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Trump Suggests Networks' Licenses Could Be Pulled if They Air Mostly Negative Coverage of Him; Israeli Official: Real Estate Bonanza in Gaza After War; Phone Company Will Reward You to Stay Off Your Phone. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired September 18, 2025 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
YANG: JOSHUA SKULE, CEO, BOW WAVE ... They are not quote unquote designated. Getting designated right now is reserved for only foreign terrorist organizations. So I think these words matter and how the government is going to proceed. And so you would have to change the law in order to designate a domestic terrorist organization.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, important to keep that point in mind. Joshua Skule, thanks so much for the expertise.
SKULE: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: When we come back, President Trump is dismissing free speech concerns after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel's show. We'll discuss this with a First Amendment lawyer when we come back.
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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: President Trump is now suggesting that networks could have their broadcasting licenses revoked for airing too much negative coverage of him.
[15:35:00]
While heading home from the UK on Air Force 20 said in part, I read some place that the networks were 97 percent against me. I get 97 percent negative, and yet I won it easily -- he said, referring to the 2024 election. He goes on to say, I won all seven swing states, popular vote, I won everything and they're 97 percent against. They give me wholly bad publicity. I mean, they're getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.
Katie Fallow is a First Amendment lawyer and the deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. She focuses on threats to free speech in a free press in the digital age, particularly in the area of social media.
And Katie, we just have to be clear, because trying to figure out where this 97 percent that he's talking about, the best I could tell was something from a few years ago, a study that was done about late night punchlines during the presidential election. So we don't know specifically what he's citing, but that is not the networks specifically. That would be late night, not the networks themselves. Just to be clear, if that is what he is referring to. What do you think about, though, what he's saying there?
KATIE FALLOW, FIRST AMENDMENT LAWYER: Well, it's it's pretty outrageous. The First Amendment protects all kinds of speech, including late night comedy shows and comedians and newscasters and right wing pundits and left wing pundits. Even if that speech is offensive to some people, and that's part of a bedrock commitment to freedom of thought and freedom of speech in the United States.
And for the president to say that the government should be able to revoke television and broadcast licenses because they make jokes that are critical of him, goes completely against that bedrock principle and would plainly violate the First Amendment if the FCC tried to do that.
KEILAR: And how are you seeing this suspension of Jimmy Kimmel? And we have to say it is complex because, first of all, there is what he said, which I think some people may object to, but it's also being sort of simplified and misrepresented by some people. You have the FCC chairman saying something. You have affiliates who have taken issue with what Kimmel said and saying they don't want to air Kimmel on their affiliates. And then you have ABC making a decision here. How do you see all of this playing?
FALLOW: Yes, well, I think it is -- there are a lot of moving parts here, but I think the really important thing here is that you have direct statement by Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, saying to ABC directly, you have to deal with Kimmel, and if you don't, the FCC is going to come after you. That is the kind of threats and coercion that the Supreme Court emphasized just last year is unconstitutional. The government cannot censor speech directly, but it also can't use threats of its regulatory power or financial or criminal penalties to try to censor speech indirectly. For example, by getting FC -- excuse me -- ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel show.
You know, as to the affiliates, you know, as private broadcasters, they may have the right to decide what they want to air. But I think we also have to keep in mind that these broadcasters, at least one of them, is currently needing approval from the government to approve a merger with other local broadcasters. And I think then you just can't ignore the role of the chairman of the FCC and obviously the President of the United States saying broadcast licenses should be taken away if they cover the president negatively.
And I think it's also important to note that that is not, you know, the FCC people talk about it. The FCC governs broadcast licenses in the public interest. That doesn't mean that it gets to determine the content or the viewpoint of the, you know, speech that's being aired on those broadcasters stations, that if it did that, it would violate the First Amendment.
KEILAR: I want to listen to something. This is a former Vice President, Mike Pence, who, when he disagrees with President Trump, you know, he's pretty clear about it. And I do also want to say he did say that he preferred that the FCC chairman did not weigh in here, but that he respects the right of networks to make the decisions that they do. Here's what he said about this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't the First Amendment at risk when the FCC chairman tries to intimidate a news network over content that he personally disagrees with or that the state disagrees with?
MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Well, the, the First Amendment of the Constitution protects against government censorship of individuals.
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And we ought ever to be vigilant to ensure the right of every American to express their views without government interference or censorship. The First Amendment, though, does not protect entertainers who say crass or thoughtless things, as Jimmy Kimmel did in the wake of a national tragedy.
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KEILAR: Your reaction to that, Katie?
FALLOW: Well, of course, that's completely wrong. The First Amendment does protect entertainers, even if they say crass or wrong or thought thoughtless things. So that is bedrock First Amendment law. The vice president is or the former vice president is correct that the First Amendment doesn't restrict the ability of private entertainment companies to decide which, you know, which shows they want to air.
But I also think that certainly if we were in a different situation where under a Democratic president, a Democratic head of the FCC was calling to revoke the broadcast licenses of Fox stations. or of radio stations running right wing or, you know, conservative radio station commentary that the people on the right, including former Vice President Pence, would be up in arms.
And certainly this issue of the government using coercion and threats to try to censor speech is actually something that people on the right were up in arms about under the Biden administration. And you know, claiming that they were actually being canceled in part because of pressure from the Biden administration.
So you know you really have to -- if you believe in free speech, you have to believe in the principle and that it applies to everyone across the political spectrum.
KEILAR: Yes, and we're not always seeing those principles that uniformly held. Katie Fallow, thank you so much. Really appreciate it -- Boris.
SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour. The widow of Charlie Kirk is taking over her late husband's organization, Turning Point USA. Erika Kirk was named CEO today by the organization's board. Turning Point, of course, considered one of the most influential conservative organizations, has been credited with bringing more young voters to the MAGA movement.
Also, President Trump asking the Supreme Court to allow him to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. In his latest effort to remove Cook from her position, Trump filed an emergency appeal to put the issue out of the court's docket, just months after the justices appeared to designate special protections for the Federal Reserve. If Trump is successful in removing her, it would be the first time in history a Fed governor would be fired by a president.
And a fiery rescue to share with you police just releasing this scary video. The moment officers arrived at a burning car barely in time to help someone escape, This incident happened back in July, in Reston, Virginia, not far from the nation's capital. They initially thought two people were in the car. Fortunately, it was only one person, and they removed them in the nick of time. No one was seriously injured.
So as Israeli tanks surround Gaza City ahead of a ground incursion, Israel's finance minister suggests a real estate bonanza is coming. That's their word, a bonanza. We'll discuss in just moments.
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KEILAR: Today, Israel's finance minister is claiming that there are talks underway with the U.S. about dividing up war-torn Gaza in a real estate bonanza.
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BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): There's a business plan set by the most professional people there is and is on President Trump's table and how this thing turns into a real estate bonanza. I'm not kidding. It pays off. Paid a lot of money for this war. So we need to divide how we make a percentage on the land marketing later in Gaza. And now, no kidding, we've done the demolition phase, which is always the first phase of urban renewal. Now we need to build. It's much cheaper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: When asked about the statement, a White House official told CNN, President Trump has long promoted solutions that would help the people of Gaza rebuild.
Israel's far right has long wanted to move Palestinians out of Gaza, something that critics say would amount to ethnic cleansing. In the meantime, Israeli tanks are now stationed on the outskirts of Gaza City ahead of its planned ground operation.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, as the Israeli military makes its opening moves to invade Gaza City, Hamas is issuing a dire warning, a threat, really, about the lives of the hostages. In a new statement, Hamas has said that Israel's invasion of Gaza City amounts to Israel throwing away its chances of getting Israeli hostages back alive or dead. Hamas has now said that it has spread out the hostages across Gaza City's different neighborhoods and, quote, will not be concerned for their lives as long as Netanyahu has decided to kill them.
That is, of course, a reference to the fact that the Israeli Prime Minister has signed off on this invasion of Gaza City, despite the fact that there is significant evidence that Israeli hostages are indeed being held there. The Israeli military spokesman, for his part, says that the military will do, quote, everything to avoid harming them, will operate responsibly and in coordination with Israeli intelligence services.
But this speaks directly to so many of the fears that we have heard from the families of those hostages who have been crying out in Israel almost on a daily basis now, in particular in protests in front of the Israeli prime minister's residence, expressing their fears that their loved ones will be killed amid this Israeli military offensive in Gaza City. With some of them even accusing the prime minister of essentially signing these hostages' death certificates and calling for this offensive to be halted and a ceasefire to be reached instead with Hamas.
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Now, as all of this is happening, we're also monitoring a situation that took place at the Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, controlled by Israel. According to reports, a driver of a humanitarian aid truck that was headed from Jordan to the Gaza Strip opened fire at that crossing, killing two individuals. It's not clear if those individuals were soldiers or civilian employees of that crossing.
