Democrats: It's 'War on the First Amendment'

Top House Democrats are demanding the immediate resignation of FCC Chair Brendan Carr over what they call a blatant abuse of power—"forcing" ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and senior Democratic colleagues described Carr's actions as a "corrupt abuse of power" and warned that House Democrats are prepared to use congressional subpoenas to shed light on the situation, per Politico. They said they would "make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power," per Axios.

While speaking on a conservative podcast before the suspension, Carr warned that ABC and its local affiliates could face regulatory consequences if they didn't take action against Kimmel, who'd claimed conservatives were trying to "score political points" from the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Major ABC affiliate groups Nexstar and Sinclair subsequently refused to air Kimmel's show. Democratic leaders said Carr had "disgraced the office he holds" by forcing ABC "to bend the knee to the Trump administration." They said it was "an act of cowardice" indicating a "war on the First Amendment," per Politico. The statement ended with a clear warning: "This will not be forgotten."