Federal investigators on Thursday released additional images showing the moments leading up to the UPS plane crash in Louisville earlier this month that killed 14 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board released the images in its preliminary <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/Documents/Prelimiary%20Report%20DCA26MA024.pdf">report</a> on the crash, saying that investigators found &#8220;evidence of fatigue cracks in addition to areas of overstress failure&#8221; on parts near the engine on the left wing. The photos show the McDonnell Douglas MD-11’s left engine erupting in flames and breaking away from the wing as the UPS aircraft begins its takeoff.
<div id="attachment_1003535" style="width: 720px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1003535" class="wp-image-1003535 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T130820.318-710x576.jpg" alt="" width="710" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T130820.318-710x576.jpg 710w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T130820.318-300x243.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T130820.318-768x623.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T130820.318.jpg 986w" sizes=" (max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px" />National Transportation Safety Board</div>
Federal investigators said that the plane never made it higher than 30 feet above the ground before it dropped back down in a fiery crash. The MD-11&#8217;s &#8220;left main landing gear impacted the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions warehouse at the southern edge of the airport.&#8221; The plane then &#8220;impacted a storage yard and two additional buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, and was mostly consumed by fire.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1003541" style="width: 594px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1003541" class="wp-image-1003541 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T131456.952-584x576.jpg" alt="" width="584" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T131456.952-584x576.jpg 584w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T131456.952-300x296.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T131456.952-768x758.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Untitled-design-2025-11-20T131456.952.jpg 811w" sizes=" (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" />National Transportation Safety Board</div>
Eleven of the 14 people killed in the crash were customers or employees at the Grade A Auto Parts and Scrap Metal Recycling, which sits just south of the runways at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The three others <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unimaginable-tragedy-authorities-identify-the-14-people-killed-in-louisville-ups-plane-crash">killed</a> in the crash were crew members on board the MD-11. Twenty-three more people on the ground were injured.
The plane was filled with more than 50,000 gallons of fuel as it departed for a long trip to Hawaii. The crash caused secondary explosions at the auto parts and recycling center.
The MD-11 plane was 34 years old and had accumulated nearly 93,000 flight hours. The last time the left pylon aft mount — the part at the center of the investigation — was visually inspected was October 28, 2021. The UPS maintenance program calls for visual inspections of the part every 72 months, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The pylon thrust links and pylon spherical bearings were lubricated just two weeks before the deadly crash, according to the preliminary report.
The MD-11 is one of the oldest planes still in use by shipping companies, such as UPS and FedEx. Both UPS and FedEx announced that they would ground their remaining MD-11s shortly after the crash in Louisville.
A more comprehensive analysis will follow Thursday’s 12-page preliminary report once the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation.
&#8220;We continue to grieve for the lives lost in the tragic accident involving Flight 2976,&#8221; UPS <a href="https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/statements/ups-statement-on-aircraft-accident.html">said</a> on Thursday. &#8220;Before the FAA issued its Emergency Airworthiness Directive for all MD-11 operators, UPS proactively grounded its MD-11 fleet out of an abundance of caution. We appreciate the National Transportation Safety Board’s prompt release of preliminary findings and will fully support the investigation through its conclusion.&#8221;

UPS Cargo Plane Crashes In Louisville

Investigators Release More Photos Of UPS Plane Crash, Find ‘Evidence Of Fatigue Cracks’

Air and Space

Kentucky

Louisville

National transportation Safety Board

Plane Crash

U.S.

