1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:15,795 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. This 2 00:00:15,915 --> 00:00:19,355 Speaker 1: is a Countdown bulletin podcast. I'm Keith Olderman in an 3 00:00:19,435 --> 00:00:23,835 Speaker 1: insane news conference in the Oval Office, even for him, 4 00:00:24,035 --> 00:00:28,075 Speaker 1: a news conference nominally intended to announce raising the price 5 00:00:28,235 --> 00:00:32,875 Speaker 1: of business waivers the extortion Trump takes for foreign employees 6 00:00:33,515 --> 00:00:37,355 Speaker 1: coming into this country to work for American manufacturers. Trump 7 00:00:37,395 --> 00:00:43,515 Speaker 1: has declared that he believes criticism of himself is illegal. 8 00:00:44,875 --> 00:00:50,715 Speaker 1: I'll repeat that, criticism of Trump declared illegal by Trump. 9 00:00:51,515 --> 00:00:55,875 Speaker 1: Whether he will remember this tomorrow or not is always 10 00:00:55,915 --> 00:00:58,795 Speaker 1: an open question, but given the Kimmel events of the 11 00:00:58,835 --> 00:01:03,235 Speaker 1: past week, it remains a serious question. Whether he will 12 00:01:03,235 --> 00:01:07,475 Speaker 1: do anything about this is the true question. Yeah, follow 13 00:01:07,555 --> 00:01:08,435 Speaker 1: up that, Charlie Kirk. 14 00:01:08,435 --> 00:01:10,795 Speaker 2: There's been a lot of talk about free speech this week. 15 00:01:11,555 --> 00:01:12,155 Speaker 1: Do you see a. 16 00:01:12,075 --> 00:01:17,235 Speaker 2: Difference between cancel culture and consequence culture? I mean your 17 00:01:17,475 --> 00:01:20,875 Speaker 2: questions a little trick question, like I'm a very strong 18 00:01:20,915 --> 00:01:24,795 Speaker 2: person for free speech. At the same time, when you 19 00:01:24,875 --> 00:01:29,675 Speaker 2: have networks that where I won an election, like in counties, 20 00:01:29,755 --> 00:01:33,155 Speaker 2: I guess it's two thousand, six hundred to five hundred 21 00:01:33,155 --> 00:01:37,475 Speaker 2: and twenty five. It's called land side landslide times too. 22 00:01:37,555 --> 00:01:40,555 Speaker 3: When you have that kind of that level of popularity 23 00:01:40,635 --> 00:01:42,955 Speaker 3: or voter support, as I did in the last election. 24 00:01:43,635 --> 00:01:48,755 Speaker 3: And yet ninety seven and ninety four percent different numbers. 25 00:01:48,755 --> 00:01:51,715 Speaker 3: You see different numbers with different stats. 26 00:01:52,275 --> 00:01:56,035 Speaker 2: But ninety seven, ninety four, ninety five, ninety six percent 27 00:01:56,075 --> 00:02:01,475 Speaker 2: of the people are against me in the sense of 28 00:02:00,835 --> 00:02:06,475 Speaker 2: the newscasts are against me. The stories they said ninety 29 00:02:06,515 --> 00:02:10,115 Speaker 2: seven percent bad, so they gave me ninety seven. They'll 30 00:02:10,155 --> 00:02:14,675 Speaker 2: take a great story and they'll make it bad. See. 31 00:02:14,755 --> 00:02:16,875 Speaker 2: I think that's really illegal. 32 00:02:16,995 --> 00:02:23,115 Speaker 1: Personally, Donald John Trump cannot remain president after that. He cannot. 