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Trump Celebrates Late Show Cancellation: ‘I Absolutely Love That Colbert Got Fired’

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President Donald Trump is wasting no time in celebrating the news that CBS is officially cancelling Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” and wrote Friday on social media that vocal Trump critic and comedian Jimmy Kimmel might be “next” to lose his job on ABC.

“I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired,” Trump wrote Friday on his Truth Social platform.

“His talent was even less than his ratings,” the president continued. “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.”

Kimmel famously roasted Trump on one of the biggest stages of all, at the 2024 Oscars.

CBS announced in a statement Thursday that the move is “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” and said the cancellation is not related “in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

The “Late Show” cancellation does arrive mere days after Colbert torched CBS parent company Paramount Global, however, for settling a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The agreement reportedly included a “side deal” for CBS to run at least $15 million worth of public service ads that promote causes Trump personally supports, which has raised huge concerns from press freedom advocates — which seemed to include Colbert.

“As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I am offended,” the comedian and political pundit said during Monday’s monologue, his first after a vacation. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company.”

Colbert went on to directly call the settlement a “big fat bribe,” presumably because the pending and highly publicised merger between Paramount and Skydance Media requires legal approval from the pro-Trump chair of the Federal Communications Commission.

Trump went as far to suggest Friday that Fox News host Greg Gutfeld is funnier than Colbert.
Trump went as far to suggest Friday that Fox News host Greg Gutfeld is funnier than Colbert.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Colbert then slammed Paramount with a mock statement announcing that its “dignity” could be bought “for the low, low price of $16 million.” While it remains unsubstantiated that he was ousted specifically for this monologue, many are confident that’s the case.

“CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote Friday on X, formerly Twitter.

“America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,” she continued.

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Trump Lashes Out At Rupert Murdoch Over WSJ Epstein Bombshell

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Donald Trump on Friday lashed out at Rupert Murdoch, the owner of The Wall Street Journal, saying he can’t wait to fight him in court over the newspaper’s decision to publish a report alleging that the president wrote a “bawdy” message to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 as part of a birthday surprise for the disgraced financier.

“I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “That will be an interesting experience!!!”

The Journal published its story on Thursday, alleging that Trump was among the people who wrote letters to Epstein as part of an album put together by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s girlfriend and associate, for his 50th birthday.

The letter attributed to Trump that the Journal reviewed featured “several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker,” the article states.

“Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” the message concluded, according to the Journal.

The newspaper added that pages from the album have been examined by Justice Department investigators in the past, while noting that it was unclear whether the letter was among the materials reviewed in the most recent probe.

Trump, who disputed the authenticity of the letter, slammed the newspaper and threatened to sue both the outlet and Murdoch over its publication.

“The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,” Trump wrote. “These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper.”

The president had previously said he also tried to get the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, to kill the story.

“Mr. Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but, obviously, did not have the power to do so,” Trump said.

Tucker “was told directly by [White House press secretary] Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE, but Emma Tucker didn’t want to hear that. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway,” he added.

Epstein died in federal prison one month after being arrested on charges of sex-trafficking minors in 2019, during Trump’s first term. While the president has tried to distance himself from Epstein, the two men had a well-documented friendship.

A recent memo by the Trump administration stating that there was no evidence to suggest he was murdered or that he held a client list to blackmail people contradicted Attorney General Pam Bondi’s earlier comments that the client list was “sitting on [her] desk” for review under a directive from Trump.

Trump on Thursday ordered Bondi to release grand jury transcripts on the case “subject to Court approval,” but one Democrat has already remarked that the request covers just a fraction of the documents at the DOJ’s disposal.

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How Starmer Told His Cabinet To Stop Beating Themselves Up – Then Cracked The Whip On Rebel MPs

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Keir Starmer’s speechwriters experienced mixed emotions at last week’s Cabinet away day.

They had prepared a carefully-crafted message for the prime minister to deliver to his senior ministers as he welcomed them to Chequers.

But the PM surprised – and impressed – them by not using the words they had prepared for him, choosing instead to make a “freeforming”, 20-minute speech setting out his thoughts on Labour’s first year in power and where he believes his government needs to go next.

“It was very good,” said one of those present. “He spoke from the heart about whose side we’re on. You could feel in the room that it went down well.”

Lucy Powell, leader of the House of Commons, told Starmer: “Your speechwriters are great, but it’s better when you speak from the heart.”

The PM told the assembled gathering that while Labour had undoubtedly made mistakes since last year’s landslide election win, they had also done things like introducing free school meals, breakfast clubs and 4.5 million NHS appointments.

