President Donald Trump said he filed a $15 billion lawsuit against the “degenerate” New York Times on Monday for defamation and libel. 
The lawsuit targets the Times over three articles and a book written by its reporters, published before the 2024 election. The suit argues that the content, which criticized Trump’s business and political career, was maliciously intended to interfere with the presidential race. 
“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country, becoming a virtual &#8216;mouthpiece&#8217; for the Radical Left Democrat Party,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115211918198289404">wrote</a> on Truth Social. “I view it as the single largest illegal Campaign contribution, EVER. Their Endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of The New York Times, something heretofore UNHEARD OF! The ‘Times’ has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.”
Trump added that the outlet has “been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!”
The <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437/gov.uscourts.flmd.447437.1.0.pdf">suit</a>, filed in federal court in Florida, names the book “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success” and the following three articles: “The Star-Making Machine That Created ‘Donald Trump,” “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment,” and “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator.”
Trump claims that the content was intended to damage his business reputation, “sabotage” his 2024 campaign, and bias judges and juries against him. 
“The Book and Articles are part of a decades-long pattern by the New York Times of intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump. Defendants simply ignored their breach of journalistic ethics because the Book and the Articles would further the goals of the New York Times and its backers in the Democrat Party.” 
In addition to the Times, the suit names the book publisher Penguin Random House and the authors of the articles as defendants. 
Trump has previously won millions of dollars in lawsuits against ABC News and CBS/Paramount. He is also pursuing an ongoing defamation case against The Wall Street Journal over an article alleging he wrote a birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein.

Donald Trump Signs Memorandum In The Oval Office

Trump Files Massive Lawsuit Against ‘Degenerate’ New York Times

2024 Election

Defamation

Donald Trump

Media

Politics

The New York Times

The FBI broadens its investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination, New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani scores a major endorsement, and the White House threatens Brazil after its Supreme Court sentences the “Trump of the Tropics.”
It’s Tuesday, September 16, 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="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;">FBI Probes Larger Plot In Kirk Assassination</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972675 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Kirk-Probe-Widens.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: As conservatives rally following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the FBI says it’s investigating radical left-wing groups for potential ties to the killer. 
Among those being investigated is the far-left pro-transgender group Armed Queers Salt Lake City. It deleted its Instagram account shortly after the shooting, but a membership form online listed its core principles, which included “the armed and militant protection of queer and trans communities,” “trans liberation,” and an “organized revolutionary movement.”
The Bureau is also investigating a number of social media accounts that seemingly displayed foreknowledge of the assassination. In one instance, a leftist X user wrote a week before Kirk’s killing: “it’d be funny if someone like Charlie Kirk got shot on September 10th.” According to FBI Director Kash Patel, suspected assassin Tyler Robinson told at least one person beforehand what he planned on doing.
What they’re saying: White House Deputy Chief Stephen Miller vowed to channel his “righteous anger” to go after “networks” of leftists in a special edition of The Charlie Kirk Show hosted by Vice President JD Vance on Monday.
“It is a vast domestic terror movement, and with God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have&#8230; throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks&#8230; and we will do it in Charlie’s name,” Miller <a href="https://x.com/avaricum777/status/1967627688711250054">said</a>.
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Establishment Dems Begin To Fall In Line With Mamdani</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972677 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hochul-Backs-Mamdani.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has endorsed far-left NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a sign that the Democratic Party establishment is moving behind the 33-year-old radical.
Hochul notably kept her distance from him during the New York City mayoral primary – Mamdani is an open democratic socialist and has some extremely far-left ideas, including the establishment of <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/05/us-news/socialist-nyc-mayoral-candidates-city-run-supermarket-plan-under-fire/">government-run grocery stores</a>. But Hochul’s flip could draw other prominent Democratic leaders into Mamdani’s camp.
Hochul said in an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/opinion/hochul-endorsement-mamdani.html">op-ed</a> in The New York Times that she’s backing Mamdani because of his focus on “affordability” and resisting President Donald Trump.
Step back: Mamdani is favored to be New York City’s next mayor, barring some major shakeup – so Hochul will likely have to work with him. She is also running for re-election in 2026, but is so disliked by folks in the NYC suburbs and most of upstate New York that some politicos <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/14/us-news/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-expected-to-endorse-zohran-mamdani-this-week-sources/">believe</a> she’s trying to lean harder on the urban vote, where Mamdani has strong support.
Trump weighs in: On the heels of Hochul’s endorsement, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115207991871277413">labeled</a> Mamdani the “‘Liddle’ Communist” and described his frontrunner status as a “rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City.”
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Lengthy Prison Sentence For Jair Bolsonaro Strains U.S.-Brazil Relations</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-972679 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Of-The-Tropics-Convicted.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
Topline: After a two-week public trial, Brazil’s five Supreme Court justices sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison after he was found guilty of an attempted coup. The Trump administration is now threatening severe consequences.
Expert opines: Andres Martinez-Fernandez, senior policy analyst for Latin America at The Heritage Foundation: “This is a case which has a lot of question marks around it, and particularly with this sentencing, which is dramatic, over 25 years, for this person who just a few years ago was occupying the top office in Brazil, is very controversial at the moment. So a lot of Congress in Brazil and others are exploring very actively the need to take action to bypass this sentencing.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in response to the ruling that the United States would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
Martinez-Fernandez: “There&#8217;s a disconnect, I think, that a lot of people see, and this administration certainly sees, between the pursuit of justice and the political priorities that we see the supreme court in Brazil pursuing … and that’s what the administration is really seeking to counter, leveraging the United States&#8217; economic heft and influence in that country. But, it&#8217;s clearly going to be a very significant challenge here.”

