“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

LIFTOFF: NASA's Orion spacecraft and the four astronauts on board have left the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and are on a historic trip to fly around the moon and back. The Artemis II astronauts will venture farther in space than anyone in human history. bit.ly/48lIyii

"Your job on this commission is to protect the president." That's what Carrie Prejean Boller told me Religious Liberty Commission Chair Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said to her amid her Israel criticism. A Republican House member is asking for congressional review of her firing. My latest @usatoday.com

Tennessee may be the first state in which schools will ask about students' immigration status as a prerequisite for enrollment after House Republicans passed a bill that is a repeat of even stricter proposed legislation last year, reports @vivianejones.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

Following an ICE arrest, 100+ people phone banked legislators to advocate for the release of Nashville Noticias journalist Estefany Rodriguez. The SPJ and other press groups have called for the same. From @angelelatham.bsky.social & @evanmealins.bsky.social: www.tennessean.com/story/news/p...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth marched to the podium at the conservative Christian media summit with the heraldry of a general, while the crowd received him as a beloved pastor to a congregation. More of our coverage on Hegseth, NRB: www.tennessean.com/story/news/r...

If you know any high school juniors interested in journalism, tell them to apply for the @1stforall.bsky.social's Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in D.C. from June 21-26! I attended in 2014, and it was a truly formative experience. Deadline is March 15: www.freedomforum.org/al-neuharth-....

"Our national security is strengthened − not weakened − when those with firsthand expertise can speak openly and inform public debate on matters involving the military and our defense," Beau Tremitiere told @brieannafrank.bsky.social about Secretary Hegseth’s attempts to suppress veterans’ speech.

The FBI searched a @washingtonpost.com reporter's Virginia home this morning as part of a probe into a government contractor accused of illegally accessing/taking home classified docs, the outlet announced. Latest from me on the First Amendment beat @usatoday.com:

A DC man was detained for playing the "Imperial March" from "Star Wars" behind National Guard troops in the city. I chatted with him about his background, his viral protests against the Trump administration and the @aclu.org lawsuit he's now at the center of. More here for @usatoday.com:

There aren’t a lot of outlets doing good religion reporting anymore, even though this reporting is VITAL to understanding the cultural moment we are in. @liamsadams.bsky.social at the Tennesssean and @jackjenkins.me at Religion News Service are doing great work in this area and are worth following.

So, myself and Tennessean photojournalist Andrew Nelles are in Zimbabwe to report on the UMC, a project made possible w/ grant funding from the Pulitzer Center. Our first dispatch and what it says about a potentially historic decision coming in November: www.tennessean.com/story/news/r...

"When one university or law firm or news organization capitulates, it’s incrementally harder for the next institution to resist," @jameeljaffer.bsky.social tells @usatoday.com's @brieannafrank.bsky.social. Read more here: www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Virginia is Virginia-ing 🍂

Have a First Amendment question? Our First Amendment reporting cohort is doing a Reddit AMA in r/law this afternoon! Join us from 12-1 p.m. ET: www.reddit.com/r/law/commen... @usatoday.com @1stforall.bsky.social

Today's Reliable Sources lead: President Trump and Speaker Johnson's claims about "No Kings" are going to be contradicted by tomorrow's protests cnn.it/48FKCTD

"This is the American people standing up and saying no, we're going to live in a democracy." Ahead of "No Kings," organizers chatted w/ me about their concerns + hopes for tomorrow's protests, which are expected to draw millions nationwide. @usatoday.com

“The Defense Department has confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organization in America,” the Pentagon Press Association said

The shooting occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 12 at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island in South Carolina.

To read more highlights from our #FreeSpeechSummit2025, read this great write up from @angelelatham.bsky.social, @brieannafrank.bsky.social, Taylor Seely, Stephany Matat, and @catecharron.bsky.social www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

President Donald Trump says that Israel and Hamas have agreed to implement the first phase of a White House peace plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza and Israeli hostages will soon be released. bit.ly/4o3wrMg

Pres. Trump said today that his administration "took the freedom of speech away" as it relates to flag burnings, but the Supreme Court has long held that such activity is protected under the First Amendment. My latest @usatoday.com: www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Wanna learn more about the pastor in this photo? I talked to him yesterday. He's currently part of a lawsuit against DHS, in part due to this exact moment: religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...

Oklahoma's Ryan Walters recently announced a partnership between the state's education department/Turning Point USA to set up chapters at every high school. I chatted w/ him + experts to write this @usatoday.com story answering Qs about the partnership + whether it's a First Amendment violation:

NEW: As supporters of Charlie Kirk gathered for vigils, many framed Kirk—a right-wing activist—as a religious leader. Some claimed his death was spurring people to convert to Christianity. Meanwhile, other faith leaders were vocally critical of Kirk's past comments. religionnews.com/2025/09/16/a...

