FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s defenders say he didn’t pressure ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel. The complete timeline of events proves a different story. ✍🏻: Tyler Tone www.thefire.org/news/carrs-t...

FIRE’s Bob Corn-Revere for @PostOpinions: FCC Chair Brendan Carr nakedly abused government power to pressure ABC into removing Jimmy Kimmel from the air for his speech. In America, the government doesn’t get to play network executive and determine who and what you watch.

The firing of Clemson University faculty members for posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk is the start of a troubling national trend. FIRE reminds Clemson and all public universities that protected speech remains protected, even in tragedy.

On Constitution Day, we honor the principles that make America strong and remember that its survival depends on us. Introducing Soapbox: FIRE’s bold new conference to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with high-impact keynotes, timely panels, and unforgettable entertainment.

WEBINAR: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says hate speech isn’t free speech—but the Supreme Court has declared otherwise. Join FIRE as we unpack Bondi’s remarks, explain what the law actually says, and respond to the latest free speech news from the past week.

President Trump suggested today that media outlets are engaging in “hate speech” by being “unfair” to him and “maybe” should be prosecuted. Trump’s statement demonstrates the inherent danger of “hate speech” laws: Those in power will always weaponize them to silence dissent.

There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the attorney general says "there's free speech, and then there's hate speech," and the government will "target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."

After Charlie Kirk’s murder, the cancel culture machine has kicked into gear, with mob mentality driving firings, investigations, and political pressure. FIRE's Adam Goldstein looks at how tragedy affects our culture of free speech. ⬇️ www.thefire.org/news/we-are-...

Student acceptance of violence to silence speakers is at a record high. In 2020, 1 in 5 students said violence was acceptable to stop a speaker. In 2025, that number is 1 in 3. That’s a 79% increase in just five years. And it’s chilling.

“Free speech is what we do instead of violence. Civilization started the day man first cast a word instead of a stone.” We must not lose sight of this civilization-defining distinction. 🎙️: @nicoperrino.bsky.social 📺: @cnn.com

BREAKING: Charlie Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University today. Details of the incident are still unfolding. Political violence is never an acceptable response to speech. Free speech allows us to settle our differences peacefully and is essential to a free and democratic society.

Yesterday, after a video of a student complaining about discussions of gender identity in a Texas A&M “Literature for Children” class went viral, Governor Greg Abbott demanded on X that Texas A&M President Mark Welsh fire Professor Melissa McCoul for the content of her course.

Who’s winning and who’s failing at campus free speech? Join FIRE for a special webinar on the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings—and what it means for American colleges and universities. Register today and bring your questions to the live Q&A! 🔥

BREAKING: FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings reveal America’s colleges are failing. The nation’s report card on campus speech shows over half of colleges received an “F” rating. Intolerance in students has skyrocketed in the Trump 2.0 era.

The Florida State Board of Education is pushing school districts to remove library books under a state law restricting descriptions of “sexual conduct,” even threatening criminal charges. But a federal court just held the law to be overbroad and unconstitutional.

What happens when the government “enforces” the law by ignoring it? The answer hit the Trump administration hard. A federal court ruled this week that the government crossed the line when it froze billions in @harvard.edu’s funding—just as FIRE has publicly argued. 🧵

UTC is backpedaling on its Greek life ban, ending it early and referring to it as a temporary “pause.” But last time we checked, the First Amendment isn’t a TV show, and admins don’t get a remote. Blatant censorship isn’t a pause—it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

BREAKING: Free speech doesn’t stop when the sun sets—but Texas thinks it does. A new Texas law forces public universities to ban virtually all expressive activities after 10 PM, a violation of the First Amendment. That’s why FIRE is suing to stop this chilling law in its tracks.

1/ No government officials can memory-hole their own speech in an attempt to hide their past statements from the public. Doing it through improper copyright complaints is no less censorship than a direct government order.

Schools should be a place where students can share ideas. But in Montgomery County, VA, speaking up could get you sent to the principal’s office. A new hate speech policy says students and staff could face discipline for speech that “disparages” others—disruptive or not.

The party’s over at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. UTC suspended all 25 campus fraternities and sororities after public reports of misconduct from two chapters. Rather than punish the perpetrators, UTC banned groups that did nothing wrong merely because they shared a Greek alphabet.

STATEMENT: President Trump may believe he has the power to revise the First Amendment with the stroke of a pen, but he doesn’t. Flag burning as a form of political protest is protected by the First Amendment. That’s nothing new.

The University of Missouri canceled a Black student group’s back-to-school event for using “Black” in the event name. Yes, you read that right. Administrators decided the punny name was discriminatory and “race exclusive.”

A Columbus, OH high school reportedly warned students not to speak to the press after a problematic bathroom policy caused long lines, UTIs, and girls menstruating through their clothes. FIRE stepped in—securing a commitment to student speech rights in the Buckeye State.

Behind the ivy-covered walls of American higher education, the barbed wire around free thought is tightening. A shocking new exposé by FIRE's @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social reveals the hidden threat of authoritarian influence in our colleges and universities. Get your copy TODAY! 🔥

Be careful what you say in Kyle, TX, city council meetings. During a recent public comment period, Yvonne Flores-Cale suggested city officials were trying to conceal unethical conduct. The mayor cut her off, and the police escorted her away from the mic. And it’s all on video.👇

VICTORY! In a win for student expression on campus, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today overruled a lower court's decision, sided with FIRE’s clients, and blocked West Texas A&M University’s unconstitutional ban on drag shows.

Last spring, the University of North Texas ordered an indefinite, system-wide “pause” on all drag performances over the perceived “ideology” of drag shows. But this open-ended pause is just a ban in disguise. FIRE and @aclutx.bsky.social urge UNT to lift this restraint on campus expression.

Want to support a political candidate with a yard sign? What about your favorite sports team? Good luck with that in Southold, NY, where most yard signs are completely banned. Now, a new amendment singles out temporary political signs in the name of “traffic safety.”

When you sue the U.S. Secretary of State for deporting noncitizens for their protected speech, people have questions. Like: 👉🏻Do noncitizens even have free speech rights? 👉🏻Can the federal government deport people for their speech? We hear you, and we’ve got answers.

57% of “very liberal” students in FIRE’s 2024 College Free Speech Rankings say they experience poor mental health at least half the time, compared to 35% of “very conservative” students. Both numbers are high, but the gap is striking.

In the United States, you shouldn’t have to show a passport to voice an opinion. We The People don’t need Secretary Rubio and the federal government to protect us from ideas. That’s about as un-American as it gets. 📺 @cnn.com

“Sticks and stones may break my bones” isn’t just a childhood idiom. It’s part of a cultural foundation that once defended free speech and emotional resilience. Now, a new FIRE survey shows phrases like that are vanishing from the American vocabulary.

“What does not have an arguable constitutional basis is someone voicing an opinion that would be completely protected if you or I said it, and the secretary of state saying, ‘We don’t like the ideas you’re spreading — get out.” 🎙️: Conor Fitzpatrick 📰: @nytimes.com

BREAKING: FIRE is suing Secretary of State Marco Rubio, challenging the laws he is using to target lawfully present noncitizens for speech protected by the Constitution. No administration should be able to deport lawfully present noncitizens for their opinions. www.thefire.org/news/lawsuit...

After pressure from a small anti-porn group, payment processors Mastercard and Visa pushed online platforms Itchio and Steam to remove hundreds of adult-rated games. Financial gatekeepers shouldn’t cave to pressure campaigns that demand they decide what speech is allowed.

South Park’s season opener ruffled President Trump’s feathers and reminded us that satire has long been an American tool to criticize those in power. From your local town hall to 1600 Penn Avenue, no one is above the punchline. reason.com/2025/07/30/s...

VICTORY! After FIRE’s advocacy, the Utah State Board of Education has revised its guidance: Students can carry personal copies of books banned from curriculum. That’s a major shift from language that instructed school staff to tell students they couldn’t bring them.

More colleges and universities than ever have no written policies seriously threatening free expression, according to FIRE’s 2025 Spotlight on Speech Codes Report.

A new Kansas law bans public university employees from using “gender ideology” in any communication. What does that mean exactly? We don't know. Employees using words like “boy,” “women,” or “maternity” will now need to stop and think whether their words follow the law.

In light of his frivolous lawsuits and record of vexatious litigation, @thefireorg.bsky.social is asking an Iowa court to require Donald Trump to post a $300,000 bond in his second lawsuit against J. Ann Selzer. www.thefire.org/research-lea...

You never pay an extortionist just once. Skydance has committed to the FCC that it will appoint a mediator to review “incidents of bias” following CBS’s $16 million settlement with the Trump administration.

BREAKING: FIRE has filed a lawsuit against Allentown, PA, defending a protester's rights to film and criticize police activity in public spaces after officers chased him with a patrol car and cited him for disorderly conduct and loitering.

The White House is explicitly saying it can kick out of the press pool any publication that doesn’t bow and scrape to the president’s whims.

VICTORY: Carnegie Mellon University has reopened The Fence after backlash over censoring student speech. The university president issued a statement: no new rules, no ban, no policy change.

Shutting down speech doesn’t stop “bad” ideas—it buries them where they grow unchecked. Talking about them is where real strength and change begin.

Carnegie Mellon just shut down a century-old free speech platform. After students shared anti-Trump messages on “The Fence,” CMU painted over it and banned all new messages for lacking “respect.” But it's CMU that’s lacking respect for the free speech promises it makes to students.

📢“Repeat after me: Just because I hate your guts doesn’t mean you’re wrong.”📢 Yup, @glukianoff.bsky.social actually made the TED Talks 2025 audience say that, reminding everyone that truth can come from the most unexpected places — the people you might find no good, detestable, even evil.

Paramount didn’t settle with President Trump because he had a case. They settled because he had power. Trump’s FCC chair stalled an $8 billion merger over a @60minutes.bsky.social interview with Kamala Harris until @cbsnews.com paid $16 million. That’s a shakedown in broad daylight.

BREAKING: With FIRE’s help, Priscilla Villarreal, a Texas journalist jailed for basic journalism, returns to the Supreme Court in her pursuit of justice against the officials who violated her 1A rights to ask government officials questions and publish what they volunteer.