Morning Brief: Kirk Probe Expands, Hochul Backs Socialist Mamdani & U.S. Rips Bolsonaro Sentence

Morning Brief: FBI’s Kirk Probe Widens, Hochul Backs Mamdani, U.S. Rips Bolsonaro Prison Sentence

Brazil

Charlie Kirk

Jair Bolsonaro

Kathy Hochul

Marco Rubio

Morning Wire

New York City

United States

Zohran Mamdani

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah — who was with the outlet for just over a decade — was terminated over a Bluesky post in which she misquoted the recently-assassinated conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Attiah claimed in a Substack article that the outlet had fired her for doing her job as a journalist, saying that she&#8217;d only been &#8220;speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns.&#8221;
In a series of Bluesky posts, Attiah claimed that Americans would never take action on gun control because they were fine with sacrificing the lives of children in order to keep access to firearms — and &#8220;especially white America is not going to do what it needs to do to get rid of the guns in their country.&#8221;
The only post that mentioned Kirk by name was a quote she attributed to him:
<blockquote>&#8220;Black women do not have the brain-processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person&#8217;s slot.&#8221;</blockquote>
&#8220;The Post accused my measured Bluesky posts of being &#8216;unacceptable,&#8217; &#8216;gross misconduct&#8217; and of endangering the physical safety of colleagues — charges without evidence, which I reject completely as false,&#8221; Attiah added.
But as journalist Jerry Dunleavy noted, Attiah&#8217;s quote was inaccurate. She suggested, as a number of others had, that Kirk was referring to all black women when he said that they lacked &#8220;the brain-processing power to be taken seriously.&#8221; In reality, Kirk had directed that comment at a few specific black women: Michelle Obama, the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, former MSNBC host Joy Reid, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Karen Attiah says she has been fired by WaPo. In her Substack, she shares her post which had mentioned Charlie Kirk &amp; doubles down — &amp; it’s a fake quote! Charlie did not say this about “Black women” writ-large, he said it about Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, &amp; KBJ. <a href="https://t.co/mN326WXKcS">pic.twitter.com/mN326WXKcS</a>
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1967565540333117900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
WATCH:
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Charlie Kirk&#8217;s thoughts on Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. <a href="https://t.co/A3hwo1NYOq">pic.twitter.com/A3hwo1NYOq</a>
— VIBE Magazine (@VibeMagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/VibeMagazine/status/1966544520046354857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Julia Reinhart/Getty Images

Liberal Washington Post Columnist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments

assassination

Washington Post

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher, a professed atheist, tried to claim that his sense of morality was not in any way based on the Bible — but Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro had other ideas.
Maher sparred with The Daily Wire co-founder and author during a recent broadcast of his show, where the comedian kicked off the conversation by claiming that because the Bible contained &#8220;nonsense and wickedness,&#8221; it must have been written by men rather than written or inspired by God as Jews and Christians believe.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/billmaher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@billmaher</a>: The Bible is full of nonsense and wickedness.<a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benshapiro</a>: But you and I agree a lot on morality, right? Because we were born in a society built by the Bible. You can think you formed your own morality, but you were born morally on third base.
*audience erupts* <a href="https://t.co/vyQc3vCYkz">pic.twitter.com/vyQc3vCYkz</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1966706767074677241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s always such a silly argument, because if God wrote the book, how could there be &#8216;things we don&#8217;t agree with&#8217;?&#8221; Maher asked in mocking tones. &#8220;It&#8217;s either got to be perfect because it&#8217;s written by &#8216;you know who,&#8217; or it&#8217;s just not perfect and it&#8217;s written by people, which it was, obviously, and it&#8217;s full of nonsense and wickedness and things that are everything but virtuous.&#8221;
&#8220;So, Bill, you and I agree on morality, I&#8217;d say like 87%,&#8221; Shapiro said in response.
&#8220;Morality, but not from the Bible,&#8221; Maher protested.
&#8220;I have a question: Why?&#8221; Shapiro challenged Maher.
&#8220;Because it&#8217;s for slavery!&#8221; Maher exclaimed, claiming the Bible advocated slavery. &#8220;Because it&#8217;s okay with slavery —&#8221;
&#8220;No, no, no, no, why do you and I agree on morality like 87.5%?&#8221; Shapiro clarified the question. &#8220;I&#8217;m a religious Jew, you&#8217;re an atheist. Why do we agree on these things?&#8221;
Maher appeared to be still processing the question when Shapiro offered to give his answer to the question, and Maher invited him to go ahead.
&#8220;We probably grew up a few miles from each other in a western society that has several thousand years of Biblical history behind it,&#8221; Shapiro explained. &#8220;And so you can think that you hit that triple and you formed your own morality, but the reality is you were born, morally, on third base.&#8221;
&#8220;No, we —&#8221; Maher attempted to push back, but stalled out as the audience laughed.
Shapiro gave a longer explanation of the origins of morality during a debate with Sam Harris several years earlier, which can be viewed below:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Where Does Morality Come From? | With Sam Harris" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7GFAjqIke7s?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ben Shapiro

Bill Maher Says His ‘Morality’ Isn’t Bible-Based. Ben Shapiro Sets Him Straight.

