Good morning, everyone. What a night. Jimmy Kimmel came back swinging with a simple, unbreakable rule: do not bow to bullies. The President is already threatening to sue ABC again for bringing him back and Kimmel didn’t flinch. He made the point we all felt: this wasn’t just about one joke or one show. It was a test. If we let this pass, it won’t stop at comedians: journalists, truth-tellers, anyone who calls power to account will be next.
Here’s the other big development: we just hit the 218th signature to force the release of the Epstein files. Momentum is real. The walls of secrecy are cracking. This moment proves two things at once: powerful people can be pushed, and pressure works, if we refuse to be intimidated.
So here’s my pledge to you: I answer only to you. I’m not backed by corporate boards or ad executives who fold under pressure. If anyone—administration, agency, or billionaire—tries to bully or silence this work, I will fight back harder, louder, and smarter. I will keep publishing the stories that matter, no spin, no kowtowing.
If you value journalism that refuses to kneel, stand with me. Subscribe, share this message, and help fund reporting that protects our right to speak, question, and hold power accountable. They can threaten — but they will never shut us up.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
Jimmy Kimmel is back. In his emotional return after suspension, Kimmel clarified he never intended to make light of Charlie Kirk’s murder, criticized ABC and Trump for silencing him, praised Erika Kirk’s forgiveness, and framed the controversy as a free speech battle that drew support from celebrities, fellow hosts, and even political opponents — while Sinclair and Nexstar continue to block his show: “The President of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he cannot take a joke.”
Kimmel quipped that Trump “might have to release the Epstein files” to distract from the controversy.
Kimmel mocked FCC Chair Brendan Carr, calling him “the most embarrassing Carr Republicans have embraced since the Cybertruck,” a sarcastic jab meant to ridicule Carr’s actions.
Donald Trump is threatening to sue ABC following the return of Kimmel.
Disney+ is raising prices (Oct. 21), an awkward move amid backlash over Disney/ABC temporarily benching then reinstating Jimmy Kimmel — a controversy that sparked boycotts, drew praise and criticism across media and political lines, and left Sinclair and Nexstar still preempting Kimmel’s show, exposing a deeper clash between Disney, the FCC/Trump allies, and local affiliates.
Democrat Adelita Grijalva will win Arizona’s special election, giving the push to force a House vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein case files its crucial 218th signature via a discharge petition (sponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna); once sworn in and the required procedural days pass, the petition could trigger a mid-October vote, though discharge efforts often face obstacles in practice.
A 12-foot statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands was anonymously installed on the National Mall by a group called The Secret Handshake during “Friendship Month,” featuring plaques that quote an alleged bawdy birthday letter and reigniting scrutiny of Trump–Epstein ties, prompting a White House rebuke and renewed calls from survivors and lawmakers for fuller transparency amid contentious DOJ releases of Epstein-related files.
Trump used a UN speech to lambaste the world body over a stalled escalator and a faulty teleprompter, but the U.N. says the escalator’s safety mechanism was likely triggered by a U.S. delegation videographer and that the teleprompter was run by the White House — details officials note against a backdrop of intermittent escalator shutdowns tied to U.N. budget shortfalls and delayed U.S. funding. This came as some in MAGA world even suggested going to war against the United Nations over the escalator incident.
Portland says ICE is violating a 2011 land-use permit by holding people overnight at a leased field office—city records obtained via FOIA show multiple instances of detainees held beyond the permit’s 12-hour limit (including 16 people held 27+ hours on Jan. 26), boarded-up windows, and ongoing nightly protests; the mayor has issued a notice of violation (giving the landlord 30 days to fix breaches), DHS strongly disputed the claims, and the dispute unfolds amid threats from the White House and data showing many ICE detainees have no criminal convictions.
The Trump administration will pilot an AI-driven Medicare prior-authorization program called WISeR (starting Jan. 1 in six states) to cut “wasteful” procedures, but doctors, lawmakers and researchers warn the plan risks automated denials, opaque vendor incentives, and patient harm unless independent oversight, clear human-review standards, and transparency are enforced.
UK authorities arrested a man in his 40s in West Sussex on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences after a cyberattack disrupted check-in systems at major European airports; he’s been released on conditional bail, the NCA says the investigation is in its early stages and ongoing.
Gaza’s last functioning hospitals and field clinics are overwhelmed by a “tsunami” of wounded and displaced people fleeing Israel’s offensive in northern Gaza — medical teams report full wards (children treated in corridors), severe shortages of supplies, fuel and oxygen, roughly 320,000 people evacuated from Gaza City, constrained aid deliveries, and clinicians warning the system is at breaking point.
The Kremlin said there is “no alternative” but to continue its 2022 offensive in Ukraine, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing the campaign as necessary to secure Russia’s interests, claiming advances on all fronts and rejecting President Trump’s suggestion that Russia could be defeated — quipping that Russia is a “bear,” not a “paper tiger.”
A delivery driver in west-central Texas alerted police after dropping off suspicious items (zip ties, a hatchet, bleach and trash bags) to a motel room; officers say 42-year-old Neil Cooper armed himself and refused to come out but later surrendered after negotiators, a possible hostage escaped and was taken into custody, Cooper faces aggravated kidnapping and drug charges, and the driver—widely praised online—was initially misidentified as working for DoorDash, which said he was not.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