33 00:02:23,715 --> 00:02:29,275 Speaker 1: You cannot declare that criticism of a president, any president, 34 00:02:29,795 --> 00:02:34,395 Speaker 1: is illegal. That has not held true during the Civil War. 35 00:02:34,835 --> 00:02:37,435 Speaker 1: It is not held true during the First or Second 36 00:02:37,475 --> 00:02:41,555 Speaker 1: World War or any other American conflict when there were 37 00:02:41,675 --> 00:02:45,595 Speaker 1: real dangers in the land. It is not true and 38 00:02:45,675 --> 00:02:49,035 Speaker 1: cannot be true. And any president who believes it is 39 00:02:49,035 --> 00:02:54,395 Speaker 1: true that criticism of him is illegal cannot remain president 40 00:02:54,475 --> 00:02:58,795 Speaker 1: after that. And note, please, the question was once again 41 00:02:59,315 --> 00:03:04,035 Speaker 1: about the fawn false idol of the far right, Charlie Kirk, 42 00:03:04,875 --> 00:03:10,355 Speaker 1: and Trump, without a moment's hesitation, changed the subject to him, 43 00:03:10,555 --> 00:03:12,875 Speaker 1: as he did when he was asked on a human 44 00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:15,275 Speaker 1: to human level how he was doing in the wake 45 00:03:15,435 --> 00:03:17,995 Speaker 1: of Kirk's death and kind of shrugged it off and 46 00:03:18,035 --> 00:03:22,675 Speaker 1: instead started talking about the outhouse or ballroom or whatever 47 00:03:22,755 --> 00:03:26,875 Speaker 1: that is he is building outside of the White House again. 48 00:03:27,435 --> 00:03:33,515 Speaker 1: And as he said this, Trump was again covering his wounded, damaged, sick, 49 00:03:34,075 --> 00:03:38,075 Speaker 1: discolored right hand with his left hand. But back to 50 00:03:38,115 --> 00:03:42,195 Speaker 1: the point at hand. Given what FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr 51 00:03:42,195 --> 00:03:45,635 Speaker 1: did this week to ABC and Disney, the threats he 52 00:03:45,675 --> 00:03:49,235 Speaker 1: made towards ABC and Disney as part of a deal 53 00:03:49,395 --> 00:03:53,635 Speaker 1: to allow the owners of the Sinclair stations to buy 54 00:03:53,795 --> 00:03:57,635 Speaker 1: more stations, more than they are currently legally allowed to buy. 55 00:03:58,275 --> 00:04:02,315 Speaker 1: He pressured Sinclair to pressure ABC, which of course is 56 00:04:02,355 --> 00:04:06,995 Speaker 1: trying to get FCC approval and other operatives approval of 57 00:04:07,115 --> 00:04:09,835 Speaker 1: a purchase deal by which the National Football League will 58 00:04:09,875 --> 00:04:13,635 Speaker 1: buy part of ESPN. It's all part of one giant 59 00:04:13,675 --> 00:04:16,995 Speaker 1: attempt to make more money by the Sinclair stations and 60 00:04:17,115 --> 00:04:21,395 Speaker 1: by ABC and Disney. What Carr said this week quote, 61 00:04:21,435 --> 00:04:24,315 Speaker 1: we can do this the easy way or the hard way. 62 00:04:24,675 --> 00:04:27,675 Speaker 1: These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel 63 00:04:28,035 --> 00:04:30,315 Speaker 1: or there is going to be additional work for the 64 00:04:30,435 --> 00:04:35,115 Speaker 1: FCC ahead. That's what Carr said, and within hours ABC 65 00:04:35,235 --> 00:04:39,315 Speaker 1: had taken Kimmel's show off the air. Even though one 66 00:04:39,395 --> 00:04:43,675 Speaker 1: hundred percent across the board, Kimmel's remarks about the late 67 00:04:43,835 --> 00:04:48,035 Speaker 1: Charlie Kirk have been mischaracterized. He said simply two truths, 68 00:04:48,315 --> 00:04:51,715 Speaker 1: one which was that since the death of Kirk, the 69 00:04:51,755 --> 00:04:54,315 Speaker 1: far right has been doing everything