ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel joined former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother and former college basketball coach Craig Robinson on their IMO podcast on Wednesday to discuss his career, which naturally touched on what it is like to be a late night comedy host in the Trump era. According to Kimmel, talking about politics in such a partisan way is a moral obligation that would be “shameful” to avoid. As for those wanting him to stick to comedy, he demanded they stop telling him how to do his job. Obama set Kimmel up by praising him on how “you have so bravely and boldly used your platform to speak truth to power, as they would say.” Kimmel replied, “Well, thank you. I don't think of it as bravely. Boldly, maybe would be a good description. But to me, it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about. And I give a lot of credit to my colleagues for doing the same thing. I think it would be embarrassing if we didn't talk about this stuff. It would be shameful."   Jimmy Kimmel tells Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson that he HAS to talk politics "it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about...It would be shameful. Not that I think… pic.twitter.com/HS9KLo1LMG — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 15, 2026   He also claimed, “I've always said since the very beginning, even when I was on the radio, is to talk about what is going on in people's lives and what is going on in, you know, if you're doing local radio, in your town, and if you're doing a national television show, in your country.” According to Kimmel, this dive in partisan activism dressed up as comedy is just proof of his humanity, “And these are things that I take very seriously. And of course, you know, I like to—I love telling jokes. I love being funny. I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing that's more exciting to me than that. But you well-rounded human beings don't behave that way.” As for those who want their comedians to focus on being funny, Kimmel retorted, “And to say that, ‘Well, your job is this.’ It makes me—I bristle at that because, first of all, don't tell me what my job is. You know, I don't tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do. That's what my job is and comedians have been doing this for a long time.” People who comment about politics for a living get criticized. Sometimes the comedy critics get criticized by comedians. That’s part of the job description. Nevertheless, Kimmel further asserted that those who long for a supposed golden age of late night might not like what they would get if Johnny Carson was still around, ‘And, you know, from my generation: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, it just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, 'Well, Johnny Carson didn't do this.’ Like, well, first of all, we're living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn't do it? I bet Johnny Carson would talk about it. I bet Johnny Carson would be absolutely mortified by what's going on. And I do think that he would probably have a greater impact than any of us do.” Kimmel began to wrap up by claiming, “I don't love those nights. It's not, I feel uncomfortable. I get emotional. I lose control sometimes of my emotions, which is embarrassing to me, but I just feel like I wrestle with myself throughout the day and I go, ‘Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this?’ And then I just go, ‘Yeah, of course you have to talk about this. You might not want to, but you have to.’ And that's it. I wish we didn't have to do it. I hope there's a day that we don't anymore. And we can just go back to fun.” Of course, nobody is preventing Kimmel from having fun now. Kimmel tells 97 percent of his jokes about conservatives because he wants to, not because he needs to. Kimmel’s wants versus needs framing also looks worse when you remember that he has chosen to spend the last two days not issuing a mea culpa for letting Eric Swalwell announce his gubernatorial campaign on his show. Here is a transcript for the April 15 show: IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson 4/15/2026 MICHELLE OBAMA: And you have so bravely and boldly used your platform to speak truth to power as they would say. JIMMY KIMMEL: Well, thank you. I don't think of it as bravely. Boldly, maybe would be a good description. But to me, it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about. And I give a lot of credit to my colleagues for doing the same thing. I think it would be embarrassing if we didn't talk about this stuff. OBAMA: Yeah. KIMMEL: It would be shameful. Not that I think everyone has a responsibility to speak out. Whatever, if you're comfortable doing that. But, you know, my job, I've always said since the very beginning, even when I was on the radio, is to talk about what is going on in people's lives and what is going on in, you know, if you're doing local radio, in your town, and if you're doing a national television show, in your country. And these are things that I take very seriously. And of course, you know, I like to—I love telling jokes. I love being funny. I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing that's more exciting to me than that. But you well-rounded human beings don't behave that way. And to say that, “Well, your job is this.” It makes me—I bristle at that— OBAMA: Yeah. KIMMEL: —because, first of all, don't tell me what my job is. OBAMA: Exactly. KIMMEL: You know, I don't tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer— OBAMA: Yeah. KIMMEL: —allows me to do. That's what my job is and comedians have been doing this for a long time. OBAMA: It's so true. KIMMEL: And, you know, from my generation: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, it just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, “Well, Johnny Carson didn't do this.” Like, well, first of all, we're living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn't do it? I bet Johnny Carson would talk about it. I bet Johnny Carson would be absolutely mortified by what's going on. And I do think that he would probably have a greater impact than any of us do. OBAMA: Yeah. KIMMEL: But, I, you know, I don't, I don't love those nights. It's not, I feel uncomfortable. I get emotional. I lose control sometimes of my emotions, which is embarrassing to me, but I just feel like I wrestle with myself throughout the day and I go, “Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this?” And then I just go, “Yeah, of course you have to talk about this. You might not want to, but you have to.” OBAMA: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. KIMMEL:  And that's it. I wish we didn't have to do it. OBAMA: I know. KIMMEL: I hope there's a day that we don't anymore. OBAMA: Yeah. KIMMEL: And we can just go back to fun. OBAMA It would be nice. CRAIG ROBINSON: Yeah, it would be. OBAMA: It would be nice.

