When you come right down to it, Stephen Colberts job is to get laughs.And, night after night, find new ways to slam Donald Trump.Now hes at war with his own network over an interview he was ordered not to run.The spectacle of the No. 1 late-night host slamming his corporate bosses is, well, pretty entertaining, but also raises important issues about free speech and government pressure.CBS DENIES IT BLOCKED COLBERT FROM BROADCASTING TALARICO INTERVIEW AFTER HOST CLAIMED NETWORK LAWYERS HALTEDAnyway, whats CBS gonna do, fire him? The new owners, the Skydance billionaires who bought Paramount, had already decided to end "The Late Show" in May. So that, in a sense, has liberated the networks biggest star.The backstory is that the FCC has been making noises about ending the exemption of late-night and daytime talk shows from the equal-time rule.Under a plan floated by Chairman Brendan Carr, President Trumps appointee, these shows, if they interview a candidate, would be required to offer opponents an equal block of time.COLBERT FUMES AT CBS, SAYS IT BARRED HIM FROM INTERVIEWING TEXAS DEM AMID FCC CRACKDOWNBut when Colbert taped a largely sympathetic sitdown with James Talarico, a Democratic state rep in Texas now running for the Senate, the FCC didnt have to lift a finger. CBS took care of the matter. Network lawyers even summoned Colbert for consultations while he was taping Mondays show.Colbert told viewers these lawyers directly ordered him not to air the interview. This has been a political gift, by the way, for Talarico, who is now running around billing the encounter as the interview Trump doesnt want you to see. He raised $2.5 million in the following 24 hours. Hes running against another Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, in the primaries.Carrs argument is that programs like the "Late Show," "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The View" dont deserve to be treated like news shows, with their automatic exemption from equal time, if they are overly partisan.The problem for conservatives, who are understandably weary of all the Trump-bashing, is that a Democratic administration could use the precedent to crack down on programming from the right.Colbert told the audience that hed even been ordered not to talk about the canceled interview and proceeded to do just that.On Tuesday, CBS hit back with a statement saying no no no, we never ordered our man Stephen to kill the interview, just advised him about legal options involving the equal-time rule. Colbert wouldntlet it drop, proclaiming Tuesday evening that every single script is approved in advance by the legal beagles."Without ever talking to me, the corporation put out this press release, this statement," Colbert said, holding the document up for theaudience. "This is a surprisingly small piece of paper considering how many butts its trying to cover."They know d--- well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBSs lawyers, who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air.""For lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I dont even know what to do with this crap," he said, before tossing it into a bag for disposal like a week-old fish.Colbert wasnt done: "Im just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies."For what its worth, you can watch the interview now posted on YouTube, which is beyond the reach of the FCC. Its already been viewed more than 5 million times, drawing far more attention than it would have had the segment aired on CBS as scheduled.Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN and other cable outlets, agreed to resume talks with Skydance/CBS which Trump would prefer after having made a deal to sell itself with Netflix. The implied threat of an antitrust probe if Skydance gets the nod casts a shadow over the process.Carr, for his part, spoke to reporters at a presser yesterday, calling it a "hoax" that his agency had anything to do with CBSs decision. He described it "a perfect encapsulation of why the American people have more trust in gas station sushi than they do in the national news media."Whats more, the chairman said, "I think you guys should feel a bit ashamed for having been lied to and then just run with those lies. I think it was an embarrassing episode for the media."JIMMY KIMMEL TO HOST LOS ANGELES FUNDRAISER FOR HOUSE DEMOCRATS: REPORTWhatever Carrs influence or lack thereof, he played a role in the decision last year by Disney, ABCs parent company, to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air.Kimmel made a mistake, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, in erroneously claiming the killer was part of the MAGA movement. Carr said this was biased reporting and raised questions about ABCs broadcast license.This made it appear, fairly or not, that Disney was bowing to government pressure.The move, as youll recall, turned out to be a huge blunder. The backlash was so great that Kimmel was put back on the air a week later.But now Kimmel has crossed another line.He is hosting an L.A. fundraiser next month for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.Tickets for the event, which will feature Hakeem Jeffries and Nancy Pelosi, are going for a minimum of $25,000. For those willing to pay more, tickets range from $44,000 for the "Leaders Circle" to $310,100 for the "Jeffries 300," according to the invitation.Having played a small role by interviewing Trump about his feud with Jimmy, which escalated their rhetoric, I dont think ABC should allow this. Anyone who watches Kimmels show for five minutes knows hes vociferously anti-Trump.But helping one political party raise big bucks should be verboten. It obliterates any defense against excessive partisanship.SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIESFifteen years ago, MSNBC suspended popular host Keith Olbermann without pay after he acknowledged donating the maximum $2,400 to three Democrats running for office, one of whom was a guest on his show.But times have apparently changed, with more zeroes involved, ABC really needs to address this. And so, by the way, should Jimmy Kimmel.

