Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Trump as he warned Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to U.K. viewers dubbed “The Alternative Christmas Message.”

The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of the second term in office for Mr. Trump, who Kimmel said acts like he’s a king.

“From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.”

The channel began a tradition of airing an alternative Christmas message in 1993, as a counterpart to the British monarch’s annual televised address to the nation. Channel 4 said the message is often a thought-provoking and personal reflection pertinent to the events of the year.

The comedian has skewered Mr. Trump since returning to the air after ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in September following criticism of comments the host made over the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel made remarks in reference to the reaction to Kirk’s shooting, suggesting that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on the death.

Mr. Trump celebrated the suspension of the veteran late-night comic and his frequent critic, calling it “great news for America.” He also called for other late-night hosts to be fired.

The incident, one of Mr. Trump’s many disputes and legal battles waged with the media, drew widespread concerns about freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Hundreds of leading Hollywood stars and others in the entertainment industry urged Americans to “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.” The show returned to the air less than a week later.

Kimmel told the U.K. audience that a Christmas miracle had happened in September when millions of people — some who hated his show — had spoken up for free speech.

“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” he said.

Channel 4 previously invited whistle-blower Edward Snowden and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver the alternative Christmas message.

Kimmel, who said he didn’t expect Brits to know who he was, warned that silencing critics is not just something that happens in Russia or North Korea.

Despite the split that led to the American Revolution 250 years ago, he said the two nations still shared a special relationship and urged the U.K. not to give up on the U.S. as it was “going through a bit of a wobble right now.”

“Here in the United States right now, we are both figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy from the free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the actual White House itself,” Kimmel said, in reference to the demolition of the building’s East Wing. “We are a right mess, and we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry.”

Martin Scorsese is mourning the devastating loss of his close friends Rob and Michele Reiner, sharing a deeply personal reflection on their lives and the impact they had on him. 

In a heartfelt guest essay for The New York Times, the legendary filmmaker opened up about his grief following the tragic deaths of the couple, who were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14. 

Their son, Nick Reiner, has since been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

“What happened to Rob and Michele is an obscenity, an abyss in lived reality,” Scorsese wrote, expressing the shock and sorrow that has followed the news. 

“From now on, I’ll have to use the past tense, and that fills me with such profound sadness.”

Scorsese reflected on his longtime friendship with Rob Reiner, noting that the two bonded early on through their shared love of storytelling and film. 

He recalled meeting Rob and his then-wife Penny Marshall in the early 1970s and immediately feeling a connection. 

“Right away, I loved hanging out with Rob,” he wrote. “He was hilarious, warm, and had a kind of joy that filled the room.”

The director praised Reiner’s creative legacy, calling This Is Spinal Tap “in a class of its own” and highlighting his work in Misery as especially powerful. 

He also reflected on working with Reiner in The Wolf of Wall Street, describing a scene in which Reiner played Leonardo DiCaprio’s father as deeply moving. 

“I was struck by the tenderness he brought to it,” Scorsese shared, adding that revisiting that performance now is particularly painful.

In closing, Scorsese expressed a longing that feels both personal and universal, the hope of once again sharing laughter and conversation with his late friend. 

“I’ll always wish I could sit beside him again,” he wrote, “and hear that laugh, and feel lucky just to be in his presence.”

A helicopter on a medical evacuation mission has crashed on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, killing all five people on board.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening, December 24, on one of the mountain’s most popular climbing routes at an altitude exceeding 4,000 meters.

As reported by Tanzanian authorities, the victims included two foreign nationals, a local doctor, a Tanzanian mountain guide, and the pilot.

Police identified the foreign passengers as Czech tourists who were being evacuated due to health issues.

The pilot of the helicopter was a Zimbabwe national.

The helicopter, an Airbus H125 operated by the local company Kilimanjaro Aviation, crashed between the Barafu Camp and the Kibo summit.

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) confirmed the fatalities and stated that a formal investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident.

The mount is considered as the highest peak of Africa drawing tens of thousands of climbers each year.

While the ascent is non-technical, altitude sickness is a common risk, usually requiring emergency evacuations.

This helicopter crash marks the first aircraft accident on the mountain since 2008.