History Listory

A chronological record of major political events in modern American history.

☰ Menu

Suppress & Punish Free Speech

2025 September

2025-09-11 The dean of Tennessee University was fired over a ‘zero sympathy’ post about Charlie Kirk.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/11/middle-tennessee-state-university-dean-fired-charlie-kirk-post/86091209007/

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2025/09/22/charlie-kirk-comments-can-university-of-tennessee-fire-a-professor/86182265007/

2025-09-13 American Airlines pilots were grounded and removed from service just for talking negatively about the Charlie Kirk shooting.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/travel/american-airlines-pilots-removed-from-service-over-posts-charlie-kirk-shooting-transportation-secretary-says/287-6ec2240f-8dfc-4722-8996-e1c5de8e4e41

https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1966943501444415920

2025-09-13 An Office Depot employee was fired for refusing to print Charlie Kirk posters, calling them propaganda.

https://nypost.com/2025/09/13/us-news/office-depot-fires-employee-for-refusing-to-print-charlie-kirk-posters-calling-them-propaganda/

2025-09-15 News outlets began to report on the wide controversy whether to ban Charlie Kirk rhetoric from social media platforms. Speaker Mike Johnson stated that “social media has been a toxin in politics”. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated “President Trump is a champion for free speech”.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/15/kirk-social-media-gop-trump-tiktok-meta-x-censorship-00564655

2025-09-15 In retaliation, conservatives worked to ensure that anyone who offended the Charlie Kirk base by not sufficiently mourning was fired. By this date the media already cited employee firings from Office Depot, American Airlines, MSNBC, multiple teachers, NASDAQ, Perkins Coe, members of the secret service, Microsoft, and the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Republicans who had previously celebrated the assault of Nancy Pelosi’s husband, death of the Minnesota senators, killing of George Floyd, or suggested an entire population of homeless people be “euthanized” remain employed to this day.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pam-bondi-charlie-kirk-office-depot-employee-b2827508.html

https://www.wfaa.com/article/travel/american-airlines-pilots-removed-from-service-over-posts-charlie-kirk-shooting-transportation-secretary-says/287-6ec2240f-8dfc-4722-8996-e1c5de8e4e41

https://apnews.com/article/dowd-msnbc-kirk-comments-e08f349022c9d69171cd575664141075

https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/matthew-dowds-firing-begins-flood-of-people-facing-consequences-for-comments-on-charlie-kirks-death/

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/teacher-fired-for-charlie-kirk-post-sues-iowa-school-district

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/nasdaq-fires-employee-over-social-media-posts-charlie-kirk-shooting-2025-09-12/

https://abovethelaw.com/2025/09/perkins-coie-fires-lawyer-over-this-charlie-kirk-post/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/13/us-secret-service-agent-put-leave-anti-charlie-kirk-post/86136440007/

https://x.com/Microsoft/status/1966626714148368766

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/teachers-punishment-social-media-posts-173737509.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/business/media/washington-post-charlie-kirk-karen-attiah.html

2025-09-15 JD Vance hosted the Charlie Kirk podcast and urged listeners to call out anyone expressing joy or not adequately mourning. He added, “hell, call their employers”.

https://www.news18.com/world/hell-call-their-employer-vance-backs-doxing-of-people-celebrating-charlie-kirks-death-ws-kl-9576754.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-reviewing-service-members-social-media-posts-on-charlie-kirk/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0r5y33pj5o

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/16/jd-vance-doxing-charlie-kirk-critics

2025-09-19 In a report from MSNBC, all 9 Supreme Court Justices agreed that the government cannot coerce businesses to suppress views.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/all-9-justices-against-maga-censorship-if-abc-defends-kimmel-1st-am-attorney-melber-s-report/vi-AA1MVs1X?cvid=68ce87ba091b464f86f4aa8b58adc954

2025-09-25 An Austin Peay State University professor was fired over a post about Charlie Kirk the school deemed too insensitive.

https://www.wsmv.com/2025/09/25/austin-peay-professor-be-fired-over-alleged-post-involving-charlie-kirks-assassination/

2025 October

2025-10-28 A Tennessee man was arrested and jailed for over 30 days for posting an online meme quoting President Trump. One day after a local news outlet reported on the incarceration, Perry County dropped the charges and released the man.

2026 January

2026-01-16 The DOJ under Trump accused Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of fraud and conspiracy to impede immigration agents.

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/doj-opens-criminal-probe-targeting-minnesota/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/doj-subpoenas-minnesota-gov-walz-and-other-officials-in-obstruction-investigation

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/06/timeline-of-fraud-investigations-that-shaped-walz-tenure

https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-minnesota-governor-walz-and-attorney-general-ellison-lied-about-knowledge-of-fraud-and-silenced-whistleblowers/

2026 February

2026-02-03 DHS submitted an administrative subpoena against a 67-year-old man from Pennsylvania after he wrote an email to them asking to “apply principles of common sense and decency” in their treatment of a man seeking asylum from Afghanistan. DHS issued the subpoena to Google just hours after the man sent the email so they could access the man’s computer and Gmail. Two weeks later, they showed up to his front door for questioning. The ACLU had to get involved to challenge the subpoena and the violation of his First Amendment rights.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/02/03/homeland-security-administrative-subpoena/

https://newrepublic.com/post/206088/homeland-security-67-year-old-us-citizen-criticized-email

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-moves-to-quash-abusive-subpoena-aimed-at-tracking-down-man-who-criticized-department-of-homeland-security

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/department-of-homeland-security-withdraws-subpoena-targeting-man-who-criticized-them

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/department-of-homeland-security-withdraws-subpoena-targeting-man-who-criticized-them

2026-02-14 DHS requested personal information of online users who have been critical of ICE, including names, email addresses, phone numbers and other identifying data. 

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2026/02/17/dhs-collecting-big-tech-users-personal-data-issuing-subpoenas-ice-related-criticism.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/technology/dhs-anti-ice-social-media.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/dhs-orders-tech-giants-to-unmask-anti-ice-accounts/