Brendan Carr: ‘I don't view the FCC as the speech police’ - POLITICO

“This renewal proceeding is the latest attack in a sustained campaign by Chairman Carr and the Trump administration of threatening legal sanctions against licensees whose speech President Trump dislikes,” wrote the ex-officials, including Reagan-era Chairs Mark Fowler and Dennis Patrick and Obama-era Chair Tom Wheeler. “And although the purported justification for the early renewal proceeding is that it is in aid of a Commission investigation into unlawful employment discrimination, it is in fact an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process.”…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/31/brendan-carr-i-dont-view-the-fcc-as-the-speech-police-01015485

Mike Johnson talks threats

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7abs1WcbYI4

US appeals court strikes down key part of Florida law restricting campus race and gender discussions

A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis’s so-called Stop Woke Act on Tuesday, delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor’s efforts to stifle free speech in higher education. 

 In a scathing order, judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said by a 2-1 majority that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution’s first amendment. I

t accused the state of “puppeteering”: making the educators their mouthpieces by controlling what they can say or teach...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/07/stop-woke-act-appeal-florida-desantis 

 

Weekly Roundup: From Neo-Nazi Remigration to Military Christian Nationalism (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

 This week on Straight White American Jesus, Brad and Dan trace the connections between Trump-era immigration policy, rising far-right extremism, and a growing international movement built around the idea of "remigration." Beginning with unrest at New Jersey's Delaney Hall detention center, they examine former ICE official Greg Bovino's appearance at a European far-right conference and discuss how anti-immigrant rhetoric, Christian nationalism, and white identity politics are increasingly intertwined on both sides of the Atlantic. 

The conversation explores how language, policy, and political movements reinforce one another—and what it means when American officials and European extremists are drawing inspiration from the same playbook. 

 The episode also dives into new Gallup polling showing declining support for LGBTQ+ rights after decades of gains, particularly among Republicans, and considers how coordinated religious and political campaigns have reshaped public opinion. Brad and Dan connect these trends to battles over schools, charter education, and public funding, while also unpacking Pete Hegseth's efforts to narrow religious representation in the military chaplaincy. 

They close with a discussion of free speech, the courts' response to the "8647" controversy, and several signs of hope—including a federal court ruling protecting transgender service members and the ongoing celebration of Pride Month. 

Along the way, they share exciting news about the next chapter of Axis Mundi Media, including new live programming, The Daily Brief, and plans to expand independent coverage of religion, democracy, and power. Axis Mundi is becoming more than a podcast network. We are building the essential newsroom for understanding religion, democracy, extremism, and power in America today. And with your support, we can build it together. Direct support: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Tax-deductible donations through our partnering 501c3: https://www.irmce.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview: 

• Audio only: https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-from-neo-nazi-remigration-to-military-christian-nationalism?hsLang=en
• YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Vm2xgKpod4Q?si=xvejWrbZOGQM31Im

Anti-Trump group can keep flying ‘86-47’ flag near National Mall, judge rules - POLITICO

“The Court does not doubt that political violence is on the rise and that it poses a grave threat not just to the targets of the threats but to the country as a whole. But the enormity of that problem does not change the meaning of Plaintiff’s speech, which by any reasonable measure merely advocated for the President’s impeachment and removal from office — that is, ‘to throw [him] out,’” Moss wrote...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/01/86-47-flag-donald-trump-00944462

 

Weekly Roundup: The Death of Voting Rights: SCOTUS, Alito, and the Colorblind Myth (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

In this week's solo roundup, Dan Miller deconstructs a series of aggressive maneuvers by the 47th administration designed to codify Christian nationalism into federal policy. The centerpiece is the newly released report from the Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, an entity Dan argues serves less as a shield for religious freedom and more as a sword against civil rights. By framing standard anti-discrimination protections as inherent attacks on the faith, the administration is effectively creating a legal "red meat" pipeline for its base. 

This ideological shift is mirrored in the judicial branch, where the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Calle effectively "guts" the remains of the Voting Rights Act. Dan traces the lineage of Justice Alito's "colorblind" rhetoric back to the Roberts Court, highlighting how the judicial insistence on ignoring race is being weaponized to dismantle Black political representation and broader DEI initiatives.

The episode further explores the chilling effect of "MAGA-style" free speech, highlighting the selective weaponization of federal agencies against cultural and political critics. From the FCC's retaliatory pressure on ABC following a Jimmy Kimmel monologue to the surreal indictment of James Comey over a seashell photo, Miller illustrates a pattern of using law enforcement as a tool for personal grievance. 

