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30-year sentence for transporting zines is a five-alarm fire for free speech
24 days ago
- Daniel 'Des' Sanchez Estrada sentenced to 30 years for transporting anarchist zines under NSPM-7, part of a broader crackdown on dissent.
- Trump administration expanding efforts to criminalize possession of information, as seen in cases against Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Project Veritas.
- NSPM-7 broadly targets 'anti-fascist' actors, enabling prosecution based on ideology and creating a chilling effect on free speech and press freedom.
- Authoritarian tactics include ignoring court orders, placing loyalists in key positions, and dismantling press freedom, with corporate media often complicit.
- The Intercept calls for support to expand independent journalism in defense of democracy amid the worst year for press freedom in modern U.S. history.
Man sues DHS after agents tracked him down for sending a scathing email to ICE
16 days ago
- A Rochester resident, David Streever, is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after federal agents tracked him down for sending a critical email to a former ICE director, alleging violations of his First Amendment rights.
- Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) visited Streever's home and later a hotel to deliver a 'WARNING NOTICE' regarding an email he wrote comparing the ICE official to a Nazi, claiming it may violate federal laws against threatening officials.
- The lawsuit, filed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), argues that the government's actions are designed to chill free speech and seeks court orders to protect Streever from further retaliation and declare the warning notices unconstitutional.
- In a related incident, HSI agents also confronted poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea about an Instagram post related to an ICE officer, accusing her of doxxing, though she denies posting the officer's address and questions the government's evidence.
- DHS defends its actions by stating it investigates all credible threats to employees, but critics, including FIRE attorneys, argue the delayed responses and targeting of critics are intimidation tactics rather than legitimate investigations.
ICE sent officers to a man's home over an email. Now he's suing
15 days ago
- ICE agents visited David Streever's home and served a warning notice over an email he sent criticizing the agency.
- Streever, a U.S. citizen, filed a lawsuit alleging his First Amendment rights were violated by ICE's actions.
- The email, sent to former ICE acting director Todd Lyons, contained strong language but was deemed political speech.
- A second individual, Paigelynne Gonyea, also received a federal warning for social media posts related to an ICE officer.
- Homeland Security stated that doxxing or threatening law enforcement officers would lead to investigation and consequences.
- The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is representing Streever, arguing the case involves protected free expression.
White House used keywords to kill billions worth of California research grants
5 hours ago
- The Trump administration used keyword searches (e.g., diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19) to terminate over 1,000 University of California research grants worth nearly $2 billion, rather than reviewing them individually.
- UC researchers' lawyers argue this violated the First Amendment by targeting politically disfavored research, the Constitution by punishing researchers based on states' voting patterns, and Congress's spending directives by not redirecting funds as required.
- A federal judge has issued preliminary injunctions restoring grants, and the plaintiffs now seek a final ruling; the government may appeal, and stakes include harm to researchers, careers, and global research standing.

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#first amendment

30-year sentence for transporting zines is a five-alarm fire for free speech

Man sues DHS after agents tracked him down for sending a scathing email to ICE

ICE sent officers to a man's home over an email. Now he's suing

White House used keywords to kill billions worth of California research grants