s bed.” After the killing, Hoover thanked the informant for his role in this successful operation. <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/new-documents-suggest-j-edgar-hoover-was-involved-in-fred-hamptons-murder/">Enclosed in his letter was a cash bonus</a>.</p>
  286. <p>· <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/15/archives/fbi-admits-planting-a-rumor-to-discredit-jean-seberg-in-1970-former.html">Actress Jean Seberg was the victim of a 1970 COINTELPRO operation</a>. In a memo, Hoover wrote that she had donated to the Panthers and “should be neutralized.” Seberg was pregnant, and the plot, approved personally by Hoover – as many COINTELPRO plots were – called for the FBI to tell a gossip columnist that a Black Panther was the father. Agents gave the false rumor to a Los Angeles Times gossip columnist. Without using Seberg’s name, the columnist’s story made it unmistakable that she was writing about Seberg. Three days later, Seberg gave birth prematurely to a stillborn white baby girl. Every year on the anniversary of her dead baby’s birth, Seberg attempted suicide. <a href="https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=aac4f2e9-37fb-471d-b43b-ce13abec2bca">She succeeded in August 1979</a>.</p>
  287. <p>There was wide public interest in these revelations about COINTELPRO, many of which emerged in 1975 during <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/church-committee.htm">hearings conducted by the Church Committee</a>, the Senate committee chaired by Sen. Frank Church, an Idaho Democrat. </p>
  288. <p>At this first-ever congressional investigation of the FBI and other intelligence agencies, former FBI officials testified under oath about bureau policies under Hoover. </p>
  289. <p>One of them, William Sullivan, who had <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-files-94755-ii.pdf">helped carry out the plots against King</a>, was asked whether officials considered the legal and ethical issues involved in their operations. <a href="https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sites-default-files-94755-ii.pdf">He responded</a>:</p>
  290. <blockquote>
  291. <p>“Never once did I hear anybody, including myself, raise the questions: ‘Is this course of action which we have agreed upon lawful? Is it legal? Is it ethical or moral?’ We never gave any thought to that line of questioning because we were just pragmatic. The one thing we were concerned about: will this course of action work, will it get us what we want.”</p>
  292. </blockquote>
  293. <h2>Ethical? Legal?</h2>
  294. <p>The future of the new FBI under Patel and Trump is unclear, especially in light of <a href="https://www.rove.com/article/5-11-23-wsj">the president’s known tolerance for lawlessness, even violence</a>. His gifts of <a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trump-pardons-or-commutes-terms-of-all-jan.-6-rioters">clemency and pardons to Jan. 6 rioters</a> are evidence of that. </p>
  295. <p>As for Patel, fired FBI Officials stated in their recent lawsuit over those dismissals that Patel had told one of them it was “likely illegal” to fire agents because of the cases they had worked on, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fired-fbi-officials-sue-patel-claiming-he-bowed-to-trumps-campaign-of-retribution">but that he was powerless to resist</a> Trump’s demands.</p>
  296. <p>The recent statements from both Trump and top aide Miller suggest the FBI’s independence, and broader constitutional requirements that the administration remain faithful to the law, are meaningless to them. They suggest that, like Hoover, they would criminalize dissent. </p>
  297. <p>What will happen at the FBI after the internal purge ends? Will retribution fever wane? Will Patel refocus on the bureau’s chief mission, law enforcement? And will the questions asked in Congress in 1975, as the bureau was being forced to reject Hoover’s worst practices, be asked now: Is what we are doing ethical? Is it legal?</p>
  298. <p><em>This story has been updated to include the indictment of James Comey, former head of the FBI.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265364/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  299. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/betty-medsger-874382">Betty Medsger</a>, Professor Emeritus of Journalism, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/san-francisco-state-university-3297">San Francisco State University</a></em></span></p>
  300. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover-265364">original article</a>.</p>
  301. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/">Trump’s targeting of ‘enemies’ like James Comey echoes FBI’s dark history of mass surveillance, dirty tricks and perversion of justice under J. Edgar Hoover</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  302. ]]></content:encoded>
  304. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-targeting-of-enemies-like-james-comey-echoes-fbis-dark-history-of-mass-surveillance-dirty-tricks-and-perversion-of-justice-under-j-edgar-hoover/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  305. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  308. </item>
  309. <item>
  310. <title>Roberts Court gives Trump line item veto despite a 28-year ruling against that authority</title>
  311. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/</link>
  312. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/#respond</comments>
  314. <dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
  315. <pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 04:58:26 +0000</pubDate>
  316. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  317. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  318. <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
  319. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287375</guid>
  320.  
  321. <description><![CDATA[<p>What a difference 30(ish) years makes. In 1996, Congress defanged itself by giving President Clinton line-item veto authority over appropriations and legislation that Congress had passed (Line Item Veto Act of 1996). The GOP, which controlled both houses of Congress, pushed the bill through. Two years later, the Supreme Court of the United States said<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  322. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/">Roberts Court gives Trump line item veto despite a 28-year ruling against that authority</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  323. ]]></description>
  324. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="ledeGraph">What a difference 30(ish) years makes.</p>
  325. <p>In 1996, Congress defanged itself by giving President Clinton line-item veto authority over appropriations and legislation that Congress had passed (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/104th-congress/house-bill/2">Line Item Veto Act of 1996</a>). The GOP, which controlled both houses of Congress, pushed the bill through.</p>
  326. <p>Two years later, the Supreme Court of the United States said wait a minute (6-3). <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/524/417/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nope. No can do. Not constitutional</a>.</p>
  327. <p>But here we are in 2025. <a href="http://Instead, in effect it overturned that decision due to the upcoming fiscal year end. Disgraceful." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chief Justice Roberts</a>, using the shadow docket, has allowed President Trump to withhold about &#8220;<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/supreme-court-backs-trump-foreign-aid-funding-rcna231341" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$4 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid</a>.&#8221; </p>
  328. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>
  329. In a brief order, the majority said the government met the standard for urgent preliminary relief, though it emphasized that Friday’s order “should not be read as a final determination on the merits.”
  330. </p></blockquote>
  331. <p>The fiscal year ends on September 30, 2025. The SCOTUS has given Trump line item veto: money not allocated before the fiscal year ends rolls back into coffers for reassignment.</p>
  332. <p>This legal fight has been going on since February. That&#8217;s when both Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joined Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson (5-4 decision) and sent Trump&#8217;s appeal back to the district court.</p>
  333. <p>On September 8, Roberts granted an emergency stay allowing Trump <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/supreme-court-backs-trump-foreign-aid-funding-rcna231341" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to ignore the district court &#8220;order to pay certain congressionally appropriated funding</a>.&#8221; </p>
  334. <p><a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/09/supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-to-withhold-billions-in-foreign-aid-funding/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">According to the SCOTUS blog</a>, &#8220;it was the third time that the Trump administration had come to the Supreme Court seeking temporary relief in the challenge to the funding freeze.&#8221;</p>
  335. <p>The first challenge to a lower court order happened on February 26, 2025 after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled against the Administration. Trump appealed; the SCOTUS sent the case back. Ali then &#8220;ruled that the funding freeze likely violated both federal law and the Constitution.&#8221; Trump again appealed. And again. Roberts accepted the third appeal and then sat on it until Friday.</p>
  336. <p>Contrast that with the <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/524/417/">SCOTUS decision in 1998</a> that a line item veto was contrary to the US Constitution. EVEN Clarence Thomas concurred.</p>
  337. <blockquote><p>
  338. The majority found that the Act was unconstitutional based on the Presentment Clause of the Constitution, which provides what Stevens argued was the only accepted way to promulgate a law. He felt that the Constitution implicitly disapproved of unilateral executive action in repealing parts of laws, although there was no textual evidence to support either side. After researching the historical background of the Presentment Clause and other constitutional provisions, Stevens held that a President must apply the veto power to an entire law rather than sections of it.
  339. </p></blockquote>
  340. <p><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/524/417/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Look who was in the majority</a>:</p>
  341. <ul>
  342. <li>John Paul Stevens (Author)</li>
  343. <li>William Hubbs Rehnquist</li>
  344. <li>Anthony M. Kennedy</li>
  345. <li>David H. Souter</li>
  346. <li>Clarence Thomas</li>
  347. <li>Ruth Bader Ginsburg</li>
  348. </ul>
  349. <p>Anthony M. Kennedy wrote a concurrence. Stephen G. Breyer dissented. Antonin Scalia split the baby (authored a concurrence and dissent).</p>
  350. <p><strong>Once again, this SCOTUS demonstrates a radical vision of its both role and that of the Congress: both are subservient to the presidency.</strong></p>
  351. <p>The Impoundment Control Act (1974) grants the President the authority to appeal to Congress when he wants to impound (not spend) allocated monies. To me, this is the relevant portion of that Act and why the SCOTUS should have directed Trump to allocate the funds. <a href="https://www.gao.gov/legal/appropriations-law/impoundment-control-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From the GAO</a>:</p>
  352. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>
  353. Once a recission is proposed to Congress, the President can withhold the budget authority for 45 days while Congress is in continuous session. Unless Congress completes action on a rescission bill to approve the proposed rescission within that time, the budget authority must be made available for obligation. 2 U.S.C. §§ 682(3), 683(b), 688.
  354. </p></blockquote>
  355. <p>Trump made no such appeal in a timely fashion. He just wrote an executive order, then ignored Congress until 45 days before the end of the fiscal year</p>
  356. <p>Note: I am not a lawyer. I&#8217;m drawing political policy inference. If the line-item veto was unconstitutional in 1998, it&#8217;s unconstitutional today. The SCOTUS does not need a full argument from the DOJ to uphold that earlier ruling. Instead, in effect it overturned that decision due to the upcoming fiscal year end. Disgraceful.</p>
  357. <p><a href="https://kathyegill.substack.com/p/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">First published at SubStack.</a></p>
  358. <style>
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  368. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/">Roberts Court gives Trump line item veto despite a 28-year ruling against that authority</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  369. ]]></content:encoded>
  371. <wfw:commentRss>https://themoderatevoice.com/roberts-court-gives-trump-line-item-veto-despite-a-28-year-ruling-against-that-authority/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  372. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  375. </item>
  376. <item>
  377. <title>What are the Top 7 Packaging Trends Businesses Need to Follow?</title>
  378. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-the-top-7-packaging-trends-businesses-need-to-follow/</link>
  379. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-the-top-7-packaging-trends-businesses-need-to-follow/#respond</comments>
  381. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Emily Newton]]></dc:creator>
  382. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:53:48 +0000</pubDate>
  383. <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
  384. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
  385. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287359</guid>
  386.  
