News From Around the Web
#1 Charlie Kirk Assassinated at University Event in Utah - AP News, The White House, James Woods, Heather, Javier Milei, Razgriz Gaming, Tracy Beanz and Vigilant Fox on X
Authorities say conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed by a single shot in an apparent targeted attack during an outdoor event Wednesday at Utah Valley University. Kirk co-founded the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and was a close ally of President Donald Trump. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.” Authorities are seeking a new person of interest in the shooting and have no one in custody as of late Wednesday, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the situation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The shooting comes amid a spike in attacks on political figures in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum...
#2 MSNBC Analyst Fired After Suggesting Charlie Kirk to Blame for Own Death - Alex Croft and Justin Baragona for The Independent, Jesse Watters/Josette Caruso, Michael Knight/Nick Sortor, Chicago Cop, and Angela Belcamino on X
Political analyst Matthew Dowd has been fired from MSNBC after appearing to blame conservative activist Charlie Kirk for his own death, a source at the network has told The Independent. Calls were made for Dowd to be sacked after he implied that Kirk’s “hateful thoughts” and “awful words” led someone to shoot him during an event at a college in Utah on Wednesday. The high-profile Donald Trump supporter, aged 31, died shortly afterwards. Asked by anchor Katy Tur about the “environment in which a shooting like this happens”, Dowd said Kirk has been “one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups”...
#3 Charlie Kirk Killer Still at Large as Trump ‘Filled With Grief and Anger’ Over University Shooting - BBC News, Camguarda, Mahalaxmi Ramanathan, Lori Spencer, Gator Gar, Peter E, @Chicago1 Ray, and Xamse Y. on X
A manhunt is ongoing for the killer of conservative activist and influential Trump ally Charlie Kirk, who died after being shot at a university in Utah. Two people who were arrested have since been released - officials say they have "no current ties" to the shooting. It's not clear if police have any leads on the gunman - but authorities don't seem to think they're still on campus, our reporter at Utah Valley University writes. Meanwhile, Trump says he is "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", calling it a "dark moment for America" in a video message. Trump is visibly angry and upset - this feels like a dangerous moment in America, our North America editor Sarah Smith writes...#4 Death of Charlie Kirk Lays Bare Deep US Political Divisions - Reuters, Nathan Bailey, Geo, Tommy Robinson, Common Dreams, UncoverDC/Jennifer, Adish, Honey Bomb, Ferrin, Vigilant Fox, and Libs of TikTok on X
What was meant to be a moment of silence in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday for the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk erupted in shouting and finger-pointing, an episode that provided a bitter illustration of a nation divided by political acrimony. As news of Kirk's fatal shooting at a Utah university spread, lawmakers began to argue how to best honor him. U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, raised her hand and asked for someone to lead a prayer, adding, “Silent prayers get silent results.”#5 Bondi and Patel Named in ‘Retribution’ Lawsuit by Ex-FBI Officials - Kaelan Deese for The Washington Examiner, ANONYMOUSALLREDToDoRoJo, Concetta, China Daily World, and WMBB News 13 on X
Three former senior FBI officials are suing ranking Trump administration law enforcement officials for what they describe as a political purge ordered by top law enforcement officials under pressure from Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel. In a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday, Brian Driscoll, Steve Jensen, and Spencer Evans allege they were dismissed last month as part of a “campaign of retribution” carried out by Patel and Bondi. The complaint accuses both officials of knowingly violating the law to appease political demands to remove agents tied to past investigations into Trump...
#6 Biden World Explodes at Kamala Harris’ New Book - Alex Thompson for Axios, Fredric U. Dicker, Puffymonsta, mbm, (((Javier Gilabert ن, and Silvio Canto. Jr. on X
Former aides to Joe Biden reacted with rage Wednesday to an excerpt from Kamala Harris' upcoming book in which she said the ex-president was "reckless" to run again and accused Biden's team of sabotaging her during her vice presidency. The Biden and Harris camps publicly have claimed they were united through the four years of Biden's presidency, but now Harris is trying to distance herself from him, after not doing so during her short run for president...
#7 UK Fires Ambassador to US Peter Mandelson Over Epstein Links - Christian Edwards for CNN, Dan Wootton, New York Post, Lee Harris, Remarkable, The New York Times, and USA TODAY on X
Peter Mandelson was fired as Britain’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday after his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became another unwelcome problem for the embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mandelson had been under mounting pressure over his relationship with Epstein after US lawmakers on Monday released a “birthday book,” compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003, in which the veteran Labour party politician had penned a handwritten note describing Epstein as “my best pal.”
#8 Evergreen High School Shooter Dead From Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound - Colorado Public Radio Staff, Dr Dill Doe (Alpha Male)/The Independent, National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Anthony Bradley/Good Morning America, KRDO13, and Denver7 News on X
The student who opened fire Wednesday at Evergreen High School, injuring two other students, died Wednesday night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said. One student remained in critical condition, according to doctors, while another had non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff said the shooter was a 16-year-old male. He had fired a revolver at students at 12:24 p.m. Wednesday, bringing scores of first responders to the school. Three students — including the shooter — were treated at CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital for gunshot wounds. A fourth student took themselves to the hospital with injuries sustained while escaping the high school and fleeing to a nearby elementary school...
#9 Trump’s Signature Under New Scrutiny Thanks to the Epstein Case - Laurie Kellman for Associated Press, WNCT, Brian Krassenstein/Tana Carroll, LALS/Grok, Lady Greeno, and Fast Company on X
The signature of an American president is one of the planet’s most powerful symbols. It can set your tax bill, your immigration status, and who does or does not get aid from the world’s largest economy. Now, though, Donald Trump’s distinctive signature is being scrutinized for a decidedly unpresidential reason. Two documents in Jeffrey Epstein‘s 50th-birthday album purportedly include Trump’s signature — one on a risque line drawing of a female body and one on a picture of Epstein holding up a novelty check bearing Trump’s name. A House committee released the 2003 book Monday, with some members insisting the multi-peaked black signatures are authentically Trump’s, one of the best-known autographs in the world. The White House says the president did not sign the letter or the check to Epstein, who was later exposed as a sex offender and died by suicide in prison in 2019...
#10 Trump to Give Remarks at 9/11 Observance, Staff Left Shaken by Charlie Kirk’s Assassination - NBC News, The White House, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, CBP, U.S. Marines, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and NYPD 19th Precinct on X
President Donald Trump will visit the Pentagon and travel to New York to watch the New York Yankees take on the Detroit Tigers tonight as he and the nation observe memorial services on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Trump's staff were deeply shaken by the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. Kirk, a popular podcast host and married father of two young children, was 31. Trump, whose aides briefed him in real time as events unfolded, blamed the “radical left” for the conservative activist’s assassination in a video message. Kirk's killer is still at large, and a motive is not yet known...And Now for Something Special 
Elon Musk Pledges $1M to Murals Honoring Ukrainian Refugee Murdered in North Carolina
Silicon Valley is stepping in after the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska shocked the nation. Eoghan McCabe, CEO and founder of Intercom, committed $500,000 to commission murals of Zarutska’s face in major U.S. cities. "I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent US city locations," McCabe wrote...
