Free Republic

Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump signed a bevy of executive orders earlier this week, including one that seeks to end the federal government's pressure campaign on social media companies. The "Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship" executive order reaffirms the free speech rights of social media users and prohibits government agents from engaging in unconstitutional censorship. "Under the guise of combatting 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' and 'malinformation,' the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government's preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate," states...

As pro-life activists await pardons from President Donald Trump, a key Republican member of Congress is introducing legislation targeting the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy introduced a bill Tuesday to repeal the FACE Act, which “prohibits threats of force, obstruction and property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services.” “Now that we have a Republican trifecta in the House, Senate, and White House, Congress should move quickly to repeal this law and ensure that no future president can weaponize it against pro-lifers ever again,” Roy said in a statement. “Free...

“We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany,” said Scholz. “Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire. And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions.” For his part, Musk dismissed the criticism of his gesture as a “tired” attack. “Shame on Oaf Schitz,” he said on his own platform X.

President Donald Trump on the first day of his administration stripped the security clearances of a number of anti-Trump former officials, including retired Gen. Michael Hayden, an adviser to Newsguard, the establishment pro-censorship group operating a news blacklist against conservatives. Trump’s removed 50 security clearances, including former CIA and National Security Agency (NSA) Director and retired Air Force General Michael Hayden. Hayden is a controversial public figure, even for those in the Never Trump camp.

The world’s richest man Elon Musk is throwing his considerable financial and political weight behind UK political prisoner Tommy Robinson and has surprisingly offered to held fund Robinson’s legal costs

The Political Prisoners are being liberated.

Snip One problem that has arisen is that in a social media-based world one may not actually be present to be harmed or incited to participate in violent acts. If speech consumers are not in fact in a public space to face an impending menace or to be provoked to commit violence immediately, how should those communications be interpreted? A further complication surrounds the question of whether AI can distinguish incitement of immediate, intended malice so it flags only the most serious threats? Can its programming perceive or discern context if someone is making an allowed political statement if using...

Pam Bondi’s predecessor, Merrick Garland, oversaw the targeting of parents who objected to sexualized and racialized curriculum The targeting of parents, pro-lifers, and Latin Mass attendees “will stop” and “must stop” according to attorney general nominee Pam Bondi. The former Florida attorney general is testifying today in the first of two hearings on her nomination to lead the Department of Justice. Under Attorney General Merrick Garland, law enforcement targeted concerned parents and citizens who objected to sexual and racial identity politics in the classroom. The FBI office in Richmond, Va. also labeled Catholics who prefer the older Latin Mass as...

Last month, Simon Price graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. But his last semester in school turned into an ugly scene after he was assigned a project for a class called "Songwriting and Social Change." The project was to put together a public event about a social issue the student felt passionate about. White other students did projects about homelessness and eating disorders, Price decided he would talk about his own experience living as a trans person for 3 years before detransitioning.In middle school, my peers targeted me with homophobic bullying. They called me slurs, threatened me,...

As lawyers, we often take a series of steps to protect the interests of our clients when it becomes necessary to sever or end representation. The dropping of a client can have a damaging impact on the reputation or standing of a client. That is why it was surprising to see Mark Lemley, a Stanford law professor publicly denounce Mark Zuckerberg as part of social media tirade. It is a deeply concerning lesson for students at a law school already rocked by prior controversies over intolerance for opposing viewpoints. When we take on a client, we are closely identified with...

"Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation"Joe Biden’s farewell address was one of the least notable events of the year. It’s doubtful that anyone outside the media even sat through the whole thing. Not necessarily because it was badly written. The image of the Statue of Liberty was even poetic. But the speech was delivered by a shambling wreck of man pushing blatant self-serving lies like a 50-year-low crime rate and an economic recovery that no one believes.Not one single human being believes this stuff.So Biden had to swerve into warning about “an oligarchy is taking...

Yesterday, Thomas More Society attorneys submitted to the incoming Trump administration formal requests for presidential pardons on behalf of 21 pro-life advocates who have been unjustly prosecuted, convicted, and in several cases, imprisoned, by the Biden Department of Justice. In their letter submitted to President Donald J. Trump, Thomas More Society attorneys “urge that these pro-life Americans are deserving of full and unconditional pardons.” The pardon request package includes 21 individual pardon requests, one for each pro-life advocate, outlining the specific facts of each case, their upstanding personal and moral character, and the reasons why President Trump should grant a...

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Texas case that could have major ramifications across the country—including, perhaps, the end of anonymity online.A Texas law requiring people to provide proof of age before viewing online porn comes before the U.S. Supreme Court today. With similar laws already at play in 18 states besides Texas, and other states considering such measures, it's fair to say that the future of online porn in this country depends on what the justices decide in this case. The Texas law (House Bill 1181) is being challenged by multiple plaintiffs, including the Free Speech...

Article Excerpt Below:A shadowy group with links to British Army intelligence called the “Mutton Crew” has been using psychological warfare to target covid-sceptic British doctors and others.The group uses tactics such as emotional manipulation, harassment, misinformation and mass reporting to silence critics. Led by Dr. Graham Bottley, the Mutton Crew created thousands of fake social media accounts to suppress dissent and destroy the careers and reputations of covid critics.After the Mutton Crew’s activities were exposed by Andrew Bridgen in May 2024, some members disavowed the group and the group has gone “quiet.” But their legacy of social media manipulation and...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted the Biden administration “pushed” for Facebook and Instagram to censor posts that were factually true but politically inconvenient. And his admission proves what many already knew: the Supreme Court’s decision in Missouri v. Murthy was a grave miscarriage of “justice” and an affront to the First Amendment. Upon taking office, the Biden administration coordinated with social media giants to censor posts that contained factually correct information that was deemed unfavorable. But the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Murthy v. Missouri that Louisiana and Missouri did not have standing to challenge the Biden administration’s collusion with...

Just hours after Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg announced last Tuesday that the social media giant would eliminate its US-based fact-checkers, the iconic hills above Los Angeles began to smolder. As fire crews scrambled in vain to contain the resulting firestorm, the fact-checking partners, still working for Meta, took on their own fight: trying to slow viral misinformation rapidly spreading around the wildfires. Rumor and speculation about the disaster began to swirl online like glowing embers, before eventually becoming a wild blaze of vast conspiracy theories. “Cutting fact checkers from social platforms is like disbanding your fire department,” said Alan Duke,...

Three doctors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent a California agency from investigating them over their opposition to state-approved COVID-19 policies. The California Medical Board considers the expression of the doctors’ dissenting views on the disease as potentially dangerous misinformation that should be suppressed. The board argues it has legal authority to discipline the doctors for speech it deems to be medical misconduct. The physicians counter that just because they have medical licenses doesn’t mean they forfeit their free speech rights under the First Amendment. The emergency application in Kory v. Bonta was docketed by the high court...

The headline from Politico’s “Playbook” would have been unthinkable eight years ago: “Meta sends Trump a friend request.” After all, Meta’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is a political lightning rod in conservative political circles, especially after the $300 million worth of “Zuckerbucks” spent during the 2020 election to elect like-minded politicians. Yet lately, Zuckerberg has been singing a much different tune. He referred to President-elect Trump as “badass,” visited him at Mar-a-Lago, and donated one million dollars to his inaugural fund. This week, Meta made news by adding Dana White, a longtime Trump ally and head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

History will remember this era as the moment when America’s most sacred principles collided with unprecedented institutional power – and lost. The systematic dismantling of fundamental rights didn’t happen through military force or executive decree, but through the quiet cooperation of tech platforms, media gatekeepers, and government agencies, all claiming to protect us from “misinformation.” Meta’s sudden dismantling of its fact-checking program – announced by Zuckerberg as a “cultural tipping point towards prioritizing speech” – reads like a quiet footnote to what history may record as one of the most staggering violations of fundamental rights in recent memory. After eight...

Wildfires, fueled by strong winds, are destroying Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom is begging President Joe Biden to silence “hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation.” “It breaks my heart as people are suffering and struggling that we’re up against those hurricane force, forces as well,” Newsom said on Friday in a video call with Biden. “I ask you, we’ve got to deal with this misinformation.” Never mind the actual winds that swept wildfires from the perimeter of Los Angeles to destroy suburban neighborhoods. Still, Newsom expressed concern that “misinformation” could harm Californians. “It infects real people that are...