Federal Appeals Court Affirms Lower Court Ruling That Trump Can’t Block Critics on Twitter
A federal appeals court ruled that President Trump’s Twitter account is a public forum, and his practice of blocking critics violates the First Amendment. The decision arose from a July 2017 suit filed in U. S District Court for the Southern District of New York by seven Twitter users who had been blocked after they made critical remarks about Trump and/or his policies. The critics, represented by Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, sued Trump and Daniel Scavino, the White House’s Director of Social Media, for violating their First Amendment rights.
Federal Agency Accuses Kellyanne Conway of Violating Hatch Act
Kellyanne Conway, a senior advisor to President Trump, has been accused of violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in campaign politics at work. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recommended that Trump fire Conway for being a “repeat offender” of the Act. “As a highly visible member of the administration, Ms. Conway’s violations, if left unpunished, send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions,” said the letter to the president. “Her actions erode the principal foundation of our democratic system — the rule of law.” At the heart of the accusation are Conway’s recent comments about Democratic presidential candidates in television interviews and on social media.
Trump Urges Supporters to Boycott CNN’s Parent Company
President Donald Trump took to Twitter and urged his supporters to boycott CNN’s parent company, AT&T. “I believe that if people stoped (sic) using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!," he tweeted.
PEN America Rebuts Trump’s Motion To Dismiss Suit Over First Amendment Violations
Updated 3/25/2020: District court rejected Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss PEN America’s lawsuit, says the case can proceed. PEN America filed its response to a motion to dismiss filed on […]
The U.S. Is Now A Less Safe Place For Journalists
A newly released annual report by Reporter Without Borders, called the “World Press Freedom Index,” reveals a disheartening state of freedom of the press around the globe—including in the U.S. “The number of countries regarded as safe, where journalists can work in complete security, continues to decline, while authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media,” the report says. The United States has now become a less safe place for journalists, ranking at No. 48 out of the 180 countries and territories on the list.
Ben Smith, Editor-In-Chief of BuzzFeed News Discusses Free Press Issues
Ben Smith, the Editor-In-Chief of BuzzFeed News, discusses his decision to publish the Steele dossier, a controversial intelligence memo compiled by retired British spy Christopher Steele. Smith also talks about […]
BBC Cameraman Shoved By Trump Supporter During Rally In El Paso, Texas
A man in a red “Make America Great Again” hat shoved and yelled at a BBC cameraman during a Trump campaign rally at the El Paso County Coliseum, briefly interrupting […]
“Extortion And Blackmail”: Bezos Makes Accusations Against National Enquirer Public
Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos is accusing American Media, Inc. of blackmail and extortion in a blog post that included a series of threatening emails Bezos says he received from AMI and […]