Disney Suspends Kimmel Over Kirk Comments

Summary

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WSJ What’s News — September 18, 2025

Episode Focus:
The episode centers on Disney’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel after controversial remarks about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as well as significant updates on weight loss drugs, US-Mexico-Canada trade relations, central bank rate cuts, and President Trump’s state visit to the UK.

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1. Disney Suspends Jimmy Kimmel for Comments on Charlie Kirk

[00:45–01:14]

• Headline:
  Disney has indefinitely suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel from ABC following remarks he made about the shooting of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist.

• Background:
  The move followed public backlash and pressure from regulatory bodies. Brendan Carr, FCC chair, criticized Kimmel on a conservative podcast and suggested potential action against ABC's broadcast licenses.

• Decision Dynamics:

  • Disney CEO Bob Iger and other senior leaders made the call to suspend Kimmel.
  • Kimmel declined to comment.
  • The issue is highly divisive: public discourse over Kirk’s rhetoric, the reaction to his death, and the White House response has been heated.

• Political Fallout:

  • In Washington, Republicans moved to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar for reposting a disparaging video about Kirk; the effort failed as Democrats blocked it.

• Memorable Quote:

  • Santiago Perez on the polarization:

    "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 to score political points from it."
    — (01:15)

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2. Exclusive: Legal Concerns over Military Actions Against Drug Cartels

[01:57–02:36]

• Report:
  Some US military lawyers and Defense Department officials are concerned about the legal justification for President Trump’s recent military strikes on boats suspected of moving drugs in international waters.
  • Concerns over legal exposure for military personnel have reportedly been “ignored or sidelined.”
  • Pentagon spokesperson denied any lawyers had raised concerns, citing adherence to US and international law.

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3. US-Mexico-Canada Trade: Canada’s PM Meets Mexico’s President

[02:41–04:11]

• Context:
  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as both countries prepare for a review of the USMCA (North American free trade agreement).

  • Over 75% of Canada’s and 80% of Mexico’s exports go to the US.

• Integration & Stakes:
  Santiago Perez underscores shared interests, particularly in the auto and auto parts sectors, emphasizing the importance of a unified trade approach.

  • Quote:

    "We're talking about millions of jobs at stake."
    — Santiago Perez (03:51)

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4. Breakthrough in Weight Loss Drugs: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Pill

[04:11–06:31]

• Development:
  Novo Nordisk announces its experimental daily Wegovy pill matches the efficacy of its weekly injectable in late-stage trials.

  • Patients lost an average of 16.6% body weight; one-third lost 20%+ over 64 weeks.

• Market Implications:
  Peter Loftus reports high demand for pill alternatives to injectables, both for consumer preference and lower production costs.

  • Quote:

    "There's a demand from people who don't like needles, who might like the cadence of taking something once a day rather than a weekly injectable."
    — Peter Loftus (04:43)

• Pricing & Competition:
  Pills may be cheaper (~$1000/month now for injectables; pills could be lower due to simpler manufacturing).
  Loftus notes rivals like Eli Lilly are close behind, meaning Novo Nordisk’s lead may be short-lived.

• Regulatory Timeline:
  Neither Novo Nordisk nor Eli Lilly weight loss pills are FDA-approved yet; decisions expected by year-end.

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5. Central Banks & Rate Cuts: Uncertainty Ahead

[06:31–09:59]

• US Federal Reserve:
  Following an anticipated quarter-point interest rate cut, markets are volatile due to uncertain guidance on future cuts.

• Bank of England:
  Paul Hannon explains the BoE is likely to hold rates steady, torn between rising inflation and a cooling jobs market.

  • BoE's approach contrasts with the Fed; investors expect more Fed cuts this year, but UK's central bank might wait until early 2026.

• Bank of Japan:
  No major changes expected soon following the recent resignation of PM Shigeru Ishiba; a small rate rise possible later in the year.

• Tariffs & the Global Economy:
  US tariffs are affecting prices and labor; Europe appears less affected for now due to a stable 15% tariff level.