On the border, the administration continues its push for a "White America" through restrictive new visa affirmations and a cynical rebranding of ICE to "NICE"—a move Dan describes as a superficial mask for an agency defined by family separations and systemic harm. 

However, the episode closes on a note of strategic optimism: as the 2026 midterm elections loom, the GOP's fixation on cultural grievances over economic affordability suggests a political vulnerability that could shift the national tide.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-the-death-of-voting-rights-scotus-alito-and-the-colorblind-myth?hsLang=en

Efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian speech face series of setbacks in court

Rulings in cases alleging antisemitism on US campuses say common pro-Palestinian speech is constitutionally protected…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/19/pro-palestinian-speech-antisemitism-lawsuits

 

If you care about free speech in America, watch this exchange with Trump’s FCC chairman

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1c1hJ7EU7wI

 

Senate Judiciary Dems request administration records related to 'Seditious Six' - Live Updates - POLITICO

"It is facially unconstitutional to prosecute protected speech, whether that speech is by the American people or their representatives in Congress, and it is absurd to contend that statements reiterating the law alone are a predicate for a seditious conspiracy investigation," the Judiciary Democrats wrote. 

 They added, "The Department of Justice's resources would be better spent ensuring that the Department of Defense is following the law as it conducts military action."…

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/10/congress/judiciary-dems-probe-00684293  

President Trump wants Seth Meyers fired : NPR

Former congressman and free speech advocate Justin Amash wrote on X, "The government shouldn't be pressuring companies with respect to late night hosts, comedians, or anyone else for monologues, commentary, or jokes—whether their words are insightful, ignorant, funny, boring, politically neutral, or politically biased."…

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/17/nx-s1-5610501/trump-seth-meyers-fired 

 

Trump administration prepares to fire worker for TV interview about SNAP - The Washington Post

The Agriculture Department is preparing to fire an employee in the division that handles food benefits after she publicly warned that the shutdown could have negative impacts on the millions of Americans who rely on the federal government to put food on the table, according to documentation reviewed by The Washington Post...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/13/usda-worker-snap-benefits-interview/

Trump’s war on ‘woke AI’ will stifle innovation — and free speech

The First Amendment was designed precisely to prevent government actors from dictating which viewpoints are acceptable. But America's leadership on AI and free speech depends on maintaining a steadfast commitment to these principles...

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-woke-ai-anthropic-ceo-free-speech-rcna239199 

 

What’s at stake in the Supreme Court conversion therapy case

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OCTujT3G-WE

 

#JDVance can’t figure out how he feels about free speech #youngrepublicans

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/B9tjoSPIxs0

 

Horrifying: Trump Cracks Down On Free Speech As ICE Violence Ramps Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHq8traKKZw

 

OMG: Trump issues INSANE, ILLEGAL order

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tio5h79CK3c

 

Trump offers top universities funds if they boost conservative ideas | Donald Trump | The Guardian

Brown and MIT among nine schools told to back conservative views or risk losing federal support, sparking free speech fears…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/02/trump-university-funding-compact

 

The Supreme Court fight over whether gay and trans people can be “cured” | Vox

Are therapists protected by the First Amendment during talk therapy sessions with their clients? And are these free speech protections so robust that they prevent the government from regulating talk therapy to ensure that it does not harm patients or depart from professional standards of care?

 That's the central question in Chiles v. Salazar, which the Supreme Court will hear on October 7. And, while the idea that incompetent or even abusive talk therapists may be immune from regulation altogether may seem extreme, there is a very real chance that this Court will embrace that uncompromising position…

https://www.vox.com/politics/463357/supreme-court-conversion-therapy-chiles-salazar

 

Judge issues blistering opinion against Trump policy to deport pro-Palestinian students

Judge rules non-citizens have the same free speech rights as US citizens under the first amendment…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/30/trump-administration-immigration-palestine

 

Jane Fonda relaunches free speech group started by her father during the McCarthy era | Jane Fonda | The Guardian

"The McCarthy Era ended when Americans from across the political spectrum finally came together and stood up for the principles in the Constitution against the forces of repression," Fonda said in a statement. "Those forces have returned. And it is our turn to stand together in defense of our constitutional rights. "

We refuse to stand by and let that happen," she continued. "Free speech and free expression are the inalienable rights of every American of all backgrounds and political beliefs – no matter how liberal or conservative you may be. The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be."…

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/01/jane-fonda-committee-first-amendment-trump