Day 1703: "We're not done yet."

1/ FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened ABC stations with “remedies” and possible license revocations over Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing, saying “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Carr claimed Kimmel’s monologue – “the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it” – were prohibited “news distortion.” Disney and ABC responded by suspending Kimmel’s show “indefinitely.” Shortly before the announcement, Nexstar Media Group, an operator of 32 ABC stations, and then Sinclair, a conservative-leaning operator of 28 ABC affiliates, said they would drop the show. Both companies are seeking FCC approvals for large mergers. Carr thanked them “for doing the right thing,” while Trump posted “Great News for America” and claimed the show was “CANCELLED.” (NPR / New York Times / Variety / Vanity Fair / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / CNN / CNN / Associated Press / NBC News / Variety / Hollywood Reporter)

2/ Trump celebrated ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show and urged NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, calling them “two total losers.” Trump then threatened to strip broadcast licenses from networks critical of him, saying, “When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump […] that license, they’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party.” FCC Chair Brendan Carr, meanwhile, warned that “we’re not done yet” with Kimmel. (Deadline / Axios / New Republic / Politico / Bloomberg / CNBC / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

3/ Obama condemned the Trump administration after pressuring ABC into suspending Jimmy Kimmel, calling it “government coercion.” He wrote, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.” Obama added, “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.” Neither the White House nor the FCC responded. (Axios / Politico)

4/ House Democratic leaders said they would support a Republican resolution honoring Charlie Kirk. The resolution praises Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” who promoted unity and civil discourse, and condemns political violence “in all forms.” While Democratic leaders told members they would support the resolution, they left it up to individual lawmakers to decide how to vote. Separately, Senate and House Democrats introduced the “No Political Enemies Act,” which would expand legal protections for people targeted by government officials over political speech. In addition, Democratic leaders called on FCC chair Brendan Carr to resign for “bullying ABC.” (The Hill / Axios / Associated Press / Axios / New York Times)

⏭️ Notably Next: Congress has 12 days to pass a funding measure to prevent a government shutdown; and the 2026 midterms are in 411 days.

✏️ Notables.

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked CDC panel of vaccine skeptics voted to stop recommending the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella shot for children under 4. Instead, the panel said children should get two separate vaccines. The committee then voted to keep Vaccines for Children coverage for both options despite the new guidance. The panel delayed a vote on proposed changes to the hepatitis B birth-dose recommendation until Friday. The recommendations aren’t final until reviewed and approved by CDC leadership. Public-health leaders noted that universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination drove pediatric cases down to “fewer than 20” a year and that infants without the birth dose are less likely to complete the series. (Wall Street Journal / CBS News / Bloomberg / CNN / Associated Press / Washington Post / The Hill / NPR)

• California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii issued joint vaccine guidelines in defiance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s CDC panel. The new West Coast Health Alliance said it acted because of the “destruction of the U.S. CDC’s credibility and scientific integrity.” Their guidance continues to recommend COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines for broad groups, aligning with major medical organizations. (New York Times / ABC News)

• Sen. Markwayne Mullin accused former CDC director Susan Monarez of lying about a meeting with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claiming it had been recorded. He later admitted no recording existed, after other senators demanded it be released if real. Monarez testified she was fired for refusing to preapprove Kennedy’s vaccine panel decisions. (New York Times / PBS News / Talking Points Memo)

• The Education Department announced a “patriotic education” coalition led by the America First Policy Institute and more than 40 conservative groups. The coalition will run a 50-state college speaker tour, student history competitions, and teacher summits, while excluding nonpartisan civics organizations. The department also plans to steer grants toward programs that present U.S. history in a “unifying and uplifting” way. (NPR / USA Today / Washington Post)

• Trump asked the Supreme Court to let him fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, even though two lower courts ruled the move unlawful. The White House accused Cook of mortgage fraud by appearing to claim two properties as primary residences, even though the loan documents described one condo as a “vacation home” and “2nd home.” (Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times)

• Republicans confirmed 48 Trump nominees in a single vote after changing the Senate rules. The list included Kimberly Guilfoyle for Greece and Callista Gingrich for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, along with dozens of lower-level posts. Democrats called them “historically bad nominees.” (NBC News)

• Trump complained that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “fucking me” after Israel bombed Hamas negotiators in Qatar without U.S. approval. Despite the strike undermining his push for a ceasefire, Trump imposed no conditions on U.S. military or political support for Israel. (Wall Street Journal)

• Trump told UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Putin had “really let me down,” saying “he’s killing many people.” Trump said he thought it would be easy to negotiate a truce between Russia and Ukraine “because of my relationship with President Putin […] but he’s let me down, he’s really let me down.” Trump then insisted that U.S. allies stop buying Russian oil. (Bloomberg / The Guardian)