  387. <description><![CDATA[<p>Packaging industry innovations have emerged amid changing consumer expectations, technological developments, and more stringent policies for sustainability and safety. Companies face growing pressure to embrace innovative solutions that address evolving needs, improve functionality and remain compliant with the latest regulatory standards.  While change presents unique challenges for some, the latest packaging trends reduce costs and<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-the-top-7-packaging-trends-businesses-need-to-follow/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  388. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-the-top-7-packaging-trends-businesses-need-to-follow/">What are the Top 7 Packaging Trends Businesses Need to Follow?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  389. ]]></description>
  390. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-287360" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg" alt="popular types of packaging" width="1920" height="1280" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg 1920w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></p>
  391. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Packaging industry innovations have emerged amid changing consumer expectations, technological developments, and more stringent policies for sustainability and safety. Companies face growing pressure to embrace innovative solutions that address evolving needs, improve functionality and remain compliant with the latest regulatory standards. </span></p>
  392. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While change presents unique challenges for some, the latest packaging trends reduce costs and improve the customer experience. They also enable consumer goods manufacturers to demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship.</span></p>
  393. <h2><b>1. Sustainability Takes Center Stage</b></h2>
  394. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Green packaging is now a priority, influenced by evolving mandates and consumer preferences for sustainable products. Biodegradable, recyclable and compostable materials appeal to eco-conscious buyers and help brands reach their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. </span></p>
  395. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The food sector accounts for about </span><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/12/10/2085"><span style="font-weight: 400;">40% of global packaging materials</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which has turned to bio-based alternatives derived from plants, algae, organic waste and even bugs. Whereas traditional petroleum-based plastic takes 400 to 1,000 years to decompose, biodegradable options may take only three to six months. </span></p>
  396. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Post-consumer recycled plastics are just as critical to this shift. Manufacturers </span><a href="https://www.plastekgroup.com/blog/understanding-eco-friendly-plastic-materials/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">collect and break down plastic containers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — such as milk and laundry detergent jugs — to create new packaging. This strategy diverts landfill waste and decreases the need for newly sourced materials. </span></p>
  397. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Companies that invest in green packaging boost their brand reputation and future-proof their operations. In addition to meeting stricter government regulations, </span><a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/packaging-and-paper/our-insights/sustainability-in-packaging-us-survey-insights"><span style="font-weight: 400;">4% to 7% of consumers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are willing to pay over 10% more for products in sustainable wrappings.</span></p>
  398. <h2><b>2. Minimalist and Functional Design</b></h2>
  399. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minimalist and functional packaging designs are becoming increasingly popular, with the industry leaning toward greater simplicity. According to one study, </span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222429231192049"><span style="font-weight: 400;">straightforward packaging symbolizes fewer ingredients</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which consumers look for, especially if trying to improve their health.</span></p>
  400. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today&#8217;s minimalist alternatives have clean lines, basic illustrations and the most essential information, making it easier for buyers to locate important product details. Overall, brands can improve the customer experience with more accessibility and cut costs with fewer materials and ink requirements. </span></p>
  401. <h2><b>3. Smart Packaging — Integrating Technology</b></h2>
  402. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Digital technologies are revolutionizing the packaging industry with integrations such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Near-Field Communication (NFC) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID tags</span><a href="https://revolutionized.com/ai-supply-chain/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> monitor for quality control</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> as goods pass through the supply chain, while NFC allows consumers to access additional product information using embedded microchips and their smartphones.</span></p>
  403. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">QR codes are also standard for mobile scanning, delivering additional item details, usage tips and promotional content. This tool improves origin tracking by giving </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224424000608"><span style="font-weight: 400;">each product a unique code</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> linked to a traceability database. Businesses benefit from enhanced inventory control through data-driven insights while fostering end-user trust. </span></p>
  404. <h2><b>4. Customization and Personalization</b></h2>
  405. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tailored wrappings and containers are key packaging trends for brands looking to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Companies create tailored packaging that caters to customer tastes, seasonal promotions and regional branding. The high level of customization cultivates a deeper relationship with consumers and promotes repeat purchases and word-of-mouth marketing.</span></p>
  406. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Research shows a link between unboxing customizable packaging and intent to buy. In 2021, YouTube users </span><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09711023231205509"><span style="font-weight: 400;">watched over 1.1 billion unboxing videos</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for over 60 million hours. Another survey found that 62% of people watched these clips before making a transaction. </span></p>
  407. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The unboxing trend involves gradually opening a newly launched product with detailed commentary. Viewers are taken on a discovery journey, which can foster a sense of surprise and mystery, like opening holiday or birthday gifts. </span></p>
  408. <h2><b>5. Supply Chain Resilience and Automation</b></h2>
  409. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Automation is enhancing supply chain resilience in the packaging industry. These systems streamline processes and operations, lowering labor costs and eliminating human error to prevent downtime. </span></p>
  410. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amazon announced its new automated packing technology in October 2023 — a development that </span><a href="https://www.packaging-gateway.com/features/automation-reshaping-packaging-sector/?cf-view"><span style="font-weight: 400;">utilizes built-in sensors to cut</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> paper packing to the product size. The specially designed paper is light, durable, flexible and weather-resistant. </span></p>
  411. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smart robotics is also more prevalent across packaging production lines, even collaborating alongside people in the workplace. They come with advanced sensors that detect when workers are nearby, decreasing injury risks when packing, palletizing, placing and assembling products.</span></p>
  412. <h2><b>6. Regulatory Compliance and Safety</b></h2>
  413. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Businesses must adapt to the latest international and domestic packaging regulations, from stricter labeling to enhanced safety and sustainability requirements. Several states have implemented new packaging policies in 2025, such as the following:</span></p>
  414. <ul>
  415. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Virginia: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banning single-use Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam containers, starting with food vendors </span><a href="https://www.deq.virginia.gov/land-waste/waste-management/litter-prevention/foam-free-resources"><span style="font-weight: 400;">with 20 or more locations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in July 2025, with others following suit in 2026</span></li>
  416. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Illinois: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Requiring state agencies to </span><a href="https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=58&amp;GAID=17&amp;GA=103&amp;DocTypeID=SB&amp;LegID=143204&amp;SessionID=112"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reduce plastic purchasing by 50%</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by 2031 and 75% by 2036</span></li>
  417. <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Delaware: </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prohibiting food establishments from serving customers with ready-to-eat food and beverages </span><a href="https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail/130016"><span style="font-weight: 400;">in EPS foam containers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> or single-use plastic coffee stirrers and toothpicks as of July 2025</span></li>
  418. </ul>
  419. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result of these changes, consumer goods manufacturers must rethink their packaging designs and opt for more compliant, environmentally friendly materials. </span></p>
  420. <h2><b>7. </b><b>Circular Economy and Reusable Packaging</b></h2>
  421. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, packaging and containers accounted for 82.2 million tons of waste in 2018 — about 28.1% of total landfill generation. The packaging sector is embracing circular economy principles to reduce this debris stream.</span></p>
  422. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Establishments increasingly utilize materials for multiple life cycles, implementing returnable container initiatives and refill stations to reduce waste and resource consumption. Plaine Products — a personal care brand and corporate supporter of the Ocean Society — has eradicated over </span><a href="https://www.oceanicsociety.org/resources/blue-habits-tips/meet-plaine-products-personal-care-company-on-a-mission/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">625,000 plastic bottles in six years</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from landfills with its refill and reuse program. </span></p>
  423. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ellen MacArthur Foundation highlights how other enterprises have achieved packaging circularity in its Global Commitment 2021 Progress Report. In 2020, ASOS boosted post-consumer recycled content </span><a href="https://content.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/m/385f741d0b88e187/original/Global-Commitment-2021-Sector-Insights-Apparel.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">from 9.2% to 27%</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and increased targets from 30% to 50% in 2025. Of the six signatories in the survey, all decreased virgin plastic in packaging by an average of 31%.</span></p>
  424. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A circular economy and widespread use of reusable packaging face several logistics and investment hurdles. A lack of consumer awareness also impedes participation. Regardless, this approach has proven to be a viable strategy for the future. </span></p>
  425. <h2><b>Preparing for the Future of Packaging </b></h2>
  426. <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the packaging industry&#8217;s innovations making rapid headway, businesses have had to adapt quickly to function, customization, sustainability and smart technologies. Leaders should invest in the latest trends and explore digital integrations to meet compliance requirements, consumer demand and supply chain resilience. Most importantly, these changes will allow brands to stay ahead of the competition and achieve long-term growth.</span></p>
  427. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/what-are-the-top-7-packaging-trends-businesses-need-to-follow/">What are the Top 7 Packaging Trends Businesses Need to Follow?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  428. ]]></content:encoded>
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  435. <item>
  436. <title>Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr</title>
  437. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr/</link>
  438. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr/#respond</comments>
  440. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  441. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:07:27 +0000</pubDate>
  442. <category><![CDATA[Artificial intelligence (AI)]]></category>
  443. <category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
  444. <category><![CDATA[Death]]></category>
  445. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  446. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
  447. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  448. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  449. <category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
  450. <category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>
  451. <category><![CDATA[Abraham Lincoln]]></category>
  452. <category><![CDATA[ai]]></category>
  453. <category><![CDATA[artificial intelligence]]></category>
  454. <category><![CDATA[Assassination]]></category>
  455. <category><![CDATA[Charlie Kirk]]></category>
  456. <category><![CDATA[Death Memes]]></category>
  457. <category><![CDATA[Generative AI]]></category>
  458. <category><![CDATA[Jesus Christ]]></category>
  459. <category><![CDATA[John F. Kennedy]]></category>
  460. <category><![CDATA[Jr.]]></category>
  461. <category><![CDATA[Jr. (MLK) John F. Kennedy Charlie Kirk Genera]]></category>
  462. <category><![CDATA[martin luther king]]></category>
  463. <category><![CDATA[martyrdom]]></category>
  464. <category><![CDATA[Ronald Reagan]]></category>
  465. <category><![CDATA[Sainthood]]></category>
  466. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287372</guid>
  467.  