The Israeli military calling this shooting a terrorist attack, and as a result, halting all humanitarian aid shipments through this land route, from Jordan to the Gaza Strip, while there is an inquiry that is completed and the implementation of what they're describing as revised screening procedures for Jordanian drivers.
And so that suspension of aid from Jordan to Gaza will likely impact about 100 to 150 trucks of aid per week, according to an Israeli military official, but nonetheless will undoubtedly have an impact fact, inside of the Gaza Strip.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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KEILAR: And ahead, how staying off your phone could be good for your finances.
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SANCHEZ: You feel like you spend way too much time on your phone, but it's difficult to detach and put it down, and maybe you need an incentive that might help.
KEILAR: Well, a new budget phone company will reward you by offering you some money back if you use your phone less.
Andrew Yang, who you might remember from his presidential run back in 2020, is the CEO of that new company. He joins us now. And Andrew, I would ask you, is there a market for this kind of cell phone service? But I realize, I mean, I might be the market for it. I would love to use my phone less. Tell us what the market is here.
Oh, I think we might be having trouble. Andrew, can you hear us? All right, we're going to have them refresh with Andrew.
SANCHEZ: We may need a phone plan to actually hear him. This is a good plug.
KEILAR: That's right, we're probably getting money back right now. OK, I would like to use my phone a little less.
SANCHEZ: I would too, but it's hard because you don't want to feel left out in some ways you you have developed -- I say you collectively -- have developed more connection through your friends through your social networks more than ever. But obviously there are drawbacks to that.
KEILAR: Yes, Andrew, I hear that you are back with us, which is good since we're talking about communication here. How in demand is this in -- and what are you hearing from people about why they want this?
ANDREW YANG, CEO OF NOBLE MOBILE: So many of us have a love-hate relationship with our phones at this point. We need it, but we know we're using it a little bit too much, and we'd like to be able to pay attention to the person we're having dinner with. At the same time, a lot of Americans also would like to be able to save more money. And Americans spend twice as much on our wireless as people in Europe or Australia.
So the hope with Noble Mobile is we can have both of these things happen, have better relationships with what Hasan Minhaj calls our rectangles of sadness, and also socks some more money away, which as you all know, I think makes people feel better. You know, I think money's always a mood enhancer.
SANCHEZ: Indeed, indeed. You said that you were inspired by Mark Cuban's effort to bring down drug prices with the company that he started. Talk to us about that.
YANG: Mark Cuban started Cost Plus Drugs, bought drugs in bulk, and sold them to the American people at a 15 percent markup. And I thought, oh my gosh, imagine we could do that for something else that we pay for every single day. Americans are spending $83 a month on our wireless. Again, that's twice as much what other countries are charging.
I personally was paying over $100 a month. And so I thought, could you cost plus data in a way that could also be tied to incentives for us to log off a little bit more, look up a little bit more? And I was very much inspired by Mark in founding Noble Mobile. I even called Mark and was like, Hey man, what do you think about doing for data, what you did for drugs?
KEILAR: So how much money are we talking about that you can get back and how much you have to reduce your time on your phone to get that perk?
YANG: You can get up to $20 back in any given month, Brianna, and we pay a 5.5 percent interest rate on any money that you save. So it can add up really quickly. I've got a little wheel on my phone that shows how much data I'm using. If you do go hog in a given month and use your phone up the wazoo, it's totally fine. You just pay a flat fee of $50 a month. But if you use your phone less, which by the way, most of us are on Wi-Fi at home or in the office anyway, and that stuff doesn't count, then you get up to $20 back. The average person is probably going to get back between $8 and $12 a month.
SANCHEZ: That's not bad. Could I keep the phone that I have now? Do I need a different phone?
YANG: Oh my God, Boris, of course you can keep your phone and your number. The fact is every phone manufacturer from 2018 on has a little eSIM in it that lets you switch networks in five minutes or less.
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And I got to say, it was mind-blowing to me. I'd been on one carrier, Verizon, for 25 years and breaking up with them in five minutes, and then in my case, saving over $1,000 a year, was like a -- like a game changing experience. But yes, your phone, your number, everything stays the same.
SANCHEZ: Good to know. Good to know. Andrew Yang, thanks so much for joining us.
KEILAR: Oh, my God, Boris, of course.
SANCHEZ: Well, I mean, of course, any time. Yes, I like my phone. I want to keep.
KEILAR: Yes, well get to.
SANCHEZ: Hey, thanks so much for joining us. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.
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