Grateful for the opportunity to chat on the Connecting America podcast this morning about my story on Charlie Kirk's assassination and how schools face the challenge of balancing free speech/safety in the current political moment. Here's the link to the segment! www.youtube.com/live/Re-EGqz...

Angered in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, the Trump administration officials say they're planning to use "every resource" available across the federal government to target left-wing organizations that the administration contends are stoking political violence. Read more: bit.ly/3Kp7V9O

Excellent, troubling work from my colleagues on the USA TODAY graphics team here: “The first six months of 2025 saw an 85.5% increase in terrorist attacks within the United States compared to the same time period last year” www.usatoday.com/story/graphi...

Authorities announced they had arrested Tyler Robinson in St. George, Utah, and accused him of the murder of Charlie Kirk.

“Overall, I think (colleges and universities) need to prioritize making sure that this does not mean there will be no further Charlie Kirks coming to campus. If that’s what it means, then the assassin has won.” I wrote about Charlie Kirk's death + the challenge of balancing free speech + safety:

President Trump announced Sept. 12 that National Guard troops will be deploying to Memphis due to endemic crime issues in the Tennessee city. "We're going to Memphis," said Trump, who called the city "deeply troubled."

Everything we know about the shooting that took place at Evergreen High School in Colorado.

Breaking news: Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot at a Utah Valley University event. A suspect is in custody, according to parents whose children received an email from the university. Follow live updates:

Pres. Trump announced the Dept. of Education will issue guidance protecting students' rights to pray in public schools (which, to be clear, they've long had). More on that + the rest of the Religious Liberty Commission's hearing this morning @usatoday.com:

"South Park" hasn't held back in its criticism of Trump. It's depicted a sexual relationship between Trump/Satan and shown a deepfake video of Trump naked. I discussed how the First Amendment protects "South Park" in doing so on @usatoday.com's "The Excerpt." art19.com/shows/5-thin...

History’s first U.S. pope spoke in English as he denounced the attack and the “logic of weapons” fueling wars around the world. religionnews.com/2025/09/02/p...

Excellent reporting from the journalists at USA Today!

President Trump says the Smithsonian is too "woke." My @usatoday.com colleagues and I visited five of its museums to find out. I chatted with Taylor Wilson about our reporting on today's episode of "The Excerpt." art19.com/shows/5-thin...

Pres. Trump says the Smithsonian Institution is too "woke." My colleagues + I went to several museums + interviewed visitors to assess his concerns. Here's what we found: www.usatoday.com/story/news/p... @chrisquintana.bsky.social @stephenbeard.bsky.social @duanegang.bsky.social @usatoday.com

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this fantastic reporting by @willcarless.bsky.social! He looks at loneliness among young men and why it's prompted some of them to turn to the Manosphere. Check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoC7... @usatoday.com

A Texas judge has blocked several public school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms when a new law goes into effect 9/1. The Texas AG said he’ll appeal. I discussed all of it on today’s episode of @usatoday.com’s “The Excerpt.” art19.com/shows/5-thin...

President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin greeted each other warmly on the red carpet after exiting their planes in Alaska for a summit that Trump hopes will lead to a resolution of the three-year Ukraine war. For more updates on the meeting, click the link in bio.

The LA city council recently banned the N-word and C-word in its meetings, saying the terms have disrupted the proceedings "on many occasions." But groups like @thefireorg.bsky.social, @facoalition.bsky.social and @aclu.org say the rule violates free speech. My latest for @usatoday.com:

It was a pleasure to be on ⁦@usatoday.com’s “The Excerpt” this morning to chat about my reporting on the Trump administration’s recent memo on religious expression! The story: www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

The Trump admin's memo about fed. employees' right to religious expression says, among other things, they can talk to others about "why (their) faith is correct." But that's nothing new, experts said. The new memo is, however, less concerned w/ potential harassment, they said. More @usatoday.com:

Breaking News: Five soldiers were shot at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. The gunman was quickly apprehended, the authorities said.

With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, this year's anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them.

Stanford's student newspaper is suing the Trump administration over its actions against pro-Palestine noncitizens. @thefireorg.bsky.social, which is repping the paper, said it's "the first lawsuit of its kind." DHS called it "baseless" and "political." More from me @usatoday.com:

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down. Its announcement this afternoon came weeks after Congress passed a rescissions package that clawed back more than $1 billion in federal funding for the corporation, which disperses funds to PBS and NPR. Latest from me @usatoday.com:

"My entire life, the reason I travel so much is I was looking for home," she told The Daily Progress in an exclusive interview. "But ever since I came to Charlottesville and I gave my life to God — oh, man, it's just beautiful. I love it here."