The funniest thing about Jimmy Kimmel

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/28/jimmy-kimmels-joke-wasnt-funny-thats-not-fcc-decide/

The funniest thing about Jimmy Kimmel is how President Donald Trump keeps saving his career.

This is the second time in seven months the Trump administration has tried to jawbone Disney in a bid to get Kimmel off the air. It backfired last time, boosting Kimmel’s ratings and getting his contract renewed through May 2027. This time, more than 4 million people who might have otherwise missed the bit that angered Trump have sought it out on YouTube.

It’s easy to see why the president would be annoyed. Even a lousy joke can feel like a threat, especially when crazed people keep trying to kill him. But Kimmel’s speech is clearly protected, and no one can reasonably interpret what he said as incitement to violence. Nor does it justify the president telling a Fortune 50 company how to run its business.

The government retaliating and discriminating against viewpoints the president doesn’t like is plainly unconstitutional under the First Amendment. Administration officials claim the timing of the early license review is coincidental and stems from the probe he launched last year into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. But the FCC licenses for the eight ABC stations owned by Disney aren’t supposed to come up for renewal until between 2028 and 2031.

Comedy is often edgy. The more taboo it becomes, the more people want to watch. Trump’s latest comments play right into Kimmel’s hands.

US presses Israel to maintain Lebanon 'ceasefire'

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/29/us-presses-israel-to-maintain-lebanon-ceasefire/

Israel's response to Hezbollah violations remains measured, in part due to an explicit US request conveyed as part of talks between Washington and Jerusalem, including between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

For now, Jerusalem is being forced to balance US demands with the growing pressure from northern Israeli communities and the ongoing attacks on IDF troops. On the ground, the ceasefire remains more fragile than ever.

James Comey indicted over 2025 social media post allegedly threatening Trump TDS paranoia

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/28/james-comey-indicted-second-time-by-justice-department/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=acq&utm_campaign=RH-ACQ&utm_content=dtpannual_20260428_RH&campaign_id=17894969

Former FBI director James B. Comey has been indicted on allegations that a photo he posted on social media in 2025 constituted a dangerous threat to the president.

The two charges stem from a photo that Comey posted online showing seashells on a beach that were arranged to write out “86 47.” Trump is the 47th president; “86” can mean banning or removing someone, but it can also be slang for killing a person. Comey quickly removed the post after receiving criticism that the phrase could be used to communicate the threat of violence.

The three-page indictment states that the seashells were “arranged in a pattern making out ‘86 47’, which a reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret as a serious expression of an intent to do harm to the President of the United States.”

Comey has suggested that he stumbled on the shell formation during a walk along the beach and did not arrange the shells himself. There is generally a high legal threshold to charge someone with threatening a person based on their language, and legal experts said it would be tough for the Justice Department to build a strong case with just the seashells.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, acting attorney general Todd Blanche sidestepped questions about what evidence prosecutors have that Comey intended to actually hurt the president — an aspect of a threat case that prosecutors would typically need to prove to secure a conviction.

When Erik S. Siebert, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney who led the office before Halligan, concluded that the evidence was insufficient to charge, Trump forced him out of his job.

DOJ cites attack, ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ in seeking ballroom approval

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/28/trump-ballroom-filing-national-trust-lawsuit/

The Justice Department’s motion — which is unusually written for a government legal filing and resembles Trump’s Truth Social posts — was one of several documents filed to the court late Monday night. The motion also criticizes the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nonprofit that brought the lawsuit, writing that the group’s “name is FAKE” and claiming that “they suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly referred to as TDS.”

It is not clear whether the White House Correspondents’ Association, a private organization, would seek to hold its annual celebration in the White House ballroom.

Trump has prioritized the ballroom for months, sometimes mentioning the project more frequently than other major policy priorities. But his efforts have ramped up since Saturday’s incident, and a growing number of GOP lawmakers and allies are now touting the need for a secure space, too.

Trump has also repeatedly mocked Leon and his ruling, calling him a “Trump Hating Judge” in social media posts.

Did Leavitt say there would be 'shots fired' before White House correspondents' dinner shooting?

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/karoline-leavitt-shots-fired/

Claim:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there would be "shots fired" ahead of a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 25, 2026.

Correct Attribution

Leavitt made the comment while speaking to comedian and Fox News host Jimmy Failla about the expected content of U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming speech at the correspondents' dinner. The phrase "shots fired" is a common figure of speech that refers to someone making jokes or jabs at another person. There was no evidence Leavitt's remark referenced the shooting before it happened.

Jimmy Kimmel Speaks Out After Melania Trump ‘Widow’ Joke Criticism

 https://time.com/article/2026/04/28/jimmy-kimmel-melania-trump-widow-joke-fired-response/

He noted, facetiously, that if the Trumps really believe his remarks could have induced violence, they should also look into a remark made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt before the dinner. “It will be funny. It will be entertaining,” Leavitt had told Fox News. “There will be some shots fired tonight.”

While Kimmel said he understands that the incident may have been particularly “stressful” for the Trumps and agreed to reject “hateful and violent rhetoric,” he argued that the First Lady should first speak to her husband about dialing back inflammatory language against his critics and the press.

“Donald Trump is allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I, as are all of us, because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech,” Kimmel said, while noting that he’s a vocal advocate against gun violence. “I am sorry that you and the President and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am,” he said. “Just ’cause no one got killed doesn't mean it wasn’t traumatic and scary, and we should come together and be best.”