Those who were killed after a UPS plane <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massive-explosion-outside-louisville-airport-after-ups-plane-crash">went down</a> in flames in Louisville earlier this month were identified by authorities on Wednesday as the investigation into the crash continues.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, alongside the city&#8217;s coroner, identified each of the 14 victims during a press conference. Greenberg said that Louisville &#8220;feels the full weight of this unimaginable tragedy.&#8221; Eleven of the people who were killed in the crash were on the ground and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the UPS MD-11 plane went down after takeoff on November 4.
Among those killed was 47-year-old Louisnes Fedon and his 3-year-old granddaughter, Kimberly Asa, WLWT <a href="https://www.wlwt.com/article/victims-identified-ups-plane-crash-louisville-kentucky/69412636">reported</a>. The other victims were identified as Capt. Dana Diamond, 62, Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57, First Officer Lee Truitt, 45, Angela Anderson, 45, Carlos Fernandez, 52, Trinadette “Trina” Chavez, 37, Tony Crain, 65, John Loucks, 52, John Spray, 45, Matthew Sweets, 37, Ella Petty Whorton, 31, Megan Washburn, 35.
“Each of these victims represents a life full of purpose, interrupted far too soon. And also, a life that will never fade because we’ll always remember them,&#8221; the mayor added.
Diamond, Wartenberg, and Truitt made up the flight crew of the MD-11, while everyone else who was killed in the crash was either a customer or employee of Grade A Auto Parts and Scrap Metal Recycling, according to the business&#8217;s owner, Sean Garber, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ups-plane-crash-victims-named-rcna243516">reported</a>. The business is just south of the runways at Louisville&#8217;s Muhammad Ali International Airport, where the UPS plane took off en route to Hawaii.
Video footage taken just before the crash showed the aircraft&#8217;s left wing burst into flames. The plane, which had around 50,000 gallons of fuel for the long trip to Hawaii, then exploded into a massive fireball when it crashed. National Transportation Safety Board Member Todd Inman said last week that the footage &#8220;shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll.&#8221;
Authorities still have not said what caused the crash, but UPS and FedEx <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ups-and-fedex-ground-md-11-fleets-after-deadly-louisville-crash">said</a> last week that they were grounding their fleets of MD-11 cargo planes “out of an abundance of caution.” NTSB anticipates issuing a preliminary investigation report into the crash by early December.
Crews in Louisville continue to work on the site of the crash and have stopped oil from the crash from seeping into the city&#8217;s groundwater.

‘Unimaginable Tragedy’: Authorities Identify The 14 People Killed In Louisville UPS Plane Crash

Death

UPS and FedEx said on Friday they have grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a crash in Louisville, Kentucky this week that killed at least 14 people.
A UPS MD-11 crashed late on Tuesday, erupting into a fireball moments after takeoff from Louisville&#8217;s international airport. The death toll from the crash, the cause of which is still under investigation, has risen to 14, according to a post on X by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg on Friday.
UPS and FedEx, the world&#8217;s largest cargo carriers, said in separate statements that they grounded the aircraft &#8220;out of an abundance of caution.&#8221;
FedEx said it operates 28 MD-11s and, according to a UPS factsheet, UPS had 27 in its fleet prior to the crash.
&#8220;We made this decision proactively at the recommendation of the aircraft manufacturer,&#8221; UPS said in its statement.
Boeing, which acquired the MD-11 program through its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, said in an emailed statement it recommended that UPS and FedEx suspend flight operations of the MD-11 freighter.
&#8220;This recommendation was made in an abundance of caution and we will continue coordinating with the FAA on this matter,&#8221; a Boeing spokesperson said.
Production of the MD-11 planes ended in 2000, and passenger service officially ended in 2014.
FedEx, which has a total fleet of 700 aircraft, said it was &#8220;immediately implementing contingency plans&#8221; to avoid disruptions. UPS said that its MD-11s account for only 9% of its fleet.
Still, any potential disruptions could have far-reaching consequences as FedEx and UPS are the workhorses for transferring goods around the world for major retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, and Target, as well as for manufacturers and businesses.
UPS is the No. 1 air cargo service provider for the U.S. Postal Service, transporting Priority and other speedy mail products.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is leading the probe into the crash of the 34-year-old MD-11 freighter at the Louisville airport. The plane reached about 100 feet (30.5 meters) above ground level before plunging in flames off the runway and destroying two nearby businesses.
One of the plane&#8217;s three engines detached from the left wing as it rolled down the Louisville airport runway.
On Friday, U.S. safety investigators said that as a warning bell sounded in the cockpit, three UPS pilots had tried to wrestle control of the plane just before it crashed.
While UPS flight 2976 began uneventfully, a repeating bell was heard on the aircraft&#8217;s cockpit voice recorder just 37 seconds after the crew called for takeoff thrust, NTSB member Todd Inman told reporters.
NTSB anticipates issuing a preliminary investigation report into the crash in about 30 days.
The last UPS cargo plane to crash was in August 2013, when an Airbus aircraft went down on a landing approach to the international airport in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both crew members.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal and Dheeraj Kumar in Bengaluru and Joe Brock in Los Angeles; Editing by William Mallard, Thomas Derpinghaus and Himani Sarkar)