it could to prove 70 00:04:54,595 --> 00:04:57,995 Speaker 1: he was not far right, not MAGA. That is a fact. 71 00:04:58,315 --> 00:05:00,755 Speaker 1: No member of those groups would deny that. That is 72 00:05:00,795 --> 00:05:03,195 Speaker 1: a fact. The other thing he said was the far 73 00:05:03,315 --> 00:05:05,275 Speaker 1: right has been trying to score pull it up points 74 00:05:05,275 --> 00:05:09,235 Speaker 1: off Charlie Kirk's death since he fell. One hundred percent 75 00:05:09,275 --> 00:05:12,395 Speaker 1: true in both occasions. This has been twisted largely by 76 00:05:12,395 --> 00:05:15,675 Speaker 1: people who did not see what was said by Kimmel 77 00:05:15,795 --> 00:05:19,555 Speaker 1: or read it. Commentators of all stripes, everybody from the 78 00:05:19,595 --> 00:05:22,835 Speaker 1: hard right people at Fox News to Stephen A. Smith 79 00:05:22,955 --> 00:05:26,435 Speaker 1: making a fool of himself on this topic, and they 80 00:05:26,515 --> 00:05:30,515 Speaker 1: mischaracterized it into some sort of insult against Kirk. In fact, 81 00:05:30,635 --> 00:05:34,795 Speaker 1: Jimmy Kimmel started his segment about Charlie Kirk by expressing 82 00:05:34,955 --> 00:05:40,195 Speaker 1: sorrow and his remorse about the subject and his condolences 83 00:05:40,195 --> 00:05:45,595 Speaker 1: to the family it was a dignified presentation, not Brendan 84 00:05:45,675 --> 00:05:49,795 Speaker 1: Carr making a dignified presentation, and to such a degree 85 00:05:49,875 --> 00:05:53,475 Speaker 1: this is how serious an issue this is a president 86 00:05:53,555 --> 00:05:57,355 Speaker 1: claiming that you cannot criticize him, that that is illegal, 87 00:05:57,955 --> 00:06:01,755 Speaker 1: and the force of the government being used to blackmail 88 00:06:01,875 --> 00:06:06,435 Speaker 1: ABC Television into sidelining the show without any kind of 89 00:06:06,555 --> 00:06:12,555 Speaker 1: review process. It's so bad that the criticism coming Friday 90 00:06:12,595 --> 00:06:17,035 Speaker 1: afternoon of Brendan Carr and the FCC and the Trump 91 00:06:17,075 --> 00:06:22,435 Speaker 1: administration's extraordinary heavy hand in the Kimmel Kirk story comes 92 00:06:22,435 --> 00:06:28,835 Speaker 1: from the least likely place imaginable, from a podcast hosted 93 00:06:28,875 --> 00:06:35,675 Speaker 1: by Senator Ted Cruz. You heard me right. Ted Cruz 94 00:06:35,955 --> 00:06:39,715 Speaker 1: attacked car and the man handling of ABC, Disney and 95 00:06:39,835 --> 00:06:43,275 Speaker 1: Kimmel on his podcast Friday afternoon. 96 00:06:43,435 --> 00:06:47,675 Speaker 4: So, the Federal Communication Commission is in charge of granting 97 00:06:47,715 --> 00:06:52,515 Speaker 4: broadcast licenses, So ABCNBCCBS, they have licenses from the FCC. 98 00:06:53,275 --> 00:06:56,115 Speaker 4: It is true that under statute they're required to be 99 00:06:56,155 --> 00:07:00,875 Speaker 4: in the public interest. What he is saying is Jimmy 100 00:07:00,915 --> 00:07:03,835 Speaker 4: Kimmel was lying. That's true. He was lying, and he 101 00:07:03,915 --> 00:07:05,835 Speaker 4: is lying to the American people. Is not in the 102 00:07:05,835 --> 00:07:09,835 Speaker 4: public interest, and so he threatens explicitly, we're going to 103 00:07:09,915 --> 00:07:12,475 Speaker 4: cancel ABC's license. We're gonna take him off the air, 104 00:07:12,515 --> 00:07:16,355 Speaker 