Jimmy Kimmel on Melania & Donald Trump Demanding His Firing & The White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Kyiv summons Israeli envoy, EU warns of sanctions after 2nd ‘stolen’ grain ship incident

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tells-ukraine-too-late-to-seize-russian-grain-ship-as-it-left-haifa-report-2/

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Israel’s ambassador had been summoned to his ministry over what he described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Sybiha that Ukraine had provided no evidence to support allegations that the grain was “stolen.” He accused him of conducting diplomacy through the media.

In his response, also on X, Sa’ar said the issue would be examined, but that allegations were not evidence and no evidence had been provided.

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to maintain a neutral stance between Moscow and Kyiv, even though Russia has been providing critical intelligence to Iran in the US-Israel war against Iran.

Trump Called Cole Allen Anti-Christian. His Manifesto Suggests the Opposite

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-cole-allen-anti-christian-manifesto-opposite-11884524

In a message sent to family members minutes before attempting to breach the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night, suspect Cole Tomas Allen thanked his church family and invoked Christian theological traditions to justify the violence that was about to occur.

"Hello everybody," the message began. Over more than 1,000 words, Allen wove together apologies to loved ones, political grievances, and religious reasoning. He cited Scripture throughout and argued that Christians have a moral obligation to resist unjust authority through force.

Iran’s Ships Sneak Past US Blockade As Navy Hunt Goes Global

 https://www.newsweek.com/irans-ships-sneak-past-us-blockade-as-navy-hunt-goes-global-11872848

Shipping specialists say more than two dozen oil tankers have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports since it began on April 13.

While the U.S. military says it has turned around scores of ships leaving Iranian waters, at least some of Iran’s “shadow fleet” has made it past the dense web of warships, surveillance planes and possibly satellites to reach loading areas in the Persian Gulf and trade routes on the high sea.

Trump's Lebanon gamble could undermine effort against Iran

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/27/trumps-lebanon-gamble-could-undermine-effort-against-iran/

Under pressure from the US president, the IDF has stopped strikes on Hezbollah's power centers. The terrorist organization, for its part, continues to violate the ceasefire. Israel must stop playing by Hezbollah's rules in order to disrupt its operations. In Gaza, too, greater sophistication is needed in the face of Hamas' military buildup, which could begin targeting IDF forces at any moment.

The restrictions imposed on IDF activity in Lebanon and the halt to strikes in Beirut are allowing Hezbollah to continue violating the ceasefire without fearing that the price it will pay will be unbearable. They leave the Lebanese terrorist organization in control of the location, timing, frequency and means by which it clashes with Israel, as well as control over the intensity of the escalation. In practice, this also gives Hezbollah the ability to set new rules and shape the equations of response against Israel.

President Donald Trump sought to restrain Israel in order to pave the way for diplomatic dialogue between Jerusalem and President Joseph Aoun's government. In practice, he has denied Israel part of the freedom of action it had until two months ago and allowed it to continue operating with one hand tied behind its back.

In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, the White House blames the left — and the media

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/27/in-the-wake-of-saturdays-shooting-the-white-house-blames-the-left-and-the-media-00894135

President Donald Trump, standing at the White House briefing room podium in his tuxedo hours after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting Saturday night, called for peace.

By Monday, the tone had changed.

Administration officials shifted to a more combative stance, insisting that the chaos that erupted at the dinner is a potent justification for a range of Trump initiatives — from his new White House ballroom, to the stalled fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and even the ouster of late night provocateur Jimmy Kimmel.

It was a stark contrast from the president’s remarks Saturday evening, when he called for “Republicans, Democrats, independents, conservatives, liberals, and progressives” to resolve their differences peacefully.In a room packed with journalists and high-ranking Cabinet officials, Trump observed Saturday, “there was a record-setting group of people, and there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together.”

Political violence jolts the US once again - with a familiar response

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje4eeyq27lo

For many in the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night, the scene was painfully familiar. Shots fired, confusion and panic, and a sense that the normal order of things had been violently interrupted.

Trump, reflective, calls for unity and a cooling of political rhetoric. News coverage speculates about a "new tone" from the president. Ultimately, partisan divisions reassert themselves – often with Trump leading the way.

On Sunday evening, in a sit-down with CBS' 60 Minutes programme, Trump blamed Democrats for creating an atmosphere that encouraged the shooting, then derided interviewer Norah O'Donnell as "a disgrace" and "horrible" after she asked about the manifesto written by the alleged assailant.

A ballroom by itself will not fully address safety concerns raised by Saturday's incident. Those concerns include how a man was able to bring weapons into a building hosting a president and top government officials, whether the security perimeter set out by the US Secret Service was sufficient, and whether guests in other parts of the hotel should have been screened.

Jeffries calls Karoline Leavitt a ‘stone-cold liar’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5851681-jeffries-leavitt-liar-political-violence-rhetoric/?tbref=hp

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Monday called White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt a “stone-cold liar” after she blamed Democrats for the Saturday shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“This so-called White House press secretary wants to lecture America and lecture us about civility. Get lost. Clean up your own house before you have anything to say to us about the language that we use,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol on Monday,

“The notion that any of us are concerned with so-called criticism from these phony Republicans as it relates to anything that has been said — certainly as it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection to the redistricting battle that Republicans launched — I stand by it,” Jeffries said Monday.