UPS Plane

UPS And FedEx Ground MD-11 Fleets After Deadly Louisville Crash

FedEx

General

At least 11 people are dead and others remain seriously injured or are missing after a UPS plane crashed near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
The plane that went down was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, CBS Louisville affiliate WLKY <a href="https://www.wlky.com/article/plane-crash-explosion-louisville-airport/69255042">reported</a>. Companies like UPS and FedEx primarily fly those aircraft to transport cargo. UPS issued a <a href="https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/statements/ups-statement-on-aircraft-accident.html">statement</a> confirming that the crash occurred at approximately 5:20 p.m., adding that three crew members were onboard. They are believed to be dead.
Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear <a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/ups-plane-crash-louisville-airport?post-id=cmhl8u9nx00003b6n3dcwwb8e">said</a> on Wednesday that the death toll is “expected to reach 12” by the end of the day.
Multiple businesses were hit by the plane when it crashed to the ground, including a recycling plant and an auto parts shop, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/ups-plane-crash-louisville-airport">reported</a>. The crash resulted in a &#8220;secondary explosion&#8221; at the recycling plant, which contained tanks of propane and oil.
Videos posted on social media showed a massive explosion after the crash, with plumes of smoke rising into the air. Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for people within a five-mile radius of the airport after the crash. That shelter-in-place order remains in effect for those within a one-mile radius of the airport, forcing some schools in the area to cancel classes on Wednesday.
Since the plane was on a long trip to Hawaii, it was fully fueled. The fire following the crash quickly spread to nearby buildings.
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CCTV captures UPS flight UPS2976 crashing shortly after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. <a href="https://t.co/9WyrcpSkdd">pic.twitter.com/9WyrcpSkdd</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1985848791585477006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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JUST IN: Crews are responding to a plane crash near the Louisville airport, and police say there are injuries.<a href="https://t.co/NIg5UOSVoo">https://t.co/NIg5UOSVoo</a> <a href="https://t.co/i2BLFYKEFx">pic.twitter.com/i2BLFYKEFx</a>
— WLKY (@WLKY) <a href="https://twitter.com/WLKY/status/1985838038866411644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference on Wednesday that the crash appears to have been caused by mechanical failure and had nothing to do with the air traffic controller shortages from the government shutdown.
The UPS plane was departing for Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Other videos circulating on social media appear to show the left wing of the MD-11 catching fire as it cruises down the runway before takeoff. One of the plane&#8217;s engines was found on the ground mostly intact, which will likely help investigators determine what led to the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday said that it &#8220;viewed airport CCTV security coverage, which shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Video circulating now online shows the moments the UPS MD-11 crashed near the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louisville?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Louisville</a> airport.
It looks like there may have been an engine fire but the plane was likely past the point of no return and could not abort the take off in time.<a href="https://twitter.com/KHOU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KHOU</a> <a href="https://t.co/7yz1Wf3X7E">pic.twitter.com/7yz1Wf3X7E</a>
— Pat Cavlin (@pcavlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/pcavlin/status/1985845250842132668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Heartbreaking images coming out of Kentucky tonight,&#8221; said Duffy in a post on Tuesday. &#8220;Please join me in prayer for the Louisville community and flight crew impacted by this horrific crash. The @NTSB and @FAANews are mobilizing to get on the ground and will lead the investigation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Heartbreaking images coming out of Kentucky tonight.
Here’s an update from <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAANews</a> 
&#8211; UPS cargo flight 2976 
&#8211; Crashed around 5:15 ET after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport en route to Honolulu 
&#8211; The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11.
Please… <a href="https://t.co/yE1Brhv8cQ">pic.twitter.com/yE1Brhv8cQ</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1985855125080965375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport serves as UPS&#8217;s worldwide air hub, with around <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2024/07/16/inside-worldport-ups-overnight-shipping-hub-air-freight-logistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">300 UPS flights</a> taking off and landing there every day.
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.

