When German historian Rainer Zitelmann reposted a photo of Adolf Hitler to warn against appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin, he didn’t expect it to trigger a police probe. According to police, the problem was the image itself: Hitler was shown wearing a swastika armband — a banned symbol under Germany’s criminal code, which prohibits the public display of Nazi and other extremist insignia. Zitelmann was informed in February that authorities were examining the case. Zitelmann’s is just one of several recent investigations into online speech, which have raised questions about how far German authorities are going in enforcing strict speech laws — and whether efforts to curb extremism are colliding with satire and political criticism. Zitelmann said he posted the image as a warning, not an endorsement. Like Hitler, Putin cannot be trusted when he says he has no further territorial ambitions. “I’m usually against Hitler analogies,” he said. “They’re often inaccurate and used to discredit political opponents.”  But, he added, ”the parallels practically impose themselves.” A week earlier, a journalist found himself in a similar situation for mocking the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.  In a podcast, Jan Fleischhauer suggested the party’s youth wing, known as “Generation Germany,” might be better named “Generation Germany awake” — a reference to a banned Nazi slogan. Fleischhauer’s case comes after police had searched conservative commentator Norbert Bolz’s home in October for using the same slogan to mock a left-wing newspaper that had called for the AfD to be banned. “A good translation for ‘woke’: Germany awake!” Bolz had written. Fleischhauer reacted to his investigation with humor. “Maybe [the complaint was filed] … by an AfD supporter who was annoyed that I made fun of the AfD youth wing,” he said.  But, he warned, such cases risk chilling free speech. Jan Fleischhauer at the 69th Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt am Main in October 2017. | Frank May/picture alliance via Getty Images “I come from the 1968 generation,” Fleischhauer said. “I thought the path of free speech had been cleared once and for all by the ’68 movement. But as we can see, all of that can be rolled back.” TRADEOFF The cases highlight a tension at the heart of Germany’s postwar legal order: how to guard against extremism without restricting free expression. After World War II, lawmakers — encouraged by the occupying Allied powers — moved swiftly to ban symbols of the country’s Nazi past, seeking to prevent fascism from reasserting itself. Critics now argue authorities are going too far. Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy leader of the pro-business Free Democrats, wants the law scrapped or narrowed. “If one wants to keep it, it would have to be limited strictly to explicit endorsement of National Socialist ideology,” he said. “At the moment, it has become vague and ill-defined. The legislature urgently needs to change that.” But others warn that loosening the rules could embolden extremists.  Lena Gumnior speaks to MPs in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag on May 16, 2025. | Katharina Kausche/picture alliance via Getty Images “The point is not to allow governments to suppress political expression, but rather to protect the principles of our liberal constitution,” said Lena Gumnior, a Green lawmaker. “It is about strictly prohibiting the use of unconstitutional symbols, particularly those associated with National Socialism, in order to protect our democracy.” A separate provision of Germany’s criminal code — which designates it an offense to insult or belittle a politician — also sparked controversy recently. In January, a retiree came under investigation after posting a Facebook comment about Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to his town: “Pinocchio is coming,” he wrote, adding a long-nose “lying” emoji.  That case drew the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, prompting a a post by Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, who has taken a strong stance against European laws that regulate online speech. “Most Germans I’ve talked to don’t want their laws applied this way,” she wrote. “When you’re regulating speech at scale, on platforms based in America (whose American users, especially, deserve First Amendment protection), this creates problems worth solving.” German authorities have dropped the probes into Fleischhauer and the Pinocchio emoji. The investigation into Zitelmann was still open as of Friday. For Matthias Cornils, a law professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, the outcome matters more than the investigations themselves. “Courts often reject criminal liability, even in quite harsh cases,” he said. “The strong constitutional protection of freedom of expression, developed over decades, remains intact.”

