Jake Tapper | Silenced Night

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Guest: Jake Tapper
Episode: "Jake Tapper | Silenced Night"
Date: September 19, 2025
Main Theme:
A sharply satirical and pointed exploration of government interference in media, the erosion of free speech protections in the Trump era, and the chilling effect on late-night comedy and journalism, with CNN’s Jake Tapper offering historical and present-day context.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives headfirst into the controversial removal of Jimmy Kimmel from ABC following comments critical of the Trump administration, dissecting what it reveals about government influence over media, the First Amendment, and the precarious state of free expression in modern America. Stephen Colbert, both as himself and his iconic “Colbert Report” persona, employs biting wit to spotlight absurdities and dangers in rising media censorship. Jake Tapper joins to provide further clarity on constitutional implications and historical context.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Censorship of Jimmy Kimmel (03:41–14:03)

• ABC’s Sudden Removal of Kimmel:
  After threats from Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr, ABC indefinitely pulls Jimmy Kimmel from the air. Colbert characterizes this as “blatant censorship” and frames it as a worrying escalation in government influence over free speech.

  “If ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive… clearly they've never read the children's book if you give a mouse a Kimmel.” (Stephen Colbert, 04:23)

• Brendan Carr’s Threats:
  Carr appears on a podcast, urging networks to preempt Kimmel’s show, invoking “community values” and implying that further noncompliance risks FCC action.

  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” (Brendan Carr, as paraphrased by Colbert, 06:16)

• Corporate Capitulation:
  Nexstar (which owns 32 ABC affiliates and needs FCC approval for a merger) immediately halts airing Kimmel’s show, revealing the power dynamic between political regulators and business interests.

  “A company apparently capitulating to the whims of the President in order to ensure their merger goes through.” (Colbert, 08:20)

• Disney’s Corporate Entanglements:
  Colbert lampoons the tangled web of mergers, highlighting Disney’s need for FCC approval for its ESPN and NFL Network deal—another lever of presidential influence.
• Public, Political, and Presidential Reactions:
  Trump overtly justifies broadcaster threats: “They’re licensed, they’re not allowed to do that.” (13:00) Colbert demonstrates the historical normalcy of presidential ribbing on late-night, contrasting it with the current regime’s intolerance.

2. Satire as Resistance (16:10–21:28)

• “Colbert Report” Persona Returns:
  As a self-described “conservative ombudsman,” Colbert parodies the tendency to silence dissent, mocking the expectation that talk show hosts “just repeat the approved message from the White House.”

  “You can have your rights just as long as you don’t use them.” (Colbert-as-Colbert Report, 18:18) “Just shut up and take it… And if you think that’s a terrible idea, no, you don’t. And that’s the word.” (Colbert, 21:18)

• George Washington Parody:
  “Sometimes, you have to destroy freedom to save it.” Colbert’s hyperbolic satire underlines the Orwellian doublespeak of using free speech rhetoric to actually undermine it.

3. Interview with Jake Tapper (22:50–36:48)

a. Is This a First Amendment Issue? (22:50–25:37)

• Technical and Practical Concerns:
  Tapper clarifies the typical First Amendment scope—restrictions on Congress—but notes that the President and FCC’s “behind closed doors” pressure is an abuse of executive power with direct free speech implications.

  “This is…a direct violation of the First Amendment because it is the government telling companies what to do with the implicit threat…” (Tapper, 25:20)

b. FCC’s Politicization & Unprecedented Actions (25:37–27:13)

• Tapper highlights that independent agencies (like the FCC) have never before coordinated such direct action to silence specific speech or speakers.
• He underscores the hypocrisy of the administration’s self-proclaimed “free speech absolutism.”

  “I have never seen an FTC chairman call for a direct action by local affiliates to…remove a speaker and speech that they don’t like. And it’s chilling. It’s…the exact opposite of…free speech champions.” (Tapper, 25:59)

c. Historical Context & Press Freedom (27:13–28:31)

• Tapper shares the history of Benjamin Franklin Bache, the founding father’s grandson and a press freedom pioneer, tying it to a larger American tradition of journalistic criticism—even at personal risk.
• He draws a direct line from John Adams' Alien and Sedition Act to today, noting how every president has had “an uneasy relationship with the press, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

d. The Dangers of Normalizing Executive Overreach (30:17–34:22)

• Colbert and Tapper discuss the long-term consequences of allowing the executive to exercise unchecked power over media.

  “Once a president finds a new toy…the next president likes to use it, maybe even more so.” (Tapper, 30:50)

• Tapper warns that both parties are likely to exploit such powers, undermining democracy.

e. Corporate Motivations & Chilling Effect on Journalism (34:00–35:15)

• Tapper laments how corporate interests, driven by business entanglements and government leverage, effectively place journalists and creatives at the mercy of political whims.

  “We all have to keep our head down and…report the news and be fair and honest and truthful. That job has not stopped… But the money has an impact.” (Tapper, 34:22)

f. Tapper’s Book “Race Against Terror” (35:15–36:47)

• Tapper plugs his new nonfiction book about an anti-terror operation in Europe, highlighting themes of international law, justice, and the difficulty of balancing national security with constitutional protections.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colbert (on Disney-ABC’s defensive maneuvering):
  “As one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day. On the bright side, that proves Disney is number one in streaming.” (09:50)
• Tapper (on the chilling effect):
  “If we do not have the ability to criticize, mock, investigate our leaders, then we are no longer the United States of America.” (27:13)
• Colbert Report persona:
  “You have a responsibility to do more than just censor yourself. You need to turn in your friends, write down what they say, get them fired. Then a true patriot can take their job saying nothing on TV.” (18:45)
• Colbert (on presidential overreach):
  “Once a president has a certain power, the next president is not gonna give up that power.” (30:47)
• Tapper (on corporate motivations):
  “…corporate chieftains who have $900 million but want 950 million …are acquiescing to this because the power that President Trump and his team have is the power of the FCC or…Justice Department.” (32:01)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:41–14:03 — Monologue: Censorship of Kimmel, FCC threats, industry fallout
• 16:10–21:28 — Satirical “Colbert Report” segment on self-censorship and obedience
• 22:50–28:31 — Start of Jake Tapper interview, First Amendment discussion, FCC’s role, media history
• 30:17–35:15 — Dangers of executive power, chilling effects, corporate motivations
• 35:15–36:47 — Tapper describes his new nonfiction book, “Race Against Terror”

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Tone & Language

• Colbert’s Style: Biting, self-effacing satire, lampooning the absurdity of autocracy and sycophancy in media, with moments of sincere alarm at threats to democracy.
• Tapper’s Style: Measured, historically aware, with occasional wry humor and deep concern for the state of press freedom.

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Conclusion

The episode deftly combines satirical and earnest analysis to expose the real-world dangers of government overreach into media, laying bare the hypocrisy of power and the cowardice of corporate complicity. Through comedic reflection and journalistic candor, it asks whether Americans will recognize this constitutional crisis before it’s too late—a message aimed both to amuse and to galvanize.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It's a hard nut smooth.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

You. I'm not disparaging the nut. I'm describing the nut.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

I didn't even know I get them.

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

I wonder what more there is to learn. We just told them so much. We just told them so much about pistachios. But evidently there's a whole other world. There's an unexplored vista. They got a bunch of flavors.

[B]

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[A]

Wow. And I would not disparage any of them. No, no, no. Bring it on.

[B]

Nothing bad to say.

[A]

Nut me, nut. Nut me with nut meat.

[B]

We're nut.

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[B]

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[A]

Welcome down here, up there, all around the world. Welcome one and all to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. But tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel. I still have a show, though, right?

[C]

Okay, good.

[A]

