Adam Schiff, other senators, demand FCC communications on Jimmy Kimmel matter
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DEMOCRATIC SENATORS WANT ANSWERS ON KIMMEL
Via David Lightman...
A group of Democratic U.S. senators, including California’s Adam Schiff, Wednesday demanded that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr give them “all information on FCC communications” with ABC, Disney or “any of their affiliates” relating to the Jimmy Kimmel controversy.
ABC suspended Kimmel last week after the late night host made remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. After protests by officials from both political parties, actors, civil liberties groups and others, Kimmel was back on the air Tuesday night with the exception of ABC affiliates owned by Nexstar and Sinclair.
In a four-page letter to Carr, eight Democratic senators, led by Schiff, said that “the timing of your threats and the broader pattern of government intimidation make clear that broadcasters were operating under extraordinary duress.”
As chairman, they said, “You hold a position of extraordinary trust and responsibility. The FCC’s regulatory authority over broadcast licenses was never intended to serve as a weapon to silence criticism or punish satirical commentary. Your agency’s mission is to serve the public interest, not to act as an enforcement arm for political retribution against media outlets that displease those in power.”
Carr had talked tough about Kimmel and the potential consequences of keeping his show on the air.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said on conservative podcaster Benny Johnson’s program last week. “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
ABC, as well as Nexstar and Sinclair, have pending business that requires FCC or other Trump administration approval.
In an X post Tuesday, Carr said: “Democrats just keep digging themselves a deeper & deeper hole on Kimmel,” he said. “They simply can’t stand that local TV stations — for the first time in years — stood up to a national programmer & chose to exercise their lawful right to preempt programming.”
He made that in response to an X post from state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, which called Carr an “unqualified hack.”
GROUPS DECRY NEWSOM’S ‘BACKSLIDE’ ON OIL
Via Lia Russell...
A host of environmental groups criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support for expanded oil drilling in Kern County as he attended Climate Week in New York and accused him of “backsliding” on his climate agenda.
Groups including Food & Water Watch, San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility and Reclaim Our Power sent a letter to the governor criticizing the state’s recent backtrack on a profit penalty for refineries, signing of legislation to expand drilling in the Central Valley, and the state’s effort to try and help Valero find a buyer to prevent its Benicia refinery from shuttering next year.
The governor has told reporters he has modified his stance to address residents’ concerns about environmental regulations contributing to California’s affordability crisis, which he told former President Bill Clinton in a separate interview on Wednesday was the “first, second, and third most important issue” facing his state.
“We’re looking to you, Governor Newsom, as the leader of the fourth largest economy in the world to increase and expand your efforts to move the state off of fossil fuels,” the groups wrote. “We’re looking for bold action from the governor who said ‘it’s finally time to hold Big Oil accountable,’ but instead we’ve observed your silence about the lead piece of legislation that would make that happen.”
Environmental groups also dropped a banner in New York that read: “GOV. NEWSOM: If you can’t take on Big Oil, how can you take on Trump?” and “Don’t Let Big Oil Trump Your Climate Promises.”
CHARGED UP
California now has more than 200,000 public and shared electric vehicle chargers across the state, according to the California Energy Commission.
The majority are so-called shared private chargers, which includes spaces set aside for employees of a business or renters at an apartment complex.
The state added more than 22,000 chargers since March, the commission said. The agency estimates there are also roughly 800,000 vehicle chargers installed in single-family homes.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Americans deserve clear medical guidance that is the result of a rigorous scientific process. We urge everyone to seek out credible medical guidance to inform their healthcare choices and to have conversations with their licensed healthcare providers.”
— The California Department of Public Health, the state Office of the Surgeon General, and the California Department of Developmental Services in a joint statement after President Donald Trump told women not to take Tylenol, the common painkiller, while pregnant, claiming doing so could increase the risk that a child is born with autism.
Best of The Bee:
- Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will sign AI regulation in interview with Bill Clinton via Lia Russell
- Newsom faces tidal wave of tech money opposing AI regulation via Kate Wolffe
- Black prison official sues CA, claims retaliation after reporting discrimination via William Melhado
- Gov. Gavin Newsom to Stephen Colbert: Trump is trying to ‘rig’ elections via Lia Russell
- Broadband group urges Newsom veto on bill related to cost of internet for renters via Stephen Hobbs
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 4:55 AM with the headline "Adam Schiff, other senators, demand FCC communications on Jimmy Kimmel matter."
