World – Brandon Sun

FILE - President Donald Trump meets with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the Oval Office of the White House, May 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump’s moves against the media mirror approaches by authoritarian leaders to silence dissent

Justin Spike And Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 3:46 PM CDT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has waged an aggressive campaign against the media unlike any in modern U.S. history, making moves similar to those of authoritarian leaders that he has often praised.

On Wednesday, Trump cheered ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after the comedian made remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that criticized the president's MAGA movement: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

It was the latest in a string of attacks against news outlets and media figures he believes are overly critical of him. Trump has filed lawsuits against outlets whose coverage he dislikes, threatened to revoke TV broadcast licenses and sought to bend news organizations and social media companies to his will.

The tactics are similar to those used by leaders in other countries who have chipped away at speech freedoms and independent media while consolidating political power, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close Trump ally whose leadership style is revered by many conservatives in the U.S.

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Trump wraps up UK state visit with gratitude for his hosts while largely sidestepping tough issues

Michelle L. Price, Jill Lawless And Will Weissert, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Trump wraps up UK state visit with gratitude for his hosts while largely sidestepping tough issues

Michelle L. Price, Jill Lawless And Will Weissert, The Associated Press 6 minute read 1:36 PM CDT

AYLESBURY, England (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was “tremendously thankful” for the pageantry and splendor lavished on him during his second state visit to the United Kingdom as he wrapped up a trip that largely sidestepped major public disagreements over difficult trade and geopolitical issues.

The mutual warmth, along with Trump's abundance of kind words bestowed on the host country, suggested that an all-out charm offensive by the royal family and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had its desired effect, even though there was a notable lack of progress on some key matters.

Trump’s helicopter carrying him to Stansted airport made an unscheduled landing at a local airfield due to what the White House called a “minor hydraulic issue.” No one was injured, and a backup took him to Stansted, where he boarded Air Force One and departed for Washington.

Trump and Starmer signed what both sides hailed as a historic agreement on science and technology, and they held a roundtable with global business leaders where they suggested the deal could mean significant job gains. Among the topics tackled mostly in private talks between Trump and Starmer were the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and U.S. tariff rates on steel imported from Britain.

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1:36 PM CDT

President Donald Trump gestures next to Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a joint press conference at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Jimmy Kimmel the latest TV host to get into trouble. Here’s a look at others

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Jimmy Kimmel the latest TV host to get into trouble. Here’s a look at others

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 6 minute read 12:28 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from late night is not the first time a TV host has faced pushback or punishment for their on-air comments or off-air actions.

Career fabrications, romances, racial discussions, conflicts of interest, slurs, lewd language and sexual assault: TV hosts have faced career repercussions or pushback for all of the above. But the cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” amid their hosts’ vocal anti-Trump stances has lately put the spotlight on humor and free speech.

Late night TV talk shows have drifted deeper into politics since the days when Johnny Carson ruled the airwaves. Kimmel, Colbert, Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Greg Gutfeld and John Oliver have all leaned heavily on political satire to draw laughs.

It was something Carson warned about in a 1979 interview with “60 Minutes.”

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12:28 PM CDT

This combination of photos shows Billy Bush, from left, Megyn Kelly, Matt Lauer, Sharon Osbourne and Charlie Rose. (AP Photo)

Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter will host ‘Saturday Night Live’

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter will host ‘Saturday Night Live’

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 12:39 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off its historic 50th season, “Saturday Night Live” is kicking off its 51st with some familiar faces: Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter.

The trio, no stranger to Studio 8H, will host the first three episodes of the season, NBC announced Thursday. All three were heavily involved in the Season 50 celebrations.

Up first is Bad Bunny, who kicks things off Oct. 4. Coming off his own historic residency in Puerto Rico, which ends Saturday, the music superstar and, of late, actor won't be the musical guest, though; Doja Cat will make her debut in that slot on his episode. This is Bad Bunny's second time hosting the sketch show. He also performed at the “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” appeared in a sketch during the anniversary special and was the final musical guest of the season.