At Least 11 People Killed, Death Toll Expected To Rise After UPS Plane Crashes In Massive Fireball

On Monday, the day before Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has consistently opposed President Trump’s agenda, is up for reelection, the president issued a strong statement supporting Massie’s challenger and deriding Massie as a “Weak and Pathetic RINO.”
In February 2025, Massie was the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-republicans-set-vote-trumps-tax-cut-agenda-2025-02-25/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">sole Republican</a> in the House to vote no on a budget blueprint that would advance Trump’s tax-cut and border/big-spending agenda (a “$4.5 trillion” plan) in a 217-215 vote. In March, Massie <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2025/03/11/trump-massie-spending-bill?utm_source=chatgpt.com">opposed</a> a House stop-gap spending bill/continuing resolution aimed at avoiding a government shutdown, which Trump supported. In June, Massie <a href="https://time.com/7294985/iran-israel-trump-us-war-powers-congress-massie-khanna-kaine/">co-sponsored</a> a war-powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s authority to strike Iran without Congressional approval, against the Trump administration’s foreign-policy position. In June, he also he was one of only two Republicans to vote against the so-called “Great, Big, Beautiful Bill” (or similar bill) advanced by Republicans.
On November 28, 2023 the U.S. House passed a resolution “reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist.” Massie <a href="https://www.jns.org/on-israels-right-to-exist-massie-votes-no-tlaib-present/?utm">cast the lone</a> “nay” vote. In late May 2025, as Israel was at war with Hamas and Iran, Massie said the U.S. should “end all U.S. military aid to Israel now.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
“Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!” Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115487538389910575">Truth Social</a>. “The incredible people of Kentucky&#8217;s 4th Congressional District gave us a mandate to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and the person that will help us do that is Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Fifth Generation Kentucky Farmer, Captain Ed Gallrein, a true America First Patriot. A Brave Combat Veteran, Ed knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
“Additionally, as a very successful Businessman, Ed knows how to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Support our Amazing Farmers and American Agriculture, Unleash American Energy Dominance, and Champion our Nation&#8217;s Golden Age,” Trump continued. “In Congress, he will fight tirelessly to Keep our now very Secure Border, SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”
“Captain Ed Gallrein has my Complete and Total Endorsement against Massie, who is now polling at about 9% because the Great People of Kentucky are wise to him — He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left. Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” he concluded.