  • Quote:

    "It's a difficult moment, I think, for central banks to be making decisions about anything."
    — Paul Hannon (09:45)

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6. President Trump’s Second State Visit to the UK

[10:08–12:12]

• Visit Overview:
  Trump visits the UK, meeting with PM Keir Starmer (“Europe's Trump Whisperer”), praised for deftly handling negotiations with the unpredictable US president.

• Diplomatic Pageantry:
  The UK hosted a lavish dinner at Windsor Castle (51-yard table, 139 candles, attended by tech CEOs Tim Cook and Sam Altman).

  • Quote:

    "The table itself measured 51 yards, had 139 candles and 1,452 pieces of cutlery for the 160 guests. The table took a week to put together."
    — WSJ White House reporter Tarini (11:00)

• Trade & Investment Wins:

  • The UK has secured:
    • An early US trade deal with better tariff terms than the EU
    • Special treatment on steel/aluminum tariffs
    • Over $200 billion in new US investments (including $40 billion in AI infrastructure)

• Upcoming Engagements:
  Trump and Starmer scheduled for discussions at Checkers, PM’s countryside retreat.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Kimmel Suspension:

  "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 to score political points from it."
  — Santiago Perez (01:15)

• On North American Trade:

  "We're talking about millions of jobs at stake."
  — Santiago Perez (03:51)

• On Pill vs. Injectable Weight Loss Meds:

  "There's a demand from people who don't like needles, who might like the cadence of taking something once a day rather than a weekly injectable."
  — Peter Loftus (04:43)

• On Central Bank Uncertainty:

  "It's a difficult moment, I think, for central banks to be making decisions about anything."
  — Paul Hannon (09:45)

• On State Visit Diplomacy:

  "The table itself measured 51 yards, had 139 candles and 1,452 pieces of cutlery for the 160 guests. The table took a week to put together."
  — Tarini (11:00)

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Episode Flow & Tone

• Concise, fast-paced, and information-rich—true to WSJ’s journalistic style
• Sharp division in the political coverage, careful to reflect both direct reporting and the rhetoric/controversy involved
• Economic analysis is sober and nuanced, with recurring emphasis on uncertainty
• International segments highlight the high stakes and details (e.g., trade, weight-loss drug race, state visit extravagance)
• Primary focus on stories with major economic or political impact, minimal editorializing

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This episode delivers a rapid, multidimensional update encompassing political controversy, global economics, pharmaceutical innovation, and high-stakes diplomacy—a comprehensive snapshot for anyone following current business and world affairs.

Transcript

[Caitlin McCabe]

Trustage helps make annuities simple. Our flexible products and personalized support help you build stronger relationships and grow your business with confidence. Discover [e-mail] grow TrueStage is the marketing name for Trustage Financial Group Inc. At subsidiaries and affiliates. Corporate headquarters is located in Madison, Wisconsin. Disney pulls Jimmy Kimmel off the air after his remarks on slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk Plus Novo Nordisk's experimental weight loss pill shows strong results in a.

[Peter Loftus]

Late stage trial Weekly Injectables They've just generated huge sales, but the companies that have developed those haven't rested on their laurels and they feel that there is a demand for pill versions of these drugs.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And Britain's Prime Minister, otherwise known as Europe's Trump Whisperer, prepares for a meeting with the president. It's Thursday, September 18th. I'm Caitlin McCabe for the Wall Street Journal and here's the AM edition of what's news, the top headlines and business stories moving your world. Today, Disney has pulled popular late night host Jimmy Kimmel off ABC indefinitely following remarks he made about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

[Peter Loftus]

We hit some new lows over the.

[Santiago Perez]

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 to score political points from it.