  468. <description><![CDATA[<p>A makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Art Jipson, University of Dayton An AI-generated image of Charlie Kirk embracing Jesus. Another of Kirk posing with angel wings and halo. Then there’s the one of Kirk standing with George Floyd at the gates of heaven.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  469. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr/">Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  470. ]]></description>
  471. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
  472. <figure>
  473.      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692786/original/file-20250924-56-s8kkd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=1920%2C1027%2C4079%2C2974&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  474.          A makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk outside the headquarters of Turning Point USA in Phoenix.<br />
  475.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/items-are-displayed-in-the-makeshift-memorial-for-charlie-news-photo/2236104957?adppopup=true">Joe Raedle/Getty Images</a></span><br />
  476.        </figcaption></figure>
  477. <p>  <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/art-jipson-707139">Art Jipson</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dayton-1726">University of Dayton</a></em></span></p>
  478. <p>An AI-generated image of <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/1967218345826021573">Charlie Kirk embracing Jesus</a>. Another of Kirk <a href="https://x.com/kitty628131/status/1967251170713371074">posing with angel wings and halo</a>. Then there’s the one of Kirk <a href="https://x.com/EJ_Pockets/status/1966176560626745404/photo/1">standing with George Floyd</a> at the gates of heaven.</p>
  479. <p>When prominent political or cultural figures die in the U.S., the remembrance of their life often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199252466.013.0082">veers into hagiography</a>. And that’s what’s been happening since the gruesome killing of conservative activist and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-conservative-activist-shot-546165a8151104e0938a5e085be1e8bd">Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk</a>. </p>
  480. <p>The word hagiography comes from the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2010.00714.x">Christian tradition of writing about saints’ lives</a>, but the practice often spills into secular politics and media, falling under the umbrella of what’s called, in sociology, the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14690760008406923">sacralization of politics</a>.” Assassinations and violent deaths, in particular, tend to be interpreted in sacred terms: The person becomes <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111334">a secular martyr</a> who made a heroic sacrifice. They are portrayed as morally righteous and spiritually pure. </p>
  481. </p>
  482. <p>This is, to some degree, a natural part of mourning. But taking a closer look at why this happens – and how the internet accelerates it – offers some important insights into politics in the U.S. today.</p>
  483. <h2>From presidents to protest leaders</h2>
  484. <p>The construction of <a href="https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/reagan-administration/reagan-presidency">Ronald Reagan’s postpresidential image</a> is a prime example of this process. </p>
  485. <p>After his presidency, Republican leaders steadily polished his memory into a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/05/when-did-republicans-become-obsessed-with-reagan.html">symbol of conservative triumph</a>, downplaying scandals such as <a href="https://www.history.com/articles/iran-contra-affair">Iran-Contra</a> or Reagan’s <a href="https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/its-time-we-face-the-fact-that-ronald-reagan-was-h">early skepticism of civil rights</a>. Today, Reagan is remembered less as a complex politician and more as <a href="https://smmirror.com/2007/05/point-of-view-canonization-of-ronald-reagan/">a saint of free markets and patriotism</a>.</p>
  486. <p>Among liberals, Martin Luther King Jr. experienced a comparable transformation, though it took a different form. King’s <a href="https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/01/15/remembering-martin-luther-kings-radical-class-politics/">critiques of capitalism</a>, <a href="https://www.aclum.org/en/publications/martin-luther-kings-opposition-militarism-call-our-time">militarism</a> and <a href="https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2022/01/15/what-martin-luther-king-jr-said-about-systemic-racism/">structural racism</a> are often downplayed in most mainstream remembrances, leaving behind a <a href="https://theithacan.org/14633/opinion/editorials/editorial-sanitizing-kings-legacy-dishonors-his-core-message/">softer image of peaceful dreamer</a>. The annual holiday, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_streets_named_after_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.">scores of street renamings</a> and public murals honor him, but they also tame his legacy into a universally palatable story of unity.</p>
  487. <p>Even more contested figures such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/opinion/sunday/Douthat-The-Enduring-Cult-of-Kennedy.html">John F. Kennedy</a> or <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/28/why-we-keep-reinventing-abraham-lincoln">Abraham Lincoln</a> show the same pattern. Their assassinations were followed by waves of mourning that elevated them into near-mythic status.</p>
  488. <p>Decades after Kennedy’s death, his portrait hung in <a href="https://cspace.arts.arizona.edu/detail/7060fe5c-c80d-4677-b2f2">the homes of many</a> <a href="https://www.jfklibrary.org/about-us/social-media-podcasts-and-apps/jfk35-podcast/season-8/a-hundred-thousand-welcomes/transcript">American Catholics</a>, often adjacent to religious iconography such as Virgin Mary statuettes. Lincoln, meanwhile, became a kind of civic saint: His memorial in Washington, D.C., looks like a temple, with words from his speeches <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALincoln_Memorial_%28north_wall_interior%29.jpg?">etched into the walls</a>.</p>
  489. <h2>Why it happens and what it means</h2>
  490. <p>The hagiography of public figures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20414005.2024.2337558">serves several purposes</a>. It taps into deep human needs, helping grieving communities manage loss by providing moral clarity in the face of chaos. </p>
  491. <p>It also allows <a href="https://archive.org/details/weber-max.-the-theory-of-social-and-economic-organization-1947_202106">political movements to consolidate power by sanctifying their leaders and discouraging dissent</a>. And it reassures followers that their cause is righteous – even cosmic.</p>
  492. <p>In a polarized environment, the elevation of a figure into a saint does more than honor the individual. It turns a political struggle into a sacred one. <a href="https://ptsem.edu/about/the-quad/news/news-ruben-rosario-rodriguez/">If you see someone as a martyr</a>, then opposition to their movement is not merely disagreement, it is desecration. In this sense, hagiography is not simply about remembering the dead: It mobilizes the living.</p>
  493. <p><a href="https://keithharrishistory.com/students/hagiography">But there are risks</a>. Once someone is framed as a saint, criticism becomes taboo. The more sacralized a figure, the harder it becomes to discuss their flaws, mistakes or controversial actions. Hagiography flattens history and narrows democratic debate.</p>
  494. <p>After <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61585886">Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022</a>, for example, public mourning in the U.K. and abroad quickly elevated her legacy into a symbol of stability and continuity, with mass tributes, viral imagery and global ceremonies transforming <a href="https://thestoryexchange.org/queen-elizabeth-ii-complicated-legacy-following-death/">a complex reign</a> into a simplified story of devotion and service.</p>
  495. <p>It also fuels polarization. If one side’s leader is a martyr, then the other side must be villainous. The framing is simple but powerful.</p>
  496. <figure class="align-center ">
  497.            <img alt="Older man wearing white hate and red dress shirt holds two banners featuring the image of a young man in a suit superimposed over Jesus Christ." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=535&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=535&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692781/original/file-20250924-64-c3vob2.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=535&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/><figcaption>
  498.              <span class="caption">A supporter of Charlie Kirk holds banners outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., during Kirk’s public memorial service on Sept. 21, 2025.</span><br />
  499.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/supporter-of-charlie-kirk-and-us-president-donald-trump-news-photo/2236128111?adppopup=true">Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images</a></span><br />
  500.            </figcaption></figure>
  501. <p>In Kirk’s case, many of his supporters described him as a truth seeker whose death underscored a deeper moral message. At Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, President Donald Trump called him a “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/21/charlie-kirk-memorial/">martyr for American freedom</a>.” On social media, Turning Point USA and Kirk’s official X account described him as “<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/charlie-has-become-the-america-s-greatest-martyr-to-free-speech-charlie-kirk-s-x-handle-mourns-his-death/ar-AA1Mq05n">America’s greatest martyr to free speech</a>.” </p>
  502. <p>In doing so, they elevated his death as symbolic of larger battles <a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-death-black-pastors-reaction-sermons-222eb811b6681d29ccbb0547955ac42b">over censorship</a>. By emphasizing the fact that he died while simply speaking, they also reinforced the idea that liberals and the left are more likely to resort to violence to silence their ideological enemies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/right-wing-extremist-violence-is-more-frequent-and-more-deadly-than-left-wing-violence-what-the-data-shows-265367">even as evidence shows otherwise</a>.</p>
  503. <h2>The digital supercharge</h2>
  504. <p>Treating public figures like saints is not new, but the speed and scale of the process is. Over the past two decades, social media has turned hagiography from a slow cultural drift into a rapid-fire production cycle.</p>
  505. <p>Memes, livestreams and hashtags now allow anyone to canonize someone they admire. When NBA Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant died in 2020, <a href="https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2024/02/social-media-honors-kobe-bryant-on-the-four-year-anniversary-of-his-death.html">social media</a> was flooded within hours with devotional images, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jan/29/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-activist-mourning">murals and video compilations</a> that cast him as more than an athlete: He became a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39473692/kobe-bryant-murals-statue-unveiling-los-angeles-lakers">spiritual icon of perseverance</a>. </p>
  506. </p>
  507. <p>Similarly, after <a href="https://www.curbed.com/2020/09/ruth-bader-ginsburg-statue-brooklyn-cuomo.html">Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death</a>, the “Notorious RBG” meme ecosystem instantly expanded to include <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/649091879/notorious-rbg-art-print-ruth-bader">digital portraits</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/25/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-trademark-collar-dominates-week-of-tributes">and merchandise</a> that cast her as a saintly defender of justice.</p>
  508. <p>The <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/09/16/the-american-right-has-its-martyr-whats-next">same dynamics surrounded Charlie Kirk</a>. Within hours of his assassination, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOzxCf5lBOk/">memes appeared</a> of Kirk draped in an American flag, <a href="https://x.com/Independent/status/1969348859718439286/photo/1">being carried by Jesus</a>. </p>
  509. <p>In the days after his death, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dailydot/posts/an-unusual-video-circulated-online-this-week-showing-a-church-audience-applaudin/1168061608522726/">AI-generated audio clips of Kirk styled as “sermons” began circulating online</a>, while supporters <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/charlie-kirks-death-bizarrely-linked-to-bibles-john-12-23-verse-what-does-it-say-101758075834326.html">shared Bible verses</a> that they claimed matched the exact timing of his passing. Together, these acts cast his death in religious terms: It wasn’t just a political assassination – it was a moment of spiritual significance.</p>
  510. <p>Such clips and verses <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332650343_What_Drives_Virality_Sharing_of_Online_Digital_Content_The_Critical_Role_of_Information_Emotion_and_Brand_Prominence">spread effortlessly across social media</a>, where narratives about public figures <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391530008_The_Impact_of_Social_Media_on_Shaping_Contemporary_Cultural_Narratives_Author">can solidify within hours</a>, often before facts are confirmed, leaving little room for nuance or investigation.</p>
  511. <p>Easy-to-create memes and videos also <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361571985_Psychological_perspectives_on_participatory_culture_Core_motives_for_the_use_of_political_internet_memes">enable ordinary users to participate in a sacralization process</a>, making it more of a grassroots effort than something that’s imposed from the top down.</p>
  512. <p>In other words, digital culture transforms what was once the slow work of monuments and textbooks into a living, flexible folk religion of culture and politics.</p>
  513. <h2>Toward clearer politics</h2>
  514. <p>Hagiography will not disappear. It meets emotional and political needs too effectively. But acknowledging its patterns helps citizens and journalists resist its distortions. The task is not to deny grief or admiration but to <a href="https://unherd.com/2025/09/the-hagiography-of-charlie-kirk/">preserve space for nuance and accountability</a>.</p>
  515. <p>In the U.S., where <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340035414_Taking_America_Back_for_God_Christian_Nationalism_in_the_United_StatesChristian_Nationalism_in_the_United_States">religion, culture and politics frequently intertwine</a>, recognizing that sainthood in politics is always constructed – and often strategic – can better allow people to honor loss without letting mythmaking dictate the terms of public life.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265834/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  516. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/art-jipson-707139">Art Jipson</a>, Associate Professor of Sociology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-dayton-1726">University of Dayton</a></em></span></p>
  517. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr-265834">original article</a>.</p>
  518. </div>
  519. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/charlie-kirk-and-the-making-of-an-ai-generated-martyr/">Charlie Kirk and the making of an AI-generated martyr</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  520. ]]></content:encoded>
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  523. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  526. </item>
  527. <item>
  528. <title>Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce</title>
  529. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce/</link>
  530. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce/#respond</comments>
  532. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  533. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:53:02 +0000</pubDate>
  534. <category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category>
  535. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  536. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
  537. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  538. <category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
  539. <category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
  540. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  541. <category><![CDATA[Chuck Schumer]]></category>
  542. <category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
  543. <category><![CDATA[Federal Employees]]></category>
  544. <category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
  545. <category><![CDATA[Government Shut Down]]></category>
  546. <category><![CDATA[Polarization]]></category>
  547. <category><![CDATA[Republicans]]></category>
  548. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287369</guid>
  549.  
