Fall is in the air. The edges of the leaves are starting to change color. The breeze actually has a chill. And today, temperatures will barely hit 70 degrees. It’s light-layer weather. It’s reading-outside-with-a-warm beverage weather. It’s the weather this region was made for. 

Let’s do the news. 

Talk Show Host Says Something True, Gets Canned: In his Tuesday night monologue, Jimmy Kimmel talked about Republicans’ reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death. By Wednesday evening, he was off the air indefinitely. “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he said in the monologue. Every word of that statement is true. And it’s well within the bounds of typical late-night commentary. But the next day, FCC chair Brendan Carr went on a right-wing podcast and said that Kimmel’s comments about Kirk were “the sickest conduct possible,” and suggested his FCC could revoke ABC affiliate licenses as a way to force Disney to punish Kimmel. “We at the FCC are going to force the public interest obligation. There are broadcasters out there that don’t like it, they can turn in their license in to the FCC,” Carr said. 

How Are People Reacting to All This Fascism? Trump celebrated on Truth Social: “Great News for America,” he wrote. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.” Sinclair, which owns many local ABC affiliates, said they would only allow him back on the air if he made a substantial cash donation to Kirk’s family and to Turning Point USA. But everyone outside of the MAGA-sphere is calling this what it is: Government censorship and a violation of the First Amendment. In a joint letter, Democratic leadership called for Carr to resign. “Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s war on the First Amendment is blatantly inconsistent with American values,” they wrote, promising an aggressive investigation. “This will not be forgotten.” 

Trump Wants to Declare Antifa a Terrorist Organization: On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.” He’s made this threat before, and it’s not clear how exactly he plans to do it. Antifa isn’t an organization, and the far-right sees “antifa activists” around every corner, in every crowd, and behind every statement that makes them feel rotten inside. And because of that, any designation as a terror organization would likely target any activists who disagree with the right. 

So Naturally, the PNW’s Right Wing Is Thrilled: Post Millennial “reporter” Katie Daviscourt tweeted that she’d been “waiting for this moment for years.” We Heart Seattle’s Andrea Suarez replied, saying that she called right-wing “journalist” Jonathan Choe and had a “melt down.” “Can’t [even] imagine how vindicated you feel,” she wrote. “It’s a surreal day and week. Thanks for all your brave work.” 

Car Does Thing You’ve Always Wondered Is Possible: On Wednesday, a driver fleeing from SPD drove through the security arms blocking the University Bridge while the suspension bridge was opening, and jumped the car over the opening between the bridge’s two halves. From the video, it doesn’t look like a huge jump, but it was enough to stop the cops in their tracks. The car was later found, still running but considered totaled, according to SPD. The car jumper is still on the loose.

MLK Labor Catches Up: Our county’s “union of unions,” which represents more than 150 unions and almost a quarter of a million workers, voted on Wednesday to endorse Katie Wilson for mayor. It’s not a sole endorsement, though. Back in May, before she trounced Bruce Harrell by nine points in the primary, the labor council endorsed Harrell, and they’re not taking it back, which means they’re now dual endorsing in a two-person race. “A dual endorsement by MLK Labor shows both candidates have earned meaningful support from working people and accurately reflects the views of union members across Seattle,” they said in a statement. I say it’s okay to admit when you’re wrong. 

 

And There’s More! In the same meeting, MLK Labor voted to endorse Girmay Zahilay for County Executive. “The son of a home care worker who worked nights on her feet to provide opportunities to her child, Councilmember Zahilay’s achievements on the King County Council demonstrate that he leads by remembering where he came from,” they wrote in a statement. They pointed to his infrastructure investments in Skyway, “a working-class neighborhood facing decades of disinvestment,” his work to raise the county’s minimum wage, and passage of the Crisis Cares Levy. “Councilmember Zahilay brings the kind of bold, principled, and practical leadership that King County needs,” they wrote. “Our endorsement reflects not just his record, but our shared vision for a County where workers of all backgrounds, races, and languages have what they need to live a dignified life.”

Who Needs Healthcare? Kids. Kids need healthcare. And thanks to Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, Seattle Children’s is cutting 5 percent of their staff positions. The hospital laid off more than 150 staff this week, and cut 350 open positions, The Stranger’s Vivian McCall reported yesterday. 