[Caitlin McCabe]

The decision came just hours after the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, criticized Kimmel on a conservative political podcast where he suggested the agency could take action against the broadcast licenses of ABC owned stations. People familiar with the matter said senior leadership, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, were among those who decided to pull Kimmel immediately. We should note that, a spokesman for Kimmel said the host had no comment. Kirk's killing has become a deeply divisive issue over the last week. People who have condemned Kirk's rhetoric, gloated over his death or criticized the White House's response to it have found themselves facing sharp rebuke. In Washington, Republicans attempted to censure Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar for reposting a video that disparaged Kirk. Democrats defeated the effort last night. We're exclusively reporting that some military lawyers and other Defense Department officials are raising concerns about the legal implications of President Trump's growing military military campaign against Latin American based drug cartels. Twice this month, the US has attacked boats it believed were transporting illegal drugs in international waters. Officials have raised concerns about the justification for the strikes and the legal implications for military personnel who have been involved, but people familiar with the matter said those opinions were deliberately ignored or sidelined by Pentagon leaders. A spokesman for the Pentagon denied that any department lawyers have raised concerns and said that the administration's current operations are lawful under US and international law. And Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Mexico today to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum. America's neighbors are preparing for next year's review of their free trade deal with the US more than 75% of Canada's exports and more than 80% of Mexico's go to America. Our deputy Latin America editor Santiago Perez says Canada and Mexico are looking to improve bilateral ties because preserving the USMCA is crucial for both economies.

[Santiago Perez]

So the visit is quite important because there are topics in which both countries need close coordination. The auto sector is one important example, and so is the auto parts industry, in which both Mexico and Canada are highly integrated. Most of the exports go to the U.S. this North American integration also means that a lot of car parts go from one country to the other. So reaching a trade deal that is beneficial for the three countries is a top priority, especially for Mexico and Canada. We're talking about millions of jobs at stake.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And now to a major development in weight loss drugs. Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharma giant, said this morning that its daily Wegovy pill has helped patients in a late stage trial lose about as much weight as they do when taking the company's weekly injection. Patients taking the experimental drug lost an average 16.6% of their weight, with a third losing up to 20% or more in a 64 week period. Peter Loftus covers the weight loss industry for the Wall Street Journal and says while weekly injectables have generated huge sales, there's real demand for weight loss pills too.

[Peter Loftus]

There's a demand from people who don't like needles, who might like the cadence of taking something once a day rather than a weekly injectable. And from a manufacturing standpoint for the companies, there's some advantages to making these in pill forms rather than weekly injectables.

[Caitlin McCabe]

This is in part because the pill could cost less than current weight loss drugs.

[Peter Loftus]

The injectables. Right now they have list prices of over $1,000 a month. In practice, their net prices are a lot lower than that in the US at least because of discounts that the companies provide, but still are several hundred dollars a month. The analysts who follow these companies think there's at least the potential for lower prices because it's easier and less costly to make these pill versions than it is to make the injectables, which in addition to the medication itself come with these auto injector devices. And so that adds some cost and complexity to manufacturing.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And while this industry has been incredibly competitive, Peter said other companies are likely to enter the pill race. Even as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly get first mover advantage, Novo does have.

[Peter Loftus]

An opportunity to kind of shore up its market share. The problem is that it might have a limited window in enjoying that advantage because Eli Lilly has developed its own pill that could come to market. You know, a lot of these other companies, they recognize that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have essentially established a duopoly with the injectables. And so they've kind of moved ahead of that to kind of aim for the next wave, that even if it's a couple years from now, they could come to market with a superior product, maybe one that helps people lose more weight than what these first pills can deliver.

[Caitlin McCabe]

It's worth noting that Novo and Eli Lilly's weight loss pills haven't been approved for use yet, with US Regulators expected to reach a decision by the end of the year. Coming up, investors are already looking ahead to the next potential rate cut from the Fed. And we look at the art of managing the president from Europe's so called Trump Whisperer. Those stories after the break. At kpmg, we make the difference by creating value, like developing strategic insights that help drive M and a success or embedding AI solutions into your business to sustain competitive advantage. KPMG make the difference. Learn more at www.kpmg.us insights. We're less than 24 hours out from the Fed's interest rate cut and investors are already turning their attention to the next expected move. Yesterday's quarter point cut was expected, but the lack of clarity regarding how many more rate cuts are in store over the next year means we're likely to see a lot more volatility. Paul Hannon is the economics editor for Dow Jones Newswires in London. Paul, the Fed is obviously agenda setting for markets and to some extent for other central banks too. Are there any upcoming decisions we should be looking at here?

