Politics and views in the United States.

Conservatives are split over Kimmel's cancellation as the Pentagon cracks down on journalists. A new California law bans masks for ICE agents, and public library supporters are hopeful about future federal funds.

TRANSCRIPT

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Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy and historic times.

They made a decision because Jimmy Kimmel said something that was extremely insensitive and a flat out lie about the president of the United States and there was no excuse for it.

Republican Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullen says the chair of the FCC was justified in threatening ABC to force it to pull late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

Democrats and some Republicans, including Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Kentucky's Rand Paul say using government power to silence critics is a textbook violation of First Amendment free speech protections.

President Donald Trump is demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi use unrelated criminal charges to go after his political rivals.

On social media, Trump lambasted Bondi for not finding charges to file against California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James, or former FBI Director James Comey.

The president also just fired a US attorney for failing to charge James with mortgage fraud.

Critics say using the justice system to attack opponents in that way is an impeachable offense.

The Pentagon now requires reporters to pledge to report only approved information.

The White House says Trump does not agree with the new restrictions.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is signing a first of its kind law, banning federal and local law enforcement from wearing masks on duty.

You're gonna go out and you're gonna do enforcement, provide an ID, tell us what agency you represent.

Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide. have the decency not to threaten people as they go to school.

Lawmakers in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania have introduced similar legislation.

Homeland Security says an ICE National Guard surge caught 5,000 undocumented immigrants in LA this summer in spite of protests.

Public library advocates hope a new bill in Congress will counteract a spring Trump executive order defunding the federal agency that supports them.

The White House described the $300 million taken from the Institute for Museum and Library Services as shrinking a bloated federal bureaucracy.

But Joshua Stone with the Maryland Library Association says libraries have historically been a nonpartisan issue.

That kind of goodwill has been chipped away at over the last few years through various groups that have lobbied various allegations toward libraries and thus kind of tainted the good name of libraries for some people.

Voters in Colorado will have the chance to provide universal free lunch to all students paid for by a new tax on some of the wealthiest households.

Voters approved the policy in another ballot measure in 2022, but it lacked a funding source.

Jeriel Dyer says when they were struggling, her daughter skipped school lunches in embarrassment.

We're saying that if you are a student in Colorado, you get access to free meals so that you can commit to these other things in school rather than wondering when your next meal might be.

Canada, the UK, and Australia all recognize the Palestinian state ahead of a UN General Assembly.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney slammed Israel for its destruction of Gaza and expansion into the West Bank, while also calling on Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

I'm Zimone Perez for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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