“He said lots of people in Westminster won’t appreciate how those policies make a massive difference to ordinary people across the country,” said one eyewitness.

“After a year in government, he said he realised that the Tories get 96% of things wrong and focus on the 4% of things they get right, whereas Labour gets 96% of things right but agonise over the 4% we get wrong.

“We have a tendency to beat ourselves up about the things we get wrong, but he said we need to focus on the things we do that are improving the lives of the people who put us here.”

Starmer spoke about his own upbringing, about his brother who died on Boxing Day last year and his sister who is a carer.

“It makes me feel incredibly privileged to do this job, but I never lose sight of the fact that we are here to make life better for ordinary people,” the PM said.

The overall message was that while the first year in office had been necessarily tough, Labour is now entering the next phase of its time in government.

“We’ve done a lot and we need to shout about that more, but there’s lots more to do before the next election,” said one No.10 source.

“It was about building towards the message that we’ll have at party conference in September. We were elected on a promise of change, we did the tough stuff in the first year and now is the time to set out the positive change people are going to feel over the next four years.”

Although Downing Street officials deny the two things were linked, removing the whip from four Labour MPs on Wednesday afternoon also felt like an attempt by Starmer to draw a line under his first year in power and look to the future.

Many Labour MPs were stunned by the swift brutality of it, but others were delighted to see perennial rebels like Brian Leishman and Neil Duncan-Jordan made an example of.

“There are lots of loyal MPs who were absolutely spitting feathers at the behaviour of some of the members of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) , so there was quite a lot of pressure from them for us to do something,” said one insider.

Others, however, were baffled by the move, with one Labour source bemoaning the “randomness, the odd timing and the lack of any accompanying strategy” behind the decision.

Some point the finger at Claire Reynolds, Downing Street’s political director, who encouraged the government whips to threaten rebel MPs with suspension if they voted against the welfare cuts bill last week.

Despite Starmer gutting the legislation of many of its key measures in order to placate the rebels, 47 of them still trooped through the No lobbies.

One No.10 insider said of the disciplinary action: “We couldn’t do it during the welfare stuff, we had to wait for the dust to settle on that.

“But if you are actively organising against the government then there has to be consequences.”

But a Labour source said: “Presumably they internally have been saying ‘we need to take this action, otherwise we look ridiculous at not being able to follow through on the threats we made before the vote’.

“So a bad strategy for persuading the PLP ends up with a bad strategy for disciplining the PLP.

“If Claire Reynolds is making threats to people and demanding they be sacked to fulfil her threats, I’m not sure any of that is being instigated by [No.10 chief of staff] Morgan McSweeney, Keir or [chief whip] Alan Campbell, even if they’re going along with it.”

An already-tumultuous week then saw Diane Abbott lose the Labour whip for a second time after she doubled down on the comments about anti-semitism which led to her original suspension from the party.

It was a timely reminder for Starmer that for all his talk about a brighter future, the present has the unfortunate habit of delivering a sharp dose of political reality.

As MPs prepare to leave Westminster for the summer next week, the prime minister will hope that his second year in power is better than his first.

But all the evidence of the past 12 month suggests he and his cabinet should buckle up for another bumpy ride.

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Half-Assing Workouts Changed My Life – And It Could Work For Your Goals, Too

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If you know me, you’re probably tired of hearing me rattle on about my running, walking, and strength training adventures (sorry, loved ones).

That’s partly because I’m insufferable. But it’s also because I never imagined I’d get into sports – before the age of 23, I hated the idea.

Now, though, I worry I’ve become a victim of the same conscientiousness some research suggests might have put me off physical activity for years. Until about two months ago, I found myself skipping as many as three workouts a week – if I wasn’t giving it 100%, I reasoned, I’d better not go at all (this, despite knowing that any exercise is better for you than none).

But recently I’ve been enjoying the delights of the “crappy,” half-assed workout, and my exercise routine has never been more consistent.

I spoke to Anna Mathur, psychotherapist and author of the upcoming book The Good Decision Diary, about the joys of doing something badly instead of skipping it altogether.

Unrealistic goals can lead to burnout

The author told me that ambition isn’t a bad thing, but goals rooted in shame or unrealistic expectations can set you on a fast path to disappointment.

“This leads to feelings of stress, pressure, unease, burnout, etc.,” she shared.

“Lofty goals often fail because they ignore the gritty reality of life, our fluctuating energy, ever-changing resources, the unexpected curveballs, responsibilities in other areas of our lives, and our nervous system state.

