The Morning Sixpack - September 23, 2025

Trump blames Tylenol for autism, Abbott targets trans rights, CEOs fear tariffs, Hollywood defends Kimmel, NATO braces for Putin’s war.

Secret Service Foils Potential Telecom Blackout Plot in NYC

A secret electronic network capable of crippling New York City’s entire cell system was dismantled by the Secret Service just as world leaders arrived for the UN General Assembly.

In multiple raids across five locations within 35 miles of Manhattan, agents uncovered more than 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards—enough hardware to launch denial-of-service attacks on cell towers, jam 911 calls, and even black out government and emergency communications. Alongside the equipment, agents seized cocaine, illegal firearms, computers, and other contraband. Officials stressed the devices were also used to send anonymous assassination threats against senior U.S. officials.

“These devices allowed anonymous, encrypted communications between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises, enabling criminal organizations to operate undetected,” said Matt McCool, the head of the Secret Service’s New York Field Office. He warned the network could have “essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City” if left intact. Secret Service Director Sean Curran added, “The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated.”

Investigators say the timing was no coincidence. The network was discovered after a wave of threats against senior U.S. officials earlier this year, raising suspicions that it may have been designed to coincide with the UN General Assembly. Officials noted the trove had the capacity to flood telecom systems with up to 30 million text messages per minute, a scale that could have caused chaos in the city if paired with another disruptive event.

Authorities are now conducting forensic analysis on the 100,000 SIM cards, sifting through calls, texts, and online activity to trace the origins of the network. While no direct plot to disrupt the UN gathering has been proven, investigators are examining whether the operation had ties to cartels, organized crime, or hostile foreign actors. For now, officials insist the threat to the tri-state area has been neutralized—but the very existence of such a network shows just how vulnerable our communications grid remains.

Sources: NBC News, New York Post

Editor: We’ve reached the point where drug-running tech geeks are building their own DIY “kill switch” for New York’s phones—and nobody noticed until the Secret Service stumbled onto it. If you think that’s just another day in America, you’re not paying attention.

Imagine being the guy explaining to your boss that 100,000 SIM cards, cocaine, and illegal firearms are just a misunderstood side hustle. “No sir, I wasn’t plotting to take down 911, I was just running an unlimited burner phone plan.”

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Republicans Split Over Trump’s FCC Threats After Kimmel Suspension

Trump’s FCC is flirting with state-controlled media, and even some of his own allies are sounding the alarm.

The fallout from Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting has triggered a heavy-handed Trump crackdown on speech, with ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel over on-air comments and the FCC hinting at punishing the network. But here’s the twist: It’s conservatives themselves—Cruz, Paul, even Shapiro—warning that weaponizing the FCC is a dangerous road that could backfire.

“If the government gets in the business of saying, ‘We don’t like what you, the media, have said, we’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives,” Sen. Ted Cruz said on his Verdict podcast. Cruz even likened FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s threat to a mob shake-down: “That’s right out of Goodfellas.” Sen. Rand Paul piled on, calling Carr’s behavior “absolutely inappropriate” and saying despicable comments may be legal, but they don’t justify government censorship.

Carr, for his part, seemed to relish the role of enforcer, declaring, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way” when discussing possible FCC action against Disney-owned ABC. That language struck many on the right as overreach—and on the left as outright authoritarian. And while Trump insisted Kimmel’s suspension was really about “bad ratings” and “lack of talent,” the timing of Carr’s comments made it look a lot more like political payback.

The broader picture is even messier. Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to “absolutely target” hate speech—before backpedaling. Sen. Markwayne Mullin admitted that hateful speech is still free speech but warned that incitement to violence crosses the line. And Ben Shapiro, no fan of Kimmel, still drew a line in the sand: “The FCC should not be threatening action against ABC or its affiliates or Disney based on Jimmy Kimmel being a jackass.”

The split on the right is clear. Some cheer the punishment of liberal media voices, while others fear that once the government decides it can police speech, it won’t stop. Today it’s Kimmel; tomorrow it could be anyone who crosses the ruling regime. And if you think that’s hyperbole, just look at history. Once free speech is bargained away for political revenge, it’s not coming back.

Source: Wall Street Journal (gift article)

Editor: Conservatives crying foul on censorship only when their ox might get gored is peak hypocrisy. But even broken clocks are right twice a day—because if you’re cheering the FCC acting like Tony Soprano, don’t be surprised when one day they’re leaning on you.

Kimmel is BACK! Suck it, losers.