Rep. Thomas Massie

‘Weak and Pathetic RINO’: Trump Slams Massie, Praises Navy Seal Opponent

Donald Trump

Elections

Politics

Thomas Massie

Prisoner in court

An Update On The Shocking Crime That Democrats Don’t Want You To Know About

An Update On The Shocking Crime That Democrats Don't Want You To Know About

Criminal Justice

Florida

Matt Walsh

Murder

Opinion

Prison

Violent Crime

White House

In a grim reminder of a justice system gone adrift, Ronald Exantus — the man who killed 6-year-old Kentuckian Logan Tipton in the dead of night — has been <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15179267/ronald-exantus-killer-arrested-logan-tipton.html">rearrested</a>, this time in Florida, after a controversial early parole release that sparked public outrage.
Exantus, now 42, was convicted in 2018 of multiple assaults after he broke into the Tipton family’s home in Versailles, Kentucky, in 2015. Though he wasn’t convicted of murder — thanks to a jury’s “not guilty by reason of insanity” verdict — the facts were clear: he crept into the family&#8217;s home and repeatedly stabbed a sleeping child in the head with such force that the butcher knife bent.
And yet, after serving just seven years of a 20-year sentence, Exantus <a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2025/10/09/ronald-exantus-arrested-florida-officials-working-send-him-back-kentucky-ag-says/">walked free</a> on October 1 under Kentucky’s Mandatory Reentry Supervision law, bolstered by education and “good behavior” credits. The parole board had recommended he remain locked up. The Department of Corrections overruled the board.
Exantus’ brief taste of freedom ended with handcuffs in Florida. Marion County deputies arrested him for violating his parole and failing to register as a convicted felon, a requirement under Florida law within 48 hours of relocating. He was found living across from an elementary school — the same kind of innocent environment he once shattered.
Sheriff Billy Woods didn’t mince words: “The fact that he was living right next to an elementary school is even more repulsive&#8230; I have no tolerance for this type of dangerous person flaunting our laws and thinking he would hide out in our county.”
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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier echoed the outrage, saying officials are already working to send Exantus back to Kentucky. “This dangerous individual who murdered a child by repeatedly stabbing him in the head was in Florida. We are not tolerating that,” he stated.
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Breaking: Ronald Exantus arrested in Florida; officials working to send him back to Kentucky, AG says: <a href="https://t.co/5jCkLK9Cmn">https://t.co/5jCkLK9Cmn</a> <a href="https://t.co/4HKn0kx3GG">pic.twitter.com/4HKn0kx3GG</a>
&mdash; WKYT (@WKYT) <a href="https://twitter.com/WKYT/status/1976398087175188648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The release ignited a public firestorm. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking for President Donald Trump’s administration,<a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2025/10/05/white-house-looking-into-ronald-exantus-logan-tipton-kentucky-boy-killing/86535555007/"> stated</a> bluntly: “It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison.”
The facts of the case are not in dispute. On the night of the killing, Exantus — a dialysis nurse from Indianapolis — drove to Kentucky for no discernible reason. He entered the Tipton home through an unlocked door and attacked the family in their sleep. Logan was killed. His father and two sisters were stabbed. The court acknowledged that Exantus was mentally disturbed. That didn’t make the blood any less real.
Logan’s father, Dean Tipton, gave voice to the anguish, declaring, “I’ve told the court — if I ever cross paths with him, I will kill the man.”
His mother, Heather Tipton, said the justice system offered no protection, not even a courtesy call when Exantus was released, offering, “It just feels like a 6-year-old’s life is worth more than ten years in prison.”