4: so ABC cannot broadcast anymore. And I gotta say, he 105 00:07:17,155 --> 00:07:21,715 Speaker 4: threatens it. He says, we can do this the easy way, 106 00:07:22,035 --> 00:07:23,595 Speaker 4: or we can do this the hard way. 107 00:07:24,115 --> 00:07:24,395 Speaker 3: Yeah. 108 00:07:24,595 --> 00:07:26,715 Speaker 4: And I got to say, that's right out of Goodfellows, 109 00:07:26,715 --> 00:07:28,555 Speaker 4: that that that that that that's right out. 110 00:07:28,435 --> 00:07:29,115 Speaker 1: Of a mafio. 111 00:07:29,195 --> 00:07:32,555 Speaker 4: So coming into a bar going nice bye, you have here, 112 00:07:32,795 --> 00:07:36,155 Speaker 4: it'd be a shame of something happened to it. I 113 00:07:36,235 --> 00:07:41,355 Speaker 4: think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself 114 00:07:41,395 --> 00:07:44,315 Speaker 4: in the position of saying, we're going to decide what 115 00:07:44,435 --> 00:07:46,595 Speaker 4: speech we like and what we don't, and we're gonna 116 00:07:46,595 --> 00:07:48,995 Speaker 4: threaten to take you off air if we don't like 117 00:07:49,075 --> 00:07:52,155 Speaker 4: what you're saying. And it might feel good right now 118 00:07:52,195 --> 00:07:55,755 Speaker 4: to threaten Jimmy Kimmel, Yeah, but when it is used 119 00:07:55,795 --> 00:07:59,515 Speaker 4: to silence every conservative in America, we will regret it. 120 00:07:59,555 --> 00:08:02,635 Speaker 4: And and and so again. I like Brendan Carr, but 121 00:08:02,835 --> 00:08:05,795 Speaker 4: we should not be in this business. We should denounce it. 122 00:08:05,795 --> 00:08:09,835 Speaker 4: It's fine to say what Jimmy Kimmel said was deplorable, 123 00:08:10,115 --> 00:08:13,395 Speaker 4: it was disgraceful, and he should be off air, but 124 00:08:13,515 --> 00:08:16,955 Speaker 4: we shouldn't be threatening government power to force him off air. 125 00:08:17,275 --> 00:08:21,275 Speaker 4: That's a real mistake, Senator Ted Cruz. We can make 126 00:08:21,315 --> 00:08:25,235 Speaker 4: all the jokes we want about him. He is ninety 127 00:08:25,275 --> 00:08:28,515 Speaker 4: percent correct. There are two errors in there. It's not 128 00:08:28,635 --> 00:08:31,595 Speaker 4: actually good Fellas. That line about it would be a 129 00:08:31,635 --> 00:08:34,315 Speaker 4: shame if something happened to it is actually a Monty 130 00:08:34,355 --> 00:08:38,475 Speaker 4: Python sketch from nineteen sixty nine. Also, Kimmel did not 131 00:08:38,675 --> 00:08:42,155 Speaker 4: lie about Charlie Kirk. His comments were about what those 132 00:08:42,195 --> 00:08:45,115 Speaker 4: who have survived Charlie Kirk have tried to do and 133 00:08:45,195 --> 00:08:48,035 Speaker 4: tried to exploit in the death in the wake of 134 00:08:48,075 --> 00:08:52,195 Speaker 4: the death of Charlie Kirk. Otherwise, Ted Crows is as 135 00:08:52,315 --> 00:08:55,715 Speaker 4: right as he ever has been in his life. And 136 00:08:55,795 --> 00:08:58,195 Speaker 4: I will have to go and lie down after saying that, 137 00:08:59,155 --> 00:09:03,555 Speaker 4: there has been some blowback finally from some quarters in media, 138 00:09:03,955 --> 00:09:08,315 Speaker 4: which largely has been silent and terrified. The hosts of 139 00:09:08,395 --> 00:09:11,355 Speaker 4: The View said nothing about this, no doubt warned that 140 00:09:11,395 --> 00:09:13,795 Speaker 4: if they did, they would