Damning Report Card: California Schools Get An ‘F’

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Free Speech Rankings crowned California’s Claremont McKenna College with a grade of B- as the best college in the U.S. for free speech, while a string of other California schools received F grades amid anti-free speech environments across campuses.

FIRE released its sixth annual College Free Speech Rankings, which pulled responses on free-speech topics from 68,510 students attending 257 American colleges. The survey highlighted a decline in support for free speech among all students. 

Students on both sides of the political aisle are showing a deep “unwillingness” to face controversial ideas, the press releases stated. 

“This year, students largely opposed allowing any controversial campus speaker, no matter that speaker’s politics,” said FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff. “Rather than hearing out and then responding to an ideological opponent, both liberal and conservative college students are retreating from the encounter entirely … We must champion free speech on campus as a remedy to our culture’s deep polarization.”

According to the FIRE survey, Claremont McKenna College is ranked in the top 10 best schools for free speech on  “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” “Openness” and “Self-Censorship,” among other categories. 

Shortly after the horrific assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus event, Claremont Independent, the college newspaper, wrote a story on how CMC students reacted to the killing of Kirk.

“Even those who despise Kirk and everything he stood for should mourn the damage his assassination will do to America’s fragile architecture of free speech and civil discourse. There can be no picking and choosing in the world of free expression. It’s free speech for all, or free speech for none,” the editorial board wrote.

Out of the 257 schools surveyed, 166 of them received an F for their free speech climate. Only 10 schools received a free speech grade of C. Claremont McKenna was the only college to get a better grade than a C.

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‘I really feel for Kirk’s loved ones’: Professor apologizes for assassination comments

A University of California San Diego writing instructor walked back his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk in comments given to The College Fix.

After the killing of the Turning Point USA CEO, Michael Morshed wrote on a friend’s social media post: “He f**cked around and found out.”

But now he said he regrets his words.

“The most basic answer is I said it because sometimes I’m an idiot who acts impulsive, and my tongue is a bit too sharp. I have been since I was a kid,” Morshed told The Fix via email on Monday.

“More importantly, I think it was an insensitive comment on my part. I don’t think Kirk deserved to be killed. I think he was a [debater] and was non-violent from what I have seen,” Morshed said. “Given that, he did not deserve violence against him, and I hope the person who killed him goes to jail. That person was 100% in the wrong.”

The killing has led Morshed to look more into Kirk and find some areas of agreement.

“When someone is killed, I feel horrible for their loved ones, and I am seeing in the aftermath of Kirk’s death how much people loved him,” Morshed told The Fix. “This is leading me to look into Kirk some more, and I have found that I agree with the core of some of his ideas.”

Morshed also wanted to provide further context to what he was trying to say. “The essence of my opinion is that, while not deserving to die, Kirk could have taken more precautions,”

Morshed, suggesting better security was needed and the events should have been indoors for Kirk’s own safety.

The professor also said many young people debating him are “already sensitive and maybe even mentally ill” which created the potential for more problems.

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Was the Current Madness Birthed in the University?

merica is currently sick.

The young conservative organizer and media personality Charlie Kirk was just murdered in a political assassination by a 22-year-old ‘anti-fascist’ and trans advocate, Tyler Robinson. As planned, he eliminated the most astute and successful political activist in a generation. Indeed, Kirk may well have ensured that Donald Trump won the 2024 election by not just increasing his youth vote by 6 percent since 2020 but, more importantly, by margins in the swing states of 15-24 percent, ensuring Trump’s victory.

No sooner was he killed than thousands on left-wing social media erupted in celebration—among them scores of teachers and professors. Their venom was eerily reminiscent of their earlier canonization of left-wing murderer Luigi Mangione. Recall, Mangione was the spoiled nepo baby who lethally ambushed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Thereby, he became an icon to the Left as a social justice warrior fighting the evil capitalist system, which had so enriched himself and his own family.

Such utter moral bankruptcy was on display as well by the social media praise of Palestinian activist Elias Rodriguez (“Free Palestine”), after he brutally murdered a young Jewish couple at the Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Rodriguez supposedly showed the world how to deal with Zionists—reifying the hateful rhetoric that pervades the modern campus.

Was that ghoulishness confined to such anonymous left-wing nuts and fringe trolls?

Not really.

MSNBC’s guest “analyst,” Matthew Dowd, casually raised an asinine suggestion that the lethal shot came from a Kirk supporter firing off a round. And then, in Pavlovian fashion, he blamed the assassination of Kirk—on Kirk himself—for being an unapologetic “divisive” activist.

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U.S. and South Korean Scientists Lab-Engineer Frankenstein Bird Flu Viruses in Georgia: Journal ‘Virology’

This month, the journal Virology published a study confirming that U.S. researchers at Georgia State University and South Korean collaborators from Jeju National University and Sungshin Women’s University are using reverse genetics to create chimeric H5N1 “Frankenstein” bird flu viruses.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grant AI154656.

Researchers combined purported highly pathogenic avian influenza genes with a laboratory H1N1 backbone.

This is not happening in isolation.

It’s unfolding amid international “pandemic preparedness” efforts, where the creation of dangerous bird flu pathogens goes hand-in-hand with the rollout of vaccines as the supposed solution, which no mainstream or non-mainstream sources are warning about—except this website.

It follows the same playbook as COVID-19, which multiple U.S. agencies have said most likely came from a lab incident.

The new bird flu pathogen creation comes as the United Nations has staged its first-ever global bird flu summit, mobilizing 500 officials and scientists to coordinate “control strategies,” surveillance, and vaccination campaigns—confirming that the very governments engineering these Frankenstein viruses are simultaneously organizing the policies and vaccines that will follow.

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NMSU Alumnus and Former Professor Files Legal Action Over Unlawful Vaccine Mandate

Today, David K. Clements, a former Assistant Professor of consumer protection and business law, announced the filing of a lawsuit against New Mexico State University (NMSU) and its Board of Regents, alleging breach of contract and violation of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act.

The action stems from his wrongful termination on October 15, 2021, for refusing to comply with NMSU’s COVID-19 experimental vaccine and mask mandate, which he contends violated federal law by lacking informed consent and refusal rights.

“It is difficult to announce this lawsuit in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination. He fought for free speech on campuses just like NMSU. Before his life was tragically taken, lives and reputations were destroyed on campuses across America for exercising our First Amendment right to combat forced injections, masking, and invasive testing. For those who held the line against forced injection, many had to endure a six-inch nasal swab shoved up their nose, scraping the back of their throats every week, or else face the loss of their job. It was dehumanizing. I will fight these monsters with everything I have,” Clements stated.

Clements, who taught at NMSU until his dismissal, argues that the mandate disrupted educational services to both students and faculty—services generating $2.6 billion in economic output—and exploited his position as a tenure-track professor to pressure students to get an injection with virtually no scientific data advising them of their risks. The Complaint can be read here.

“The university effectively took bribe money tied to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, among others. They chose to rake in millions of dollars rather than look out for the health and safety of faculty and students. The statute of limitations for breach of contract is six years. I hope this lawsuit will alert former colleagues and students that were harmed by the jab or denied accommodations, that a university’s greed should not outweigh their rights to receive an education free of coercion. There is still time on the clock for thousands of lawsuits to be filed,” Clements stated.

NMSU is no stranger to controversy. Over the past five years, it has been sued for allegations of hazing, sexual assault, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. These include an $8 million settlement in June 2023 with former basketball players Deuce Benjamin, Shak Odunewu, and William Benjamin for hazing and sexual assault claims; a $495,000 settlement in March 2024 with former provost Carol Parker for discrimination and retaliation; a $60,000 settlement in February 2024 with former Title IX coordinator Laura Castille for retaliation; a $1 million settlement in July 2025 with a female student alleging mishandling of a sexual assault case; and an undisclosed settlement in August 2025 with former basketball coach Greg Heiar for wrongful termination. These resolutions, totaling over $9.5 million in disclosed amounts, reflect a troubling track record.

Clements’ objection to the mandate’s illegality has been vindicated by recent developments, including the CDC’s 2025 withdrawal of vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women and Moderna’s requirement for placebo-controlled trials. “As an alumnus and educator, I sought to protect my students and colleagues from potential harm, only to face retaliation,” Clements stated.

The lawsuit seeks reinstatement to a tenured position, compensatory and treble (triple) damages under the UPA for what Clements describes as a willful and unconscionable trade practice. He has requested preservation of all related records to ensure transparency.

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Oxford Union Announces ‘Disciplinary Proceedings’ Against Far-Left President-Elect Who Celebrated Charlie Kirk’s Death — But University Won’t Expel Him

The Oxford Union has announced “disciplinary proceedings” against their president-elect after he celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

The Telegraph obtained Whatsapp messages from the Union’s president-elect George Abaraonye in which he wrote: “Charlie Kirk got shot, let’s fucking go.”

He wrote in another message: “Charlie Kirk got shot loool.”

Amid growing pressure for his expulsion from the university, the Union said that it did not have the powers to dismiss Abaraonye, but that his remarks were being treated with the “utmost seriousness”:

The Oxford Union does not possess executive powers to summarily dismiss a president-elect. However, the complaints filed against the president-elect have been forwarded for disciplinary proceedings and will be addressed with the utmost seriousness.

Our duty is to demonstrate to our members, the university community, alumni, and the wider public, that disagreement must be expressed through debate and dialogue, not through abuse or threats. That is the tradition we uphold, and it is the standard we will continue to set.

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California Passes Reparations in College Admissions, Despite Prop 209

The California legislature passed a bill last week that would provide reparations to descendants of slaves in the form of college admissions — despite Proposition 209, which forbids the use of race in college admissions.

