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A US panel stacked with figures sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement opened a highly politicized meeting Thursday on the defensive, insisting that they are “pro-vaccine” even as public health experts fear the group is set to upend longstanding medical advice.President Donald Trump’s top health official, the anti-vax crusader Robert F. Kennedy Jr., handpicked the members of the medical advisory group that will vote on whether to alter the standard childhood vaccine schedule, despite warnings from across the medical and public policy communities that dire consequences could result.”We are currently experiencing heated controversies about vaccines, and a key question is, who can you trust?” said the chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), biostatistician Martin Kulldorff, in opening the two-day meeting.He then criticized the American Academy of Pediatrics and the recently fired director of the US disease prevention agency, who told a Senate health panel Wednesday the Trump administration sacked her for refusing to pre-approve vaccination schedule recommendations without first analyzing science that would back up that advice.Kulldorff insisted that members of the panel would “welcome scientific critique of any of our votes, as there are gray areas due to incomplete scientific knowledge” but cast as “false” accusations that the group’s members are “unscientific.”On Thursday’s ACIP agenda is a vote on whether to recommend delaying childhood shots including against the highly contagious disease Hepatitis B.The Covid-19 vaccine is also on the docket, as well as the combination MMRV shot that covers measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella shot, which is offered as an alternative to separate MMR and chicken pox injections.Earlier this year Kennedy fired all 17 members of the influential ACIP committee and replaced them with members whose vaccine skepticism tracks more closely with his own.Their first meeting promoted anti-vax themes and raised questions about long-settled medical debates.The revised committee and its agenda has triggered concern across medical, scientific and policy communities that ideology rather than science will guide the future of public health in the United States.”Vaccines have added decades of life to our life expectancy. They have helped Americans live healthier lives. There’s so much here that’s riding,” said epidemiologist Syra Madad.She told AFP shifting the childhood vaccine schedule “is like pulling bricks out of the foundation of public health.””It risks collapse, and creates real consequences for every community in America.”Experts including Madad say the votes could prompt unnecessary confusion and concern among parents. Revised recommendations could also restrict federal funding of vaccines for low-income families, or shift requirements for private insurers.- Preying on ‘ignorance’ -Kennedy has spent decades promoting vaccine misinformation, including the widely debunked claim that the MMR shot causes autism.He has also taken aim at the Hepatitis B shot. Since 2005 ACIP has recommended administering the first dose to most newborns within 24 hours of birth, to prevent any maternal transmission of the disease, which can cause severe liver damage.But because Hepatitis B is also spread sexually and through needles, Kennedy and his allies have questioned why newborns need protection from it.Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, said that notion is “a play on people’s ignorance.””RFK doesn’t get rewarded when he prevents perinatal Hepatitis B, he gets rewarded when he panders to the anti-vax movement,” Adalja told AFP.The committee is also expected to consider this season’s Covid-19 shot, including who should get it and who should pay for it.

Donald Trump warned that Russia President Vladimir Putin had “really let me down” as he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer for wide-ranging talks on Thursday, the final day of the US president’s historic UK state visit.A day after King Charles III treated Trump to royal pageantry at Windsor Castle, the Republican flew to Starmer’s Chequers country residence for talks on thorny issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.Starmer has positioned himself as a bridge between Trump and European allies, particularly on the war in Ukraine, in a bid to secure more commitments for Kyiv from the US leader.And his calls, repeated again on Thursday, for more international pressure on Putin appear to be gaining more traction with Trump, who slammed the Russian leader for continuing the war despite his efforts to stop the fighting. Trump told a post-talks press conference that he had thought the Ukraine conflict would be the “easiest” to end “because of my relationship with President Putin, but he’s let me down. He’s really let me down.”He urged European nations to stop buying Russian oil, saying that “if the price of oil comes down, Putin’s going to drop out of that war.”