Donald Trump's systematic extermination of press freedom just claimed its biggest scalp: Stephen Colbert, the comedian who dared to mock a dictator in the making. The cancellation of "The Late Show"—announced exactly two weeks after CBS paid Trump $16 million in blood money—exposes the rotting core of American democracy where corporate greed devours constitutional rights and billionaires trade journalists' careers for regulatory favors.
This isn't journalism dying from market forces. This is assassination by lawsuit, execution by settlement, and the methodical silencing of every voice that refuses to genuflect before Trump's throne. Shari Redstone sacrificed Colbert on the altar of her $8 billion Skydance merger, proving that in corporate America, a comedian's conscience is worth less than a billionaire's bonus.
CBS's capitulation represents the completion of Trump's most insidious discovery: he doesn't need storm troopers to destroy the First Amendment. He can bankrupt his critics thro…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Powell House Press to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.