The bill, AB 7, provides that California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education … and private postsecondary educational institutions … may consider providing a preference in admissions to an applicant who is a descendant of slavery.” It applies to anyone “who can establish direct lineage to a person who, before 1900, was subjected to American chattel slavery.”

Proposition 209, passed in 1996 and reaffirmed by California voters in 2020, bans the use of race in college admissions and for other public purposes. Supporters of AB 7 say that “descendant of slavery” is race-neutral.

The Los Angeles Times reports that AB 7 is only one of several reparations bills passed by the legislature:

Earlier this week, the Democratic-led Legislature also passed Senate Bill 518, which would create a new office called the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery. That bureau would create a process to determine whether someone is the descendant of a slave and to certify someone’s claim to help them access benefits.

The legislature also approved Assembly Bill 57, by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), which would help descendants of slavery build generational wealth by becoming homeowners.

The Legislature also passed McKinnor’s AB 67, which sets up a process for people who said they or their families lost property to the government through “racially motivated eminent domain” to seek to have the property returned or to be paid.

Newsom will now consider the bills. He signed a formal apology for slavery last year, after declining to back bills that would have provided cash reparations.

California entered the Union as a Free State in 1850.

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Top university administrator calls Charlie Kirk assassination ‘fair’ due to stance on guns: ‘No prayers’

An assistant campus director at George Washington University took to social media shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and said it is “fair” that Kirk was gunned down due to his support of gun ownership and the Second Amendment. 

“If nothing else, it is fair, in a nation where children get massacred by gun violence on the regular, the people who advocate for continued gun ownership at the expense of those children are not immune from the consequences of their advocacy,” Anthony Pohorilak, Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives at George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus, posted on his personal Facebook after Kirk was killed.

“No thoughts no prayers,” the GWU employee added. 

The Facebook post, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, received 37 likes and love reactions from Pohorilak’s friend group.

The George Washington University website lists Pohorilak, who uses the pronouns “He/Him” in his bio, as working for the Campus Living & Residential Education department.

“The George Washington University unequivocally condemns all forms of violence,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“As a university with one of the most politically engaged campus communities in the country, we believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and no one should ever be subject to violence for expressing their views. This individual employee is not authorized to speak on behalf of GW, and his opinions do not reflect those of the university.”

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Survey Finds ONE IN THREE College Students Think Some Level of Violence is Acceptable to Stop Campus Speech They Don’t Like

One point that has been made repeatedly over the last 48 hours is that Charlie Kirk was assassinated while exercising one of our most basic rights, the right to free speech.

When Kirk visited college campuses, he was not protesting, he was engaging in peaceful, intellectual discussions, question and answer sessions and/or debate with students who participated freely.

So how would anyone think of killing him for doing this? Well, a survey which was released just a day before Kirk was murdered, shows that an astonishing number of college students believe that violence is an acceptable way to stop campus speech they don’t like.

The College Fix reported:

1 in 3 students say some level of violence acceptable to stop campus speech

One in three students believe some level of violence is acceptable to stop a campus speech, according to the results of a large-scale survey released Tuesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The survey, which questioned more than 68,000 students at 257 colleges and universities nationwide on a variety of free speech topics, asked: “How acceptable would you say it is for students to engage in the following actions to protest a campus speaker? Using violence to stop a campus speech.”

Two percent said “always acceptable,” 13 percent said “sometimes acceptable,” and 19 percent said “rarely acceptable,” or about one-third of those surveyed.

When broken down by political beliefs, 7 percent of students who identified as liberal said it’s “always acceptable” to use violence to shut down speech — while 8 percent of students who identified as conservative did.

“More students than ever think violence and chaos are acceptable alternatives to peaceful protest,” FIRE Chief Research Advisor Sean Stevens said in a news release. “This finding cuts across partisan lines. It is not a liberal or conservative problem — it’s an American problem.”

“Students see speech that they oppose as threatening, and their overblown response contributes to a volatile political climate.”

A majority of students surveyed — 54 percent — also responded it was acceptable to block other students from attending a campus speech: 3 percent said “always acceptable,” 19 percent said “sometimes acceptable,” and 32 percent said “rarely acceptable.”

This is an indictment of our entire system of education. Schools are failing to educate our students about our most basic God-given rights and the respect that they deserve, especially in an education setting.

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Utah College Student Reported Suspicious Man on Losee Center Roof to FBI After Spotting Him Twice in Two Weeks Before Charlie Kirk Assassination — Says Suspect Matches Person of Interest and Was Confronted by Professor

A Utah Valley University student revealed to CNN that he spotted a suspicious man walking on or near the roof of the Losee Center twice in two weeks before Kirk was assassinated.

Even more alarming, he says the man he saw bears a striking resemblance to the person of interest whose photo has now been released by police.

The Utah Department of Public Safety released four additional photos of the suspected Charlie Kirk assassin on Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, the FBI had unveiled the first batch of images of the person of interest in the assassination.

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