“In America, we have a little thing called the First Amendment.”
– Jon Stewart, on Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension
ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel after Charlie Kirk remark
ABC suspended Kimmel after he joked about “the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” and FCC head Brendan Carr discussed suspension as an option on The Benny Show.
As FIRE said in a statement, “We cannot be a country where late night talk show hosts serve at the pleasure of the president. But until institutions grow a backbone and learn to resist government pressure, that is the country we are.”
Reactions to Charlie Kirk trigger new wave of cancel culture
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has sparked a flood of unsympathetic reactions, from the innocuous to the depraved, and a subsequent wave of suspensions and firings, ushering in a new era of cancel culture.
Adam Goldstein, vice president of Strategic Initiatives at FIRE, writes:
We are not so fortunate, in this imperfect world, that Charlie Kirk’s murder is the last tragedy we experience. Nor is it the last time that some of us take a moment that calls for compassion and fill it with vitriol. […] Cancel culture ends when we decide that people can be horrifically wrong and still entitled to the grace that enables us all to grow from our worst moments.
Bondi walks back ‘hate speech’ remarks
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened target people for “hate speech,” sparking widespread alarm as the First Amendment protects hateful speech.
We explained why everything she said about “hate speech” is wrong, and after conservative commentators told her to touch grass — Erick Erickson called her a “moron” while Matt Walsh wrote, “Get rid of her. Today. This is insane.” — Bondi walked back her comments, saying she only meant threats of violence.
Trump sues New York Times for $15 billion
Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times, four of its reporters, and Penguin Random House, accusing them of publishing politically motivated falsehoods about his business dealings, media ventures, and reputation.
Tyler Tone, executive litigation assistant at FIRE, writes:
The New York Times must […] take this lawsuit as an opportunity to reject this idea, full stop. Its unique role in the media industry warrants a strong and defiant message in defense of the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate that depends on it. Anything less risks a future in which Trump’s lawfare barrels through smaller outlets that don’t have the same resources.
Also in the news
Vice President JD Vance told Americans, “When you see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder [...] call their employer.”
Deputy AG Blanche suggested RICO could be used against people protesting Trump at a restaurant — after Trump said those protesters should be jailed.
Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins wrote a letter calling on social media CEOs to remove posts celebrating Kirk’s death and ban people who post them.
Tenured professor Thomas Alter II is suing the state of Texas because he was fired after criticizing the U.S. government at a socialist conference.
Texas A&M senior lecturer Melissa McCoul was dismissed over backlash to her children’s literature course, which included discussions of gender and sexuality, and today the college president, Mark Welsh III, resigned.
This week’s datapoint
Campus tolerance for free speech is tanking — the proportion of students who would allow all the controversial speakers we asked about on campus has declined from a peak of 51% in 2022 to only 36% this year.