“Saturday Night Live” alumna Poehler will host the second episode, on Oct. 11, alongside first-time musical guest Role Model. Her episode will air 50 years to the day of the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live,” on Oct. 11, 1975. It's her second time hosting alone, and third time hosting overall. The “SNL” mainstay appeared throughout the anniversary celebrations, including a memorable audience Q&A session alongside Tina Fey.

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Updated: 12:39 PM CDT

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) attends the premiere of

UN’s top official in Syria is stepping down after 7 years of conflict and tumult

Abby Sewell And Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

UN’s top official in Syria is stepping down after 7 years of conflict and tumult

Abby Sewell And Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 11:48 AM CDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The official who steered the U.N.'s diplomacy in Syria for nearly seven turbulent years announced Thursday that he is resigning.

Geir Pedersen, who has held diplomatic posts for decades for the world body and his native Norway, told the U.N. Security Council that “I have informed the secretary-general of my intention to step down.”

Pedersen, 69, was appointed as the U.N.'s special envoy to Syria in 2018, seven years into the country's civil war. Amid the chaos, Islamic State group militants took over significant parts of the nation. In 2019, the group lost the last sliver of land its fighters controlled, but sleeper cells linger.

Pedersen was charged with implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, which aimed to usher in a political solution to the conflict between the government of then-President Bashar Assad and its opponents, but efforts to broker one repeatedly faltered.

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Updated: 11:48 AM CDT

FILE - Geir Pedersen, the United Nations' special envoy to Syria, speaks to journalists in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki, File)

Gunman kills 2 at Israeli-run crossing between West Bank and Jordan. 4 soldiers killed in Gaza

Isaac Scharf And Areej Hazboun, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Gunman kills 2 at Israeli-run crossing between West Bank and Jordan. 4 soldiers killed in Gaza

Isaac Scharf And Areej Hazboun, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 3:05 PM CDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Jordanian aid truck driver opened fire and killed two people at an Israeli-run border crossing in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, officials said. The Israeli military also said that four soldiers were killed in the southern Gaza Strip, and that a drone had struck in the area of the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

The Israeli military referred to the shooting at the crossing with Jordan as a militant attack. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said that two men, around 60 and 20 years old, were killed. The military said the attacker had been “neutralized," without elaborating.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and identified the shooter as Abdel-Mutalib al-Qaisi, a man in his late 50s who it said had been driving aid trucks bound for Gaza for three months.

Three Israelis were killed in a September 2024 attack at the crossing, when a retired Jordanian soldier opened fire. That attack appeared to be linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The Allenby Bridge Crossing over the Jordan River, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is mainly used by Palestinians and tourists. It was closed after the attack.

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Updated: 3:05 PM CDT

Israeli police and soldiers stand guard near the site of a shooting attack where Israeli officials say two people were shot and killed in a militant attack at the Allenby Bridge Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

What to know about Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

What to know about Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission

The Associated Press 4 minute read 11:11 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC took comic Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show off the air indefinitely Wednesday, just hours after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr called his comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination “truly sick.”

Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner named as chairman by President Donald Trump in November. In the months since, he has launched investigations of ABC, CBS and NBC news.

“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,” Carr said in July, after the FCC approved CBS owner Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance.

Here's what to know about Carr:

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11:11 AM CDT

FILE - Brendan Carr listens during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee hearing to examine the Federal Communications Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 24, 2020. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via AP, File)

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Kimmel’s suspension is the latest display of Trump’s growing power over the US media landscape

Chris Megerian, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Kimmel’s suspension is the latest display of Trump’s growing power over the US media landscape

Chris Megerian, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 2:21 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has used threats, lawsuits and government pressure as he remakes the American media landscape, unleashing his long-standing grievances against an industry that has mocked, criticized and scorned him for years.

He's extracted multimillion-dollar settlements, forced companies into costly litigation and prompted changes to programming that he found objectionable.

Now Trump is escalating his campaign of censure and retaliation, invigorated by successful efforts to push ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air for his commentary on conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from Great Britain on Thursday, Trump said federal regulators should consider revoking broadcast licenses for networks that “give me only bad publicity.”

