Turning Point USA’s high school push in GOP states meets free speech and religion concerns

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican leaders across the U.S. are encouraging chapters of the conservative political group Turning Point USA in all public high schools in the wake last year’s assassination of co-founder Charlie Kirk, an effort they describe as countering the oppression of conservative voices in education.

The group’s endorsement by Republican governors — at least eight so far — has stirred debate about free speech in America’s schools, with critics arguing many of the same conservative leaders have sought to silence others with measures to restrict what teachers can say on sex education, LGBTQ+ issues and other topics.

Adding to the divisions has been some governors’ invocation of Christian religion in their support of the clubs.

At her news conference last month announcing a partnership with Turning Point USA, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said God had worked through Kirk to grow the conservative group and that she hoped it would spark “the exact type of civic engagement that we want to see” among high school students.

“It’s never too early to learn the values of faith and freedom that power our country,” she said.

For Fayetteville High School student Lily Adler in Arkansas, that crossed a line. Adler, president of the school’s Young Democrats club, said the governor’s endorsement violates the requirement that governments not favor a particular religion.

“We’re a public school,” Adler said. “We shouldn’t be a school — or a state, even — that is telling people what they should believe in.”

At the same high school, Lukas Klaus leads the local Turning Point USA chapter. As he sees it, the Republican governors are ensuring conservative voices like his are allowed to be heard.

“I’ve heard numerous other stories from around the states of Club America chapters trying to get started where they’re having serious problems with the administration straight-up saying ‘no,’ ” said Klaus. He said he has never heard of a public school disallowing a Young Democrats club.

In recent months, the Republican administrations of Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Florida, Tennessee and Indiana have each announced partnerships with Turning Point USA to promote school chapters, called Club America, in every high school in those states.

Already, there are nearly 3,400 Club America chapters across the 50 states, according to Turning Point USA, which says it has more state partnerships in the works.

While the partnerships don’t require schools to establish the conservative clubs, they do make clear that efforts to start the clubs can’t be rejected by school administrators.

Turning Point USA got its start in 2012 on college campuses, promoting itself as a hub for young people committed to conservative values. Kirk was the co-founder and the face of the group, known best for his “ Prove Me Wrong ” events on college campuses where he invited students to challenge his conservative views on political and cultural issues. Kirk was killed by a sniper in early September while speaking on a college campus in Utah.

While Kirk was praised by conservatives as a champion of free speech, he was also criticized for comments that many other Americans found hateful toward LGBTQ+ communities, non-Christians, people of color and women.

Some of those critics faced a backlash from Republicans who saw them as dishonoring Kirk, leading to firings by universities, sports teams and media companies. Florida’s education commissioner also promised to investigate teachers over objectionable comments about Kirk. In Texas, a teachers union has sued the state’s education department, accusing it of an improper “wave of retaliation” against public school employees over their social media comments following the assassination.

The governors’ endorsements of Turning Point USA, to the exclusion of other student clubs, has come under criticism from teachers unions and civil liberties groups.

Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, said he could only imagine how Republican leaders would react if a Democratic governor announced they were calling for a democratic socialist club in every high school.

“They would be running to the press to talk about how awful that is,” Royers said. “How is this fundamentally any different?”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas said the state’s support for the clubs amount to “differential treatment based on the content or viewpoint of the clubs, and a problem under the First Amendment.”

Turning Point USA spokesman Matt Shupe called objections from the ACLU hypocritical, noting the civic organization’s mission to protect free speech rights.

“The state of Arkansas is not forming our chapters; they’re not doing our job or our students’ jobs for us, nor are they saying other groups can’t be formed,” Shupe said in an email. “They’re simply stating students cannot be blocked from forming a Club America or a TPUSA college chapter when students want to start one.”

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This story corrects the spelling of Lily Adler’s last name.

Fayetteville High senior Lily Adler, center, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, talks with the other officers during a meeting Tuesday April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) CORRECTION: Adler, not Alder

Fayetteville High senior Lily Adler, center, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, talks to club officers including Miller Rawn, left, and Mira Brock, right, during an officers meeting Tuesday April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) CORRECTION: Adler, not Alder

Fayetteville High senior Lily Adler, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, is photographed in the halls at Fayetteville High School Tuesday, April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) CORRECTION: Adler, not Alder

Fayetteville High senior Lily Alder, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, in front of Fayetteville High School Tuesday, April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

Fayetteville High senior Lily Alder, center, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, talks to club officers including Miller Rawn, left, and Mira Brock, right, during an officers meeting Tuesday April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)

FILE - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, center left, and Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk, center right, pose for a photo at the Governor's Mansion, in Little Rock, Ark., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Katie Adkins,File)

Manchester City signed highly rated teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in a deal worth $117 million on Wednesday, securing a rising star seen as the Premier League giant's long-term replacement for Rodri.

The 18-year-old Morocco international has signed a five-year contract, City said, for a fee of 95 million euros ($110 million) plus 5 million euros in add-ons.

Bouaddi, a deep-lying midfielder, is being viewed as the long-term replacement for 2024 men's Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who recently joined Barcelona after helping Spain win the World Cup.

City's midfield rebuild under manager Enzo Maresca, who has replaced Pep Guardiola, has also seen the club spend $155 million on England international Elliot Anderson and is unlikely to stop there, given Bernardo Silva has already left after his contract expired and Nico Gonzalez has traveled to Newcastle to tie up a transfer.

Reports in the British media say City retains an interest in Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

The fee makes Bouaddi the most expensive player sold from the French league, surpassing the 90 million euros Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal paid to get Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, and the costliest teenage signing in Premier League history.

“This is a very special day for me and my family,” Bouaddi said. “I’ve watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners, this club feels like it’s built to win.”

Although Bouaddi impressed at the World Cup with his assured touch, tactical understanding and maturity, he had already caught the eye two years ago.

At the start of his career he was being touted as Lille’s best midfielder since Eden Hazard, who left to become a Premier League star with Chelsea.

Bouaddi joined Lille’s academy in 2021 and, just three days after his 16th birthday, became the youngest player to appear in a European game in a Europa Conference League match last October against KI Klaksvík.

City's director of football, Hugo Viana, described Bouaddi as “a player equipped with everything a top midfielder needs.”

“At just 18, he already has outstanding football intelligence and that will only improve under the guidance of Enzo,” Viana said.

“We have watched him very, very closely and throughout that process we have become increasingly convinced he is a huge talent who will thrive at City.”

Bouaddi's skill set may be lacking in one area: goals. He did not score in 96 games for Lille and has yet to find the net in eight games for Morocco.

“I am only 18. I am happy with the progress I have made so far, but I also know I can improve so much,” he said. “This is undoubtedly the best place for me to do that.”

Lille has earned a reputation as one of best sellers of talented players in European soccer.

The northern club sold Ivory Coast forward Nicolas Pépé to Arsenal in 2019 for 80 million euros and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen went to Napoli the following year for a similar amount.

Manchester United paid 62 million euros for central defender Leny Yoro two years ago.

Last year, goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for 40 million euros and center back Bafodé Diakité went to Bournemouth, for around the same fee.

City beat Bournemouth 2-1 in its season opener on Sunday thanks to a pair of late goals, marking a successful start to Maresca's tenure following the departure of Guardiola after a trophy-laden, 10-year spell.

In that game, Maresca played Marc Guehi — a center back — as a holding midfielder, a sign that City was short of options in that area. Bouaddi will solve that and could make his debut against Crystal Palace on Friday.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Manchester City's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

FILE - Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi vies for the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, file)