Freedom of speech, assembly, and association
The right to speak, to assemble, to organize, and to associate with whom one pleases — including in active criticism of the state — is among the most basic guarantees in a free society. When the government cannot answer dissent with persuasion, it should not be permitted to answer it with arrest, surveillance, audit, or other instruments of state power. Public officials should not be able to deploy government against people because of what they say or whom they associate with.
This ideal is breached by surveillance of lawful protesters, criminal charges that punish constitutionally protected speech, permits denied or granted based on viewpoint, the targeting of critics through nominally unrelated state mechanisms — tax audits, investigations, licensing actions — and formal or informal blacklisting from government participation based on speech or association. The standard is universal: it applies whether the speech is left, right, religious, secular, popular, or unpopular.
Further reading: National Constitution Center Interactive Constitution — First Amendment.
2026 Events (147)
ICE agents drove vehicles onto sidewalks and struck observers with batons during a Frederick, Maryland raid
On the evening of September 4, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents drove vehicles onto sidewalks and struck observers with batons in Frederick, Maryland's Taskers Chance neighborhood, where agents had staked out a residence for roughly 40 hours pursuing a man ICE described as a "criminal illegal alien" who fled a vehicle stop. City Council President César Díaz and Vice President Katie Nash, both on scene, said observers formed a human barrier in front of the targeted home but were not violent; no arrests were made and it was not clear anyone inside the home was detained.
U.S. Treasury designated Palestine Action a terrorist group, criminalizing U.S. support for the UK protest group
On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Palestine Action -- a United Kingdom-based direct-action group that has damaged property at defense-contractor sites -- a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, alongside two other groups. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the action from Washington, D.C., framing it as combating "far-left terrorism"; the designation freezes Palestine Action's U.S. assets and makes it a federal crime for any U.S. person to provide funds, goods, or services to the group, reaching American donors and supporters even though the conduct Treasury cited occurred in the UK.
West Point ordered professor to stop teaching human-caused climate change, then declined to renew his contract after he objected, lawsuit says
Adam Kalkstein, a tenured geography professor who taught climatology at the United States Military Academy for 17 years, sued West Point and three administrators in federal court on August 24, 2026, alleging he was pushed out for refusing to comply with a directive -- issued on White House orders -- to stop teaching cadets that human activity is a primary driver of climate change. According to the lawsuit, West Point stripped Kalkstein of tenure in 2025, ordered the geography department in September 2025 to stop teaching anthropogenic climate change under threat of dissolving the department, and declined to renew his contract in 2026 after he protested the directive to the academy dean. West Point said in a statement it was aware of the allegations but declined further comment.
U.S. Air Force charged Maj. Jason Watson with Article 88 contemptuous-words violations over his public criticism of Trump
U.S. Air Force prosecutors charged Maj. Jason Watson on August 24, 2026 with three violations of UCMJ Article 88 for contemptuous remarks about President Trump, five violations of Article 92 for disobeying orders, and two violations of Article 133 for conduct unbecoming an officer, according to a charging document his attorney shared with CNN; an Air Force spokesperson confirmed the charges the following day. The charges stem from a June newsletter interview, a July 1 protest in uniform at the U.S. Capitol calling for Trump's impeachment, and an August 17 CNN interview in which Watson said Trump was "flagrantly violating the Constitution" and "killing Americans." Watson's attorney said he is believed to be among the first officers of his rank charged under Article 88 in modern military history, and Watson remains in pre-trial confinement.
Air Force ordered Maj. Jason Watson into pretrial confinement after he criticized Trump on CNN, second detention since Capitol impeachment protest
U.S. Air Force Major Jason Watson was ordered into pretrial confinement on August 18, 2026, days after he publicly criticized President Trump in a CNN interview and renewed his call for Trump's impeachment. An Air Force spokesperson told CNN that Watson was confined based on "probable cause to support allegations of continued misconduct" after he informed his chain of command he would no longer wear his uniform, and he is being held at a county detention facility in Maryland on a military hold. Watson had previously been arrested by U.S. Capitol Police in July 2026 after publicly calling, in uniform, for the impeachment and removal of Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Kansas City security officers forcibly removed and handcuffed stadium-subsidy critic at public hearing
On August 18, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri City Hall security officers forcibly removed, pinned to the ground, and handcuffed Darrell Miller, a Kauffman Stadium worker and Missouri Workers Power member, during a City Council Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee hearing on a proposed $600 million public subsidy for a new Royals stadium, after he objected that stadium supporters were allowed to exceed the two-minute public comment limit while critics were held strictly to it. Minutes later the committee voted unanimously to advance the funding ordinances, and police later issued Miller a municipal summons for trespassing and assault.
ICE agents attempted warrantless search of Sacramento immigration law firm, threatened to break in
On August 14, 2026, armed agents identifying as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived at the Morris Law Group, an immigration law firm in Sacramento's North Natomas neighborhood, and demanded to search the office without producing a judicial warrant. Firm staff turned the agents away; one agent reportedly threatened to return at 3 a.m. and break windows to force entry. U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff announced they would investigate, and DHS confirmed on the record that agents approached the address believing it was a "target address" and departed once they learned it was a law office.
HSI infiltrated Minnesota unions and advocacy groups and subpoenaed financial records without judicial review during Operation Metro Surge
Court filings unsealed August 13, 2026 revealed that Homeland Security Investigations, coordinating with the Department of Justice, ran undercover surveillance operations codenamed "Operation Puppet Master" and "Operation Whipple Shield" during winter 2025-2026 as part of Operation Metro Surge, reaching far beyond the 15 activists eventually charged. Undercover agents infiltrated encrypted chats and organizing meetings, and HSI used administrative subpoenas to obtain years of financial records from labor unions and advocacy groups, none of which has been charged with a crime.
Trump threatened to sue the Center for American Progress and floated naming its donors as co-defendants over a National Guard crime report
On the night of August 11, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to sue the Center for American Progress (CAP) over its July 13 report finding no evidence that National Guard deployments reduced violent crime and estimating the deployments would cost more than $1.7 billion. Trump said he was "strongly considering" adding some of CAP's donors — including George Soros, Bill and Melinda Gates, Google, Apple, and Goldman Sachs — as co-defendants, calling the report a "Radical Left SCAM." The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called the donor-naming threat "wholly incompatible with a free society."
ICE agent drew and pointed gun on bystander distributing immigration-lawyer cards in Virginia parking lot
An ICE agent drew and pointed a firearm at Carolina Molina, a U.S. citizen distributing immigration-lawyer business cards, in a Falls Church, Virginia-area parking lot on August 10, 2026, after she shouted at agents making an arrest nearby. DHS said Molina tried to run over officers with her car and was stopped for that reason; Molina disputes the account and says her own dashcam video contradicts it. She was not arrested and was permitted to leave the scene.
Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's security clearance after his on-record criticism of Air Force One's replacement jet
The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's eligibility to access classified information and barred him from holding any sensitive position on August 7, 2026, alleging he disclosed classified details about the Qatari-donated Air Force One replacement's capabilities to a media outlet. The action followed New York Times reporting, in which Kendall was quoted on the record, that the new jet lacked its predecessor's advanced antimissile defenses. Kendall told the Associated Press he was "completely mystified" by the revocation and said no one had specified what he was accused of disclosing.
Mississippi prison officials revoked tablet access for 34 death row inmates hours after advocacy story published
On August 7, 2026, Mississippi Department of Corrections officials revoked personal tablet access for all 34 men held in Unit 17, the death row unit at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, within two hours of Mississippi Today publishing a story about the men's advocacy work with the nonprofit Humans Remain. The men said officials cited the unit's restricted status, advocate Liz McCann's use of the devices to contact the men, and the story's publication itself as reasons for the removal; MDOC did not respond to a request for comment on the action or when access might be restored. One month later, the tablets had not been returned.
CFPB placed union organizing chair Stephen Wheeler on administrative leave without disclosing any cause
CFPB placed Stephen Wheeler, chair of the agency's National Treasury Employees Union organizing committee, on administrative leave on August 6, 2026, citing an investigation whose scope and allegations the agency has not disclosed. The union says the timing follows Wheeler's public advocacy — including a July congressional-hearing appearance in union apparel and an NPR interview about forced staff relocations — and calls the investigation retaliatory; Wheeler called it a "fishing expedition." He is the second CFPB union member placed on leave under the Trump administration, after Alexis Goldstein was fired in February 2026 following a leave that began in February 2025.
HSI agent covertly surveilled Rep. Ilhan Omar's town hall from vehicle with mismatched license plates
On the evening of August 6, 2026, an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent was found stationed outside Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-MN) monthly town hall at the Richfield Community Center in Richfield, Minnesota, monitoring the building from a Ford Explorer carrying mismatched license plates. Richfield police grew suspicious, ran the plates, and confronted the agent, who first identified herself as event security before admitting she worked for HSI and was conducting an unrelated undercover operation with no advance coordination with local police. Omar sent an oversight letter to HSI's St. Paul field office demanding an explanation, citing a pattern of the administration using ICE to surveil political opponents.
Senate committee chairman ruled Fauci's Fifth Amendment privilege invalid, moved to hold him in contempt of Congress
On August 4, 2026, Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a resolution to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege more than 100 times at a July 29, 2026 hearing. Paul had ruled during the hearing that Fauci's privilege did not apply because of a prior pardon and ordered him to answer, then treated his continued refusal as "obstruction of a congressional investigation" and scheduled a contempt vote for August 6, 2026.
Tarrant County Judge O'Hare cleared meeting chambers, had ex-Rep. Lon Burnam arrested during his public-comment turn
On August 4, 2026, Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare ordered sheriff's deputies to clear the Commissioners Court chambers in Fort Worth, Texas, after several attendees applauded a speaker who criticized his handling of the meeting on a proposed cut to county polling sites. Roughly 30 minutes later, deputies arrested and booked former state Rep. Lon Burnam on a charge of disrupting a meeting after he continued speaking past his allotted public-comment time and was carried from the chamber. No source reported a weapon or safety threat.
Wall Street Journal investigation reveals ICE's internal-affairs office ran surveillance operation to unmask hundreds of online critics
A Wall Street Journal investigation published August 3, 2026 found that ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility, traditionally the agency's internal- affairs unit, has issued hundreds of administrative and grand jury subpoenas to social media companies to identify anonymous users critical of the agency, monitoring nearly 20 platforms and cross-referencing DMV records and police reports to map critics' identities and relationships. The investigation documented at least 131 doxxing or threat cases opened between January 2025 and March 2026, and found ICE spending on surveillance technology and contractors rose 57 percent year over year to $258 million; no charges have been filed in most of the identified cases.
ICE agent pepper-sprayed 72-year-old NYC protester filming enforcement operation in Inwood
On July 30, 2026, an ICE agent pepper-sprayed 72-year-old Linda Wolff at close range in Inwood, Manhattan, after she and other bystanders confronted federal agents having a vehicle towed. Video shows Wolff filming the agents from the sidewalk when the agent sprayed her in the face and, after she noted she had already been maced, responded, "I'm gonna do it again." The Department of Homeland Security defended the action, saying the group had "swarmed" and become "combative," while Wolff says she is pursuing legal action.
Sen. Pete Ricketts invoked Capitol Police on a false pretext to block a reporter's McConnell-health questions
On July 30, 2026, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) directed U.S. Capitol Police to stop TMZ DC reporter Charlie Cotton from continuing to question him about Sen. Mitch McConnell's health, falsely telling officers that Cotton and a second reporter had not passed through security. Cotton, who had already been credentialed and screened, was stopped from continuing his questions in a Senate hallway as a result. Ricketts later called Cotton to apologize, but a second reporter present, Myles Morrell, said he received no similar apology.
Missouri officials threatened to defund Columbia library over lawful LGBTQ+ story time, alleging grooming without citing a violated law
On July 28, 2026, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state Sen. Rick Brattin held a joint press conference threatening to block state and federal library funding after Columbia's Daniel Boone Regional Library held a $26 "rainbow story time" reading two children's books, "Rainbowsaurus" and "Big Wig," to preschoolers on July 25. Hoskins and Brattin, backed by a warning letter from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, called the event "unconscionable, if not criminal" and accused it of grooming children, but neither could identify which law the books violated, and Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson stated on the record that discussing LGBTQ+ issues is not a crime.
Verite News and Type Investigations revealed Louisiana Gov. Landry required 100+ state employees to sign NDAs blocking disclosures
On July 24, 2026, Verite News and Type Investigations published an investigation revealing that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry required more than 100 state employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) prohibiting them from publicly disclosing information about their government work. The agreements, characterized by reporters as a "gag order," preemptively bar state employees from speaking publicly about their official duties, suppressing potential whistleblowing and public accountability. At least 100 Louisiana state employees had signed the agreements as of the investigation's publication.
Pete Hegseth conditioned military chaplain promotions on Christian ideology adherence
The Independent reported on July 22, 2026, citing current and former military chaplains, that promotions within the military chaplain corps were being conditioned on chaplains' willingness to align with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's push to instill a Christian ideology framework within the armed forces. Chaplains who did not conform to the ideological direction faced career consequences, creating a coercive religious environment in which advancement in a nominally nondenominational service was tied to adherence to a specific faith tradition. The Daily Beast had earlier published a chaplain's account of the religious pressure campaign.
Emporia Police Department arrested teacher for clapping in support of data center opponents at city commission meeting
Emporia, Kansas physics teacher Lux Claridge was arrested and charged with interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct on July 22, 2026, after repeatedly clapping in support of speakers opposing a proposed data center project during an Emporia City Commission meeting. Commissioners had warned attendees against disruptive conduct, including clapping, before officers physically removed and arrested Claridge following a final warning. Claridge was released on bail and said they plan to plead not guilty.
State Department published a report naming 40-plus American activists and officials as Cuban front groups
On July 21, 2026, the State Department released a 100-page report claiming Cuba's government has recruited American activists and influenced domestic political movements, naming more than 40 U.S. organizations and public figures — including the Democratic Socialists of America, Code Pink, Black Lives Matter, and members of Congress — as "front groups" or "fellow travelers" without providing evidence of actual direction from Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's department cited McCarthyera blacklists approvingly and framed domestic left-wing political activity as a national security threat.
Kennedy Center cut Whitney Cummings's Trump-Epstein joke from Bill Maher's Mark Twain Prize broadcast on Netflix
On July 21, 2026, Netflix broadcast the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize ceremony honoring Bill Maher with a joke Whitney Cummings had made at the June 28 live taping about Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein cut before air. Netflix confirmed the Kennedy Center exercised its contractual right to remove the joke, stating that the streamer's own preference is not to cut material from any comedian's set. Cummings confirmed on her podcast that the Kennedy Center made the decision, noting that Donald Trump is the institution's boss.
Federal agencies admitted using keyword filters to cancel nearly $2 billion in University of California research grants
In July 2026, federal agencies admitted in signed court stipulations that they terminated more than a thousand University of California research grants based on keyword searches for politically disfavored terms—including "health equity," "structural racism," and "vaccine hesitancy"—rather than merit-based review. The National Institutes of Health alone suspended or cancelled more than 1,000 UC grants flagged by an internal search tool, and the Department of Transportation terminated six grants worth $42 million for referencing terms like "transportation equity." Lawyers for the UC researchers cited the admissions as proof of First Amendment violations and moved for summary judgment against the Trump administration in federal court.
DOJ opened civil rights investigation into Harvard's China-linked financial aid programs, alleging discrimination against American students
On July 20, 2026, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division opened a Title VI compliance review to determine whether Harvard University's acceptance of approximately $630 million from China-based sources had produced financial aid programs that unlawfully exclude American students by preferentially directing funds to foreign nationals. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the probe, stating that schools cannot accept foreign money to fund aid that "deliberately excludes American citizens." Harvard denied unlawfully discriminating in financial aid allocation and said it would engage with the government.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission used law enforcement database to secretly surveil at least 16 environmental advocates and critics
Beginning no later than 2023 and continuing through 2025, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers repeatedly accessed the state's Driver and Vehicle Information Database under false "criminal investigation" pretexts to pull the private records of environmental advocates who had publicly opposed the agency. At least 16 critics had their records accessed. FWC chair Rodney Barreto admitted the practice while framing it as a security measure, but some of the surveilled individuals had never attended an FWC meeting. The agency spokesperson later acknowledged no criminal investigations of the targets existed.