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Updated: 2:21 PM CDT

Jimmy Kimmel appears at the Walt Disney Television upfront in New York on May 14, 2019, left, and President Donald Trump appears on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo)

Kimmel’s future hangs in balance after ABC suspends his late-night show over Charlie Kirk comments

David Bauder, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Kimmel’s future hangs in balance after ABC suspends his late-night show over Charlie Kirk comments

David Bauder, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 3:35 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel’s television future hung in the balance Thursday after ABC suspended his late-night show following the host’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, leaving the network's parent company to decide whether supporting him is worth the risk to its business.

Two other companies that operate dozens of ABC stations came out against Kimmel, and they are being cheered on by a Trump administration regulator who can make life difficult for ABC's owner, the Walt Disney Co.

But advocates for free speech say it's time for the company to take a stand.

Kimmel made several remarks on his show Monday and Tuesday about the reaction to the conservative activist's killing last week, suggesting many Trump supporters are trying to capitalize on Kirk's death. “The MAGA gang (is) 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,” Kimmel said.

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Updated: 3:35 PM CDT

Reactions pour in about ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show

The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Reactions pour in about ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show

The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 4:56 PM CDT

ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show following comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk drew reactions from across the entertainment and political worlds, including from President Donald Trump.

Fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert got the news Wednesday while taping an episode of his own show in New York, telling a stunned studio audience that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had been suspended.

“It was a mix of shock and bewilderment,” said audience member Monserrat Lopez, recounting how Colbert left the stage before coming back to say he would call Kimmel to talk privately.

Just this summer, CBS said Colbert’s “Late Show” would end next year due to financial reasons — a decision made just after Colbert criticized a settlement between Trump and CBS’s parent company over a “60 Minutes” story.

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Updated: 4:56 PM CDT

People walk by the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio on Hollywood Blvd., Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Judge blocks Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children

Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Judge blocks Trump administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children

Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 10:35 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S. alone back to their home country, the latest step in a court struggle over one of the most sensitive issues in Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly comes after the Republican administration’s Labor Day weekend attempt to remove Guatemalan migrant children who were living in government shelters and foster care.

Trump administration officials said they were seeking to reunify children with parents who wanted them returned home. “But that explanation crumbled like a house of cards about a week later," Kelly wrote. “There is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return.”

There was already a temporary order in place preventing the removal of Guatemalan children. But that was set to expire Tuesday. Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, granted a preliminary injunction extends that temporary protection indefinitely, although the government can appeal.

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Updated: 10:35 AM CDT

President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Prosecutor says stalking suspect ambushed Pennsylvania police officers, killing 3

Mark Scolforo, Tassanee Vejpongsa And Marc Levy, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Prosecutor says stalking suspect ambushed Pennsylvania police officers, killing 3

Mark Scolforo, Tassanee Vejpongsa And Marc Levy, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 4:28 PM CDT

NORTH CODORUS, Pa. (AP) — A suspected stalker armed with a rifle hid inside his ex-girlfriend's home in the rolling farmland of southern Pennsylvania and ambushed police officers who came to arrest him, killing three of them, a prosecutor said Thursday

Police arriving at the scene at about 2:10 p.m. Wednesday noticed the door to the home was unlocked even though the ex-girlfriend and her mother had locked it before leaving for their safety.

The plainclothes detectives wearing bulletproof vests opened the door and were immediately fired upon by the suspect, 24-year-old Matthew James Ruth, who was carrying an AR-style rifle with a suppressor, York County District Attorney Tim Barker said.

He said the suspect fired multiple rounds, killing three of the officers at the door. A gunfight then ensued between Ruth and two officers outside. Ruth wounded a sheriff's deputy before police shot the gunman to death, Barker said.

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Updated: 4:28 PM CDT

A memorial for police officers killed in a shooting is shown outside the Northern York County Regional Police Department, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 in York, Pa. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

Man dies from blunt impact injuries after riding coaster at new Florida amusement park Epic Universe

Jeff Martin And Mike Schneider, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Man dies from blunt impact injuries after riding coaster at new Florida amusement park Epic Universe

Jeff Martin And Mike Schneider, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 4:32 PM CDT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A man who was unresponsive after riding a roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort's newest park died from blunt impact injuries, a medical examiner said Thursday.