Yesterday, after threats from Trump's FCC chair, ABC yanked Kimmel off the air indefinitely. That is blatant censorship. And it always starts small. You know, remember, like in week one of his presidency, Gulf of America. Call it Gulf of America, sure. Seems harmless, but with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch. And if ABC thinks, if ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive. And clearly they've never read the children's book if you give a mouse a Kimmel. And to Jimmy. And to Jimmy, just let me say, I stand with you and your staff 100%. And also, you couldn't let me enjoy this for like one week. Just come on now. Just like ours, Jimmy's monologue is about what everyone's talking about every day. And on Monday, everyone was talking about reactions to the horrifying assassination of Charlie Kirk. And Jimmy touched on it in a way that offended FCC chair and individually wrapped hard boiled egg that they sell at the airport. Brendan Carr. Carr went on a podcast yesterday afternoon and described Jimmy's comments as the sickest conduct possible. Wow, those are strong words. I mean, Jimmy must have really been off the rails. I mean, completely out of control, truly psychotic. See what he said? We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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. In between the finger pointing, there was grieving. Is that the clip? Really? Cuz that's just Jimmy Kimmel. I mean, given the FCC's response, I was expecting something more, you know, provocative. That's like hearing that Playboy has a racy new centerfold and finding out it's just Jimmy Kimmel. But Brendan Carr, he went even further, sending a clear signal to broadcasters what their next move should be and throwing in a little implied threat. I think that it's really sort of past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back on Comcast and Disney and say, listen, we are going to preempt. We are not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out. I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Classic good guy talk. Joanne, would you make me the happiest man in the world? Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission who has the power over ABC's broadcast licenses, sounds like he's telling them to punish Kimmel or else. It feels to me like shutting down this type of speech would represent a serious threat to our freedoms. And you know who else thinks that? Brendan Carr in 2020 when he tweeted from Internet memes to late night comedians. Political satire helps hold those in power accountable. Shutting down this type of political speech, especially at the urging of those targeted or threatened by its message, would represent a serious threat to our freedoms. Oh, man. Do not tell Brendan Carr that Brendan Carr said that or he is going to get Brendan Carr to cancel. Brendan Car danger at that. You can't. You can't. Brendan Carr's comments, they really sure seem like marching orders. And right after that podcast, there was an immediate reaction from Nexstar, which is a local affiliate media group that owns 32 ABC stations and not, as I thought, how really drunk guys pronounce NASCAR. NextStar said it strongly objected to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel and would preempt the series for the immediate future. Coincidentally, nexstar has a major merger coming up before the Trump administration. So a company apparently capitulating to the whims of the President in order to ensure their merger goes through. Has that ever happened before? And what's that What? I can't. What? Oh, I'm being told not to answer that question further. Coincidentally, Carr has even more leverage over the network because Disney, which owns ABC, also needs the Trump administration's green light for ESPN's deal to buy the NFL Network. Yes, everything is about corporate relationships. It's hard to keep track. But remember, ABC is owned by Disney, which also owns Pixar, which is trying to merge with Twizzler's Pullen Peel, who make the material that Lockheed Martin uses for the O rings for their Triton II missile that the Defense Department commissions with the cash it got from its leveraged buyout of Claire's. Anyway, shortly after Carr makes his statements about abc, Kimmel gets yanked off the air. This decision came after senior executives at abc, Disney and affiliates convened emergency meetings during which multiple execs felt that Kimmel had not actually said anything over the line. But the threat of Trump administration retaliation loomed. As one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day. On the bright side, that proves Disney is number one in streaming. Thank you. Now, this may seem bad, but Carr was quick to reassure everyone, posting. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. Well, you know what my community values are, buster? Freedom of speech. Or, or as Alexander Hamilton called it, hakuna matata. People across the country are shocked by this blatant assault on the freedom of speech. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy posted this video of himself.

[C]

Stephen Colbert is gone. Jimmy Kimmel is gone.

[A]

He told me I was gone.

[C]

I thought I could go.

[A]

Now, don't go far with this. Now the administration claims this was not their decision and it's not about Donald Trump. You know who doesn't believe that? Donald Trump. Listen to the president justifying threatening broadcast licenses of people who don't like them. When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that's all they do. If you go back, I guess they haven't had a conservative on in years or something. Somebody said. But when you go back and take a look, all they do is hit Trump. They're licensed. They're not allowed to do that. Yes, they are. Since the beginning, since Steve Allen, these shows have always talked about the current president and that happens to be you. That's why you haven't heard me do too many Chester A. Arthur jokes. And I got a lot. The A stands for a whole lot of pubes on your face. So no matter what they claim. This is not entirely about what Jimmy said on Monday. This was part of a plan. How do I know that? Two months ago, when the President was tastefully celebrating my cancellation, he posted Jimmy Kimmel is next to go. How would he have known? Either either Jimmy getting thrown off the air was his plan all along, or he was the one who stole that almanac from Doc Brown's DeLorean. Great Scott. It is so bizarre. It is so bizarre to see an American President weighing in so vehemently on TV shows. It reminds me when Reagan said this, Mr. Gorbachev, cancel the Golden Girls. This whole thing. This whole thing is the latest and boldest action in a long campaign against media critics. Trump has personally sued abc, cbs, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Des Moines Register, and his bathroom scale. Plus he defunded PBS and NPR and has already found his next target. Last night he posted Jimmy Kimmel show is cancelled. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC President DJT Good Lord. Well, you heard the man. I guess we're all going to end up working on our new podcast, Fired Force five. We got a great show for you tonight.