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Hollywood Unites Against Kimmel Suspension: ACLU-Led Letter Slams Censorship

Hundreds of Hollywood’s biggest names are blasting Disney and the FCC for silencing Jimmy Kimmel, warning America is sliding into a new McCarthy era.

The American Civil Liberties Union organized an open letter, signed by Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Selena Gomez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, and dozens more, condemning Kimmel’s suspension as an assault on free speech. The letter warns that retaliation against artists, journalists, and companies “strikes at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, didn’t mince words: “We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids.” He reminded Americans that McCarthyism only ended when the public fought back, adding, “Together, our voices are louder and together, we will fight to be heard.”

Kimmel’s indefinite suspension followed his monologue about MAGA’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder, which set off a firestorm. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened broadcast affiliates if they didn’t “take action” against Kimmel, leading networks like Nexstar and Sinclair to pull the plug. That corporate cave-in triggered ABC’s suspension, sparking outrage, boycotts of Disney, and even pushback from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who compared Carr’s tactics to a mob shake-down.

The celebrity letter makes it clear this isn’t just about one late-night host. “Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression,” the letter states. The message: Free speech is under coordinated attack, and if one voice is silenced, none are safe.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Editor: Nothing gets Hollywood stars to unite faster than government censorship and a Disney exec panicking about losing ad revenue. But when Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro are on the same side of anything, maybe it’s time to admit the First Amendment is hanging by a thread.

Kimmel is back. LOL. A few hours after the ACLU published that letter, Disney and ABC acquiesced, bringing him back on TONIGHT.

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Trump Blames Tylenol for Autism, Ignoring Science and His Own Advisers

President Trump told pregnant women to stop taking Tylenol, claiming it causes autism—despite zero scientific proof and warnings from his own health officials.

Standing in the Roosevelt Room with his medical team behind him, Trump announced that acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol—may be to blame for the rise in autism diagnoses. “Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it,” Trump declared, stumbling over the word “acetaminophen” but doubling down anyway. He admitted scientists weren’t ready to make the claim but insisted, “I want to say it like it is.”

Health experts and medical organizations immediately blasted the comments as reckless. The FDA’s official guidance, issued the same day, emphasized that while some studies suggest a possible association, “a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.” Translation: Trump turned rumors into policy. Even conservative commentator Erick Erickson warned, “The President is scaring moms with research about autism that does not hold up under much scrutiny.”

Trump’s “advice” didn’t stop with pregnant women. He suggested that children avoid Tylenol altogether and even floated the Amish and Cubans as “proof” that avoiding the drug reduces autism rates—never mind that these claims are based on anecdotes and rumors, not data. He further urged parents to split up childhood vaccinations into separate visits, a long-debunked practice rooted in anti-vaccine myths.

For families living with autism, Trump’s spectacle felt both exploitative and hollow. Parents invited to the White House spoke emotionally about the challenges they face, but admitted they had no idea what causes autism. Trump, however, offered certainty where science has none—echoing his COVID-era playbook when he hyped bleach and ivermectin as miracle cures.

The difference this time? His advisers didn’t roll their eyes. They just stood silently behind him.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Editor: Trump as “doctor-in-chief” is like letting your mechanic perform brain surgery because he once fixed a carburetor. He’s playing roulette with pregnant women’s health, and the ball is landing on “dangerous nonsense.”

Trump literally cannot read. It took him several attempts and help from his shitty cabinet to say the word. You’d think a guy used to reading scripts (The Apprentice) would practice beforehand. But nope, not Trump, the most talentless celebrity ever.

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Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Sweeping Bathroom Ban Targeting Transgender Residents

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott just signed a law forcing transgender people to use bathrooms based on their birth sex in all government-owned buildings, from schools to prisons.

The law, passed by the Texas House in August, applies to public schools, universities, correctional facilities, and even family violence shelters. It dictates that restrooms, locker rooms, and showers in state-owned buildings must be used according to “sex assigned at birth.” It also requires Texas prisons to house inmates based on birth sex, not gender identity.

An amendment pushed by Republicans ratcheted up penalties for violators—raising fines to $25,000 for first offenses and a staggering $125,000 for repeat violations. The bill’s narrow exceptions allow access for law enforcement, custodial staff, children under nine accompanied by a caretaker, or those assisting individuals with special needs.

Abbott defended the move as “a common sense public safety issue” on X, while critics called it discriminatory and unconstitutional. The ACLU of Texas blasted the law, saying, “Texans, including the transgender community, should be able to safely use public facilities that align with our gender identities as a basic matter of respect, safety, and privacy.”