Man Shot and Killed in Capitol Hill: The 26-year-old was sitting in his car with his foot on the brake when he was shot in the neck. EMS found him in critical condition, and he died at Harborview. SPD is still looking for the suspect. 

Goodbye to the Americone Dream: Jerry Greenfield, one-half of Ben & Jerry’s, resigned this week after 47 years. The duo sold their company to Unilever in 2000, with unique guardrails that allowed them to continue to be outspoken on social issues. But last year, they sued Unilever, saying that the company tried to keep them from calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Now, Jerry says, “standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important,” Mr. Greenfield wrote. But “Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.”

Hannah is The Stranger's former Editor-in-Chief. 

61 replies on “Slog AM: Jimmy Kimmel Gets Censored, Trump Wants to Declare Antifa a Terrorist Organization, MLK Labor Dual Endorses Wilson and Harrell”

  2. @47 Facebook never reported a threat, only that the government “put pressure.” Nothing specific, just asking, maybe even over and over again. If there had actually been a threat, the letter to Gym Jordan would have been the ideal time–a direct threat was exactly what Jordan wanted to hear.

    On the other hand, The FCC chair made a specific and direct public threat against ABC.

    Night and day difference. Nice try.

  3. @28 @38

    Also according to the Times article referenced the bridge was lowering, not raising when the Audi drive decided to imitate Elwood Blues.

    “Seattle Department of Transportation footage shows the car driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid stopped vehicles behind the bridge gates, when the double-leaf bascule bridge spans were nearly but not entirely lowered. The Audi then rams into the gate arms, accelerates and leaps over the drawbridge gap.”

  4. The Biden admin merely used various thinly veiled legal threats along with the rest of their pressure campaign toward censorship, while Trump skipped straight to the threat. Night and day!

  5. @52 Did the Biden administration actually issue threats, veiled or otherwise? “Pressure” can mean a lot of things, from repeated requests to appeals to one’s better nature and/or keeping their users actually, you know, alive, to actual threats. Note that Facebook never said they were threatened.

    I mean, unless you have any actual evidence. But you don’t, or you would have posted it by now.

  6. @53 Anyone intellectually honest can see the constant browbeating to censor and the coercion campaign including the threatening reminder of a “robust anti-trust program” if they didn’t do more to censor doesn’t differ substantially from what happened here, so I don’t particularly feel like trying to convince you. It was obviously effective, as Facebook executives pointed out correct info relating to the lab leak was removed due to Biden admin pressure, which sort of points to the issue of organs like administration officials (or the FCC) being arbiters of “misinformation” in order to coerce censorship.

    “This seems like a good reminder that when we compromise our standards due to pressure from an administration in either direction, we’ll often regret it later.”

    -Mark Zuckerberg

    “Both parties always “rethink speech” the minute they get into power. In the US, you can almost always tell who is screaming about free speech: those who are out of power.”

    -Glenn Greenwald

    Don’t forget to vote!

  7. Jbiden

    “Pressured”

    the Fuck outta

    bibi nutnyahoo and

    the latter laffed in his face

    and Spit in Ours. This is pressure:

    Mmm num ba de

    Dum bum ba be

    Doo buh dum

    ba beh beh!

  8. @35, thanks for playing, stereotypical stupid and naive Seattle libprog:

    “Did the Biden administration threaten Facebook with legal action?

    Yes, the Biden administration applied significant pressure on Facebook (now Meta) to censor certain COVID-19-related content, including misinformation, satire, and even true information about vaccine side effects. This pressure included aggressive communications, public criticisms, and what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described as implicit threats of “repercussions” and subsequent investigations when Facebook resisted. While the administration framed its actions as encouragement for “responsible” public health measures, lower courts (including the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals) found evidence of coercion, though the Supreme Court ultimately dismissed related lawsuits on procedural grounds (standing) without ruling on the merits.This episode, often called the “Facebook Files,” emerged from congressional investigations, emails, and Zuckerberg’s public statements. It centered on 2021 efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy during the pandemic but raised First Amendment concerns about government overreach.

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