Planned Parenthood figured they’ll win some brownie points from the demographic they’ve historically aborted by virtue signaling with a statement as revolutionary as the black square: Planned Parenthood claims "Black Mamas Matter," but something tells us Margaret Sanger would disagree. Video by @Justine_Brooke pic.twitter.com/xKzub98KPz — MRC Video (@mrcvideo) April 15, 2026 “BLACK MAMMAS MATTER,” the coat hanger company posted to their Instagram page.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Planned Parenthood (@plannedparenthood) By that, they seem to mean “BLACK ABORTIONS MATTER,” since exterminating the entire race was the reason their White Supremacist founder, Margaret Sanger opened the business in the first place. “We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,” she infamously admitted in a statement. Her eugenics endeavors inspired the Nazis so much that Joseph Goebbels called Sanger “the best National Socialist in America.”  The so-called “anti-racists” at Planned Parenthood have continued her murderous legacy to this day, with black babies being the most aborted race in America. The demographic accounts for nearly 34% of all pre-born murders.

After not one, but two unsuccessful attempts to recruit former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to switch parties and become a Democrat,  because of her fissure with President Trump, ABC’s The View was back to hating her on Wednesday’s show. For what it’s worth, co-host Joy Behar - who didn’t apologize for her smear of Jesus the previous day - was actually still willing to have Greene join them on the left, but it caused a dust up. Despite an opening tease to the show hyping Greene’s recent anti-Trump comments, co-hosts Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin wanted nothing to do with her, which left Behar as Greene’s loudest supporter at the table: HAINES: You've got to look at the character of the people you're speaking of. And to me - BEHAR: So, what should you do reject her altogether? HOSTIN: Yes! We should reject her altogether, I'm sorry, Joy. BEHAR: Like you always say, take the win. That the win. HAINES: I - No - On one issue not an over blanket thing. If she decided to vote on one piece of a policy I like, I'd say 'good for you,' but that does not erase everything she stands for. Behar’s insistence that they allow Greene to switch sides drew the ire of Hostin who began shouting at her, but moderator Whoopi Goldberg seemed to she things Behar’s way: HOSTIN: Why are you so welcoming, Joy?! BEHAR: I'm not welcoming. I don't hold grudges. If they want to come over to my side, I'm taking them. HOSTIN: Well, I'm going to hold a grudge. BEHAR: Because she is the MAGA base. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: And that's the key. BEHAR: And she has a way of getting through to them that nobody else can. GOLDBERG: That's the key.   After twice trying to get Marjory Taylor Greene to become a Democrat, The View now turns against her again: (...) SARA HAINES: You've got to look at the character of the people you're speaking of. And to me - JOY BEHAR: So, what should you do reject her altogether? SUNNY… pic.twitter.com/I6qJJHqnLd — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) April 15, 2026   Hostin actually snapped at Behar and mocked her wanting to given Greene a “big bear hug.” “Well, I'm not going on vacation with her!” Behar exclaimed in her defense. Rage filled Hostin heart as she suggested that voting for Trump was an immortal sin and shouted at co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin for not condemning Greene. Goldberg actually at the step in and tell her to “clam down.” Here’s that exchange: HOSTIN: Well, I don't know. I just think that if you voted for Donald Trump three times, if you voted for him this last election when we told you what was going to happen (…) You need her but you don't need to welcome her! I'm sorry! It is unforgivable! FARAH GRIFFIN: I genuinely see both of your perspectives, but I'm with Joy on this. You build coalitions - HOSTIN: You want to give Marjorie Taylor Greene a big bear hug?! GOLDBERG: Let her tell you what she wants to do. Stop. Calm down. Those that still had support for Greene becoming a Democrat because of her connection to MAGA voters were also being hypocrites. In 2023, The View suggested that Greene didn’t matter because her district was too small and her rural constituents didn’t matter. They also falsely claimed her district was gerrymandered. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View April 15, 2026 11:05:26 a.m. eastern (…) SARA HAINES: You've got to look at the character of the people you're speaking of. And to me - JOY BEHAR: So, what should you do reject her altogether? SUNNY HOSTIN: Yes! We should reject her altogether, I'm sorry, Joy. [Applause] BEHAR: Like you always say, take the win. That the win. HAINES: I - No - On one issue not an over blanket thing. If she decided to vote on one piece of a policy I like, I'd say 'good for you,' but that does not erase everything she stands for. HOSTIN: Why are you so welcoming, Joy?! BEHAR: I'm not welcoming. I don't hold grudges. If they want to come over to my side, I'm taking them. HOSTIN: Well, I'm going to hold a grudge. BEHAR: Because she is the MAGA base. WHOOPI GOLDBERG: And that's the key. BEHAR: And she has a way of getting through to them that nobody else can. GOLDBERG: That's the key. HOSTIN: Well, maybe that's what she needs to do then, go amongst her people and convince her people. [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: She's now saying she's going to become an independent, she thinks. She wants to lead the Republican Party. [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: I don't care, I want her to tell people that what they did did not work out the way they thought it was, as they had been told I wasn't going to work out. And now that she has seen the light, she needs to tell the people that she carries along. HOSTIN: Correct. She needs to do that. But in terms of welcoming her with open arms like Joy wants do and give her a big bear hug- BEHAR: Well, I'm not going on vacation with her! HOSTIN: Well, I don't know. I just think that if you voted for Donald Trump three times, if you voted for him this last election when we told you what was going to happen, 25 - Project 2025, 53% of those initiatives have been implemented! This country is on fire! We are in trouble. People are being killed in the streets! People are unhoused! People can't afford anything! BEHAR: That's why we need someone like her. HOSTIN: You need her but you don't need to welcome her! I'm sorry! It is unforgivable! ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I genuinely see both of your perspectives, but I'm with Joy on this. You build coalitions - HOSTIN: You want to give Marjorie Taylor Greene a big bear hug?! GOLDBERG: Let her tell you what she wants to do. Stop. Calm down. (...)

For CNN This Morning guest host Erica Hill, the Trump administration’s argument with Pope Leo over the Iran War provided her an opportunity to hype the idea that true religion is liberal and the “moral courage” the country needs. To help her make that point, Hill brought on Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde—best known for turning the Inaugural Prayer Service into Liberal Culture War Hour—and hyped Sen. Raphael Warnock suggesting that pleas that Leo not confuse his political opinions with God’s are “how fascists talk.” Hill wondered, “Could this actually be helping in this moment to elevate the pope's message? Because it is prompting more of a discussion about what the pope is, in fact, talking about?” Budde agreed, “Right. And he's consistent. Utterly consistent in his message of peace, focusing on the suffering and the marginalized, calling for respect and dignity in human discourse. And I think it's really important to note his concern that we all have, quite frankly, of the misappropriation of religious symbolism to justify bellicosity and war and the—and the uncontrolled use of political and military power. And we all have huge concerns about this. And frankly, it's nothing new with this administration.” Popes simply do not endorse military action anymore. Even Pope Francis got himself in trouble several times with the Ukrainians, who are fighting a purely defensive war, if ever there was one. If CNN wants to make an argument against the war, it is going to need to do better than appealing to a pacifist.   CNN's Erica Hill tells Mariann Budde (you remember her, the Episcopal bishop that turned the Inaugural Prayer Service into a liberal culture war session) "[Sen. Raphael Warnock "was reacting specifically to some comments from JD Vance, but there's part of this that I think you'll… pic.twitter.com/WBwdZCtUbf — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 15, 2026   As it was, Hill moved on and teed up a clip for the liberal bishop of a liberal pastor on MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, “I thought it was interesting, some of the comments that we heard from Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who is, of course, also a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He was reacting specifically to some comments from JD Vance, but there's part of this that I think you'll appreciate as well. Take a listen.” The context for the clip was Vice President JD Vance claiming the pope needs “to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Psaki didn’t play the part where Vance also questioned Leo’s remarks about God not choosing sides in wars by asking if God was on America’s side when the U.S. liberated France from the Nazis and the concentration camps and answering that he thought He was. In the video, Warnock claimed that “This is how despots and wannabe despots talk. This is how fascists talk. They tell the people who are faith leaders to stay in their lane…There couldn't be a better time for leaders of faith, for people of moral courage to hold power accountable. If