Life under Iran’s digital blackout
FT News Briefing
Forhecz Topher
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 29 April 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Federal regulators launched a probe into all Disney-owned TV stations after a late-night comedian made a joke about First Lady Melania Trump, and emerging market stocks have recovered all of their losses from the early stages of the Iran war to hit an all-time high, and the United Arab Emirates is leaving Opec after 60 years. Plus, the FT’s Bita Ghaffari in Tehran details life inside Iran’s blackout that’s been in place since the US and Israel attacked at the end of February.
Mentioned in this podcast:
Trump administration launches Disney probe after Jimmy Kimmel’s Melania joke
Emerging market stocks hit record high as Asian chipmakers surge
UAE to leave Opec in blow to oil cartel
Life inside Iran’s internet blackout
Credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts
Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and edited by Marc Filippino, and produced by Victoria Craig, Saffeya Ahmed, and Fiona Symon. Our show was mixed by Sam Giovinco. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann. Our executive producer is Topher Forhecz. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s Global Head of Audio. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good morning from the Financial Times. Today is Wednesday, April 29th, and this is your FT News Briefing. |
| 0:08.6 | The Trump administration is going after a late night comedian again, and the United Arab Emirates is handing in its OPEC membership card. |
| 0:17.0 | Plus, there is an internet in Iran right now. And during wartime, that's especially dangerous. |
| 0:22.6 | There is no emergency alert, no text message telling them to evacuate. |
| 0:27.2 | So when there is active bombing, families are left hoping that the bombs aren't hitting their neighborhood. |
| 0:33.3 | I'm Mark Filipino, and here's the news you need to start your day. |
| 0:43.5 | Thank you. I'm Mark Filipino, and here's the news you need to start your day. U.S. federal regulators have launched a probe into all Disney-owned television stations. |
| 0:48.8 | They're looking for violations of rules, including, quote, unlawful discrimination. |
| 0:53.3 | The Federal Communications Commission announced |
| 0:55.4 | this yesterday, and it's a significant move against a network that's come down on the wrong |
| 0:59.8 | side of U.S. President Donald Trump. The review comes as a nationwide debate simmeres over political |
| 1:05.1 | violence and freedom of speech, and as the president and his allies call for Jimmy Kimmel to be |
| 1:10.5 | fired. |
| 1:17.1 | The late-night comedian made this joke on ABC, which is owned by Disney, about First Lady Melania Trump. |
| 1:20.3 | And of course, our First Lady Melania is here. |
| 1:21.8 | Look at, so beautiful. |
| 1:24.7 | Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow. |
| 1:31.1 | Now, this was part of a skit about the White House Correspondence Dinner, and it aired a few days before the shooting at that dinner that the Trumps attended. |
| 1:35.1 | On Monday night, Kimmel defended his joke as satire. |
| 1:38.5 | So on Thursday, three days before the event, in order to keep that cherished tradition alive, I did my own version |
| 1:45.8 | of the correspondence dinner on my show. I put on a tuxedo. It was a pretend roast about the fact |
| 1:51.6 | that he's almost 80 and she's younger than I am. It was not by any stretch of the definition |
... |
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