Listen on * Spotify * Apple Music * Amazon Music Friedrich Merz reist nach China. Mit einer 30-köpfigen Wirtschaftsdelegation und klaren Worten im Gepäck. Kurz vor dem Abflug hat der Kanzler das Land als globalen Machtfaktor beschrieben, der Abhängigkeiten ausnutzt, Taiwan unter Druck setzt und die internationale Ordnung in seinem Sinne neu deutet. Gordon Repinski analysiert, wie der Kanzler die kritische Perspektive darauf und wirtschaftspolitische Interessen Deutschlands auf seiner Reise in Einklang bringen will. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview spricht BDI-Hauptgeschäftsführerin Tanja Gönner über Wettbewerb mit China, De-Risking, Exportkontrollen bei Seltenen Erden und die Balance zwischen strategischer Eigenständigkeit und wirtschaftlicher Kooperation. Bei den Grünen steht eine weitreichende Parteireform an. Maximilian Stascheit über ein neues Präsidium, Generalsekretär, weniger basisdemokratische Elemente. Die Partei will ihre Strukturen stärker an Union und SPD angleichen. Zwei Jahre POLITICO Deutschland. Beim Jubiläum im Axel-Springer-Hochhaus diskutieren u.a. Julia Klöckner, Karsten Wildberger, Ricarda Lang, Tim Klüssendorf und Florence Gaub über Debattenkultur, Reformfähigkeitg in der Politik. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern Politik zum Hören – kompakt, international, hintergründig. Für alle Hauptstadt-Profis: Der Berlin Playbook-Newsletter bietet jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und Einordnungen. ⁠Jetzt kostenlos abonnieren.⁠ Mehr von Host und POLITICO Executive Editor Gordon Repinski: Instagram: ⁠@gordon.repinski⁠ | X: ⁠@GordonRepinski⁠. POLITICO Deutschland – ein Angebot der Axel Springer Deutschland GmbH Axel-Springer-Straße 65, 10888 Berlin Tel: +49 (30) 2591 0 ⁠information@axelspringer.de⁠ Sitz: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 196159 B USt-IdNr: DE 214 852 390 Geschäftsführer: Carolin Hulshoff Pol, Mathias Sanchez Luna **(Anzeige) Eine Nachricht von Roche Deutschland: Deutschlands Zukunft entscheidet sich bei Innovation. Darum investieren wir heute Milliarden in Forschung, Produktion und Wertschöpfung in Deutschland – für Souveränität, Sicherheit und Unabhängigkeit. Denn klar ist: Wo Innovation ausgebremst wird, verliert eine Schlüsselindustrie an Tempo. Und Deutschland an gesunder Zukunft.**

MUNICH, Germany — The U.S. is not interfering in European politics, a senior U.S. State Department official told POLITICO on Saturday, despite reported efforts by the Trump administration to fund MAGA-aligned organizations on the continent.  Speaking at the POLITICO Pub on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Under Secretary of State Sarah Rogers pushed back on a Financial Times report that she had backed a program to fund far-right think tanks and institutes in Europe. “The idea that we have a slush fund for the far right is a lie,” Rogers said. “It’s not America’s decision to govern who’s elected in Europe.” The message from Rogers appeared to be another sign of the Trump administration trying to send conciliatory signals to Europe, despite the recently published National Security Strategy calling on the U.S. to “cultivate resistance” to the political status quo on the continent. And it came just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for a “strong and revitalized Europe” on the Munich stage.  Rogers has courted controversy by taking to her official social media accounts to launch public attacks, from characterizing immigrants to Germany as “imported barbarian rapist hordes” to connecting Sweden’s migration policy to instances of sexual violence, and for her sharp rebukes of social media regulations in the EU and the United Kingdom. After U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s searing Munich speech last year criticizing European democracies for ostensibly pushing back on free speech rights in efforts to crack down on election interference, Rogers indicated that the U.S. is still making a list of which allies have been naughty and nice, but used a gentler tone.  “In terms of who’s a good ally, we certainly have views on that, but whoever’s elected, we will work with them,” she said. At Munich, she has faced questions over whether rising far-right European parties, such as Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and France’s National Rally, might share U.S. priorities when it comes to beefing up defense.  Many right-wing parties have qualms over higher military spending and many also have warm relations with the Kremlin. Rogers said that despite holding meetings with an AfD spokesperson last year, she has also talked with the British and French governments.  “I’m a diplomat,” Rogers said. “It’s my job to meet with people that disagree with us on at least some things.”  The White House also has disagreements with would-be European allies on the right, she said, and there is some common ground on efforts to crack down on AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media. “We certainly don’t disagree that defamatory sexualized deepfakes are a serious issue, possibly addressable by law,” she added.

