Right to Life says MI civil rights violates its advocacy rights

The lawsuit filed by Right to Life of Michigan and the Pregnancy Resource Center alleges a 2023 state law that expanded the definition of "sex" to protect against discrimination based on terminating a pregnancy infringes on constitutional free speech protections...

https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-02-06/right-to-life-says-mi-civil-rights-violates-its-advocacy-rights 

 

Gun-toting Pastor Promotes "Violent Action of Faith" (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #605)

— A Christian pastor aimed an AR-15 at the congregation to “run out the unbelief.” (1:57)

— In victory for free speech, UK court overturns Qur’an-burning conviction. (16:31)

— Ohio Republicans used a life-saving Narcan bill to promote more religious indoctrination. (42:38)

— After settlement, Catholic priests in Washington can keep sex predators’ confessions secret. (56:50)

— Anti-LGBTQ Catholic schools lose bid to discriminate in Colorado’s universal preschool program. (1:13:09)

— Florida’s first public school chaplain is a Jan. 6 supporter—and a warning to everyone. (1:26:18)

— Judge shuts down California school district’s attempt to revive Christian prayers at meetings. (1:36:10)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2025/10/16/gun-toting-pastor-promotes-violent-action-of-faith/

Weekly Roundup: Hegseth Declares War On the Military + Trump Declares War On You (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad and Dan examine Pete Hegseth’s recent gathering of generals, critiquing his “warrior ethos” rhetoric and highlighting the dangers of his speech that attacked DEI, questioned due process in sexual assault cases, and called for stricter religious and fitness standards in the military.

They unpack his fat-shaming and fabricated claims, contrasting leadership with rulership in both Hegseth’s and Trump’s approaches, which lean on power rather than genuine leadership. The discussion expands to Trump’s disturbing remarks about using American cities as military training grounds and framing citizens as enemies, alongside analysis of Project 2025, the looming government shutdown, and Russ Vought’s strategy targeting blue states.

Brad and Dan also spotlight Judge William G. Young’s strong defense of pro-Palestinian speech and his rebuke of Trump’s attacks on free expression. With themes of authoritarianism, executive overreach, and the critical role of resistance, the hosts call on listeners to stay informed, resist normalization of these tactics, and engage in the ongoing fight for democracy.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-hegseth-declares-war-on-the-military-trump-declares-war-on-you/

MAGA’s Censorship Hypocrisy (Conspirituality podcast)

MAGA congressman Clay Higgins recently sent a letter to top tech executives demanding subservience when it comes to "acceptable" speech. 

This comes two years after Higgins co-sponsored a bill protecting freedom of speech. Given recent capitulations to the Trump administration by tech CEOs, we shouldn't write off Higgins's aggressive push. Derek and Julian discuss.

Interview: 

https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/brief-maga-censorship-hypocrisy

‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech

ABC decision over Kimmel comments about Charlie Kirk's killing comes hours after Trump-appointed chair of US media regulator threatened broadcaster's license…

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/18/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-sparks-shock-fears-for-free-speech-censoring-realtime

 

Pam Bondi faces rightwing backlash for saying she’ll target ‘hate speech’ after Kirk killing

Commentators also pointed to Kirk's own comments from 2024 concerning the idea of hate speech. 

"Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech. There's gross speech. There's evil speech," Kirk wrote. "And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/pam-bondi-hate-speech-charlie-kirk

 

After Kirk’s killing, a growing conservative campaign seeks to get his critics ostracized or fired | PBS News

After years of complaints from the right about "cancel culture" from the left, some conservatives are seeking to upend the lives and careers of those who disparaged Charlie Kirk after his death. They're going after companies, educators, news outlets, political rivals and others they judge as promoting hate speech. 

A campaign by public officials and others on the right has led just days after the conservative activist's death to the firing or punishment of teachers, an Office Depot employee, government workers, a TV pundit and the expectation of more dismissals coming…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/after-kirks-killing-a-growing-conservative-campaign-seeks-to-get-his-critics-ostracized-or-fired

 

Trump’s Lawsuits Are Ruining Media (feat. David Sirota) (Find Out podcast)

Stephen Colbert gets canceled. CBS cuts a deal with Trump. The media caves—and democracy takes the hit. David Sirota joins the crew to discuss it all.

In this episode:

• David Sirota exposes the link between Trump’s lawsuits and corporate media cowardice 
• We dive into the SLAPP suit epidemic silencing journalists 
• The crew debates how Democrats can fight fire with fire 

Watch for: 

⏱️ 00:00 – Why Colbert was really fired 

⏱️ 08:00 – Trump’s strategy: sue, settle, silence 

⏱️ 17:00 – When libel law becomes a weapon 

⏱️ 25:00 – Predicting Trump’s next attack on the judiciary 

⏱️ 36:00 – The danger of safe seats and gerontocracy 

⏱️ 46:00 – Can 2028 break the Democratic Party open?