MixCollage-10-Oct-2025-08-05-AM-7169

Man Who Killed Kentucky Boy Arrested Again After Controversial Parole

Children

Crime

The Kentucky man who killed 6-year-old Logan Tipton was freed 13 years early after state law labeled his assault convictions “non-violent,” despite the brutal nature of the crime.
According to investigators, Ronald Exantus, 42, broke into the Tipton family home in Woodford County, Kentucky, on the night of December 7, 2015, stabbing Tipton, who later died of his injuries, and assaulting the boy’s father and sibling. The story has drawn national outrage, as many Americans are questioning how a man who brutally killed a child could walk free after serving less than half of his 20-year term — all because his convictions were classified as “non-violent” under Kentucky law.
On Monday night, Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, who has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-case-of-the-child-killer-released-from-prison-just-got-even-more-insane?author=Matt+Walsh&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=The+Case+Of+The+Child+Killer+Released+From+Prison+Just+Got+Even+More+Insane">focused</a> extensively on the story this week, reached out to the parole board that signed off on Exantus’ parole, seeking more information on how he was allowed to be released after serving less than half of his 20-year sentence. The parole board told Walsh that it had no choice but to release Exantus under state law, since he was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder, and his remaining convictions were classified as “non-violent” offenses.
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“He stabbed a child to death and then went on to assault the entire family, and yet he is ‘non-violent’ under the law because he was only convicted of second degree assault,” <a href="https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1975521642966102162">said</a> Walsh. “The murder didn’t count at all because he was ‘not guilty by reason of insanity.&#8217; That’s what we were told. Apparently Ronald Exantus &#8216;non-violently&#8217; stabbed a child to death and then stabbed the rest of the family after breaking into their home. If you think our criminal justice system is completely and totally broken, you don&#8217;t even know the half of it. It is so much worse than you think.”
Exantus was tried in 2018, but the jury deemed him mentally insane and did not convict him of murder. Instead, he was convicted on a lesser charge of second-degree assault for the attack on Tipton’s father and sibling and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Kentucky Parole Board said in a statement that state law forced the board to sign off on Exantus’ release.
“Every time it had the opportunity, the Parole Board recommended Ronald Exantus stay in prison,” the board said. “Exantus was reviewed for parole on 09/30/2025, as required by state law. The Parole Board issued a decision that Exantus stay in prison for the remainder of his sentence. Despite this decision, Kentucky law required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate on Mandatory Reentry Supervision.”
Exantus’ release on parole does not mean he’s a free man. He will likely have parole conditions that he must follow, but the specifics of those conditions remain unclear. Walsh said that his team asked the Parole Board what the conditions would be, but the board did not respond.
After Exantus was released, Logan Tipton’s father, Dean, said the news dredged up the trauma his family had carried since the brutal killing nearly a decade ago.
“It’s crazy, it’s brought back a lot of emotions that I thought were gone, a lot of hurt, anguish,” Dean said. The father added that Exantus needs to be held accountable, whether he’s “insane or not.”
The case could also come under federal scrutiny, as the White House said over the weekend that it is looking into Exantus’ release. In a statement responding to one of Walsh’s social media posts about the story, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote, “I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I can confirm the White House is looking into this. It’s wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison. <a href="https://t.co/pOjKxvmrZV">https://t.co/pOjKxvmrZV</a>
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1974448781715525642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Tipton’s mother, Heather, said it was a relief to see social media and the White House bring attention to their story, WKYT <a href="https://www.wkyt.com/2025/10/04/white-house-looking-into-decade-early-release-ronald-exantus/">reported</a>.
“My first reaction was, finally. We are finally, people are finally finding out about this,” she said. “You know, 10 years ago we tried to get the word out, but social media was not what it is now.”

