JD Vance Endorses Mass "Doxxing" Campaign to Punish Americans Following Kirk Shooting
JD Vance backs mass doxxing to punish Americans not publicly mourning Charlie Kirk while Trump sues NYT for $15 billion over coverage.
By Aaron Parnas•September 16, 2025•6 min read
Legal Analysis
Good morning. Today I’m tracking developments that threaten free speech in America. Donald Trump is suing the New York Times for more than $15 billion, branding it a “mouthpiece for the Democratic Party.” Vice-President JD Vance has openly backed a mass doxxing campaign to punish people who haven’t publicly mourned Charlie Kirk. Elon Musk, with a platform of 226 million followers, is urging people to “fight or die.” That’s not rhetoric — it’s intimidation.
I wish I could bring better news. I will have more on the lawsuit later today, but I want to be crystal clear now: as Trump tries to crush dissent and silence the press, I will not back down. If he sues me, I will fight — not for me, but for the public’s right to know. Truth is the strongest defense in a libel suit, and every day I commit to reporting facts and sharing the full truth.
If you value independent, fearless journalism that won’t be cowed by lawsuits or threats, please subscribe today. Your support keeps this work alive when others try to shut it down.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
Vice-president JD Vance endorsed a mass “doxing” campaign to expose and pressure people accused of insufficiently mourning Charlie Kirk’s assassination, urging employers to punish them, as Trump allies escalate crackdowns that critics warn echo McCarthyism and threaten free expression.
Elon Musk has escalated incendiary rhetoric after Charlie Kirk’s killing, repeatedly urging his 226M followers to “fight or die,” demanding critics be deplatformed or jailed, and accusing media and schools of “programming people to murder,” drawing condemnation from UK leaders and fueling fears of vigilantism and political violence.
Progressive advocacy groups warn of “McCarthy-era” repression after Trump, JD Vance, and Republican allies used the Charlie Kirk shooting to justify calls for federal investigations into left-leaning nonprofits, which critics say aim to intimidate, silence dissent, and quash political opposition under the guise of national security.
Donald Trump has filed a $15bn defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, accusing it of acting as a Democratic “mouthpiece,” spreading false claims, and interfering in elections through articles and a book critical of him, continuing his broader legal campaign against major U.S. media outlets.
The Trump administration has reportedly ordered the removal of slavery-related exhibits from several U.S. national parks under a March executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” including the iconic 1863 photograph of an escaped slave known as Peter showing his whip-scarred back.
The directive, aimed at purging displays deemed to “disparage” America, has led to reviews at sites like Harpers Ferry and George Washington’s Philadelphia residence, sparking alarm over erasures of content on slavery, racism, Indigenous persecution, and LGBTQ+ history. Critics say the move continues a broader pattern of cultural rollbacks under Trump, while the National Park Service has defended the review as an effort to provide “broader context.”
Mississippi has declared a public health emergency over soaring infant mortality but was forced to halt key CDC-backed pregnancy data collection after Trump administration purges gutted the agency, leaving experts warning that the loss of vital maternal health tracking, combined with Medicaid cuts, abortion bans, and racial inequities, will worsen outcomes for mothers and babies.
The Senate confirmed Trump adviser Stephen Miran to the Federal Reserve board in a historic move tightening White House influence over the central bank, while a court blocked Trump’s bid to oust Governor Lisa Cook, underscoring clashes over Fed independence as it prepares to cut interest rates.
A U.S. appeals court blocked Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, the first Black woman on the board, ruling she can remain ahead of key rate decisions.
Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, was found dead hanging from a tree on campus, prompting cancellation of centennial events; police say no foul play is suspected, though an investigation and autopsy are ongoing, and the university is providing counseling and memorial services.
Vicksburg police are investigating after 37-year-old Cory Zukatis of Brandon was found hanging in a wooded area near Ameristar Casino on Washington Street; no further details have been released. Two men have now been found hanging from a tree in Mississippi in the past 24 hours.
Donald Trump arrives in Britain this week for an unprecedented second state visit, but the backdrop is turmoil: Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces plunging approval ratings, cabinet scandals, and far-right marches led by Trump ally Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson, while the royals grapple with renewed Epstein-linked scrutiny of Prince Andrew and tensions between King Charles, Harry, and William — raising fears the visit may highlight, not mask, the UK’s political and social unrest.
Inside the Trump administration’s Labor Department, morale has collapsed as 20% of staff quit or retire amid deep budget cuts, deregulatory pushes, and intimidation — including threats against employees who speak out. Workers describe conditions “like a prison,” with enforcement power gutted as the agency moves to strip 3.7 million home care workers (mostly women and immigrants) of minimum wage and overtime protections, slash child labor and safety programs, and adopt anti-immigrant “American Workers First” rhetoric critics say weaponizes the department against the very people it was built to protect.
Israel has launched a major ground offensive into Gaza City, combining air and ground operations to dismantle Hamas’s stronghold, while facing UN accusations of genocide, mounting civilian displacement, and criticism that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for political survival amid strong U.S. backing.
Former Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Trump critic expelled from the party, announced he’ll run for governor in 2026 as a Democrat, vowing to fight extremism and lower costs, in what will be a closely watched battleground race.
China’s Coast Guard admitted firing water cannon at Philippine ships near Scarborough Shoal, accusing Manila of illegal incursions and ramming, while the Philippines said its vessels were on a humanitarian mission to support fishermen and denounced Beijing’s actions as harassment, escalating long-running South China Sea tensions.
