Last Week in Censorship: February 3 - 9, 2026

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The first full week of February continued the Trump administration’s assault on democratic norms, as it moved again to silence critics, rewrite civil rights history, and telegraphed a desire to conduct unprecedented election interference. From military commanders forcing troops to watch propaganda films to federal agents collecting data on government critics, the week revealed the systematic nature of authoritarian control taking root in America.

NewsGuard Sues Government Over Censorship Campaign. Media rating service NewsGuard filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission and Chairman Andrew Ferguson. The FTC has alleged a year-long campaign to destroy the company for giving low ratings to conservative outlets like Newsmax and demanded all of NewsGuard’s documents since its 2018 founding under the guise of an “antitrust investigation.” The lawsuit claims the FTC violated the First Amendment by prohibiting media conglomerate Omnicom from contracting with news ratings services—like NewsGuard—as a condition of its merger with Interpublic Group. The FTC “is brazenly using its power not for any issue concerning trade or commerce, but rather to censor speech,” the lawsuit states. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is representing NewsGuard pro bono in the constitutional challenge.

VA Leadership Silences Remembrance of Slain Nurse. Veterans Affairs officials attempted to block memorial services for Alex Pretti, the VA nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, with an internal email stating “local leadership was instructed to pause the memorial.” Reports emerged that VA chaplains and nurses in Massachusetts were told not to mention Pretti’s name. VA Secretary Doug Collins has refused to issue an agency wide statement acknowledging Pretti’s death, instead using social media to blame Democratic officials in Minnesota. Local VA staff held memorial services anyway, with one employee saying “somebody told our people, ‘Back off.’” The silencing campaign against honoring a murdered colleague represents a chilling example of how far the administration will go to control the narrative around its violent enforcement actions.

FAMU College of Law Censors the word “Black”. Florida A&M University law students were told they could not use the word “Black” in Black History Month event flyers, with administrators also banning “affirmative action” and “women” to comply with state anti-DEI legislation. Student organizer Aaliyah Steward called the directive “insane” given that FAMU is a Historically Black College and University. Following public outcry, the university later acknowledged it was a “staff-level error” that exceeded legal requirements, but the incident illustrates how Florida’s anti-DEI laws are chilling speech even at institutions founded to serve Black students.

Pentagon Cuts Ties with Harvard Over “Woke” Ideology. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will sever all academic partnerships with Harvard University, calling the institution “woke” and claiming officers return with “heads full of globalist and radical ideologies that do not improve our fighting ranks.” Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the military will discontinue all graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard. Hegseth, who earned a Harvard master’s degree but symbolically returned his diploma on Fox News in 2022, said the decision targets his alma mater over its campus climate and alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The move is part of a broader Trump administration assault on elite universities deemed insufficiently patriotic.

Texas University Forces Faculty Anti-”Indoctrination” Pledges. The University of Houston required faculty to sign pledges promising not to “indoctrinate” students, following a November directive from Chancellor Renu Khator. Faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences must affirm by February 10 that they understand “critical thinking” and design courses accordingly. The move stems from Texas Senate Bill 37, which overhauled higher education to increase state oversight. Faculty who refuse to sign won’t be punished but may have their syllabi reviewed by administrators. The University of Houston AAUP chapter provided “conscientious objector” language for faculty to use instead, calling the pledge requirement a “straw man” that implies guilt.

Homeland Security Targets Tech Companies for Critic Data. TechCrunch revealed that the Department of Homeland Security has been using administrative subpoenas—which require no judicial oversight—to force tech companies to reveal identities of Trump administration critics. In at least five documented cases, DHS demanded user data from Meta and Google targeting anonymous Instagram accounts that document ICE operations, including @montcowatch in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The ACLU called it “part of a broader strategy to intimidate people who document immigration activity or criticize government actions.” In one case, DHS issued a subpoena against a retiree within five hours of him sending a critical email to a Homeland Security lawyer, and federal agents later visited his home. The subpoenas were withdrawn after legal challenges, but the chilling effect on free speech was immediate and intentional.

FBI Blocks Renee Good Investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel and senior DOJ officials ordered federal agents to halt a civil rights investigation into ICE agent Jonathan Ross’s fatal shooting of Renee Good, fearing the probe would contradict Trump’s false claims that Good “ran over” the agent. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had obtained a warrant to examine blood spatter and bullet holes in Good’s vehicle when they received orders to stop and instead investigate whether Good had assaulted the agent or probe her grieving widow for “domestic terrorism.” The obstruction of justice led to the resignation of six senior prosecutors, including acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, leaving Minnesota’s federal prosecutor office severely understaffed.

National Park Service Censors Civil Rights History. The National Park Service temporarily removed brochures from the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument that described civil rights leader’s assassin Byron De La Beckwith as “racist,” despite his membership in both the White Citizens’ Council and the Ku Klux Klan. The edits would also remove references to Evers lying in a pool of blood after being shot. Following massive backlash, the brochures were restored, with a White House official claiming “rogue employees” made unauthorized changes. The attempted censorship follows Trump’s “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order and represents a broader effort to whitewash America’s history of racial violence.

Military Commanders Force Troops to Watch Melania Film. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation received complaints from service members at eight military bases worldwide alleging commanders pressured them to attend screenings of the $75 million “Melania” documentary. MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein said troops felt coerced when commanders designated the film as mandatory “Unit Activity Events” (UAEs). One service member wrote: “When he said ‘advised’, we know what that meant. We feel helpless to try to fight against what he is doing here.” The documentary, directed by Brett Ratner (who appears in the Epstein files), was panned by critics, but Melania Trump is expected to personally earn $27 million from the Amazon deal. The Department of Defense denied issuing directives but called the film “fantastic.”

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Steve Bannon Promises ICE Will “Surround the Polls”. Trump ally Steve Bannon declared on his War Room podcast that “We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November” during the 2026 midterm elections. Bannon also called for deploying the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions under the Insurrection Act to enforce voter ID requirements. The threats came after Trump called for Republicans to “nationalize” voting and “take over” elections in Democratic areas. Federal law prohibits deploying federal agents to polling places, and the plan would constitute illegal voter intimidation.

Despite escalating authoritarian tactics, resistance continues to emerge from multiple fronts. Tech companies like Google are pushing back against “overbroad” government subpoenas seeking user data. The American Civil Liberties Union successfully defended multiple targets of government surveillance, forcing DHS to withdraw subpoenas. Federal courts continue to resist Trump’s election interference plans, with judges blocking various attempts to undermine voting rights. NewsGuard’s lawsuit, backed by FIRE, represents a significant constitutional challenge to government censorship. University faculty are organizing through AAUP chapters to resist loyalty oath requirements. Local VA staff defied orders and held memorial services for Alex Pretti anyway, showing that even within federal agencies, conscience prevails. And civil rights advocates successfully forced the National Park Service to restore historically accurate brochures about Medgar Evers, proving that rapid public pressure can still reverse authoritarian overreach.