Nationalist leaders lined up to endorse Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a campaign video released this week as the election race begins in earnest. The nearly two-minute clip, posted by Orbán, rolls out support from a who’s who of European and international conservatives, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, her deputy Matteo Salvini, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The coordinated show of support comes as Orbán heads into what is likely to be his most competitive election in more than a decade. Hungary’s President Tamás Sulyok confirmed Tuesday that the country will go to the polls on April 12. After nearly 20 years at the helm, Orbán faces mounting criticism at home and abroad over democratic backsliding, curbs on media freedom, and the erosion of the rule of law. His Fidesz party, which has governed since 2010, is now trailing the opposition Tisza Party, led by former Orbán ally Péter Magyar. “Together we stand for a Europe that respects national sovereignty, is proud of its cultural and religious roots,” Meloni said in the video, as she endorsed Hungary’s incumbent leader. “Security cannot be taken for granted, it must be won. And I think Viktor Orbán has all those qualities. He has the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom to protect his country,” Netanyahu added. Also featured are Spain’s Vox chief Santiago Abascal, Austria’s Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, all key figures in the conservative, populist and far-right political sphere. Argentine President Javier Milei also appears in the video. POLITICO’s Poll of Polls puts Magyar’s Tisza on 49 percent, well ahead of Fidesz on 37 percent. Magyar has built momentum by campaigning on pledges to strengthen judicial independence, clamp down on corruption and offer voters a clear break from Orbán’s rule. In Brussels, Orbán has frequently clashed with EU institutions and other member states over issues including support for Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and LGBTQ+ rights, making him a polarizing figure within the bloc. The campaign video, featuring a slate of foreign leaders, positions his re-election bid in a broader international context, tying Hungary’s vote to themes of national sovereignty and political alignment beyond the country’s borders. POLITICO was able to confirm the video’s authenticity via representatives for Weidel and Salvini. Ketrin Jochecová, Nette Nöstlinger and Gerardo Fortuna contributed to this report.

The removal of a prominent TV show host in Bulgaria has sparked a backlash, reigniting concerns about political pressure on the media amid the collapse of the country’s government. Maria Tsantsarova, the host of the political talk show “This Morning” on bTV, the leading Bulgarian television channel, was informed on Friday that she would not continue in her role, according to local media reports. Journalists and citizens responded by gathering outside bTV’s headquarters in Sofia on Friday evening, showing solidarity with Tsantsarova and her co-host Zlatimir Yochev, who was also removed. Tsantsarova is widely considered in Bulgaria as a critical voice toward politicians. “We are concerned about the risk of yet another ‘emptying of chairs’ — the removal of critical voices — from Bulgaria’s national airwaves. We call on bTV’s management to take a reasonable decision that does not run counter to the public interest or the legislation protecting freedom of speech,” said the Association of European Journalists Bulgaria. Tsantsarova’s removal comes at a time of deep political unrest, after the country’s coalition government resigned last week following one of the largest waves of anti-government protests in its history, just under a year after taking office. Protesters in front of bTV’s headquarters carried cups that read “Time to make a real change,” a reference to the same cup that Tsantsarova recently appeared on air with. The TV channel has denied the journalists’ removal in a statement, instead saying the company is “in dialogue with Maria Tsantsarova and is discussing possibilities for the development of its programming content with her active involvement in the new year, which is standard practice.” Neither Tsantsarova nor Yochev has commented publicly on the developments. Bulgaria dropped to 70th place from 59th in this year’s Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media freedom ranking. “Press freedom is fragile and unstable in one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the European Union. The few independent media in Bulgaria are under pressure,” RSF said in its 2025 analysis.