- ‘Unbreakable bond’ -Starmer’s warm tone with the 79-year-old Trump has won some leniency in the president’s tariff war, with the British leader saying Thursday the trade deal the two countries signed in May was the first by the US and also “the best”.But Trump said that the pair had “one of our few disagreements” about the UK’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state.The US leader also offered strong thoughts on illegal migration in the UK, revealing that “I told the Prime Minister I would stop it”, even if it meant calling in the military.Earlier in the day, Trump hailed America’s “unbreakable bond” with Britain as he and Starmer signed a huge tech deal, boosting ties in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.At the signing ceremony attended by a host of US tech CEOs, Labour leader Starmer said he and Republican Trump were “leaders who genuinely like each other.”The deal comes on the back of pledges of £150 billion ($205 billion) of investment into the UK from US giants including Microsoft, Google and Blackstone.Trump had earlier said goodbye to King Charles at Windsor, calling him a “great gentleman and a great king” as he left the castle heading to Chequers.Appealing to Trump’s admiration for British wartime leader Winston Churchill, Starmer led the US president on a tour of Churchill artifacts at Chequers. Starmer is facing political troubles at home after sacking his ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his connections to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein.Sex offender Epstein has also haunted Trump over recent weeks, with further revelations about the pair’s relationship in the 1990s and early 2000s.- ‘Highest honours’ -Having negotiated the potentially perilous press conference relatively unscathed, Starmer can claim some justification for granting Trump an unprecedented second state visit, with investment deals and deepening alignment on Ukraine to show for the diplomatic effort.Trump was Wednesday lavished with the full pomp and circumstance of the British state — the second time it has done so, after his first visit in 2019.”This is truly one of the highest honours of my life,” Trump said at the state banquet. The king meanwhile hailed Trump’s peace efforts and support of Ukraine, after a day featuring gun salutes, soldiers on horseback, and bagpipes, all designed to appeal to the US president’s fascination with royalty.But he also stressed to Trump the need to protect the environment for “our children, grandchildren, and those who come after them”.Melania Trump remained in Windsor on Thursday morning, where she met scouts with Princess Catherine, and viewed Queen Mary’s Doll’s House with Queen Camilla.The US first lady’s husband was kept far from the British public, with an estimated 5,000 people marching through central London Wednesday to protest against his visit.Trump was due to return to Washington later Thursday.

The UN Security Council is slated to vote Thursday on the latest call for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian access to Gaza, a move supported by a majority seeking to act despite repeated US vetoes.The 10 non-permanent members initiated discussions on the current draft resolution in late August, in response to the UN’s official declaration of famine after nearly two years of Israel’s war on the Palestinian territory.An earlier draft primarily demanded lifting barriers to aid, but diplomatic sources told AFP that France, the United Kingdom and Russia were skeptical of the value of a purely humanitarian resolution from a body tasked with maintaining world peace, which the US still could have blocked.The draft that is up for a vote Thursday, which was reviewed by AFP, calls for opening access to aid but also “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties” as well as the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.The United States has already rejected that approach multiple times, most recently in June when it used a veto to back its ally Israel.- Anger and frustration -The latest attempt is a refusal to submit to the threat of a US veto, a European diplomat told AFP.”Not even trying just makes it too easy for the US, (in) that they don’t have to justify (it) and confront 14 members of the council and the world public,” the diplomat said.  “It doesn’t help much the Palestinians on the ground but at least we keep showing that we are trying.” The previous veto sparked an unusual show of anger from the 14 other members of the council, who are increasingly vocal in their frustration over their apparent inability to pressure Israel to stop the suffering of Gaza’s inhabitants.For the first time Tuesday, a UN-mandated international investigative commission gave its independent analysis, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza since October 2023 with the intent to “destroy” the Palestinians.The issue will be central to next week’s annual UN summit in New York.”Resolutions against Israel will not release the hostages and will not bring security to the region,” said Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.”Israel will continue to fight Hamas and protect its citizens, even if the Security Council prefers to turn a blind eye to terrorism.”