Joshua Stephany, the medical examiner for the Orlando area, ruled the death an accident after performing an autopsy. The statement from Stephany did not mention any details about the injuries, including where on the body they were found.

The man in his 30s was found unresponsive after riding the coaster at Epic Universe on Wednesday, the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Dennis Speigel, CEO and founder of consulting firm International Theme Park Services, called the autopsy’s conclusion “pretty shocking,” and he said it raised more questions than it answered.

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Updated: 4:32 PM CDT

FILE - Guests arrive at the main entrance to Epic Universe Theme Park at Universal Resort Orlando, April 10, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Israel’s culture minister cuts funding for prestigious film awards, saying winner defames soldiers

The Associated Press 2 minute read 6:28 AM CDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s culture minister has cut funding for the country’s most prestigious film awards ceremony, saying this year’s best feature winner “spits” on Israeli soldiers.

Miki Zohar said he was taking the step in response to Tuesday’s Ophir Award victory for “The Sea” – a story about a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who sneaks into Israel from the occupied West Bank in a quest to see the sea for the first time in his life. The film will now be Israel's nominee for the Oscars.

In a statement on X, Zohar, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, said he was halting funding for the ceremony due to what he described as the film's pro-Palestinian bent and its depiction of Israeli soldiers.

“On my watch, the citizens of Israel will not pay out of their pockets for a disgraceful ceremony that spits on the heroic Israeli soldiers,” he said. “The citizens of Israel deserve for their tax money to go to more important and valuable places.”

More Americans say Israel has ‘gone too far’ in the Gaza conflict, according to new AP-NORC polling

Aamer Madhani And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

More Americans say Israel has ‘gone too far’ in the Gaza conflict, according to new AP-NORC polling

Aamer Madhani And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 8:32 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — At a moment of growing international alarm about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, more U.S. adults view Israel's military action in the Palestinian territory as excessive than at the beginning of the war, according to a new poll.

About half of Americans say the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That's up from November 2023, when 40% said Israel's military action had gone too far. That AP-NORC poll was conducted shortly after Hamas started the conflict by launching an Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

But at the same time, Americans overall, particularly Republicans, are less likely to say that negotiating a ceasefire should be a high priority for the U.S. government than they were just a few months ago when the U.S. was holding ceasefire talks with Hamas.

The shift in American attitudes about Israel's actions comes as Israel begins an expanded ground offensive on Gaza City. Israel is facing increased international scrutiny over its conduct in Gaza, with a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council this week announcing it has concluded that Israel is committing genocide.

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Updated: 8:32 AM CDT

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather for a protest in front of the Associated Press offices, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Anthony Roth Costanzo, who introduced $11 tickets, brings opera with a difference to Philadelphia

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Anthony Roth Costanzo, who introduced $11 tickets, brings opera with a difference to Philadelphia

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 11:25 PM CDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Anthony Roth Costanzo, the man who brought $11 opera tickets to Philadelphia, hopes to keep surprising audiences during the company’s new season.

“It is very much opera. It’s dramatic, it’s cathartic, it’s collaborative in interdisciplinary ways,” Costanzo said of Opera Philadelphia’s 50th anniversary season — the first he’s been able to plan since taking charge of the financially teetering company last year. “But it’s different from what your perception of opera might be.”

He slated a work by Rossini to kick things off, with opening night set for Friday. But instead of choosing a repertory staple, Costanzo picked the less-familiar “Il viaggio a Reims.” And the production will be anything but traditional: Director Damiano Michieletto has changed the original setting from an inn to an art gallery where the portraits come alive and sing.

After that the offerings become even more adventurous. There’s a multimedia piece by playwright Sarah Ruhl set to music by Vivaldi — including “The Seasons” — and starring Costanzo, who maintains a flourishing performing career as a countertenor. Then comes a world premiere with libretto by Pulitzer-winner Michael R. Jackson and a score by 10 different composers. Another new opera follows, by Gregory Spears, in which the chorus has the starring role. Finally, bass-baritone Davóne Tines performs a “vaudevillian rendering” of a poem by Langston Hughes.

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September 18, 2025

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