Tuesday, September 16 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Tuesday. Let's get into it. |
- Patel, Booker's shouting match
- Bondi draws criticism from the right
- Kirk suspect's first court appearance
- White House targets left-leaning groups
- Trump sues NYT for $15 billion
- House to vote on funding bill 'by Friday'
- Mangione terrorism charges dismissed
- Robert Redford dies
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Pam Bondi sparks firestorm on the right: |
Attorney General Pam Bondi is drawing intense backlash from the right after vowing to prosecute "hate speech" in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's killing. Bondi's comments have been widely panned on the right, with many conservatives viewing them as antithetical to a position they've long held that free speech is free speech. The AG stepped into it even further: Bondi told Fox News on Monday evening that her department would look into prosecuting businesses that refuse to print Kirk's vigil posters. (Critics quickly pointed to the years-long debate over whether bakeries can decline to bake a cake for a couple they don't agree with.) Bondi is specifically referring to an incident at a Michigan Office Depot where an employee refused to print flyers for a Kirk vigil. The retailer fired the employee. "Businesses cannot discriminate. If you want to go in and print posters with Charlie's pictures on them for a vigil, you have to let them do that. We can prosecute you for that," Bondi said on Fox News's "Hannity," adding, "I have Harmeet Dhillon right now in our Civil Rights unit looking at that immediately." Feeling the heat: Bondi posted on X this morning clarifying her comments. But her clarification wasn't an apology. "Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It's a crime," Bondi argued. "This isn't a correction or a retraction or a retreat; it's a post hoc attempt to bend the term 'hate speech' to mean something that it never has," wrote National Review's Charles C. W. Cooke. "Get rid of her. Today. This is insane," posted the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) weighed in, saying "in America, it's a very important part of our tradition that we do not censor and silence disfavored viewpoints" while defending businesses' and agencies' rights to fire employees who celebrate a "heinous murder." At the White House: Trump was asked about the blowback Bondi is receiving and he immediately pivoted to attacking the news media. "We'll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly — it's hate. You have a lot of hate in your hate. Maybe they'll come after ABC. … Maybe they'll have to go after you." Trump told journalist Jon Karl. 📹 Watch the clip |
National Review: 'Pam Bondi's Ridiculous 24 Hours' The Daily Beast: 'MAGA Melts Down at 'Moron' Bondi Over 'Hate Speech' Crackdown Threat' Axios: Republicans embrace speech limits |
This hearing has been spicy: |
Democratic senators are grilling FBI Director Kash Patel in a hearing over his handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation. Yikes, this back and forth got heated: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) got into a screaming match with Patel. The two went back and forth over his handling of the Kirk investigation. Booker told Patel at one point: "I think you're not going to be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing, because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution of the United States of America, Donald Trump has shown us in his first term. And in this term, he is not loyal to people like you." Patel: "That rant of false information does not bring this country together. If you want to work on bringing this country together," Patel began. "It's my time, not yours! ... MY GOD, MY GOD. If you want to talk about dividing this country, I follow you on your social media posts that tear this country apart." The chairman then broke up the shouting match. 📹 — whew Here are the top moments |
- Durbin ripped into Patel: Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, slammed Patel for sharing news of an arrest that was quickly retracted. "Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk's assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement at critical stages of investigation: shut up and let the professionals do their job," Durbin said.
- Klobuchar wants a change in rhetoric: Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called on Patel to ask President Trump to rethink his comments blaming the "radical left," arguing it encourages more political violence. She also referenced a "recent study from the Libertarian Cato Institution that found right-leaning terrorists were responsible for significantly more deaths than left-leaning terrorists who carried out political violence." Patel told her, "Absolutely."
