This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].  

CNBC: DeSantis allies could shift $86 million to help him run for president as watchdogs cry foul

By Kevin Breuninger and Brian Schwartz

.....[Campaign Legal Center] argues that such a transfer from a candidate-controlled state committee to a federal super PAC is illegal. But other experts disagree, and [CLC’s Shanna] Ports acknowledged that the Federal Election Commission “has not had the teeth to enforce in this area.”

The Hill: Students embrace political clothing to make their voices heard

.....Clothing has long been used for American students to express their political opinions, with the most famous example culminating in the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District…

Washington Post: Supreme Court overturns public-corruption conviction of Cuomo aide

By Robert Barnes

.....The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the 2018 conviction of a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), once again expressing skepticism of the ways federal prosecutors combat public corruption and influence peddling.

The justices took the case to determine whether Joseph Percoco could be convicted of depriving the public of his “honest services” given that he was working for Cuomo’s reelection campaign — rather than in his former role as an aide to the governor — when he accepted $35,000 in payments from a construction company.

Law360: FEC Can't Send GOP Groups' Campaign Spending Suit To DC

.....A federal judge in Ohio won't send a lawsuit challenging the Federal Election Commission's limits on coordinated campaign spending to the district court in Washington D.C., rejecting the agency's claim that federal election laws require constitutional challenges to be filed in the nation's capital . . .

Wall Street Journal: JPMorgan Targeted by Republican States Over Accusations of Religious Bias

By Jathon Sapsford

.....Nineteen Republican state attorneys general sent a letter this month addressed to JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, accusing the nation’s largest bank of a “pattern of discrimination” and of denying customers banking services because of political or religious affiliations. In March, 14 Republican state treasurers wrote a similar letter to Mr. Dimon, making the same accusations.

The letters said JPMorgan terminated client accounts due to religious beliefs—which the bank denies—and they also demanded the bank respond to detailed survey questions on issues of concern to conservatives. The survey probes policies around speech freedoms, for example, in a nod to conservatives who believe employees of faith should feel free to express disagreement with workplace priorities such as diversity or climate initiatives they view as progressive.

National Review: For Argument’s Sake

By James Lileks

.....Turns out we can’t even have a debate about debating. Members of the debate team at James Madison University have decided that “free speech should not extend to requiring us to platform or amplify ideas that are exclusionary, discriminatory, or hostile.” Apparently, debate meets will now resemble a Soviet show trial but without so much suspense over the outcome.

Axios: Democracy isn't ready for its AI test

.....After initially banning political uses of ChatGPT, OpenAI is now focused on banning "high volumes of campaign materials" and "materials personalized to or targeted at specific demographics."

In Congress, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill requiring disclosure when AI is used for political ads.

Federal Election Commission vice chairman Sean Cooksey, a Republican, thinks AI ads can be regulated via existing rules.

Fox News: Developer creates pro-First Amendment AI to counter ChatGPT's 'political motivations'

By Jon Michael Raasch

.....An AI researcher developed a free speech alternative to ChatGPT and argued that the mainstream model has a liberal bias that prevents it from answering certain questions.

The Hill: Twitter under fire for perceived censorship ahead of election in Turkey

.....Twitter is facing criticism for restricting content in Turkey ahead of Sunday’s election…

Twitter CEO Elon Musk defended the decision on Saturday, tweeting, “The choice is have Twitter throttled in its entirety or limit access to some tweets. Which one do you want?”

The Guardian: Latest arrests of ‘Cop City’ protesters ‘feel like overreach’, experts say

.....The latest arrests are “stunning and feel like overreach”, said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. They come under a law making it a felony to intimidate a law enforcement officer, and are in response to a printed flyer.

“It raises serious first amendment concerns,” the ACLU of Georgia wrote in an email. “It is also part of a broader pattern of the state of Georgia weaponizing the criminal code to unconditionally protect law enforcement and to silence speech critical of the government.”

San Francisco Chronicle: California court reinstates defamation suit against Rep. Maxine Waters

By Bob Egelko

.....A state appeals court reinstated a defamation suit Wednesday against Rep. Maxine Waters, a veteran Democratic congresswoman from Los Angeles, for accusing her 2020 campaign opponent of having been dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

Center Square: ‘Transparency wins’: WA candidates must reveal donors of money moved to new campaigns

By Brett Davis 

.....The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission has unanimously voted to issue new guidance related to the transfer of surplus funds from previous campaigns to new campaigns, making such funds subject to disclosure and contribution limits in political races.

Read an article you think we would be interested in? Send it to Tiffany Donnelly at [email protected]. For email filters, the subject of this email will always begin with "Institute for Free Speech Media Update."  

The Institute for Free Speech is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and defends the First Amendment rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government. Please support the Institute's mission by clicking here. For further information, visit www.ifs.org.