The Charlie Kirk Purge: How 600 Americans Were Punished In A Pro-Trump Crackdown
HuffPost
Supporters of the firings say that freedom of speech is not freedom from consequence.
Nov 19 (Reuters) - When Lauren Vaughn, a kindergarten assistant in South Carolina, saw reports that right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk had been shot at an event in Utah, she opened Facebook and typed out a quote from Kirk himself.
Gun deaths, Kirk said in 2023, were unfortunate but “worth it” if they preserved “the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given Rights.” Following the quote, Vaughn added: “Thoughts and prayers.”
Vaughn, a 37-year-old Christian who has taken missionary trips to Guatemala, said her call for prayer was sincere. She said she hoped reading Kirk’s words in the context of the shooting might prompt her friends to rethink their opposition to gun control .
“Maybe now they’ll listen,” she recalled thinking.
A few days later, Vaughn lost her job. She was one of more than 600 Americans fired, suspended, placed under investigation or disciplined by employers for comments about Kirk’s September 10 assassination, according to a Reuters review of court records, public statements, local media reports and interviews with two dozen people who were fired or otherwise disciplined.
The GOP senator claims it was “entirely lawful” that the U.S. military launched a follow-up strike to kill survivors of its first strike in the Sept. 2 attack.
The report comes as the defense secretary is engulfed in a controversy over a “double tap” strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat.
The president's holiday-like fantasy is getting roasted by critics.
The case had frustrated authorities for years as they had failed to identify the person responsible for placing the bombs.
Sydney Sweeney entered the Fox News conversation that came to an eye-rolling conclusion.
The lawsuit accuses the Defense Department of violating reporters' First Amendment rights.
“It’s become quite a messy and toxic situation,” a Eurovision expert said.
The Duke of Sussex jabbed the president during a Hallmark-inspired comedy bit with host Stephen Colbert.
The illustrated image is... something.
“These are serious charges, and that’s the reason we’re going to have special oversight,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The network's senior medical analyst put an inventive twist on the president's drowsy appearance during his Cabinet meeting.
Many blasted the House minority leader's reaction to Trump pardoning a Democrat who was indicted on charges of bribery and acting as a foreign agent.
The Pentagon knew there were survivors after a September attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea and the U.S. military still carried out a follow-up strike.