  550. <description><![CDATA[<p>A sign indicates the closing of federal services during the government shutdown in 2013. AP Photo/Susan Walsh Gonzalo Maturana, Emory University; Andrew Teodorescu, Stanford University, and Christoph Herpfer, University of Virginia As the federal fiscal year draws to a close, an increasingly familiar prospect is drawing near in Washington, D.C.: a possible government shutdown. And<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  551. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce/">Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  552. ]]></description>
  553. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
  554. <figure>
  555.      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692912/original/file-20250925-56-k1jkgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=0%2C16%2C1024%2C577&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  556.          A sign indicates the closing of federal services during the government shutdown in 2013.<br />
  557.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ShutdownTheAverageDay/9f7fe2fb32e14f85a59a0a90edc4401c/photo">AP Photo/Susan Walsh</a></span><br />
  558.        </figcaption></figure>
  559. <p>  <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gonzalo-maturana-2485664">Gonzalo Maturana</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/emory-university-1332">Emory University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-teodorescu-2488227">Andrew Teodorescu</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/stanford-university-890">Stanford University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christoph-herpfer-2485661">Christoph Herpfer</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-virginia-752">University of Virginia</a></em></span></p>
  560. <p>As the federal fiscal year draws to a close, an increasingly familiar prospect is drawing near in Washington, D.C.: a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-trump-schumer-jeffries-a214d540f0dbeb86ce776a5f56c382b0">possible government shutdown</a>. And for federal workers, it couldn’t come at a worse time.</p>
  561. <p>In the fractious and polarized political landscape of the United States, Democrats and Republicans have come to rely on <a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-to-know-about-continuing-resolutions/">short-term, stopgap funding bills</a> to keep the government operating in the absence of <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/introduction-to-the-federal-budget-process">elusive longer-term budget deals</a>. </p>
  562. <p>With the parties currently wide apart over the terms of even a short-term budget resolution, the government is set to shut down on Oct. 1, 2025, barring an 11th-hour deal that appears far off. If the shutdown does happen, it would mark another difficult moment this year for a federal workforce that has so far <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-government-shed-300000-workers-this-year-trumps-hr-chief-forecasts-2025-08-14/">shed more than 300,000 jobs</a>. This is largely due to ongoing Trump administration efforts to downsize parts of the federal government and restructure or largely eliminate certain government agencies with the stated aim of increasing efficiency.</p>
  563. <figure>
  564.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zF55F0Y3zD8?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
  565. </figure>
  566. <p>With a government shutdown, <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/11/07/impacts-and-costs-government-shutdown">hundreds of thousands of federal employees</a> would be furloughed – sent home without pay until funding resumes. </p>
  567. <p>As a team of financial economists who study labor markets and public sector employment and have examined millions of federal personnel records spanning such government shutdowns in the past, we have found that the consequences reach far beyond the now-familiar images of closed national parks and stalled federal services. Indeed, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3962279">based on our study</a> of an October 2013 shutdown during which about 800,000 <a href="https://www.bea.gov/help/faq/1032">federal employees were furloughed for 16 days</a>, shutdowns leave an enduring negative effect on the federal workforce, reshaping its composition and weakening its performance for years to come.</p>
  568. <h2>What happens to workers</h2>
  569. <p>Millions of Americans interact with the federal government every day in ways both big and small. More than <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60419">one-third of U.S. national spending</a> is routed through government programs, including Medicare and Social Security. Federal workers <a href="https://www.nps.gov/index.htm">manage national parks</a>, draft environmental regulations and help keep air travel safe. </p>
  570. <p>Whatever one’s political leanings, if the goal is a government that handles these responsibilities effectively, then attracting and retaining a talented workforce is essential.</p>
  571. <p>Yet the ability of the federal government to do so may be increasingly difficult, in part because prolonged shutdowns can have hidden effects.</p>
  572. <p>When Congress fails to pass appropriations, <a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs.pdf">federal agencies must furlough employees</a> whose jobs are not deemed “excepted” – sometimes commonly referred to as essential. Those excepted employees keep working, while others are barred from working or even volunteering until funding resumes. Furlough status reflects funding sources and mission categories, not an individual’s performance, so it confers no signal about an employee’s future prospects and primarily acts as a shock to morale.</p>
  573. <p>Importantly, furloughs do not create long-term wealth losses; back pay has always been granted and, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12251">since 2019, is legally guaranteed</a>. Employees therefore recover their pay even though they may face real <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-ut-state-wire-north-america-5d95c567185f4592b4a6e59fa9317f7c">financial strain in the short run</a>. </p>
  574. <p>A cynical observer might call furloughs a paid vacation, yet the data tells a different story. </p>
  575. <figure class="align-center ">
  576.            <img alt="An empty hallway in the U.S. Capitol." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692962/original/file-20250925-56-wu4ghl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/><figcaption>
  577.              <span class="caption">An American flag is seen inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Sept. 23, 2025, ahead of a looming government shutdown.</span><br />
  578.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/an-american-flag-is-seen-inside-the-u-s-capitol-building-on-news-photo/2236976507?adppopup=true">Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</a></span><br />
  579.            </figcaption></figure>
  580. <h2>Immediate consequences, longer-term effects</h2>
  581. <p>Using extensive administrative records on federal civilian workers from the October 2013 shutdown, we tracked how this shock to morale rippled through government operations. Employees exposed to furloughs <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3962279">were 31% more likely to leave their jobs</a> within one year. </p>
  582. <p>These departures were not quickly replaced, forcing agencies to rely on costly temporary workers and leading to measurable declines in core functions such as payment accuracy, legal enforcement and patenting activity. </p>
  583. <p>Further, we found that this exodus builds over the first two years after the shutdown and then settles into a permanently lower headcount, implying a durable loss of human capital. The shock to morale is more pronounced among young, female and highly educated professionals with plenty of outside options. Indeed, our analysis of survey data from a later 2018-2019 shutdown confirms that morale, not income loss, drives the exits. </p>
  584. <p>Employees who felt most affected reported a sharp drop in agency, control and recognition, and they were far more likely to plan a departure. </p>
  585. <p>The effect of the motivation loss is striking. Using a simple economic model where workers can be expected to value both cash and purpose, we estimate that the drop in intrinsic motivation after a shutdown would require a roughly 10% wage raise to offset. </p>
  586. <h2>Policy implications</h2>
  587. <p>Some people have argued that this outflow of employees amounts to a necessary trimming, a way to shrink government by a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24562740">so-called starving of the beast</a>. </p>
  588. <p>But the evidence paints a different picture. Agencies hit hardest by furloughs turned to temporary staffing firms to fill the gaps. Over the two years after the shutdown we analyzed, these agencies spent about US$1 billion more on contractors than they saved in payroll. </p>
  589. <p>The costs go beyond replacement spending, as government performance also suffers. Agencies that were more <a href="https://www.paymentaccuracy.gov">affected by the shutdown recorded higher rates</a> of inaccurate federal payments for several years. Even after partial recovery, losses amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars that taxpayers never recouped. </p>
  590. <p>Other skill-intensive functions declined as well. Legal enforcement fell in agencies that became short of experienced attorneys, and patenting activity dropped in science and engineering agencies after key inventors left. </p>
  591. <p>Official estimates of shutdown costs <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12248">typically focus on near-term GDP effects</a> and back pay. But our findings show that an even bigger bill comes later in the form of higher employee turnover, higher labor costs to fill gaps, and measurable losses in productivity. </p>
  592. <p>Shutdowns are blunt, recurring shocks that demoralize the public workforce and erode performance. These costs spill over to everyone who relies on government services. If the public wants efficient, accountable public institutions, then we should all care about avoiding shutdowns.</p>
  593. <p>After an already turbulent year, it is unclear whether an upcoming shutdown would significantly add to the strain on federal employees or have a more limited effect, since many who were considering leaving have already left through buyouts or forced terminations this year. What is clear is that hundreds of thousands of federal employees are likely to experience another period of uncertainty.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265723/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  594. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gonzalo-maturana-2485664">Gonzalo Maturana</a>, Associate Professor of Finance, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/emory-university-1332">Emory University</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-teodorescu-2488227">Andrew Teodorescu</a>, Ph.D. Candidate in Finance, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/stanford-university-890">Stanford University</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christoph-herpfer-2485661">Christoph Herpfer</a>, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-virginia-752">University of Virginia</a></em></span></p>
  595. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce-265723">original article</a>.</p>
  596. </div>
  597. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-a-brief-government-shutdown-might-hamper-morale-raise-costs-and-reduce-long-term-efficiency-in-the-federal-workforce/">Even a brief government shutdown might hamper morale, raise costs and reduce long-term efficiency in the federal workforce</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  598. ]]></content:encoded>
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  601. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  604. </item>
  605. <item>
  606. <title>TRUMP IS THE MADMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS</title>
  607. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/trump-is-the-madman-of-the-united-nations/</link>
  608. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/trump-is-the-madman-of-the-united-nations/#respond</comments>
  610. <dc:creator><![CDATA[CAGLE CARTOONS]]></dc:creator>
  611. <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:30:20 +0000</pubDate>
  612. <category><![CDATA[Cartoons]]></category>
  613. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  614. <category><![CDATA[International]]></category>
  615. <category><![CDATA[cartoon]]></category>
  616. <category><![CDATA[United Nations]]></category>
  617. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287366</guid>
  618.  