Donald Trump hailed America’s “unbreakable bond” with Britain Thursday as he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a huge tech deal on the second day of the US president’s pomp-filled state visit.A day after King Charles III treated Trump to a day of royal pageantry at Windsor Castle, Trump flew to Starmer’s Chequers country residence for talks on thorny issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.But Britain’s work in wooing the unpredictable Trump on his second state visit seemed to have paid off as he and Starmer signed the partnership boosting ties in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.At the signing ceremony attended by a host of US tech CEOs, Labour leader Starmer said he and Republican Trump were “leaders who genuinely like each other.””It is the biggest investment package of its kind in British history by a country mile,” he added.Trump said the deal was “very big”, and added of US relations with key NATO ally Britain that “it’s an unbreakable bond we have regardless of what we’re doing today.”The deal comes on the back of pledges of £150 billion ($205 billion) of investment into the UK from US giants including Microsoft, Google and Blackstone.Trump had earlier said goodbye to King Charles at Windsor, calling him a “great gentleman and a great king” as he left the castle following a lavish state banquet, carriage ride and military flypast.- Epstein shadow -He then flew on Marine One to Chequers, where Starmer and his wife Victoria greeted him to the sound of bagpipes, before going inside the 16th century manor house near London to begin the meeting.The British premier has positioned himself as a bridge between Trump and European allies, particularly on the war in Ukraine, in a bid to secure more commitments for Kyiv from the US leader.Appealing to Trump’s admiration for British wartime leader Winston Churchill, Starmer led the US president on a tour of Churchill artifacts at Chequers before heading into their bilateral meeting. His warm tone with the 79-year-old Trump has won some leniency in the president’s tariff war, with Starmer saying Thursday the trade deal the two countries signed in May was the first by the US and also “the best”.But the talks could stumble on several fronts at the joint press conference the two leaders were due to hold at Chequers. The scandal over the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is one issue that is dogging both leaders.Starmer faces political troubles at home after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over a furore involving the diplomat’s connections to disgraced financier Epstein.Epstein has also haunted Trump over recent weeks, with further revelations about the pair’s relationship in the 1990s and early 2000s.There are differences too on Gaza, with Britain reportedly preparing to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state, a step the United States has opposed.- ‘Highest honours’ -But it was all smiles for Trump on Wednesday as he was lavished with the full pomp and circumstance of the British state — the second time it has done so after his first visit in 2019.”This is truly one of the highest honours of my life,” Trump said at the state banquet. The king meanwhile hailed Trump’s peace efforts and support of Ukraine, after a day featuring gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and bagpipes, all designed to appeal to the US president’s fascination with royalty.But he also stressed to Trump, who has rolled back environmental protections since returning to power, the obligations leaders had to “our children, grandchildren, and those who come after them”.Melania Trump remained in Windsor on Thursday morning, where she met scouts with Princess Catherine, and viewed Queen Mary’s Doll’s House with Queen Camilla.The US first lady’s husband is being kept far away from the British public, with an estimated 5,000 people marching through central London on Wednesday to protest against his visit.

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was pulled from the air Wednesday hours after the US government threatened to cancel broadcasting licenses because of comments the host made about the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.The stunning move by network ABC to remove one of America’s most influential late-night shows was blasted by critics as government censorship but celebrated by Donald Trump, who has long chafed at the comedians who mock him.”Great News for America,” he wrote on his Truth Social page.”Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”Trump, who also rejoiced in July at the cancellation of Kimmel’s fellow late-night satirist Stephen Colbert, then urged that two other comedians be removed.”That leaves Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth (Meyers), two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”In Hollywood, where Kimmel’s show is recorded, audience members were turned away at the door before taping began Wednesday.Tommy Williams, a longshoreman from Florida, told AFP the move felt un-American.”Any show that’s on TV that speaks out against Donald Trump, he’s trying to shut down,” the 51-year-old said.”We’re losing our freedom of speech. This is something that happens in Russia and North Korea and China, state-run TVs stuff.”Sherri Mowbray, a San Francisco resident, said she was “devastated.” “This is free speech. We are supposed to have free speech in this country, and this is not free speech. He didn’t say anything wrong. I’m really upset.”- FCC threat -The furor comes a week after Kirk, a close Trump ally, was shot dead on a Utah university campus, setting off a bitter battle over responsibility in deeply polarized America, with conservatives — including Trump — blaming “the radical left.”Authorities said this week that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was the lone gunman and brought a murder charge against him.Kimmel spoke about the shooting in his show-opening monologue on Monday.”The MAGA gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and (doing) everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel, referring to the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement.He then showed footage of Trump pivoting from a question about how he had been affected by Kirk’s death to boasting about the new ballroom he is building at the White House, prompting laughter from the studio audience.”This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel said.On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr openly threatened the license of ABC affiliates that broadcast Kimmel’s show.”I think it’s past time these (affiliates) themselves push back… and say, ‘Listen, we’re not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out because we’re running the possibility of license revocation from the FCC,'” he told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson.Hours later, Nexstar, one of the country’s biggest owners of ABC affiliate stations, announced it would be removing the show from its stations.Nexstar is in the middle of a multi-billion-dollar merger with a rival that will require FCC approval.ABC — which is owned by Disney — then followed suit, pulling the show nationwide.Kimmel did not comment immediately and representatives for the entertainer did not respond to AFP queries.