Better Vibes

Until Tuesday night, I don’t think I’d ever stayed up to watch Jimmy Kimmel’s show before. 

It was well worth it. He delivered as heartfelt a defense of free speech and our free press as anyone has during the First Amendment crisis created by the Trump administration. He was funny, eloquent and determined to stand his ground.

For anyone who thinks late-night comedy is not a serious matter, it’s worth remembering that political humor and satire have a long, rich history in this country — every previous president has endured withering criticism of the sort Trump is getting now.

But Trump alone threatens to use the government’s licensing powers to shut it down. For now, his attempts to muzzle Kimmel have backfired, which is one small positive step in the building of a resistance to authoritarianism.

But in that fight we have a long way to go.

Watch Kimmel’s Tuesday night monologue. Or, here’s a transcript.

***

Cami Dominguez, the reporter who gave kids in the Tenderloin disposable cameras to record how they see daily life in their neighborhood, has appeared on “The Bay,” a podcast for KQED.

It was an uplifting conversation, and a reminder that where adults may see only the problems, kids can see the joy.

And let’s face it — we probably all could use a little more joy in our lives.

HEADLINES:

• Trump OMB orders preparation for mass firings of federal workers if government shuts down (CNBC)

• Missed Kimmel’s return? Here’s a transcript of his monologue (CNN)

• Typhoon Ragasa Floods Hong Kong and Slams Into Southern China (NYT)

• Ukraine issues a stark warning about a global arms race and AI war (NPR)

• Iran’s president blasts US, Israeli attacks for dealing ‘grievous blow’ to peace as sanctions loom (AP)

• Trump’s ‘right about everything’ rant offers no answers to a world on the brink (CNN)

• Trump administration rehires hundreds of federal employees laid off by DOGE (AP)

• The Pentagon, the Press and the Fight to Control National Security Coverage (NYT)

• The Pentagon’s bunker mentality (Axios)

• Jimmy Kimmel Ran Right at His Critics (Atlantic)

• ‘America Is Not a Safe Place to Work’: Koreans Describe Georgia Raid (NYT)

• Inside the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on legal immigration (CNN)

• Harvard’s Public Health Dean Was Paid $150,000 to Testify Tylenol Causes Autism (Harvard Crimson)

• 76 percent of Americans say Trump does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize (WP)

• From Nazi Germany to Trump’s America: why strongmen rely on women at home (Guardian)

• The result of a special election in Arizona means the Jeffrey Epstein files may now be made public. [HuffPost]

• CDC warns of surge in dangerous, highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria (WP)

• Dallas ICE facility shooting: 2 detainees killed and 1 injured, officials say (CNN)

• OpenAI to Join Tech Giants in Building 5 New Data Centers in U.S. (NYT)

• AI “workslop” sabotages productivity, study finds (Axios)

• When “no” means “yes”: Why AI chatbots can’t process Persian social etiquette (ArsTechnica)

• Meta Ramps Up Spending on A.I. Politics With New Super PAC (NYT)

• ‘You Think You Can Talk About Our Dad That Way?’ Scream Trump Boys, Beating TV With Bat (The Onion)

MUSIC: Bob Dylan - She Belongs To Me (Live HD Footage) [Birmingham 1965]