Rubio convened a State Department summit of 66 nations framing 'far-left' political dissent as a transnational terrorist threat
On July 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted delegations from 66 countries in Washington for a State Department summit on what the Trump administration calls a global resurgence of "far-left political terrorism." Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told the assembled diplomats that leftist and Antifa networks operate across borders and require an international counterterrorism response, with Miller characterizing leftists broadly as motivated by "envy" and "hatred," and the State Department separately announced new visa restrictions targeting "Far-Left Terrorist and other aligned groups" the same day. Civil-liberties groups warned the gathering internationalizes a domestic framework already used to bring terrorism-linked charges against protesters.
National Park Service replaced the President's House slavery exhibit in Philadelphia overnight, softening Washington's role as enslaver
On July 15, 2026, the National Park Service completed an overnight swap of the interpretive exhibit at the federally owned President's House Site in Philadelphia, installing Trump administration-proposed panels that historians say soften George Washington's role as an enslaver of nine people at the site. Workers replaced the displays "under the cover of darkness," in the mayor's words, days after the Third Circuit ruled that Philadelphia had no legal authority over interpretive content at the federally owned memorial. The new panels devote more space to the early presidency and recast Washington's views on slavery, drawing condemnation from Philadelphia's mayor and civil-rights advocates.
NPS rangers cited 72-year-old protester Sandra Shachar $305 for taping a news clipping at Philadelphia's President's House Site
On July 15, 2026, National Park Service rangers issued 72-year-old Philadelphia psychologist Sandra Shachar a $305 vandalism citation after she taped a news clipping to a glass panel at the President's House Site in Philadelphia, where she had been posting articles almost daily since January to protest the federal government's handling of the site's slavery exhibit. Rangers stopped her mid-act, cited her under federal vandalism rules, and warned that a repeat could result in arrest.
ICE officers invoked Kansas's new Halo Act to block a bystander from recording their Olathe detention operation
On July 11, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surrounded Lenexa, Kansas resident Shana Leacox as she recorded ICE activity from her car in Olathe, blocking her vehicle in while an officer repeatedly shouted "25 feet, 25 feet" and ordered her to move back under Kansas's new Halo Act. Leacox was not arrested, but the video-recorded encounter shows the facially neutral proximity law -- passed to shield officers from disorderly crowds -- being invoked against a bystander documenting ICE conduct rather than the unrest its sponsors described.
Ohio Gov. DeWine signed House Bill 20, creating a 15-foot buffer around police and criminalizing close observation after an officer's warning
On July 7, 2026, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed Substitute House Bill 20, creating a criminal offense for coming within 15 feet of an emergency service responder, including police, after a warning to back away if the person also interferes with the responder or threatens physical harm. A first offense is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail, rising to a felony if the conduct risks harm. The bill's chief sponsors named "First Amendment auditors" and citizens who film police during committee testimony, and press-freedom advocates warned the discretionary warning can be used to curb recording of officers.
U.S. Coast Guard removed the sloop Clearwater from a July 4 New York Harbor parade over its advocacy banners
On July 4, 2026, a U.S. Coast Guard crew ordered the historic sloop Clearwater to leave the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail in New York Harbor because it displayed banners reading "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions." The Coast Guard, assisted by the Navy and NYPD, escorted the environmental nonprofit's vessel out of the procession after its crew declined to remove the messages. The agency said participants had agreed not to display political messages, while the nonprofit said it was never offered a chance to take the banners down.
Gov. Jared Polis fired two Colorado clemency board members after they publicly criticized his commutation of Tina Peters
Colorado Governor Jared Polis fired two members of the state's Executive Clemency Advisory Board on July 1, 2026, after they publicly criticized his May 2026 commutation of convicted election denier Tina Peters. Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff had participated in the board's two unanimous votes against Peters's clemency application and subsequently co-wrote a Denver Post opinion piece revealing those votes and criticizing the governor's override. Polis stated in termination letters that the two members had "breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members' votes pertaining to a clemency application."
HHS Inspector General Bell suspended New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit funding, targeting Democratic AG Letitia James
On June 30, 2026, HHS Inspector General Thomas March Bell suspended federal funding for New York's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit through at least September 30, citing insufficient criminal indictments and convictions relative to similarly-sized state units. Bell's own letter acknowledged that New York deliberately focused on high-impact, complex fraud cases rather than volume — a strategy the same HHS-OIG office had previously recognized as yielding the highest civil recoveries among states. The freeze is the second suspension of a state Medicaid fraud unit this year and follows the administration's admission of a glaring error in figures used to justify an earlier fraud probe targeting New York.
Florida International University disciplined seven students with reprimands and compelled 'reflection' videos over silent anti-ICE protest
On June 29, 2026, Florida International University issued written reprimands to seven students and ordered each to record a compelled two-minute "reflection" video on the university's indoor-protest policy, punishing them for a March 13, 2026 silent protest against FIU's cooperation with immigration enforcement. The students, members of a group called ICEBreakers, had stood silently displaying "ICE OFF FIU" shirts for a few minutes during a campus event and left without disrupting it -- an account FIU's own internal review confirmed. The university nonetheless charged seven of the roughly 20 participating students and threatened a hold on their registration and financial aid if the videos were not submitted.
DOJ used DEI investigation as leverage to force University of Virginia President Jim Ryan to resign
On June 27, 2026, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan announced his resignation, effective no later than August 15, under direct pressure from the Department of Justice. The DOJ's Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, had sent Ryan letters in April and June accusing him of failing to dismantle UVA's DEI programs and warning that "the department's patience is wearing thin." PBS NewsHour and NBC News reported that DOJ officials demanded Ryan's resignation as the condition for resolving the investigation, marking the first documented case of the federal government forcing a public university president from office through an active federal probe.
Hegseth forced out Gen. Donahue, last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, amid Pentagon leadership purge
On June 24, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced out Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and the last U.S. service member to board the final flight out of Afghanistan in 2021. The Pentagon announced Donahue would relinquish command on July 2, 2026, after just 18 months of a typical three-year tour, without providing a reason for the abrupt change. Donahue's removal is the latest in a series of senior military leadership purges under Hegseth, who has removed more than a dozen top generals and admirals since taking office.
DHS agents entered Syracuse polling place, threatened election worker over Instagram post naming officer who fatally shot protester Renée Good
On June 24, 2026, two DHS/ICE agents arrived at Syracuse Central Library — an active polling place during the city's primary election — and confronted elections inspector Paigelynne Gonyea over a January 2026 Instagram post in which she named the ICE officer who fatally shot anti-ICE protester Renée Good. Agents handed Gonyea a form letter warning her she "may be in violation of federal law" for the post, which was based on a published Minneapolis Star Tribune investigation, and pressured her to delete it. Gonyea refused.
Federal prosecutors secured 30–100 year sentences for eight Prairieland Nine protesters on domestic terrorism charges
On June 23, 2026, federal judges Mark Pittman and Reed O'Connor sentenced eight defendants in the Prairieland Nine case to prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years in Fort Worth, Texas, for a combined total of 450 years. The sentences followed a March 13, 2026 jury conviction on charges including providing material support for terrorism under the NSPM-7 domestic terrorism framework, stemming from a July 4, 2025 protest outside the Prairieland ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. Benjamin Song, who fired a handgun that wounded an Alvarado police officer, received the longest sentence of 100 years; the remaining seven defendants received 30–70 years for conduct prosecutors characterized as terrorism, including wearing black clothing, using encrypted messaging, and distributing antifascist literature. On July 1 and July 6, 2026, the same judges sentenced eight additional co-defendants in the same prosecution — including a ninth trial defendant and seven who pleaded guilty — bringing the cumulative total across all Prairieland-related defendants to approximately 562 years.
DHS agents visited Rochester man's home and tracked him to NYC hotel over email criticizing ICE director
On June 23, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations agents visited the Rochester, New York home of David Streever while he was traveling in Finland, leaving his wife a warning notice that an email Streever had sent five months earlier to then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons constituted a "credible threat." Two days later, when Streever landed at JFK International Airport on his return, a Homeland Security Investigations agent tracked him to the airport hotel where he was staying and left a business card with the front desk. No criminal charges were filed; attorneys representing Streever called the federal visits unconstitutional government intimidation of protected political speech.
Acting DNI Pulte ordered ODNI offices to rank personnel for mass firings, targeting career intelligence professionals
On June 22, 2026, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte directed Office of the Director of National Intelligence offices to submit ranked lists of their personnel for cuts, beginning an expected mass purge of career intelligence professionals. The National Counterterrorism Center and National Counterintelligence and Security Center were identified as facing the deepest cuts. Pulte, who has no national-security background, assumed the acting DNI role on June 19 following Tulsi Gabbard's departure, and the firings proceed under a June 5 Trump directive to reduce the size of the intelligence community.
Interior Department and National Park Service directed employees to wear Freedom 250 lapel pins, threatening discipline for refusal
In a report published June 18, 2026, National Park Service employees and workers at other Interior Department agencies said supervisors had directed them to wear "Freedom 250" lapel pins on their uniforms and warned that refusing could bring disciplinary action. The pins carry the trademarked logo of Freedom 250, LLC, a group tied to the administration's 250th-anniversary programming, and were sourced through Ace Specialties, a Republican campaign vendor. Some employees described the mandate as compelled partisan expression and called the item a "Vichy pin," and a public-employee watchdog group said requiring federal workers to display the logo is unlawful.
GWAR frontman said in a June 17 podcast interview that the Secret Service had contacted the band over a mock execution of a Trump effigy
In a June 2026 interview, GWAR frontman Mike "Blöthar" Bishop said the U.S. Secret Service contacted the veteran heavy-metal band after it staged a mock onstage execution of a Donald Trump effigy during a Warped Tour performance in Washington, D.C. Bishop said the band had performed identical faux executions of other figures — including Barack Obama and Joe Biden — for decades without ever drawing federal attention. Asked by Reason, a Secret Service spokesperson declined to confirm or deny an investigation, saying only that the agency "investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees."
U.S. Attorney charges 15 Minnesota anti-ICE protesters as 'antifa,' invoking Trump's domestic-terrorist executive order
On June 16, 2026, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and HSI Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy announced federal conspiracy charges against 15 members of Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), framing them as "antifa" and explicitly tying the case to President Trump's September 2025 executive order designating antifa a domestic-terrorist organization. The lead charge — conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer — rested substantially on protest-organizing conduct including Signal communications, training sessions, and surveillance of federal vehicles. The announcement came days after DOJ dropped more than a third of its earlier Metro Surge assault cases for prosecutorial misconduct, with one judge barring re-prosecution to prevent "prosecutorial harassment."
Rubio signed memo citing Colombian activist's criticism of Trump-backed candidate as deportation grounds; ICE arrested him same day
On June 16, 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memorandum, under a rarely-used 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act provision, determining that Colombian activist Franklin Humberto "Beto" Coral Garrido's presence in the U.S. was harmful to U.S. foreign policy because he had criticized Trump-endorsed Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella and supported President Gustavo Petro. Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Coral at his Phoenix home that day and canceled a work permit tied to his pending asylum application.
Newsom says Trump's DOJ is investigating him and his wife, alleging political retaliation
On June 15, 2026, California Gov. Gavin Newsom disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and accused President Trump of personally directing the probe as political retaliation for his potential 2028 presidential run. The DOJ's Public Integrity Section, working with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, has been examining alleged tax fraud and misuse of nonprofit funds tied to Siebel Newsom, issuing subpoenas and interviewing associates. Justice Department officials have said the inquiry originated earlier from whistleblower information and was not ordered by the White House.
U.S. Attorney's Office charged two Cop City activists under Trump's NSPM-7 domestic-terrorism framework
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Katie Kloth, 39, and Tyler Norman, 42, on June 12, 2026, on arson and civil disorder charges related to a 2022 protest at the headquarters of the contractor building the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ("Cop City"). The Justice Department's own press release cited the case as part of Trump's nationwide National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 initiative, led by "Joint Task Force Vanguard," a task force created to pursue left-leaning political activists under a domestic-terrorism framework. The charges mark the second publicly documented use of NSPM-7 as a prosecutorial predicate against political protesters.
ICE deports Adelanto hunger-strike organizer Kyon Swaso to Belize after no-notice out-of-state transfers
On June 12, 2026, ICE deported Kyon Shakeel Swaso — a Belizean national and lead organizer of the hunger strike at California's GEO Group-run Adelanto ICE Processing Center — to Belize, following a series of no-notice transfers to facilities in Texas and Louisiana that his attorneys say violated Central District of California General Order 26-05's advance-notice requirement. The deportation proceeded despite a pending Stay of Removal and Motion to Reopen. The removal came eleven days after Swaso met with members of Congress to report inhumane conditions at Adelanto; DHS disputes that a hunger strike is occurring and characterizes the removal as routine.
Commerce Department forces Anthropic to disable two AI models for all foreign nationals in a first-of-its-kind export-control order
On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce — in a letter from Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei — issued an export-control directive citing national-security authorities that suspended all access to Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models by any foreign national, inside or outside the United States, including the company's own foreign-national employees. To comply, Anthropic abruptly disabled both models for all customers worldwide; its other models were unaffected. The government's stated basis was a belief that a method of "jailbreaking" Fable 5 existed, though the letter gave no details; Anthropic said the cited technique surfaced only minor, previously known vulnerabilities also found in other public models and disputed that it justified recalling a model used by hundreds of millions. Contemporaneous reporting described the order as the first time the U.S. government has forced a leading American AI company to take a publicly deployed model offline.
State Dept. opens investigation into deporting Trita Parsi, prominent critic of Trump's Iran war
The U.S. State Department has opened an investigation into Trita Parsi — an Iranian-born green-card holder of more than 25 years who co-founded the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the National Iranian American Council — reviewing whether to revoke his permanent residency and pursue deportation, according to The Free Press, which cited U.S. officials and documents it reviewed. Parsi has been among the most frequently quoted public critics of the Trump administration's military campaign against Iran. The State Department said it has "no plans to revoke the green card of Mr. Parsi at this time" but declined to rule out future action.
FBI raids Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a voter-registration group
On June 11, 2026, FBI agents raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a nonprofit that runs statewide voter-registration programs, and fanned out across Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati to question current and former staff, serve subpoenas, and seize electronic devices. A board member estimated that more than 100 agents were involved and said investigators alleged voter fraud while presenting no evidence of wrongdoing. The raids came roughly five months before the 2026 midterm elections and drew condemnation from Ohio Democrats and democracy advocates as an attempt to intimidate voter-registration work.
Interior Department severed funding partnership with Cultural Landscape Foundation after it sued over Kennedy Center, criticized ballroom
On June 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior under Secretary Doug Burgum terminated its cooperative agreement with the Cultural Landscape Foundation as part of a broader cut of 43 outside partnerships and more than $4 million in funding. Interior specifically cited the foundation's lawsuit over changes at the Kennedy Center, its criticism of White House ballroom construction, and its "Landslide 2026" initiative tracking threats to historic sites as reasons its partnership no longer aligned with the department's mission.
DOJ charged eight U-Michigan divestment activists with 20-year federal felonies a year after state charges against the movement were dropped
On June 10, 2026, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan unsealed a 63-page indictment charging eight pro-Palestinian activists tied to the University of Michigan divestment movement with conspiracy to transmit a threat, conspiracy to tamper with a witness, and destruction of property to prevent seizure — felonies carrying five to twenty years. The charges, announced alongside FBI raids in Ypsilanti, describe a 2024–2025 intimidation campaign: vandalism and graffiti at the homes of the U-M provost and regents, the placement of fake bloody corpses on a board member's lawn, and the defacing of the Jewish Federation of Detroit. The case followed the collapse of an earlier, separate state prosecution: charges Attorney General Dana Nessel brought against U-M encampment protesters in 2024 were all dropped by May 2025. Civil-rights groups say the federal charges treat political advocacy as terrorism and blur protected speech with criminal conduct.