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday denounced an attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci after an explosive device detonated under his car outside his home late Thursday. No one was injured in the blast, which damaged a second family vehicle and a neighboring house in Pomezia, a municipality south of Rome. Anti-mafia prosecutors have opened an investigation, ANSA reported. “I express my full solidarity with the journalist Sigfrido Ranucci and the strongest condemnation for the serious act of intimidation he has suffered,” Meloni said in a statement. “The freedom and independence of information are non-negotiable values of our democracies, which we will continue to defend.” Ranucci and the Meloni government have a tense relationship. Report, the show he hosts, has repeatedly investigated government figures, including a probe into the alleged role of officials in the attempted takeover of Mediobanca by Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which led Meloni’s Head of Cabinet Gaetano Caputi to pursue leagal action in July against the program. In recent years, Ranucci has faced multiple lawsuits from members of Meloni’s government, the Senate President Ignazio La Russa, Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and prominent political families, including the Berlusconis. Other members of Meloni’s government also expressed solidarity with Ranucci. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called the attack “extremely serious, cowardly and unacceptable,” while Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi pledged full police support to identify the perpetrators and strengthen the journalist’s protection. Ranucci has lived under police guard for years after he and his newsroom received threats due to their reporting on politicians, business leaders and other public figures but also mafia networks and corruption cases tied to organized crime. Earlier this week, he was acquitted in a defamation case stemming from one of Report’s investigations. Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has faced criticism for actions perceived as undermining press freedom, including legal threats against journalists and censorship attempts, raising concerns among watchdog organizations and European institutions about the state of media independence in Italy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered pointed remarks Wednesday to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić about his country’s progress toward EU membership. “Now is the moment for Serbia to get concrete about joining our union,” said the Commission chief, during a press conference in Belgrade on her tour of the Western Balkans. “Therefore, we need to see progress, on the rule of law, the electoral framework and media freedom,” von der Leyen added. “I know these reforms are not easy,” she said. “They take patience and endurance. They must include all parts of society and the political spectrum. But they are worth the effort. Because they move you closer to your goal.” Von der Leyen also urged the Serbian president to join the EU in imposing sanctions against Russia. Belgrade has consistently refused to align with the bloc in sanctioning Russian energy and goods, especially since it is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas. “I commend you for reaching 61 percent of alignment with our foreign policy. But more is needed. We want to count on Serbia as a reliable partner,” said von der Leyen. Serbia applied for EU membership in 2009 and was subsequently granted candidate status in 2012, later opening accession negotiations with the EU in 2013. Since then, 22 of the 35 chapters of accession criteria have been opened — but only two have been provisionally closed. Leadership in the Western Balkan country has come under heavy criticism in recent years. Protests triggered by the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy in November last year turned into a wider revolt over corruption, accountability, and democratic backsliding, which was met with a violent response from police. The European Green Party criticized the Commission chief’s visit to Serbia, calling it “deeply regrettable that von der Leyen honors Vučić with an official visit without visible reservations, while his regime unlawfully detains students and opposition members and violently represses protesters,” its co-chair Vula Tsetsi said in a statement. The U.S. decided last week to sanction Serbia’s leading oil supplier, the Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), because it is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom Neft. Vučić met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing during a regional security summit in September, reaffirming Serbia’s commitment to purchasing Russian gas and potentially increasing it. “Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, Serbia has been in a very difficult situation and under great pressure, but … we will preserve our neutrality,” said Vučić, utilizing Kremlin terminology for its war on Kyiv.