“We might set out with ‘I’ll wake up at 5am and run every day’ and when we inevitably miss a day because we’re sick, exhausted or had a late night at work, we feel like we’ve failed.”

As someone who used to bail from my beloved jogs unless I felt I could finish a record-beating 10k, I found myself nodding at her advice.

To combat unfair and inflexible goals, be they for a new squat PR or a crochet project, the therapist sticks to what she calls “the 70% rule… if a choice feels 70% good enough, it’s probably time to act.

“Waiting for the perfect moment or plan can keep us in a state of paralysis and stop us from starting. Half-doing something (going for a 10-minute walk instead of a 45-minute workout, writing a messy journal entry instead of none at all) is often how momentum builds and we take the pressure off.”

I have at least 70% conviction to work out most days, and if that only leads to a 45% effort, well, so be it.

In fact, even my 10-minute walk to the gym is so much better than nothing than I realise in the moment – even if I turn around and leave once there.

How can I tell that a goal is backfiring?

A few weeks ago, I spent three days pretty much solely in bed, dreading the prospect of my newly adopted gym routine.

This, despite the fact that my running PR was the best it had ever been, and my squats were the heaviest I’d tried.

That’s because, Mathur cautioned, “Good decisions aren’t just about the outcome (although that’s where we’re culturally taught to focus: on the external, the deliverables, the achievements) – they’re about how they make you feel on the way there too, how you grow as you go, whether you resent the aim, burn out trying to get there.

“One sign that a goal is backfiring is when it starts creating more anxiety than momentum,” she added.

“Maybe it’s affecting your sleep, mood, or relationships. Maybe it’s fuelling rumination, shame, or a harsh inner critic, or you keep falling short or ‘failing.’”

Though a backfiring goal might look impressive from the outside, she continues, it might be time to reconsider or reconfigure it once it leaves you feeling disconnected from yourself.

“A good decision feels like something you can return to, that doesn’t carry that all-or-nothing, walking-on-a-tightrope quality, and is not something you’re constantly bracing against,” she ended.

My new, more flexible routine (if I miss my previous early-or-nothing morning slot, fine; I’ll do something a little less machine-heavy in my crammed 6pm gym) is one example, but the approach works for a far wider range of goals too.

The Good Decision Diary by Anna Mathur publishes 7 August 2025 (Penguin Life, £16.99)

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Diane Abbott Suspended By Labour For A Second Time Over Anti-Semitism Comments

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Diane Abbott has been suspended by Labour for a second time amid fresh allegations of anti-semitism.

The veteran MP appeared to double down on previous comments she made about Jewish, Irish and Traveller people not experiencing the same type of racism as black people, which saw her lose the party whip two years ago.

In an interview with the Radio 4′s Reflections programme, Abbott said she did not look back on that incident with regret.

She said: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don’t know.

“I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism. I don’t know why people would say that.”

In a statement, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.”

It means Abbott will not have the Labour whip and will have to sit as an independent MP.

The initial row erupted over a letter Abbott sent to The Observer in 2023, in which she said: “They undoubtedly experience prejudice. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable.

“It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice.

“But they are not all their lives subject to racism. In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.

“In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”

She later claimed the letter had been sent to the newspaper in error and apologised “unreservedly” for any “anguish” they had caused.

The former shadow home secretary was eventually given back the Labour whip before last year’s general election – but has been a regular critic of Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Abbott, who is the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was criticised by the Jewish Labour Movement.

In a post on X, they said: “Anti-semitism is anti-Jewish racism. It targets Jews regardless of how they look, and many of our community are visibly Jewish and suffer racism for it.

“We are disappointed that Diane Abbott MP has doubled down on comments she previously appeared to apologise for, and are pleased to hear that Labour are looking into them.”

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We are disappointed that Diane Abbott MP has doubled down on comments she previously appeared to apologise for, and are pleased to hear that Labour are looking into them.

2/2

— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) July 17, 2025

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We are disappointed that Diane Abbott MP has doubled down on comments she previously appeared to apologise for, and are pleased to hear that Labour are looking into them.

2/2

— Jewish Labour Movement (@JewishLabour) July 17, 2025

The row comes just a day after four Labour MPs lost the whip for persistent breaches of party discipline.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell were all suspended by government chief whip Alan Campbell.

All four voted against the government’s flagship welfare bill last week, but it is understood they have been disciplined for “actively organising against the government” over several months.

Seven Labour MPs also lost the whip last July after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, although four of them later had it restored.

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