ICE and HHS agents made unannounced, warrantless visits to three migrant-children legal-aid nonprofits
On June 10 and 11, 2026, agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General made unannounced visits, without a warrant or subpoena, to the Washington, D.C.-area offices of three nonprofit legal-aid organizations serving unaccompanied migrant children — Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Ayuda, and Kids in Need of Defense — demanding financial and billing records tied to their federal legal-services contracts. All three organizations declined to comply absent proper legal process, and their leaders said the visits were part of a broader campaign to intimidate legal-aid providers for immigrant children.
State Department blocked NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani's meeting with Colombia's President Petro
On June 10, 2026, the U.S. State Department intervened to block a planned meeting between New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Colombian President Gustavo Petro during Petro's visit to New York for U.N. events, warning Colombian officials in Bogotá that the meeting would violate the terms of the limited visa under which Petro had been admitted. Colombian delegates interpreted the U.S. statements as a threat that Petro could be arrested if he proceeded, and the meeting was cancelled. A senior State Department official said "a visa is a privilege, not a right"; Petro's U.S. visa had been revoked the previous fall after he criticized U.S. support for Israel and urged American soldiers to refuse President Trump's orders.
The Intercept investigation reveals FBI recruited informants from roughly half of Delaney Hall's ~90 protest arrestees
Following the May 29, 2026 mass arrest of approximately 90 protesters at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, the FBI contacted roughly half the arrestees in subsequent weeks to recruit them as informants on other demonstrators. Agents asked targeted protesters to report on "anybody planning to go to Delaney Hall with not the right intentions." Essex County Public Defender Benjamin Van Meter, representing multiple arrested protesters, filed a formal complaint alleging the FBI contacts violated attorney-client privilege.
404 Media FOIA report reveals ICE plan to give facial recognition app to 1,300+ local police agencies to verify immigration status
On June 5, 2026, 404 Media published an internal DHS document obtained via FOIA revealing ICE's plan to distribute a facial recognition app to more than 1,000 local police agencies deputized under the 287(g) program, enabling officers to scan faces against hundreds of millions of government records to verify immigration status. The app, already in partial use by ICE and CBP, has produced false matches and has been used against American citizens. Follow-up reporting by NPR in June 2026 confirmed that approximately 1,300 agencies had already received access.
Bloomberg investigation revealed DOJ subpoenaed X for an anonymous ICE critic's identity, address, and banking data
On May 28, 2026, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Department of Justice, under U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, had issued a federal grand jury subpoena to X seeking the name, address, and banking information of an anonymous user, represented by attorney Joshua Koltun, over a sarcastic post referencing the ICE officer who shot Minneapolis protester Renee Good. The subpoena followed DOJ's withdrawal of an earlier administrative summons for the same information after Koltun challenged it, and neither DOJ nor the user have been told what crime is under investigation. The user has moved to quash the subpoena in federal court, in a case pending before Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.
Democratic AGs' deputies turned away from Vance's White House anti-fraud roundtable
On May 26, 2026, Vice President JD Vance — who leads the Trump administration's anti-fraud effort — convened a White House roundtable on government-program fraud attended by Republican state attorneys general. Two dozen Democratic attorneys general had declined the invitation, citing less than one business day's notice and no agenda, and instead sent senior deputies; officials representing New York, California, New Jersey, and (per AG Letitia James) Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Nevada said they were turned away at the door. Vance stated on camera that representatives from Connecticut and Oregon were present and that fighting fraud "should not be a partisan effort," even as the excluded Democratic offices held a press conference calling the event a political stunt.
Southern Poverty Law Center moves to dismiss DOJ fraud indictment as vindictive prosecution
On May 26, 2026, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama asking a federal judge to dismiss as vindictive prosecution the 11-count indictment the Justice Department obtained against it in April 2026 on wire-fraud, false-statement, and money-laundering charges. The motion documents a sustained pattern of public hostility from President Trump and senior officials toward the civil-rights group — including Trump branding it "one of the greatest political scams in American History" — and notes the FBI and IRS reviewed the same conduct in 2019-2020 without seeking charges, only for the case to be reopened after SPLC became a frequent target of the administration. The court has not yet ruled on the motion.
DHS directs ICE to pursue immigration attorneys under asylum-fraud authority
On May 26, 2026, DHS General Counsel James Percival issued a memo directing ICE attorneys in the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to develop "anti-fraud policies" for "robust enforcement" of the document-fraud statute (8 U.S.C. § 1324c), stating the effort should include enforcement against immigration attorneys who file false asylum claims. The memo explicitly invoked President Trump's March 2026 directive seeking sanctions against lawyers who bring "frivolous" litigation against the government.
DOJ files its second 2026 antisemitism lawsuit against UCLA
On May 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the University of California for the second time in 2026, alleging UCLA was "deliberately indifferent" to Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestinian encampment protests in spring 2024, in violation of Title VI. The administration had earlier sought more than $1 billion in fines against the university before a federal judge intervened, and several DOJ attorneys have resigned from the underlying investigation, telling reporters the case was "fraudulent," a "sham," and driven by pressure to "find" evidence against UCLA.
Trump DOJ moves to release Biden's private ghostwriter recordings to Heritage Foundation
The Trump Justice Department reversed the prior administration's position and gave notice it will release audio recordings and transcripts of former President Joe Biden's interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer — material gathered during special counsel Robert Hur's classified-documents investigation — to the conservative Heritage Foundation and the House Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2026 unless a court intervenes. Biden sued the Department on May 26, 2026 to block the release, arguing the recordings contain private conversations, including about his late son Beau's death.
Treasury's OFAC opened a Cuba-sanctions inquiry into Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin and dozens of other convoy participants
In late May 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) demanded records from prominent left-wing government critics — Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, and CodePink coordinator Olivia DiNucci among an estimated 40 Americans — over CodePink's March 2026 "Nuestra América Convoy," which delivered medical and humanitarian aid to Cuba. OFAC is probing whether the aid trip violated U.S. Cuba sanctions law. Benjamin publicly confirmed on May 29 that the organization received an OFAC query posing roughly a dozen detailed questions about the trip.
Federal prosecutors drop all charges against Chicago 'Broadview Six' over grand jury misconduct
On May 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois moved in open court to dismiss with prejudice all remaining charges against the "Broadview Six" — protesters criminally charged over a September 2025 demonstration outside the Broadview ICE facility — after his office acknowledged misconduct in the grand jury proceedings that produced the indictment. Defense counsel said the transcripts showed prosecutors improperly vouched for evidence, concealed that an initial grand jury had refused to indict, re-presented the case after excluding grand jurors who disagreed, and redacted transcript pages without telling the court. U.S. District Judge April Perry, who reviewed the transcripts, said she had never in her career seen prosecutorial conduct as bad, and signaled a possible separate hearing on sanctions.
Cromaine District Library Board voted to relocate more than 160 challenged LGBTQ-themed books to its adult section without review
On May 21, 2026, the Cromaine District Library Board of Trustees in Hartland Township, Michigan, voted 4-1 to relocate more than 160 challenged books — most of them LGBTQ-themed — from the children's and teen sections to the adult section, without completing the review its own appeals process required. The board had read only 58 of 218 challenged titles before abandoning the review, after earlier rewriting the library's collection-development policy with assistance from Alliance Defending Freedom and removing the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights protections.
Fayette County schools Superintendent Liggins fabricated a legal threat to intimidate critic, state Rep. Camuel
On May 20, 2026, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Demetrus Liggins slid a legal-threat document he fabricated -- falsely attributed to a Louisville law firm -- under the office door of Kentucky state Rep. Adrielle Camuel, a district employee who had publicly criticized his leadership, and left additional copies at other district office locations in Lexington. The law firm named in the document confirmed it had never represented or communicated with Liggins, and an investigation the district later commissioned concluded Liggins acted in a "calculated effort" to intimidate Camuel. The Fayette County school board placed Liggins on paid leave in June 2026, and he submitted his retirement in August 2026, days before the investigation's findings were released.
Secret Service, Trump White House barred JD Vance critic from Bangor event over her online criticism, lawsuit alleges
On May 14, 2026, armed U.S. Secret Service agents and other officials organizing Vice President JD Vance's public event in Bangor, Maine, identified Amanda McGonigle — creator of the @CatsOnACouch social media accounts that mock Vance — by name in the registration line and denied her entry despite her having registered and received official guest confirmation from the Executive Office of the President. McGonigle sued Secret Service Director Sean Curran, Office of Presidential Advance Director John Hiller, the Executive Office of the President, and the Secret Service, alleging First Amendment retaliation and viewpoint discrimination.
ACLU lawsuit revealed Memphis Safe Task Force retaliated against residents who recorded its agents
On May 13, 2026, the ACLU of Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit, Demster v. Blanche, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on behalf of four Memphis residents, alleging a sustained pattern of retaliation by the multi-agency Memphis Safe Task Force against people who recorded its immigration and law-enforcement operations. The suit documents an October 2025 arrest and 27-hour jailing of one observer on a charge later dismissed, dozens of arrest threats against another observer under Tennessee's proximity "Halo Law," a traffic ticket that was never filed in court, and agents photographing, tailing, and surveilling observers' homes with unmarked vehicles.
HSI conducts pre-dawn home raids on volunteers of Ventura County ICE-watch group VC Defensa
Before dawn on May 13, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed search warrants at the homes of volunteers of VC Defensa, a Ventura County, California immigrant-rights coalition that patrols neighborhoods to alert residents to ICE operations. Agents searched multiple locations, seized electronic devices, and briefly detained at least two volunteers, who were released the same day. The group's attorney called the operation "completely unconstitutional" and an intimidation tactic against protected organizing and said VC Defensa will sue; DHS said the warrants were part of an "ongoing investigation" and cited prior arrests of unnamed members, though no charges have been filed in connection with the searches.
Alabama AG Marshall subpoenaed Southern Poverty Law Center's donor and hate-group records in civil probe
On May 11, 2026, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall opened a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center and issued a civil investigative subpoena demanding the group's donor records, its disbursements to informants, and payment records tied to organizations in its "extremist files" and "hate map," with documents due June 1. Marshall invoked Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the group's pending federal fraud indictment, saying the office had "always suspected that they were monetizing hate." The subpoena's reach into records connected to SPLC's hate-group designations extended state investigative power into the watchdog's advocacy work.
BIA fast-tracked Mahmoud Khalil's deportation case in 9-day 'unprecedented' turnaround
Internal Department of Justice case-tracking documents obtained by The New York Times and reported publicly on May 11, 2026 reveal that the Board of Immigration Appeals — an appellate body housed within the DOJ — fast-tracked the deportation case of Palestinian Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil along a procedural track that a former BIA member called "unprecedented." Per the internal documents, the case was flagged high-priority before the board officially received it; a staff note instructed handling Khalil's case as if he were still in detention even though he had been released several days earlier; the BIA's April 9, 2026 decision authorizing Khalil's deportation came just nine days after paperwork was submitted; and at least three judges recused themselves from the proceedings.
Hegseth calls for second Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly over weapons-stockpile remarks
On Sunday, May 10, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly called for a second Pentagon investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) over Kelly's comments on CBS' "Face the Nation" about depleted U.S. munitions stockpiles amid the Iran war, posting that the Pentagon's legal counsel would review whether Kelly had "violate[d] his oath." Kelly, a retired Navy captain who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, responded that the substance of his remarks was not classified and pointed to Hegseth's own prior public testimony about the same stockpile-depletion timeline. The referral came days after a D.C. Circuit panel appeared poised to reject Hegseth's first effort to punish Kelly — an administrative action to reduce Kelly's retired military rank over a November video urging service members to refuse illegal orders.
CNN reveals DOJ shakeup of Brennan probe: career prosecutors warned case was too weak, told 'that's not good enough'
On May 8, 2026, CNN published an investigation detailing how the Justice Department restructured the criminal probe of former CIA Director John Brennan after career prosecutors told leadership the evidence did not support charges. At a Washington meeting earlier in 2026 attended by Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, lead prosecutor Maria Medetis Long told acting Deputy Attorney General Colin McDonald and his top deputy Trent McCotter the case against Brennan was too weak to bring; the reply, per two people briefed on the meeting, was "that's not good enough." Medetis Long was removed days later. CNN reports that with Trump ally Joe diGenova installed in Fort Pierce, Florida, the investigation has been "essentially reset" into a broader conspiracy probe, more than 150 subpoenas have been issued, and another round of subpoenas targeting officials close to Brennan is expected. CBS News corroborates that DOJ veterans fear the probe is being staffed with Trump loyalists.
The National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 UC Berkeley research grants over a disputed foreign-funding claim despite a court injunction
In early May 2026, the National Science Foundation suspended at least 18 active research grants held by University of California, Berkeley scientists, citing unspecified "foreign funding" concerns that affected researchers say do not apply to their projects. The suspensions were imposed despite a standing court injunction restricting such actions, and at least one grant had been canceled by NSF and restored by a court before being suspended again. Berkeley researchers, who have brought a class-action challenge, said they were given almost no information about what NSF considered problematic.
BIA reinstates deportation proceedings against Columbia activist Mohsen Mahdawi
The Board of Immigration Appeals reinstated removal proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian lawful permanent resident and Columbia University student activist, overturning an immigration judge's February dismissal of the case. The government had pursued Mahdawi's deportation under a rarely used foreign-policy provision invoked by the Secretary of State, after he was detained in 2025 over his pro-Palestinian advocacy and released by a federal court without being charged with any crime.
DOJ Civil Rights Division opened investigation into elected Fairfax prosecutor over immigrant-defendant policies
On May 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division opened a formal investigation into Fairfax County, Virginia, Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, an elected Democratic prosecutor, over his office's charging, plea-bargaining, and sentencing policies toward immigrant defendants. The Division said it would examine whether the office gave immigrant defendants preferential treatment in violation of federal civil-rights law. The probe was announced about a week before Descano's scheduled congressional testimony.
VA investigated employees who attended vigils for slain colleague Alex Pretti and spoke to the press
CNN reported on May 5, 2026 that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs opened internal investigations into employees who attended vigils for Alex Pretti — a VA nurse killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January 2026 — and who spoke to the news media about him. Becky Halioua, a recreational therapist and union leader at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, was investigated for giving a media interview without prior approval; investigators emailed her news photographs of herself at the January 28 vigil with her face circled and labeled. At least three other VA employees were investigated over press contacts, and unions called the probes a "scare tactic" to silence outspoken staff.
EEOC sued The New York Times, alleging its DEI practices discriminated against a white male employee
On May 5, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against The New York Times, alleging the newspaper discriminated against a white male employee passed over for promotion as part of its diversity practices. EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas publicly framed the case as challenging DEI "on behalf of white workers" and as a reorientation of civil-rights enforcement. The action deployed federal legal power against a news organization the administration regularly criticizes.
State Department revokes U.S. visas of five La Nación board members in apparent retaliation
The U.S. State Department revoked the U.S. tourist visas of five of the seven board members of La Nación, Costa Rica's leading watchdog newspaper, in what the paper and press-freedom groups describe as retaliation for its critical editorial line. The board members received no formal notice or explanation — the department cited visa-record confidentiality — and reportedly first learned of the revocations through pro-government Costa Rican media. The move followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Costa Rica and the paper's scrutiny of President Rodrigo Chaves, a Trump ally.
Federal grand jury indicts ex-FBI Director James Comey a second time over '86 47' post
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted former FBI Director James Comey on April 28, 2026, on two counts arising from a May 2025 Instagram post of seashells arranged to read "86 47," which the Justice Department casts as a death threat against President Trump. The charges follow the 2025 collapse of an earlier DOJ case against Comey and the dismissal weeks earlier of Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump faulted for not pursuing his agenda aggressively enough.
DHS training tells USCIS officers to weigh flag-burning, criticism of Israel, and pro-Palestinian protest against green-card applicants
On April 25, 2026, The New York Times reported the existence of internal Department of Homeland Security training materials — not previously published by DHS or USCIS — instructing officers to treat protected political speech as a discretionary negative factor in green-card and other immigration-benefit adjudications. The training names flag-burning, criticism of the state of Israel, and pro-Palestinian campus protest activity as triggers, and directs officers to escalate cases involving "potential anti-American and/or antisemitic conduct or ideology" to USCIS managers and the agency's general counsel's office.
Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman Jacqueline Smith after columns criticizing its restrictions on the newspaper
On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense notified Jacqueline Smith — the congressionally mandated ombudsman charged with protecting the editorial independence of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes — that she was being removed, effective April 28, without stated cause. Smith had spent months criticizing Pentagon moves to control the paper's content, including an April 8 column opposing the cancellation of comics and new editorial restrictions. She said the firing came six days after House members sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter defending the paper's independence.
Georgia Attorney General's office indicted three Stop Cop City activists 47 months after a 2022 protest
On April 23, 2026, prosecutors in Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office obtained a Cobb County grand jury indictment against three Stop Cop City activists known as the 'Cobb County 3' over conduct from a May 2022 protest, 47 months earlier. In court, prosecutors acknowledged they pursued the Cobb County charges only after Carr's Fulton County racketeering case over the same conduct was dismissed in December 2025.
FBI opened inquiry into NYT reporter Elizabeth Williamson over her story on Director Patel's girlfriend
The New York Times reported on April 22, 2026, that FBI agents searched bureau databases for information on Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson and recommended opening a preliminary investigation into whether her February 28 reporting on FBI Director Kash Patel's decision to provide his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins with round-the-clock SWAT-team security amounted to federal stalking. Justice Department officials ended the inquiry after determining there was no legal basis to proceed and over concerns it was retaliatory. The FBI denied that Williamson was "personally investigated" but confirmed agents had queried databases and interviewed Wilkins about her, framing the work as victim-interview activity tied to a separate death-threat case.
DOJ indicts Southern Poverty Law Center on 11 counts of fraud over $3M informant payments
On April 21, 2026, a federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama returned an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, charging the 55-year-old civil-rights organization with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering over a covert program in which the SPLC says it paid confidential sources to infiltrate violent extremist groups. The indictment came after the FBI under Director Kash Patel had severed its long-running relationship with the SPLC, and amid publicly expressed presidential pressure on the Justice Department to pursue prosecutions of political opponents. SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair said the organization was "targeted" by the administration and that its informant work "saved lives."
ICE detains Iranian Ph.D. student Yousof Azizi and moves to deport him after BBC Persian commentary on U.S.–Iran war
Federal immigration agents detained Yousof Azizi, a 40-year-old Iranian Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech, outside his Germantown, Maryland home on April 13, 2026, and the Trump administration is moving to deport him. ICE has transferred him through facilities in Louisiana, Texas, and Arizona; his wife, his lawyers, and CAIR say the action is retaliation for his Persian-language media commentary on the U.S. war on Iran, while DHS says he misstated prior involvement with Iran's Student Basij Organization on his visa application and that his student visa was terminated after he failed to re-enroll at Virginia Tech for Fall 2025.
Kansas Legislature overrode veto to enact 25-foot police buffer law and expanded local ICE detention authority
On April 10, 2026, the Kansas Legislature voted to override Gov. Laura Kelly's veto and enact House Bill 2372, the "Halo Act," making it a misdemeanor to come within 25 feet of a law enforcement or first-responder officer performing official duties. Senate President Ty Masterson said the buffer would protect officers and bystanders, while critics including the Kansas Press Association warned the vague standard would be used to obstruct journalists and bystanders from documenting police and ICE conduct.
ICE acting director confirmed to Congress the agency uses Paragon's Graphite spyware without disclosing permitted domestic targets or legal basis
In a letter dated April 1, 2026, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons informed three House Oversight Committee members that Homeland Security Investigations is using Graphite, a zero-click spyware made by Israeli company Paragon Solutions capable of accessing encrypted messages without user interaction. The letter, a belated response to an October 2025 inquiry, did not specify who could be targeted domestically or the legal basis for the tool's use inside the United States. Civil-liberties groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and EPIC warned the tool could be deployed against protesters and journalists, not only the fentanyl traffickers cited as the primary justification.
Activist Malik Muhammad vanishes from Oregon custody records, transferred to South Carolina
Malik Muhammad — an Army veteran and activist serving the longest federal sentence of any 2020 Black Lives Matter protester — disappeared from Oregon's inmate-tracking system for weeks in spring 2026 before supporters learned they had been transferred roughly 3,000 miles to Kirkland Correctional Institution in South Carolina, a facility designated a "confidential location." In mid-May, South Carolina's prison system told The Intercept it had no record of anyone named Malik Muhammad in its custody, and Muhammad's Oregon-based attorney has been unable to communicate with them in a privileged manner since the transfer. Muhammad's attorney characterizes the interstate transfer as retaliation for helping other incarcerated people pursue a class-action suit over Oregon's use of solitary confinement; Oregon flatly denies the transfer was retaliatory.
U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed Reddit via secret D.C. grand jury to unmask anti-ICE critic
On March 31, 2026, the Department of Justice ordered Reddit to appear before a secret federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., by April 14 and hand over the name, address, phone number, IP address, and other identifying data of an anonymous user who had criticized ICE in posts. The subpoena came four days after DOJ withdrew a separate administrative summons seeking the same information, which the user's attorneys had moved to quash in federal court in California.
ICE detains Milwaukee Islamic Society president Salah Sarsour over decades-old West Bank record
Roughly a dozen ICE vehicles surrounded Salah Sarsour — a lawful permanent resident of more than 30 years and five-year board president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest Islamic organization — on Milwaukee's south side, where by his family's account a plainclothes officer pointed a gun at him before identifying the arrest as immigration custody. He was moved to the Broadview Detention Center in Illinois and then to a county jail in Indiana, and DHS publicly branded him a "terrorist" and an "illegal alien from Jordan," resting on an Israeli military-court conviction from his teenage years that his counsel says the government knew about when it admitted him in 1993. His attorneys say the government is also invoking the foreign-policy-threat ground used against Mahmoud Khalil and that the case is retaliation for his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
Rutherford County, TN library board fired director who refused to move 100+ LGBTQ books from children's section
On March 30, 2026, the Rutherford County Library Board in Murfreesboro, Tennessee voted 8-3 to fire library system director Luanne James for refusing to comply with the board's March 16 vote to relocate more than 100 LGBTQ-themed books from the children's section to the adult section of county libraries. James had stated that moving the books would violate First Amendment protections and her professional obligation against government-mandated viewpoint discrimination.
DHS agent's less-lethal projectile destroyed USC student's eye as he documented Los Angeles 'No Kings' protest
On March 28, 2026, a Department of Homeland Security agent fired a less-lethal projectile that struck USC freshman Tucker Collins in his right eye as he documented a "No Kings" protest outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. The projectile destroyed his eyeball and fractured the bones in his eye socket; doctors surgically removed his eye. Collins, who was photographing the protest from behind a barrier and separated from agents, said he heard no warnings before the shot; DHS maintained that seven warnings were issued before crowd-control measures were deployed.
FCC Chair Carr boasts at CPAC that Trump is 'winning' against the 'fake news media'
At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas on March 27, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr declared that President Trump "is winning" his fight against the "fake news media," citing the defunding of PBS and NPR, the departures of named journalists and hosts, and ownership changes at CBS and CNN as "results." Carr added the administration was "not at the point yet" of "raising the mission accomplished flag," a week after he had warned broadcasters they would "lose their licenses" over Iran War coverage he called "hoaxes and news distortions."
Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals against NY AG Letitia James after prior indictment was dismissed and two grand juries declined
On March 25, 2026, HUD Secretary and FHFA Director Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals to the DOJ targeting New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging suspected homeowners insurance fraud tied to insurance applications in Florida and Illinois. The referrals were routed to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois — different venues from earlier referrals that produced an indictment a court dismissed and two successive grand jury declines. James's attorneys characterized the action as part of a continuing "revenge campaign" by officials "frustrated by repeated failures, where judges and grand juries have rejected their attempts."
University of North Texas staff dismantled student protest art installation and power-washed chalk messages at CVAD Gallery
On the morning of March 24, 2026, University of North Texas facilities staff, directed by university technician Jonathan Figueroa and acting on instructions from the university's lawyers, dismantled and discarded a student-organized outdoor protest art installation outside the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas. The memorial, curated by the student group NOISE, had stood for nearly a month in response to UNT's February 2026 removal of artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibition. Staff also power-washed sidewalk chalk messages from walkways where the university's own policy explicitly permits chalking.
USAGM leadership directed Voice of America to publish White House talking points as news, journalists' lawsuit alleged
On March 23, 2026, Voice of America journalists and press-freedom groups sued the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake, and acting CEO Michael Rigas, alleging USAGM leadership directed VOA to publish White House talking points nearly verbatim as news and suppress disfavored coverage, including reporting on the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The suit alleges this compelled propaganda violates the statutory firewall protecting VOA's editorial independence and the First Amendment.
Trump White House declassified closed FBI file on Rep. Swalwell during his gubernatorial campaign
On March 23, 2026, the Trump White House declassified a decade-old, closed FBI investigative file on then-Rep. Eric Swalwell's past association with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine Fang, months before California's June 2026 gubernatorial primary in which Swalwell was a leading Democratic candidate. FBI Director Kash Patel had pushed for the file's release even though the bureau's own 2017 review found no corruption violations by Swalwell. Swalwell's attorneys sent Patel a cease-and-desist letter warning the release would violate federal privacy law and the Justice Department's norm against election-season investigatory action targeting a candidate.
NPR investigation revealed ICE collected DNA samples from protesters arrested at immigration enforcement operations without related charges
An NPR investigation published March 18, 2026 documented six people arrested by federal immigration officers in Minnesota, Illinois, and Oregon while observing or protesting ICE operations who were then subjected to DNA cheek swabs despite facing no charges tied to their protest conduct. In the lead case, ICE officers tackled and detained a Minneapolis protest observer, identified only as Ben, for roughly three hours in late January 2026 before swabbing him, leaving him with three broken ribs. DHS told NPR federal law requires DNA collection from those arrested or facing charges, but legal scholars said applying that authority to civil-immigration protest arrests is constitutionally doubtful.
FCC Chair Carr threatens broadcasters' licenses over Iran war coverage
On Saturday, March 14, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly warned that television broadcasters "running hoaxes and news distortions" about the war in Iran could "lose their licenses," telling them to "correct course before their license renewals come up." Carr issued the threat while amplifying a Truth Social post by President Trump attacking war coverage by outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Media-law experts and lawmakers called the threat from the nation's chief broadcast regulator "authoritarian" and "unconstitutional."
Monroe County, Tenn. deputies arrested Facebook community-page operator Emma Berger over posting a public warrant
Monroe County, Tennessee sheriff's deputies arrested Emma Berger, who runs an 8,000-member community Facebook page, on a felony identity-theft charge on March 13, 2026, after she posted a publicly-filed arrest warrant that briefly contained unredacted personal information before she removed and re-posted a redacted version. District Attorney Stephen Hatchett dismissed the charge on March 23, 2026, calling it "legally flawed" and confirming his own office had originally supplied the warrant; Berger has sued Sheriff Tommy Jones alleging false arrest and a First Amendment violation.
Loudermilk and Jordan referred Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson to DOJ for potential prosecution over her testimony against Trump
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, joined by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, filed a criminal referral of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson with the Justice Department, CNN reported on March 6, 2026, accusing her of lying to Congress in her June 2022 testimony about President Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021. Hutchinson had testified as the January 6 select committee's star witness that Trump knew of the potential for violence that day and pressed ahead with urging supporters toward the Capitol anyway, and separately described hearing secondhand that he tried to grab the steering wheel of his presidential vehicle after being told he could not join the crowd. The referral asks DOJ to consider criminal charges against her over that testimony.
Pentagon brands Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' in retaliation for refusing unrestricted military use of its AI models
On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Defense formally notified Anthropic that the company and its products were designated a "supply chain risk," effective immediately — a label normally reserved for firms tied to foreign adversaries and reportedly the first publicly applied to an American company. The designation, which bars defense contractors from using Anthropic's technology, followed the breakdown of contract talks: the Pentagon demanded access to Anthropic's Claude models "for all lawful purposes," while the company's acceptable-use policy barred their use for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance of Americans. After Anthropic refused to drop those limits, President Trump on February 27 ordered agencies and contractors to halt business with the company and called its stance a "disastrous mistake," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tied the designation directly to the firm's refusal to comply — even as the military continued using Claude to support intelligence and targeting work.
Pentagon formally designated Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after AI-guardrails dispute
On March 5, 2026, the Department of Defense formally notified Anthropic that the company and its products were designated a "supply chain risk," a label normally reserved for foreign adversaries, after Anthropic refused to drop acceptable-use limits barring its Claude models from mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. The Pentagon, which gave the military up to six months to phase out the technology, framed the move as ensuring it could use the tools "for all lawful purposes"; Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called the action "retaliatory and punitive" and said the company would challenge it in court. The designation came even as the U.S. military was reportedly using Claude to support its operations in the Iran campaign.
ICE conducts targeted, warrantless arrest of Nashville journalist Estefany Rodríguez
On March 4, 2026, ICE agents carried out a targeted, warrantless arrest of Estefany Rodríguez, the lead immigration reporter for Nashville's Spanish-language outlet Nashville Noticias, one day after she published a widely viewed video showing the identifiable faces of agents conducting a Middle Tennessee operation. Officers were found to have a photo of her logo-marked car and repeatedly identified her in custody as "the journalist"; she was held in isolation, transferred out of state to Alabama and Louisiana, and kept from her attorney from March 4 to March 14 before her release on $10,000 bond on March 19. A federal court ordered ICE to justify the arrest, and government attorneys argued that First Amendment protections "may not even be applicable to an illegal alien."
Mohave County supervisors rejected 36 library books, bypassing formal review to target LGBTQ+ content
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on March 2, 2026 to reject a slate of already-cataloged donated library books, objected to by Supervisor Ron Gould primarily for LGBTQ+ content, by invoking the board's authority over donations rather than the library district's established formal reconsideration process. Library Director Jake Barillaro confirmed that process was not used; because the books were reclassified as rejected donations, 36 physical books across 20 titles were removed from county library collections, more than the 13 the public was told about at the meeting.
Trump orders federal agencies and contractors to cut off Anthropic over its AI-use limits
On February 27, 2026, President Trump ordered federal agencies and military contractors to halt business with the AI company Anthropic, giving the government roughly six months to phase out its products. The order followed the breakdown of Pentagon contract talks: the department sought access to Anthropic's Claude models "for all lawful purposes," while the company's acceptable-use policy barred their use for fully autonomous weapons and the mass domestic surveillance of Americans. Announcing the move on Truth Social, Trump called the company's refusal a "disastrous mistake," opening a retaliation campaign that culminated in the March 5 "supply chain risk" designation.
Hegseth cancels 93 military fellowships at elite universities, bars officers from attending
In a memo signed February 27, 2026 — "Aligning Senior Service College Opportunities With American Values" — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the cancellation of about 93 Pentagon-funded Senior Service College fellowships at roughly 22 civilian universities, including Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown, MIT, and Georgetown, effective the 2026–27 academic year. He barred the military from sending active-duty officers to graduate programs at the named schools, declaring in a same-day video that elite institutions had become "factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain." Officers already enrolled were permitted to finish their coursework.
DOJ charges 30 more over anti-ICE Minnesota church protest, bringing total to 39 defendants
On February 27, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota charging 30 additional people — bringing the total to 39 — over the January 18 anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul. All 39 are charged under place-of-worship civil-rights statutes, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, with conspiring to interfere with and interfering with the free exercise of religion; the defendants include independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who say they were covering the protest as reporters. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 25 of the 30 newly charged had been arrested, even though a magistrate judge had earlier found no probable cause to arrest several defendants, including the journalists.
Isle of Wight County, Va., school board members pressured superintendent to suppress anti-ICE student walkout
In the hours before a Feb. 27, 2026 student-led anti-ICE walkout at Smithfield High School in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, School Board Chairman John Collick and board members Brandi Perkins and Mark Wooster pressured Superintendent Theo Cramer to invoke facially neutral conduct and political-activity policies to stop the protest and discipline any participating student or staff member. Collick, invoking his authority as chairman, directed Cramer to "do everything you can do to prevent a walkout" and posted a public Facebook statement urging parents to keep their children from participating. Roughly 150 of Smithfield High's 1,300 students walked out during a non-instructional period without incident, and the school ultimately took no disciplinary action against students or staff.
Federal Protective Service cited immigrant-accompaniment volunteers for loitering in San Diego federal building
On February 26, 2026, Federal Protective Service officers cited volunteer Patrick Corrigan and at least three others for "loitering" in a hallway outside the ICE check-in office at San Diego's Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, where FAITH program volunteers had accompanied immigrants to check-ins and court hearings for about a year without incident. FPS said the underlying no-loitering regulation dated to November 2025, but volunteers said the enforcement itself was new.
Miami prosecutor expands 'grand conspiracy' probe of Trump's investigators to 2016 Russia inquiry
On February 26, 2026, The New York Times reported that Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, had expanded a criminal "grand conspiracy" inquiry into former law-enforcement and intelligence officials who investigated Donald Trump, with subpoenas issued in recent weeks now reaching the FBI's 2016 investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia and FBI interviews probing the 2020 false-electors case. The expansion built on subpoenas the Miami office issued in November 2025 — which went to figures including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page — and a broadened late-January 2026 round seeking documents about the January 2017 intelligence-community assessment on Russian election interference. The Times noted there is no evidence the separate inquiries were a single plot, and that tying the Washington-based Russia and false-electors matters to the Florida classified-documents case lets prosecutors use a Miami grand jury drawn from a less Democratic jury pool.
Trump administration halts $259.5M in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota
On February 25, 2026, Vice President JD Vance announced that the Trump administration would temporarily halt $259.5 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud in the state's social programs and giving the state 60 days to overhaul its systems. Vance said Minnesota — where roughly 1.3 million residents rely on Medicaid — was the first of several states the administration expected to target this way. Minnesota sued, with Attorney General Keith Ellison arguing the withholding violates Fifth Amendment due process and the Administrative Procedure Act's bar on arbitrary and capricious agency action.
Rep. Omar's silent State of the Union guest forcibly removed, injured, and charged
During President Trump's State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, Aliya Rahman — a Minneapolis software engineer attending as Rep. Ilhan Omar's invited guest — stood silently in the House gallery and was forcibly removed by U.S. Capitol Police after declining to sit. Rahman, who had disclosed injured shoulders and is autistic with a traumatic brain injury, was aggressively handled, required treatment at George Washington University Hospital, and was booked and charged with "Unlawful Conduct," a misdemeanor carrying up to six months. Rep. Omar condemned the response as a heavy-handed, chilling reaction to peaceful expression and demanded a full explanation.
DOJ sues UCLA over antisemitism, escalating a pressure campaign nine of its own career attorneys resigned over
On February 24, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sued the University of California under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, alleging UCLA maintained an antisemitic "hostile work environment" for Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff. The suit was the latest step in a federal pressure campaign rooted in UCLA's tolerance of a 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment: the administration had already suspended $584 million in UC research grants and sought a $1.2 billion fine, which a federal judge blocked in November 2025 as unconstitutional. Nine career Justice Department attorneys assigned to the underlying antisemitism investigation had resigned, describing pressure to reach a preordained conclusion on a 30-day timetable. It was the first of two 2026 DOJ antisemitism suits against the university.
DHS and ICE barred clergy from providing pastoral care to detainees at Minneapolis's Whipple building during Metro Surge
Since Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025, Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis systematically barred clergy from providing pastoral care to immigration detainees, citing shifting "security" and "safety" justifications with no written policy. Documented incidents include Father Christopher Collins being blocked from praying with a detained woman in December 2025 and a reverend being denied entry on Ash Wednesday 2026 while attempting to administer ashes to detainees. The pattern was publicly disclosed in detail on February 23, 2026, when the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ, and Father Collins sued DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, alleging First Amendment and Religious Freedom Restoration Act violations.
Trump threatened Netflix with "consequences" unless it fired board member Susan Rice amid pending Warner Bros. deal
On February 21, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Netflix should immediately fire board member Susan Rice or "pay the consequences," after Rice said on a podcast that corporations that acquiesce to Trump would be "held accountable" once Democrats regain power. Trump did not specify the consequences, but the threat came while Netflix's proposed $82 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery awaited Justice Department antitrust review — leverage Trump had referenced before regarding the deal.
ICE agents tracked Minnesota protesters to their homes, ACLU court filings revealed
Nearly 100 sworn statements filed February 13, 2026 in an ACLU-led civil case over Minnesota's "Operation Metro Surge" immigration deployment describe more than a dozen instances of federal agents identifying protest-monitors' home addresses, apparently via license-plate tracking, and showing up there -- most without an individually established date. One monitor, Daniel Woo, said an ICE-linked SUV he had tracked later drove to and parked in front of his home. DHS said the agency does not use force against peaceful protesters or stop cars without reasonable suspicion, and did not address the specific incidents.
UT Knoxville Chancellor fired assistant professor Tamar Shirinian for Facebook post criticizing Charlie Kirk
On February 11, 2026, University of Tennessee Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman terminated anthropology assistant professor Tamar Shirinian, citing "misconduct" over Facebook comments she made about Charlie Kirk following his assassination in September 2025. Shirinian had written on a friend's private Facebook page that Kirk's children were "better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him." Despite Shirinian's subsequent apology, Chancellor Plowman signed the termination letter in February after a months-long administrative investigation launched by UT System President Randy Boyd.
DOJ sought grand jury indictment of six lawmakers over anti-illegal-orders video; grand jury rejected the case
On February 10, 2026, attorneys from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, presented a criminal case to a federal grand jury seeking to indict six Democratic members of Congress — Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan — over a November 2025 social media video reminding military and intelligence personnel of their duty to refuse illegal orders. The grand jury declined to find probable cause, rejecting the indictment; no career federal prosecutors were involved in bringing the case. The attempt followed President Trump's public accusations that the lawmakers had committed "seditious" acts "punishable by death," and came about two months after an FBI counterterrorism inquiry into the same six lawmakers over the same video.
University of North Texas administrators removed artist's ICE-critical exhibit to avoid Texas legislature backlash
University of North Texas President Harrison Keller and then-Provost Michael McPherson had artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibition "Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá" removed from the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas, around February 9-11, 2026, days after it opened February 3. Leaked text messages show McPherson said removing the show would make it "easier to manage any barking from our friends in Austin," a reference to the Texas legislature, even though UNT's own art policy bars viewpoint-based censorship.
Trump excluded Govs. Polis and Moore from bipartisan White House governors' meeting and dinner over their criticism
On February 6, 2026, President Trump restricted that month's White House working meeting of the National Governors Association to Republican governors only, and personally blocked Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore from the traditionally bipartisan black-tie dinner held alongside it. Other Democratic governors who have also criticized Trump, including California's Gavin Newsom and Illinois' JB Pritzker, remained invited to the dinner. NGA leadership said it would not treat the restricted meeting as an official NGA event, calling it a break from decades of bipartisan tradition.
Pentagon cuts ties with Harvard, ending military training and fellowships
On February 6, 2026, the Department of War (Pentagon) announced it would sever academic ties with Harvard University, ending Pentagon-funded graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs connected to the school beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Harvard "no longer meets the needs of the War Department," faulting officers who returned "looking too much like Harvard — heads full of globalist and radical ideologies," and a Pentagon account posted on X that "Harvard is woke; The War Department is not." The Pentagon described the cut as the first in a broader review of elite universities, with officers already enrolled allowed to finish their coursework.
FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force visited former Extinction Rebellion NYC member's upstate New York home under NSPM-7 directive
On February 6, 2026, two special agents from the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force visited the upstate New York home of a former Extinction Rebellion NYC member to question him about the group, following a phone contact the prior month. The visit came after President Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 directed federal Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate groups and individuals linked to "anti-fascism," "anti-capitalism," and similar political activity. The FBI's New York field office would not confirm or deny an investigation, citing standing Justice Department policy.
Mustang, Oklahoma school district suspended 122 students for ICE-protest walkout, harsher than peer districts' response
On Feb. 5, 2026, Mustang Public Schools in Oklahoma gave in-school suspensions to 122 students who participated in a walkout protesting ICE's mass-deportation enforcement, imposing the harshest of the truancy penalties its discipline manual allows rather than the lighter options the same policy also permits. Gov. Kevin Stitt publicly praised Superintendent Charles Bradley by name for the suspensions, and Republican state lawmakers separately pushed for participating students' teachers to lose their licenses, though state and district review found no evidence school staff organized the protest. Other Oklahoma districts responding to the same wave of ICE-protest walkouts imposed markedly lighter discipline — marking absences or issuing warnings rather than suspension.
Washington Post investigation revealed DHS subpoenaed Google to unmask a critic hours after his email to a DHS official
A Washington Post investigation published February 3, 2026, revealed that the Department of Homeland Security has used administrative subpoenas -- issued without a judge's or grand jury's order -- to identify private citizens who criticize the agency, centering on a Philadelphia-area retiree who emailed a DHS attorney urging leniency for an Afghan asylum seeker. Four hours after the email, DHS subpoenaed Google for the man's account information, and DHS agents later visited his home to question him about it. The ACLU moved to quash the subpoena, and DHS withdrew it in early February 2026.
UT Austin's presidential committee denied tenure to border-surveillance scholar Iván Chaar López despite unanimous faculty approval
In February 2026, the University of Texas at Austin's presidential Promotion and Tenure Committee denied tenure to historian Iván Chaar López despite a unanimous recommendation from his department (7-0), external reviewers (8-0), and his college's tenure committee (19-2), offering no stated academic reason. The denial followed the UT System Board of Regents' adoption of a "controversial topics" classroom-speech policy and the elimination of several interdisciplinary departments, including ethnic and gender studies. No source discloses the exact day of the February decision; the date recorded here is a placeholder for the month.
CBP agents smashed a livestreaming bystander's car window and detained her for hours at an El Monte, California gas station
On January 30, 2026, federal agents responding to a Customs and Border Protection call surrounded U.S. citizen Maria Santay's car at a gas station in El Monte, California, and broke her window with a hammer while she livestreamed the encounter on Instagram and cried out that she was a citizen. Agents then drove her roughly 40 miles round trip to Santa Ana and back before releasing her from custody that evening; Santay says she was denied a restroom and made to urinate in handcuffs in a parking lot before her release.
FBI opens criminal probe of Minneapolis anti-ICE activists' Signal chats
On Monday, January 26, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau had opened a criminal investigation into encrypted Signal group chats used by Minneapolis anti-ICE activists to share descriptions and license plates of suspected immigration-enforcement vehicles. Patel disclosed the probe in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, saying it was prompted by a viral X thread from influencer Cam Higby, who claimed to have "infiltrated" the chats, and that the FBI was examining whether the activity crossed legal thresholds such as "doxxing" agents. Free-speech advocates noted that observing and documenting on-duty law enforcement is generally lawful and warned the investigation could chill protected organizing.
ICE-linked SUV accelerated at a Minnesota protest monitor before agents shouted her home address at her
Emily Beltz, 44, said that on January 26, 2026, an SUV she had been following near her Minneapolis-suburb apartment building -- after apparently identifying her home through license-plate tracking -- "suddenly turned and sped at" her car before braking hard at the last moment, while a masked agent inside shouted her home address at her. Beltz's account, along with nearly 100 other sworn statements describing federal agents in Minnesota's "Operation Metro Surge" immigration deployment identifying protest-monitors' home addresses, was later filed February 13, 2026 in an ACLU-led civil case, Tincher v. Noem.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock scrubbed two race-focused history lectures from its website citing state law
Arkansas Times reporting published January 24, 2026 revealed that University of Arkansas at Little Rock administrators had pressured organizers of its "Evenings with History" lecture series to retitle or add disclaimer language to two lectures on race and history, citing the state's 2025 ACCESS Act, and had the events' announcements removed from the university's website after a history professor refused to make the changes. Rather than accept the administration's requested edits, UALR's history department voted to withdraw from the two lectures entirely, and the university said only that it was reviewing its participation in the series for compliance with the law.
Intercept investigation revealed ICE database marked protest observers as domestic terrorists; DHS revoked travel credentials in retaliation
A January 23, 2026 video captured an ICE agent recording a protest observer and stating, "we have a nice little database, and now you're considered a domestic terrorist," the first documented evidence of a DHS/ICE/CBP database labeling lawful protest observers as terrorists and revoking their TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and passport access. The Intercept filed a FOIA lawsuit against DHS on June 24, 2026 after the agency refused to produce documents about the program, with court exhibits from a Minnesota immigration case corroborating the database's use and at least one civilian losing travel credentials within three days of photographing an ICE operation.
ICE removed all detainees from Cumberland County Jail and DHS canceled its housing contract hours after sheriff criticized ICE's tactics
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed all roughly 50 federal detainees from the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine, on January 22, 2026, and the Department of Homeland Security formally canceled the jail's detainee-housing contract the next day, hours after Sheriff Kevin Joyce publicly criticized ICE's arrest of a county corrections officer as "bush league." ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said on the record that the cancellation followed Joyce "criticizing those who actually protect our communities," and in the same rushed transfer ICE moved detainees in violation of standing federal court orders, prompting two judges to order several immediate releases.
DOJ and FBI arrest anti-ICE church-protest organizers under FACE Act and conspiracy statute
On January 22, 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced federal charges against Minneapolis civil-rights organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong, St. Paul school-board member Chauntyll Allen, and others over a January 18 anti-ICE demonstration inside Cities Church in St. Paul, where one pastor also directs the local ICE field office. The activists were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and 18 U.S.C. § 241 (conspiracy against rights); Levy Armstrong was processed and released the same day after a federal magistrate found insufficient evidence to detain her. These were the first arrests in a prosecution that a February 27 superseding indictment would expand to 39 defendants.
Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to compile detailed federal-funding data on 14 Democratic-led states and D.C.
On January 20, 2026, the White House Office of Management and Budget, led by Director Russell Vought, directed nearly every federal agency to compile detailed spending data — grants, loans, contracts, subcontracts, and other awards — for 13 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., later expanded to include a 14th state. OMB's memo described the review as a "data-gathering exercise" that "does not involve withholding funds," framing NOTUS reported was written specifically to avoid conflicting with a federal judge's ruling days earlier that targeting Democratic states for funding cuts violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Top DOJ prosecutor in LA urged the public to feed false information to immigrant-rights hotlines
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California posted on X on January 18, 2026 that the public has a "First Amendment right" to call immigrant-rights hotlines and "provide inaccurate information," then shared a screenshot identifying specific rapid-response hotlines run by CHIRLA, ÓRALE, and Immigrant Defenders Law Center. The post came in response to Rep. Jimmy Gomez alerting constituents to federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles's Fashion District, and one of the named organizations told reporters it was already experiencing an increase in "crank calls."
DOJ opens criminal investigation into Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey over their anti-ICE statements
On January 16, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge, the roughly 3,000-agent ICE and Border Patrol deployment to the Twin Cities. Sources told CBS News the inquiry rests on 18 U.S.C. Section 372 and stems from the officials' public criticism of the operation, which had intensified after an ICE agent killed Minnesota resident Renee Good on January 7. Subpoenas to Walz, Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison, the St. Paul mayor's office, and two counties followed the next week.
CBS News report revealed DOJ immigration court locked out independent observers at Minneapolis's Whipple building
CBS News Minnesota reported on January 14, 2026 that immigration court officials at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis had locked courtroom doors, denied or severely restricted independent observers' access, and stripped names and complete case numbers from case records — a pattern the advocacy group The Advocates for Human Rights said has continued since early 2025. DOJ's own published policy states immigration courts are open to the public except when a judge grants a motion to close a hearing or limit attendance; no such motion or other government justification for the restrictions was reported.
Slotkin revealed Pirro's office sought interviews with Democratic lawmakers over anti-illegal-orders video
Sen. Elissa Slotkin revealed on January 14, 2026 that Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, had asked to interview her the previous week about a November 2025 video in which she and five other Democratic members of Congress reminded U.S. troops of their duty to refuse illegal orders. Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan confirmed to reporters that they received similar interview requests from Pirro's office. The requests followed a November 2025 FBI counterterrorism interview request over the same video and preceded a February 2026 attempt by Pirro's office to indict the same six lawmakers before a grand jury.
ICE pepper-sprayed and detained two citizen legal observers in Minneapolis; one says HSI tried to recruit him as an informant
On the night of January 11-12, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in south Minneapolis pepper-sprayed the vehicle of two U.S. citizens conducting legal-observer work, Brandon Siguenza and Patricia O'Keefe, then smashed its windows and pulled them out despite their hands being raised -- an incident independently corroborated by neighbor-recorded video, according to a Snopes investigation -- arresting them for an "obstruction" charge that was never formally filed. The pair were held roughly eight hours at the Whipple Federal Building, where Siguenza says a Homeland Security Investigations agent offered him money and help bringing relatives into the country in exchange for the names of protest organizers and undocumented neighbors, which he refused; DHS disputed the account, calling any claim it offered money for information "FALSE" and alleging Siguenza and O'Keefe had themselves committed a felony by "stalking and obstructing ICE law enforcement." Upon release, agents directed Siguenza into a nearby area where tear gas was deployed and he was struck by a projectile.
DHS agents blinded two protesters with crowd-control projectiles at a Santa Ana immigration protest
On the evening of January 9, 2026, federal Department of Homeland Security officers in riot gear fired crowd-control projectiles into a crowd of demonstrators outside a federal immigration building in Santa Ana, California, at a protest held in response to the ICE killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. The projectiles blinded two protesters, 21-year-old Kaden Rummler and 31-year-old Britain Rodriguez, each in one eye; Rummler required six hours of surgery and was left with skull fractures and metal fragments near his carotid artery. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the demonstrators as "violent rioters" who threw "rocks, bottles and fireworks," a claim video evidence did not support, and did not address either man's injuries or identify the type of projectile fired.
DHS fired career IT employee Brandon Wright over private political remarks caught in a covert dating-app sting
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security fired Brandon Wright, an eight-year career IT employee, on January 8, 2026, over private remarks criticizing incoming DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that political provocateur James O'Keefe secretly recorded during a date and published as part of his "Dating the Deep State" video series. DHS's own termination decision said continued employment would signal to the workforce that undermining the Secretary's agenda was permissible; Wright is suing DHS in federal court alleging First Amendment and due-process violations.
HHS froze $10 billion in child-care funding naming only five Democratic-led states
On January 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze roughly $10 billion in Child Care and Development Fund, TANF, and Social Services Block Grant money to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, citing unspecified fraud concerns and demanding the states turn over extensive records within two weeks. HHS provided no evidence for the fraud claim, and a department spokesperson said the freeze responded to "Democrat-led states and Governors" having been "complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud" — language the five states' attorneys general cited in a lawsuit alleging the freeze was politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian granted the states a temporary restraining order on January 9, 2026, blocking the freeze while the case proceeds.
Hegseth censured Sen. Mark Kelly and moved to cut his military retirement pay over 'illegal orders' video
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a formal censure letter against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy captain, on January 5, 2026, accusing him of "seditious statements" and initiating administrative proceedings to reduce Kelly's military retirement rank and pension. The action punished Kelly for a November 2025 video in which he and five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds reminded U.S. servicemembers they may lawfully refuse illegal orders. Kelly sued Hegseth, the Pentagon, the Navy, and Navy Secretary John Phelan on January 12, 2026, arguing the censure and rank-reduction proceedings violate his First Amendment rights and the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause.
2025 Events (71)
Loogootee, Indiana re-enacted an enjoined ordinance to block PrideFest from its Public Square, defying a federal injunction
On December 30, 2025, the Loogootee, Indiana City Council passed a new special-events ordinance containing at least two provisions a federal court had already permanently enjoined as unconstitutional, again restricting where PrideFest could be held relative to the city's Public Square fountain. The ordinance came four months after a federal judge ruled the city's prior special-events ordinance violated the First Amendment by singling out the LGBTQ+ festival, and the city adopted it despite that standing injunction. On January 6, 2026, the ACLU of Indiana filed a new lawsuit and a motion for contempt on behalf of the festival's organizers.
ICE agent Adam Saracco pushed attorney and activist Robert Held to the ground at Brookfield, Illinois gas station
On December 27, 2025, off-duty U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Adam Saracco pushed attorney and immigrant-rights activist Robert Held to the ground at a gas station in Brookfield, Illinois. Held, who is over 60, had followed Saracco's vehicle from an ICE processing facility in Broadview and was filming him when the confrontation occurred.
Kennedy Center President Grenell threatened musician Chuck Redd with $1 million in damages over Christmas Eve protest cancellation
On December 26, 2025, Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell sent musician Chuck Redd a letter threatening to seek $1 million in damages after Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve concert in protest of the Trump-appointed board's renaming of the institution to the "Trump-Kennedy Center." The Kennedy Center followed through by suing Redd for breach of contract in March 2026.
The State Department moved to exclude or deport five noncitizen researchers under a visa policy targeting online 'censorship'
On December 23, 2025, the State Department announced it would exclude or deport five individuals — including two leaders of Coalition for Independent Technology Research member organizations — under a visa-restriction policy that Secretary of State Marco Rubio first announced in May 2025 to target foreign "censorship" of Americans' speech. Initially framed as aimed at foreign officials, the policy had by then expanded into a broader campaign against noncitizen researchers, fact-checkers, and trust-and-safety workers who study social media platforms and online harms. Rubio said the Department "stands ready and willing to expand" the list if others did not "reverse course."
Florida Gov. DeSantis designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood 'foreign terrorist organizations,' barring state contracts and funds
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on December 8, 2025 designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as "foreign terrorist organizations," directing state agencies to deny contracts, employment, funds, and other material support to the groups and anyone supporting them. CAIR, which has more than 20 U.S. chapters and is not on the federal terrorist-organization list, sued days later alleging the order was unconstitutional and that DeSantis had usurped the federal government's exclusive authority to designate terrorist organizations.
University of Arkansas dean removed tenured Middle East studies director over Israel posts, later fired her
On December 5, 2025, University of Arkansas Fulbright College Dean Brian Raines removed tenured political science professor Shirin Saeidi as director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies and recommended her termination, citing her social media posts and reposts about Israel, Gaza, and Iran. A UA faculty committee unanimously recommended against her dismissal in February 2026, but UA System President Jay Silveria overrode that finding in March, citing risk of funding loss under an Arkansas antisemitism-reporting law, and the UA System Board of Trustees voted to uphold her termination and revoke her tenure in May 2026.
AG Bondi ordered FBI to compile list of Americans by political viewpoint
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo ordering the FBI to compile a list of Americans and groups engaged in acts constituting "domestic terrorism." The memo targeted individuals expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration and open borders, and adherence to radical gender ideology. Bondi directed the FBI to establish a cash reward system for informants and retroactively investigate conduct from the past five years.
AG Bondi directed FBI to target Americans expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-capitalism
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo on December 4, 2025 directing the FBI to identify and investigate Americans engaging in "domestic terrorism," a term redefined to encompass lawful political speech: opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration, gender identity ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christian sentiment. The memo establishes cash rewards for informants, enhanced tipline capabilities, and retroactive investigation of conduct from the prior five years, creating infrastructure for mass surveillance and selective prosecution based on political viewpoint.
University of Alabama suspended two student magazines serving Black and female students, citing DOJ anti-DEI memo
On December 1, 2025, the University of Alabama told the editors of Alice Magazine, which covers women undergraduates, and Nineteen Fifty-Six Magazine, which covers Black undergraduates, that both publications would immediately stop, citing the university's interpretation of a July 2025 memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi offering non-binding anti-DEI compliance guidance. Former staff sued the university in March 2026, alleging the shutdown was unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton ordered AI-screened review of course content on race, sex and gender identity
On December 1, 2025, Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton issued a memorandum requiring faculty across the system's five universities to disclose course materials touching on race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity for mandatory Board of Regents review, with some professors reporting the system used an AI tool to prescreen syllabi and reading lists for flagged content before any human review took place. Creighton, who became chancellor in November 2025 after spending nearly two decades in the Texas Senate pushing similar restrictions, built the review process using new curriculum-oversight authority regents gained under a 2025 Texas law he authored.
FBI probes Democratic lawmakers for First Amendment-protected video on military constitutional duties
The FBI's counterterrorism division contacted six Democratic members of Congress on November 25, 2025 to request interviews following President Trump's public accusations that they committed "seditious" acts. The six—Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan—had released a video reminding U.S. military personnel of their constitutional obligation to refuse unlawful orders, protected First Amendment speech in response to the Trump administration's strikes on Latin American targets. The inquiry came one day after the Pentagon threatened to recall Sen. Kelly to active duty for potential military charges.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood foreign terrorist organizations, a power reserved to the U.S. Secretary of State
On November 18, 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood "foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations," citing unproven claims that CAIR is a "front group" for Hamas. The proclamation bars both organizations from purchasing or acquiring property in Texas and authorizes "increased enforcement," including the attorney general suing to shut them down, even though designating a foreign terrorist organization is a power held exclusively by the U.S. Secretary of State and neither organization is on any federal terrorism list. CAIR called the proclamation a "publicity stunt masquerading as a proclamation" and said it would sue.
CBP agents arrested two Charlotte women for honking at immigration vehicles during Operation Charlotte's Web
On November 17, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested Tatyana Reisini and Kristen Roos, two U.S. citizens, in Charlotte, North Carolina after the women honked a car horn and blew a whistle near immigration vehicles during Operation Charlotte's Web. Agents boxed in their SUV, shattered the driver-side window with a rifle barrel, and detained both women with their hands zip-tied behind their backs for approximately four hours. Both were charged with assaulting federal agents; the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina voluntarily dropped all charges in March 2026.
Reuters investigation reveals Trump administration operating secret 'Weaponization Working Group' targeting political critics
Reuters published an exclusive investigation on October 20, 2025, revealing an interagency "Weaponization Working Group" operating biweekly since at least April 2025. The group comprised approximately 39 officials drawn from the White House, DOJ, FBI, CIA, ODNI, Defense Department, DHS, IRS, and FCC. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the group's existence, describing it as "interagency coordination under President Trump's leadership to deliver accountability." Identified targets included former FBI Director James Comey, Anthony Fauci, and senior military officers who implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
State Department revoked six visas over foreign nationals' comments celebrating Charlie Kirk's assassination
The U.S. State Department's official X account announced on October 14, 2025 that it had revoked the visas of six foreign nationals -- citizens of Argentina, South Africa, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and Paraguay -- over social-media comments celebrating the September 10, 2025 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The department did not name the individuals, posting screenshots of their comments with usernames blacked out and stating "Visa revoked" after each, and said "the United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans."
DOJ pressured Meta into removing 80,000-member Chicago ICE-sightings Facebook group; court later found it unconstitutional coercion
On October 14, 2025, Meta removed "ICE Sighting-Chicagoland," an approximately 80,000-member Facebook group where users reported ICE agent sightings, hours after Attorney General Pamela Bondi publicly credited "outreach from the DOJ" for the takedown and said the department would keep pressing tech companies on similar groups. On April 18, 2026, a federal judge found the administration had "demanded, rather than requested" that Facebook and Apple censor this category of speech, granting a preliminary injunction against the practice as a likely First Amendment violation.
Broadview, Illinois Mayor Thompson signed executive order imposing 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily curfew on ICE facility protests
On October 6, 2025, Broadview, Illinois Mayor Katrina Thompson signed Executive Order No. 2025-01, fixing the hours during which people could protest or gather at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility on Beach Street to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The order, issued amid ongoing clashes between federal agents and demonstrators during "Operation Midway Blitz," cited public-safety concerns and covered both the facility and a nearby designated protest area. The ACLU of Illinois said it would monitor enforcement of the restriction, and a federal lawsuit challenging it followed within weeks.
DOJ pressured Apple to remove ICE-accountability archive app Eyes Up from the App Store
On October 3, 2025, Apple removed Eyes Up — an app built by Indiana resident Mark Hodges through the Kreisau Group that archived publicly posted videos and news reports documenting ICE enforcement activity — from the App Store, one day after Apple pulled ICEBlock under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's public takedown demand. Apple had reviewed and approved Eyes Up in August 2025 without objection and gave no legal basis for the removal beyond contact from law enforcement. Hodges said the administration was "embarrassed by how many incriminating videos we have."
Attorney General Bondi demanded Apple remove ICE-tracking app ICEBlock; Apple complied same day
On October 2, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly demanded that Apple remove ICEBlock, a free app that let users anonymously report ICE agent sightings within roughly a five-mile radius, from the App Store, and Apple complied the same day. Apple had previously approved the app and, in response to inquiries, cited safety concerns relayed by law enforcement rather than identifying any legal violation. Developer Joshua Aaron later sued the Trump administration, alleging the DOJ's demand constituted unconstitutional government coercion.
Clay County school board fired teacher Kelly Brock-Sanchez over off-duty Charlie Kirk posts as Florida sought to revoke her license
On October 2, 2025, the Clay County, Florida school board terminated Exceptional Student Education teacher Kelly Brock-Sanchez, acting on Superintendent David Broskie's September 25 recommendation, over posts she had made about activist Charlie Kirk's death on a private, pseudonymous Facebook account while off duty. Days earlier, on September 22, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced he had found probable cause to seek permanent revocation of her teaching certificate, part of a statewide campaign to discipline educators whose Kirk-related posts he deemed sanctionable.
Florida Department of Financial Services sent armed investigators to question Largo veteran over postcard critical of CFO Ingoglia
The Florida Department of Financial Services' Criminal Investigations Division opened a threat assessment in September 2025 after 77-year-old Army veteran James O'Gara mailed a postcard reading "You lack values" to the office of Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. On October 1, 2025, armed state agents in bullet-resistant vests arrived at the O'Garas' Largo home and questioned Cathy O'Gara about her husband before the investigation closed with a finding of "no credible threat." Records later obtained by Reason showed then-division director Simon Blank had ordered the assessment on September 15 and Lt. Col. James Evangelina directed staff to verify O'Gara's identity.
Oglethorpe County school district threatened to fire teacher Michelle Mickens unless she resigned over Charlie Kirk Facebook post
On September 29, 2025, the Oglethorpe County School System in Georgia informed English teacher Michelle Mickens, through her union representative, that she would be terminated unless she voluntarily resigned, after placing her on administrative leave over a personal Facebook post that quoted assassinated activist Charlie Kirk and explicitly condemned political violence. The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators sued the district in federal court on First Amendment grounds; the parties reached a confidential settlement paying Mickens roughly $270,420 plus $17,080 in attorney fees, announced July 3, 2026.
FBI Director Patel fires about 15 agents for kneeling during 2020 George Floyd protests, reversing predecessor's no-violation finding
On September 26, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired approximately 15–20 career FBI agents for being photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., in June 2020 following George Floyd's killing. Then-Director Christopher Wray had reviewed the incident at the time and found no policy violation. Under Patel, the FBI reopened the matter earlier in 2025, initially demoting the agents before proceeding to terminations.
Trump signs NSPM-7 directing DOJ and FBI to investigate political beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators
On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and disrupt individuals based on political speech and ideology—designating "anti-Christian," "anti-American," and "anti-capitalist" beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators. The directive authorized pre-crime investigation of citizens before any violent act occurs and directed the IRS and Treasury to trace funding of target organizations. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly pledged to pursue political targets "like the domestic terrorists that they are."
Arkansas AG Griffin pressured university into firing Black law professor Felicia Branch over Charlie Kirk posts
On September 24, 2025, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen School of Law fired assistant professor Felicia Branch over Facebook posts about Charlie Kirk's killing, days after Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a press release demanding her immediate termination. Branch, who is Black, had been suspended with pay since September 16; Dean Colin Crawford's termination letter cited "disruption" caused in part by complaints from Griffin, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.
Tempe Police Department obtained 10 search warrants to unmask anonymous Facebook critics, arrested one over protected GIF comment
On September 24, 2025, Tempe, Arizona police arrested Tucson political consultant Kathleen Tierney and recommended felony computer-tampering and misdemeanor charges over a Game of Thrones GIF she posted to a city councilman's Facebook page, capping a monthlong investigation that treated the post as a potential bomb threat and shut down an August 28 City Council meeting. During that investigation, Tempe Police Department detectives obtained ten search warrants covering Facebook accounts, email, texts and call logs to identify Tierney and separately unmask pseudonymous city-hall critic "Konner Culver," publicly naming him in a released police report despite finding he had no connection to the post or any threat. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office later declined to prosecute Tierney, citing insufficient evidence.
Attorney General Bondi fired Miami prosecutor Rosenzweig over years-old anti-Trump blog posts, part of DOJ purge of critics
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired federal prosecutor Will Rosenzweig from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami on September 23, 2025, less than three hours after conservative commentator Natalie Winters publicized years-old blog posts Rosenzweig had written as a private citizen criticizing Donald Trump. Rosenzweig, a five-year veteran of the office, was two weeks from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case at the time; his firing was part of what reporting described as a broader personnel purge inside the Justice Department of prosecutors and agents seen as insufficiently loyal to the administration.
Trump designates Antifa a domestic terrorist organization by executive order, directing all federal agencies to investigate and disrupt the movement
President Trump signed a presidential order on September 22, 2025, formally designating "Antifa" as a domestic terrorist organization and directing all executive departments and agencies to use all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle operations by anyone claiming to act on behalf of Antifa. The order describes Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization engaged in political violence to suppress lawful political activity, despite Antifa being a decentralized political stance rather than a formal membership organization. The U.S. has no statute authorizing domestic terrorist organization designations equivalent to the foreign terrorist organization framework, making the order a purely executive — and constitutionally contested — designation.
Trump publicly demands removal of EDVA U.S. attorney Siebert, who refused to indict Letitia James; Siebert resigns
President Trump publicly stated on September 19, 2025 that he wanted Erik Siebert, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, removed from his post; Siebert confirmed his resignation the same day. Siebert had reportedly informed senior Justice Department officials that he found insufficient evidence to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James — a Democrat who had successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud — with mortgage fraud. His top deputy, First Assistant Maya Song, also departed, and James was subsequently indicted on October 9, 2025, after new leadership took over.
Iowa licensing board solicited complaints against teachers over their Charlie Kirk social-media posts
On September 19, 2025, Michael Cavin, executive director of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, sent a letter on board letterhead to superintendents across Iowa referencing educators' "comments regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk" and stating that "administrators are encouraged to file a complaint with the board," specifying the licensing violations to cite. Following the letter, superintendents filed licensing complaints against teachers Katherine Mejia (West Delaware Community School District) and Jennifer Smith (Johnston Community School District) over their personal Facebook posts about Kirk. Mejia and Smith sued the board and Cavin in federal court, alleging the solicitation amounted to viewpoint discrimination and a First Amendment violation.
EPA fired at least 8 probationary employees who signed dissent letter, overriding internal First Amendment warning
Beginning August 29, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fired at least eight probationary employees who had signed a June 2025 "declaration of dissent" criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin's policies as reversing scientific progress and endangering public health. An EPA assistant general counsel warned in writing beforehand that the firings would "present significant legal risk" because the letter was "likely protected speech under the First Amendment," but the agency proceeded. Targeted employees were still in probationary periods, stripping them of Merit Systems Protection Board appeal rights.
Trump signed EO 14343 stripping collective bargaining from NASA, National Weather Service and Patent Office workers
President Trump signed Executive Order 14343 on August 28, 2025, extending his earlier March 2025 order to remove collective bargaining rights from employees at NASA, the National Weather Service, the Patent and Trademark Office, and several other agencies under a "national security" rationale. The order targeted agencies with no primary national security mission, and union leaders said it was explicit retaliation against organizations — including IFPTE and NWSEO — that had filed lawsuits challenging Trump's March executive order.
Trump directed DOJ to investigate federal grantees for lobbying and partisan activity, targeting advocacy organizations
President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on August 28, 2025, directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used for lobbying or partisan political activity, with a report due in 180 days. The memo, titled "Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees," cited the Byrd Amendment but framed the investigation scope to include political and advocacy activity broader than what the statute covers. Legal observers noted the memo's "partisan political activity" language creates a chilling effect on civil society organizations that receive federal funding while engaging in policy advocacy.
Trump signed EO 14341 directing AG to prosecute flag burning despite Supreme Court rulings protecting it as free speech
President Trump signed Executive Order 14341 on August 25, 2025, directing the Attorney General to prioritize prosecution of flag burning under any available criminal or civil law, despite Supreme Court rulings in Texas v. Johnson (1989) and United States v. Eichman (1990) holding that flag desecration is constitutionally protected political speech. The order explicitly acknowledges the Supreme Court precedent but instructs the AG to pursue prosecution using content-neutral laws as a workaround and to litigate to narrow First Amendment protections. The order also directs immigration officials to deny or revoke visas and naturalization for foreign nationals who burn the American flag.
FBI searched home and office of former national security adviser Bolton; Trump privately directed investigation toward vocal critic
On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched the Maryland home and Washington office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified-information investigation. Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since leaving the administration in 2019, was not detained and no charges were filed at the time. The Washington Post reported that Trump had privately pointed a finger at Bolton in the days immediately preceding the raids, while the Biden-era Justice Department had reviewed the same underlying materials and declined to prosecute.
USCIS added undefined 'anti-Americanism' as disqualifying factor in all immigration benefit adjudications
On August 19, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual via Policy Alert PA-2025-16, designating "anti-Americanism" and "antisemitic activity" as "overwhelmingly negative" discretionary factors in every category of immigration benefit adjudication — green cards, work visas, naturalization, and humanitarian protections. The term "anti-Americanism" was left undefined in the update, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and any accompanying officer guidance, granting adjudicators unbounded discretion to deny immigration benefits based on applicants' perceived political speech, beliefs, or associations.
U.S. Border Patrol staged politically motivated show of force at Gov. Newsom's press conference
On August 14, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents led by Sector Chief Gregory Bovino massed outside a Los Angeles press conference where Gov. Gavin Newsom was announcing California's response to federal redistricting efforts, deploying agents in tactical gear as the event got underway. A Homeland Security Investigations agent later testified under oath, and texted a colleague, that the operation was purely political and a stunt targeting Newsom rather than genuine immigration enforcement, contradicting DHS's contemporaneous denial that agents were focused on Newsom. Court filings unsealed in July 2026, reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by Gov. Newsom's office, corroborated the political motive behind the operation.
AG Bondi opened DOJ investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff and NY AG Letitia James, appointing Trump ally Ed Martin as special attorney for both probes
On August 8, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally opened Department of Justice investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both prominent Trump critics — appointing conservative activist and former interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as special attorney to lead both probes. The referrals came exclusively from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no prosecutorial background, who alleged mortgage fraud by each official. Prosecutors subsequently found insufficient evidence to bring charges and the Schiff probe stalled.
National Park Service fired Yosemite ranger Shannon Joslin over transgender flag protest, referred them for prosecution
On July 30, 2025, the National Park Service fired Yosemite wildlife biologist and park ranger Shannon Joslin, citing a flag-size rule enacted the day after Joslin and fellow activists hung a transgender pride flag on El Capitan on their day off. Days later, NPS referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, which began evaluating Joslin for criminal prosecution over the same flag display.
Rubio opened State Department investigation into Harvard's J-1 visa program with no stated misconduct
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber on July 23, 2025, opening a formal State Department investigation into Harvard's participation in the Exchange Visitor Program, which sponsors J-1 visas for international researchers, instructors, and students. The letter alleged no specific misconduct, stating only that programs must not run "contrary to our nation's interests," and gave Harvard one week to produce a broad set of records. Harvard called the probe retaliatory and a violation of its First Amendment rights.
Federal agents shot legal observer six times with rubber bullets, deployed tear gas during Camarillo cannabis farm raid
On July 10, 2025, federal agents conducting an immigration raid on Glass House Farms, a cannabis facility in Camarillo, California, deployed tear gas and shot Ventura-based attorney Vanessa Valdez six times with rubber bullets despite her identifying herself as a legal observer. Valdez, left unable to see and forced to crawl to escape, has since filed a Federal Tort Claims Act claim seeking compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and emotional trauma. The Department of Homeland Security disputed the account, saying agents used pepper balls rather than rubber bullets, and only after protesters attempted to breach the perimeter.
EPA placed 144 employees on administrative leave for signing a dissent letter criticizing Zeldin's policies
On July 3, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed approximately 144 employees on administrative leave, pending an "administrative investigation," after they signed a June 30, 2025 "Declaration of Dissent" accusing Administrator Lee Zeldin of dismantling the agency's research office, canceling environmental-justice programs, and ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters. EPA said the leave — initially set to run through July 17 — was warranted because the signatories had listed their official titles in the letter, and described a "zero-tolerance policy" for staff who "undermine" the administration's agenda.
DHS Secretary Noem told her advisory council she was seeking a way to fire employees who 'don't like us' or oppose administration policy
At the inaugural meeting of the Department of Homeland Security's reconstituted Homeland Security Advisory Council on July 2, 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem told members she was looking for advice on "how to fire people who don't like us," saying "there's people here in this department that don't support what we're doing." Noem said she did not feel supported by some of the roughly 250,000 DHS employees and asked the advisers to help identify a legal mechanism to remove career civil servants on that basis. As of the reporting, no specific legal mechanism had been confirmed and no employee had been removed under the stated rationale.
Texas enacted SB 12 barring public-school instruction and student clubs on sexual orientation or gender identity
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12, a "parental rights" law that prohibits instruction, guidance, activities, and student clubs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 public schools and bars school employees from referring to a student by a name or pronouns differing from those on record. Authored by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, the law also requires prior parental consent for student health services and club participation and took effect September 1, 2025. LGBTQ+ advocates and educators said the measure erases transgender students and dismantles support systems in public schools.
ICE task force officers logged Spokane protesters' license plates and personal data into an evidence database
During anti-ICE protests at ICE's Spokane, Washington field office in May and June 2025, Homeland Security Investigations task force officer Stacey Carr and HSI analyst Ryan Lid photographed protesters' and bystanders' license plates and looked up their identities, then uploaded the data — including names, addresses, and vehicle information — to Axon's Evidence.com digital evidence platform, according to Carr's own July 2025 police report obtained by Mother Jones. None of the surveilled individuals, who included a tour-bus photographer and a driver in a public parking lot, were stated to be under investigation for any wrongdoing.
ICE arrested SEIU labor leader David Huerta at an LA immigration raid protest; DOJ charged him with impeding federal agents
On June 6, 2025, federal agents arrested David Huerta, president of SEIU-United Service Workers West, outside a Los Angeles garment warehouse where he was among protesters watching an ICE worksite immigration raid. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California charged Huerta with conspiracy to impede a federal officer, alleging he blocked a gate and directed other protesters, and he was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the arrest before being released on bond.
Trump signed Proclamation 10948 banning new Harvard international student visas, directing State to revoke existing ones
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed Proclamation 10948, suspending entry of all new Harvard-bound international students on F, M, and J visas and directing the Secretary of State to consider revoking existing visas for current Harvard students on a case-by-case basis. The proclamation, issued under INA § 212(f), accused Harvard of jeopardizing the student visa system's integrity by refusing to surrender student records demanded by DHS and defying April 2025 demands to alter curriculum, admissions, and diversity programs. At the time of signing, Harvard enrolled approximately 6,800 international students.
State Department cable halted new student and exchange visitor visa interviews pending expanded social media and political-views screening
On May 27, 2025, the State Department issued a cable ordering U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to immediately stop scheduling new visa interview appointments for all foreign nationals applying for F-1 academic student, J-1 exchange visitor, and M-1 vocational student visas, pending expanded social media vetting guidance. A follow-on cable on May 30 directed consular officers to apply "extra vigilance" in screening applicants for hostility toward the U.S. government and values — including ties to political activism and associations with disfavored groups — making political views an operative criterion for visa denial. The pause affected new interview scheduling for more than 1.5 million F/M visa holders and nearly 300,000 J-1 exchange visitors, a category that includes Fulbright scholars, professors, au pairs, and Summer Work Travel workers.
GSA directed all federal agencies to cancel ~$100M in Harvard operating contracts, escalating political retaliation campaign
On May 27, 2025, the General Services Administration sent a letter to all federal agencies directing them to identify and cancel remaining contracts with Harvard University — approximately 30 contracts worth an estimated $100 million — and to seek alternative vendors for future services. The directive escalated the administration's retaliatory campaign against Harvard, which had publicly refused White House demands to alter its hiring, admissions, and governance practices. The contract-cancellation mechanism targeted operating agreements distinct from the $2.6 billion in research grants already frozen or cancelled since April 2025.
DHS Secretary Noem revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, threatening enrollment of ~6,000 international students
On May 22, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem summarily revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, the administrative authorization that allows universities to enroll international students on F-1, J-1, and M-1 visas. Citing alleged 'pro-terrorist conduct' and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party — with no independent factual finding or adjudicatory process — the action threatened immediate displacement of more than 6,000 international students and scholars. Harvard filed for a Temporary Restraining Order the following day; District Judge Allison Burroughs granted the TRO, and a preliminary injunction issued June 20 extended the block pending full litigation.
FTC issued sweeping records demand to media-rating firm NewsGuard following chairman's public criticism
The Federal Trade Commission under Chairman Andrew Ferguson issued a 21-page, 31-item Civil Investigative Demand to NewsGuard, which publishes journalist-produced credibility ratings for news outlets, on May 20, 2025, seeking internal memos, methodology documents, subscriber lists, and communications dating back to the company's 2018 founding. The demand followed months of public criticism from Ferguson, who as an FTC commissioner in November 2024 accused NewsGuard of running "collusive ad boycotts" against conservative and independent media.
Texas enacted SB 412, exposing teachers and librarians to prosecution by removing 'harmful material' defenses
On May 19, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 412, which stripped the affirmative-defense protections in the state Penal Code that had shielded public schools, libraries, and museums from prosecution for distributing material "harmful to minors" when that material carried educational, medical, scientific, or artistic value. By removing those defenses, the law exposes teachers, librarians, and parents to criminal charges over books available in public institutions. The measure took effect September 1, 2025, and civil-liberties and library groups warned it would drive broad removals of books, disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ titles.
Trump administration pressured Secret Service to warrantlessly surveil Comey after 'seashells' post
On the night of May 15, 2025, President Trump and administration officials pressured U.S. Secret Service agents to warrantlessly access former FBI Director James Comey's phone location data after Comey posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell "86 47." Secret Service personnel warned internally that they lacked a warrant or a reasonable basis to believe Comey posed an imminent threat, but the agency issued an emergency request to Verizon and tracked Comey's phone as he drove from North Carolina toward Virginia. The pressure and warrantless tracking were disclosed in July 2026 through internal Secret Service records filed in Comey's separate federal criminal case.
Interagency task force terminated additional ~$450M in Harvard research grants after president publicly defied administration demands
On May 13, 2025, the interagency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced the termination of approximately $450 million in additional federal research grants to Harvard University — on top of the $2.2 billion already frozen since April 14, 2025. The escalation came one week after Harvard President Alan Garber publicly stated the university would not comply with the administration's demands to alter governance, admissions, hiring, and student conduct policies. The task force declared Harvard had "forfeited the school's claim to taxpayer support." A federal court later ruled the entire Harvard funding campaign constituted unlawful retaliation for First Amendment-protected speech.
Education Secretary McMahon barred Harvard from new federal grants, demanding governance overhaul and DEI compliance
On May 5, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent Harvard President Alan Garber a letter formally announcing that the university would receive no new federal grants until it demonstrated "responsible management" and met the Trump administration's demands for governance restructuring, admissions changes, and anti-DEI compliance. The action was a prospective escalation beyond the earlier April 14 freeze of existing Harvard grants, imposing a forward-looking embargo on all new grant funding. Harvard characterized the move as retaliation for its lawsuit challenging the April freeze and called the demands an attempt to impose "unprecedented and improper control."
West Virginia Gov. Morrisey signed SB154 restricting school LGBTQ instruction and requiring staff to disclose students' gender identity to parents
On April 30, 2025, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed Senate Bill 154 into law, prohibiting public schools from providing instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity and requiring school employees to report any student's request for recognition of a gender identity differing from their birth-certificate sex to administrators, who must then notify the student's parent or guardian. The law, codified at W.Va. Code 18-5-29, took effect July 11, 2025 and empowers the state Attorney General to enforce it, with violating school personnel subject to discipline or dismissal.
Interagency task force froze $2.2 billion in Harvard grants after university publicly refused White House demands
On April 14, 2025, the interagency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced the freeze of approximately $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts to Harvard University — announced the same day Harvard President Alan Garber publicly refused to comply with a package of White House demands delivered April 11. The demands called for governance reforms, merit-based admissions and hiring, closure of DEI programs, a mask ban targeting pro-Palestinian protesters, and cooperation with immigration authorities. A federal court later ruled that the Harvard funding campaign constituted unlawful retaliation for First Amendment-protected activity.
Trump signs EO 14263 targeting Susman Godfrey, suspending clearances and barring building access
On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14263, directing the suspension of security clearances for Susman Godfrey LLP employees, termination of all federal contracts with the firm, and restriction of firm employees from accessing federal buildings. The order cited the firm's diversity fellowship and its representation of clients in election-related and civil rights cases as justification, framing Susman's legal work as a national-security threat. Susman Godfrey, which had represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News over 2020 election coverage, filed suit to block the order within two days.
Trump signs EO 14250 suspending WilmerHale employees' security clearances, directing federal contractors to sever ties with firm
President Trump signed Executive Order 14250 on March 27, 2025, directing federal agencies to suspend the security clearances of all WilmerHale employees and instructing federal contractors to terminate their relationships with the firm. The order cited WilmerHale's prior association with Special Counsel Robert Mueller — a former WilmerHale partner — and the firm's DEI policies as justification. It was the third in a series of retaliatory executive orders targeting law firms whose attorneys had represented parties adverse to the president or participated in legal investigations of him.
Utah enacted HB77, banning Pride flags from public schools and government buildings; first such state ban
On March 27, 2025, Utah enacted House Bill 77, "Flag Display Amendments," after Gov. Spencer Cox declined to sign or veto it and allowed it to become law. The measure bars government entities and public schools from displaying any flag except an approved list — the U.S. flag, Utah's state flag, and official government, military, and comparable flags — and was widely promoted as a ban on Pride flags in classrooms and public buildings. Utah became the first state to enact such a ban, enforced by the state auditor through fines.
Trump signed EO 14246 suspending Jenner & Block security clearances, pressuring contractors to cut ties with firm
On March 25, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14246, "Addressing Risks From Jenner & Block," directing the immediate suspension of security clearances for all firm employees and requiring federal contractors to certify no business relationships with the firm under threat of contract termination. The order cited the firm's prior employment of Andrew Weissmann—who participated in the Mueller investigation—and its representation of transgender and immigrant clients as justification. A federal court permanently enjoined the order in May 2025, finding it violated the First Amendment through viewpoint discrimination.
Florida Capitol Police arrested a transgender woman for using the women's restroom under HB 1521
On March 19, 2025, Florida Capitol Police arrested Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old transgender college student, for using the women's restroom at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, in a planned act of civil disobedience against HB 1521's facility-access ban. She was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and held for 24 hours in the men's ward before her release. Advocates said it was the first known arrest under any state's criminal ban on transgender bathroom use; the case was dismissed in June 2025 after prosecutors missed the deadline to file charging documents.
ICE arrested Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri over pro-Palestinian speech and associations, without filing charges
On March 17, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral research fellow at Georgetown University's Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, as he walked toward his Virginia home. ICE moved Suri to a federal detention facility in Texas without filing any criminal charges; the Trump administration cited his pro-Palestinian social media posts and his wife's family connection to a former Hamas adviser as justification, without presenting evidence to the court. A federal judge found his release was in the public interest to prevent the chilling of constitutionally protected speech.
Trump signed EO 14237 suspending security clearances and barring federal contracts for Paul Weiss law firm
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14237, "Addressing Risks From Paul Weiss," targeting the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm. The order suspended security clearances for Paul Weiss employees, directed agencies to terminate existing federal contracts with the firm, and barred its lawyers from accessing federal buildings. The administration cited the firm's past employment of lawyers who had participated in prosecutions of Trump's allies and its representation of clients in litigation adverse to Trump.
ICE detains Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil over pro-Palestinian activism; no criminal charges filed
On March 8, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Mahmoud Khalil — a lawful permanent resident and Columbia University graduate student who had been a prominent organizer of pro-Palestinian campus protests — with no criminal charges filed against him. Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(4)(C), a rarely-used statute permitting deportation on foreign-policy grounds, as the basis for removal. Khalil was transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, where he was held for approximately three months while his attorneys argued the government was retaliating against him for constitutionally protected political speech.
Trump signed EO 14230 suspending security clearances and barring federal contracts for Perkins Coie over its 2016 Clinton campaign work
On March 6, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14230, "Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP," suspending security clearances for all firm employees, directing agencies to bar its attorneys from federal buildings, and ordering termination of all federal contracts with the firm or entities doing business with it. The order explicitly cited Perkins Coie's 2016 representation of Hillary Clinton's campaign and its hiring of Fusion GPS as justification. On May 2, 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell permanently struck down the order, calling it an "unprecedented attack" on the legal system.
Trump directed suspension of Covington & Burling security clearances and contract terminations over Jack Smith representation
President Trump issued a presidential memorandum on February 25, 2025, directing the Attorney General and all agency heads to immediately suspend security clearances held by partners, members, and employees of Covington & Burling LLP who had assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and to terminate all federal agency contracts with the firm. The memorandum cited the firm's representation of Smith as "involvement in government weaponization." It was the first in a sequence of retaliatory executive actions targeting major law firms whose attorneys had represented parties adverse to Trump or participated in investigations of him.
DOJ official Ed Martin threatened to reject Georgetown Law hires over DEI programs
On February 17, 2025, Ed Martin, then interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, sent a letter to Georgetown University Law Center dean William Treanor demanding to know whether Georgetown had eliminated DEI from its curriculum and warning that his office would reject any fellowship, internship, or attorney applicant affiliated with a law school that continued to teach DEI. Treanor responded on March 6, 2025, invoking First Amendment protections for university curriculum autonomy and calling the demand a constitutional violation. The D.C. Bar's Office of Disciplinary Counsel later filed ethics charges against Martin over the letter.
CBP agents denied Samuel Tunick a lawyer during a warrantless, pretextual border search targeting his Stop Cop City activism
On January 24, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents pulled Atlanta activist Samuel Tunick into secondary inspection at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, denied him access to a lawyer despite his requests, and told him no warrant was required because he had not yet formally entered the country. When Tunick entered his phone's passcode, a GrapheneOS duress feature wiped the device; agents seized it regardless. Tunick's attorneys allege the stated child-exploitation-imagery pretext for the stop was fabricated and that CBP was actually investigating his ties to the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement. Federal prosecutors later indicted Tunick under a statute against destroying property to prevent government seizure — the first known federal case charging use of a duress password — and he pleaded not guilty and moved to suppress the evidence, arguing the underlying search was unlawful.
Trump signed EO 14152 revoking security clearances of 50 former intelligence officials who signed Hunter Biden laptop letter
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14152, "Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information," immediately revoking the security clearances of approximately 50 former intelligence officials who in October 2020 signed a public letter asserting that the Hunter Biden laptop story bore hallmarks of a Russian information operation. The order also revoked the clearance of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, citing his 2020 memoir's treatment of sensitive national security information. The Director of National Intelligence was directed to submit a 90-day report recommending further disciplinary actions against the signatories.
Ohio Gov. DeWine signed HB8, barring K-3 gender-identity instruction and requiring schools to report students' well-being changes to parents
On January 8, 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 8, the "Parents' Bill of Rights," which the General Assembly had passed during the lame-duck session on December 18, 2024. The law prohibits "sexuality content," defined to include "gender ideology," in kindergarten-through-third-grade classroom instruction and requires advance parental notice with an opt-out for such material in other grades. It also directs school personnel to notify a parent of any change in a student's counseling, monitoring, or health-and-well-being services and bars staff from encouraging a student to withhold that information from a parent.
2024 Events (3)
Pima County Sheriff Nanos placed election rival on administrative leave weeks before reelection race
On October 14, 2024, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos placed his Republican election opponent, Lt. Heather Lappin, on paid administrative leave weeks before a tight reelection race, citing an unrelated internal matter involving a subordinate's off-duty campaigning. A subsequent county administrative investigation found Nanos used his authority and department resources for political gain against Lappin, who lost the election to Nanos by 481 votes.
Bow, N.H. school district banned two parents from campus over anti-trans-athlete protest wristbands
On September 17, 2024, during a Bow High School girls' soccer game, Bow, New Hampshire school officials ordered parents Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote to remove pink "XX" wristbands worn in silent protest of a transgender athlete's participation, paused the game, and called police to remove those who refused to comply; the district later banned both men from school property and games with no-trespass orders. Superintendent Marcy Kelley testified she viewed the "XX" symbol itself as "anti-trans" and "exclusionary." On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reversed a district court ruling and found the district likely engaged in viewpoint discrimination, holding the protest was passive and non-disruptive and remanding the case.
Idaho Gov. Little signed library-restriction law defining 'homosexuality' as harmful to minors
On April 10, 2024, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed H0710, the "Children's School and Library Protection Act," creating a private cause of action against public and school libraries that fail to relocate materials deemed "harmful to minors" to adults-only sections within 60 days of a complaint. The "harmful to minors" standard the law enforces is defined in Idaho Code to include "homosexuality" as sexual conduct. The law took effect July 1, 2024.
2023 Events (9)
President Biden signed the FY2024 NDAA, codifying DoD's facially neutral 'approved flags' policy that excludes the Pride flag
On December 22, 2023, President Biden signed H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, into law as Public Law 118-31. Section 1052 of the law prohibits display of any flag other than an enumerated "approved flag" list in Department of Defense workplaces and public areas; the Pride flag is not among the categories on that list, codifying the exclusionary policy the Pentagon adopted under a 2020 Esper memo. An explicit provision banning Pride flag displays, passed by the House, was removed during conference negotiations, leaving only the facially neutral approved-flags list in the enacted law.
Texas Gov. Abbott signed SB 12 restricting drag and other "sexually oriented performances" on public property and before minors
On June 18, 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12 into law, restricting "sexually oriented performances" on the premises of a commercial enterprise, on public property, or in the presence of an individual younger than 18. The law, authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, creates a criminal offense for performers and authorizes civil penalties of up to $10,000 against businesses; though its text does not name drag, its sponsors and Abbott described it as targeting drag performances. It took effect only in 2026, after years of litigation in which it was initially struck down as unconstitutional.
Texas Gov. Abbott signed HB 900, requiring vendors to rate and pull sexually explicit books from public school libraries
On June 12, 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 900, the READER Act, into law at a Texas Capitol bill-signing ceremony. The law requires book vendors, as a condition of selling to Texas public schools, to rate the titles they sell for sexual content and to recall any rated "sexually explicit," which must then be removed from school library shelves, while books rated "sexually relevant" require written parental consent to check out. The Texas Education Agency was given authority to overrule a vendor's ratings, and vendors that refuse to comply are barred from selling to Texas schools.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 359 banning drag story hours and restricting drag performances before minors
On May 22, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 359 into law, banning "drag story hours" at state-funded schools and libraries and restricting "sexually oriented performances" in front of minors on public property or at businesses. The law defines a covered drag performer by a "flamboyant or parodic" persona and "glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup," and imposes an outright ban at any location receiving state funding. It was sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, and heavily amended before passage.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1069, extending classroom gender-identity restrictions through grade 8 and mandating sex-based pronoun rules
On May 17, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed CS/CS/HB 1069 into law, expanding the state's 2022 "Parental Rights in Education" law by extending its restriction on classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity from grades K-3 through grade 8. The law defines sex in the state education code as an immutable biological trait, bars teachers and school employees from providing students their preferred pronouns or titles when inconsistent with their sex, and prohibits requiring students or staff to use pronouns that do not correspond to a person's sex. It also broadened the process for challenging school library and instructional materials.
Florida Gov. DeSantis signed SB 1438 restricting minors' access to drag and 'adult live' performances
On May 17, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1438, the "Protection of Children" act, creating criminal penalties and business-licensing sanctions for admitting minors to "adult live performances." Though facially neutral, the law was framed and widely understood as targeting drag performances and LGBTQ+ expression, and Orlando's Hamburger Mary's sued within days. DeSantis signed the measure at a Christian school in Tampa during the 2023 regular legislative session.
Indiana enacted HB 1447, barring 'obscene' materials from school libraries and stripping educators' 'harmful to minors' defense
On May 4, 2023, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1447, which bars public school and charter school libraries from making available materials deemed "obscene" or "harmful to minors" and requires published catalogs and challenge-and-removal procedures. The law also removed the "legitimate educational purpose" affirmative defense that had shielded schools and their employees from Level 6 felony prosecution for disseminating material "harmful to minors." The library-restriction language, originally a stalled standalone bill, was inserted through a closed-door conference committee without public testimony.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed SB0003, the nation's first law criminalizing drag and adult-cabaret performances
On March 2, 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed SB0003, the "Adult Entertainment Act" (Public Chapter No. 2), the first state law in the nation to criminalize "adult cabaret performance" — defined to include "male or female impersonators" — on public property or anywhere a minor could view it. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson and Rep. Chris Todd, passed the Senate 26-6 and the House 74-19 and took effect April 1, 2023.
Arkansas enacted Act 131 restricting 'adult-oriented performances' after narrowing an explicit drag ban
On February 24, 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Senate Bill 43 into law as Act 131, adding a definition of "adult-oriented performance" to state code and barring such performances on public property, with public funds, or where minors are present. As introduced, the bill explicitly defined drag by reference to a performer's gender identity and classified it as a regulated adult-oriented business, but sponsors rewrote it twice to remove all references to drag and gender identity after opposition from LGBTQ advocates and the ACLU of Arkansas. The enacted content-based version reframed the restriction around nudity, prosthetic genitalia, and appeals to the "prurient interest."
2022 Events (1)
Florida Gov. DeSantis signed HB 7 restricting classroom and workplace speech on race and sex
On April 22, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 7 (Stop W.O.K.E. Act), barring K-12 schools, public colleges and universities, and employers from teaching or requiring training that endorses specified concepts about race, color, sex, or national origin. Federal courts subsequently blocked the law's workplace and higher-education provisions as unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination in separate lawsuits; the K-12 classroom provisions were not enjoined and remain in effect.