I need this

Trump threatens to jail journalists in hunt to find leaker of Iran fighter jet story In a news conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, Trump touted the rescue of two U.S. airmen whose jet was shot down over Iran.

"We’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security. Give it up or go to jail.’”

Urice & Frankel on Art Law | Ipse Dixit

I just posted Ipse Dixit #828, featuring Stephen Urice & Simon Frankel discussing the new edition of their book "Law, Ethics & the Visual Arts," which is published by @universitypress.cambridge.org. shows.acast.com/ipse-dixit/e...

This is Amy Madigan and Ed Harris refusing to applaud Elia Kazan's honorary Oscar in 1999. During the Blacklist Era, Kazan named names.

Good on Amy and Ed.

Pentagon bars press photographers over ‘unflattering’ Hegseth photos Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s staff took issue with photos taken in a rare briefing last week and decided to shut out press photographers from two subsequent news conferences.

The Defense Department barred press photographers from briefings on the war with Iran because their photos of Pete Hegseth weren't flattering enough www.washingtonpost.com/business/202... @scottnover.bsky.social

Bill Kurtis retires from 'Wait Wait...' NPR quiz show after 12-year run The 85-year-old former CBS anchorman will lend his sonorous, familiar voice to a final show on May 23.

News: As you might have heard, our Judge and Scorekeeper, with a voice on loan to God, Bill Kurtis, is stepping down from “Wait Wait” at the end of May.

chicago.suntimes.com/arts-and-cul...

Very cool.

Look! A non-horrible thing happening!

I don't think you have to Nostradamus to figure that bombing Iran might raise oil prices. And it seems pretty obvious that buying oil in advance of causing an oil price spike might just save Americans a lot of money. But...

...maybe there wasn't much planning?

WSJ: “.. U.S. military investigators think American forces likely were responsible for the strike, according to a U.S. official ..”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

Trump Blames Iran for Deadly Strike on Girls’ School President Trump on Saturday blamed Iran for the bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran, which Iranian officials say killed more than 160 people. “My opinion, based on what I’ve seen—that was done...

The footage appears to contradict President Donald Trump’s claim it was an Iranian missile that hit the school on Feb. 28. www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

The war against Iran is unconstitutional, as I explain on the blog. Trump has already missed the 48-hour deadline for a written report required by the War Powers Resolution. These illegalities compound the war's violation of international law.

Did the Court in Citizens United and, later, Professor Volokh get the historical meaning of the Press Clause wrong?

In a just published article, I challenge their view as without evidentiary support and misguided.

A Third Possibility: The Press Clause at the Founding share.google/ufWAxr4JjNF6...

TIL that movie Spider-Man can smoke, drink, torture, and kill if he's under the influence of the Venom symbiote, but under no circumstances can he be gay.

Really excellent brief, filed earlier today, from First Amendment scholars in support of @knightcolumbia.org's motion for public access to Jack Smith's Mar-a-Lago report. Thanks to @mfia-clinic.bsky.social for putting it together. knightcolumbia.org/documents/ak...

Credibility in foreign policy.

This guy gets it.

Reconstructing Free Expression

We @knightcolumbia.org have started to post short essays from some of the scholars and advocates participating in our "Reconstructing Free Expression" project. I'm going to post the essays in this thread, as we publish them. They're really good! knightcolumbia.org/research/rec...

New issue of the @lrb.co.uk has my piece on “Thought Control”—Trump’s censorial effort to deport pro-Palestinian protesters, disinformation researchers, fact-checkers, and anyone whom Marco Rubio thinks has a “hostile attitude” towards the United States. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

So you get out your Fascism for Dummies book for the 15 things you do, and we tried to include as many of them as we could in the most artful way possible. How were we supposed to know that this clown car in Washington was going to basically use the same book that we used? So I don't think it's prescience so much as the sad familiarity of fascism and the karaoke menu of things that you go through to do it. You could list them from the show, or you could list them from the newspaper.

Tony Gilroy, creator of Andor, wasn’t allowed to use the word “fascism” during press junkets in 2025.

Interesting interview in The Hollywood Reporter.

www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-featur...