Bill Maher

Morality

The assassination of conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk prompted at least one major network television host to do what they all should have been doing from the start: follow Kirk&#8217;s example and listen to the people with whom you disagree.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
Just four days after Kirk&#8217;s murder — which took place while he was speaking at a Utah Valley University campus event in Orem, Utah — much of the conversation was about him and how everyone would move on in the wake of such a horrific act of political violence. And after four days of comments — on social media and on the air — that essentially blamed Kirk for supporting policies that facilitated his assassination, an unexpected and unlikely respite came from ABC News host Martha Raddatz.
After speaking with Governors Spencer Cox (R-UT) and Jared Polis (D-CO) about the shooting, Raddatz brought in a panel of three young conservatives who had been a part of Kirk&#8217;s campus organization, TPUSA.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Charlie Kirk was one of these towering figures of my youth.” <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a> sat down with a group of college students to discuss Kirk’s legacy, the shock of his assassination, and the future of conservative youth activism. <a href="https://t.co/2kfzutVElM">https://t.co/2kfzutVElM</a> <a href="https://t.co/fcwrk8W8wA">pic.twitter.com/fcwrk8W8wA</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1967252617328820390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Charlie Kirk&#8217;s influence with young conservatives was far-reaching, galvanizing supporters in person and online like few others,&#8221; Raddatz began. &#8220;But he had plenty of critics who viewed him as using hateful and inflammatory language. In the wake of Kirk&#8217;s death, I sat down with three politically active, conservative college students to understand more about Kirk&#8217;s impact and his complicated legacy.&#8221;
Philip Vayntrub, a student at the College of William &amp; Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, recounted the moment he saw the horrific video of Kirk being shot, calling it absolutely &#8220;sickening.&#8221;
&#8220;Just to hear that something terrible had happened to him was just like, honestly, tragic,&#8221; added Katie Caldwell, a student at James Madison University in Virginia.
Kieran Laffey, a George Washington University student, said that he&#8217;d first learned of Kirk&#8217;s assassination while he was in a history class — and that for the first time in his college career, he&#8217;d had to step out of the classroom to process what he&#8217;d just learned.
&#8220;Charlie Kirk was one of these towering figures of my youth,&#8221; Vayntrub said, recalling videos of Kirk that he&#8217;d watched long before he ever went to college. &#8220;I&#8217;d watch these videos as a kid of him standing up, and being so articulate, but him being also so kind to everyone around him and I said I wanted to emulate that.&#8221;
Caldwell said that she&#8217;d grown up in a conservative home, and saw in Kirk a representation of the family ideals she&#8217;d known as a child. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s kind of why it hurt more,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;As a conservative on campus who&#8217;s outspoken, who like Charlie Kirk likes to speak his mind and stand up for what I think is right, I have to tell you, Martha, I&#8217;m frightened,&#8221; Laffey added, his voice breaking a bit as he added, &#8220;Because people think he deserved to die because he just voiced his opinion.&#8221;
Raddatz referenced remarks from Governor Cox, who said that the younger generation had an &#8220;opportunity&#8221; to come together instead of driving each other further apart, and asked the students to weigh in on that.
Laffey voiced concern, given the current climate: &#8220;I think unity is very imperative, and, look, I want to see people come together. I want to see the First Amendment thrive. I want to see conversations, I think most Americans do. And look, the reality is, I think it&#8217;s going to be hard to come together. Martha, I just don&#8217;t understand how a large population in this country could celebrate something like this.&#8221;
Vayntrub noted the corrosive nature of political violence, declaring, &#8220;The reason I&#8217;m here today is to reject that.&#8221;
He noted that there had been students on his campus cheering and celebrating, and vowed to take a different approach. &#8220;That should be totally condemned. But if we become as bad as them, if we act with just as much hate, then Charlie Kirk died for nothing,&#8221; he said.
When asked who might pick up the mantle and carry on Kirk&#8217;s mission, Laffey said it was incumbent on everyone to &#8220;continue the conversation and stand up for what&#8217;s right.&#8221;
&#8220;What&#8217;s &#8216;right&#8217;?&#8221; Raddatz asked, and Laffey said that continuing to champion free speech — and encourage honest and rational debate &#8220;without violence, without being shut down, without being censored&#8221; — was of the utmost importance.
&#8220;If we as Americans can&#8217;t come together and assemble and have debates on what we believe is right or wrong, we&#8217;re never going to get anywhere, we&#8217;re never going to be able to see the other side, and we&#8217;re going to live in this polarized country and that needs to stop,&#8221; Caldwell said.
Those on the political left routinely call for Americans to have a &#8220;national conversation&#8221; about some topic or another, whether it be gun violence or education reform, and what&#8217;s abundantly clear is that Charlie Kirk was having that conversation – and doing it to great effect. What Raddatz&#8217;s guests made equally clear is that they intend to keep having that conversation.

PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images

Spin Cycle: Charlie Kirk Breaks The Cycle

ABC News

CBS News

A man wearing a t-shirt much like the one that was seen in surveillance photos of suspected shooter Tyler Robinson was caught on camera attempting to destroy a memorial for murdered conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Video circulated on Sunday of the man, identified by authorities as 19-year-old Ryder Corral, as he marched through the makeshift memorial outside the campus organization&#8217;s headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday morning.
Fox News reporter Matt Finn shared some of the details and a short video via X, saying, &#8220;Man tramples on Charlie Kirk memorial at TP USA. He is taken to the ground by onlookers and then arrested. He traveled about 15 yards through the memorial, kicked over flowers, vases and flags and balloons, according to our photog.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Update from Phx police: <a href="https://t.co/xDlBPPw0Rc">pic.twitter.com/xDlBPPw0Rc</a>
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1967305217600528504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Finn followed with an update from the Phoenix Police Department, which identified the suspected vandal as Corral and said that he had been &#8220;detained by witnesses&#8221; on the scene until law enforcement officers arrived and took him into custody.
Police also reported that neither Corral nor any of the witnesses who held him on the scene had sustained any injuries — and that the 19-year-old would face multiple charges, including &#8220;criminal damage and disorderly conduct.&#8221;
Sharing side-by-side photos, Finn later added, &#8220;Looks like the man who was just arrested after trampling Charlie Kirk’s memorial at Turning Point in Phoenix (R) might have been wearing the same type of patriotic shirt that Kirk’s alleged assassin wore on the day of the shooting. (L)&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Looks like the man who was just arrested after trampling Charlie Kirk’s memorial at Turning Point in Phoenix (R) might have been wearing the same type of patriotic shirt that Kirk’s alleged assassin wore on the day of the shooting. (L) <a href="https://t.co/TX5QGBjPSR">pic.twitter.com/TX5QGBjPSR</a>
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1967338142513729709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Vandal Dressed As Suspected Assassin Tramples Charlie Kirk Memorial

