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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

Is free speech under threat?

By Evan Dawson,
Elissa Orlando, Julie Williams
Published September 25, 2025 at 2:29 PM EDT
Attorneys Langston McFadden (far left) and Kevin Ryan (center) join Connections with Evan Dawson.
Gary Pudup
/
WXXI
Attorneys Langston McFadden (far left) and Kevin Ryan (center) join Connections with Evan Dawson.

President Trump recently said about talk show hosts who criticize him: “They’re not allowed to do that.”

After ABC brought back Jimmy Kimmel, Trump said that he might sue the network.

We’ll discuss the law, coercion, consequence culture, and more.

Our guests:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Elissa Orlando
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
See stories by Elissa Orlando
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams