Chris Hayes had a bleak evaluation of the nationwide scenario after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel “indefinitely” in response to conservative outrage over feedback he made in regards to the man who murdered Charlie Kirk.
Donald Trump, with the assistance of rich oligarchs, is repeating the steps made in different authoritarian international locations “to primarily roll up all of the nation’s media right into a pleasant propaganda arm of the regime,” Hayes mentioned.
“When Stephen Colbert introduced that his late night time present was being canceled again in July, the president United States, Donald Trump, had a chilling response,” Hayes started. He then performed a clip of Trump crowing in regards to the resolution and vowing that Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon would in all probability be subsequent.
Hayes then recapped the scenario for viewers, explaining how throughout his monologue on Monday, Kimmel mentioned that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man who killed Kirk every week in the past, was getting used to stoke anger in opposition to the left. However, in saying it, he mentioned that Robinson was a supporter of MAGA.
Kimmel’s assumption that Robinson was a part of the political proper was based mostly on indications from all out there proof that was public on the time. However on Tuesday, extra particulars have been made public that set up clearly that Robinson wasn’t motivated by proper wing politics, held what is perhaps left-political beliefs and appears to have been motivated by private considerations. Many questions stay unanswered, nevertheless.
However that context has largely been ignored by critics, together with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who whereas showing on a conservative podcast threatened ABC dad or mum firm Disney and demanded Kimmel be suspended or fired. Hours later, Nexstar and Sinclair, two of the most important community affiliate homeowners within the nation, each mentioned they’d cease airing “Kimmel” indefinitely. Which led to ABC suspending Kimmel.
“If that have been the entire story — he mentioned one thing, it was not right, the associates pushed again — Effectively, then that will be one story. However that, in fact, will not be the entire story. Okay? As a result of crucially, simply hours earlier than that assertion, Trump’s hand picked FCC Chairman went on a podcast and prompt ABCs broadcast license or associates may very well be in danger if they didn’t droop or fireplace Kimmel primarily issuing an order saying, and I quote him right here, ‘we will do that the straightforward approach or the onerous approach,’” Hayes defined.
“That is simply the newest chapter in Donald Trump’s ongoing marketing campaign to crack down on free speech, dominate the media and primarily render the First Modification meaningless, an excessive marketing campaign that has been on overdrive the previous week,” Hayes continued. “I imply, simply yesterday, you had the Deputy Legal professional Basic of those United States, the quantity two… and the previous legal lawyer for the President, suggesting utilizing legal anti racketeering legal guidelines, the form of issues used for mobsters, Rico statutes, to go after and prosecute protesters who heckled Donald Trump at a restaurant.”
Hayes additionally famous reviews that the Trump administration intends to persecute teams affiliated with Democrats, which he mentioned was “all half of a bigger and extra harmful effort” that ” follows a playbook we have now seen efficiently run lately by authoritarian strongmen in locations like Hungary and Turkey and Russia.”
“As a result of in these locations, they didn’t simply criminalize speech they didn’t like, although a few of them did,” Hayes defined. “Crucially, they made it nearly unimaginable to see and listen to examples of that speech, by taking de facto management the media panorama.” He then famous how this occurred in Hungary, the place Victor Orban “has used media buyouts by government-connected oligarchs to construct a real media empire topic to his get together’s orders.”
Hayes famous how the scenario is comparable in Turkey. “And naturally, there’s Russia, the place pligarchs pleasant to President Vladimir Putin management a lot of the media, and wartime restrictions have shut down the remainder.”
“In every of those three international locations, they didn’t simply arrest protesters or dissident journalists, or present up knocking on the door of magazines. They used authorities energy, and generally by authorized mechanisms, to primarily roll up all of the nation’s media right into a pleasant propaganda arm of the regime,” Hayes continued. “So on condition that context, I need you to go searching the US proper now and see what’s been taking place right here proper in entrance of our eyes.”
Hayes then defined a sequence of current media strikes, culminating on this evaluation of the scenario: If, Hayes mentioned, all of the just lately reported media offers are permitted, “that will imply the Murdoch household controlling Fox Information, the [Wall Street] Journal, New York Submit, its different properties. Twitter, Tiktok, CBS, CNN and extra, owned by Elon Musk and the Ellison household. The Washington Submit, owned by Jeff Bezos.”
“The Trump administration is threatening to carry the federal government down on free speech and use it in opposition to dissent. It is usually facilitating the sale of a few of our greatest non-public media retailers to Trump allies, and is a really apparent try and consolidate energy over free expression,” He added. Watch the entire phase under:
