As Trump Targets First Amendment, Students Grow Less Tolerant of Free Speech

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Right-wing political operative Charlie Kirk was discussing one of the most divisive topics in contemporary U.S. politics — school shootings — when a bullet pierced his neck.

Before he was gunned down on a Utah college campus, the 31-year-old activist built a reputation as a free-speech absolutist whose provocative, pull-no-punches commentary made him an icon for many young conservatives and a villain to liberal college students who sought to shut him up.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice/The 74, Getty Images

Now, it’s his critics who find themselves on the receiving end of censorship as the Trump administration endorses a doxxing campaign against people who’ve engaged in online “hate speech” and educators face consequences at work for critical social media posts. For students, it’s a fraught environment that offers new First Amendment risks, experts told me this week.

“Somebody silenced Charlie Kirk, and that person probably wanted less speech,” said Adam Goldstein, the vice president of strategic initiatives at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. “So if our reaction to that is to start silencing each other, then we’re doing the work of assassins for them.”

Authorities have accused 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of murdering Kirk for his “political expression.” Prosecutors released a series of text messages Tuesday between Robinson and his roommate and romantic partner in which the suspected killer said he had enough of Kirk’s “hatred,” and that “some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

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In the news

A teenager who shot two students at a suburban Denver High school on the same day as Kirk’s murder had “a deep fascination with mass shooters” and TikTok accounts “filled with white supremacist symbolism.” | Anti-Defamation League

On the morning of the Evergreen High School attack, the school-based police officer was away from campus responding to a nearby car crash. The Colorado Sun

The Uvalde, Texas, school district canceled classes for four days this week after it became the target of a ransomware attack. The district suffered a 2022 school shooting that left 19 elementary schoolers and two teachers dead. Campus security infrastructure, including surveillance cameras, were compromised by the cyberattack, the district said. | KSAT

California reformed its student discipline regime — including a ban on suspensions for willful defiance — in a bid to combat racial and socioeconomic disparities. It hasn’t worked. | K-12 Dive

From ‘homework helper’ to ‘suicide coach’: Parents testified at an emotionally raw Senate hearing Tuesday that their children were driven to suicide by artificial intelligence chatbots, including ChatGPT and Character.AI. Among those who testified are parents suing tech companies alleging their children’s use of chatbots led to harm or death. | The Washington Post

Florida mother Megan Garcia’s lawsuit alleges the Character.AI chatbot formed an abusive relationship with her 14-year-old son, Sewell, that drove him to suicide. | NBC News
“No parent should have to give their own child’s eulogy,” she told lawmakers. “After losing Sewell, I have spoken with parents across the country who have discovered their children have been groomed, manipulated and harmed by AI chatbots. This is not a rare or isolated case.” | Tech Policy Press
In May, a federal judge rejected Character.AI’s arguments that its chatbots are protected by the First Amendment. | The Associated Press
On the same day as the hearing, OpenAI announced it would add an age prediction feature to its chatbots and tailor responses for younger audiences. | The Record
Why parents should talk to their kids about the risks of AI. | NPR

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A new Pew Research Center poll shows overwhelming public support for international students at U.S. colleges and universities, even as they get entangled in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. | Pew Research Center

New laws in 31 states and the District of Columbia restrict students’ cellphone use at school, according to a new analysis by the National Association of State Boards of Education. Yet the group argues the policies “may not address the full range of harms to student safety and mental health arising from risky online behaviors — or equip students with the digital literacy skills they need.” | NASBE

New in Trump’s immigration crackdown: A New York school superintendent flew to Texas and tried to give a cap, gown and diploma to an undocumented student who was detained just weeks before his high school graduation. | News 12

‘Immense fear and terror’: How the militarized surge of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., has taken a toll on the city’s kids. | The Associated Press
A Maine congresswoman has called on immigration agents to give a “full accounting” of its decision to arrest a father after he dropped off his child at school. | Portland Press Herald
A man shot and killed by ICE agents during a traffic stop last week dropped his children off at school moments before his death. | WBEZ

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has put a hold on new state social studies standards that parents, educators and faith leaders allege impose Christian beliefs on students in violation of the First Amendment. | Oklahoma Voice

The Green Bay, Wisconsin, school district will require middle and high schoolers to use clear backpacks after a student was arrested for bringing a gun to class. | Green Bay Press Gazette