First published on caglecartoons.com, Sept. 23, 2025. | By Becs First published on PoliticalCartoons.com, Sept. 26. | By Bart van Leeuwen First published on caglecartoons.com, Sept. 26, 2025, Austria. | By Marian Kamensky First published on caglecartoons.com, Sept. 25, 2025, Austria. | By Marian Kamensky First published on PoliticalCartoons.com, Sept. 24. | By Dick Wright First published on caglecartoons.com, Sep. 23, 2025, Austria. | By Marian Kamensky

There’s a great deal at stake in the upcoming Czech election — for Russia. So perhaps it’s no wonder that Czechia has been flooded by pro-Russian disinformation of late. A victory by populist right-winger Andrej Babiš, who is ahead in the polls, would see him join Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico around the EU table. The Hungarian and Slovak leaders are on friendly terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin and have consistently torpedoed EU unity on Ukraine. Incumbent Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has framed the Oct. 3-4 vote as no less than a battle over the country’s geopolitical future. “It’s about where the Czech Republic will go. Whether we remain a strong democracy, with full freedom, with prosperity, a country that is firmly part of the West … or whether we drift somewhere to the East,” Fiala told a rally in Plzeň in western Czechia earlier last week that was attended by POLITICO. Against that backdrop, analysts have warned Czechia is being inundated by pro-Russian propaganda and disinformation.  The volume of fake news has increased steadily since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine to a record high of some 5,000 articles per month, according to Vojtěch Boháč, an investigative journalist with Czech outlet Voxpot. A recent Voxpot investigation found that the 16 largest disinformation websites churn out more content than all Czech traditional media outlets combined. Articles ranged from critical takedowns of the EU and NATO to extraordinary conspiracy theories, including claims that Brussels is promoting cannibalism as a solution to climate change. Analysts stressed that the pro-Russian disinformation drive is less about backing a specific candidate than undermining Czechia as a whole.  Recently, much of the political messaging has shifted to questioning the legitimacy of the election, calling into question the very value of democracy, said Kristína Šefčíková, head of the information resilience program at the Prague Security Studies Institute. “In the informational space, we can essentially see the Kremlin playbook being used,” she said.  A victory by populist right-winger Andrej Babiš, who is ahead in the polls, would see him join Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico around the EU table. | Radek Mica/Getty Images Russia isn’t the only foreign power interfering in Czech domestic affairs — China also plays a notable role — but its influence is by far the most visible. “Russia is definitely topic number one right now here,” Šefčíková added. MOSCOW’S CANDIDATE? Under Fiala, Czechia has spearheaded an arms initiative to accelerate ammunition supplies to Kyiv and has welcomed a vast number of Ukrainian refugees, who now make up about 5 percent of the country’s population — the highest per capita number in the entire EU. A win for Babiš, a former communist turned billionaire who co-founded the far-right Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, could well change that. His party manifesto pledges to axe the ammunition plan, and in interviews Babiš has called for “compromise” to end the fighting in Ukraine and avoid a larger war with Russia. His party, ANO, has also called to scrap a legal amendment that helps prosecute those who pass on sensitive information to foreign powers, including Russia. “Babiš is against this ammunition initiative, against spending on defence, he talks about peace without any conditions,” Fiala told the FT. “He helps Vladimir Putin, it’s very clear.” Babiš, meanwhile, has accused Fiala of trying to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, saying the prime minister “dreams of war with Russia.” “President Trump rightly warned President Zelenskyy and, by extension, Europe that he is playing with World War III,” Babiš said in March.  Babiš’ line echoes that of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, which has stoked fears of war with Russia to justify a sharp turn away from Europe. But Tomáš Cirhan, a political analyst at Masaryk University in Brno, said Babiš is trying to win votes by appealing to a part of Czech society that is concerned increased defense spending will come at the expense of local services. He’s “a pragmatist populist politician trying to say what he needs to get their support, rather than being ideologically a pro-Russian person,” said Cirhan, noting Babiš’ “firm” track record on Russia when he was prime minister from 2017-2021.  Much will depend on whether Babiš forms a coalition with far-left or far-right fringe parties, which are far more explicitly anti-EU and pro-Russian, Cirhan added.  