Donald Trump has said some TV networks should have their licences “taken away” in an escalating row over free speech – sparked by the suspension of TV host Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s murder.

During a monologue, Kimmel claimed the “Maga gang” was “desperately trying to characterise” alleged shooter Tyler Robinson “as anything other than one of them”. The comments were interpreted by some as attempting to paint Robinson as a Maga supporter. Following conservative backlash, the ABC network and Nexstar Media Group, which owns ABC affiliates, announced they were pulling Kimmel’s show.

‘Particularly hypocritical’
It’s “impossible to miss” the irony that conservatives, who have “long treated cancel culture as an affront to the First Amendment spirit of open discourse”, are now “calling for people to lose their jobs and their livelihoods” over comments about the Kirk killing, said Matt K. Lewis in the Los Angeles Times.

This “feels particularly hypocritical” from Maga, a political movement that’s “made cruel speech something of an art”, said Jill Filipovic in The New Statesman. That the president is joining the pile-on with veiled threats to media outlets is especially troubling. It's all creating a “superpowered cancellation machine” that combines “public shaming” with “the full force of government”. The assassination of Kirk was “ghastly and unjustifiable”, but so is “shredding the constitution and its noble promise” that Americans can “say what they believe without fear of government penalty”.

‘Consequence culture’
The administration’s reaction to Kirk’s killing has drawn the “inevitable Nazi analogies”, said Gerard Baker in The Times. But Kimmel’s removal has in fact “underscored how complex and pluralist American democracy is”. When Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, warned that the administration would “go after” those “targeting anyone with hate speech”, her words “prompted a backlash from numerous conservatives” who pointed out that “hate speech” is protected by the constitution.

“Kimmel’s cancellation isn’t ‘cancel culture’; it’s consequence culture,” said Peter Laffin in the Washington Examiner. “The heart of the matter” is that Kimmel lied to his two million viewers. “During this moment of civil unrest, this is simply unacceptable”, and taking him off the air is “a necessary step towards de-escalation”.

Meta has revealed a new model of AI-powered smart glasses this week, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying they represent the “ideal form of superintelligence” – when a computer or device becomes more intelligent than humans. With this new model, designed not for exploring virtual worlds but for help with everyday tasks, Meta is “raising its bets on eyewear”, said The New York Times.

What can the smart glasses do?
Fitted with a built-in screen that’s “nigh impossible for people around you to see”, and is controlled by a wristband that reads “signals from your muscles so that you can control the display with gestures”, the glasses function like a “pop-up extension” of an iPhone, said The Verge.

The glasses connect directly to Meta AI, allowing wearers to generate answers to questions based on what they can see and hear. Users can take photos, scroll through Instagram, respond to messages and follow map directions, using subtle hand movements. The glasses are also able to generate live captions for real-life conversations.

How could they unlock superintelligence?
Zuckerberg described the glasses as “the world’s first mainstream neural interface”, and said that people who don't wear them will probably be “at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage” to those who do. He believes that the glasses’ ability to “see what you see, hear what you hear, and then go off and think about it” will push Meta closer to achieving superintelligent technology, said the New York Times. His company has duly renamed its AI team the “Meta Superintelligence Lab”.

How has the launch been received?
Even though this latest smart glasses model delivers on new features, “there’s a reason why the phrase ‘glassholes’ exists”, said Jason England in Tom’s Guide. The “social stigma” around wearing smart glasses has meant they haven’t yet caught on as widely as smartphones.

But “consumer smart glasses might really take off” now, and “not just because Meta’s execution is excellent”, said The Verge. The new features will appeal to many people outside the usual circle of staunch tech enthusiasts. This might be “the closest we’ve ever got to what Google Glass promised over 10 years ago”.

Essex: Barnes Mill and Barnes House, Chelmsford
Grade II water mill and mill house, set in mature gardens of about four acres. 7 beds (3 en suite), 2 baths, 2 kitchen/breakfast rooms, 5 receps, garden, parking. £2.5 million; Savills

​​Cumbria: Nibthwaite Mills, Nibthwaite
A substantial Grade II, 18th century former iron furnace and bobbin mill, within the Lake District National Park. The property boasts 150 metres of river frontage on the River Crake, a mill pond and a decked terrace. 4 beds, 2 baths, kitchen, 2 receps, garden, garage. £695,000; Fine & Country

Nottinghamshire: The Paper Mill, Lowdham
Handsome Grade II former paper mill in a bucolic setting by the Dover Beck; includes mature gardens and a mill pond. 6 beds, 3 baths, kitchen, 3 receps, garden, two-storey coach house/garage. £595,000; Savills

Somerset: West Mill, Luckwell Bridge, Wheddon Cross
This former mill is full of character and charm and lies in the heart of Exmoor National Park. 2 suites, 2 further beds, family bath, kitchen/dining room, 2 receps, utility, stables, paddocks, outbuildings, garden, parking. £625,000; Stags

The Bank of England is stuck in the slow lane – but now is the time for bold decisions
Alex Brummer on This is Money
The Bank of England kept interest rates at 4% yesterday despite “demand from dissenters for lower rates to support growth and jobs”, writes Alex Brummer. A “long period of elevated mortgage rates” is “hammering the housing market”, and business investment is “subdued”. The arguments for a rate cut are “compelling”, and the “disinflationary trend” means “inflation should come down speedily”. The Bank’s current “timidity precludes bold approaches” to fiscal policy.

If We Are Descending Into Fascism, This Little Noticed Moment Will Prove Pivotal
Fred Kaplan on Slate
Should future historians record how America “devolved” into lawlessness, “unashamedly insensitive” to human life, they “might note” J.D. Vance’s praise for the “bull’s-eye bombing” in the Caribbean of boats allegedly carrying narcotics to US shores, writes Fred Kaplan. The vice president was “celebrating an act of murder in international waters” with “no legal authority, historical precedent, or clear and present danger”. America is led by “cynics” and “opportunists” who are “claiming new and extraordinary powers”.

Never date a German man
Elisabeth Dampier in The Spectator
Even though I’m German, “nothing could ever have persuaded me to date a German man”, writes Elisabeth Dampier. I find “Teutonic attitudes to romance unbearable”. Forget “declarations of love”; the modern German man’s focus is on accurately “splitting the bill”. He is “taciturn”, “practical” and fond of “elasticated waistbands”. That said, he’s “generally a solid provider”. Just “don’t ask him to give up his beloved cargo joggers”, or you’ll discover “there are limits to his love”.