  619. <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trump-is-the-madman-of-the-united-nations/">TRUMP IS THE MADMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  620. ]]></description>
  621. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ddddddd.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="537" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-287367" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ddddddd.jpg 768w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ddddddd-300x210.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
  622. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trump-is-the-madman-of-the-united-nations/">TRUMP IS THE MADMAN OF THE UNITED NATIONS</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  623. ]]></content:encoded>
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  629. </item>
  630. <item>
  631. <title>Another Step Backwards</title>
  632. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/another-step-backwards/</link>
  633. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/another-step-backwards/#respond</comments>
  635. <dc:creator><![CDATA[ROBERT A. LEVINE, TMV Columnist]]></dc:creator>
  636. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 13:06:08 +0000</pubDate>
  637. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  638. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  639. <category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category>
  640. <category><![CDATA[Science & Technology]]></category>
  641. <category><![CDATA[H-1B visas]]></category>
  642. <category><![CDATA[research cuts]]></category>
  643. <category><![CDATA[STEM graduates]]></category>
  644. <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
  645. <category><![CDATA[trump]]></category>
  646. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287356</guid>
  647.  
  648. <description><![CDATA[<p>You have to wonder where these ideas originate. It’s almost as if President Trump wants to damage the nation, taking it from the most powerful and desirable nation in the world to a middling power. He seems to be going out of his way to ruin our most important attribute; the factor that makes us<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/another-step-backwards/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  649. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/another-step-backwards/">Another Step Backwards</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  650. ]]></description>
  651. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/aaaaaaaa-1-e1758895875831.jpg" alt="" width="760" height="426" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-287364" /> <img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aaaaa-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-286332" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aaaaa-300x200.jpg 300w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/aaaaa.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />You have to wonder where these ideas originate. It’s almost as if President Trump wants to damage the nation, taking it from the most powerful and desirable nation in the world to a middling power. He seems to be going out of his way to ruin our most important attribute; the factor that makes us so desirable to people in other nations and is also the backbone of our power- our ability to innovate.</p>
  652. <p>Innovation and entrepreneurship have built America’s economy, technology and military capabilities to be the world’s strongest. But Trump appears to be deliberately trying to tear it all down. He started by cutting funding for scientific and medical research, as if scientific ideas just came out of thin air. Our president has no concept of what science is all about and the laborious hours of work that researchers put in to develop and affirm new scientific theories and put them to practical use. Funding is required not only to pay scientists and researchers, but also support staff, and to buy whatever expensive equipment is necessary. Some funding comes from private companies but most of it originates from the federal government. While Trump is reducing federal funding for scientific research, China is expanding its research in all scientific fields in addition to its military.</p>
  653. <p>Trump has cut funding to government scientific agencies and the universities who were doing much of the research work. Not only did this reduction in funds destroy or stop projects currently being done, it also cut off funding for training post-doctorate fellows and young researchers, making future scientific work in America more difficult. China has 4-5 times as many STEM graduates annually as the U.S. and twice as many STEM PhDs. Trump’s actions will make the ratio even worse. And STEM students who were coming to US universities for undergraduate and graduate training has dropped dramatically because of the programs that were terminated.</p>
  654. <p>Now, in addition to cutting funding for scientific equipment and research, Trump wants to charge H-1B immigrants $100,000 dollars to come to the U.S. We need these H-1B immigrants to compensate for the STEM researchers we are not producing ourselves. The vast majority of H- 1B immigrants come from India, with some from China and other nations. We should be paying them to emigrate to the U.S. instead of making it more onerous by charging them a huge sum. This makes no sense at all as did the cuts in funding for scientific research. A majority of scientific patents in the U.S. are obtained by people who were not born in our nation. The leaders of many top technology companies in the U.S. also migrated to the U.S. in the past. Silicon Valley is particularly aggrieved by Trumps new H-1B fees, but all scientific research institutes, universities, technology and scientific companies will have more difficulties producing advances in science, technology and military fields. Trump seems to have no understanding of how the modern world functions and why the U.S. needs all legal immigrants, but especially H-1Bs in STEM and highly specialized fields.</p>
  655. <p>www.robertlevinebooks.com</p>
  656. <p>Buy The Uninformed Voter on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or at your local bookstore<br />
  657. <em><br />
  658. Top image: ID <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/old-torn-worn-us-flag-falling-to-pieces-black-background-tattered-american-symbol-breaking-parts-ai-generated-image317314117">317314117</a> | <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/tattered-us-flag.html">Tattered Us Flag</a> ©<br />
  659. <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/soundofsunset_info">SoundOfSunset</a> | <a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos">Dreamstime.com</a></em></p>
  660. <p>Posted at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)</p>
  661. <p>Tags: H-1B, immigrants, need for STEM graduates., science, technology, Trump payment for H-1B visas</p>
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  664. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/another-step-backwards/">Another Step Backwards</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
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  672. <item>
  673. <title>JIMMY KIMMEL BACK ON THE AIR (CARTOON)</title>
  674. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmel-back-on-the-air-cartoon/</link>
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  678. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 03:48:50 +0000</pubDate>
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  693. <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmel-back-on-the-air-cartoon/">JIMMY KIMMEL BACK ON THE AIR (CARTOON)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
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  703. </item>
  704. <item>
  705. <title>Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before</title>
  706. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/even-as-jimmy-kimmel-returns-to-the-airwaves-tv-networks-remain-more-vulnerable-to-political-pressure-than-ever-before/</link>
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  710. <pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 2025 03:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
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  732. <category><![CDATA[Richard Nixon]]></category>
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  734. <category><![CDATA[talk shows]]></category>
  735. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287350</guid>
  736.  
  737. <description><![CDATA[<p>ABC briefly suspended ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after the host made controversial remarks about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner Sage Meredith Goodwin, Purdue University and Oscar Winberg, University of Turku “Is there any way we can screw him?” asked President Richard M. Nixon. “We’ve been trying to,” an aide<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-as-jimmy-kimmel-returns-to-the-airwaves-tv-networks-remain-more-vulnerable-to-political-pressure-than-ever-before/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  738. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-as-jimmy-kimmel-returns-to-the-airwaves-tv-networks-remain-more-vulnerable-to-political-pressure-than-ever-before/">Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  739. ]]></description>
  740. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692280/original/file-20250922-56-i20bn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=0%2C156%2C3000%2C1687&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  741.          ABC briefly suspended ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after the host made controversial remarks about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.<br />
  742.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jimmy-kimmel-attends-the-american-film-institutes-46th-life-news-photo/969631060?adppopup=true">Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner</a></span><br />
  743.        </figcaption><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sage-meredith-goodwin-2484924">Sage Meredith Goodwin</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/purdue-university-1827">Purdue University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-winberg-2487442">Oscar Winberg</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-turku-1637">University of Turku</a></em></span></p>
  744. <p>“Is there any way we can screw him?” asked President Richard M. Nixon. </p>
  745. <p>“We’ve been trying to,” an aide replied, alluding to the White House’s efforts to remove from the airwaves an ABC talk show host whose critiques of the administration had placed that “son of a b—h” on the chief executive’s enemies list. </p>
  746. <p>Over 50 years ago, Nixon and his team <a href="https://uncpress.org/9781469690902/archie-bunker-for-president/">sought to use the full weight of the federal government</a> – with  calls to network executives, Federal Communications Commission complaints, IRS audits and FBI investigations – to silence “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063894/">The Dick Cavett Show</a>.”</p>
  747. <p>Cavett, who seemed to personify the liberalism that Nixon despised, had drawn the president’s ire by platforming anti-war activists like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKJ3G-otRA">John Kerry</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3211zSfwsAo">Jane Fonda</a>, along with left-wing radicals such as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/26/archives/tv-mailbag-talk-or-inflammatory-misinformation.html">Stokely Carmichael</a>.</p>
  748. <p>Nixon ultimately failed in his attempt to silence Cavett. ABC executives were committed to independent media, while the broadcasting industry as a whole had garnered the attention and trust of an enormous audience, which insulated them from political pressure.</p>
  749. <p>It’s a sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s second term, during which he has loudly announced his desire to rid the nation’s televisions of his critics, and is making headway in doing so. In July 2025, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-colbert-late-show-cbs-end-8bad9f16f076df62c0ffc50e9c8adbab">CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late night show</a>. While the network maintained this was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/22/donald-trump-colbert-jon-stewart-reaction-00467249">“purely a financial decision” based on ratings</a>, it came in the wake of Colbert mocking both the president and the network. </p>