they don't want to be held accountable, if they don't want to hear truth being spoken to power, that's just too bad.” Hill then alluded to Budde’s inauguration remarks when she asked, “Senator Warnock touching there on the pressure the administration seems to be placing on faith leaders to fall in line. I know you've dealt with some of that firsthand. But he also spoke about moral courage. In this moment, where do you see moral courage right now?” Budde concurred in the idea that moral courage is in criticizing Trump, “Where do I see moral courage? Well, I see it everywhere, Erica. I see it certainly in the—in the stance that the pope has taken. I see it in people across this country and around the world who are—who are insisting that there is a better narrative and a better way forward for us as a country. I see it in all manner of endeavors to try and rein in a government right now, our government, that has—that is being led by people with absolutely no accountability and the larger and larger platform with which to wreak considerable damage.” She also claimed, “And so, moral courage, we are seeing rise up across every spectrum of our country. And I think as the—as Raphael Warnock said so well, this is what moral courage looks like. It isn't remaining silent. It's not staying in some self-prescribed safe lane. It is looking at the issues that harm or protect human thriving, which is not about protecting one religion against another, but making sure that all of God's children can live with some modicum of peace and well-being.” Warnock and Budde both believe things about abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgender ideology that Pope Leo would oppose, which shows the logical absurdities of Hill and Psaki’s segments. If Leo is speaking truth to power to Trump on Iran, will he be speaking truth to power to them when this war ends and the news cycle shifts back to something else or will they all of a sudden claim the subject is too nuanced for papal commentary? Certainly not, but that won’t stop them from currently using Leo to score points against Trump. Here is a transcript for the April 15 show: CNN This Morning 4/15/2026 6:52 AM ET ERICA HILL: You—to that point about not focusing on the personalities, could this actually be helping in this moment to elevate the pope's message? Because it is prompting more of a discussion about what the pope is, in fact, talking about? MARIANN BUDDE: Right. And he's consistent. HILL: Yes. BUDDE: Utterly consistent in his message of peace, focusing on the suffering and the marginalized, calling for respect and dignity in human discourse. And I think it's really important to note his concern that we all have, quite frankly, of the misappropriation of religious symbolism to justify bellicosity and war and the—and the uncontrolled use of political and military power. And we all have huge concerns about this. And frankly, it's nothing new with this administration. HILL: I thought it was interesting, some of the comments that we heard from Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, who is, of course, also a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He was reacting specifically to some comments from JD Vance, but there's part of this that I think you'll appreciate as well. Take a listen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK: This is how despots and wannabe despots talk. This is how fascists talk. They tell the people who are faith leaders to stay in their lane. [jump cut] There couldn't be a better time for leaders of faith, for people of moral courage to hold power accountable. If they don't want to be held accountable, if they don't want to hear truth being spoken to power, that's just too bad. HILL: Senator Warnock touching there on the pressure the administration seems to be placing on faith leaders to fall in line. I know you've dealt with some of that firsthand. But he also spoke about moral courage. In this moment, where do you see moral courage right now? BUDDE: Where do I see moral courage? Well, I see it everywhere, Erica. I see it certainly in the—in the stance that the pope has taken. I see it in people across this country and around the world who are—who are insisting that there is a better narrative and a better way forward for us as a country. I see it in all manner of endeavors to try and rein in a government right now, our government, that has—that is being led by people with absolutely no accountability and the larger and larger platform with which to wreak considerable damage. And so, moral courage, we are seeing rise up across every spectrum of our country. And I think as the—as Raphael Warnock said so well, this is what moral courage looks like. It isn't remaining silent. It's not staying in some self-prescribed safe lane. It is looking at the issues that harm or protect human thriving, which is not about protecting one religion against another, but making sure that all of God's children can live with some modicum of peace and well-being.

