FIREwire — June 27, 2025
Trump threatens to sue NYT and CNN, SCOTUS backs porn limits, and Texas curbs campus protests
Trump threatens to sue the Times and CNN over Iran reporting
President Trump threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN for reporting that America’s bombing of Iran only delayed its nuclear program by a few months.
The intelligence comes from a preliminary report by the Defense Intelligence Agency of the Department of Defense, but Trump’s legal team is demanding a retraction and an apology, calling the reporting “false,” “defamatory,” and “unpatriotic.”
Taking a page from Trump’s playbook, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Fox News for $787 million today, alleging defamation after host Jesse Watters said Newsom lied about Trump not calling him before sending the National Guard to Los Angeles.
Supreme Court upholds Texas’ age-verification laws for porn sites
Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold Texas’s age-verification law for sites featuring adult content, effectively reversing decades of Supreme Court precedent.
FIRE filed an amicus brief in the case, arguing that government restrictions on constitutionally protected information must be carefully tailored, and this law was not.
FIRE Chief Counsel Bob Corn-Revere said this “limits American adults’ access to only that speech which is fit for children — unless they show their papers first.”
Texas Legislature advances bill to restrict campus protests
Texas is poised to enact the “Campus Protection Act,” which would limit who can attend protests on campus, when protesters can assemble, and what they can wear.
Critics argue the bill infringes on First Amendment rights and could suppress peaceful expression.
Also in the news
Mahmoud Khalil is free. After more than three months in detention, the Columbia graduate and Palestinian activist was welcomed home on Saturday. Read FIRE’s brief condemning government efforts to deport Khalil.
FIRE CEO Greg Lukianoff’s TED Talk is out. All the blood, sweat, and rehearsals have finally paid off. In just 12 minutes, Greg makes the case for free speech as one of humanity’s most radical — and necessary — ideas. Listen now and learn why free speech is the best check on power ever invented.
The debate over wearing masks at protests has escalated. According to Aaron Terr, FIRE’s director of public advocacy, “The right to speak anonymously allows Americans to express dissenting or unpopular opinions without exposing themselves to retaliation or harassment from the government.”
And again our civil rights are in danger just like in 1935 Germany and there are Nazis in our government. There must be a complete purge of these fascists and soon, or we are going to regret it. I voted for the right person-- NOT the fascist in our WH.