Ronald Exantus mugshot

Kentucky Man Who Brutally Killed 6-Year-Old Deemed ‘Non-Violent’ Under State Law

Stabbing

Explosive documents reveal that President Biden’s FBI snooped on GOP senators, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh uncovers shocking new details about the early prison release of a Kentucky killer, and America’s leading evangelical magazine takes seven-figure donations from one of the nation&#8217;s biggest abortion funders.
It’s Wednesday, October 8, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Revealed: Biden FBI Snooped On GOP Lawmakers</h2>
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Topline: As the government shutdown continues, Washington has been rocked by new revelations that the Biden DOJ snooped on several Republican Congress members as part of its January 6 probe.
This week, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released a document showing that President Joe Biden’s FBI obtained and analyzed phone metadata of eight sitting Republican senators and one Republican House member.
The move came as part of the DOJ’s previously undisclosed Arctic Frost investigation, which went after Republicans for alleged election meddling following the 2020 election. Grassley released a statement along with that document, where he said, “Based on the evidence to date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.”
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The Republican lawmakers targeted by the FBI were Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
Democrats’ response: Democrats have sought to downplay the story, saying the FBI was simply doing its job to investigate election meddling — and reminding folks that agents were not listening in on phone calls, and were only looking at who they called, and when. 
That has done little to alleviate Republican outrage. Blackburn excoriated the FBI in an interview with Morning Wire: “It is a violation of our civil rights. It’s a violation of our privacy rights. No one can find a time when … the FBI has done this.”
What Republicans want: Republicans have demanded an investigation to determine the extent of the scheme and who was responsible for it.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland would have had to approve the operation. Republicans want to know if President Biden was also involved. 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Most Violent ‘Nonviolent’ Convict Secures Parole</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-982713" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Kentucky-Killer-Outrage.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: More details are coming out about the early prison release of a Kentucky man convicted in the brutal slaying of a young boy. He has shockingly been deemed a nonviolent offender.
What happened: Ronald Exantus broke into a family’s home and stabbed multiple people with a kitchen knife, including a 6-year-old boy who later died from those injuries. These crimes occurred in Woodford County, Kentucky, located just west of Lexington.
Exantus was tried in 2018 and found not guilty of that murder by reason of insanity. He was convicted for the lesser charge of assault and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he was released in early October – 13 years early – and placed on just eight months of supervised probation.
Hmmm: According to the parole board, Exantus qualifies as nonviolent under Kentucky state law. The board has faced major criticism over the release, but it says that its members repeatedly voted for Exantus to remain in prison. 
In a statement to The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, the board said, “Every time it had the opportunity, the Parole Board recommended Ronald Exantus stay in prison.”
After a review for parole on September 30, the board announced that it had issued a decision to keep the criminal in prison for the remainder of his sentence. The board added, “Despite this decision, Kentucky law required the Department of Corrections to release the inmate on Mandatory Reentry Supervision.”
In short, state law required Exantus to be released because he wasn’t convicted of a capital offense related to the killing of Logan Tipton. He was only convicted on lesser charges of second-degree assault for attacking Logan’s sibling and father.
What happens now: Exantus is not quite a free man. He enters a state of parole, which means that he must abide by conditions. Those exact terms are still unknown, but in most cases, if the conditions are broken, the parolee could be sent back to prison.
The case could also come under federal scrutiny, as the White House has weighed in on the issue. On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted one of Walsh’s social media posts and said that the administration is looking into the situation. The White House said it is “wholly unacceptable for a child killer to walk free after just several years in prison.” 
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Christianity Today Funded By Abortion Backer</h2>
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Topline: America’s most prominent evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, is under fire for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/evangelical-magazine-christianity-today-takes-over-1-million-from-abortion-funder">accepting</a> financial support from a major abortion funder. Readers also accuse the publication of softening its pro-life stance in recent years.
Since 2022, Christianity Today has received more than one million dollars from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That includes $600,000 for election coverage.
What makes this controversial is Hewlett’s history. The foundation is the second-largest private funder of Planned Parenthood in the United States. It gave the abortion provider more than $100 million between 2000 and 2023. 
After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Hewlett announced it was increasing its “reproductive equity” budget by 30% – essentially doubling down on supporting abortion access and securing Hewlett’s spot as one of the country’s largest abortion funders.
Influence on CT? Christianity Today has always maintained that it upholds a pro-life ethic. However, since Hewlett’s donations began, the magazine has started publishing articles that advocate for a broader definition of “pro-life.”
Instead of focusing solely on protecting unborn babies, these pieces have argued that the term should also include fighting racial injustice, supporting new federal entitlements like paid family leave, and supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Many pro-life leaders say that redefining the term in this way waters down its meaning. Seth Gruber, founder of the pro-life organization White Rose Resistance, told The Daily Wire that he believes leftists are deliberately working to redefine the term “pro-life” in an effort to advance progressive political priorities under its banner.
Also, in the run-up to the 2024 election, Christianity Today published articles arguing that the issue of abortion was not necessarily a good enough reason to vote and that Christians should consider sitting out. And their board chair took on the role of spokesperson for Evangelicals for Biden.
Step back: Christianity Today has become more reliant on grants and donations over the past five years. In 2020, only about 20 percent of its revenue came from grants. Today, it’s more than half. Over the past few years, it has also received $8 million from the Lilly Endowment, the foundation established by the Eli Lilly family, known for its pharmaceuticals.
Experts warn that when an outlet grows dependent on foundations with their own ideological agendas, it risks aligning with those priorities — even if that means softening its historic Christian commitments.
Part of why the controversy stings is that evangelist Billy Graham founded Christianity Today in 1956 to be a theologically conservative alternative to The Christian Century, which was considered liberal.
Critics have long contended that the outlet has drifted to the left in both tone and substance. The Hewlett Foundation’s funding, particularly the grants marked for “covering elections,” has struck many observers as confirmation of that gradual ideological shift.

