First Amendment freedoms

President Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. A federal judge tossed Trump’s initial suit after the court said the filing was “tedious” and “improper.” The president claims four reporters defamed him in covering his business dealings and reality TV career. The New York Times said the filing has “no merit.”

The Pentagon has moved to alter media access rules, citing national security concerns. After pushback from major outlets, the Department of Defense said reporters will not need approval before publishing stories that include information not officially released. Still, the agency will be able to revoke credentials from reporters and outlets deemed a “security risk.”

In a move that stunned viewers on both sides of the aisle, ABC and its parent company Disney suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following comments the late-night television host made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension came after Nexstar announced it would no longer air the show on any of its 20 ABC affiliate stations. Nexstar was in the process of acquiring media company TEGNA in a $6.2 billion deal.

In a move that challenges a 1989 Supreme Court ruling, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for burning the U.S. flag to be criminalized. The order does not change the law, but Trump nevertheless authorized the Department of Justice to prosecute flag burners. The move was met with pushback from conservatives, who said the government should have no say in controlling speech or expression.

Several predominantly Latino communities across Los Angeles canceled Independence Day celebrations amid ICE raids and environmental safety concerns linked to fire risk from fireworks.

Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student and Palestinian activist, was released from detention after being detained for over 100 days by the Trump administration. Khalil’s detention highlights ongoing debates over immigration enforcement, civil liberties and the rights of student protesters in the United States.

Texas mandated that the Ten Commandments be displayed in each public school classroom across the state, raising legal concerns among constitutional experts. Similar laws have been passed previously, but the Supreme Court has ruled them unconstitutional on the grounds that they violate First Amendment rights.

The White House indefinitely restricted The Associated Press’ access to the Oval Office and Air Force One due to the outlet’s refusal to adopt the term “Gulf of America” in place of “Gulf of Mexico.” The publication said it must use the original name while acknowledging the new one, as part of its global journalistic standards. But the White House claimed the AP was being divisive. Many publications, including Fox News and Newsmax, have come out in support of the AP, saying the restrictions violated press freedoms.

ABC News agreed to donate $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle a defamation suit stemming from an erroneous statement that he had been found civilly liable for rape. Actually, Trump had been found liable for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll. ABC’s settlement – in one of several of the president’s lawsuits against the news media – was seen as capitulating to Trump to avoid retribution from the White House.

Louisiana became the first state to require that public schools display the Ten Commandments. The law requires a poster or a framed copy of the biblical document in all classrooms from kindergarten through college.

A poll by the University of Virginia indicated that, at the time, 47% of people voting for then-President Joe Biden and a further 35% of voters for Donald Trump said the government should restrict speech and views considered discriminatory or offensive.