  750. <p>“<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114874422468516376">I hear Kimmel is next</a>,” Trump crowed in the days after. Lo and behold, ABC briefly suspended Jimmy Kimmel on Sept. 17 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WeKjQ_F5_0">over comments the comedian made</a> about the response to the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/article/jimmy-kimmel-live-to-return-to-the-air-tuesday-after-suspension-for-charlie-kirk-comments-abc-says-195436080.html">The suspension was lifted five days later</a>, after it generated widespread backlash and became a flash point for free speech debates in the U.S.</p>
  751. <p>But why has Trump been able to shake up late-night TV in ways Nixon never could?</p>
  752. <p>It’s tempting to think of the network era – those decades in the 20th century when CBS, NBC and ABC dominated television – as a golden age of independent broadcasting and free expression. </p>
  753. <p>However, <a href="https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/history/research/center-for-american-political-history-and-technology/post-doctoral-fellows.html">as political historians of media</a>, we know from our research that TV has always been a battleground of politics, business interests and broadcasting ideals. </p>
  754. <p>The apparent appeasement of Trump by network executives shows just how much has changed in both the media and regulatory landscape since Nixon’s time. </p>
  755. <h2>Television’s decline</h2>
  756. <p>Direct pressure from the White House was the immediate catalyst for ABC’s decision to briefly pull the plug on Kimmel.</p>
  757. <p>Brendan Carr, the chair of the FCC, threatened ABC and its affiliates while speaking on the podcast of right-wing commentator Benny Johnson.</p>
  758. <p>“These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel,” <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/19/nx-s1-5546764/fcc-brendan-carr-kimmel-trump-free-speech">he said</a>, “or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Soon, Nexstar and Sinclair, which own dozens of ABC affiliates, announced that they would pull the show, forcing ABC to act.  </p>
  759. <p>That said, network television’s fading place in the American media ecosystem probably made the call a whole lot easier. </p>
  760. <p>When Nixon was trying to nix “The Dick Cavett Show,” the program <a href="https://archive.org/details/televisionbusine00brow/">averaged 5 million viewers</a> a night. The rival “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055708/">Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson</a>” regularly pulled in <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/stephen-colbert-exit-late-night-tv-over-1236338093/">11 million viewers</a>.</p>
  761. <p>Yet even Cavett’s relatively smaller audience is more than double what Kimmel and his colleagues in late night television <a href="https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/late-night-tv-ratings-q2-2025/#:%7E:text=All%20told%2C%20the%20Stephen%20Colbert,Jimmy%20Fallon%20%281.19%20million%29.">can count on</a> today. </p>
  762. <p><a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691246666/247-politics?srsltid=AfmBOooWcGBiDRHvscW9Am-dJpEXdUpxcmyFTQbEgxnNXQD2EzCpbMne">The rise of cable</a> loosened the networks’ chokehold on TV news and entertainment in the late 20th century. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534709/the-code-by-margaret-omara/">The internet</a> – followed by the advent of podcasts, streaming and social media – merely accelerated this trend. </p>
  763. <p>By the 2010s, more viewers were watching clips of late night talk shows on their phones and computers than on television. Today, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonifitzgerald/2025/06/16/more-than-a-quarter-of-americans-no-longer-watch-live-tv-study-says/">over 40% of people under 30</a> say they don’t watch broadcast or cable TV. </p>
  764. <p>Kimmel does have over <a href="https://www.youtube.com/jimmykimmellive">20 million subscribers on YouTube</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jimmykimmellive/?hl=en">millions more</a> on social media, but ABC has struggled to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/29/late-night-tv-stephen-colbert-canceled-trump">monetize this following</a>. </p>
  765. <p>In short, late night <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-reverse-late-night-tvs-decline-177028">is no longer the TV crown jewel it once was</a>. As a result, it’s far easier for executives to decide to cut the cord on a Kimmel or a Colbert. </p>
  766. <h2>Deregulation and consolidation</h2>
  767. <p>Broadcasting has always been a business where those at the top are swayed by the bottom line. </p>
  768. <p>But back in Cavett’s day, top decision-makers at the networks were still dyed-in-the-wool broadcasting executives. Leonard Goldenson, the president of ABC whom Nixon’s aides hounded, <a href="https://archive.org/details/beatingoddsun00gold">had created the network from scratch</a> and was invested in the ideals of independent media. Over at CBS, founder William S. Paley had spent decades <a href="https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/169504/">building the network’s brand and reputation</a> and held similar beliefs. They wanted to shield the respectability of their networks, which made them more resolute when confronted with political attacks.</p>
  769. <p>Now, however, the ultimate decisions about what happens at ABC and CBS are made by executives at the megacorporations that own them.</p>
  770. <p>Decades of deregulation – in particular, the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2017/2/8/14500978/telecommunications-act-1996-regulation-update-telecom-policy">Telecommunications Act of 1996</a>, which spurred a wave of media mergers and consolidation – have allowed broadcasting today to be dominated by a handful of massive conglomerates. They own not only the networks, but also studios, cable channels and internet services. </p>
  771. <p>These media giants need government approval to further expand their empires. This includes the <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/paramount-skydance-deal-closes-1236477281/">US$8 billion merger</a> that made Paramount Skydance the owner of CBS in summer 2025 – a deal that was approved just a week after CBS announced the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Disney, which owns ABC, also has major deals pending <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/19/nx-s1-5546764/fcc-brendan-carr-kimmel-trump-free-speech">that require the government’s go-ahead</a>. </p>
  772. <p>If the ultimate goal is ever-increasing profits for shareholders, getting rid of a late night show may seem like a small price to pay – especially if a particular program threatens the government’s sign-off on a massive deal.</p>
  773. <h2>Charging ‘liberal bias’</h2>
  774. <p>The decline of ratings and media consolidation has left television more vulnerable to attempts at political intimidation than ever before.</p>
  775. <p>Trump is far from the first conservative to use the television networks as a political punching bag. His strategy of tarring national broadcasters with the brush of “liberal media bias” can be traced back to <a href="https://www.pennpress.org/9780812224306/messengers-of-the-right/">right-wing media activists</a> who, as early as the 1940s, argued that the mainstream media shut out conservative ideas and voices.</p>
  776. <figure class="align-center ">
  777.            <img alt="Elderly female holds sign reading 'Disney/ABC bows to Trump extortion.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/692236/original/file-20250922-66-dg1vnl.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/><figcaption>
  778.              <span class="caption">People protest in New York City against ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel from his late night show.</span><br />
  779.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-participate-in-a-protest-organized-by-the-writers-news-photo/2235767861?adppopup=true">Stephanie Keith/Getty Images</a></span><br />
  780.            </figcaption></figure>
  781. <p>Nixon, convinced that the nation’s television industry was against him, <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/making-the-liberal-media/9780231218368/">brought those tactics to the White House</a>. In public, he relied on his vice president, Spiro Agnew, to <a href="https://theconversation.com/he-was-trump-before-trump-vp-spiro-agnew-attacked-the-news-media-50-years-ago-122980">slam the networks</a> as part of an irresponsibly hostile liberal “unelected elite” with “vast power.” In private, <a href="https://press.umich.edu/Books/A/Assault-on-the-Media">Nixon abused the office of the presidency</a> to harass and intimidate broadcasting reporters, directors and executives. </p>
  782. <p>These tactics largely failed. But in Nixon’s wake, partisan media activists like former Fox News executive <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/214243/the-loudest-voice-in-the-room-by-gabriel-sherman/">Roger Ailes</a> and radio host <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674185012">Rush Limbaugh</a> continued to popularize the idea of “liberal media bias” within the conservative movement. </p>
  783. <p>Today, Trump’s charges of “liberal bias” or “fake news” galvanize his supporters – and make media executives sweat – because they’re a key part of modern right-wing identity.</p>
  784. <p>But the president’s no-holds-barred approach is unprecedented. By threatening broadcasting licenses, instigating investigations and filing lawsuits – all while declaring the mainstream media “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/books/enemy-of-the-people/">the enemy of the people</a>” – Trump has turned the dial up to 11. </p>
  785. <p>His administration’s success in temporarily getting Kimmel off the air is obviously one more chapter in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohPToBog_-g">an ongoing crisis for free speech</a>. Unfortunately, given the trends in the relationship between American media and politics over the past half-century, it likely won’t be the last.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265653/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  786. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sage-meredith-goodwin-2484924">Sage Meredith Goodwin</a>, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for American Political History and Technology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/purdue-university-1827">Purdue University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-winberg-2487442">Oscar Winberg</a>, Postdoctoral Fellow, Turku Institute for Advanced Studies &#038; John Morton Center for North American Studies, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-turku-1637">University of Turku</a></em></span></p>
  787. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-as-jimmy-kimmel-returns-to-the-airwaves-tv-networks-remain-more-vulnerable-to-political-pressure-than-ever-before-265653">original article</a>.</p>
  788. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/even-as-jimmy-kimmel-returns-to-the-airwaves-tv-networks-remain-more-vulnerable-to-political-pressure-than-ever-before/">Even as Jimmy Kimmel returns to the airwaves, TV networks remain more vulnerable to political pressure than ever before</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  789. ]]></content:encoded>
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  795. </item>
  796. <item>
  797. <title>JIMMY KIMMY WILL RETURN TO ABC TUESDAY NIGHT</title>
  798. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmy-will-return-to-abc-tuesday-night/</link>
  799. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmy-will-return-to-abc-tuesday-night/#respond</comments>
  801. <dc:creator><![CDATA[JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief]]></dc:creator>
  802. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 23:44:13 +0000</pubDate>
  803. <category><![CDATA[Authoritarianism]]></category>
  804. <category><![CDATA[Breaking News]]></category>
  805. <category><![CDATA[Comedy]]></category>
  806. <category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
  807. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  808. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
  809. <category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
  810. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  811. <category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
  812. <category><![CDATA[abc]]></category>
  813. <category><![CDATA[censorship]]></category>
  814. <category><![CDATA[Comedians]]></category>
  815. <category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category>
  816. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  817. <category><![CDATA[FCC]]></category>
  818. <category><![CDATA[Jimmy Kimmel]]></category>
  819. <category><![CDATA[Late Night Television]]></category>
  820. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287342</guid>
  821.  
