Live nowOn the air 24/7Watch live

TechNO BULL

Blackburn responds to backlash over viral AI video featuring…

The senator is answering criticism after a viral AI-generated video set to Kendrick Lamar's music spread online; the rapper's permission is the open question.

Photo: United States Senate Photographic Studio · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger on this story, from No Bull with Hank at 1:41 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are FOX13 Memphis's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Marsha Blackburn
Photo: United States Senate Photographic Studio · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFolks, Senator Marsha Blackburn is answering backlash over a viral AI video that used Kendrick Lamar's music.

  2. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorI said this at seven Eastern tonight, and I'll say it again: you ask the artist first.

  3. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTalking point number one.

  4. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA computer made the video, which means somebody needed permission for the song, and somebody needed it for the computer. Nobody asked either one.

  5. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTalking point number two. I have run this desk for twenty-eight years, and I still fill out a form to borrow a stapler.

  6. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA stapler, folks.

  7. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd finally, talking point number three.

  8. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIf a senator can grab a hit song and press play, then your group chat is a crime scene, and so is your cousin's wedding slideshow.

  9. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo here's where I land. I never asked permission to give this monologue either, so I'm asking the camera right now. Camera? Silence.

  10. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorI'll take it as a yes.

  11. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBrock, is there a forecast for permission slips, or only for the senator's afternoon?

▶ Watch BBN liveMore Tech →

More Shorts

All videos →
  1. Photo: NOAA Photo Library · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · TechNASA launched the first GOES weather satellite in 1975Read the story
  2. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ Short · TechInvisible-man snow video climbs past thirteen million viewsRead the story
  3. ▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.LeBron and the 76ers: Maxey Is the Real GM, Sandwich LosesAbout this segment
  4. Photo: PoorLeno ( talk ) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · TechPhysicists freeze a ring of atoms, see 100-year-old quantum predictionRead the story
  5. Photo: Ckazemi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    ▶ As it aired · TechWired reviews Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra as first real AI PCRead the story
  6. ▶ Interviews · U.S.Secret Service Deputy Exit: Anonymous Source Is Guarding a Parking ReceiptAbout this segment
  7. Photo: Dr. Manfred Herrmann Allgemeiner Deutscher… · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
    ▶ As it aired · TechThe Dog Detailer films rottweiler getting groomed and bathedRead the story
  8. Photo: USGS/K. Lynn · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
    ▶ As it aired · TechKīlauea lava flows pick up overnight, while sharks get stressRead the story
  9. ▶ Interviews · U.S.California Ballot Officials Count Votes in a Dark Closet to Stay CluelessAbout this segment
  10. ▶ As it aired · TechDisney is paying $60 million to hire 66 Character.AI staffersRead the story
Aired onNo Bull with HankHank's talking points. You didn't ask.About the show →

Also on air

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 17, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months