be fired. That's the way 141 00:09:13,875 --> 00:09:17,315 Speaker 4: things stand at ABC and Disney now under Bob Eiger, 142 00:09:17,635 --> 00:09:22,995 Speaker 4: who folded like a cheap card table, but his predecessor 143 00:09:23,075 --> 00:09:26,475 Speaker 4: as chairman of Disney. One of his predecessors, Michael Eisner, 144 00:09:26,755 --> 00:09:32,515 Speaker 4: spoke out in a dignified rage on social media Friday afternoon, 145 00:09:32,595 --> 00:09:36,035 Speaker 4: quoting Eisner, where has all the leadership gone if not 146 00:09:36,115 --> 00:09:40,035 Speaker 4: for university presidents, law firm managing partners and corporate chief 147 00:09:40,075 --> 00:09:43,875 Speaker 4: executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up 148 00:09:43,915 --> 00:09:47,195 Speaker 4: for the first Amendment. As an aside, he's talking to you, 149 00:09:47,275 --> 00:09:52,315 Speaker 4: Bob Eiger, resuming Eisner. The suspending indefinitely of Jimmy Kimmel 150 00:09:52,395 --> 00:09:55,955 Speaker 4: immediately after the chairman of the FCC's aggressive yet hollow 151 00:09:56,035 --> 00:09:59,595 Speaker 4: threatening of the Disney Company is yet another example of 152 00:09:59,755 --> 00:10:04,515 Speaker 4: out of control intimidation. Again, as an aside, Eisner, who 153 00:10:04,515 --> 00:10:07,155 Speaker 4: had has been in this position before the one Eiger 154 00:10:07,395 --> 00:10:12,395 Speaker 4: is in, now recognized that these were paper threats. There 155 00:10:12,475 --> 00:10:15,955 Speaker 4: was nothing that could be done that would not involve 156 00:10:16,315 --> 00:10:20,955 Speaker 4: years or perhaps decades of litigation by the FCC against 157 00:10:20,955 --> 00:10:25,915 Speaker 4: ABC's licenses. The problem, of course, is that the ABC 158 00:10:26,315 --> 00:10:32,635 Speaker 4: and reaction also from Sinclair, constitute essentially bribes by ABC 159 00:10:32,755 --> 00:10:36,195 Speaker 4: and Sinclair of the FCC to get its approval in 160 00:10:36,275 --> 00:10:40,795 Speaker 4: the business deals previously mentioned. But to resume Eisner's righteous indignation, 161 00:10:41,355 --> 00:10:44,875 Speaker 4: maybe the Constitution should have said. He writes, Congress shall 162 00:10:44,915 --> 00:10:47,555 Speaker 4: make no law of bridging the freedom of speech or 163 00:10:47,595 --> 00:10:51,675 Speaker 4: of the press, except in one's political or financial self interest. 164 00:10:52,595 --> 00:10:55,235 Speaker 4: By the way, for the record, he closes this ex 165 00:10:55,355 --> 00:11:00,195 Speaker 4: CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very talented and funny. There is 166 00:11:00,315 --> 00:11:03,275 Speaker 4: one other speaker who is worth listening to on this. 167 00:11:03,595 --> 00:11:06,475 Speaker 4: Even though his comments were not made recently, they are 168 00:11:06,515 --> 00:11:09,115 Speaker 4: a little out of date. They are from one hundred 169 00:11:09,115 --> 00:11:12,595 Speaker 4: and seven and a half years ago. To announce that 170 00:11:12,635 --> 00:11:15,915 Speaker 4: there must be no criticism of the president, or that 171 00:11:15,955 --> 00:11:18,595 Speaker 4: we are to stand by the president right or wrong, 172 00:11:18,835 --> 00:11:23,675 Speaker 4: is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable 173 00:11:23,755 --> 00:11:26,955 Speaker 4: to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be 174 00:11:26,995 --> 00:11:30,715 Speaker 4: spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even 175 00:11:30,795 --> 00:11:35,035 Speaker 4: more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about 176 00:11:35,115 --> 00:11:39,155 Speaker 4: him than about anyone else. Those words were spoken in 177 00:11:39,275 --> 00:11:43,075 Speaker 4: Kansas City, Missouri, on the seventh of May nineteen eighteen, 178 00:11:43,875 --> 00:11:48,675 Speaker 4: by former President Theodore Roosevelt about the then President Woodrow Wilson, 179 00:11:49,155 --> 00:11:52,795 Speaker 4: in the middle of what was then the only World War. 180 00:11:53,795 --> 00:11:57,075 Speaker 4: If it was legal to criticize the president, then it 181 00:11:57,235 --> 00:12:00,995 Speaker 4: is legal to criticize the president now. And if Trump 182 00:12:01,115 --> 00:12:06,075 Speaker 4: truly believes that criticism of him as president is somehow illegal. 183 00:12:06,555 --> 00:12:12,435 Speaker 4: Someone in his crime family administration will attempt to please 184 00:12:12,515 --> 00:12:16,315 Speaker 4: him by acting upon this. We've already heard about his 185 00:12:16,355 --> 00:12:20,195 Speaker 4: attempt to designate Antifa, which is an organization that does 186 00:12:20,235 --> 00:12:24,115 Speaker 4: not actually exist in any form. It does not have 187 00:12:24,275 --> 00:12:28,675 Speaker 4: a meeting clubhouse. There is no way to designate it 188 00:12:28,715 --> 00:12:31,075 Speaker 4: a terrorist group. Yet he is going to try to 189 00:12:31,115 --> 00:12:34,195 Speaker 4: do that, And then, of course his next move would 190 00:12:34,195 --> 00:12:38,195 Speaker 4: be to declare that you, or me, or Ted Cruz 191 00:12:38,555 --> 00:12:42,435 Speaker 4: or Michael Eisner or Jimmy Kimmel is a member of Antifa. 192 00:12:42,995 --> 00:12:45,235 Speaker 4: That's all he has to do at this point, as 193 00:12:45,315 --> 00:12:48,995 Speaker 4: long as there are people beneath him in that administration 194 00:12:49,155 --> 00:12:51,795 Speaker 4: willing to enact it, and that there are people on 195 00:12:51,875 --> 00:12:55,435 Speaker 4: the outside, like Bob Iger, the chairman of Disney, or 196 00:12:55,475 --> 00:12:59,235 Speaker 4: the president of Columbia University, or any of the other 197 00:12:59,995 --> 00:13:03,315 Speaker 4: folding chairs who have not stood up and have not 198 00:13:03,435 --> 00:13:09,275 Speaker 4: defended American democ or the American public or America. The 199 00:13:09,355 --> 00:13:15,035 Speaker 4: criticism of the president is legal. Criticism of podcasters is legal. 200 00:13:15,355 --> 00:13:19,755 Speaker 4: Criticism of you, is legal. Criticism of me is legal. 201 00:13:20,075 --> 00:13:23,395 Speaker 4: If Donald Trump cannot take it, he should resign and 202 00:13:23,515 --> 00:13:26,475 Speaker 4: save the rest of us the trouble because Donald Trump 203 00:13:26,635 --> 00:13:30,595 Speaker 4: can no longer be president of the United States. This 204 00:13:30,675 --> 00:13:33,035 Speaker 4: has been a countdown bulletin podcast. 205 00:13:33,675 --> 00:13:47,115 Speaker 1: I'm Keith Olverman. Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production 206 00:13:47,355 --> 00:13:52,635 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 207 00:13:52,715 --> 00:13:56,075 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.