[B]

More Late Show Pod show after this.

[D]

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[B]

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[A]

Hey everybody, have a seat. Thank you very much. Welcome back. Welcome back to the Late Show. We still on the air. Fantastic. Apparently Brendan Carr has not seen tonight's episode yet. Ladies and gentlemen, we live in unsettling times. Rising autocracy targeting America's most vulnerable talk show hosts. But there is a way for us folks on TV to keep ourselves safe. I assume. I wouldn't know, but my network is trying to make sure they do not run afoul of Brendan Carr's fcc. As part of the settlement with Donald Trump this summer, CBS recently hired a conservative policy veteran to be their ombudsman, who will keep tabs on CBS's Ombudding. And apparently having a conservative overseeing your programming is a way to stay on the air. And I would love to be able to finish out the last season of my show. So just to be safe, the Late show has appointed our own ombudsman. He is someone that I've known for years. He's a dear friend with strong conservative credentials. Please welcome my identical cousin and the former host of the Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert. Thank you. Thank you. My fellow Americans, thank you so much. Hello nation. Daddy's home. Yep. So drop trowel and lay across my lap because I'm gonna spank you with freedom until I can see the American flag reflected in your shiny swollen asses. Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, nation. I return to you tonight to rescue you from this free speech crisis. I'm gonna scream the answer loud and proud. No holds barred, triumphant word nation folk. America is facing perhaps its greatest crisis in 249 years. You see, people, people are saying things that hurt Donald Trump's feelings. Now usually, ladies and gentlemen, usually in the TV biz, if people are upset with you over something that you've said, the eyeballs and the advertising go somewhere else. That's called capitalism. But in this ABC case, the FCC had no choice but to slap down the invisible hand of the market. Now you might think, you might think the Constitution coddlers out there argue that Americans are born with certain God given rights like life and liberty and of course, and of course, the pursuit of happiness. But what about the pursuit of Donald Trump's happiness? And yes, it's true the words Donald Trump aren't in the Constitution. But ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, I can say they are because I have freedom of speech. So how, just how do you balance your rights with your duty not to make the commander in chief fill his depends with tears? Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, my friends, it's shockingly simple. Here. Observe. Now was that so hard? You can have your rights just as long as you don't use them. Of course, the Sally Sticklers out there may want to hear you talk on your talk show. But ladies and gentlemen, here's the thing. You can talk and still say nothing. The thing is, all you have to do is repeat whatever the approved message from the White House is today. But remember, my friends, just remember, anyone can be silent in the face of an autocrat. You have a responsibility to do more than just censor yourself. You need to turn in your friends, write down what they say, get them fired. Then a true patriot can take their job saying nothing on tv. And most importantly, don't ever complain. No matter what the President does, even if he sends the army to your hometown, just shut up and take it. Right. Speaker Mike Johnson. Yield, man.

[C]

Let the troops come into your city.

[A]

Yes, yield. That's my favorite. No, no, Yield is my favorite road sign. And sure, not using your rights out of fear might feel like not having them. But as George Washington said at sometimes you have to destroy freedom to save it. So give up, America, just give up and stop saying anything that might upset the President. And if you think that's a terrible idea, no, you don't. And that's the word. We'll be right back with Jake Tapper. Welcome back. Everybody. Smells like Chief Cologne over here. Welcome back, welcome back. My. All right, my friends, ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is a New York Times best selling author, CNN chief Washington correspondent and anchor of the Lead with Jake Tapper. Please welcome back to the Late show, Jake Tapper. Hi. Hello. Nice to see you again.

[C]

Things are great.

[A]

Yeah, everything's great. You. You, sir, we've known each other for a long time.

[C]

You're a political reporter 21 years.

[A]

21 years. Who's counting? So I would imagine you're familiar with the First Amendment.

[C]

It's my favorite.

[A]

Okay, how much of what we're seeing, like what went down yesterday with Kimmel and ABC and Brendan Carr and all that, how much do you think that is a First Amendment issue versus a misuse of executive power by the presidency? Because I mean, technically First Amendment is Congress shall make no law. Right, but this isn't Congress making a law. Congress didn't do anything. The President just pulled a few levers and popped him out of there.

[C]

It was clam.

[A]

It was.