[Paul Hannon]

The bank of England is today it is likely to leave its key rate unchanged. It's been moving very slowly and carefully while the Fed has been on pause. It's very like the Fed, actually. I mean, it faces this challenge of balancing a pickup in inflation against signs of a cooler jobs market. And while the Fed is sort of leaning towards focusing on the jobs market, the bank of England is leaning a bit more towards worrying about inflation. So while investors sort of expect the Fed to deliver two more cuts this year. Investors are thinking maybe the bank of England will wait until early next year to make its next move.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And I believe we're waiting on a decision from the bank of Japan, too. What are we expecting on that front, given the uncertainty over Japan's trade outlook, but also the resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba earlier this month?

[Paul Hannon]

They will be very, very careful. And right now they will probably decide to leave things as they are. But I think later in the year, you'll probably see another small rate rise.

[Caitlin McCabe]

You mentioned the deterioration in the US Economy. How does that compare to the rest of the world globally?

[Paul Hannon]

Well, it has a big impact on the economic situation in the rest of the world. It's been a little bit clearer in the US that tariffs are having an impact on both prices and the jobs market. Europe so far appears to have been a little bit less affected by that. And that's partly to do with the level at which tariffs seem to be settling overnight. For example, the Irish central bank published some new forecasts. It raised its growth forecasts for this year and next year, basically because the 15% level at which tariffs appear to be fixed now for a little while at least is going to be less damaging than they had anticipated. But that's not to say that this is done and dusted. There's still quite a lot of uncertainty about exactly how trade is going to be conducted over the next few years. So it's a difficult moment, I think, for central banks to be making decisions about anything.

[Caitlin McCabe]

That's Paul Hannon for Dow Jones Newswires in London. Paul, thanks for being here.

[Paul Hannon]

You're welcome.

[Peter Loftus]

Thanks.

[Caitlin McCabe]

And finally, President Trump continues his unprecedented second state visit to the UK Today, where he'll meet Keir Starmer, the British prime minister who has seemingly perfected the art of handling the mercurial president. Before leaving Washington, Trump suggested he was open to making some concessions to Britain on trade. And perhaps to sweeten the deal, Britain has rolled out the red carpet for the president and Melania Trump, including a lavish dinner with King Charles III at Windsor Castle last night. Here's Journal White House reporter Tarini the table itself measured 51 yards, had 139 candles and 1,452 pieces of cutlery for the 160 guests. The table took a week to put together. And the guest list, which included tech CEOs like Apple's Tim Cook and OpenAI's Sam Altman, was created by the British government, the White House and the royal family. Officials said it was representative of the transatlantic relationship. Starmer, in Britain's approach to dealing with Trump, has been paying dividends for Britain, which secured an early trade deal with the US A lower tariff rate compared to the European Union and special treatment on steel and aluminum tariffs. Downing street, the British prime minister's office has said the UK has also secured more than $200 billion in investments from US companies to coincide with Trump's visit, including over $40 billion in new AI infrastructure investments from US tech companies. Trump will meet Starmer at the prime minister's countryside retreat today, known as Checkers, where the president and first lady are expected to be presented with a range of Made in Britain gifts. And that's it for what's news for this Thursday morning. Today's show is produced by Kate Bullivant and Daniel Bach. Our supervising producer is Sandra Kilhoff. And I'm Caitlin McCabe for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back tonight with a new show. Until then, we'll see. Thanks for listening.

[Peter Loftus]

What's driving the markets this week? What's on investors minds as they look ahead? Find out on the Markets podcast from Goldman Sachs. A breakdown of market moves and macro signals in 10 minutes or less. The Markets podcast from Goldman Sachs. Listen now.