Posted on 09/22/2025 8:41:53 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
(The Center Square) — Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has pulled out of a planned town hall debate by an ABC affiliate over the network's decision to pull the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.
Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman with a double-digit lead over other competitors in the race, announced Monday that he won't be participating in Wednesday's WABC-TV Town Hall "in an act of protest against the Trump administration’s dangerous crackdowns on free expression."
"I am withdrawing not as an indictment of the local affiliate or the hardworking journalists, but rather in response to the corporate leaders who have put their bottom line ahead of their responsibility in upholding the freedom of the press," Mamdani said in a statement.
The self-declared Democratic-socialist also criticized what he called "cowardice" by ABC and "so-called leaders like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams looking to the White House for their path to their future ambition." There was no immediate comment from the network or its parent companies, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair.
"The message that it sends to each and every American across this country is a message that the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is the government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken," Mamdani said.
ABC pulled the plug on Kimmel on Wednesday, only hours after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr threatened the network and its stations over comments that the late-night host made earlier in the week about the assassination of conservative commentator Brendan Kirk.
"Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets," Nexstar said
(Excerpt) Read more at aol.com ...
And here’s the state of the NYC Mayoral Race...
Mamdani is currently leading polls in a crowded race that features incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both running as Independent candidates, as well as Curtis Sliwa on the Republican ticket.
He has been endorsed by some of the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, but others have been slow to throw their support behind the front-runner in the mayoral race, who has been criticized for some of his left-wing proposals, including free college, bus service and city-owned grocery stores.
How many NY’ers are crying?
The 400 celebs
Uh huh. So is he back in now?
Ha how convenient for him.
That’s a weak excuse, but he probably feels like he doesn’t need to debate anyway. Most front runners say the same thing. For about 10 minutes, I thought Charlie Kirk’s murder
would help NYkers to focus on the value of American values of respect for others, and reconsider voting for the Muslim.
I didn’t hear any discussions indicating that this moment of revelation ever happened.
He's going to win. Too much of a risk to debate.
Chickennnnnn!
Hasn’t he heard. It wasn’t a firing, but socialists aren’t known for telling the truth.
40 % of New Yorkers are from another country have not been vetted and have no intention of assimilating into American culture. These people are not heading up to the Bronx on the subway to watch the Yankees. They’re not going over to the pier, lap top and suit jacket in hand to grab street food and watch the Grateful Dead on a Friday happy hour
They already do so.
That probably explains it. Most the residents have nothing of significance in common, very different than even 25 years ago.
Very. They’ve watched the feds practically crucify Giuliani without a word
Yes and when I think of how Giuliani pull NY out of the fire. NY is blind.
…and then they put him back in there. What a fake tough guy. Typical commie dirtbag.
“...he won’t be participating in Wednesday’s WABC-TV Town Hall “in an act of protest against the Trump administration’s dangerous crackdowns on free expression.”
That says it all right there. This whole thing has nothing to do with Trump other than giving him ammunition to open fire on a lot of liberal bastillions like ABC and other named stars that can be hammered by spreading the lie. He may be a socialist and a piece of trash, but the people that run his campaign are not going to allow him to commit political suicide.
wy69
Pyromaniac fireman
Just deport Mamdani back to Sudan.
He’s an islamist masquerading as a commie/marxist and isn’t a naturalized citizen. He never should have been allowed to run for office.
The same for Omar.
Send her buns back to Somalia.
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