TV News LIES

Jon Stewart made a rare midweek appearance on “The Daily Show” Thursday night to wade into the controversy over ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night program.

Stewart, who usually only hosts on Mondays, opened the show in front of a gold-emblazoned, Trump-style backdrop to deliver what he described as the latest episode of a “fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show.”

Adopting a mock–state TV persona, Stewart offered nervous praise of President Donald Trump and his recent state visit to the United Kingdom.

“If you felt off these last couple of days, it’s probably because our great father has not been home,” Stewart sarcastically began. “For father has been gracing England with his legendary warmth and radiance.”

Trump, Stewart continued, “wowed the English with charm and intelligence, and an undeniable sexual charisma.”

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A federal judge threw out President Donald Trump's $15 billion libel and defamation lawsuit against the New York Times by ruling that it didn't provide a succinct complaint for the court to consider.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Florida rejected the complaint but gave Trump 28 days to file another version of the lawsuit. Trump had accused the paper of defaming him with malicious accusations, but the lawsuit lacked "any legitimate legal claims."

"As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective − not a protected platform to rage against an adversary," wrote Merryday, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush. "A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner."

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Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major ground offensive, on Thursday, September 18, prompting Palestinians to flee south, where the Israeli military announced the deaths of four soldiers. AFP journalists and witnesses saw a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts – their meagre belongings piled high.

There is artillery fire, air strikes, quadcopter and drone gunfire. The bombing never stops," said Aya Ahmed, 32, sheltering with 13 relatives in Gaza City. "The world doesn't understand what is happening. They (Israel) want us to evacuate south – but where will we live? There are no tents, no transport, no money."

Palestinians say the cost of a ride to the south has soared, in some cases topping $1,000. "The situation is indescribable – crowds everywhere, the sound of explosions, women and men crying and screaming as they walked while carrying their belongings," said Shadi Jawad, 47, describing his family's ordeal as they fled their home on Wednesday. "God, send a missile to take us out and relieve us," he said.

The offensive has sparked international outrage, with the territory already devastated by nearly two years of war and the Gaza City area gripped by a UN-declared famine. It comes ahead of a planned move by several Western countries, including France and Britain, to recognize a Palestinian state later this month at the UN. US President Donald Trump, currently on a visit to Britain, said Thursday he had a "disagreement" with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over this.

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A giant radio telescope in Crimea used in the past to support missions to Mars and Venus and attempt to contact alien civilizations has been destroyed in a drone attack.

Ukrainian defense forces took down the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna dish to prevent Russian forces from using it to guide attacks on its territory. The RT-70 radio telescope has been under Russian control since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. According to Defense Express, Russians carried out major upgrades to the 5,000 metric ton structure to use it for military communications.

In late August, footage emerged captured by a drone slamming into the 50-year-old radio telescope. The drone, according to Defense Express, aimed at the 200-kilowatt radio receiver at the heart of the telescope. The custom-made receiver produced in 2011 in Moscow during the last major upgrade of the telescope will be hard to replace, Defense Express said, meaning Russia will not likely be able to repair the antenna any time soon.

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The families of four passengers who died in the Air India crash in June have sued the aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Honeywell, blaming negligence and a faulty fuel cutoff switch for the disaster that killed 260 people.

Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London on 12 June.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday in Delaware superior court, the plaintiffs said the locking mechanism for the switch on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner could be turned off inadvertently, causing a loss of fuel supply and loss of thrust needed for takeoff.

They said Boeing and Honeywell, which respectively installed and manufactured the switch, knew about that risk, especially after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cautioned in 2018 about disengaged locking mechanisms on several Boeing aircraft.

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The time has come to ban the “revolving door” between the White House and the Federal Reserve, two academics argued last year. Doing so would be “critical to reducing the incentives for officials to act in the short-term political interests of the president”, they wrote.

Eight months ago, the two writers – Dan Katz and Stephen Miran – joined the Trump administration in senior roles. On Tuesday, Miran, the chair of the US council of economic advisers, walked into the Fed as a governor.

Strolling through the revolving door himself, Miran pledged during his confirmation hearing to preserve the Fed’s independence, but made clear he would not resign from the White House, just take unpaid leave.

Having expressed concern last year about the Fed’s vulnerability to the short-term political interests of the president, Miran was rushed into his new seat on the central bank’s board of governors hours before its latest meeting – as Donald Trump continued to push to have another voting member removed.

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Late-night show hosts including Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and David Letterman have rallied behind Jimmy Kimmel following ABC’s decision to indefinitely suspend his popular late-night show after his comments about the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.

In his opening monologue on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert mocked executives at Disney, ABC’s parent company, for caving to threats from Brendan Carr, the FCC chairman, when they pulled Kimmel off the air.

In an excerpt posted on Instagram before broadcast, Colbert also scolded Carr for calling Kimmel’s commentary on the rush to politicize Kirk’s murder an affront to community values. “Well, you know what my community values are, Buster?” Colbert asked. “Freedom of speech.”

“People across the country are shocked by this blatant assault on the freedom of speech,” Colbert added.

Colbert went on to poke fun at Disney executives, saying: “As one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day” over the threat of Trump’s administration’s retaliation against the network. “On the bright side, that proves Disney is No 1 in streaming,” he joked.

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Paul Nguyen faced up to eight years in prison for allegedly assaulting a Department of Homeland Security agent during President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of policing in Washington, D.C.

But like so many other felony assault cases recently brought by Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host turned U.S. attorney for D.C., the charge against Nguyen crumbled in less than a month.

A prosecutor from Pirro’s office told a magistrate judge on Tuesday The Maryland resident said he won’t forget the four nights he spent in D.C. Jail, all for a charge that would soon be dropped.the office no longer plans to pursue any charges “based on current evidence,” a strong indication that, after reviewing body cam footage and any witness statements, it doesn’t believe it has a case. Nguyen had been accused of injuring the DHS agent during an early-morning scuffle along one of the city’s nightlife strips.

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