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/OeAPyKXlnDM?si=uOK8leHTBIL-mt3N

Harvard faculty hiring: A clash of free speech and diversity

But the pressing issue at stake here is that the administration cannot identify a limit to such viewpoint diversity. If a candidate for a position in the government department has a sincere political belief that the 2020 election was stolen, should they be hired in the interest of "viewpoint diversity" although they would not meet the academic standards required for a serious candidate in political science? If they are not hired by the school, does the federal government have the power to punish the university? What does this mean for current faculty who disagree with the administration? "Ideological vetting" is already happening to the school's prospective international students; it is not a stretch to imagine that that vetting might extend to faculty and domestic students too...

https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5410977-harvard-faculty-hiring-holocaust-denial/

Judge orders Trump White House to lift access restrictions on Associated Press

"Under the First Amendment, if the government opens its doors to some journalists – be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints," McFadden wrote. "The Constitution requires no less."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/08/judge-orders-white-house-restore-associated-press-access

 

JD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europe’s leaders | JD Vance | The Guardian

Among other things, Vance tells them to let the voices of Nazis be heard, if not quite so explicitly.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/14/jd-vance-stuns-munich-conference-with-blistering-attack-on-europes-leaders

Trump’s FCC chief orders investigation into NPR and PBS sponsorships - The Washington Post

"This appears to be yet another Administration effort to weaponize the power of the FCC," FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, said in an X post Thursday. "The FCC has no business intimidating and silencing broadcast media."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/01/31/trump-fcc-npr-pbs-investigation/

Donald Trump calls for jail sentence for burning American flags

"Now, people will say, 'Oh, it's unconstitutional.' Those are stupid people. Those are stupid people that say that," the former president continued. "We have to work in Congress to get a one-year jail sentence. When they're allowed to stomp on the flag and put lighter fluid on the flag and set it afire, when you're allowed to do that — you get a one-year jail sentence, and you'll never see it again."

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4792101-donald-trump-urges-jail-sentence-burning-flags-protests/

Mock Trial: Murthy v. Missouri - Free Speech, Government and Misinformation on Social Media Platforms (John Donvan; Open to Debate podcast)

The Supreme Court is taking up a case that could affect how you read about issues during a crucial election year. Government officials concerned about misinformation related to topics such as COVID and election integrity had requested that social media platforms take down some posts. Several plaintiffs then filed a lawsuit alleging that by doing so, the government was suppressing speech and certain viewpoints. 

Now, there’s a question of whether such government actions amount to coercion or are legitimate exercises of power. Those who argue coercion believe that government requests limit free speech, claim “misinformation” is subjective, and worry that increased content moderation could lead to authoritarian control over public discourse online. 

Those who argue legitimate cooperation say that platforms often voluntarily comply with these requests as part of their anti-misinformation policies, making it a collaborative effort for public benefit. They also note that in cases where misinformation threatens public health or safety, such as false information about vaccines, government intervention is justified to protect the public.

Now in this mock trial, we take this question on the free speech, government, and misinformation on social media platforms.

Interview: 

https://opentodebate.org/debate/mock-trial-murthy-v-missouri-free-speech-government-and-misinformation-on-social-media-platforms/

Highlights From the Supreme Court Arguments on Free Speech and Social Media - The New York Times

A majority of the justices appeared convinced that government officials should be able to try to persuade private companies, whether news organizations or tech platforms, not to publish information so long as the requests are not backed by coercive threats...

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/18/us/supreme-court-social-media

Judge Blocks Iowa’s Ban on School Library Books That Depict Sex Acts - The New York Times

Authors and activists said the Republican-backed law infringed on free speech. The judge said the ban imposed a "puritanical 'pall of orthodoxy' over school libraries."..

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/29/us/iowa-book-ban-blocked.html

Opinion | I Read Mike Johnson’s Legal Filings. They Reveal a Distinctive Pattern. - POLITICO

The new speaker's view is "the First Amendment for me but not for thee."

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/19/mike-johnson-legal-filings-00127832

Burning Books: The latest front in the GOP’s war on free speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9aXzHpNyJI

Opinion | Behold the Free Speech Chutzpah of the Republican Party - The New York Times

These civil libertarian claims of unconstitutional suppression of speech come from the same Republican Party that is leading the charge to censor the teaching of what it calls divisive concepts about race, the same party that expelled two Democratic members of the Tennessee state legislature who loudly called for more gun control after a school shooting, the same party that threatens to impeach a liberal judge in North Carolina for speaking out about racial bias, the same party that has aided and abetted book banning in red states across the country…

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/opinion/republicans-democrats-free-speech.html

5 Facts About Trump’s Indictments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPnT9WMaf6U