[C]

Look what happened to you. We think we know what happened, but it was all behind closed doors.

[A]

Right. A rationale. The network had a rationale that these shows had run their course in terms of their economics.

[C]

Timings was, as the kids say, sus.

[A]

But wow.

[C]

Very hip, very hip.

[A]

Put that on your TikTok. Six, seven. That's all I got to say.

[C]

Six' seven. That's very nice.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah, but what happened with Brandon Carr, as you know, the FCC chairman going on a right wing podcast and saying Disney's needs to change its behavior. Disney obviously owns ABC and, and all those local TV networks. You need to say we're not going to carry this quote unquote garbage anymore.

[A]

Right.

[C]

That was at 1:01pm yesterday. And by 5, something Nextar, as you noted earlier, the biggest owner of local TV news stations that needs Brendan Carr to give a seal of approval, a stamp so that they can break a rule, a current FCC rule saying that they can't own. Nobody can own more than enough TV stations that reach more than 39% of the American people. That's the rule right now. For Nexstar to buy this $6.2 billion competitor, they need Brendan Carr to be like, no, no, forget that. We'll get rid of that rule. So nexstar, as you note, sees Brendan Carr is signaling he wants local media to stop carrying this speech. And this speaker that Trump doesn't approve of, got it, got the message and we saw what happened. And this is, it's a direct violation of the First Amendment because it is the government telling companies what to do with the implicit threat of. He said we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. And they chose the easy way.

[A]

Well, the fcc, is it supposed to be an independent institution?

[C]

Independent agency.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Quote unquote, independent agency. Sure.

[A]

You can take the quotes off, I suppose. Now throw them in the garbage. I don't know. Throw the words in the garbage.

[C]

Well, there are a bunch of, you know, ftc, fec, fcc, like, they're all semi independent agencies. Suppose.

[A]

Has it been politicized before this that you know of?

[C]

Not to this degree. I have never seen an FTC chairman call for a direct action by local affiliates to do something to remove a speaker and speech that they don't like. And it's chilling. And it's actually the exact opposite of, you know, these were supposedly going to be the free speech champions.

[A]

That was part of the campaign. They were tired of being censored and that they were free speech absolutists.

[C]

I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America. Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents. Donald Trump. January of this year.

[A]

And.

[C]

Guess who this is Under Donald Trump's leadership. We may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square. Guess who that is?

[A]

Is that Brendan Carr?

[C]

That is J.D. vance, our vice president.

[A]

Oh, okay. They are doing this. Are you saying that J.D. vance sometimes says one thing and does the other? You sound like a guy who doesn't want a TV show anymore.

[C]

If we do not have the ability to criticize, mock, investigate our leaders, then we are no longer the United States of America. You referenced George Washington in your Colbert, by the way. It was great to see that guy. I've missed him.

[A]

The Stephen Colbert smells like cheap cologne over here. Now.

[C]

I've missed that musk. George Washington. My personal favorite founding father is a guy that nobody's ever heard of named Benjamin Franklin Bay. She was Benjamin Franklin's grandson. He had a Philadelphia newspaper and he ripped into George Washington. He covered the fact that Washington had slaves. And everybody's like, oh, George Washington doesn't even draw a salary. And his newspaper.

[A]

That's because he just treats the treasury.

[C]

As if it's his own bank account that is in the lifeblood of this country. He did the same to John Adams. John Adams passed the Alien and Sedition act, threw him in prison. So that is where we are. Then it expired. And then. Since then, you know, presidents have had an uneasy relationship with the press, but I've never seen anything like this.

[A]

We have to take a quick break. We're right back with more Jake Taffer. Everybody, stick around.

[B]

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[A]

Hey everybody, we're back with the author of the new book Race Against Terror, Jake Tapper. I find it hard to believe that for whatever reasons that Trump voters may have voted for him, that I may or may not, you know, understand. I find it hard to believe that they would want the executive branch to be able to exercise this kind of capricious power. Because the one thing that we know is that once a president has a certain power, the next president is not gonna give up that power.

[C]

So I've been in D.C. now since 92, and once the standard is eroded, it doesn't come back. Once a president finds a new toy, a shiny new toy, the next president likes to use it, maybe even more so. And I've seen it with Democrats and I've seen it with Republicans. And you're right. I mean, and this is why I think it's a little alarming that more conservatives who are theoretically in favor of free speech and the right to offend people without the government intervening, that they're applauding this because they don't like you or they don't like Jimmy, they don't like your kind of comedy, whatever, they don't Seem to understand the next Democratic president's gonna take out this shiny new FCC toy and use it against them, which will also be horrible because presidents are not supposed to do this now.

[A]

It's.

[C]

And just also, can I just say one more thing? You touched on this in your.

[A]

Sorry, no, please.

[C]

Okay, you touched on this. But like, this is in so many ways because of corporate chieftains who have $900 million but want 950 million or have a billion and want 2 billion. They are acquiescing to this because the power that President Trump and his team have is the power of the FCC or the power of the Justice Department. You mentioned Bob Iger now gets to decide what happens to Jimmy Kimmel. In addition to espn, which is owned by Disney, wanting the NFL channel, Disney also they bought Hulu and they want to get FuboTV. And there's a whole question about is that too much? Is that too much sports, streaming content? And he has business Iger before the Justice Department. So what do you think he's going to do with Jimmy Kimmel? Is he going to poke the bear? Donald Trump, or is he going to ignore this great tradition we have in this country of not acquiescing of media, newspapers, comedians, television, not acquiescing to power?

[A]

I'm very curious because I don't know.

[C]

What he's gonna do.

[A]

We don't know. It says suspended indefinitely, but we don't actually know. This could be the end. There could be. They could back, they could backtrack on this. I mean, basically, if you don't work for Donald Trump, you think this is a stupid thing to have done. You think that this is a corrosive thing to have happened.

[C]

And again, even if you don't like Jimmy and you and I know him and love him, but even if you don't like him, it's a horrible precedent. It is so short sighted. And I remember having this conversation once with somebody in the Obama administration about the unilateral exercise of a power that Obama had shot. You know, got his shiny new toy. It might have been drones. I'm not really sure. I forget. But I said, what happens when it's President Sarah Palin? And you know, he didn't really have an answer.

[A]

I can't believe you said that name. And I went, that would be an improvement. That would be an improvement. President Trump has brought a lawsuit against the New York Times, the Des Moines Register, the Wall Street Journal, 60 Minutes, and George Stephanopoulos. What's the mood like among you and your journalist friends?

[C]

I mean, it's a very chilled atmosphere. I mean, I think it's. It's not enjoyable. We all have to keep our head down and focus on the job and report the news and be fair and honest and truthful. And that job has not stopped. But it is very clear from the actions already of Disney and of Sherry Redstone and Paramount and what's going on right now with ABC and we don't know how it's going to end, that the money has an impact. The money is causing people to. And maybe, maybe they didn't have principles to begin with, I don't know. But it's causing them to focus only on that and not the important parts of this American experiment. And we've talked about this before. It's an experiment. It hasn't been proven to work yet. It's an experiment.

[A]

The science is still out. Well, you have many best selling books. Your latest is Race Against Terror. Now, some of your stuff is novel, some of it is nonfiction. This is a nonfiction. Tell us what it's about.

[C]

It's this incredible case that I just stumbled on because my son's friend's dad was one of the prosecutors. During the Arab Spring, the Italians are shepherding refugees from the southern Italian islands to the mainland of Europe. And one of the Green Berets, Italian Green Berets, is asked for some water by this African, this guy from Niger. And he notices that the guy has bullet scars. He says, how'd you get those? And he says, I got them fighting Americans in Afghanistan. I'm with Al Qaeda. And the Italians ultimately take them into custody. They call the Americans, they say, we have this guy named Spin Ghoul. Have you ever heard of him? The Americans have. And the Italians are like, great, take them. We don't want them. But it's the Obama era and you can't just take somebody and make them disappear. In Gitmo. Obama wants to use criminal courts. So there's this race to prove a case against this guy so they can try him in a criminal court. And they have a ticking clock because the Italians aren't going to keep him forever. And if the Italians let him go, his goal is to kill as many Americans as possible. So it's just this incredible true story with really just compelling characters and it was a joy to stumble on and to report.

[A]

Jake, thanks so much for being here.

[C]

It's great to be here.

[A]

Good to see you again. The book Race against terror is available October 7th. It's Jake Tapper, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and solutions. Starting a business can seem like a.

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

Hefty. Can you even lift, bro?

[C]

Grouchy, I hate the radio.

[A]

Quiet. I have something important to do. I have no idea what he just said.

[D]

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[C]

That's how it's done, boys.

[A]

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