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Morning Brief: Biden’s GOP Spy Games, A Child Killer Set Free, & Christianity Today’s Abortion-Tied Donor

Abortion

Christianity Today

Chuck Grassley

Joe Biden

Marsha Blackburn

Media

Morning Wire

MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-02-38-PM-9301

The Case Of The Child Killer Released From Prison Just Got Even More Insane

Leftists

Liberals

Prisons

Serial Killers

MixCollage-06-Oct-2025-03-11-PM-189

He Murdered A Child. Now He’s Walking Free. This Case Should Be A Wake Up Call For The Country.

Congressman Andy Barr has a plan to fix how the federal government deals with homelessness.
The Kentucky Republican is expected to introduce legislation that would drastically reduce the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s support for so-called Housing First policies to counter homelessness, according to documents reviewed by The Daily Wire. Critics say the approach has exacerbated homelessness while cutting off government aid to groups that prioritize targeting root causes, such as mental illness and drug addiction.
“Housing First policy shuts out providers who offer critical wraparound services that are often essential for helping individuals break the cycle of homelessness,” Barr said in a statement. “We need to abandon HUD’s exclusive reliance on Housing First in favor of an all-hands-on-deck approach to equip the best and most effective providers with the federal funds needed to end homelessness.&#8221;
Barr, who is running to replace outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell, says his Housing Promotes Livelihood and Ultimate Success Act would do just that.
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“The Housing PLUS Act ensures federal funds are reaching providers who are helping people transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency, without unneeded restrictions.”
Barr has introduced similar legislation in the past, but this is the first time he has done so with Republicans in control of Congress and the White House.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development awards grants from its Continuum of Care program to providers seeking to care for the homeless. Those providers include privately-run charities, government agencies, and others. They aid the homeless by offering no-cost housing, but in many cases, they place conditions on housing, such as mandatory job training or addiction treatment.
The Housing First approach has largely frozen out providers that only offer conditional housing, however. The approach prioritizes stability over treatment. HUD effectively bans requirements to maintain housing, such as sobriety or engaging with caseworkers, in order for providers to qualify for federal grant money.
The Housing First model was first introduced in 2008 under the Bush administration, but massively expanded five years later. Under President Barack Obama, Housing First became the federal government’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to the entire United States homeless population, Texas Public Policy Foundation senior fellow Michele Steeb told The Daily Wire.
“Mental illness and addiction are [problems that] about 80% of the overall homeless population struggle with,” Steeb said. “What HUD did [under Obama] was they defunded those services. Those services used to be funded and provided with housing up until 2013, but HUD defunded those services, and they put all of that funding instead into more housing subsidies.”
Critics of the approach argue that it fails to care for the entire person and does little to address the root causes of homelessness. In fact, far too many recipients fall back into homelessness. A 2022 <a href="https://ciceroinstitute.org/research/housing-first-is-a-failure/">report</a> by the Cicero Institute found that homelessness increased by nearly 25% in areas that exclusively rely on the Housing First model.
An earlier version of Barr’s bill sought to allocate no less than 30% of HUD grant awards for Continuum of Care to housing providers that provide or condition their services on “wraparound services,” such as treatment for addiction. The current version has bumped that allocation to no less than 50%.
“By redirecting federal resources toward programs that provide treatment and recovery for those experiencing homelessness — nearly 80% of whom also battle mental illness or addiction — the Housing PLUS Act confronts a humanitarian crisis a decade in the making and ends the cycle of despair and decline of individuals and communities,” Steeb said in a statement.

Speaker McCarthy Holds Signing Ceremony To Nullify ESG Rule

This Republican Congressman Wants To End The Progressive Policy Hurting The Homeless

Homelessness

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