Vandalism

New York Times White House Correspondent Peter Baker said that the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has become &#8220;a symbol of the toxic culture we&#8217;re in.&#8221;
Baker joined a panel discussion moderated by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, and while he did concede that Kirk was often willing to walk into places where conservatives were not often welcomed, he also suggested that riling people up was a part of Kirk’s “style.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NYT&#8217;s Peter Baker: Charlie Kirk Said A Lot Of Things That Riled People Up, &#8220;A Symbol Of The Toxic Culture We&#8217;re In&#8221;
Read his remarks: <a href="https://t.co/KoGFydLGC5">https://t.co/KoGFydLGC5</a> <a href="https://t.co/dYj1bkJhwC">pic.twitter.com/dYj1bkJhwC</a>
— RCP Video (@rcpvideo) <a href="https://twitter.com/rcpvideo/status/1966969466937540906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Goldberg began the discussion by introducing Baker and the rest of his panel, and then jumped right into the conversation.
”Let&#8217;s start at the beginning. Peter, and I want everybody to jump in this, let&#8217;s talk a little bit about Charlie Kirk, who he was and what role he played in the broader Republican ecosystem and the broader political ecosystem.”
”So, Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old we call an influencer, I guess, these days, provocateur would be another word, he — out there galvanizing young voters, particularly on the right, to support Trump,” Baker began. “He actually was not originally a Trump supporter, but became one of his most —“
“That&#8217;s not unusual,” Goldberg interrupted.
“That&#8217;s not unusual in modern conservative politics,” Baker agreed. “But at age 31, he had become, you know, a pretty significant force in young people&#8217;s politics. And he became a friend not only of Trump, but Donald Trump Jr., J.D. Vance, in particular. J.D. Vance was so moved by this event that he ripped up his schedule, flew out to Utah to personally have the casket brought home on Air Force Two to Arizona.”
Baker went on to note the scope of Kirk’s influence — saying that despite never having run for or held any elected office, the TPUSA founder had certainly made his mark among young voters and Republicans.
“Now, he said a lot of things that got a lot of people riled up, right? And that was part of his style about race, about gender, about affirmative action and Islam and things like that,” Baker continued. “But he also enjoyed going to college campuses like the one he was at. Even though he knew an audience there might include people who didn&#8217;t agree with him, and he liked to mix it up. And he&#8217;s, you know, become in this last few days, I think, a symbol of the of the toxic culture that we&#8217;re in right now, [in] politics.”

New York Times

NYT Reporter: Charlie Kirk Became ‘A Symbol Of The Toxic Culture We’re In’

NYT Reporter: Charlie Kirk Became 'A Symbol Of The Toxic Culture We're In'

Peter Baker

The Atlantic

Performer Bob Vylan celebrated the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a performance, shouting vile insults from the stage as he referred to the Turning Point USA founder as a &#8220;piece of s***&#8221; and worse.
Vylan — who recently made headlines for chanting &#8220;Death to the IDF&#8221; from the stage at Glastonbury&#8217;s famed music festival — trashed Kirk from a stage adorned with a Palestinian flag, saying he&#8217;d deserved to get shot.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BOB VYLAN CELEBRATES DEATH OF CHARLIE KIRK
Calls Charlie &#8220;An absolute piece of sh!t&#8221;
&#8220;Pronouns Was/Were&#8221;
“Coz if you chat sh!t, you get banged.” Followed by a gun gesture. 
<a href="https://t.co/rBSkNloxcG">pic.twitter.com/rBSkNloxcG</a>
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/1967270424150249831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I want to dedicate this next one to an absolute piece of s*** of a human being,&#8221; he began, pacing back and forth across the stage.
&#8220;The pronouns: Was/Were,&#8221; he said, prompting cheers from the audience. &#8220;&#8216;Cos if you talk s***, you will get banged. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk, you piece of s***.&#8221;
He made a shooting gesture with his hand and then proceeded to dance around the stage as the crowd cheered some more.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-consider-criminal-charges-after-rapper-leads-death-to-the-idf-chant-at-festival">Vylan</a> prompted backlash after his Glastonbury performance when he led chants of &#8220;Free, free Palestine&#8221; and &#8220;Death to the IDF&#8221; during the show in June. Police in the United Kingdom even considered formal charges against him at the time.
&#8220;We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon,” Avon and Somerset Police <a href="https://x.com/ASPolice/status/1939025011844485405" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. “Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.&#8221;
Festival officials rebuked Vylan in a statement, saying, &#8220;We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.&#8221;

Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images

Rapper Who Chanted ‘Death To IDF’ Targets Charlie Kirk In Profane Rant

Rapper Who Chanted 'Death To IDF' Targets Charlie Kirk In Profane Rant

Music

Music Industry

Within days of the assassination of conservative commentator and Turning POINT USA founder Charlie Kirk, the campus organization received more than 32,000 requests for new chapters around the United States.
Andrew Kolvet, producer of &#8220;The Charlie Kirk Show,&#8221; shared the news in a post on X, saying, &#8220;I wanted to share a praise report from TPUSA. The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters. To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a presence on 3,500 total. Charlie&#8217;s vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined. Truly incredible.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 I wanted to share a paise report from TPUSA. The organization has received over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48-hours to start new campus chapters. To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a…
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKsway) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKsway/status/1967106572695597566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The cohosts of &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends: Weekend&#8221; commented on the dramatic uptick in growth, and Kevin Corke remarked that when all was said and done, Kirk&#8217;s real legacy would be all the young people who stepped up and carried the torch now that he was gone.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“This will birth an army of Charlie Kirks.”<a href="https://twitter.com/TPUSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TPUSA</a> receives 32,000 requests for new chapters following Charlie Kirk’s assassination. <a href="https://t.co/RC1fEI5GsV">pic.twitter.com/RC1fEI5GsV</a>
— FOX &amp; Friends (@foxandfriends) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/1967213742468538728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Speaking with cohosts Lawrence Jones and Rachel Campos-Duffy, Corke explained, &#8220;32,000 new chapter requests in just 24 hours. This is an understanding where the real battleground is. It&#8217;s not enough to have a wonderful moment — which we will over the next several days, and, obviously, culminating with his service — but it&#8217;s more important to really get out there and continue the conversation.&#8221;
&#8220;This will birth an army of Charlie Kirks, and that will be his lasting legacy,&#8221; Corke said.

Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images

‘The Turning Point’: Requests For Turning Point USA Chapters Soar After Charlie Kirk Assassination

Turning Point USA

The response from the Left to the assassination of conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has been nothing short of sickening. They have justified and even celebrated his death — and some have begun to face consequences for their actions.
MSNBC&#8217;s Matthew Dowd was the first domino to fall, after he essentially argued during live coverage of the assassination that Kirk had encouraged the politically-motivated violence that claimed his life.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
MSNBC just FIRED Matthew Dowd for his vile, disgusting comments with Katy Tur. Good.
Next, do Katy Tur.
And CNN it’s time to show the door to Van Jones too. These propaganda peddlers have poisoned America long enough. <a href="https://t.co/bSEIjaADI6">https://t.co/bSEIjaADI6</a> <a href="https://t.co/nwER8o1eyv">pic.twitter.com/nwER8o1eyv</a>
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) <a href="https://twitter.com/KylieJaneKremer/status/1965985271620710411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Following Dowd&#8217;s ouster, MSNBC sent a letter to all employees urging them to &#8220;do better,&#8221; Matthew Foldi reported. &#8220;A letter was sent to all MSNBC staff admonishing them &amp; saying they &#8216;need to do better&#8217; following Matthew Dowd’s firing for his heinous comments about Charlie Kirk,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Rare win from corporate media executives.
A letter was sent to all MSNBC staff admonishing them &amp; saying they “need to do better” following Matthew Dowd’s firing for his heinous comments about Charlie Kirk.
Let’s hope that Comcast is not alone in putting MSNBC in place <a href="https://t.co/GZoPFsJJIF">pic.twitter.com/GZoPFsJJIF</a>
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) <a href="https://twitter.com/MatthewFoldi/status/1966549335266447595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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An Office Depot employee was also terminated over the weekend for refusing to print a poster of Kirk for a prayer vigil, telling members of the group Michigan Forward that the poster was &#8220;political propaganda.&#8221; The poster in question featured a photo of Kirk along with the words, &#8220;The Legendary Charlie Kirk, 1993-2025.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To our customers <a href="https://t.co/XYlcFPpInN">pic.twitter.com/XYlcFPpInN</a>
— Office Depot (@officedepot) <a href="https://twitter.com/officedepot/status/1966689535812587608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A Secret Service agent who said that Kirk deserved to be killed was placed on leave and is expected to be fired, Nick Sorter reported, citing a source within the Department of Homeland Security.
&#8220;The Secret Service Agent who publicly said Charlie Kirk DESERVED to be kiIIed has officially been placed on LEAVE, expected to be imminently FIRED, per DHS,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: The Secret Service Agent who publicly said Charlie Kirk DESERVED to be kiIIed has officially been placed on LEAVE, expected to be imminently FIRED, per DHS
FAFO!
Enjoy unemployment, loser. <a href="https://t.co/QedIJ7Q0DB">pic.twitter.com/QedIJ7Q0DB</a>
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1966519468508454930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Other reports indicated that an advisory board member at Cincinnati Bengals star <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-15094793/joe-burrow-foundation-charlie-kirk-judge-ted-berry.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus">Joe Burrow&#8217;s</a> charitable foundation was terminated for posts celebrating Kirk&#8217;s murder, as was a <a href="https://x.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1966164567547146740">communications specialist</a> with the Carolina Panthers. A number of others have either been terminated or suspended — and calls are still going out for more to come.
Clemson University stopped short of firing anyone who posted celebratory comments after Kirk&#8217;s murder, saying in a statement that unless the post was considered to be a &#8220;genuine threat which is not protected by the Constitution,&#8221; there was no need for the university to take any action.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A statement from Clemson University: <a href="https://t.co/BAmaXdiqfJ">pic.twitter.com/BAmaXdiqfJ</a>
— Clemson University (@ClemsonUniv) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClemsonUniv/status/1966566274038681750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Dozens Fired Over Response To Charlie Kirk Assassination