  822. <description><![CDATA[<p>Jimmy Kimmel will resume his talk show Tuesday night. In the wake of its Trump-favored, furor-sparking decision to pull comedian the comedian off the air last week, Disney and and ABC have announced that the comedian will be back. His being yankede off the air became a flash-point for freedom of speech issues, and triggered<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmy-will-return-to-abc-tuesday-night/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  823. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmy-will-return-to-abc-tuesday-night/">JIMMY KIMMY WILL RETURN TO ABC TUESDAY NIGHT</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  824. ]]></description>
  825. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DDDDDSNY.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="592" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-287343" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DDDDDSNY.jpg 768w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/DDDDDSNY-300x231.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></p>
  826. <p>Jimmy Kimmel will resume his talk show Tuesday night.</p>
  827. <p>In the wake of its Trump-favored, furor-sparking decision to pull comedian the comedian off the air last week, Disney and and ABC have announced that the comedian will be back. His being yankede off the air  became a flash-point for freedom of speech issues, and triggered <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=9594ada01a48a169&#038;rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS751US751&#038;sxsrf=AE3TifOM4GMO3zXY8NC0--_ntuAQIMSTUg:1758582674842&#038;q=Disney+lost+billions+kimmel&#038;sa=X&#038;ved=2ahUKEwiNqJH9vu2PAxX2PkQIHZC2L7sQ7xYoAHoECA0QAQ&#038;biw=1366&#038;bih=641&#038;dpr=1">a boycott that reportedly cost the company billions.</a></p>
  828. <p><a href="https://www.memeorandum.com/250922/p94#a250922p94">The New York Times:</a></p>
  829. <blockquote><p>Jimmy Kimmel is coming back.</p>
  830. <p>ABC said on Monday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return to its airwaves on Tuesday, ending an impasse that began last week.</p>
  831. <p>“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said in a statement.</p>
  832. <p>“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the statement said. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”</p>
  833. <p>Disney did not say whether all ABC affiliates, some of which balked at carrying “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week, would carry Tuesday’s show.</p></blockquote>
  834. <p><a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-returns-late-night-disney-tuesday-1236525670/">Variety:</a></p>
  835. <blockquote><p>,,,,Disney’s decision to bench one of its signature personalities came after two major station owners, Nexstar Media and Sinclair, said they would pre-empt his program following a Kimmel monologue last Monday during which he offered remarks tied to the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Those announcements came after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr appeared to suggest to broadcasters they ought to work to curb Kimmel and force ABC to remove him from its schedule.</p>
  836. <p>And yet, after Kimmel was taken off the air, Disney faced protest from the creative community. On Monday, 400 celebrities — including people like Martin Short and Tom Hanks, who have created memorable characters for Disney in the recent past — signed a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union decrying the blow the maneuver delivered to free speech in America. First Amendment advocates from both sides of the political aisle have decried the situation in recent days.</p>
  837. <p>The decision to bring Kimmel back was approved by Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, and Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, according to a person familiar with the matter. The executives acted based on what was best for the company, this person said, and not on external factors. Indeed, it remains unclear if all ABC affiliates will air Kimmel’s program. Spokespersons for Nexstar and Sinclair could not be reached for immediate comment.</p>
  838. <p>It is not clear if Kimmel will offer an apology for his remarks, but whatever he and Disney executives agreed to have him do will be seen Tuesday night. In the past, late-night hosts have had to tender apologies for remarks that offended, with David Letterman, Bill Maher and Samantha Bee among those who had to express regret for jokes or one-liners that caused more outrage than laughter.</p>
  839. <p>The comedian offended conservatives by discussing some of the theories about Kirk’s death, caused by an assassin who shot him in Utah. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said. He also poked fun at President Trump’s response to a question from the press about how he was mourning Kirk’s death after Trump pivoted to a discussion of the construction of a new White House ballroom.</p></blockquote>
  840. <p>And:</p>
  841. <blockquote><p>Disney’s decision to take Kimmel off the air put a new spotlight on how uncertain traditional media companies have become in an era when the White House and the Federal Communications Commission pounce on individual reports with comments and legal pushback. President Trump has in recent months sued both ABC News and CBS News for comments made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos and the editing of an interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes.” In both cases, the companies agreed to pay multi-million dollar settlements, even though the legal cases were deemed to be quite flimsy by experts.</p>
  842. <p>In a different era, late-night hosts were more measured in their commentary. Johnny Carson famously kept his politics to himself, while poking fun at whoever happened to be in the White House. In recent years, however, hot talk and political humor have driven social-media chatter and viral pass-along — and ratings. Meanwhile, the audiences for the programs have begun to dwindle, with an increasing number of would-be viewers opting to sift through clips of the various shows on social media the day after the original episodes aired. Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” on CBS has been the most watched of TV’s late-night programs as the host followed a theme of commenting on the latest headlines. For a good part of Colbert’s tenure on TV, President Trump has been at the center of them.</p></blockquote>
  843. <p><a href="https://mediagazer.com/250922/p13#a250922p13">The Hollywood Reporter:</a></p>
  844. <blockquote><p>The suspension drew quick praise from President Trump and some vocal right-wing “FAFO” Kimmel critics online, but few others.</p>
  845. <p>Instead, it sparked a massive outpouring of criticism of Disney, Nexstar and Sinclair for caving to pressure. Media pundits, politicians, Hollywood unions, celebrities, other talk show hosts and even some Republican leaders (such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul) condemned the series of the events as a dangerous step toward networks becoming state-run media, with many framing it as a potential “tipping point” moment if Disney didn’t reverse its decision. Some people online pledged to unsubscribe and boycott Disney subsidiaries such as Disney+ and Hulu.</p>
  846. <p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.” Former President Barack Obama also weighed in, writing, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t.”</p>
  847. <p>Ben Stiller wrote on X, “This isn’t right.” Jamie Lee Curtis — who previously shared a post grieving over Kirk — expressed her support for Kimmel. Emmy winner Jean Smart said she was “horrified” by the move. Podcast pioneer Marc Maron wrote, “If you have any concern or belief in real freedom or the constitution and free speech, this is. This is the deciding moment, this is what authoritarianism looks like in this country, it’s happening.”</p>
  848. <p>Hollywood unions — including SAG-AFTRA and the WGA — slammed the decision. “The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other — to disturb, even — is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people,” the WGA wrote in a statement. “It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.” On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union released an open letter signed by some 400 actors, writers, musicians and filmmakers — among them Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Ramy Youssef and Kerry Washington — condemning Kimmel’s suspension and supporting free speech.</p>
  849. <p>Of course, Kimmel’s return also comes at a tumultuous moment for late night TV more generally, with Stephen Colbert’s Late Show set to end in May after being canceled by CBS. The decision by CBS raised eyebrows across the industry, coming just days before the FCC approved the transfer of broadcast licenses to its new owner Skydance, effectively allowing the deal to close.</p>
  850. <p>Kimmel’s current contract, it should be noted, ends next year, and he has raised the specter of retirement in the past. Whether the suspension by ABC means that he is more likely to exit, or double down and stay with the company, remains to be seen.</p></blockquote>
  851. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/jimmy-kimmy-will-return-to-abc-tuesday-night/">JIMMY KIMMY WILL RETURN TO ABC TUESDAY NIGHT</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  852. ]]></content:encoded>
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  858. </item>
  859. <item>
  860. <title>Trump’s manic assault on traditional media: seven days of hate and vengeance</title>
  861. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/</link>
  862. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/#respond</comments>
  864. <dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
  865. <pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 22:40:47 +0000</pubDate>
  866. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  867. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  868. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  869. <category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
  870. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287321</guid>
  871.  
  872. <description><![CDATA[<p>Breaking: Kimmel Live to return to the air on Tuesday Last week, the White House executed a rapid fire volley on traditional media organizations and people he perceives as enemies, like New York Attorney General Letitia James. Monday, President Trump sued the New York Times and Random House for defamation, asking $15 billion in damages.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  873. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/">Trump&#8217;s manic assault on traditional media: seven days of hate and vengeance</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  874. ]]></description>
  875. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="highlight"><p>
  876. Breaking: Kimmel Live to return to the air on Tuesday
  877. </p></blockquote>
  878. <p class="ledeGraph">Last week, the White House executed a rapid fire volley on traditional media organizations and people he perceives as enemies, like New York Attorney General Letitia James. </p>
  879. <p><strong>Monday</strong>, President Trump <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-files-15-billion-defamation-case-against-new-york-times-penguin-random-2025-09-16/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sued the New York Times and Random House</a> for defamation, asking $15 billion in damages. (On Friday, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62n7025wdgo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Florida federal judge struck down the suit</a>; Trump&#8217;s lawyers have 28 days to respond.)</p>
  880. <p>In addition, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ would &#8220;absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.&#8221;</p>
  881. <p><strong>Tuesday</strong>, Bondi walked back her podcast comment. (&#8220;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Move fast and break things</a>.&#8221;) Bondi: &#8216;I didn&#8217;t mean what I said&#8217; (paraphrased).</p>
  882. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>Bondi told Axios in a written statement that she was talking about criminal groups or people that incite violence, not those who said hateful things about the slaying last week of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a friend of Bondi&#8217;s.
  883. </p></blockquote>
  884. <p>Nevertheless, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-slams-abc-news-jon-karl-after-he-questions-him-pam-bondis-hate-speech-comments" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trump responded to a question about Bondi&#8217;s comment</a> from ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl by attacking the journalist:</p>
  885. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>
  886. &#8220;She’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly,&#8221; Trump replied, speaking over Karl as he asked if that would be appropriate. &#8220;You have a lot of hate in your heart. Maybe they will come after ABC. ABC paid me $16 million recently for a form of hate speech. Your company paid me $16 million for a form of hate speech, so maybe they will have to go after you.&#8221;
  887. </p></blockquote>
  888. <p><strong>Wednesday</strong> was Jimmy Kimmel day. First, Federal Communications Commission Chairman <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/corporate-america-ushers-in-orwells-nineteen-eighty-four/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brendan Carr addressed Kimmel&#8217;s Monday night monologue</a> on right-winger Benny Johnson’s podcast:</p>
  889. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”</p></blockquote>
  890. <p>In short order, Nexstar told ABC (the parent broadcast company) that it was pulling Kimmel Live from its local ABC licensees. Nexstar has a pending acquisition that requires the FCC approval and for the agency to vacate its ownership rule. Then ABC said Kimmel Live was indefinitely suspended (not cancelled, despite Trump&#8217;s glee).</p>
  891. <div style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/trump-kimmel-wednesday2x/" rel="attachment wp-att-287323"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-kimmel-wednesday@2x.png" alt="Trump crows over Kimmel Live suspension." width="1182" height="571" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-287323" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-kimmel-wednesday@2x.png 1182w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-kimmel-wednesday@2x-300x145.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1182px) 100vw, 1182px" /></a></div>
  892. <p><strong>Thursday</strong>, Trump threatened that <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/froomkin.bsky.social/post/3lz54uzjij227" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carr might take licenses away</a> from local stations because TV news hadn&#8217;t kowtowed to him:</p>
  893. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>“I have read someplace that the networks were 97% against me again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily,” Trump said abroad Air Force One. “I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
  894. <p>He was on a roll that continued on <strong>Friday</strong>:</p>
  895. <blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:26tsf647wqnoo7umh4ywwz7a/app.bsky.feed.post/3lz7rdza4ys2z" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreicod6eiewinospyme5phudt3wt7likwtxhsw4qjxp6pmjwfmwupma" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode="system">
  896. <p lang="en">Trump:</p>
  897. <p>&quot;The newscasts are against me&#8230; They&#x27;ll take a great story and they&#x27;ll make it bad. I think that&#x27;s really illegal&quot;.</p>
  898. <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:26tsf647wqnoo7umh4ywwz7a/post/3lz7rdza4ys2z?ref_src=embed">[image or embed]</a></p>
  899. <p>&mdash; Adam Schwarz (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:26tsf647wqnoo7umh4ywwz7a?ref_src=embed">@adamjschwarz.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:26tsf647wqnoo7umh4ywwz7a/post/3lz7rdza4ys2z?ref_src=embed">September 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM</a></p></blockquote>
  900. <p><script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
  901. <p>The strangest muttering happened <strong>Saturday</strong>, when Trump appeared to write a direct message to Bondi but instead posted it publicly. In a reality-based world with a Congress equipped with backbones, <a href="https://www.memeorandum.com/250922/p52#a250922p52" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this would be grounds for immediate impeachment</a> (never mind the Twilight Zone of governing via TruthSocial):</p>
  902. <div style="margin-left: 20px;"><a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/trump-bondi-dm2x/" rel="attachment wp-att-287327"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-bondi-DM@2x.png" alt="Trump calls for Bondi to prosecute perceived enemies" width="1183" height="1049" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-287327" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-bondi-DM@2x.png 1183w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trump-bondi-DM@2x-300x266.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1183px) 100vw, 1183px" /></a> </div>
  903. <p>The diatribe followed his <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5547837/us-attorney-virginia-resigns-letitia-james-probe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pushing out a career DOJ lawyer for failing to prosecute</a> James.</p>
  904. <p>Finally, at <strong>Sunday&#8217;s</strong> memorial to Chalier Kirk, Trump continued to engage in hateful speech, speech that is escalating almost daily. From Alexander Howard, an open government strategist:</p>
  905. <blockquote class="highlight"><p>It is extraordinary that a President explicitly embraced hatred for his perceived political opponents — American citizens he serves — at a religious memorial event oriented around a gospel that explicitly centers love for neighbors, even after decades of demonstrating who he is, &#038; what he believes.</p></blockquote>
  906. <p>As <a href="https://medium.com/whither-news/the-nation-is-lost-c134bc22da64" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jeff Jarvis says</a>, Saturday&#8217;s directive to Bondi to prosecute a hit list regardless of evidence may be the most critical of the week&#8217;s imperatives. And we <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/maxkennerly.bsky.social/post/3lzhdskmzts26" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cannot expect the Supreme Court to corral him</a> as they prepare to overturn 90 years of precedent in his firing of the Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission.</p>
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  917. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trumps-manic-assault-on-traditional-media-seven-days-of-hate-and-vengeance/">Trump&#8217;s manic assault on traditional media: seven days of hate and vengeance</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  918. ]]></content:encoded>
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  925. <item>
  926. <title>Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated — but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump</title>
  927. <link>https://themoderatevoice.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump/</link>
  928. <comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump/#respond</comments>
  930. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
  931. <pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2025 15:37:59 +0000</pubDate>
  932. <category><![CDATA[Comedy]]></category>
  933. <category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
  934. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
  935. <category><![CDATA[Government]]></category>
  936. <category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
  937. <category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
  938. <category><![CDATA[abc]]></category>
  939. <category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
  940. <category><![CDATA[Charlie Kirk]]></category>
  941. <category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category>
  942. <category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
  943. <category><![CDATA[employers]]></category>
  944. <category><![CDATA[FCC]]></category>
  945. <category><![CDATA[first amendment]]></category>
  946. <category><![CDATA[free speech]]></category>
  947. <category><![CDATA[Jimmy Kimmel]]></category>
  948. <category><![CDATA[Supreme Court]]></category>
  949. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=287318</guid>
  950.  