Czechia has spearheaded an arms initiative to accelerate ammunition supplies to Kyiv and has welcomed a vast number of Ukrainian refugees. | Michal Cizek/Getty Images Babiš did not respond to a request for comment. REVENGE SABOTAGE Although the Kremlin has consistently denied any foreign interference in Czechia, the fake news barrage fits into a broader strategy of what experts describe as an aggressive campaign of hybrid warfare. In its annual report published in July, the Czech intelligence service said Russia had used the Telegram messenger service to recruit new agents to spy on and target aid and military sites related to Ukraine.  Many of the agents did not know they were working for Russia, the report said, having been recruited by middlemen.  A spokesperson for the Czech Military Intelligence Service, Jan Pejšek, told POLITICO that the country’s strong support for Ukraine had “led to a reaction in the form of increased activity of Russian intelligence services on Czech territory, including cyber attacks.” The ultimate goal, said Šefčíková of the Prague Security Studies Institute, “is to sow confusion, fear and uncertainty about what’s true and what is real.”  Combating it is not straightforward. Like many European countries, Czechia has banned Russian state media outlets like Sputnik and RT. In March last year it led a successful European effort to sanction the Voice of Europe news website for leading a pro-Russian influence operation.  Yet according to Boháč of Voxpot, as many as one quarter of Czech fake news either directly translates or paraphrases lines from Russian state media. “There is a systematic breaching of sanctions,” he said, blaming a lack of political will to enforce the rules. In emailed comments, a spokesperson for Czechia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said enforcement of sanctions fell under the remit of the country’s Financial Analytical Office (FAÚ) and “where relevant, the police.” The FAU redirected POLITICO to the Ministry of Finance, which cited the “legal obligation of confidentiality” as a reason not to give further details. Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Czechia’s relatively short history as a liberal democracy means the government is loath to appear as a censor, according to Cirhan, the political analyst. The Czech intelligence service said Russia had used the Telegram messenger service to recruit new agents to spy on and target aid and military sites related to Ukraine. | Jaap Arriens/Getty Images  “Any attempts to close some media outlets or some websites claiming that they are disinformation websites is a very sensitive topic indeed,” he noted. SPOT THE FOREIGN INFLUENCE Further complicating the fight against interference is that proving Russian involvement is not always straightforward — even for seasoned propaganda-watchers.  There have been some documented cases of financial and other ties among Czech media figures or politicians and Russian-linked entities. But “in other cases there is ideological or narrative alignment, but no direct proof,” said Šefčíková.  Establishing the exact share of what is Kremlin-directed malign activity versus homegrown content that happens to align with Russian interests is “almost impossible,” she added.  However, the best defense against fake news is trust in traditional media and democratic institutions, she argued. In that case, the country stands a good chance of fighting back against disinformation. In 2024, the Disinformation Resilience Index — a regional ranking of 10 Central and Eastern European countries — rated Czechia as “strong.” But the report also warned of a “rising sense of uncertainty within Czech society and a growing distrust towards the state, its political leaders, the media, and even among Czech citizens themselves.” It’s likely to be music to Moscow’s ears. 

President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his claim that critical television coverage of him is “illegal” and pushed back on criticisms that his administration was taking actions that chill free speech. “When 97 percent of the stories are bad about a person, it’s no longer free speech,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, complaining about an apparent asymmetry between his victory in the 2024 election and his treatment by media organizations. It was not immediately clear what statistics or laws he was referencing. Trump’s comments came days after Disney indefinitely suspended the late night host Jimmy Kimmel after Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr suggested on a podcast that his agency may take regulatory action against ABC, which Disney owns. Kimmel drew ire over comments he made about Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and White House ally who was shot and killed last week. After Kimmel was suspended, Carr said “I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop” and suggested the FCC — an agency, overseen by Congress, designed to act independently from the president — may target other shows, including ABC’s “The View.” The Kimmel saga caused Democrats and some free speech hawks to protest. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded Carr’s resignation. One notable Republican also weighed in: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who on a podcast released Friday called Carr’s actions “dangerous as hell” and “right out of ‘Goodfellas.’” Trump in the Oval Office defended Carr, calling him “incredible” and “a great American.” He said he disagreed with Cruz. “I think he’s a courageous person,” Trump said of Carr. “He doesn’t like to see the airwaves be used illegally and incorrectly.”