Social Media

Actor Charlie Sheen was recording a conversation for podcast host Joe Rogan&#8217;s next episode when they learned about the assassination of conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Wednesday afternoon.
Rogan and Sheen were both clearly taken aback, shaken by the news — and both immediately assumed that the shooting had been politically motivated as they reacted in real time to the news.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Joe Rogan &amp; Charlie Sheen react to Charlie Kirk Assassination🚨
ROGAN: &#8220;We just found out that Charlie Kirk got sh*t.&#8221;
SHEEN: &#8220;It&#8217;s f*cking awful.&#8221;
ROGAN: &#8220;Whoa!&#8221;
SHEEN: &#8220;M*rdered for having a different opinion from somebody else.&#8221;
&#8220;Rest in peace. F*ck!&#8221;
&#8220;He doesn&#8217;t… <a href="https://t.co/zdDx7SHqtr">pic.twitter.com/zdDx7SHqtr</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1966191482206863583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Should we bring this up? I guess we have to,&#8221; Rogan began, clearly just having received the news himself. Bringing his hands to his forehead and taking a deep breath, he said, &#8220;So this just happened, we just found out that Charlie Kirk got shot.&#8221;
Rogan paused then, apparently unsure how to react.
&#8220;That&#8217;s f***ing awful,&#8221; Sheen said.
&#8220;And — is he dead?&#8221; Rogan asked. Off camera, one of his producers said he didn&#8217;t think so.
&#8220;That&#8217;s what was just —?&#8221; Sheen asked. &#8220;— that in the lobby was &#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;One of the guys out there just confirmed that he&#8217;s dead,&#8221; Rogan said, his voice flat.
Rogan let out a heavy sigh as his producer went to confirm the details: &#8220;Whoa.&#8221;
&#8220;Murdered for having a different opinion from somebody else,&#8221; Sheen posited. &#8220;A different ideology from somebody else.&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah, I mean, I don&#8217;t know,&#8221; Rogan said.
&#8220;&#8230; beliefs that didn&#8217;t align,&#8221; Sheen continued.
The producer interrupted to confirm that Kirk had died.
&#8220;Rest in peace,&#8221; Sheen said immediately. &#8220;F***. Twenty-seven years old? Thirty, maybe?&#8221;
&#8220;Do they even have a suspect?&#8221; Rogan asked, but the producer had no more answers.
&#8220;F***,&#8221; Sheen said again. &#8220;Nobody deserves that, he didn&#8217;t deserve that, nobody deserves that.&#8221;

Charlie Sheen Discusses His New Book “The Book Of Sheen” With David Duchovny

‘He Doesn’t Deserve That’: The Moment Charlie Sheen, Joe Rogan Learned Charlie Kirk Was Dead