- ‘They are censoring you’ -The White House has fired several broadsides at cultural institutions it views as critical of Trump.Law firms, universities and the media have all been targeted, including with lawsuits that legal experts say are meritless but which have resulted in huge payments.ABC and Paramount-owned CBS have both coughed up.The settlements — which are to be paid to Trump’s future presidential library — were seen as being motivated by the desire of the news outlets’ parent companies to stay in Trump’s good graces.”President Trump and FCC Chair Carr made it clear: fall in line or be silenced,” Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan posted on X. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote: “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous.””They are censoring you in real time.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday welcomed Donald Trump to his country home of Chequers for talks on difficult issues including trade, Ukraine and Gaza after the US president hailed his second state visit to the UK as the “highest honour”.After a day of royal pomp and pageantry at Windsor Castle, Starmer trumpeted the announcement of £150 billion of investment into the UK from US giants including Microsoft and Blackstone.”Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it’s exactly what this state visit is delivering,” said Starmer.The prime minister has positioned himself as a bridge between the unpredictable US leader and European allies, particularly on the war in Ukraine, in a bid to secure more commitments for Kyiv from Trump.Starmer’s warm tone with the 79-year-old Republican has won some leniency in the president’s trade war, with the two countries signing an “economic prosperity deal” at the White House in May.Britain hopes to secure further concessions, and is keen to see 25-percent duties on aluminium and steel reduced to zero, but Trump’s non-committal comments suggest an agreement is not imminent.”They’d like to see if they could get a little bit better deal. So, we’ll talk to them,” Trump said before leaving for Britain.- Epstein shadow -The talks could turn awkward on several fronts, with Starmer facing political troubles at home after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over a furore involving the diplomat’s connections to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Epstein has also haunted Trump over recent weeks, with further revelations about the pair’s relationship in the 1990s and the issue may crop up in a press conference later Thursday.But it was all smiles for the US leader on Wednesday as he was lavished with the full pomp and circumstance of the British state.King Charles III welcomed Trump to Windsor Castle with a royal spectacle featuring gun salutes, mounted horses and bagpipes.The pair laughed and joked as Trump inspected troops at the castle west of London, in an elaborate welcome which played into the mercurial US leader’s love of pageantry.Around 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military — some in red tunics and gold plumed helmets — feted Trump during a ceremonial guard of honour that British officials called the largest for a state visit in living memory.- ‘Greatest honour’ -The president and Charles ended the day with a white-tie state banquet, attended by 160 guests including senior royals, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Apple CEO Tim Cook and golfer Nick Faldo. On the menu: Watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, chicken wrapped in courgettes and vanilla ice cream bombe with raspberry sorbet.The playlist included Trump favourites such as Nessun Dorma from Puccini’s opera Turandot and a James Bond medley.Before the dinner, Trump told guests the state visit was “truly one of the highest honours of my life,” describing the UK and US as “two notes in one chord … each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together.”In his speech, the king praised Trump’s “personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts”.But he stressed too the environmental obligations leaders had to “our children, grandchildren, and those who come after them”.First Lady Melania Trump remained in Windsor on Thursday morning, where she was due to view Queen Mary’s Doll’s House with Queen Camilla.Her husband is being kept far away from the British public, among whom polls indicate Trump remains unpopular, with the entire trip happening behind closed doors.An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London on Wednesday, waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including “Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome”.

US President Donald Trump said he would designate “Antifa” — a shorthand term for “anti-fascist” used to describe diffuse far-left groups — as “a major terrorist organization,” a move he threatened in his first term.For years Trump has blamed Antifa for various wrongs, from violence against police to being behind the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021 that aimed to block Joe Biden’s presidential election win.”I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social, calling Antifa “A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.”Antifa has no head or national organization and seemed to be made up of “independent, radical, like-minded groups and individuals,” a Congressional Research Service analysis found in 2020.The White House did not immediately offer details on how the label could be applied.While federal law enforcement includes combating domestic terrorism under its purview, the United States does not have a list of designated “domestic terrorist organizations.”Trump threatened the move on Monday after senior White House official Stephen Miller vowed the administration would dismantle an alleged “vast domestic terror movement” that he linked to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.- Ideology, not a movement -Critics of the Republican president warn such a move could be used as a pretext to quash dissent and target political rivals.While Kirk was a vocal conservative, the United States has seen violence targeting members of both political parties in recent years, amid a sharp rise in polarization and easy access to firearms.Antifa — whose name has roots in socialist groups in 1930s Germany that opposed Hitler — has a track record of confronting right-wing groups and engaging in civil disobedience.Its members, often dressed entirely in black, protest against racism, far-right values and what they consider fascism, and say violent tactics are sometimes justified as self-defense. During Trump’s first inauguration in January 2017 scores of black-clad, mask-wearing Antifa and other protestors smashed windows and burned a car in Washington.Antifa was also involved in counter-protests to racist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia later that year. In June 2020, Trump said he would formally designate Antifa as “terrorists” on the same level as al-Qaeda and Islamic State.But FBI director Chris Wray responded in a Congressional hearing that Antifa was “a movement or an ideology” as opposed to a group.Antifa is not among the 95 “designated foreign terrorist organizations” listed on the State Department website on Wednesday.

