NEWS: Civil war? No. But the censorship war has begun.

Trump allies wield power to shut down Charlie Kirk critics.

Bottom Line Up Front:

In response to the silencing of a major conservative voice, the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans geared up for a crackdown against left-leaning voices, vowing lifetime internet bans, workplace blacklists, and even visa revocations for anyone who publicly questioned or mocked the slain commentator.

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WHAT HAPPENED

President Trump said late last week that the “radical left” was “directly responsible” for Kirk’s assassination and promised retribution. And in recent days, his administration and allies began to respond.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth issued a directive for military leadership to hunt down and punish service members who criticized Kirk on social media, and according to reports, several have already been fired. A spokesman at the War Department (since rebranded from the Defense Department) declared a “zero tolerance” policy for unsympathetic remarks, and hashtags like #RevolutionariesInTheRanks are being used to flag troops for discipline, even for saying things like “I don’t give a s— about Charlie Kirk.”

At the same time, State Department leaders warned that they may revoke the visas of foreign visitors and immigrants who “praise, rationalize, or make light” of Kirk’s murder. “Such individuals are not welcome visitors,” the Department posted, urging consular officials to take “appropriate action.” The State Department confirmed it is monitoring online posts for foreign nationals who might be barred from entering or staying in the U.S.

Representative Clay Higgins, a Trump-aligned congressman from Louisiana, went even further. In a post that quickly went viral, Higgins pledged to “mandate [an] immediate ban for life” on “every post or commenter that belittled the assassination” of Kirk. He pledged to use legislative powers to ensure profiles are taken down, driver’s licenses revoked, users blacklisted, businesses shut down, and dissenters “kicked from every school.” His words:

“I’m going to cancel with extreme prejudice these evil, sick animals who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.”

This is a prelude to much more sweeping actions, as the White House is reported to be developing a so-called “comprehensive plan on violence in America” aimed at going after “hate groups” and inflammatory rhetoric, though the administration has not defined what constitutes such speech. Observers anticipate this dragnet will ensnare mainstream Democratic groups, including after the president’s remarks over the weekend that liberal donor George Soros should be jailed.

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WHAT IT MEANS

The day after Kirk’s assassination, social media mentions of “civil war” jumped tenfold. And while a literal armed conflict seems unlikely at this moment, another kind of war is now fully underway. A censorship war. And to varying degrees, the extremes are seeking to silence one another using shame, mob pressure, and the machinery of the state.

There was once a civic truism you’d learn in school:

“I may not like what you have to say, but I’ll defend your right to say it.”

That phrase may be the first casualty in the Censorship War.

It began last week with silencing-by-shooter. Whether Kirk’s assassin was a radical leftist, as Trump claims, or a far-right groyper, as others allege, the fact remains: he was executed for his ideas. That kind of censorship is, of course, irreversible.

Then came the trolls. They flooded social media with memes, sarcasm, and dehumanizing vitriol by claiming Kirk “deserved it.” But none of them offered an answer to the obvious question: which of his words, exactly, merited the penalty of a trial-less, jury-less execution under U.S. law?

The government is preparing to retaliate in kind, seemingly unaware of (or indifferent to) the irony. Charlie Kirk was hailed as the GOP’s free-speech advocate; now a purge of his critics is underway. People are at risk of losing their jobs, security clearances, and the right to travel to the United States for what they’ve posted online. And a more sweeping crackdown targeting left-leaning organizations appears imminent.

However ghoulish and macabre some of those posts may have been, it bears repeating that the First Amendment has no restriction on tastelessness and tact.

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WHAT’S NEXT

It should be obvious that glorifying a murder — of anyone, for any reason — is morally grotesque and corrosive to democracy. But leveraging state power to criminalize opinions is just as dangerous.

Sadly, there was a version of this week that is forever lost. In that timeline, political leaders of all stripes would have stood side-by-side on the Capitol steps and declared that violence has no place in politics, introduced laws to protect speech and punish real threats (not opinions), and reminded Americans that liberty only works if it extends even to those you abhor.

As we go into this week, America appears headed for a darker path. We are witnessing the early hostilities in a Censorship War where the government wields extraordinary power, and if Americans across the spectrum don’t scream “Stop!,” it’s unclear to me whether anyone will be allowed to speak freely when it’s over.

P.S. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON TREASON

Three things to put on your radar screen this week.

1. ONE: Today - I’ll be speaking with Thom Hartman. You can follow him here. I’ll be joining his program and posting it later.

2. TWO: Wednesday (12noonET) - Weekly Wednesday Coffee - We’ll do another small-group coffee on Substack LIVE this Weds at 12noonET / 9aPT. Exclusively for subscribers. You can join here. Bring questions to ask in the chat.

3. THREE: Wednesday (4pmET) - One-on-one with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart - I’ll be joined on Substack LIVE by MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart. Tune in for bold predictions. You can join here.