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A 21-year-old New Jersey woman died of hypothermia after slipping off a trail near the summit of New Yorks tallest mountain during a winter hike, officials said.Brianna Mohr was found on Feb. 12 near the summit of Mount Marcy by New York State Forest Rangers, where she was pronounced dead, according to the New York State Police.State rangers said they responded to a report of a hiker and her dog in distress on Mount Marcy at 3 p.m., launching an extensive search.Mohr was found around 9 p.m. and showed no signs of life, police said. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be hypothermia.MORE THAN 20 'ILL-PREPARED' HYPOTHERMIC HIKERS RESCUED FROM SNOWY CONDITIONS ON NEW ENGLAND'S HIGHEST PEAKHer dog was not injured and was rescued.According to AccuWeather.com, temperatures in Keene, New York, where the mountain is located, ranged from -8 to 20 degrees the day Mohr was hiking. Mount Marcy, in the Adirondacks, is the tallest mountain in the state at 5,344 feet.Mohr called 911 at 3:05 p.m. to report that she had slipped off the trail near the summit and was unable to get back to it, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told the Asbury Park Press.2 HIKERS IN OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST KILLED AFTER TREE FALLS ON POPULAR TRAILRangers searched for Mohr with snowmobiles and a tracked utility vehicle and the state police Aviation Unit flew overhead in case of a hoist rescue, the outlet reported.The paper said rangers aboard the helicopter were unable to locate Mohr, and one ranger was dropped at the Marcy Dam Outpost to continue the search on foot just past 6 p.m.The outlet shared a message posted on Instagram on Feb. 16 by Mohr's brother Ryan."You were the best friend and sister I could have ever asked for growing up with you was awesome because I always had you to tell me what was cool and what wasnt because you were and always will be the coolest person I know," he wrote.Mohr's mother, Stephanie West, posted a photo of her daughter on Valentine's Day with the caption, "I am so lost."Mohr's Instagram account includes dozens of photos from trips to scenic destinations, including national parks.

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A Washington, D.C., grandmother who lost her grandson to gun violence delivered a fiery defense of President Donald Trump during a Black History Month celebration Wednesday at the White House.Forlesia Cooks grandson, Marty William McMillan Jr., was killed in 2017 at the age of 22. Cook has since spoken publicly about the loss, including testifying before Congress about his killing.After Trump invited Cook to say a few words at the event, she used the moment to defend him, urging critics to "get off the mans back.""I love him, I don't want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff," she said. "And dont be looking at me on the news, hating on me because Im standing up for somebody that deserves to be standing for."TRUMP'S DC CRIME SUCCESS PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON CHICAGO'S DEADLY 'WAR ZONE'Cooks voice grew louder as she continued."Get off the mans back," she said. "Let him do his job. Hes doing the right thing. Back up off him."She ended her remarks by declaring, "And grandma said it."VANCE, HARRIS, OBAMA ISSUE TRIBUTES TO REV JESSE JACKSONThe East Room crowd erupted in applause and cheers.Trump appeared to welcome the praise, joking that she should run for public office."Wow, thats pretty good," Trump said. "When is she running for office? Forlesia, when are you running for office? You have my endorsement."PIRRO CREDITS 'ENHANCED FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP' FOR DCS FIRST HOMICIDE-FREE STRETCH IN DECADESCook also thanked Trump for calling the National Guard to the capital and praised his tough-on-crime approach."One thing I like about him, he keeps it real, just like grandma," she said. "I appreciate that because I can trust him."The White House event marked the annual celebration of Black History Month.Trump also addressed the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saying, "I wanted to begin by expressing a sadness at the passing of a person who was, I knew very well, Jesse was a piece of work. He was a piece of work, but he was a good man.""I just want to pay my highest respects to Reverend Jesse Jackson," Trump added, calling him "a real hero" and saying, "he really was special, with lots of personality, grit and street smarts."The president also announced that former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

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