A US panel stacked with figures sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement will on Thursday take on federal immunization recommendations in a highly politicized meeting that could upend longstanding medical advice.President Donald Trump’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., handpicked the voting members of the medical advisory group that is expected to consider whether to alter the standard childhood vaccine schedule — a move public health experts warn could have dire consequences.The specific questions that will come to a vote during the two-day meeting in Atlanta aren’t public, but it’s expected discussion will include delaying childhood shots including against the highly contagious disease Hepatitis B.The Covid-19 vaccine is also on the agenda, as well as the combination MMRV shot that covers measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella shot, which is offered as an alternative to separate MMR and chicken pox injections.They’re expected to discuss the small increase in risk of febrile seizures that could result from the combined MMRV jab.Earlier this year anti-vaccine advocate Kennedy fired all 17 members of the influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with members whose vaccine skepticism tracks more closely with his own.Their first meeting promoted anti-vax themes and raised questions about long-settled medical debates.The revised committee and its agenda has many members of the medical, scientific and policy communities concerned that ideology rather than science will guide the future of public health in the United States.”Vaccines have added decades of life to our life expectancy. They have helped Americans live healthier lives. There’s so much here that’s riding,” said epidemiologist Syra Madad.She told AFP shifting the childhood vaccine schedule “is like pulling bricks out of the foundation of public health.””It risks collapse, and creates real consequences for every community in America.”Experts including Madad say the votes could prompt unnecessary confusion and concern among parents. Revised recommendations could also restrict federal funding of vaccines for low-income families, or shift requirements for private insurers.- Preying on ‘ignorance’ -Kennedy has spent decades promoting vaccine misinformation, including the widely debunked claim that the MMR shot causes autism.He has also taken aim at the Hepatitis B shot. Since 2005 ACIP has recommended administering the first dose to most newborns within 24 hours of birth, to prevent any maternal transmission of the disease, which can cause severe liver damage.But because Hepatitis B is also spread sexually and through needles, Kennedy and his allies have questioned why newborns need protection from it.Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, said that notion is “a play on people’s ignorance.””RFK doesn’t get rewarded when he prevents perinatal Hepatitis B, he gets rewarded when he panders to the anti-vax movement,” Adalja told AFP.The committee is also expected to consider this season’s Covid-19 shot, including who should get it and who should pay for it.The meeting comes one day after the ex-chief of the US disease prevention agency told senators she was fired for refusing to promise Kennedy she would approve ACIP recommendations to childhood vaccine schedules not backed by scientific evidence.Her ouster triggered a series of high-profile resignations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Meanwhile some states are taking matters into their own hands.Four Western states governed by Democrats on Wednesday delivered their own detailed guidance on seasonal shots, recommending most people get a Covid-19 and flu shot.That missive mirrors the advice of national medical institutions.Those efforts are “a great way to make sure that the access is still there,” said Madad, but “I am worried about the patchwork that it’s causing across the United States.””I’m just concerned and frustrated at the state of affairs that we’re in right now.”

Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state media are exploiting conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination to advance thousands of false claims aimed at undermining the United States and other adversaries, a research group warned Wednesday.Official media in the three countries mentioned Kirk — a close ally of President Donald Trump — 6,200 times since the activist was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus, the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard reported citing data gathered using a social media analytics tool.The assessment comes after the United States eliminated a key government agency that tracked foreign disinformation in April, framing the move as an effort to preserve “free speech,” even as leading experts monitoring propaganda raised the alarm about the risk of disinformation campaigns from US adversaries.NewsGuard’s report echoed recent warnings from Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who cautioned last week that US adversaries were spreading disinformation surrounding Kirk’s killing to inflame political tensions.”What we are seeing is our adversaries want violence,” Cox said.”We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world, that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence.”- Capitalizing on crisis -Much of the disinformation originated from Russian state media, which falsely claimed Ukrainian involvement and attempted to link the killing to Kirk’s opposition to American military aid to Kyiv, NewsGuard said.There was no evidence linking Ukraine to the assassination. US authorities have said that a 22-year-old US citizen from Utah named Tyler Robinson allegedly used a rifle to shoot Kirk from a rooftop. He was arrested and has been formally charged with murder.Iranian state media baselessly accused Israel — Tehran’s arch enemy — of orchestrating the killing in retaliation for Kirk’s opposition to a US military strike on Iran, NewsGuard’s report said.They framed the killing as an operation by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, an unfounded claim that researchers say reflects Tehran’s longstanding pattern of blaming its adversary for major crises.Meanwhile, Chinese outlets spread disinformation about Robinson, baselessly claiming that he donated money to the Trump’s campaign in 2020.”Pro-China commentators used Kirk’s assassination to mock the US and spread false information about the suspect, portraying America as deeply divided,” NewsGuard said.Foreign influence campaigns have frequently used US political crises, elections, or natural disasters to stoke tensions, disinformation experts say.Some researchers warn that the United States may be ill-prepared to confront the rising threat of foreign disinformation.In April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio shut down the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) hub — an agency formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC) — which was responsible for tracking and countering disinformation from foreign actors.Last week, the Financial Times reported that European countries had received a notice from the State Department that it was terminating memoranda of understanding signed last year under Joe Biden’s administration, which had aimed to establish a unified approach to countering disinformation by foreign governments.”The United States has ceased all frameworks to counter foreign state information manipulation and any associated instruments implemented by the former administration,” the State Department said Wednesday, without elaborating.

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was pulled from the air Wednesday hours after the US government threatened to cancel broadcasting licenses because of comments the host made about the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.The stunning move by network ABC to remove one of America’s most influential late-night shows was blasted by critics as government censorship, but celebrated by Donald Trump, who has long chaffed at the comedians who mock him.”Great News for America,” he wrote on his Truth Social page.”Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”Trump, who also rejoiced in July at the cancellation of Kimmel’s fellow late-night satirist Stephen Colbert, then urged that two other comedians be removed.”That leaves Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth (Meyers), two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”In Hollywood, where Kimmel’s show is recorded, audience members were turned away at the door before taping began Wednesday.Tommy Williams, a longshoreman from Florida, told AFP the move felt un-American.”Any show that’s on TV that speaks out against Donald Trump, he’s trying to shut down,” the 51-year-old said.”We’re losing our freedom of speech. This is something that happens in Russia and North Korea and China, state-run TVs stuff.”- FCC threat -The furor comes a week after Kirk, a close Trump ally, was shot dead on a Utah university campus, setting off a bitter battle over responsibility in deeply polarized America, with conservatives — including Trump — blaming “the radical left.”Authorities this week said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was the lone gunman, and brought a murder charge against him.On Monday, Kimmel spoke about the shooting in his show-opening monologue.”The MAGA gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and (doing) everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel, referring to the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement.He then showed footage of Trump pivoting from a question about how he had been affected by Kirk’s death to boasting about the new ballroom he is building at the White House, prompting laughter from the studio audience.”This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” said Kimmel.On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr openly threatened the license of ABC affiliates who broadcast Kimmel’s show.”I think it’s past time these (affiliates) themselves push back… and say, ‘Listen, we’re not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out because we’re running the possibility of license revocation from the FCC,'” he told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson.”We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”Hours later, Nexstar, one of the country’s biggest owners of ABC affiliate stations, announced it would be removing the show from its stations.Nexstar is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar merger with a rival that will require FCC approval.ABC — which is owned by Disney — then followed suit, pulling the show nationwide.Kimmel did not immediately comment, and representatives for the entertainer did not respond to AFP queries.- ‘They are censoring you’ -The White House has fired several broadsides against cultural institutions it views as hostile to Trump’s brand of right-wing nationalism.Law firms, universities and the media have all been targeted, including with lawsuits that legal experts say are meritless, but which nevertheless have resulted in huge payments.ABC and Paramount-owned CBS have both coughed up.The settlements — which are to be paid to Trump’s future presidential library — were seen as being motivated by the desire of the news organizations’ parent companies to stay in Trump’s good graces.Democrats were quick to connect the dots on Wednesday.”President Trump and FCC Chair Carr made it clear: fall in line or be silenced,” US Senator Ben Ray Lujan posted on X. “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous,” wrote California Governor Gavin Newsom.”They are censoring you in real time.”