What does the term "independent journalism" mean? To left-wing elites, it implies brave anti-corporate progressivism. For example, Monday’s New York Times ran film critic Alissa Wilkinson on “A Profile and a Celebration of Independent Journalism.”  The online headline named the admired journalist in question: “In This Film About Amy Goodman, Independent Journalism Is the Real Star.” Wilkinson gushed over the politically radical Goodman and her radio program Democracy Now!, hosted on the far-left Pacifica Network. Yet the paper has spent years ignoring or mocking right-leaning “citizen journalists.” They're not "independent." They're apparently capitalist lackeys. Nowhere in this brief tribute does Wilkinson address how Goodman and Pacifica are "independent" even though the five Pacifica Radio stations have long received (combined) about $1 million a year in federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...until recently. Wilkinson began:  Stop any random person on the street, and I’d wager they’d agree — no matter their spot on the political spectrum — that America needs a lot more independent journalism. It’s easy to see that the consolidation of media ownership by a handful of corporate conglomerates since 1996, when the Telecommunications Act deregulated the industry, has not been good for the press. The Bill Moyers-style handwringing over “corporate conglomerates” aside, there are far more media outlets today then there were 30 years ago, thanks to the internet, which lowers the cost of starting up new small enterprises like independent journalism. ….The new documentary Steal This Story, Please! (in theaters) is ostensibly a profile of one such reporter: Amy Goodman, the investigative journalist who hosts the progressive news program Democracy Now! Yet the directors Tia Lessin [a longtime Michael Moore collaborator] and Carl Deal widen the film’s frame, making an impassioned argument for opinionated journalism that operates outside corporate media structures. …. Goodman’s career is fascinating on its own merits, and the film is full of footage of her doggedly chasing down politicians and sources who clearly would prefer to control their own story. But more important, the movie gradually explores the fundamentals of journalism that she believes in and passes on to colleagues — for instance, as one collaborator puts it, “Speak to the people at the target end of the bomb.” In other words, look for the story that challenges the official narrative, and tell that one. ….Steal This Story, Please! makes a strong case that a plurality of independent outlets and more journalists, not fewer, are vital to a healthy democracy — and that without a revitalization of the independent press, we may lose the ability to discern the truth altogether. That’s a sweet message, but hugely hypocritical coming from the Times, whose respect for alternative media voices is highly selective – the Times has none for right-leaning journalism outlets, certainly not independent outlets. It isn’t delivering Goodman-style encomiums to independent conservative media voices like Ben Shapiro, Sharyl Attkisson, or for that matter, iconoclastic journalist Glenn Greenwald. Nick Shirley, who got the ball rolling on Somalia-dominated fraud in the Minnesota daycare system, was described dismissively by the paper as one of the rabble of “self-described citizen journalists” by Ken Bensinger and Ernesto Londoño in December 2025: Equipped with little more than iPhones, Mr. Shirley and other right-wing YouTubers and livestreamers zigzag around the country — and overseas — in search of politically charged footage. In many cases, these digital activists pick up on themes that have circulated for months, or even years, but still generate online outrage and action from a government primed to jump into the fray.” Amy Goodman was treated with far more respect when she was “doggedly chasing down politicians and sources.” The paper has no patience for right-leaning journalism outlets, however big or small. Besides the usual bashing of Fox News and its local rival the New York Post, the Times goes out of its way to denigrate authors of influential conservative journalism that appear in smaller outlets like Compact magazine as amateurs (“a ticket scalper and frustrated screenwriter”). Former Times tech reporter, now tech podcaster, Kevin Roose was notorious for nudging social media platforms toward anti-conservative censorship and was delighted in 2020 when a gay Marxist from a billionaire family was able to censor the YouTube channel of conservative comedian-commentator Stephen Crowder. Veteran reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg in 2022 accused the conservative Washington Free Beacon of “racist undertones” for a scoop that committed the sin of making the Biden Administration look cartoonishly liberal -- by funding crack pipes to drug addicts. And the paper has often used the strongly anti-Chinese Communist Party newspaper, The Epoch Times, as a right-wing punching bag.