Joe Rogan

Murder

The manhunt for Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassin continues, as reports indicate the ammunition used was etched with pro-transgender and anti-fascist phrases. The legacy media faces intense backlash for its response to Charlie Kirk&#8217;s murder, with some commentators blaming the victim for his own assassination. On the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth lays out a new, hard-hitting vision for the U.S. Military.
It’s Friday, September 12, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Manhunt Continues for Charlie Kirk’s Killer</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-971571" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The nationwide manhunt continues for the assassin who fatally shot Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, as new reports indicate the ammunition used in the attack was etched with pro-transgender and anti-fascist slogans.
Authorities have recovered the high-powered, bolt-action rifle allegedly used in the attack from a wooded area near the Utah Valley University campus. A law enforcement bulletin cited by The Wall Street Journal said the ammunition found with the rifle was etched with a number of pro-transgender and anti-fascist phrases. Kirk was an outspoken critic of transgender ideology and was discussing the topic at the moment he was shot.
The FBI has identified a new person of interest &#8212; a slender male in his 20s &#8212; and released two images to the public, offering a $100,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. As the killer remains at large, lawmakers across the country have canceled scheduled events over security fears. Later on Thursday, authorities released video showing the suspected assassin flee the scene, jumping off the building where he&#8217;s believed to have shot Kirk from with a hunting rifle.
<div id="attachment_971557" style="width: 307px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-971557" class="size-large wp-image-971557" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-297x576.jpg" alt="" width="297" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-297x576.jpg 297w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-155x300.jpg 155w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-768x1490.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-792x1536.jpg 792w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-1055x2048.jpg 1055w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234187310-scaled.jpg 1319w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px" />(Photo by FBI Salt Lake City via Getty Images)</div>
President Trump announced that Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him a &#8220;giant of his generation.&#8221; On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, accompanied the Kirk family as Charlie’s casket was flown back to his home in Phoenix, Arizona, on Air Force 2.
<h2>Legacy Media Faces Backlash for Response to Kirk’s Murder</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-971573" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The legacy media is facing widespread and intense criticism for its coverage of Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassination, with some commentators implying the conservative activist was to blame for his own death.
Immediately after the fatal shooting, MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd suggested on-air that Kirk&#8217;s &#8220;hate speech&#8221; often leads to &#8220;hateful actions,&#8221; and even speculated that the shot could have come from &#8220;a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration.&#8221; Following intense backlash, MSNBC issued an apology and fired Dowd. On CBS, host Nate Burleson suggested the assassination was a moment for the Republican Party to reflect on political violence. The New York Times initially smeared Kirk as a &#8220;provocateur&#8221; in its report on his assassination.
Critics are pointing to a long pattern of hostile and false coverage of Kirk by legacy media outlets and activist groups. The far-Left Southern Poverty Law Center recently added Kirk&#8217;s organization, Turning Point USA, to its &#8220;Hate Map&#8221; alongside KKK chapters. On the floor of the U.S. House, about a dozen Democrats erupted in protest when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) requested a prayer for Kirk after a moment of silence, with one shouting, &#8220;Pass some gun laws!&#8221;
<h2>Hegseth Issues 9/11 Call to Action for U.S. Military</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-971569" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.12.25-SH3.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: On the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a powerful address laying out the Trump administration&#8217;s hard-hitting vision for the U.S. Military.
&#8220;War is an enduring aspect of the human condition,&#8221; Hegseth said Thursday. &#8220;War must not become a mere tool for global social work, eager to risk American blood and treasure for utopian fever dreams. We should hit hard, wreak vengeance, and return home.”
Retired Marine Corps Major Chris Lovell told Morning Wire that the new mission clarity is having a positive effect on the armed forces. &#8220;We are in such a good place with the military,&#8221; Lovell said, crediting the administration with &#8220;getting rid of the DEI distractions, the woke distractions.&#8221; He said recruitment is now &#8220;fuller than ever&#8221; because the mission is clear.
Lovell reflected on the surge of patriotism following the 9/11 attacks, when nearly 200,000 young Americans enlisted. He said the military&#8217;s new mission under Trump and Hegseth is inspiring a similar sense of purpose. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to be lethal,&#8221; Lovell said. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to defend the interests of the United States of America. And we&#8217;re going to have leaders that support us and have our backs.&#8221;

MRN 9.12.25 Thumbnail V2

Morning Brief: Manhunt For Charlie Kirk’s Killer, Backlash To Media Coverage, 9/11 ‘Call To Action’

9/11

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