Chairman Carr Announces Pledge America Campaign Urges Broadcasters to Air Patriotic, Pro-America Programming in Support of America’s 250th Birthday WASHINGTON, February 20, 2026—Today, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr established the Pledge America Campaign. This year, we celebrate an historic milestone in our country’s history. On July 4, 2026, we will mark 250 years of American independence. In recognition, President Donald J. Trump established the Salute to America 250 Task Force (“Task Force 250”). The White House notes: Under the President’s leadership, Task Force 250 has commenced the planning of a full year of festivities to officially launch on Memorial Day, 2025 and continue through July 4, 2026. The White House is engaging and encouraging the entire federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, non-profit and educational institutions, and every citizen across this country to join in this historic celebration. Task Force 250 invites citizens to have a renewed love of American history, experience the beauty of our country, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will raise our nation to new heights over the next 250 years. Chairman Carr is heeding this call by establishing the Pledge America Campaign in support of this historic initiative. Consistent with their longstanding public interest obligations, America’s broadcasters play a key role in educating, informing, and entertaining viewers and listeners all across America, and they are particularly well suited to air programming that is responsive to the needs and interests of their local communities. The Pledge America Campaign enables broadcasters to lend their voices in support of Task Force 250 and the celebration of America’s 250th birthday by airing patriotic, pro-America content that celebrates the American journey and inspires its citizens by highlighting the historic accomplishments of this great nation from our founding through the Trump Administration today. Chairman…

“The White House is leading our national celebration of this historic event with the Salute to America 250 Task Force, which calls on the federal government, among others, to mark this momentous occasion. As part of this effort, I am calling on broadcasters to pledge to provide programming that promotes civic education, national pride, and our shared history. “This type of programming is more relevant than ever, as surveys show that civics education is in rapid decline. And classic programming such as Schoolhouse Rock! is now only found in online archives. Broadcasters are uniquely positioned to help address these concerning developments by providing programming that celebrates the remarkable story of American Independence while also tailoring it to the specific needs of their local communities, in furtherance of their public interest obligations. “That is why I am inviting broadcasters to pledge to air programming in their local markets in support of this historic national, non-partisan celebration. As an example, this could include: • Running PSAs, short segments, or full specials specifically promoting civic education, inspiring local stories, and American history. • Including segments during regular news programming that highlight local sites that are significant to American and regional history, such as National Park Service sites. • Starting each broadcast day with the “Star Spangled Banner” or Pledge of Allegiance. • Airing music by America’s greatest composers, such as John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, or George Gershwin. • Providing daily “Today in American History” announcements highlighting significant events that took place on that day in history. • Partnering with community organizations and other groups that are already working hard to bring America’s stories of unity, perseverance, and triumph to light. “I believe in the greatness of our country. And I look forward to broadcasters showcasing its inspiring history by taking the Pledge a…

Trump's FCC Chair Brendan Carr announces the "Pledge America" campaign — urging broadcasters to air "patriotic, pro-American programming" for America's 250th birthday.

One example they give: "Starting each broadcast day with the 'Star Spangled Banner' or Pledge of Allegiance."

The notion that Trump censorship czar Brendan Carr will determine what is and what isn't "pro-America" broadcasting content is itself anti-American.

docs.fcc.gov/public/attac...

Renowned artist Alphachanneling joins Don’t Delete Art for a powerful conversation on censorship, AI moderation, and what it means to make intimate, erotic work in an algorithm-driven world.

Listen on Spotify: bit.ly/4tHjwDD
Read the full transcript + view artwork on our blog.

Checkmate, Robert Jackson. In Florida, a petty official CAN prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion.

Ahh, yes, free speech!

Free Expression in the Shadow State

First contribution to @knightcolumbia.org’s new initiative on “Reconstructing Free Expression” is from @jamalgreene.bsky.social—and it is exceptionally insightful and worth reading. knightcolumbia.org/blog/free-ex...

Reddit ad for an "artificial intelligence lawyer"

Look at my lawyer dawg I'm going to jail

I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland.

And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say Intelligence agencies say deadly toxin in skin of Ecuador dart frogs found in Navalny’s body and highly likely resulted in his death

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was killed by dart frog poison administered by the Russian state two years ago, a multi-intelligence agency inquiry has found, according to a statement released by five countries, the UK, France, Germany...

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...?

Impossible for me to fathom how a publication like the @washingtonpost.com could survive the revelation that propagandists in the administration literally feed it the stories and opinions they want it to print--and the Post just does it.

New Knight Institute Initiative to Focus on “Reconstructing Free Expression” After Trump

Very excited about this new @knightcolumbia.org project, both because it gives us the chance to look beyond the current democratic crisis and because so many super people have already agreed to participate. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...