It’s Friday. I think we’re all ready for the weekend.
In today’s issue:
- Suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk murder
- Who is suspect Tyler Robinson?
- Trump advocates for the death penalty
- Vance escorts Kirk’s casket
- Trump reveals next city for crime crackdown
- Mortgage rates drop
🚨CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION
Shell casings, messages, family accounts — suspect details emerge:
Authorities have taken a suspect into custody in connection with Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“We got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said as he began his press conference this morning.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, saying he was arrested in southern Utah after a family member reached out to a family friend, who then contacted law enforcement.
Cox said that the family friend contacted authorities after the suspect “confessed” or suggested he had committed the crime.
NewsNation reported that facial recognition was used to identify the suspect. Plus, items visible in the surveillance footage were found during a search, the governor said.
What we know about Tyler Robinson:
- Cox said Robinson is not a student at Utah Valley University but had apparently grown more political in recent years, based on an account of the suspect’s conversations relayed by a family member.
- According to the governor, the family member told investigators Robinson recently discussed his dislike for Kirk and had mentioned that the Turning Point USA co-founder would be visiting Utah Valley University.
The engraved bullet casings: Investigators reportedly found a rifle nearby that included bullet casings with inscriptions. One of the inscriptions on an unspent shell casing read: “Hey fascist! Catch!” Another said: “If you read this you are gay, lmao.” 📹 Description of the other inscriptions
Online messages: The governor said investigators reviewed messages on the messaging platform Discord from an individual who referenced a rifle wrapped in a towel left in the woods, as well as messages about a weapon and engraving bullets.
Cox stressed that the investigation is ongoing and that they believe only one person was responsible for Kirk’s death.
“We do not at this time have any information that would lead to any additional arrests,” he said.
President Trump first announced that the suspect was in custody: The president called into “Fox & Friends” this morning, making the announcement with a “high degree of certainty.”
Trump told the hosts he did not watch the footage of Kirk’s death — “I didn’t want to remember Charlie that way” — and said he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral.
Trump said he wants the suspected killer to receive the death penalty. “I hope he gets the death penalty,” Trump said. “What he did, Charlie Kirk was the funniest person, he didn’t deserve this … even the left is having a hard time.”
Trump also downplayed the idea of radicals on the right: “I’ll tell you something that’s going to get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime,” Trump said. “They don’t want to see crime. They’re saying we don’t want these people coming in, we don’t want you burning our shopping centersc…”
Trump continued: “The radicals on the left are the problem. And they’re vicious, and they’re horrible, and they’re politically savvy.”
➤ VANCE ESCORTED KIRK’S CASKET BACK TO ARIZONA:
Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance traveled to Utah to meet with Kirk’s family Thursday. Kirk’s body was then escorted from Utah to Arizona on Air Force Two.
📹 Watch Vance escort the casket
📹 Usha Vance walked with Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow
➤ THE LAST PERSON TO SPEAK WITH KIRK:
Liberal TikToker named Hunter Kozak, 29, challenged Kirk about mass shootings involving transgender people. The New York Times spoke with Kozak about his experience.
Everyone seems to agree on something for a change:
The New York Times spoke with Americans around the country, who agree that “something is seriously wrong” in the U.S.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, blamed social media for the divisions within the country. In his press conference late this morning, he referred to social media as a “cancer in our society right now.”
He encouraged people to “log off, turn off, touch grass, go hug a family member, go out and do good in the community.”
Some people have lost their jobs over the comments they’ve made about Kirk:
Not every reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death has been sympathetic. Kirk’s often-controversial comments sparked anger from some Americans, who have made insensitive comments in the immediate aftermath of Kirk being shot and killed in public.
Nexstar’s Alix Martichoux and Jeremy Tanner report that some “teachers, firefighters, elected officials and even a cable news contributor have lost their jobs or are under investigation after comments they made about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.”
The Hill’s Emily Brooks published an extra edition of her newsletter The Movement in the wake of Kirk’s death, diving into how his assassination is a turning point for the conservative movement. It’s worth the read. 📰 Read it here. Click here to sign up & get future editions in your inbox.
➤ RELATED READS:
CNN: Charlie Kirk’s final hours: How a stage for debate became a scene of tragedy
The Wall Street Journal: A Minute-by-Minute Visual Timeline of the Charlie Kirk Shooting
The Atlantic: The Tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s Killing: The activist’s murder is a disaster for the country.
📺 OTHER NEWS
What else was on Trump’s mind today?:
Aside from the Charlie Kirk murder, President Trump spoke with the “Fox & Friends” hosts about his priorities and agenda. Here are the highlights:
- Trump announced his next National Guard takeover: “We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled,” Trump said, referring to his crackdown on crime.
- The government funding fight: Trump predicted a short-term funding extension will avert a shutdown.
Trump then traveled to Bedminster, N.J., where he will spend the rest of the day.
Mortgage rates are going down:
“Mortgage rates fell this week at their fastest weekly pace in a year, giving some relief to the strained housing market as economic conditions soften,” reports The Hill’s Tobias Burns.
The numbers: “The standard 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dropped from 6.5 percent last week to 6.35 percent this week, the lowest level since October of last year, according to data from government mortgage securitizer Freddie Mac.” Read more
COMING UP
The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Bedminster, N.J. (All times EST)
Sept. 17-19: Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom.
Sept. 30: Government funding expires.
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🍫 Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day.
🎤 She’s crushing it: Pop star Sabrina Carpenter dominated this week’s albums and singles charts with her newly released album “Man’s Best Friend.” The album debuted at No. 1, and all 12 songs are in the Hot 100’s top 40.
👋 AND FINALLY…
It’s been a heavy week, so I’d like to end it with some lighter, better vibes. Remember Oatmeal, the golden retriever who likes to stand in the pool? His mom has been looking for creative ways to help.
