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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, September 20, 2025


** Charlie Kirk and Trump's Looming Political Crackdown
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** Melissa Majchrzak/AFP/Getty
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As a person who came of age in the Gamergate-era of the internet, I feel like I’ve been constantly inundated with the message that “cancel culture” from the left was the biggest threat to free speech in America.

From comedian Dave Chappelle decrying “far-left” ideology ([link removed]) after taking heat for transphobic jokes to conservatives swearing that political correctness would ([link removed]) be a slippery slope into authoritarianism, it seemed like everyone had something to say about the left’s alleged policing of people’s words.

But now that we’re more than halfway through the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, it’s Trump and his administration doing the policing.

On Wednesday night, ABC announced ([link removed]) it was yanking Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air indefinitely. The action was spurred by the Federal Communications Commission’s threats in response to jokes the comedian and late-night TV host made about the Republican Party’s reaction to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder. This was months after late-night host Stephen Colbert’s CBS show was not renewed, for similar reasons.

And this ire isn’t reserved for media figures. After Kirk’s death, several right-wing figures made it clear ([link removed]) that they’re coming for anyone they perceive as the “radical left,” including student activists, pro-democracy organizations, and the transgender community.

It’s this insidious retribution that Mother Jones editor and gun violence expert Mark Follman describes in our latest episode ([link removed]) of More To The Story. Follman sat down with host Al Letson to talk about how the Trump administration is using Kirk’s assassination as a cudgel against perceived political enemies.

Trump “is immediately casting blame on his political opponents, demonizing and turning the heat up,” Follman said. “And that is a recipe for more violence. The very top of our political leadership is stoking a political and cultural war.”

Check out the episode ([link removed]) .

-Arianna Coghill

Find this episode wherever you listen to Reveal, and don’t forget to subscribe:
Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) | Spotify ([link removed]) | iHeartRadio ([link removed]) | Overcast ([link removed])


** Kids Under Fire in Gaza
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** Photo Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBCUniversal/Getty
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Listen to the episode ([link removed])
When Dr. Mimi Syed returned from her first volunteer trip to Gaza in the summer of 2024, she started flipping through her notes and came to a shocking conclusion: In one month, the ER physician had treated at least 18 children with gunshots to the head or chest. And that’s only the patients she had time to make a note of.

“They were children under the age of 12,” she says. “That’s something I saw every single day, multiple times a day, for the whole four weeks that I was there.”

Syed’s not the only one. Other physicians who’ve worked in Gaza report seeing similar cases on a regular basis, suggesting a disturbing pattern. The doctors allege that members of the Israeli military may be deliberately targeting children.

This week on Reveal, in partnership with Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines, we revisit an episode that first aired in May following Syed from Gaza to the halls of Congress and the United Nations, as she joins a movement of doctors appealing to US and international policymakers to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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🎧 Other places to listen: Spotify ([link removed]) , Overcast ([link removed]) , iHeartRadio ([link removed]) , or wherever you get your podcasts.
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** In Case You Missed It
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** 🎧 Taken by ICE ([link removed])
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As the Trump administration aims to deport millions of people over the next four years, “Reveal” tells the human stories of those caught up in ICE raids.

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** 🎧 Being Black in America Almost Killed Me Part 2 ([link removed])
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Check out part 2 of Trymaine Lee’s conversation with host Al Letson about the burdens of covering violence against Black Americans as a Black journalist.

Listen to Part 1 here. ([link removed])

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** 🎧 The Strike That Broke a Supermax Prison ([link removed])
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After spending years locked in solitary confinement, a group of California men united to launch the largest prison hunger strike in US history.

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** 🎧 Will the National Parks Survive Trump? ([link removed])
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From budget cuts to “ideological” changes, the Trump administration is shaping the future of the National Park Service.
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This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Arianna Coghill and copy edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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