Trump says he has Patel's back: Trump told reporters this morning that he has confidence in Patel. This is notable considering Fox News reports that some in the White House "have no confidence in Kash." What coincidental timing: Patel's two Capitol Hill hearings were not planned in response to the events of the last week. They were preplanned and happened to coincide with the FBI's investigation of Kirk's assassination. Today is Patel's Senate committee hearing. He will testify before a House committee Wednesday. 💬 Follow today's live blog 💻 Watch the Patel hearing |
➤ HAPPENING THIS AFTERNOON: |
Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of killing Kirk, is expected to appear virtually in court later today. The Associated Press reports that prosecutors are preparing a capital murder charge. "Prosecutors in Utah County are considering several charges against Robinson, the most serious being aggravated murder because it could bring the death penalty if there is a conviction." 💻 Watch the 2 p.m. press conference |
The Trump White House plans to target left-leaning groups: |
The Trump administration is now preparing to go after left-leaning groups through executive actions amid escalating tensions around free speech, reports The Wall Street Journal. How so?: "Among the actions being discussed by the president's team: reviewing the tax-exempt status of left-leaning nonprofit groups and targeting them with anticorruption laws, according to administration officials. The president could begin rolling out the actions as soon as this week, officials said, part of a bid to harness support for Kirk, particularly among young voters, ahead of the midterm elections." This is important: "The White House has offered few details to support its allegations against left-leaning groups. Throughout his political career, Trump has unified his voter base by arguing that it faced threats from Democrats and the political left, telling voters, for example, that the criminal prosecutions he faced before the 2024 election were really an effort to disempower his supporters. Democrats say Trump's own rhetoric has divided the nation and amplified animosity between the parties. Public figures in both parties have been the victims of violence in recent years." |
Trump is suing The New York Times for $15 billion: | President Trump filed a lawsuit against The New York Times late Monday, accusing four journalists of defamation and libel and slamming the paper for becoming a "virtual mouthpiece for the Radical Left Democrat Party." Trump is demanding $15 billion in damages, which CNN notes is higher than the entire market cap of the company. The lawsuit itself: "The 85-page suit reads at times like a pro-Trump op-ed, with page after page of gushing praise for the president and repeated references to other lawsuits he has filed against other media outlets." (CNN) The New York Times says this lawsuit has no 'merit': "It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting," a Times spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. "The New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics." 💡 This is becoming a pattern: Trump has ramped up his attacks on the media in recent months. He sued The Wall Street Journal over the summer following its explosive reporting about Trump's past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. |
Over the pond and through the gate to Charles's house they go: |
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are flying to London on Air Force One for an official state visit to the United Kingdom. What to expect: Lots of pomp and circumstance Wednesday, as The Hill's Niall Stanage put it, when Trump meets with King Charles III and other members of the royal family at Windsor Castle. Five questions for the trip: 1. Can British Prime Minister Keir Starmer get Trump to take a harder line with Putin? 2. Will the Jeffrey Epstein scandal knock things off track? 3. Will Trump say anything about the recent right-wing protests in Britain? 4. What happens with trade and economic matters? 5. How will Trump and King Charles interact? Context for each 📸 Trump's luggage |
The deadline is two weeks from today, folks: |
Lawmakers have two weeks to negotiate a deal to keep the government's lights on past Sept. 30. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced today that the House plans to vote "by Friday" on a short-term funding bill. What to expect: This new bill is expected to fund the government through around Nov. 20, per The Hill's Emily Brooks. However, Democrats have signaled they oppose the plan because it doesn't include health care provisions or extend health care subsidies. Related, via The Hill's Nathaniel Weixel: 'ObamaCare fight meets shutdown politics: What to know' |
- Actor Robert Redford died at the age of 89. Read his NYT obituary
- A New York state judge dismissed the terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Mangione is still charged with second-degree murder.
- OpenAI is launching more parental controls amid growing concern about ChatGPT's effect on children.
- The Georgia Supreme Court threw out Fani Willis's final bid to prosecute President Trump over his election interference efforts.
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- The Wall Street Journal: Joe Biden Is Struggling to Cash In on His Presidency: Companies are reluctant to hire the former president as a paid speaker due to his unpopularity and fear of retribution from Trump
The Hill: Frustrated GOP senators blow steam on Russia: 'Sick of' Trump, Vance 'love affair' with Putin - The New York Times: A 'Broken' Trust: F.B.I. Agents Fired by Patel Speak Out
- The Wall Street Journal: ICE's Tough Tactics Were Forged on the Streets of Boston
- Time: 'People Are Scared to Death': Members of Congress Cancel Events, Call for Increased Security After Kirk's Assassination
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are flying to the United Kingdom today. (All times EST) |
12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings. 📆 Today's agenda
1:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected at 4:30 p.m. 📆 Today's agenda
3:50 p.m.: The Trumps land in London.
3:30 p.m. Wednesday: The Trumps participate in a state banquet, followed by a post-dinner program.
Sept. 22: Former Vice President Kamala Harris will appear on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show." |
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🥑 Celebrate: Today is National Guacamole Day.
📱 Time to update: Apple released its latest update, iOS 26, on Monday. It includes visual design updates, scammer filters, and more. Read all about it here. |
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