Texas now joins six other states with blanket bans in government-owned buildings, while 13 more have partial restrictions. The law is set to take effect December 4, but lawsuits challenging it are all but certain. Once again, the culture war gets priority over, say, fixing the damn grid.

Source: The Hill

Editor: Abbott calling this “common sense” is rich. Common sense would be ensuring Texans don’t freeze when the power grid collapses—not obsessing over who uses which bathroom.

Imagine being so afraid of trans people that you’ll bankrupt a school district with six-figure fines but won’t lift a finger to prevent blackouts or improve healthcare.

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CEOs Privately Slam Trump’s Policies as Harmful, Illegal, and Bad for Business

Behind closed doors, America’s top CEOs admit Trump’s policies are wrecking their companies, even as they stay silent in public out of fear of retribution.

At a CEO Caucus hosted by the Yale School of Management in Washington, D.C., business leaders from companies like GM, Pfizer, and Motorola quietly confessed that tariffs, healthcare decisions, and Federal Reserve meddling are actively hurting their bottom lines. A Yale survey of 70 executives revealed that 71% said Trump’s tariffs were harmful, 74% agreed courts were right to rule them illegal, and 80% believed Trump was not acting in the nation’s best interest by pressuring Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Health policy didn’t fare any better. A whopping 76% of CEOs said Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is endangering public health, and many expressed alarm at a surprise executive order slapping a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas—a devastating blow for tech firms that rely on global talent. One executive summed it up: Trump’s policies are making it harder to hire, harder to trade, and harder to plan.

Yet while CEOs will whisper this at Yale, they won’t say it on CNBC. “They’re all afraid of being marginalized” by the White House, explained Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Yale professor who organized the event. That silence marks a sharp contrast with Trump’s first term, when many companies openly pushed back on immigration and trade policies. Today, the fear of retaliation keeps boardrooms quiet, even as the damage piles up.

The White House, of course, insists everything is fine. Spokesman Kush Desai claimed the administration is “restoring America as the most dynamic economy in the world” with “historic investment commitments.” But the numbers don’t lie—most CEOs aren’t buying it, and their frustration is boiling beneath the surface.

Source: Axios

Editor: The CEOs’ cowardice is almost as bad as Trump’s policies. If your business is being gutted by tariffs and six-figure visa fees but you won’t say so publicly, you’re not a leader—you’re an enabler.

Funny how these “captains of industry” are brave enough to lay off workers or crush unions, but when it comes to telling Trump he’s wrong, they clam up like interns on their first day.

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BONUS

Germany Warns: A War With Russia Could Leave 1,000 Soldiers Wounded Every Day

Germany’s top military doctor says a NATO war with Russia could overwhelm hospitals with up to 1,000 wounded troops daily, forcing the country to mobilize civilian medical care.

Surgeon General Ralf Hoffmann laid out the grim math, explaining that casualty numbers would hinge on the scale of the fighting, but realistically, “we are talking about a figure of around 1,000 wounded troops per day.” Drawing lessons from Ukraine, he stressed that modern warfare means fewer gunshot injuries and far more devastating blast wounds and burns from drones and loitering munitions.

The urgency comes as Russian fighter jets and drones continue to violate NATO airspace, including incursions into Poland, Romania, and Estonia. Just last week, three Russian MiG-31s entered Estonian skies and lingered for 12 minutes before being pushed back—hardly a reassuring sign for Europe’s eastern flank.

Germany is now rethinking its entire military medical system. Plans include hospital trains, buses, and expanded medevac flights to move the wounded from the frontlines. Soldiers would receive stabilization treatment near combat zones before being transferred to German hospitals, which may need to dedicate 15,000 beds for military casualties out of the nation’s 440,000 total.

The warning underscores just how brutal and high-tech any NATO-Russia conflict would be. Drones have turned the frontlines in Ukraine into a “kill zone,” where evacuating the wounded is often impossible. For Germany, preparing now is not about alarmism—it’s about survival if Putin decides to test NATO directly.

Source: Metro

Editor: Planning for 1,000 casualties a day is the kind of grim arithmetic that says the quiet part out loud: Europe knows a war with Russia wouldn’t be “limited” or “short.” It would be carnage on an industrial scale.

Hospital trains, drone “kill zones,” and casualty counts in the thousands—welcome to 21st-century warfare, where the math is as terrifying as the politics.