  951. <description><![CDATA[<p>A crowd protests in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2025, after the suspension of the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ taping earlier in the day. David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP, Getty Images Wayne Unger, Quinnipiac University The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked a wave of political commentary. There were the respectful<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump/"> [&#8230;]</a></p>
  952. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump/">Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated &#8212; but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
  953. ]]></description>
  954. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>      <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/691949/original/file-20250919-56-p6bt86.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&#038;rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C4000&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" /><figcaption>
  955.          A crowd protests in Hollywood, Calif., on Sept. 18, 2025, after the suspension of the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ taping earlier in the day.<br />
  956.          <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/protesters-hold-signs-reading-free-jimmy-kimmel-free-speech-news-photo/2235639366?adppopup=true">David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP, Getty Images</a></span><br />
  957.        </figcaption><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wayne-unger-1503965">Wayne Unger</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/quinnipiac-university-2032">Quinnipiac University</a></em></span></p>
  958. <p>The assassination of <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-was-charlie-kirk-the-activist-who-turned-campus-politics-into-national-influence-265056">conservative activist Charlie Kirk</a> has sparked a wave of political commentary. </p>
  959. <p>There were the respectful and sincere comments condemning the killing. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/17/obama-kirk-shooting-00570397">Former President Barack Obama said</a>, “What happened was a tragedy and … I mourn for him and his family.” And <a href="https://youtu.be/lxNQdpMTcVQ?si=Dx19ULzD6q1wRyC9">former Vice President Mike Pence said</a>, “I’m heartsick about what happened to him.”</p>
  960. <p>But Kirk’s killing also elicited what many saw as inappropriate comments. MSNBC <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/msnbc-fires-matthew-dowd-charlie-kirk-shooting">terminated commentator Matthew Dowd</a> after he said, “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” American Airlines grounded <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2025/09/15/american-airlines-pilot-grounded-after-mocking-charlie-kirk-shooting/">pilots accused of celebrating Kirk’s death</a>. </p>
  961. <p>Perhaps the most notable reaction to remarks seen as controversial about the Kirk killing hit ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c203n52x1y9o">His network suspended him indefinitely</a> after comments that he made about the alleged shooter in Kirk’s death. </p>
  962. <p><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jimmy-kimmel-hollywood-reacts-pulled-off-air-charlie-kirk-abc-disney-rcna232069">Countless defenders of Kimmel quickly responded</a> to his indefinite suspension as an attack on the First Amendment. <a href="https://x.com/chrislhayes/status/1968442008957030669">MSNBC host Chris Hayes posted</a> the following on X: “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.” </p>
  963. <p>But is it? </p>
  964. <figure>
  965.            <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rekl479NSEI?wmode=transparent&amp;start=50" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s statement about how Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks could hurt ABC affiliate stations.</span></figcaption></figure>
  966. <h2>Free speech? It depends</h2>
  967. <p>The First Amendment limits government officials from infringing one’s right to free speech and expression. </p>
  968. <p>For example, the government <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/319/624">cannot force someone</a> to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or salute the American flag, because the First Amendment, <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/319/624">as one Supreme Court justice wrote</a>, “includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all.”</p>
  969. <p>And government cannot limit speech that it finds disagreeable while <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/15-1293_1o13.pdf">permitting other speech that it favors</a>.</p>
  970. <p>However, the First Amendment does not apply to private employers. With the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt13-1/ALDE_00000991/">exception of the 13th Amendment</a>, which generally prohibits slavery, the Constitution applies only to government and those acting on its behalf. </p>
  971. <p>So, as a general rule, employers are free to discipline employees for their speech – even the employees’ speech outside of the workplace. In this way, U.S. Sen. <a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1966636280847953922">Lindsey Graham correctly said on X</a>, “Free speech doesn’t prevent you from being fired if you’re stupid and have poor judgment.”</p>
  972. <p>This is why Amy Cooper’s employer, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124657916/amy-cooper-central-park-job">an investment firm</a>, was free to <a href="https://people.com/the-true-story-behind-christian-cooper-and-amy-cooper-s-central-park-birdwatching-incident-7510993">terminate her following her 2020 verbal dispute</a> in New York’s Central Park with a bird-watcher over her unleashed dog. She called the police, falsely claiming that the bird-watcher, a Black man, was threatening her life. The incident, captured on video, went viral and Cooper was fired, with her employer saying, “We do not condone racism of any kind.”</p>
  973. <p>This is also why <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/22/she-destroyed-my-life-roseanne-barr-blames-co-star-sara-gilbert-for-sitcoms-demise">ABC was able to fire Roseanne Barr</a> from the revival of her show, “Roseanne,” after she posted a tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a Black woman who had been a top aide to President Obama, that many viewed as racist.</p>
  974. <p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Q4QLZWEAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">But as a scholar of constitutional law, I believe</a> Kimmel’s situation is not as straightforward. </p>
  975. <figure class="align-center zoomable">
  976.            <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="A small monument made out of marble has the First Amendment to the US Constitution printed on it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/691947/original/file-20250919-56-gwab1x.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
  977.              <span class="caption">A marble plaque inscribed with the First Amendment sits on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pa.</span><br />
  978.              <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/marble-plaque-reading-of-the-first-amendment-to-the-u-s-news-photo/603241346?adppopup=true">Raymond Boyd/Getty Images</a></span><br />
  979.            </figcaption></figure>
  980. <h2>Threat complicates things</h2>
  981. <p>Neither Cooper’s employer nor Barr’s employer faced any government pressure to terminate them. </p>
  982. <p>Kimmel’s indefinite suspension followed a vague threat from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/jimmy-kimmel-live-pulled-off-air-indefinitely-by-abc-over-charlie-kirk-shooting-comments-235240704.html">Brendan Carr</a>. As complaints about Kimmel’s statement <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/technology/kimmel-carr-outrage-online.html">exploded in conservative media</a>, Carr suggested in a podcast interview that Kimmel’s statements could lead to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/17/media/jimmy-kimmel-charlie-kirk-trump-fcc-brendan-carr">the FCC revoking ABC affiliate stations’ licenses</a>. </p>
  983. <p>“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said.</p>
  984. <p>But the Supreme Court has been crystal clear. Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors. </p>
  985. <p>In a 2024 case, <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-842_6kg7.pdf">National Rifle Association v. Vullo</a>, a unanimous Supreme Court plainly said that the government’s threat of invoking legal sanctions and other coercion to suppress speech it doesn’t like violates the First Amendment. That principle is so profound and fundamental that it got support from every member of an often bitterly divided court. </p>
  986. <p>A threat to revoke broadcast licenses would almost certainly be seen in a court of law as a government action tantamount to coercion. And Carr’s public comments undoubtedly connect that threat to Kimmel’s disfavored comments.</p>
  987. <p>If the FCC had indeed moved to strip ABC affiliates of their licenses to broadcast because of what Kimmel said, ABC and its parent company, Disney, could have sued the FCC to block the license revocations on First Amendment grounds, citing the NRA v. Vullo case. </p>
  988. <p>But the network seemingly caved to the coercive threat instead of fighting for Kimmel. This is why so many are decrying the Kimmel suspension as an attack on free speech and the First Amendment – even though they might not fully understand the law they’re citing.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265703/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
  989. <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wayne-unger-1503965">Wayne Unger</a>, Associate Professor of Law, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/quinnipiac-university-2032">Quinnipiac University</a></em></span></p>
  990. <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump-265703">original article</a>.</p>
  991. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/why-jimmy-kimmels-first-amendment-rights-werent-violated-but-abcs-would-be-protected-if-it-stood-up-to-the-fcc-and-trump/">Why Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated &#8212; but ABC’s would be protected if it stood up to the FCC and Trump</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.</p>
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